Recently learned that George Goebel (Costumer, Illusionist, Houdini collector) passed away at 88 years old on January 4th.  I had the pleasure of meeting this extraordinary gentleman during my East Coast Houdini Adventure with Fred Pittella:

George and his lovely wife Carole touched our hearts from the moment we first met on November 1, 2018. This visit was as special to them as it what to us. Carole welcomed us to their charming home with champagne and orange juice as we got comfortable in the living room. And George got dressed up for the occasion and had so much he wanted us to experience.

George kept saying, I think you might find something you might like in that box, notebook, or cabinet.  It seemed to bring as much joy to George as it did to Fred and I, seeing us experience these Houdini treasures. George even had me break the seals (in fact he insisted) on some items (e.g., envelope with billets folded by Houdini), just so I could hold something that Houdini Himself did. It was all so surreal.

While I can’t share the details of everything, we got to see and experience, I can share that we got to see and read postcards from Houdini to his Sister Carry (sometimes spelled Carrie).

We then went to the dining room, where Houdini Himself greeted us.

Carole brought in a platter of delicious sandwiches to enjoy, along with a variety of cheesecakes to choose from.

George then had us continue to go thru his treasures, including rare posters (like the Wintergarten poster he purchased for $25 in the 1950’s), playbills and books (some annotated and signed by “Harry Handcuff Houdini”).

Fred also got his fix of cuffs while he was there, including a wooden pair with the “HH” stamp on it.

I was like a kid in a candy shop, although, I think George was the biggest kid of all. I will never forget the joy on his face or the time we had together; it was truly something very special we all shared.

Rest in Peace George and say hello to Houdini!