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Earlier in the year, I participated in a project called Houdini in DC for AtlasObscura.com. It was my second year in a row working with these folks. In fact, both Ken Trombly and I returned for a second year to give presentations. Ken has a wonderful collection of Houdini posters, photos, and more. Ken spoke for about 40 minutes and then I followed.
My presentation was part talk, part show & tell, and part escape demonstration. One of the things I really enjoy doing when I give a magic history presentation is sharing the real magic of the person. When I say the 'real magic' I mean, effects they did. I had been working on an article about Houdini's Card Act for this blog, and I also wanted to learn the act for my presentation, but I didn't think I could have the act ready in time. So instead, I defaulted to other possible card tricks that Houdini might have done. And lo and behold I found a wonderful little gem packed away in a book called, Houdini's Escapes and Magic by Walter Gibson. According to the text, the trick is a variation of an older effect in which a chosen card appears in the magician's pocket. I'm not here to give away the secret, though if you have the book, you're certainly welcome to look it up yourself. I presented Half and Half for the AtlasObscura event and it went over extremely well. In fact, it was stronger than I expected, though not anything revolutionary compared to some of today's card mysteries. Still, the fact that it came from Houdini's notes was good enough for me. And so, for your entertainment pleasure, I've shot a video of my rendition of Houdini's Half and Half. Enjoy!!!
Later this month, I'll share the trick that became known as The Trick That Fooled Houdini.
There is a good chance all my fellow Houdini fans will already have one of these. But then again, one of the purposes of a blog like this is to bring in NEW fans. So I'm having a very simple contest to win a Houdini Bobblehead, unopened in the original container. These retail for about $20 and most places are sold out. Here are the rules:
CONTEST IS NOW OVER!!!
Only 1 entry per person
To enter: Send me an email, with the subject heading 'Houdini Contest' to info@carnegiemagic.com
Please include your full name in the email.
You must live in the continental United States
The 25th email I receive is the winner!
I will contact the winner via email to get your mailing address so I can send it to you. It costs nothing to enter, and I will even pay the shipping. The contest ends when I get to the 25th person, that simple. So it might take an hour. It might take a day, who knows. Usually the blog articles get a couple hundred views, so if just a portion of the readers participate, then it should go pretty quickly.
UPDATE: We have a WINNER, Jack T. of NY, was the winner of the contest. Almost 200 people viewed, but not a lot of folks entered the contest. I may have another contest before the month is up, so keep watching! And thanks to everyone who participated!!!
An Article On A Special Type of Handcuff used by Houdini
Houdini AT ... (these will be Houdini appearing at Certain locations, more than one article is being prepared)
Your Money Is Always Safe With Houdini
Houdini's MAGIC
And still much more to come as the month progresses!
Over on Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/carnegiemagic/ I'm also celebrating Houdini Month, but in a slightly different way. I'm posting photos of all my Houdini books. I have a feeling the month will run out before I get finished.
For now, I'm giving you all a rest while I get more articles finished for Houdini Month. But I thought I'd share with you a link to a site where you can pick up this cool Houdini Mouse Pad (photo above). I actually have one, it was given to me as a gift some years ago and frankly, I've worn mine out. So I had to find out who makes them and sure enough, I found them. http://www.yowzers.com/viewitem.php?productid=149
