Houdini and the Art of Jumping From A Bridge

 

Generally, when you hear about someone jumping off a bridge, it's bad news. They are probably attempting to commit suicide. Depending upon the height of the bridge and the angle of their descent, it's likely they will succeed. Houdini, chose to use this concept of jumping off a bridge as a publicity stunt, but he would take it up a notch.

You see, not only was Houdini prepared to jump, he would also do it handcuffed. This adds another element of impossibility for those watching. So he has two things he must handle, he must survive the jump and then he must get the cuffs off of himself before he drowns!

One can clearly see Houdini's athletic abilities on full display here. Just the ability to jump and land without hurting yourself is remarkable. You could easily bash yourself in the head or the face with the cuffs as you hit the water. And, though it looks like a very soft target, water is nearly like stone due to its surface tension. Once you break through you are ok, but if you hit the surface wrong, the result can be devastating. Think of someone doing a belly flop dive into a pool. I have vivid memories of doing this myself as a kid and how painful it was when I hit the water. 

Then there are other elements to consider. How about the temperature of the water, or weather conditions in general? This type of stunt is ideal for warmer temps, in other words Summer time. But Houdini's first attempt would be on November 27th, 1906. This was on a Tuesday, and just before Thanksgiving that year. Houdini would be jumping from the Belle Isle Bridge in Detroit, Michigan. This is also the jump that would go down in history as having to cut a hole in the ice so that Houdini could jump and then getting stuck under the ice do to the current of the water. It was depicted quite graphically in the 1953 Houdini movie with Tony Curtis, and later in the Adrien Brody Houdini Miniseries. First biography to cover it was the Harold Kellock biography. The only problem was, that part of the jump never happened. The water was never frozen over. It would have been ice cold, but not frozen over. And yet it was Houdini himself, that started to whole 'story'. He would make the claim, on more than one occasion, that they had to cut a hole in the ice and he nearly died trying to escape. Totally, bulls**t, well let's be nice and call it 'fluttery' lol. 

HOUDINI-Tony Curtis 1953

But he did jump from the Belle Isle Bridge, about 25 feet from the top of the bridge to the surface of the water. He wore two pair of handcuffs and he apparently wore a safety rope as well. Actually quite smart thinking for someone who had not done anything like this before. He also had a safety boat to pick him up once he made the jump. Considering the temperature of the water, another smart move. Once Houdini hits the water in the handcuffs, he initially is overcome with cold shock, sudden immersion triggers, hyperventilation, gasping and a spike in heart rate. This will continue for several minutes until the blood begins to cool and then the ability to swim rapidly decreases. So, both the safety line and the safety boat were smart precautions.

For me as a kid watching the 1953 movie, I often wonder if I would have gone into magic had this under the ice scene not been in the movie. It was the one scene I had caught over and over when they showed that movie on TV, and the only one I would see for a while. It wasn't until the day I asked my Dad what that movie was and what it was about that I took the time to sit down and watch it end to end. Well, that was the day my life changed. But back to Houdini.

BOSTON JUMP

Houdini would do a lot of exciting things in Boston during his career. But on April 30th 1908 he announces he is going to jump from the Harvard Bridge, into the Charles River, while handcuffed and manacled. That image is at the top of the page. He is wearing leg irons on his arms and a the chain between the leg irons is padlocked around his neck. He also has a pair of handcuffs on his wrists which are behind his back. As an escape artist, this tells me everything I need to know about the escape. But for you, the lay person, I don't give up secrets.

An estimated 20,000 people came out to watch Houdini jump off this bridge into the Charles River. Notice it was April, a much warmer time of year, though still not Summer time. It should also be pointed out that far more people could see a stunt like this than could see a Jail escape. Both were certainly strong publicity events, but the Bridge Jump was more spectacular and a bit more dangerous. Interestingly, both likely had to be coordinated with the police. Which I might add, was a pretty fast process as compared to today when you'd need permits and permission and insurance and who knows what else. Houdini gets to Boston, and a short time later, days, is jumping. And before then, he has time to notify the media, print flyers and make the arrangements for a safety crew, as there were boats in the water ready to pull him out once he jumped. Oh, and he has a film crew on hand to document the entire thing.

There is a commemorative plaque today on the Harvard Bridge, dedicated to Houdini's jump in 1908. They do get the date wrong, the plaque says May 1st and it was actually April 30th. One thing you might note, the photo at the top of the page and the photo of him dropping into the water, clearly not taken from the same spot. Brilliant marketing frankly. He gets some good publicity shots, which appear as if he is about to jump. Then the goes over to the actual location and has a film crew standing by to record the entire thing. They are filming from a different location, possibly even from a boat. 

All in all the bridge jumps are an education in Houdini thinking. So many aspects are involved here. You have the technical side, how will he be manacled, with what, and how far down is the water? Then you have the logistical side, media, the authorities, the audience. No small feat for a stunt that actually lasted a mere moment. He was out of the manacles and on the surface of the water in 30 seconds. But look at how much publicity he received. Imagine how the ticket sales for his shows was have blown up that week. Wow.

Houdini's last bridge jump would be in England in 1913, he would have been 39 years old. His brother, Theodore on the other hand,  though he also stopped doing bridge jumps around this time, was doing underwater escapes well into his 60s. So, the moral of the story is, don't let age stop you if you really want to do something (and NO, this does not apply to kids). It should go without saying, but Im saying it, these types of things are EXTREMELY dangerous and should only be done by professionals and by taking every precaution possible. 

Houdini's Final Days in the Hospital - A Revelation

 

Note: I have made a couple updates since the original post. Turns out Dr. Lefevre who is mentioned in the Kalush bio did not create the serum, but was there to report on the findings. This was uncovered in Oct 2022 by John Cox. So I have rewritten his section. And there are a couple other minot adjustments.

If you're at all familiar with Houdini, you know the story of the 'punch' in the stomach by Gordon Whitehead. You also know that Houdini died on Halloween in 1926. Let's take a deeper look into the mysterious moments during that in between time that has always remained unknown, until now.

Houdini and company boarded a train bound for Detroit following their last performance in Montreal Canada, Oct 23rd. He was due to open at at the Garrick Theater in Detroit Oct 24th. On the train, he is in a lot of pain. He is suffering from both a broken ankle and an appendicitis. They forward a telegram letting them know to have the best doctor in town waiting for Houdini at the hotel so he can be checked out prior to the show. Except, the train is running behind. Houdini chooses to go straight to the theater and bypass the hotel. 

The doctor has been waiting at the hotel. They phone the theater and find out Houdini is there, so they, Dr. Leo Dretzka and Houdini's advance man, head to the Garrick. Houdini is in bad shape. Upon examining him, the Doctor says they need to call an ambulance immediately, this man has acute appendicitis. Around this time, the theater manager comes in an tells Houdini they have a sold out house. Houdini, ever the showman, stays to do the show.

It was torture for the 52 year old magician. He suffered greatly during the show, needing the help of Jim Collins on more than one occasion. During intermission, Houdini's temperature was taken and it was 104. Miraculously, he finished the show. And did he go to the hospital at this point? NO! He opted instead to head to his hotel. Bess had the hotel Doctor meet them there. This doctor called a surgeon, Dr. Charles Kennedy. He told Houdini, you must go to the hospital. Houdini refused, he would only go if his own doctor told him so. They called Houdini's NY Doctor who immediately got Houdini on the phone. Whatever was said is not known, but Houdini at this point relented and was taken to Grace Hospital in Detroit. 

Grace Hospital Ambulance 

Houdini was operated on the following afternoon. It was said, his appendix had been so enlarged that is started on his right side and ran across his midsection into the left side of his abdomen! And it had ruptured so peritonitis had set in, a poison was seeping into his system for three days. Then, according to the Ken Silverman biography, "in trying to check the peritonitis, physicians at the hospital dosed him with an experimental serum recently developed in a Detroit laboratory." I should point out, this 'experimental serum' was first mentioned on Nov 1st, 1926 in Houdini's obituary in the New York Times. In addition, the Kalush book on Houdini gives a slightly altered version, "On Tuesday, a post-operative specialist named Dr. George LeFevre was brought to Detroit from Montreal, where he had been attending a conference. LeFevre was a homeopathist who had devised an experimental serum to combat the poison circulating through Houdini's G.I. tract." That statement is not correct. Dr. Lefevre only arrived after the serum was given and was there to report on the results. This information provided by John Cox.

FULL STOP

No one, has known what this 'experimental serum' was. The records from that time have long been destroyed. No record remained of this so called experimental serum. No one knew what it was. Until NOW.

Recently, I too went through an ordeal with a ruptured appendix. It was near the exact same time as Houdini's only 99 years later. So I was acutely aware of what he might have gone through and how he was feeling. After I got home, I did some research. I know in Houdini's case had there been antibiotics he likely would have survived. However, antibiotics were not discovered until 1928 and weren't put into affect until the late 1930s. So what did they do? Well before I tell you, let me share what this experimental serum did for Houdini.

Grace Hospital Detroit

According the Ken Silverman in his book on Houdini, "it (the serum) brought his temperature down to 101 and let him spend a fairly comfortable night, although his pulse and respiration rate remained high. The following day his temperature came down to near normal." So whatever they gave him, along with his unusual physical strength had a huge impact. 

On Friday, October 29th, Houdini had to be operated on again. The peritonitis though slowed down, had not stopped doing damage, he had paralysis of the bowels. His temperature shot up to 103, his heart rate doubled. Any progress had stopped and he was going down hill fast. As we know, 1:26pm on Oct 31st, Houdini breathed his final breath from Room 401 at Grace Hospital.

So what was this experimental serum? I discovered in the 1920s an experimental treatment was devised to combat peritonitis. It was called 'bacteriophage therapy'. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. The therapy involved administering preparations containing specific phages (sometimes referred to as a "serum" in lay terms) to patients. Major pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lily, Abbott Labs, and Parke-Davis all had their own versions. I believe it was Parke-Davis, which was located in Detroit, that created the 'experimental serum' for Houdini. 

According to the National Institute of Health, the reason this was considered experimental was because they never were fully put through clinical trials. They had positive results on some patients, but not on others. It also was being used as a cure-all when it was not intended that way. But the most specific way it was used was to combat the symptoms resulting from peritonitis! BINGO. It would help to bring down the fever and give the patient a fighting chance to live, when it worked. This is exactly what happened to Houdini, at least initially. But he was truly too far gone. Had he not ignored his pain while he was in Montreal, he may have lived a much longer life. He delayed and delayed and delayed until it was frankly too late. 

If you're wondering why no one discovered this info before? Well, when antibiotics became all the rage, and worked, in the late 1930s, the United States all but abandoned bacteriophage therapy. It was still being used in some European countries, but in the 1990s when Ken Silverman first mentions this 'experimental serum' no one remembered it. It had been out of use for 60 years. I had been scouring sources online trying to discover treatments in the 1920s when it finally came up and revealed itself. When I read the information, I knew it was the serum. And frankly, I think the only reason it came up in searches is because there is now a renewed interest in exploring bacteriophage therapies due to many bacteria today that are anti-biotic resistant. I could find no other serum treatments, and other than surgery, which was the first step, there was little that could be done in the 1920s.

Further Update: Dr. Larrain Gillespie has a different theory. I was unaware of her work on the subject and have since read through several of her articles. It does appear, as I've stated above, John Cox was actually the first to reveal the true nature of Dr. Lefevre's involvement. But Dr. Gillespie has an alternative theory on the serum which she will reveal in her upcoming book, Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice, which will come out in July 2026. I am sticking with my theory for now, but I am excited to read her book. And frankly, if nothing else we know the serum came from Parke-Davis labs in Detroit. Win win for everyone.

Houdini - Detroit Landmark

My friend Andrew Basso is an escape artist from Italy. He is truly an International Escape Artist however. He is one of the featured performers in the show The Illusionists that is currently touring the United States. Andrew has been checking out various Houdini hotspots along the tour route.

A few weeks ago, I saw a photo of Andrew wearing the actual Steel Straight Jacket used by Tony Curtis in the movie Houdini. This was in the collection of someone in Canada (I think). I occasionally will get a text from Andrew asking about Houdini's connection to this city or that city. And this morning, I sent him some information on Detroit.

As you may or may not know, most of the landmarks in Detroit connected to Houdini are long gone. But there is one that still remains, Wm. R. Hamilton's Funeral Home on 3957 Cass St.. This is where Houdini was embalmed by John Fraser, one of the employees at the funeral home. The photo at the top of the page shows Andrew in front of the Funeral Home.

If you have not seen The Illusionists, I would encourage  you to do so. Andrew does an upside down Straight Jacket Escape and The Water Torture Cell during the show. He is a very charismatic performer with very humble approach to his art. That seems like a contradiction, but it's not. Andrew is not over the top, not bombastic, he is likeable, friendly and you'll find yourself rooting for him to defeat his bonds while he attempts his escapes. Check him out in The Illusionists on tour!