More Rare Houdini Ads

These two Houdini advertisements date to 1915. Most of the ads run by Keiths or the Orpheum chains are pretty much the same. But every now and then they'll really push Houdini's appearance with additional graphics.

The above image is from the Providence Rhode Island Keith's Theatre.

This next image is from October 1915 and is for the Portland Oregon Orpheum Theater. Again, Houdini's billing takes up most of the ad, with the supporting acts relegated to the lower corner. This particular theater was torn down in 1976 to make way for a Nordstrom's Dept Store.

Harry Houdini Swims with the Fishs and Sharks

(not an actual photo of Houdini and a shark)

This piece originally appeared in the news in 1915. It's a story about Houdini and a trick he invented on the spot near the Fiji Islands. I'm going to give you condensed version of the story.

Houdini and Bess were returning by Steamer from Australia and on the way passed near the Fiji Islands. The steamer docked near Suva Island temporarily. The waters near the Fiji Islands were known to be shark infested waters however, for whatever reason the sharks did not seem to harm the islanders. Anyone else however could wind up a sharks dinner.

The steamer passengers were watching the local islanders diving into water after coins that were tossed in by other ships in the area. Every time someone would come out from the water they would have the coins in their mouth!

Houdini was watching this and he expressed an opinion that the coins were not caught in the mouth but instead the islanders picked up the coins on the sandy bottom of the ocean with their hands and then put them in their mouths. He set out to prove his point and made the suggestion that if the islanders hands were tied behind their backs, they would not come up with any coins. Then he added, that he too would go in the water, with his hands shackled behind his back and he would easily come up with the coins.

They found an islander who would agree to the test and his hands were tied behind his back while Houdini’s hands were being handcuffed behind his. Before Houdini was even ready the islander had jumped into the water and was far below the surface. Houdini followed a few moments later.

Two shiny coins were tossed into the water, and the gathering crowd watched to see who would come up with their coin first. A short time later the islander rose above the water but to his dismay and that of the audience he had no coin in his mouth. Houdini was still not up and the audience was growing worried because several sharks had been spotted.

Suddenly, the crowd saw two feet emerge from the water and then flip around, it was Houdini, who proudly held two shiny coins between his teeth, even though he was still handcuffed. The worried audience scooped the champion out of the water to avoid his triumph turning into a sudden tragedy.

Houdini, the victor in the challenge, then gave the two coins to the young fellow and the steamer was soon on it’s way.

Will Rogers & Houdini

Will Rogers was a cowboy, entertainer and humorist. He rose from a cowboy who did roping tricks, to one of America's most beloved comedians. He and Houdini knew each other and worked together on many occasions. Houdini died suddenly in 1926 at the age of 52, Will Rogers too had a sudden tragic death at the age of 55 in 1935. Shortly after Houdini died, Will Rogers wrote about him in his newspaper column on November 21, 1926. Here are a few excerpts from his column.

Every one is any line of the theatrical business is always spoken of as a "Showman". Well what constitutes one is a man who can sell himself to the public in the very best way possible. Houdini was the greatest showman of our time by far. 

A great many are good and can sell themselves fairly well, but they will generally lack something, and if you figure it out it's ability. Well, Houdini never lacked ability. No person appearing on an American stage ever had more license to be there than Harry Houdini.

I played with Harry, at Keith's Philadelphia over 18 years ago for the first time. I was roping my pony on stage and was billed to close the show (that is, go on last). Harry was just ahead with his handcuff tricks. It was late when he went on. He held that audience for one hour and a quarter. Not a soul moved. He would come out of his cabinet every fifteen or twenty minutes perspiring and kinder size up that crowd to see just about how they were standing it. Now, mind you when he is in that cabinet there is not a thing going on. A whole theater full are just waiting. The city police had put these cuffs on him. Now he had that something that no one can define that is generally just passed off as showmanship. But it was in reality, Sense, Shrewdness, Judgement, unmatched ability, intuition, personality and an uncanny knowledge of people. Say, when he had finished I just as well got on my little old pony and rode back to the livery stable as to have rode out on that stage.