Hardeen Presents Houdini's Temple of Mystery

In 1918 Houdini was a busy man. Among his many projects was the creation of a Temple of Mystery. This was going to be a theatre in NY devoted to magic. Part theatre and part museum, the Houdini Temple of Mystery would employ all the latest gadgetry and gizmos to make the experience fun and educational for all who attended. However, it was not to be. Friends cautioned Houdini not to get involved in such an expensive project during war times.

The idea apparently was not completely dead. Jump ahead fifteen years and Houdini has long passed on. Hardeen however is now the busy performer. During a 1933 summer run in Atlantic City Hardeen opens The Houdini Temple of Mystery on the Steel Pier.  From reports of the time, the hall was very large and his run was quite successful. Jim Collins was his chief assistant and Mrs. Collins acted as stage manager.

The entrance to the Temple is on the far left of the photo

Hardeen presented a full show of escapes, magic and illusions. Much of the material was Houdini stuff but there was a lot of Hardeen magic there too. Bess Houdini visited the show once and was acknowledged by the crowd. There was more than one theatre on the Steel Pier and at one point Hardeen was competing with the comedy duo of Amos & Andy for tickets. One Sunday afternoon, Hardeen had 67,000 people show up during his shows that day. I don't know how many shows he did but that's a crazy amount of people. It was a record setting day for the Steel Pier and he beat out the crowds that attended Amos & Andy's show.

Hardeen, who was in his late 50's at this point, was doing the Underwater Packing Crate Escape, TWICE DAILY from the Steel Pier, this according to a blurb in the July 1935 Issue of The Sphinx.

The Temple of Mystery ran from , at least from 1933-1935, I can't find any record past that.

The Steel Pier originally opened in 1898. It was an important Atlantic City landmark and a popular place for entertainers to play. Some who worked the Steel Pier besides Hardeen include: W.C. Fields, Benny Goodman, The Three Stooges, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Glen Cambell and many more. The Pier was destroyed by a fire in 1982 and was rebuilt by the Trump Organization in the 1990's and is still there today.


*One note. I understand the Nov. Genii has an article on Hardeen appearing on the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. I haven't read it or seen it and I HOPE I have not duplicated anything that was in the article, though I have a feeling the article just dealt with having Hardeen's character in this TV show.

Hardeen the Illusionist

Hardeen, brother of Houdini. I was unaware that Hardeen was the creator of The Book of Life Illusion. This came as quite a surprise to me actually. I found it in The New Conjurers Magazine Vol 1. Number 6, which is an issue devoted to Hardeen. There is a big two page spread on the Book of Life Illusion by Hardeen. Apparently he got the inspiration from seeing Thurston walk through a giant book to be introduced. However, Thurston's was not an illusion but just a unique way of introducing the magician.

Hardeen wanted to turn the idea into something magical so he devised a Giant Book that would open so that you could see nothing inside. The front and back covers would be closed and instantly a person would magically appear! I will state for the record it's a beautiful effect and it works like a charm. I know because I own the one that once belonged to Harry Blackstone Jr.! I used to use it at the Underground Magic Theatre all the time and it never failed to astound.

1906 Boston Houdini More

During Houdini's run in Boston 1906 he offered a number of exciting one of a kind stunts to his audiences. I found in the Silverman book a mention of Houdini's escape from a Witches Chair. Though, from the description 'an iron out house', I think perhaps the device was a Tramp Chair. Both would make interesting escapes. Both are devices that could be found in the New England region. I learned from Norman Bigelow that Hardeen presented an escape from a Maine Tramp Chair at one point.

The top photo is an actual Witches Chair. It's a torture device to get witches to confess that they are indeed witches. The Tramp chair was usually in the shape of a chair with an iron cell built around it. This was invented by Sanford Baker of Oakland Maine which is why I'm sure it's often called a Maine Tramp Chair.

Now take a look at this picture from the Secrets & Mysteries booklet put out by 'OUDINI'. Notice the shape of the device matches the description from the Silverman book, 'an iron out house'. My guess is that Houdini made his escape from some version of a Maine Tramp Chair rather than a Witches Chair.
One other note of interest. The address to Keith's New Theatre where Houdini performed was 547 Washington St. Boston. There is an address on the cover of the Oudini book which is 230 Washington St.

The new Culliton book says that Oudini was really Frank Rowan and was an actor. I noticed the drawings used for the book are the same as some I've seen in other Houdini books.  Was this really Houdini drumming up more controversy to sell tickets? I'm sure all these things were revealed long after Houdini performed them. Either that, or given the fact that Rowan was an actor, perhaps he had access to these contraptions. The Oudini book lists the Iron Boiler Escape, The Glass Box escape and others that Houdini did perform in Boston.

***Just found a little bit more out about Hardeen's Tramp Chair Escape. He was performing at the Bijou Theatre in Bangor Maine when he was challenged by the Director of Public Safety. Hardeen claims he had never seen nor heard of the device before. The following night the Tramp Chair was brought to the theatre and Hardeen was locked up in it. He escaped in 11 minutes 54 seconds.

I discovered there is a Police Museum in Bangor and within the museum is a Tramp Chair. I can't help but wonder if this is the very chair that Hardeen was challenged with.

 ***One finale update: Take a look at the left side of this poster. You'll see the Maine Tramp Chair that Hardeen escaped from!

Just added another Boston related item here http://deancarnegie.blogspot.com/2011/02/houdinis-boston-jail-escape.html

Houdini in Boston Part1

Houdini was huge in Boston. According to the Ken Silverman bio there were groups of fans who were called  'Houdinites' by the Boston Post. In 1908, Houdini did one of his handcuffed bridge jumps off the Harvard Bridge, now referred to as the Mass Avenue Bridge. There is a plaque on the bridge that was put there commemorating the event.
As can be seen from the photo, thousands of people came out to watch Houdini jump into the Charles River. The little lady behind Harry is Bess.

Houdini was in town performing at the B.F. Keith's Theatre. I decided to do some research on this particular theatre. Keith's was one of the most opulent theatre's of the day. Houdini referred to the place as a million dollar theatre. Take a look at this postcard from 1907 to see an actual picture of the theatre. The green building on the postcard  is Keiths.

The location was 547 Washington St. Boston, MA. I had to go back and recheck some information because it gets a little confusing. However, I think I have it correct now.



The original Keith's opened on March 24, 1894 (hmm, Houdini's birthday just by coincidence) It was next to the Bijou Theatre and the Boston Theatre, all Keith properties. Keith's New Theatre as it was called was sold in 1926 and this property  became the Apollo Theatre and then the Lycric Theatre and then the Normandie and then the Laffmovie Theatre. It was torn down in the 1950s.

The Boston Theatre, which was owned by Keith's was torn down and a new Keith's was built in 1926-27 called The Keith's Memorial Theatre. This is now the Boston Opera House. David Copperfield plays the Boston Opera House when he is in town, but Houdini never performed at that location.

Here is the location today. The far left is where Keith's New Theatre was (currently the location of the Paramount Theatre which appears to be closed). The red sign for the Boston Opera House can be seen on the right which WAS the Keith's Memorial Theatre.

Houdini Film Corp in NJ

I take a few days off and now I'm behind on Houdini stuff! The photo above is directly part of a piece covered by both John Cox and Kevin Connolly. The funny thing is I was going to hunt down stuff related to Houdini's film career and studio when I returned from Thanksgiving vacation. As soon as I get back I find  both John and Kevin found something cool related to the topic. Please check out their links, the only thing I have to add is what that location looks like today via Google Earth. The current address is 216 19th St. Union City, NJ. The original address was listed as 216-222 Weehawken St West Hoboken NJ., it changed when Hoboken and Union City split up their areas.

UPDATE: Just got a better picture of the Warehouse. It is STILL standing! Compare it to the photo here
http://houdinihimself.com/?p=2234 It's the same building and it is still there after all those many years.

NEW UPDATE: Check out this development found at John Cox's site http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2016/09/its-now-houdini-studio-in-new-jersey.html

The Man Who Changed Houdini's Life

Martin Beck was his name. He was a theatre impresario who ran the Orpheum Vaudeville Circuit back in Houdini's time. Harry was playing some pretty awful places and needed a break. Beck saw Houdini do his act at a beer garden in St. Paul Minnesota. Beck thought the magic was crap but felt like there might be something to Houdini's ability to get out of handcuffs. Beck insisted Houdini go after that angle and drop the magic. After that point, Beck began to book Houdini and it changed his life and career forever.

Martin Beck recognized that the escape act had something that the magic act lacked. It had a sense of drama, danger, and grit. It was also unique whereas many performers were doing magic acts and doing the same tricks. Here was a guy who offered something that apparently no one else could do. History would show that others came before Houdini and of course many many more came after him. But Martin Beck recognized something special and took a risk with it. Houdini never let him down and put the escape act on the map.

Beck also built the very popular Palace Theatre in NYC. The Palace Theatre still exists today and still shows live performances. Houdini played the Palace Theatre many times.

Apparently Beck lost control of the theatre before it actually opened but he still did the booking for the theatre, for a while at least. Among the entertainers who appeared at the Palace there was;
Bob Hope, Houdini, The Marx Brothers, W.C. Fields, Sophie Tucker, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jerry Lewis, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and many more.

Palace Theatre NYC Today

Martin Beck eventually built another theater in NYC which was called, The Martin Beck Theatre. At the time it was the only NYC theatre that was owned outright. In 2003, the theatre was renamed The Al Hirschfeld Theatre after the famous artist. Interestingly enough, Hirschfeld was also a friend of Houdini's.

The Escapologist

Thanks to Andrew Basso for finding this. Cool song!

Unique Houdini Find

I must say, the AskAlexander.com site is truly a wonderful resource. While looking up information on the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery, I came upon an ad in an old Sphinx Magazine. I could hardly believe what I was reading. So I pulled out my old magazines and searched that issue, which I had. It's just an advertisement there was nothing else in that issue about the Barrel, but what a find!

Near the bottom of the ad it says "Owing to the fact that Hardeen has to give up his Storage Houses, I was able to get hold of these Houdini Illusions" Look at what is on this list, The Milk Can, The Sub Trunk, Straight Jackets, The Radio Illusion, The Barrel Escape, The DEKOLTA DIE!!!!, Kellar's Spirit Cabinet!!! I mean wow, my head is about to explode thinking about the historical value of this stuff. The Company is Royal Magic Studio (J.Yadah) on 167 North 7th St. Brooklyn NY.  I don't know enough about the old NY Magic Dealers to know who this is exactly. But he apparently picked up a treasure trove of stuff from Hardeen. This ad appeared in the Sphinx in 1934, several years before Hardeen gave the bulk of his collection over to Sidney Radner.

There is one item on here though that kind of stood out to me more than the others. The Hornmann's Original Flower Growth, with the original cost listed at $3000.00. Ladies and Gentleman, I think I've got this one covered, below is what I believe is a photo of that very prop. It resides in the collection of Ken Klosterman today. I took a photo of it when I was there because I was quite struck with the fact that Houdini had a Flower Growth in his show. It's quite the piece. I wish I knew where Kellar's Spirit Cabinet and the DeKolta Die were today. Of course there are a couple of Sub Trunks out there in various collections, as well as Straight Jackets. Oh, I'm also wondering how many MilkCan Escapes there were. I know of at least three. One is in Copperfield's Collection, One is in the Lund Collection which is currently on display at the Houdini-Art& Magic exhibition. The third is one I saw a few years ago on Ebay, which looked like it may have been a prototype, it had a similar shape but it was smaller than the other cans.

At any rate, please enjoy this picture of Houdini's Flower Growth, original cost $3000.

Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery

I have seen this poster in many Houdini books in the past, but I've never really taken a good look at it until recently. It's clearly a different routine for Houdini, but not one he seems to have kept. It dates to 1906 when Houdini finished a run in Boston in March of that year. He decided to take out a show of his own along with several other acts in the line-up. His feature, The Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery along with some handcuff escapes. He closed the show in May of the same year, so it had a VERY short run.

The description at the bottom of the poster gives away the effect which seems to be identical to the Metamorphosis/Sub Trunk, except with different props. In 'Houdini-The Key' Pat Culliton mentions that Houdini got this barrel from his former partner Jacob Hyman.

Mike Caveney and Stan Allen used to perform the Sub/Trunk years ago using a barrel as well. I don't think they did the 'prison cell' part, they just used a curtain.

I just read in an old issue of the Sphinx Volume 38 and article by Hardeen. He says that at one time he performed as Theo Houdini doing a Barrel Escape. Houdini asked him to change his name and came up with Hardeen for his brother so it wouldn't be confusing to audiences. I wonder if the Barrel Escape was from the routine above?

UPDATE: There is apparently a second Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery Poster. This one is a three sheet poster. It can be seen in the photo below, however it is on the far right hand side. I don't think this poster survives today however. There are also no complete frontal images of the poster, only this angled shot. Perhaps one day it will turn up.

Houdini News

I tell you what, John Cox has one of the coolest pieces of news on Houdini I've read in a while. Well, actually Pat Culliton's recently released book was also full of cool stuff too. But online, you can't beat
http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2010/11/rko-589-part-i-paul-muni-would-make.html

I say that without having visited http://houdinihimself.com/ in a while. That site too is filled with crazy cool info on Houdini.  But be sure to read the story from John Cox's site about the earliest script for a Houdini movie, fascinating!

Houdini & The Hippodrome

One of Houdini's most famous feats was when he made an elephant vanish. This took place at the NYC Hippodrome. Above is a photo of the Hippodrome Theatre as it looked in Houdini's day. It was a 5200 seat monster! It was used as a theatre until 1939. Today, a building stands on the very spot where the theatre once was and it too is called The Hippodrome. However the current Hippodrome is not an entertainment complex, just an office building. The location is 1120 Avenue of the Americas NYC

Cool Houdini Find

A few days ago I posted my painting of the above photo (here). Well I just stumbled upon a really cool item relating to the actual photo. It seems that Ken Trombly, the magic collector, has among his collection of magic artifacts, a receipt belonging to Harry Houdini for ALL the items on the table seen in this photo.

Apparently Houdini must have purchased them just for the photo! You can read more about it and see the actual photo of the receipt at the IBM Ring 50 website, http://ibmring50.blogspot.com/

By the way, Ken was kind enough a few years ago to allow me to see his collection and it's incredible! I actually got to see a number of Houdini posters up close. But he's got much more than Houdini in his collection. I was astonished at all the treasures he owns. He's a great guy and you can visit his Houdini site too at http://www.houdinicollector.com/main/template.cfm He also has another great site at http://magicposters.com/main/index.html

Blackstone In D.C.

Here's a slight change of pace from all the Houdini stuff. Did you know that Harry Blackstone Sr. is in the Smithsonian Museum? Back in the 1985 Harry Blackstone Jr. donated two original pieces of his father's equipment to the museum. Apparently it was the first time they accepted a magic donation. I find that somewhat hard to believe because I'm sure there are Houdini items in the Smithsonian.

But it is still quite exciting for Blackstone to be in the museum. Now whether or not they are on display, that I cannot say. The two items in question are one of the original Dancing Handkerchief Casadega Cabinets and the original Floating Lightbulb apparently built by none other than Thomas Edision!

Houdini Free Friday!

Yep, no reports from me on Houdini. I'm worn out, lol. Plus I was up again till 2am reading the Culliton book. Today it's back to the phones to finish booking shows for next month. Also have a painting I'm working on that I'll hopefully finish tonight.

If you need your Houdini fix, check out www.wildabouthoudini.com. That is John Cox's site and it's simply fantastic. There are links on his site to other Houdini sites which I would encourage you to check out. And try out www.houdinisghost.com which is Patrick Culliton's site. It's filled with interesting facts you won't find anywhere else.

Houdini in London

To me the greatest of Houdini's Challenges was when he was faced with the Mirror Cuffs. This took place at the London Hippodrome. Thankfully, this building still stands however it has been converted to the Hippodrome Casino. A view of their website will show the main casino showroom is clearly the old auditorium. They do offer live entertainment, but it's on a much smaller scale, a 160 seat Cabaret.

I'm not going to go over the whole Mirror Challenge. If you aren't familiar with it, most of the Houdini biographies cover it. The latest book by Patrick Culliton goes into some very interesting details and adds another layer on the mystery of Houdini.

Houdini at Blackburn

In the new Houdini book by Patrick Culliton there is a chapter which discusses one of Houdini's toughest challenges. This took place in Blackburn England in 1902. He had been challenged by a local man named W.H. Hodgson to escape from his cuffs. Houdini at first refused and then relented. It turned out to be a challenge which haunted him throughout his life as it apparently left him with physical scars as well as mental scars. There is some debate over whether or not he actually succeeded in the escape or if he was helped out. Regardless it was a tough night on Houdini. The Palace was torn down in 1989 to make way for a parking lot.

Houdini in Atlantic City 1908

On June 17, 1908 Harry did a handcuffed jump off the Young's Million Dollar Pier in Atlantic City. According to the Kalush Biography, Houdini hit his head on the ocean floor and came up bloodied but free of the cuffs.

I've been to the AC Boardwalk many times and didn't realize that Houdini had jumped off the pier. In fact, I vividly recall the eyesore that the Million Dollar Pier had become. But today it has been taken over by Cesaers and converted into an upscale shopping site called "The Pier Shops at Cesaers".

Houdini in Wash D.C. Jail

It was January 6,1906 when Houdini was invited try his hand at escaping from the Old D.C. Jail. Located on the Southeast Corner of East Capital Street and 19th St SE, the Old D.C. Jail was famous for holding Charles Guiteau the assassin of President Garfield. He was kept in Cell No. 2 of the South Wing of the Jail, also known as Murderer’s Row. Houdini, would be stripped naked and placed into the cell that once held Guiteau and currently held another prisoner named Hamilton who was waiting to be hung for the murder of his wife. The prisoner was so scared of Houdini that he hid in a corner of the cell while Houdini began his escape. Two minutes later, Houdini was out.

But that was not the end of his stunt. He went to several other cells and opened the doors and had the prisoners change cells with one another. Then after he had switched them around, Houdini broke into the cell which held his clothes. He got dressed and walked out to the shock of the prison officials. All of this in twenty one minutes.

The D.C. Jail was built in 1872. It stopped being used in the late 70s. I keep finding conflicting dates on when it was torn down.  It was located several blocks behind the Capital Building.

That was not Houdini’s only jail escape in D.C.. On January 1, 1906, five days before the Old DC Jail Escape Houdini was brought down to the Police Station in the 10th Precinct and he escaped from a jail cell there. I am not sure but that may be the current Metropolitan DC Police Station on 300 Indiana Avenue NW. At the time Police Chief Richard Sylvester had his office in that building and the current police chief has her office in this building. So it could be the same place.

I found a note online that the parking lot for the Old DC Jail buts up against the parking lot for RFK Stadium and the Old DC Jail lot is still there though the building is long gone.

Houdini in Washington D.C.

 

On January 12, 1922, Houdini hung upside down outside of Keith’s Vaudeville Theatre on 15th Street in Washington D.C (first photo). The theatre was torn down in the early 80’s I believe. But if you go to the Old Ebbitt Grill which is on the corner of 15th and G St. you can actually sit in an area that used to be where the seats of the theatre were. And actually, when you walk into the Old Ebbitt Grill, you are walking through the front doors of the Keith's Vaudeville Theatre!

I went down there a few years ago and took some photos of the area. I had a most unusual sensation. I had this memory kick in of seeing the theatre. I knew it couldn’t be true, but somehow in some far corner of my mind I had this very vidid memory pop up of the theatre. I could see the red marquee with all the lights and everything. In the real world I was sure the theatre was over where the columns of the building were because that area was newer than the rest of the building. Then when I found the two pictures above my jaw dropped. The marquee is EXACTLY where my memory told me it was. And I just found a color photo and indeed this is exactly as I remember it.

I'm pretty sure the reason I had a memory of this building is because I had driven past it many times on either field trips during school or with my parents when they were taking me downtown to Al's Magic Shop when I was a kid.

1922 Atlantic City Houdini & Conan Doyle

This is a picture of the Ambassador Hotel. This is the location of the meeting and seance between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife and Harry Houdini. It was considerably easier to find than I thought. Apparently the folks in AC still remember this historic meeting.

The Ambassador Hotel was torn down but today the Tropicana Hotel and Casino stands on the very spot where Houdini and Doyle had their seance. It was also the final straw for Houdini who completely turned on Spiritualism after this and set about exposing the frauds and fakes. It ended his friendship with the Doyles as well.

Salem Theatre

The photo above is a lobby display in front of the old Salem Theatre in Salem Mass. It's around 1905 or 1906 I think. Anyway, a few years ago I was in Beverly Mass visiting my friends at the Le Grand David Magic Show and took sometime to go sight seeing. Turns out Salem is pretty darn close to Beverly. I had a really enjoyable time visiting the Witch Sites, Nathaniel Hawthorne's House and walking downtown.

It was while I was walking downtown that the above image flashed in my head. I hadn't been searching for it and it wasn't on my mind prior but suddenly it was there in my brain. I started looking for the theatre. I just had this odd sense it was close. I didn't ask anyone though. And I didn't find it.

Well, not exactly. You see, when I got back to my hotel I looked it up online. Turns out I parked right at the location where the Salem Theatre had been!  But it was torn down long ago sadly. I wish Harry had performed in Beverly, as both of those theatres still stand. In fact, both of those theatres, The Larcom and The Cabot are both dedicated to the art of magic!

If you're in that area of Mass. I would encourage you to visit the site www.LeGrandDavid.com
I think in the future I'll share some photos of Houdini spots that I've found over the years.

New Houdini Book Arrives

I was so excited when a package arrived for me recently. It was like Christmas morning times 10! The excitement was over a new book that Patrick Culliton wrote called "Houdini-The Key". This book basically gives the origins of all of Houdini's tricks, the presentation he used, in some cases the music and patter and the best part, the book explains HOW they were done.

Now having been involved in escapes for many years, I probably know the majority of this stuff already but there are is much that can be learned from the greatest escape artist to ever live. It's kind of funny because reading one passage in the book about Houdini's first encounter with handcuffs as a kid brought back memories of my first encounter with cuffs.

I was in my teens and I received a pair of handcuffs for Christmas. I received a lot of gifts that year, but the cuffs were by far the coolest gift to me. Once all the presents were opened I went upstairs and locked the cuffs on my wrists and sat there examining them while they were on. I was of course able to get out using a key, but I wanted to get out WITHOUT a key. So I sat there contemplating what to do and eventually stumbled upon a method. Sure enough, the method worked and I was off on the wild world of escapology! More on that another time.

This book, 'Houdini -The Key' is simply amazing. I was up until 2 a.m. last night reading it and had to be up early today for a show. I actually brought the book with me so I could read right up until showtime. I can tell you that later in the day I'll be heading to the storage unit to pick up my collection of cuffs. I've got the jones to put them BACK in the show.

Just gazing through the book it appears that Houdini might not have been the creator of the Milk Can, though I haven't read that chapter, I only saw a small notation about someone who was involved. I hope it turns out that it was Houdini's as it's one of his best. The origins of the hanging Straight Jacket escape are just too wild. I won't spill it here, but you wouldn't believe where he got the idea, or better, WHO gave him the idea.

I think my favorite part of the book though is the handwritten inscription that Patrick Culliton put in the back of the book. That was just a classy touch. I don't know if there are any copies left, but for my magic friends interested you can go to HoudinisGhost.com to and see if you can order one of the last copies. For none magic friends, sorry, the price is probably too much for anyone NOT a big Houdini fan. (But it's very worth it for those of us that are!)

An Interesting Night of Escape

In 2008, I had the pleasure of working at the National Theatre in Washington D.C. I was doing my show the Monday before Halloween. I had been chosen because I present escapes as well as magic, so sure enough I included a number of escapes in the show. The first was a very straight forward escape from a set of Thumb Screws. Later in the show my assistant did an escape from a carefully inspected cloth sack.

But the closer of the show, this was going to ramp up the drama. I decided to finish with the Steel Straight Jacket Escape with the addition of a plexiglass box being locked over my head. I planned on it being dramatic. I also planned on trying out something different for the first show.

Back in Houdini's day he would often draw out an escape to very long lengths of time. The philosophy today is that this approach would NEVER work. No one would sit for a long period of time while someone tried to do an escape. Time to test that belief. So in my struggle to escape from the Steel Straight Jacket, I seemed clearly in trouble. I did get the plexiglass box off with relative ease, but could hardly budge on the jacket. The music ran out, but I still struggled. I was able to get the jacket up somewhat and had my assistant and time keeper hold the jacket while I shimmied out of it. The audience was stunned and very enthusiastic in their applause. I was drenched in sweat, my shirt was torn because it got caught on part of the metal on the Steel Straight Jacket. It was surreal.

Second show. I repeated the Steel Straight Jacket Escape as the finale, but this time, I took a more direct approach to the escape, finishing slightly before the music ended. It was shorter, faster even. The organizers after the show asked if I would agree to a Q&A with the audience which I agreed to. The ONLY question, "The two presentations were so different, what was the reason?". The people who saw both shows said they enjoyed both versions of the ending, but were astonished at how the same effect could play so differently. Frankly, the reality is that with any escape something can go wrong and every escape is typically different unless it's all rigged. Nothing was rigged about the SSJ Escape. But I did have trouble getting the locks open on the plexiglass box during the first show. I also broke the pick during the first show. These 'accidents' actually stretched the presentation even longer than I had originally planned. Did it matter? Actually it showed me that if an audience likes you, they will sit still during a dramatic escape. I don't think they'll sit an HOUR like some of Houdini's escapes, but they will hold on longer than one might realize. Then again, maybe they would sit an hour...hmmmmm

An Interesting Ghost Story?!

I'm going to relate an incident that happened to me about 15 years ago. I could be wrong about the time, but it was surely more than 10 years ago. I'm not sure it's a true ghost story perse, but it's clearly an odd occurance.

I had come home from work and was carrying a magazine with me that had Bess Houdini on the cover. I tossed the magazine on my bed, along with my coat and went into another room. When I walked back into my room, there was the magazine that I had tossed onto the bed, sitting completely upright on edge! I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. As I stared at it I noticed my shadow in the corner of the room, except it wasn't my shadow. It was the shadow of a man with a hat. I turned around to see if there was someone behind me. There was no one there. When I turned back around the shadow on the wall moved and was gone. I thought it was weird and kinda cool to be honest, so I tried to duplicate it, but I couldn't find the place to stand that would make the wall shadow. In fact, my shadow was in a totally different place than the shadow I saw.

What was it? I have no idea. Was it a ghost? I don't really know, probably not,  but it sure was weird and as I said, kinda cool in a way. Oh, and I tried to get the magazine to stand up on edge after that and it wouldn't stay.  It happened around Halloween and imaginations do tend to run wild around that time of year, but I still remember it as if it just happened.