Houdini was no stranger to the packing case escape. In reality, it goes back to his earlier days, as the Metamorphosis, that started his career, could be considered a packing case. It was a steamer trunk in reality, but served a similar purpose. In fact, it served the exact same purpose, to escape from.
Before he gets to the most spectacular version of the escape. lets dive into some of the earlier versions. I mentioned the Metamorphosis. This was Houdini's first big magic/escape. It was traditionally called the Substitution Trunk. A person is tied, placed into a bag, which is tied, that is then placed into a trunk, which is locked and secured shut. A curtain goes around it. The assistant steps behind the curtain and in 3 seconds or less the performer originally locked inside is FREE. But that is not all, the assistant is now found inside the trunk, in the bag, wrists tied, just as the performer had been only moments before. It's a great mystery, and still popular today.
The Overboard Packing Case, and other packing case escapes all were things Houdini had to escape from but there was a difference. In the case of the simple packing case, that would often be built on stage by a local shipping department, and then Houdini would escape in the theater. But with the Overboard Packing Case, this was designed to be featured outside and using a body of water to hide the escape. Naturally, when you are adding a body of water, that means, the box is lowered into a lake or river or pool, and while underwater, Houdini would have to escape.
The danger element skyrockets with the Overboard Packing Case escape. The photo above sohws Houdini on a tugboat in NYC. He has one leg inside the box, one outside. He is about to climb into the box, and then the lid would be nailed shut. Ropes are then wrapped around the box and it is hoisted in the air and lowered into the water. Usually metal tubes filled with weights are attached to the lower ends of the box to help weight it down so that it sinks below the surface.
To be inside the box, the moment it hits the water is a stress filled moment. In one case, another boat in the water caused a wave and when the box, with Houdini inside, hit the water, it twisted, and Houdini got quite thrown around inside the box, just as the water rushed in. Everything goes black really fast and he had to hold his breath, or he could drown inside the box before he had a chance to free himself.
Other escape artists have suffered this fate. A well known Canadian escape artist nearly drowned on his very first packing case escape. Thankfully, he lived and continues to perform today.
STAGE VERSION
Houdini would first present this in 1902 in Essen, Germany. He would continue with this most of his career. It made a great challenge escape that involved cross promotion.
- 1902 – Essen, Germany. This was the first one.
- 1904 – Zoo-Hippodrome, Glasgow.
- 1907 – Los Angeles, a challenge from Hamburger’s dept. store.
- December 1909 – Hansa Theater, Hamburg.
- November 30, 1915 – Los Angeles Orpheum, Hamburger Dept store a second time.
- May 1926 – Goodyear, Akron, during his “3 Shows in One” tour.
OVERBOARD VERSION
- July 7, 1912 – New York, from a tugboat off Governors Island in the East River. This was the first one. The box was slid down a plank. There is some archival film footage of this.
- July 15, 1914 – New York, Battery Park, with a crowd of about 15,000.
- July 28, 1915 – Atlantic City, from the Garden Pier.
- June 30, 1917 – Westport - Saugatuck, Connecticut, into Long Island Sound, at a Red Cross charity drive held at the home of Frederick E. Lewis II. Possibly his last overboard escape.
- Interestingly, his brother Hardeen would do the Overboard Packing Case Escape when he was in his 60s in Atlantic City to promote his shows there. And he did it often!
