Last week, I shared Day 1 (Official Houdini Séance Experience) of my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella. Today, I share Day 2 (11/1), where Fred had made arrangements to visit George Goebel and his lovely wife, Carole.

First off let me just say, it is not that easy finding their place, nor is it easy for them to have visitors, but they welcomed Fred, Linda and I with open arms.

For those that don’t know who George Goebel is, let me share a little bit about this extraordinary gentleman.

From Magicpedia:

George Goebel (b. 1932), was a costumier in Baltimore and semi-professional illusionist with large full-evening show starting in the late 1960s to the early 1980s.

His interest in magic began at the age of 10 when he received a Gilbert Mysto Magic Set one Christmas.

Two years after high school, Goebel enlisted in the Army Security Agency and was stationed in Japan. As owner of A.T. Jones Co. in Baltimore he has outfitted many shows and operas.

He married Carole Busby, a social worker, in 1957, who worked onstage as his assistant.

Goebel assembled the “George Goebel Magic Show” in 1968, with a cast of 30 and 60 crates of illusions, travelling aboard a 22-foot truck.

He came to national attention when his friend Milbourne Christopher invited him to appear with him on Jackie Gleason’s 1962 Christmas special. He also appeared again with Christopher on a subsequent Gleason show, on “The Garry Moore Show” and in a Houdini documentary.

George and Carole touched our hearts from the moment we first met. 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 also got to read ‘Challenged’ or ‘Houdini upside down’, a play in 1 act and 2 scenes by Harry Houdini.

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.

Although we didn’t want our time with George and Carole to end, we needed to get on the road to head back to Fred and Linda’s place (aka Fred Pittella’s Houdini & Escapes Museum) in New York.

After a nice drive and great conversation, we arrived at their place in New York.

This was to be my second visit here, where every wall, display cabinet and trunk were filled with Houdini, Hardeen, and Competitors memorabilia. Fred by far has the largest and best collection of escape king memorabilia that I have ever seen.

To read about my first visit, please click on the link below”

• Trip to New York is Extra Special

The second visit was just as special and would allow me additional time to go through Fred’s albums of rare photos, letters, playbills, and programs, but not before Fred, Linda and I went out and enjoyed an incredible Italian dinner.

After gnocchi & meatballs for appetizers, cheese raviolis as an entrée and the restaurants signature dessert, we returned to Fred Pittella’s Houdini & Escapes Museum, where Fred shared a book, he recently acquired that had handwritten notes in it that provided more evidence of Houdini possibly having an affair with Charmian London. Wow!

Well as you can imagine, it was getting quite late (lost track of time) and Fred had quite the agenda planned for the next part (Day 3) of our adventure.  To be continued…

So far, I have only posted teaser photos from each day (10/31-11/3 and 11/4) of my extra special trip to the East Coast.

Today, I plan to share the 10/31 Official Houdini Experience, which will be the first of a number reports describing my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella, as well as others that I will mention as we take a ride on this journey.

This year, The Official Houdini Seance was in Baltimore Maryland at the Jewish Museum of Maryland, where the exhibition, Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini, is currently on display through January 19, 2019.

I flew in on the day of the Séance, checked in to my hotel, and then walked to the museum, where I met fellow Houdini Nuts, Fred Pittella, Arthur Moses and their significant others sitting in the front row, just prior to the PROGRAM OF EVENTS starting:

WELCOME by Marvin Pinkert, Executive Director, Jewish Museum of Maryland

INTRODUCTION TO THE EVENING by Thomas Boldt

COLLECTING HOUDINI by Ken Trombly

Ken shared a treasure from his collection that documented the fact that one of Houdini’s spiritualist enemies, slate-writer Pierre Keeler, was proven to be charlatan with the help of Bess Houdini’s niece Julia Sawyer. She showed up in Lily Dale NY, a hot-bed of spiritualists, and had Keeler communicate with dead relatives that didn’t exist, exposing him as a fraud.

HOUDINI AMONG THE SPIRITS by Arthur Moses

Arthur brought two programs for the séance table.  One titled: HOUDINI, “Can the Dead Speak to the Living” and the other, Spooks! Spooks! “Can the Dead Speak?”.

The question was asked, instead of the dead speaking to the living, can the living speak to the dead? Houdini wanted to believe you could make contact with the other side but he knew these Spiritualist Mediums were all charlatans and frauds. So now that Houdini is on the other side, can he come back to our side and be with us.

After Ken and Arthur spoke, the audience was given the chance to ask a couple questions.  These included a debate about whether Houdini was a spy. Arthur was ambivalent, but said if you were really going to put him on the spot, he would say No. Ken commented that there is circumstantial evidence that Ehrich Weiss (aka Houdini) maybe had access to certain things and shared certain things, but could say no more, otherwise he would have to kill us, everybody laughed.

There was also a question about the difference between Spiritualism and Spiritism. Arthur suggested looking at it as the same thing.  And David London commented that the two words are used interchangeably.

HOUDINI LOCKS by Fred Pittella

Fred has been fascinated with Houdini and Handcuffs since he was 12 years old. And has been part the séance for over 20 years.  He is a handcuff expert.

He shared a brief history of Houdini and the handcuff act.

He mentioned the 5 special handcuffs, the Russian Manacle (SAM collection), Letter Cuff (private collection in Michigan), Bell Cuff (location unknown since it was traded for plumbing work done in their home), Hungarian Handcuff (owned by Bill Radner), Mirror Handcuff (David Copperfield Collection).

Also talked about the Bean Giant, “Jumpers”, “King breakers”, Houdini’s 1907 Handcuffs Secrets book, and the Defiance Handcuff Act.

And last but not least he shared the pair of cuffs that Houdini taught his fox terrier dog, “Bobby” how to escape from.

Houdini was the man that nothing on earth could hold.

INTERLUDE

Fred Pittella showed me the cuffs that Houdini’s dog, Bobby, used to escape from; in fact, he let me hold them, which was quite an honor.

I was able to take Fred Pittella’s vacated seat in the front row, since Fred was going to be on stage sitting at the Séance table as an Inner Circle member.

PRESENTATION OF THE SÉANCE HANDCUFFS by Bill Radner

Bill shared that Houdini died on October 31^st, 1926 and they didn’t expect him to make it that long. They expected him to pass away two or three days sooner, but he wanted to die on Halloween.

Bill then introduced three special items for the séance table: The Séance Cuff, which Houdini said he would open after he died; The Bean Giant Cuff that Houdini challenged imitators with; and an adjustable key from Houdini’s personal collection.

THE OFFICIAL HOUDINI SÉANCE conducted by Medium Maggie Salter

Nine members (Bill Radner, Tom Boldt, Arthur Moses, Ken Trombly, Bruce Averbook, Fred Pittella, Robert Somerdin, Midge Markey, and David London) of The Inner Circle took their seats at the table, followed by special guest, Debbie Hardeen (Houdini’s grand-niece) and then Medium Maggie Salter.

Maggie alternately reported feeling very hot and very cold, having a dry throat and the feeling that she was being contacted.

Maggie noted the image of a hollowed-out book; later Bruce seated at the table asked Maggie for more info about the book, which led to discovering that a number of collectors at the table have unpublished Houdini manuscripts in their collection.

Someone kicked over a plastic cup. Maggie confirmed that was not Houdini.

Midge seated at the table noted that the pages of one of the programs fluttered three different times. Could have been the A/C or someone at the table breathing heavy?

Maggie made references to a Rose Garden. Might this refer to Bess and Harry’s song, Rosie Sweet Rosabel?

After about 45 minutes, the séance concluded with Bill thanking the medium for trying, but concluded that Houdini did not make an appearance this evening.  Maybe next year.

FINALE by Harley Newman, Escape Artist (Allentown, PA)

Harley produced three tennis balls from his mouth (my personal favorite), swallowed a sword that I pulled out of his mouth, escaped from chains, and after a couple tries, successfully balanced atop a single metal spike.  Fantastic!!!

After the program was over, Fred Pittella, took my program and got it signed by all the members of the inner circle, which I greatly appreciated.

After posing for pictures in the Houdini exhibit, we then went to a near-by hotel, had drinks, appetizers and great conversation. Everyone made me feel welcome.  I especially enjoyed meeting Debbie Hardeen, as well as the conversation I had with Tom Boldt about Houdini’s movies.

What an incredible Halloween and this was only day 1 of my East Coast adventure. Fred Pittella had lots more planned for us.

Last week, I posted some teaser photos during my HHCE East Coast Trip that covered, 10/31, 11/1, 11/2 and 11/3.

Today, I was hoping to have a report on my 10/31 Official Houdini experience, but just had too many other things to attend to when I returned to the West Coast.

So for today, I am going to share some teaser photos from the last day (11/4) of my HHCE East  Coast Trip.

Hopefully, next week, I can share the 10/31 Official Houdini Experience, which will be the first of a number reports describing my incredible Houdini Adventure on the East Coast, made possible by my friend and tour guide, Fred Pittella, as well as others that I will mention as we take a ride on this journey.

On November 1st, 2018, Dorothy Dietrich, possibly the first woman to perform the Houdini broken wand ceremony, discovered that his historical monument is developing cracks.

Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz (D&D) best guess is that water got in, froze and created cracks.

The Society of American Magicians has been notified and they are proceeding with plans to address the issue.

The following are some teaser photos of my East Coast Trip so far:

10/31

11/1

11/2

11/3

Detailed report(s) to follow starting next week after I return to the West Coast.

Houdini in Milwaukee, has come up a couple times in the past month.

1. John Cox at WildAboutHoudini shared that Wisconsin Researcher and writer Larry Widen contributed a very well researched article called “Houdini in Milwaukee: The Forgotten Years.” to the Mystifier (First Quarter 1995 newsletter of Houdini Historical Center).
2. And Glen Gerard at Kevin Connolly’s Facebook group CONJURING HISTORY – BUY, SELL AND TALK shared Newspaper ads for various Houdini appearances in Milwaukee.

So, I thought I would share what I found in The Magazine of the Milwaukee County Historical Society, Spring 1995 that I recently acquired.

You will notice that Larry Widen wrote a 12-page article, titled Houdini: Manacled in Milwaukee. The shorter article in the Mystifier appears to be a modified/condensed version of this longer article.

Both articles have the Weiss family in Milwaukee from 1883 [1882] to 1887.

The Milwaukee History article mentions that:

On October 28, 1883, he asked to perform in Jack Hoefler’s Five-Cent Circus. Seeing the value of the local boy on the bill, the circus advertised the nine-year-old as “Erich, The Prince of Air”.

The Milwaukee History article includes an interesting paragraph that lists various addresses for Houdini in Milwaukee:

With future employment options in Appleton looking dim, Weiss and his wife Cecilia moved their family to Milwaukee in 1883 [1882]. Upon their arrival in the city, the family resided at 712 Winnebago Street (now 708 West Winnebago).  Weiss began a Hebrew school in their home, but the effort was short-lived.  Ehrich and his younger brother Theo worked as bootblacks and sold newspapers to help support the household. Subsequent addresses for the Weiss family included 719 Prairie (725 West Highland), 593 5th Street (1743 North 5th Street), 517 Cherry Street (523 West Cherry Street), and 613 Cherry Street (619 West Cherry Street)

Note: The above infamous 1886 postcard that Ehrich sent his mother, “I am going to Galveston, Texas” was sent to 517 Sixth Street [Is this the same as 517 Cherry Street?].

I am assuming the house at North 7th Street and West Highland Avenue depicted above was the 719 Prairie address.

The Milwaukee History article also confirms the name of dime museum suspected in the Mystifier article:

One evening in 1885, an elegantly garbed gentleman billed as “The Bloodless Vivisectionist” was performing at Jacob Litt’s dime museum.

Both articles (i.e., Mystifier and Milwaukee History) refer to Ehrich as being eleven years old, when he witnessed the magic act, “The Bloodless Vivisectionist” that changed his life; however based on the source for the performance dated February 22, 1885, Ehrich would have technically been only 10 and wouldn’t turn 11 until March 24, 1885.

The Milwaukee History article then goes on to trace the rest of Houdini’s career from 1888 (when he rejoined family in NY) to 1926 (when he died on Halloween), with emphasis on when Houdini returned to Milwaukee (November 1892, December 1896, October 1897, April 1912, and September 1923).

BONUS:

Also included in the Milwaukee History, The Magazine of the Milwaukee County Historical Society, Spring 1995 was the Ordination Certificate for Mayer Samuel Weiss:

When the family moved to Milwaukee, Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss filed a copy of his rabbinical credentials with the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds. Originally written in old German script, the translation above was prepared by Kurt P. Frenzel of Mequon, Wisconsin, from the ordination file housed in the Society’s Library.

In 2016, our friend and expert on Houdini in Milwaukee, David Saltman, actually discovered the rare artifact in an uncatalogued stack of old papers in the vaults of the Milwaukee County Historical Society. For more information on Houdini in Milwaukee and to see this original certificate in German, check out David Saltman’s excellent blog, The Houdini File:

• HOUDINI FILE DISCOVERS RARE ARTIFACT!

On John Cox’ blog wildabouthoudini.com, he invited readers to come hear him talk about Houdini crusade against fraudulent spirit mediums at the Homestead Museum “Ticket to the Twenties”.

So last Sunday, at the Ticket to the Twenties, I had the honor to hear John Cox talk about Houdini Among the Spirits, and as an added bonus got to meet award winning composer, Michael Mortilla, and see him conduct a live accompaniment to two Silent Film shorts.

The festivities started with me arriving at the Homestead Museum just in time to get a ticket for the 3:15 Silent Film Screening with Composer Michael Mortilla.

Michael Mortilla is no stranger to Houdini.  He scored the music for The Master Mystery Video Release and was recently commissioned to score “Terror Island” live for the Catalina Island Museum (Casino Theater).

Michael was introduced and then proceeded to do what he does best.

After the two shorts, I got to chat with Michael about my involvement with the Houdini Exhibit, Terror Island Screening and our mutual friends (Julie Perlin Lee and Jessica Zumberge) at the Catalina Island Museum.  We talked about him using his improvisational skills on Houdini’s Silent Movie the Grim Game in the future. I gave him my business card for my blogsite and he gave me his brochure and a copy of his Modern Piano Improvisations Volume 1 CD.

Next on the agenda (4:00pm) was John Cox first talk.

John shared the story of Houdini and his crusade against fraudulent spirit mediums in the 1920’s. He used four posters as visual aids, which was very effective. And as promised he shared publicly for the first time, something he recently discovered hiding in plain sight in the well-known spirit photograph.  But to find out what that is, you will have to read about it on John’s post he did after the event:

• Haunting the “Tickets to the Twenties” festival.

That said, he also shared something unusual about the photo with Margery, the Witch of Lime Street, that I can share. Did you notice the numbers on the door?  Margery lived at 10 Lime Street not 11 Lime Street.

John commanded the stage during the 20 minute presentation and 10 minute Q&A.  It was obvious, he knew his stuff.  Questions ranged from the Under the Ice story to the Magic Castle Fire on Halloween.

Afterwards, John and I took a photo with the spirit photograph, got dinner, walked around and checked out the vintage cars.

John then took the stage (6:00pm) for round 2 and he knocked it out of the park, again.

What a great day!!!