Search for Tatler Handcuff given to W.W. Durbin leads to Abbotts?

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W.W. Durbin with Jim’s Mom in 1926

Earlier this year, I sent the following email to the great grandson of W. W. Durbin:

Hi Jim!

I have been studying Houdini for 45 years and have a Houdini blog, HarryHoudiniCircumstantialEvidence.com that I have been running since 2011.

Leo Hevia, a Houdini Colleague, has been in contact with you regarding the search for a Houdini handcuff associated with the famous Mirror Challenge that was given to your great grandfather, W.W. Durbin, by Bess Houdini.

According to the February 1934 Linking Ring article, “With the Old Masters” by William W Durbin, President I.B.M., Kenton Ohio:

Today, I have in my possession, presented to me by Mrs. Houdini, the handcuffs which were made by Birmingham blacksmith and who took five years in making same, which Houdini got out of in the London Hippodrome after he worked for almost seventy minutes to release himself…I have never been able to find any magician or other person who can open and close these handcuffs.

 Attached is a photograph from a May 18, 1933 Pittsburg Sun Telegraph newspaper of the handcuff.

Last year, I shared three ground-breaking blog posts on my latest investigation and findings on the Mirror Challenge. Which Included additional information, insight and new photographic evidence on the Mirror Challenge confirming Houdini escaped from a cuff known as the “Tatler Cuff” as opposed to the Mirror Cuff in David Copperfield’s collection:

Any information you can provide to help determine what happened to these cuffs would be greatly appreciated. Did they stay with the Durbin family?  Or did the I.B.M get them, or did they become part of Egyptian Hall Museum Collection, which has had a number of different owners (David Price, David Price III, Mike Caveney and George Daily) or did something else happen to them.

Thank You for your time,

Joe Notaro

May 18, 1933 Pittsburg Sun Telegraph

The following is the reply I got back from Jim:

Hi Joe. I did do some investigating.  Happy to discuss more on the phone, but here is what I did:

    1. I checked my David Price file, as I had a number of long letters from him.
    2. You know that David was the buyer of the Durbin memorabilia left over from the American Egyptian Hall. I visited him and saw the museum he built in his own home in Nashville.
    3. Before David, the remnants of the magic theater were acquired by two brothers, Tom and Bob Dowd—Kenton farmers. Tom became a judge, I believe. Before he died he brought me Durbin memorabilia, including a scrapbook from his time as Register of the Treasury.
    4. But in my Price file is an article written by Bob Dowd about how they acquired the collection from the August 1994 Linking Ring. Here is the line of most importance to you. “His apparatus, books and whatever paraphernalia existed was sold, perhaps to Abbotts for resale.”
    5. So my guess is the handcuffs were sold by my great-grandmother, probably not checking. But best guess is they went through Abbotts.
    6. One fun sidebar. Two years ago, some nice guys from Kenton, Ohio, asked me to come over and speak about Durbin and my book on him. They took me to the home that was made from the magic hall. The Dowds moved it to the country and made a one-story home of it. Completely cool to see that the wallpaper on the ceiling was still intact in what is now an attic. I have photos. The previous owner said she definitely heard an orchestra playing sometimes and felt the presence of a good spirit at times.  Who knows, but the report seemed sincere. Maybe those cuffs are hidden in the walls of that home? We need to get Geraldo Rivera on it!

Will keep thinking about it. I cannot tell you how hard it is for me to know these artifacts from my family are far-flung—but most people take good care of their collections, like Mike Caveney.

I am pleased you reached out, Joe. Nothing like a good old-fashioned obsession with a great riddle!

Jim

Below is a snippet from the August 1994 Linking Ring article, Egyptian Hall, the Reprise, by Bob Dowd:

When Durbin’s estate was settled, I was living on my own in Cincinnati. His apparatus, books and whatever paraphernalia existed was sold. I don’t know to whom, perhaps to Abbotts for resale. But I’m not sure of that.

At any rate, the building, with its vestibule, walls and ceiling covered with a plethora of photos mounted under glass, as well as the large, book-like folio of 8×10’s which stood, head-high, to the right of the stage remained.

The distinctive front curtain with its Egyptian painting was left in place. The hangings also remained on the rather deep stage, with its side curtains and traveler to divide the stage into two sets. Backstage, the sides and rear were lined with seven-foot high glass-fronted, shelved cabinets which had provided large storage. And, of course, there were the footlights with a carpeted walk at the center leading to steps down to the auditorium floor.

Photo from The Linking Ring Aug 1994

So, we learned from Jim and the August 1994 Linking Ring article that there were additional owners (Tom and Bob Dowd) of the Egyptian Hall Museum prior to David Price. We also learned that most likely the handcuffs and other paraphernalia along with Durbin’s apparatus and books were sold (possibly to Abbott’s) by his great grandmother after Durbin’s death (Feb 4,1937) and before Tom and Bob Dowd acquired the remnants of the magic theater (1940).

So where do we look now, Abbotts? Or maybe those cuffs are hidden in the walls of that home made from Egyptian Hall?

My sincere thanks to Jim Robenalt (great grandson of W.W. Durbin) for adding a new piece to the puzzle and to Leo Hevia for laying the groundwork for me to contact Jim.

BONUS:

The Tatler Cuff is not the only thing missing from Durbin’s collection. There are three magic wands made of the flooring from the original independence Hall in Philly, one given to Durbin which is missing.

Update:

Thanks to Jim Klodzen, we now know that one wand was given to Harry Blackstone Sr and is is housed at the American Museum of Magic. See photo below.

Train Track Escape – Believe It or Not

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Image from: https://www.houdini.org/houdinirr.html

According to the September 1954 National Police Gazette article in my collection titled, “How Houdini Did It”, by Walter Gibson:

In Germany, Houdini undertook a death race with the Berlin-Dresden Express. He allowed himself to be lashed to the railroad track, a few miles outside Dresden, exactly 15 minutes outside Dresden, exactly 15 minutes before the train was due, picking a spot where the crowd could watch him.

Houdini had first tested this escape and was sure he could perform it in ample time. In fact, he was running so well ahead of schedule that he was beginning to stall for time, when the express suddenly appeared around the bend. It was running ahead of schedule too!

“I had just freed my hands.” related Houdini, “and was working to release my feet, which were tied to the other rail. I couldn’t get them free, but as the train thundered closer, I managed to gain enough slack to throw my body over the far side of track and pull my feet, still bound, down beside the rail. The wheels of the locomotive missed me by mere inches and cut the ropes instead.”

This happened on the side of the track away from the onlookers. After the express roared by, they looked in horror for Houdini’s mangled body. To their amazement, he arose beyond the track and gave the ropes a triumphant toss.

Believe it or Not!

BTW: Houdini was in Dresden Germany in September 1900 and October 1903.

Bonus:

Image from: Who Is Houdini? by Fred Lockley Photoplay, June 1920  HHCE Collection

Grim Game Pressbook is up for auction

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Potter & Potter have posted their February 27 magic auction which includes a listing for a Houdini Grim Game Press Book.

Lot 62 Description

Houdini, Harry (Ehrich Weisz). Houdini Grim Game Press Book. New York: Famous Players-Lasky, 1919. Oversize booklet filled with stories and data related to the stunt-filled film, and reproducing dozens of photographs and posters used to advertise it. Front wrapper detached, lacking rear wrapper. 15 ½ x 10 ½”.

Any Grim Game Pressbook is an extremely rare item.  This one is almost complete, only missing pages 23 and 24 (rear wrapper).  In fact, I only know of one complete Pressbook with all 24 pages.

Original 24 page pressbook

I happen to have a 24 page reproduction from Stephen A Sparks, who once owned the original.

As well as a 24 page reproduction that Arthur Moses included in the limited Grim Game Souvenir Folder given to Houdini Nuts in celebration of the 2015 TCM screening of the movie:

Besides the reproductions, the original 22 page pressbook being auctioned off on February 27th and the one 24 page original, I am only aware of two others:

The 20 page original Pressbook I own.

And an original  Houdini signed wrapper in the collection of Ken Trombly.

Credit: Ken Trombly Collection

Days of Thrills Exhibitor’s Campaign Manual

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HHCE Collection

Previously, we looked at the Rare – The Man From Beyond (TMFB) Repro Pressbook in my collection. Today we look at my Days of Thrills Exhibitors Pressbook (plus some related TMFB items), which while not as rare, are still pretty cool.

HHCE Collection

“Days of Thrills and Laughter” is a trip back into the motion picture past to a day before the talkies, when film stories were told in terms of action instead of words.  It is a compilation of highlights from the funniest of the old comedies, and the most chilling of the old thrillers.  Its cast is one of the brightest ever to light the screen.

“Days of Thrills and Laughter” is divided into a preface and eight parts.

This post will focus on the character Houdini.

Part six reveals another type of film that thrived in the 20’s but has been all but forgotten – the elaborate, imaginative, bang-up, pull-no-punches thriller, Houdini, the great magician and escape artist, who has become a legend in out time, shows his uncanny ability to use his legs, feet, and toes as lesser mortals use their arms, hands, and fingers. In a sequence that was a sensation in its day. Houdini saves the heroine from the very brink of Niagara Falls.

The pressbook included posters, mats, publicity article and a lobby card with Houdini.

Special 40 x 60 Poster:

Mat 301:

Mat 205:

Mat 2J:

Mat 2K:

Mat 111:

Mat 115:

Mat 207:

Mat 202:

Mat 103:

Publicity Article:

Houdini Thrills Anew In Long Films

Harry Houdini, most famous of al magicians and escape artists, died in 1926. Today, the man who could wrestle free from a straight jacket while suspended head-down from a skyscraper or emerge unharmed from a chained trunk flung to the bottom of the sea has become a legend. Many who witnessed such amazing Houdini feats as walking through a brick wall believed he must be endowed with supernatural powers—but this the magician himself always denied.

Now, for the first time in forty years, the great Houdini will be seen on the movie-theater screens. Rare films of the man of mystery have recently been uncovered and are included in the new Robert Youngson production “Days of Thrills and Laughter,” a 20th Century-Fox release, coming to the Theatre.

The films will doubtless increase the Houdini legend for they prove that the master magician richly deserved his acclaim.

In one sequence, he is shown making an escape by eerily using his legs, feet and toes as lesser mortals use their arms, hands, and fingers. In another, Houdini, who was also a stunt man, hangs by his finger tips from a sheer cliff. In a third, he rescues the heroine from the very brink of Niagara Falls, in a scene singularly devoid of fakery.

Sharing the spotlight with Houdini in “Days of Thrills and Laughter” are such screen immortals as Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Pearl White, Harry Langdon, Ben Turpin, and The Keystone Cops.

14×36 Insert:

3-SHEET:

11X14:

HHCE Collection

Also available was 8 x 10 B/W stills:

HHCE Collection

HHCE Collection

My memories of George Goebel

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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!

My memories of Siegfried

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Siegfried Fischbacher, Magician of Siegfried & Roy, dies at 81 (January 13th)

I first saw Siegfried & Roy Superstars of Magic in Beyond Belief at the Frontier Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas in the early 80’s.  And I last saw Siegfried at the Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden of the Mirage Hotel on March 29, 2019, where we talked about his early days at the Frontier Hotel and he made a collectable coin magically appear that said:

Look for the magic all around you!

Rest in Peace, Siegfried and say hello to Roy!

Rare – The Man From Beyond Repro Pressbook

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HHCE Collection

Issue 27 September-October 1977 of MEDIASCENE, America’s New Magazine of Popular Entertainment focused the amber spotlight on:

the Houdini of the cinema by way of one of the rarest items we’ve ever come across, a pressbook from his first feature film, The Man From Beyond. A selection of material from that source (which appears to be missing from the half dozen or more Houdini books currently on the market) will throw a new light on a legendary figure, revealing a now-forgotten part of his spectacular life.

Below is page 15 of Issue 27, the man from beyond: a rare look at harry houdini.

…The photos and illustrations here are from the original pressbook to The Man From Beyond, an extremely rare item even among the most dedicated collections of magic memorabilia.

HHCE Collection

Packed with information, biographies, synopses and photos, the pressbook is so rare that SUPERGRAPHICS is reproducing it in a high-quality facsimile edition, 11×16 inches in size and 20 pages, limited to 100 copies, for $10 plus .75 postage…

I am fortunate enough to have one of these in my collection. Like the original, not sure how many of these survived.

HHCE Collection

Timeline for Houdini Water Torture Cell(s)

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H A P P Y  N E W  Y E A R !

Black Bolded Dates [11-21] from an old link:  https://www.houdini.com/index.php/lawsuit

Red Bolded Dates from HHCE research

  1. The Water Torture Cell was willed from Harry Houdini to his brother Theodore Hardeen, who acquired the cell after Harry Houdini died in 1926.
  2. In June 1942, Theodore Hardeen gave the Water Torture Cell to Radner, who as then an escape artist and a friend of Hardeen.  Radner stored the Water Torture Cell in his house in Massachusetts from 1942 until 1971.

[May 8th, 1952 Letter at Margaret Herrick Library mentions a Massachusetts cell and a New York cell for possible use in the Tony Curtis Movie.  Note: According to Jon Oliver, Marie Hinson stored a second cell in her New York basement until the fire marshall made them throw it out]

  1. In 1971, Radner shipped the Water Torture Cell to the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagra Falls, Ontario, Canada, where the cell was on display until 1991. 

Per Richard Sherry:

Just one tidbit is that there appears to be a bit of chicanery when the museum at Niagara moved location.

[the museum at Niagara opened in May 1968 (opening ceremony June 6 1968) and moved some time in 1972. Radner stored the Water Torture Cell he acquired from Theo Hardeen in his house in Massachusetts from 1942 until 1971 (when he shipped it to the museum in Niagara]

[June 1971 The Amazing Randi performed straitjacket on the day of the arrival of cell in Niagara Falls] Richmond Review British Columbia, Canada Jun 11, 1971

  1. In 1991, the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame decided to have the water torture cell restored.  They asked John Gaughan to restore the cell to its original condition.  The cell was then shipped to Gaughan for restoration.  Gaughan restored the Water Torture Cell and he was compensated for the restoration. After Gaughan completed the restoration, the Water Torture Cell was displayed [November 1991] at the Conference on Magic History in North Hollywood, California.  This was the first time the cell was displayed in the United States since 1926. The Water Torture Cell was later returned to the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagra Falls.

Per James Criswell:

The original USD had a split in the middle upper wooden panel of the stage left side of the cell box. This split extended horizontally between the screws on that wooden panel. This can be seen in a photo of the USD in Sid Radner’s basement in 1970 before it went to the museum in Canada. The split can be seen in numerous photos taken of the USD in the museum and it can still be seen on the cover of November 1991 issue of Magic magazine after John Gaughan had restored it for Sid Radner.

[Houdini’s Collectors Weekend Appleton May 1992]

Per Pat Culliton:

Henry Muller had a duplicate cell created by a craftsman in Canada. I believe he gave it to Appleton during a collectors convention in Appleton. I wonder if this has something to do with that. I asked Henry if John Gaughan had fabricated it and Henry told me he had it done in Canada and never told John. Instead, he kept complaining to John that he needed the restored cell. Henry said, “If John knew I had a mock up to display, he’d still be restoring the real cell.”

Henry put it in the display [no photo evidence so far] after he sent the original to John Gaughan to be restored. I am positive this is the fake that Henry had built. I believe I see the work of a master craftsman, Ted Fenton. It was Ted who smuggled me in to where the pieces of the original cell were being stored after the fire. This duplicate has nothing to do with the fire, but, I am sure I saw it, on display, at the Appleton convention. I recognize it.

Per John Cox:

People say Henry presented Sid with the cell at a magic convention. (Although years ago someone told me it was John Gaughan who gave Sid the cell at the convention.) A pic of that is what I’m talking about.

A fellow Houdini enthusiast writes in tell us that he witnessed a replica cell being presented as a gift to Sidney Radner by John Gaughan during the Magic Collectors Weekend held in Appleton in May 1992. The presentation was public and witnessed by most of the major magic collectors of the day.

Seems likely this was the same replica I learned about in ’98. Presumably, it was tucked away in the museum archive after the ’92 weekend where it sat until 2003 when Sidney Radner yanked his collection and shipped it off to Las Vegas. Clearly, Sidney knew about a John Gaughan replica, so why the expression of shock at its discovery (and if it’s not the same replica, just how many replicas are there)?

Also, where is this replica today?

The mystery continues…

So here’s my own contribution to this mystery. When I visited the Houdini Museum in Appleton Wisconsin — which housed the Sidney Radner Houdini collection — in September 1998, I was told in casual conversation with the curator (whom I was friendly with) that there was a full scale replica of the Water Torture Cell in their archive. The idea had been to display the cell, but when they were moving it, the handles broke off so it was waiting repair. It never was displayed, and I never again heard anything about a replica Water Torture Cell until this 2003 article.

Note: Dr Randeall Bell has photos of the cell that he took at the May 1992 Magic Collectors Convention in Appleton.

  1. In [April 30 to] May 1, 1995, the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame was ravaged by fire and the Water Torture Cell was partially destroyed.
  2. Radner asked Gaughan to restore the Water Torture Cell.  Radner shipped the remnants of the Water Torture Cell to Gaughan.  Radner later also shipped to Gaughan an extra glass panel that Houdini held in reserve in the event that any of the original glass panels broke. The glass panel was shipped in the original crate in which Houdini stored the glass. The crate bore the name “HOUDINI” and the words “MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS” to avoid bringing unwanted attention to the crate.

[displayed 1997 at LA Conference Magic History]

  1. Gaughan worked on restoring the Water Torture Cell. During this time period, Radner and Geno Munari (owner of Houdini’s Magic Shop, Inc.) visited Gaughan’s studio in California and noticed that Gaughan had unused scrap pieces from the Water Torture Cell in a pile on the studio floor. Radner instructed Gaughan to return the unused pieces of the Water Torture Cell to Radner, because the pieces were valuable.
  2. Deleted
  3. During the period in which Gaughn was working on the restoration, Gaughn represented to Radner during a brief conversation in person that Gaughn was creating a small non-working “mock-up” of the Water Torture Cell for Gaughan’s personal use.

[Cell displayed at the Center for Jewish History in New York from July 3 to August 5, 2002]

  1. In or around October 2002 [?], Gaughan completed the restoration of the Water Torture Cell.  Gaughan shipped the Water Torture Cell to Houdini Magic Shops, Inc. in Las Vegas.  The Water Torture Cell was scheduled to be exhibited at the Houdini Museum at The Venetian.  Gaughan sent Radner a bill for the work and Radner paid the full amount due.  Gaughan failed to return the original crate (“Crate”) to Radner and failed to send the unused pieces of the original Water Torture Cell (“Remnants”).
  2. On October 30, 2002, Radner learned that Gaughan had created a replica of the Water Torture Cell (“Replica”).  Upon information and belief, the Replica is a fully functional working replica of the original Water Torture Cell. Upon information and belief, Gaughan showed the Replica and the original Water Torture Cell to other magicians and bragged that they could not tell the difference between the original and the Replica.  Upon information and belief, Gaughan gave Remnants to other magicians

[At New York New York Hotel for Séance 10/31/2002]

[December 11, 2003 Las Vegas Weekly article on The mystery of the two Torture Cells]

[October 30, 2004 Sid Radner Houdini Auction where David Copperfiled becomes new owner]

 

[January 29, 2020 Learn that a Water Torture Cell has been discovered in Canada]

[June 3, 2020 Richard Sherry promises “astounding news” about the Canadian Mystery Cell]

[August 30 2020 Per Richard Sherry FB page, Learn that a 1909 British coin was wedged between the lock case and the wood of the stocks on the Canadian Cell.

[ October 31 2020]  Learn that the new book,  Growing Up With Houdini by David J. Muller, has June 1971 images (w/cell top: p86-89, w/o cell top: p74-75, 81, 89) of the Water Torture Cell for comparison. 

[February 4, 1921] Guest Blog: Chronicles of the Mysterious WTC (Part 1)

[February 6, 1921] Guest Blog: Chronicles of the Mysterious WTC (Part 2)

Per the Kralls:

Here is our theory, as crazy as it sounds. When the museum was being moved to the second location, a local farmer stored the WTC and other items from the museum as a favor. The items that had been stored were moved into the new museum location; everything except the WTC. Parts from this Cell had been removed (the two back handles, two plugs, one piece of the side hasp, etc). The Cell that was stored remained stored for decades – minus the parts mentioned. Over the years other magicians and collectors had been contacted regarding a sale but there were no buyers. A fellow performer from Nova Scotia had been approached but he was not in the position to purchase it at that time. We purchased the Cell when Dayle had been contacted by the seller and this was because they had found her as “The Houdini Girl” and thought she might be interested.

 

We are not certain, but we think that the Cell that went into the museum that Randi had measured had been left in storage when the museum moved, and a duplicate Cell was made using the parts removed from the original WTC. This duplicate was then put in place in the new museum location.

One major difference is still the hinge. If you look at David Muller’s new book, Growing Up With Houdini, you can see the large knuckle-like hinge in the pics (page 87 and 89) of the WTC arriving at the museum in June 1971. So if the Krall’s theory is true, the original knuckle-like hinge (along with other parts) also got removed from the mystery cell and used on the duplicate cell?  Below we see two sets of holes in the mystery cell; possibly one set for the large knuckle-like hinge and the other for the replacement hinge.

A Look Back at 2020

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Despite Covid, 2020 was still an amazing year for Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence (HHCE) for a number of reasons.

Discovered and shared the true location and date of The Man From Beyond (TMFB) Niagara Falls Rescue scene, which was shot in the rapids of some other river far from any dangerous falls.

Shared my findings on Two reels of Houdini Film “Lost and Found” at Sherman Grinberg Film Library, which included the discovery that the “hanging from a bed sheet” footage on reel 2 resembles Houdini during the making of TMFB. And that he filmed two different escapes from sheets, and the one on reel 2 was not chosen for TMFB.

Completed the task of summarizing and sharing each adventure from the McCord file compilation (April 24, 1920 v1 n1 to June 5th 1920 v1 n7) of “The Amazing Exploits of Houdini” found in The Kinema Comic:

Shared my research on the search for New York World Vanishing Elephant photos:

Shared links to new books on Harry Houdini:

Celebrated the 100 year anniversary of Terror Island movie by sharing some incredible ads, photos, and not widely known info about the movie:

Shared early Houdini Trading Cards from an extremely rare set of 25 Hoyo De Monterrey of Havanna Tobacco Cards (No. 57-81) circa 1920, depicting stills from his Terror Island movie:

Also, shared info about his other movies:

Shared Houdini’s 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923 appearances in the Boys Cinema Magazine:

Shared the rare 1978 Stuart Pharmaceutical calendars which featured Spectacular Houdini Feats and original artwork by James Barkly:

Shared some special posts about Houdini events in 2020:

Last but not least, shared three ground-breaking posts on my latest investigation and findings on the Mirror Challenge. Which Included additional information, insight and new photographic evidence on the Mirror Challenge confirming Houdini escaped from a cuff known as the “Tatler Cuff” as opposed to the Mirror Cuff in David Copperfield’s collection:

2021 should be another amazing year for Houdini and hopefully a better year for all.

SEE Houdini’s “Feature” Movies

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Advertising for Houdini’s four “feature” movies told audiences what they could expect to SEE:

  • The Grim Game
    • SEE Houdini escape from handcuffs, chains and a prison cell!
    • SEE him plunge between the wheels of a speeding motor-truck and foil his pursuers!
    • SEE him climb the side of a prison and crawl for a rope to the end of a flagpole swaying far from earth!
    • SEE him, on the brink of a gorge, fight a terrifying battle with his foes!
    • SEE him leap from the roof a skyscraper and release himself from a strait-jacket while hanging, head downward, on a rope!
    • SEE him risk his life in a deadly bear-trap and set himself free!
    • SEE him in all the other amazing scenes in this stirring story of love, mystery and dare-devil adventure!
    • SEE him, above everything else, in the most astounding feat ever caught by a motion picture camera:–Two aeroplanes race through the sky—The hero is lowered from one to the other — Just as he is about to board from one to the other — Just as he is about to board his enemy’s car the machines clash in an accident, turn over and over, and plunge to the ground thousands of feet beneath!
  • Terror Island
    • SEE Houdini escape from a nailed-up box forty fathoms under water.
    • SEE him release a girl from a safe that is locked and sunk in the sea.
    • SEE his hand-to-hand encounter with a pirate diver under the waves.
    • SEE him, at grips with a giant savage, plunge from a high cliff into the ocean.
    • SEE the overseas race to a South Sea isle to salvage sunken treasure.
    • SEE the battle royal for love and gold in a sinking submarine.
    • SEE the barbarous feast-day rites that lead to human sacrifice.
    • SEE the world’s master of magic and daring in the greatest feats of his whole career.
  • The Man From Beyond
    • SEE him fight to the death on the edge of the rocky cliff 300 ft above the yawning chasm!
    • SEE him make the sensational swim of the rapids of Niagara!
    • SEE him accomplish the unparalleled thrill of all times—the rescue of the girl on the very brink of Niagara Falls itself!
    • SEE him as the man who, encased in Artic ice for 100 years, is chopped out, and restored to life.
  • Haldane of the Secret Service
    • SEE how he escapes while bound hand and foot and cast into the Hudson.
    • SEE him battle the dignitaries beneath Paris streets.
    • SEE how he reaches the giant liner after he has gone to sleep.
    • SEE his miraculous escape while tied to the revolving water mill.
    • SEE him break the ring of nation’s counterfeiters, the financial foreign-backer of the world.
    • SEE him rescue his sweetheart from the clutches of the terrible Dr. Yu.