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| Houdini and Jack Dempsey horsing around for the camera |
Today, October 22, 2026, marks the 100th Anniversary of the PUNCH that Houdini would receive in Montreal Canada. This punch would, according to some, lead to his death. What happened?
Well, contrary to a once popular opinion, Houdini did not die doing one of his famous stunts. This theory developed from the 1953 Houdini movie, where Tony Curtis, as Houdini, dies trying to do the Water Torture Cell. In real life, he escaped many many times.
In reality, on October 22nd, Houdini was backstage at the Princess Theater in Montreal. He is going through his mail and reclining on a couch. Several college students from McGill University had been invited over to see Houdini. One of the was doing a sketch of Houdini. Suddenly, another student came in, J. Gordon Whitehead. He came to return a book he had borrowed from Houdini earlier in the week. Then he proceeded to hog the conversation by asking Houdini a host of questions.
Eventually, Whitehead brought up the story of Houdini being able to withstand any strike to the body and he wouldn't feel it. No where in documented Houdini history can anyone find an instance of this. However, the story says that Whitehead quized him about it and asked if he could try and punch and see the results. Houdini agreed and began to sit up, when suddenly, Whitehead hit him with a barrage of punches. The other students rose up and pulled him off Houdini. Clearly, Houdini had felt these punches.
The story goes, he told Whitehead, he needed to prepare first. And some accounts say, he offered another punch, and Whitehead hit him, with no reaction from Houdini. One of the best recreations of this scene is in the Paul Michael Glaser movie about Houdini.
THAT was the start of Houdini's final days, or was it? There are new theories that have arisen in the recent past, one being that he was poisoned. One says he died of a ruptured appendix caused by the punch. Yet, another says he died because he was fed solid food when his colon was not functioning. Im sure there are more theories out there. In fact, some believe there was never a punch! More on that theory later.
Suffice to say, Houdini only had days to live after this. At only 52 years of age, the world would loose the Mastery Mystifier, but they would gain an Entertainment Legend.
To find out what happened just prior to this Montreal engagement, read this article https://www.themagicdetective.com/2012/10/episode-3-additional-information.html
