Harry 'The Hat' Anderson : Podcast Transcript

 

Harry Laverne Anderson was born in Newport, Rhode Island at a Naval Hospital, on October 14th, 1952. His father, Harry Laverne Anderson Sr.  was graduate of the US Naval Academy Class of 1950. He was soon transferred to Queens NY shortly after Harry was born. He attained the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade before being discharged around 1953. Harry’s father would then become a salesman, selling dishes. But according to a Jun 2018 article on Genii Magazine, Harry’s father real passion was betting on the ponies. He apparently gambled away most of the family fortune. They moved to Chicago next. Harry was around 7 years old. This is where his interest in magic began. And a fact often left out of his origin story, he first saw Blackstone Sr. perform in Chicago and was enthralled…mostly with the showgirls, but still enthralled. While in Chicago, His father would often rent a conference room at the Ambassador East Hotel and Harry would be left alone in the lobby. It turns out, the The Palm Room was there where Bert Allerton the magician performed. But during the day it was a place where a lot of card men hung out, gamblers and the like. Harry would learn about cards, card games, cons, even magic tricks. It was an ideal education for someone who would eventually become a budding young magician.  Incidentally, I believe his parents had divorced by this time. So Harry would spend some time with Dad and other time with his mother.

Harry and his mother Suzanne, would move often during his youth. By the time he was 16 years old he had lived in 12 different states and there would be more to come. He wound up on Las Vegas where his mother took a job as a casino dealer. A People Magazine article stated, his mother worked often  as a prostitute.  Harry understood the hardships they encountered and did not hold this against his mother. 

Another move was right around the corner. But this time, he would go by himself to live with his father. He found himself in Los Angeles. How long this lasted I’m not sure. According to the book WISE GUY by Mike Caveney, Harry left home and moved in with a friend in Fullerton CA.  This friend was Eric Norby. Something to remember because only a few years later, Norby would become Harry Anderson’s manager.  One of my favorite stories about Harry Anderson happened during this time. As it turned out, the Norby house where Harry lived was very close to Claude Yarbrough, who would later be known as Johnathan Pendragon.

The story comes from the pages of Genii Magazine March 1986. According to Johnathan, Harry was living in his neighbors garage and he had gone over to visit. Jonathan was admiring a small production box, when Harry asked him what he thought of it. Johnthan said he thought it was beautiful. And with that, Harry grabbed it out of his hands and threw it across the room. To quote Johnthan, “He looked at me and said, MAGIC Is an ART, not a CRAFT!. Harry Loved being dramatic”.  So there is our first lesson in magic from 16 year old Harry Anderson, Magic is an ART not a craft.

Another interesting fact is that Harry became part of the Dante Magic Club that met at Rancho Dante in San Fernando Valley. This was Harry Jansen’s place and though Harry, or DANTE, had since passed away, the club and ranch was still being run by his son Al Jansen. Quite a few names came through there over the years including Paul Green and Paul Harris. Harry was about 14 at the time. The Dante Magic Club would have lectures…now keep in mind, this is 1966. Charlie Miller lectured, Kuda Bux lectures, Dai Vernon lectured

During his senior year of High School Harry made a trip to San Francisco where he happened upon a street magician, a busker as it were. And Harry’s life was forever changed! He realized he could do this same thing and make money at it. He saw a number of street performers who would go onto fame. Robert Shields who would later be a popular mime with his wifeLorene Yarnell, aka Shields and Yarnell. BTW, they would later be guests on one of the Doug Henning World of Magic Specials. There was also a comedian, you might have heard of him, Robin Williams. Harry was only in San Francisco for a couple days, but it was long enough for him to know he needed to return once he finished High School. 

After HS, he had been given an English scholarship, so he went to Berkely to check it out, but found out quickly it was not for him. So he was then San Fransisco bound. As a solo busker on the streets of San Fran, one of the things he did was the Three Shell Game. The book WiseGuy says he learned from a Jack CHANIN manuscript, but Harry would say it came from Frank Garcia’s routine. Likely it was a mixture of both. Things went pretty well until the day that an irate participant broke Harry’s jaw. There was a silver lining to the accident however. He discovered a little magic nightclub and a local magician who performed there, Martin Lewis. This would be an occasional gig for Harry, and a life long friendship for him and Martin. It was Martin who encouraged Harry to start doing indoor gigs, which led him to performing in colleges.

Speaking of Martin Lewis and Harry Anderson. The first time I ever saw either of them was on the John Davidson Talk Show. Harry was up first, and he was quite young. He came out and did a quick bit and suddenly Davidson came running onto the stage picked up Harry’s props and moved them slightly and then left. Harry stood there confused. John came back on and said, “you missed your mark. You had to be on your mark or lighting would be all wrong” and then the audience laughed and harry gave a half hearted chuckle and repeated the opening gag. But it didnt stop him from having a strong set. Later in the episode, Harry introduces Martin Lewis who does some great close up magic with Dice. A few years later, Harry and Martin would team up and write and produce a satirical version of Genii Magazine called Wenii.

Next he moved to Ashland Oregon. He would soon find himself working for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1971. Among his unique magic was a version of the Broom Suspension that he had fabricated by a local orthopedic supply builder and they were able to create something that worked. According to WISE GUY, it was a bit overbuilt, but it worked and then so did Harry.

The next season Harry was offered the job if he could come up with a new feature. His choice the deadly bullet catch. Yes, the Bullet Catch that has killed, a dozen or so magicians. The book Wise Guy lays out the entire story, and I’ll say, Harry was lucky he had a career after this adventure. Actually, he was lucky he had a life after this adventure. At moments during the development of his routine, and the development of the method, Harry really should have been seriously injured. But something always stopped it at the last moment. As you know, I don’t divulge secrets on this podcast, but rest assured, Harry’s method had a projectile heading straight at him, had he gone with his first idea. In a test run, a hole was shot through a thick wooden fence. Umm, yeah let’s reexamine this procedure. 

Eventually, he came up with a quite dramatic routine that was as safe as it can be. A marked bullet shot from a gun, ends up in the mouth of the magician who is standing some distance away. Like his idol Ted Annemann, Harry spun around and hit the ground before revealing the marked bullet had arrived in his mouth!

When Harry was doing colleges, he would do a free show in the afternoon, kind of his busking material, and then later in the evening he would do a bigger show at the college for which he did get paid, and paid well. His evening show consisted of mentalism. As I mentioned, One of Harry’s magic heroes was Ted Annemann. and the mentalism that Harry used was straight out of the Jinx and Practical Mental Effects. His college tours lasted a couple years.

During the college tours, he picked up a new assistant Leslie Pollack, who would eventually become Mrs. Harry Anderson. 

Leslie would take the lead role in their mentalism act. In fact, she would be the designated medium. They quickly learned that having Leslie read minds was more believable to the audience. This left Harry to do whatever dirty work was necessary to make the effect happen.

There was a gentleman in the 1970s named Kerry Ross, a young comedy magician. At the time his big claim to fame was the development of the first ever comedy straitjacket routine. No one had done this prior to Kerry. Today it’s pretty commonplace to say the least.

Well, Harry Anderson saw Kerry’s routine and according to the book Wise Guy by Mike Caveney, Harry said, “You know, that could be funny.” That’s one way of putting it. I have seen numerous people credit Kerry Ross with having the first comedy straitjacket routine. Kerry created this in 1972. He is unquestionably the originator. However, In 1977, Kerry worked with Harry at the Magic Castle and this is where Harry Anderson saw the straitjacket routine for the first time. Harry told Kerry he liked what he was doing and he was going to start doing it. Which he actually did, line for line, Kerrys routine.

In 1979, HBO was developing a special called Worlds Greatest Escapes. Steve Baker was a big part of that special. The producers asked Steve what he thought about Harry Anderson’s comedy straitjacket routine. Steve told them, “if you want a comedy straitjacket routine, you should go to the guy who originated it”, and that’s how Kerry Ross got to be part of that special. I think its important to state for the record, the guy who came up with the concept. It’s rather daunting to consider how many others have copied this act.

Later, Kerry Ross and actor, writer Larry Hovis restructured and rewrote the act so that it no longer would conflict with what Harry had stolen. I’m sure Kerry made sure to keep this away from Harry. BTW, Kerry is still a very busy working professional magician to this day.

Harry Anderson, would eventually expand and elaborate this routine to include his wife. They would be involved in a contest and she would have to free herself from 100 feet of rope tied to a chair. While Harry had to get free of the jacket. The contest, Who would free themselves first. I believe Leslie always won. Or better, Harry always just lost.

In 1980, Gallagher saw Harry and Leslie perform in Hollywood. Gallagher at the time was being represented by Ken Kragen. Ken then saw the act and asked Harry and Leslie if they would like to be the opening act for his main client, Country Music Star Kenny Rogers. Harry and Leslie would open for Kenny Rogers when he was working in Las Vegas. Ken Kragen was very pleased with the Anderson’s and offered to manage them. The Anderson’s would open for Kenny Rogers, The Gatlin Brothers, Dottie West, Robert Miller, Debbie Reynolds, the 50 rocks band Sha Na Na and frankly many others. They were a popular opening act. UNTIL, Leslie got pregnant. Basically, at that point, Harry had to replace the Escape Contest with something new. This is where his exploration of the GRAPPLER began.

The Grappler was an elaborate gambling device that Harry picked up from owens magic. At the time he had no idea what to do with it, but he knew there was something there. When Leslie wasn’t able to do the show, Harry incorporated the Grappler into another routine as sort of an absurd explanation all for laughs. It worked and became a staple in his show. Here is a video of what might be Harry's first attempt at using the Grappler. 

Wait, back to the Contest one more time. So Harry and Leslie were in Reno performing. And some nights were rather slow. In fact, there was one Monday, when there was one guy in the audience. And he was drunk. But Harry was contracted to do his act, so he ddi the show for one guy. He gets the him up to tie up Leslie and then put him in the jacket. The moment he finishes getting them both secure, he leaves the theatre. There they are, Harry and his wife, all tied up with no one to watch. Was this maybe a tiny bit of Karma? Maybe. 

Being managed by Ken Kragen led to Harry getting the occasional talk show, of which there were many back then. John Davidson, Dinah, Merv Griffen, Mike Douglas, and those were just the day time talk shows. The evening you had The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and the Late Show with Tom Snyder. And though it wasn’t a talk show, one of the biggest comedy shows on TV, Saturday Night Live.

Next is a great video of Harry. He is hosting the Young Comedians Special on HBO and he's doing The Pavel Walking Knot. This would be the first time I ever saw it. I had seen the version that Doug Henning did, NOT Pavel, but a more elaborate version of the Walking Knot, and Harry's version was very different.

                                

Dick Ebersol was the new producer of Saturday Night Live and caught Harry’s act in Las Vegas and offered him a comedy spot on SNL.  Harry would appear on that show nine times over the years, even hosting it at one point.

In 1957, a magician named Bruce Spangler invented a clever trick called, “You Do VooDoo.” This was a wild effect where a large hat pin could be shoved through the magicians arm. In 1975, possibly earlier, he put it out on the market. I say 1975 because that was the first time I could find an ad for it in Genii. According to the book WISE GUY, in the early 70s when Harry was working the streets in San Francisco, he visited Marvin Burger’s House of Magic and purchased the You Do Voodoo trick for a friend. Unfortunately his friend never received the gift as Harry found it to be perfect for his show. 

Known as The Needle Through Arm, it took a while to develop. There is a photo of Harry doing the trick in 1974 in the book. He used it for shock value. It usually divided the audience with half liking it and half hating it. After all, it looks quite real. He eventually added comedic bits and a new attitude for the effect that put it over much better. Harry even allowed an audience member pull on the needle when it was through his arm. This became a signature trick for him. Harry presented the Needle through Arm on his fourth appearance on Saturday Night Live. His full routine appears in the book Wise Guy by Mike Caveney, though 20 years later, Harry is quoted as saying, “Why would anyone want to do this trick, even I shouldn’t be doing it anymore!”

The first time Harry Anderson was asked to HOST Saturday Night Live, he had a new routine to offer the producers. A little thing he called Skippy.  This routine used a Lloyds Guinea Pig Box. The one Harry had came from Danny Dew. The standard routine involved taking a live guinea pig and tearing it to pieces. I honestly don’t know if you wrapped the animal in newspaper first or what. But Harry’s version would have him showing the LIVE guinea pig and then picking him up and visibly shoving it into his mouth and eating him, swallowing it whole on LIVE TV. The demonstration caused the NBC switchboard lit up. Untold thousands, or more were calling in to see if the Guinea Pig was harmed!!! To say it made an impact is putting it lightly. To show how strong an effect this was, many years later, Mac King would present his version of the same effect on Penn and Tellers Fool Us! And this time, in the internet age, it caused the video to go viral!

If you are familiar at all with Harry Anderson, you’ll know he got a little side-tracked in the 80s and 90s. He did a few guest spots on the TV show CHEERS, which led to him getting cast as Judge Harry Stone on the TV Show Night Court. Along the way, Harry starred in his own comedy magic special Hello Sucker, and then later, Harry Anderson Tricks of the Trade. He hosted Magician’s Favorite Magicians for CBS, and appeared on NBCs World’s Greatest Magic 5. He also hosted a special called The Science of Magic. And he appeared on Magic In the Magic Kingdom. There were many appearances on TV by Harry Anderson, both on specials and talk shows. And his acting career included two long running series, Night Court and Dave’s World, and many smaller parts on tv and in movies. 

After Dave’s World ended in 1997, Harry slowed his acting roles down and began to move back towards magic. Eventually, he moved to New Orleans, where he opened his own magic shop called Spade & Archer. If you’re curious, the name comes from the movie the Maltese Falcon, it’s the name of the detective agency. Harry also had a shop of curiousities called Sideshow,  and his own theater called Oswald’s Speakeasy.  Here is where he presented his one man show, aptly called Wise Guy. That show was an interesting mix of material. No longer really completely Harry the Hat, the wise talking con man character. But now, more mellow, still a bit sarcastic, and reflective. He opened by telling the story of doing the Skippy routine on SNL and actually DOING the routine in the process. Skippy was the Guinea Pig eating trick if you recall. He does the Straitjacket, but now it’s something quite different. It’s not Kerry Ross’s routine. It’s not the Escape Dual. It’s now the Middle-Aged StraitJacket Escape, in which he is placed into the jacket, struggles a little, and then his hand is seen to reach out of the lower end of the jacket and removes a twenty dollar bill from his pocket. He then hands this to a spectator and says, “Let me out!”  

He did something that I always wanted to see but never did. I only heard about it actually, and only recently saw photos. He did a ventriloquist act with a vent puppet that looks like Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man.  And here is where that came from. Harry gets a call one day from Jay Johnson, the Ventriloquist, who says, “You have 45 minutes left, someone is selling an Elephant Man Vent Puppet on eBay!” That was it. Harry knew instantly. He won it and it went into his show. 

There are other things in the show, no needle though, but he does his Monarch Monte and finishes with Chapaugraphy, the art of Folding a circle of felt into various hat like shapes. He did this on tv several times. It’s quite nostalgic and frankly artsy. 

Things in New Orleans were looking up. Harry who had sadly divorced Leslie in the late 90s, Now met and married a woman named Elizabeth, who he remained married to for 18 years. He had two stores, Spade and Archer, and then Sideshow. I guess they were more like museums for his vast collection of oddities. Harry did sell a number of magic props, many of which were hand made by him.  Sadly, in the mid 2000s, Hurricane Katrina came along and devastated New Orleans. The Speakeasy became a meeting place for locals and a rallying point for local organizers to try and rebuild the city. Harry and Elizabeth finally left when Harry realized the New Orleans governmental leaders, Mayor Ray Nagin especially, didnt care about fixing the city. Harry’s fears would be proven true when Nagin was convicted on charges of wire fraud, bribery and money laundering related to a city corruption scandal. He served ten years in prison.

Harry and Elizabeth moved to Asheville, North Carolina, for a quieter life. Over the years, Harry had many dear friends: Turk Pipkin who he met in Austin TX during his busking days. He and Turk would collaborate and write material for books and TV. Jay Johnson, the ventriloquist comedian was very close to Harry. Mike Caveny and Tina lenert and Martin lewis. All of these people were members of The Left Handed League.  Harry was close with his cast members of Night Court, John Laroquette and Markie Post. He was NOT close to, nor ever liked to speak of or hear the name Richard Moll, the actor who played BULL on Night Court. 

Harry Anderson died April 16th, 2018. He was 65 years old. Harry had been having health issues related to influenza and had several strokes. Apparently he died in his sleep of a stroke. 

Harry is survived by his wife Elizabeth, his son Dashiell and daughter Eva Fay from his marriage to Leslie. 

I did find a quote from Harry that i really like in regards to magic. This is from his Penguin Magic Lecture. “Good magic is something you’re never finished with. IF you’ve got something you love doing, you should always consider it half done for as long as you can”.  The point of it was to always be creating, adding new lines or trying to improve it. I made a bid deal of the straitjacket earlier and rightfully so. But if you look at how he changed it over time to make it his own. Even in his 60s, he felt getting out of a straitjacket for him, was a bit silly, so he created the Middle Aged Straitjacket escape. 

Make no mistake, Harry was one of the big names of the 20th Century in Magic. He's up there with Copperfield, Henning, Blackstone, Ricky Jay, Penn and Teller. He made a huge impact both in the magic world and the acting world. But we will always remember him as Harry The Hat. 

H

The Magic Detective Podcast for 2026 Upcoming Episodes

 

Well, this is a first. I just put together my entire season 8 list of episodes. They're not written yet or recorded. That will take all year. But episode 114 is done, almost. It's written. And, it's going to have a really cool ending, IF I can get permission from the publishing company to use something that was written in a particular book. I don't want to divulge what that is yet. I hope to hear back from them this week. The moment I do, I will be recording the episode.

Here is a sample of what you can look forward to in 2026. BTW, not a complete list. I may add to it, or alter it slightly. But these are the episodes I plan to kick out: 114-Harry Anderson, 115 Harry Jansen , 116 Doug Henning, 117  Houdini Movies, 118  Herrmann The Great, 119 Steve Baker, 120 Bess Houdini, 121 Ricky Jay, 122 Theo Hardeen, 123 Richard Potter.    

This is more than I had during Season 7. And it's possible there will be more to the list. Also possible I'll switch some of the numbers around, in other words they may come out in a slightly different order. But these are the ones I intend to do this year. 

Remember, all my podcast episodes are written, narrated , recorded, and edited by ME. There is no artificial intelligence used. 

Welcome To the Houdini 100 Celebration

 

This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Death of Harry Houdini. All year long there will be celebrations acoss the Globe. In his hometown of Appleton Wisconsin there will be special performances throughout the year. The Society of American Magicians is holding their Annual Convention there this summer. 

For me, I have several things in store. And now to reveal part 1. The Houdini Art of 2026. Every month, I will offer prints of my Houdini paintings. These will be Limited Edition Prints on premium quality high art paper. I offered the first one in December and now the second is being offered. Each month I will offer a new print. The first two prints are limited to a total of 25 each. Several of my original Houdini paintings are in private collections, so those will not be included. Instead, I will be painting brand new creations this year as well as offering some from my collection. All the offerings this year will be limited edition prints.

IF you've seen my work in the past you know I paint in many different styles. I already have several Houdini caricature paintings, one of which can be seen above. There are some highly colorized paintings, I hope to capture Houdini in other styles like Cubism, Surrealism, Impressionism and more. But for now expect to see some very interesting and unique pieces throughout the year. 

OH , how can you purchase them? Easy, visit. Carnegie-Magic.myshopify.com  OR, I will post the links below for the first two paintings. By the way, there are 8 other magic related prints available as well. 

I think of this one as Houdini in the church window. That was my inspiration for the artwork. No religious connotation inferred. I just like the stained glass images of people and wondered what it would look like if Houdini were capture that way. It is one of my favorites and one of my most requested pieces. Now offered in limited edition prints.

 https://carnegie-magic.myshopify.com/products/houdini-magic-art-print-limited-edition-by-dean-carnegie?variant=51506864685368

Houdini in Profile is one in a series of caricatures done in profile. There are others, Blackstone, Chung Ling Soo, and more. All done in this same sort of style and similar background. With the Houdini, he has a chain and lock hanging from his neck. Each of the caricatures have some additional item that connects to them.  Now offered for the first time in limited edition prints. 

 https://carnegie-magic.myshopify.com/products/houdini-profile-caricature-fine-art-magic-print-by-dean-carnegie?variant=51576496488760

Performer Tip of the Day: SHOW NOTES

 

This is something new, but I'd like to share with you the concept of Show Notes. This is specifically for the performer, but it can be an amateur or professional or even hobbyist for that matter. Magic is a performing art. You can be a lover of magic without performing certainly. But if you do any magic at all, you want to strive for the best presentation possible. For some, that means just doing the trick the way they've seen others do it. This is problematic however. First, you never want to copy someone else's routine, yet we've all likely done it to some degree. Personally, I like to play with magic from long dead masters. It's fun to bring back routines of the past. Levant, who is a comedy magician put together a series of videos on the Linking Rings. He teaches many routines from past masters: Dai Vernon, Roy Benson, Chung Ling Soo, Professor Hoffmann, and others. It's quite revealing to see what has been done in the past and use them as the basis for your own.

But, I'm getting away from my initial thought, which is Show Notes. People, magicians specifically seem to dislike criticism. And that's the first thing you have to rid yourself of if you want to improve. Never settle for 'just ok'. Or 'it gets a response'. Or my audiences seem to enjoy it. No. Always strive to improve your performance and a great way to do that is with fresh eyes taking notes of your performance.

Here is how it works. Find a trusted friend. They can be a fellow magician, or a lay person, or someone in theater, and ask them to take notes during your show. Tell them to look for things that stand out, both positive and negative. But you really want more negative because through these notes you'll be able to tackle the negative things and remove or fix them.

I have a core group of friends. Years ago when we were always together, we would either go to each others shows or we would video the shows. Then we would critique the shows by making notes of things we saw. For example, there are many bad habits we are not aware of. We can't be, we're too close to the material. Maybe you are mispronouncing a word. Maybe you repeat a word over and over. Maybe you don't accentuate the climax of your trick properly, because you rush through it, or don't hold it long enough to get the proper applause, or you kill it with a joke at the wrong time. Trust me, I've done every one of those things. And this was AFTER I tried to clean it all up as best I could. But then a fresh set of eyes comes in and is able to point out things I never realized, or I did realize and never fixed.

NEVER take things personally. And this goes for the note writer too. Don't be personal about your critiques. For example the note says, "that's a stupid trick, why do you do it?"  Not helpful. But instead, maybe ask, "is this effect registering with the audience? Or, I think the audience is seeing right through this trick the way you are currently doing it"  And be willing to work on solutions.

One of the note taking rules we used to have was to be brutal. No sense taking notes and not getting anything back...unless of course your routine is perfect, and whose is? Even the best routine, can probably use a tweak or two. Maybe it's an addition of a line, maybe the removal of a line. Maybe it's standing a certain way. Maybe it's the entrance, when you first walk on stage. Maybe it's the in between stuff that needs to be worked on. 

This brings to me to one of my most frustrating things, and that is when people think the SECRET is all there is to a trick. The METHOD or SECRET is one tiny part. The presentation, the audience interaction, the patter, your movement, all of these things go together. And then there are outside elements, your costuming or how you dress, your grooming, your lighting, your sound if you use it, your diction, your script. I always have a script. I work on it judiciously when I first create a routine. I don't always write it down, which is my own mistake. And I'll go on record to say you should write it down. But my point is, a magic effect, a routine, a composition, is more than the secret. Sometimes, it could be a story which is the focal point and the magic backs up the story. I'm reminded of Penn Jillette's version of the Needle Through Balloon. If you've never seen it, the routine is extremely theatrical and dramatic. It's also very well thought out and totally different from any other routine of the kind. In fact, watch the video.

Now, imagine how many notes went into that routine. I'm sure it wasn't the masterpiece you now see the very first time it was presented. It took a while to get the script down. It took a while figuring out how to deliver the lines. It took a while figuring out just what could be done to the balloon that allowed it to remain without it exploding, and yet each step had to prove a point. I'll be this routine went through a lot of show notes, and yet, look at the result. Brilliant.

This is what show notes can help you accomplish. They help you improve faster than you could do it on your own. It's that fresh set of eyes, that I keep talking about. We are often blind to things that stand out to others. Wouldn't you rather know about those things and fix them? Again, it isn't about people being critical of you, it's about fixing, tweaking, improving, your magic to bring about the best possible results.

Pet Peeve: Magicians and Motorcycles

 

Recently, I came across a promotional photo of a magician leaning on his motorcycle. Someone I had never heard of and I won't be repeating the name. Why? Because I've seen countless versions of this same photo by illusionists and every time I see it I think, "Really? The last person to make that photo look good was David Copperfield. And that was in the 90s."   I also think, "I bet they don't even have a license to operate a motorcycle, lol"

Let's take a deeper look. The Vanishing Motorcycle popular today began with David Devant. His original illusion was called, BIFF. It appears in the book, Devant's Delightful Delusions by S.H. Sharpe. In Devant's version, a motorcycle and rider drove the cycle into a large wooden crate. The crate was then hoisted into the air. The audience could hear the engine revving and then suddenly it stopped and with that the box began to collapse into individual boards and drop on the stage floor below, leaving no trace of the motorcycle nor the rider. 

There was also an illusion created by Oswald Williams called The Dizzy Limit or Cargo Net Illusion. In its original form, a large cargo net was shown hanging from the stage. One side was lifted up to make sort of a hammock. Then a woman would lay down inside the 'hammock' while the entire thing was lifted higher in the air. Upon command a flash was seen and hammock fell apart leaving the net hanging but the girl had vanished. A very effective mystery.

I am not sure when it happened, but at some point, illusionists took the Dizzy Limit idea and rather than use a cargo net, they made the 'net' out of metal instead of rope and you could see into it the entire time. This then replaced the fall apart box for the motorcycle vanish. The motorcycle was driven into the large mental net, it was lifted in the air and upon command it collapsed much like the Cargo net so that one side remained suspended but the rest laid open so you could see through the entire thing.

The first time I saw the Motorcycle Vanish was Doug Henning on one of his TV Specials. He used the Dizzy Limit version. BTW, the Vanish usually involves a vanish and transposition. So in Doug's case he reappeared inside a previously empty box. You can see that video below. You'll note that the presentation is quite dated. It was charming for the time, however.

Now contrast that with the version David Copperfield created a few years later. Same illusion to begin. When David Copperfield did the illusion, it took on bigger proportions. The entire special seemed to be themed around Harley Davidson, the shows logo used the HD Font. David wore a leather jacket. The vanish was done with the same sort of steel or metal net, but David reappearance was more dramatic. Watch.

David Copperfield took it up several notches! He made a much grander spectacle of the illusion. It's fantastic. And sadly, it is what tons of illusionists have tried to copy ever since. But I'm going to say, David was the last to make this look cool. He was believable. I honestly could see him riding his Harley around. But these other copy cat illusionists who don't bring anything new to the routine, they just look like, well cheap copies. At least try and bring something new to the routine. Look at the difference between Doug's vanish and David's. Same illusion, but David has these cool set pieces in the background that help to accentuate the 'see through' nature of the prop. He also has smoke and sparks going off before the vanish. It all blends together seamlessly.  David also has an illusion with a type of Shadow box in which he appears on his motorcycle!

I guess my biggest pet peeve is the fact that no one brings anything new since the Copperfield days. With one exception, I think the Erhlich Brothers do a unique appearance. Similar to David's Shadow box but different enough to make it special. I'm not sure if they do the vanish or not. Every other illusionist I have seen do the motorcycle vanish  looks like a Copperfield clone to me. 

Maybe it's time to do something different? Is that the only way to make a motorcycle vanish? Obviously, appearing in the audience isn't the only way to have it reappear. Motorcycles are certainly interesting props to do magic with, but maybe try and create something different. 

By the way, if you're curious what BIFF looked like. Here is a video of Lance Burton presenting the Vanishing Donkey and I believe this is BIFF, just presented with a Donkey rather than a motorcycle. 

Orson Welles Offended Johnny Carson

 

There is a new book out called, LOVE JOHNNY CARSON, by Mark Malkhoff, with David Ritz. The book includes many wonderful stories about Carson's career and as host of the Tonight Show. One of the more scandalous things in the book is the Carson Hit List. This was a list of guests that were essentially banned from appearing on the Tonight Show.

Among the guests was film producer, director, Hollywood icon, and part time magician, Orson Welles. Apparently, Johnny was a huge fan of the director and had him on many times. But the episode that got him banned was when Welles told Johnny he was going to do some of his mentalism on the show. Now, for those unaware, this became a regular thing for Orson Welles in later years. It seemed every talk show he went on, he did some sort of mentalism. I saw him do some very unusual effects on TV over the years. In his book, The Inventive Magician's Handbook, Judge Gary Brown starts with a story about one of Orson's appearances on DINAH!, which was the Dinah Shore Talk Show. He did a spectacular effect on that show. I'd seen him on Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin do magic as well.

So he is on the Tonight Show and gets two guests out of the audience to participate in the pseudo  mind reading demonstration. It failed. This wouldn't be the first time for Welles. But it sure was the first time with Johnny Carson. Is that what got him banned? Not exactly. 

The ban came about when Johnny learned the two spectators from the audience were plants, or stooges, put there by Welles. Yet still they screwed up the trick. Johnny was said to be furious at Welles, not for screwing up the trick but for being dishonest. In his view, magicians should never use stooges, it was just inexcusable, Mark Malkhoff relayed in his book.

Here is an interesting update: Prior to the banning of Orson Welles, it turns out, he was actually one of Johnny's favorite guests, in his top 10 favorites!

Magician Robert Olson Has Passed Away

 

I just heard the sad news that Robert Olson has passed away. He was a very interesting character from the New England area. He performed a historical magic show as Richard Potter, the early colonial magician. He shared stories and did magic from that time period. Of course, he dressed the part as can be seen above. 

I got to meet him briefly at the 2024 NEMCA Conference in Nashua NH back in 2024. He was very kind and complimentary to me about my lecture. We spoke a little bit about Robert Heller, and then later he emailed me all the information he had in his files on Heller for my future book. 

He worked for many years with the Old Sturbridge Village in Mass, this is the largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast. It recreates the conditions of early 19th century living, with buildings, costumed presenters, workshops, lectures, performances and more. Robert was an active artist at this location.

He was the featured guest at last years NEMCA Conference and was interviewed about his life and career as a performer and character performer. A truly remarkable human being. Of course, I cover only magic related things, but he was a father, husband, friend, and so much more!

Robert Olson passed away on December 13th, 2025. He was 86 years young. RIP

Magic Detective Updates and NEW Content for 2026

 

2026 is fast approaching and its going to be quite the year for The Magic Detective and me personally. Ive only shared this with a few people, but Im planning some new things for 2026. Now, Im always planning things, and some of them never come into being, some just get delayed, and a few happen, lol. 

There will be a new addition to The Magic Detective content next year. Right now there is the blog and the podcast. The blog seems like its lagged behind for a while and the podcast, it does well, when I can get an episode out. Its just that each episode is so time consuming to do the research. I dont use Ai, as Ive seen other sites use for their content. I break out physical books and magazines and do the hard research. I will of course use ask alexander and other online databases like newspapers.com and ancestry.com on occasion. But Im doing all the work. So with all that, imagine how crazy I am to add to my plate, lol.

There will be new content in 2026 strictly devoted to Houdini. It is the 100th Anniversary of his passing. And technically, it could have begun on Nov 1st of this year. But Im holding out till Jan 2026. I won't yet reveal what the content will be. Will it be a book? Will it be another podcast, Hmm, Im not saying, but it will be 100% Houdini. Dont worry, I'll still have the podcast where I cover other magic history figures. And I still plan to get the Harry Anderson podcast out before the end of the year. In fact, I hope to have 2 more episodes out before the year is up, so that my total is 10 for the season, the same as last year. 

Because there will be a big influx of content, Im also planning on starting a patreon page for anyone who would like to support the Magic Detective sites. I have some really incredible behind the scenes content to share with folks. Some big time bonuses for supporters. More on that later. More on all this later, lol. 

But for now get ready for more HOUDINI in 2026!!!!!

Houdini Documentary with Transcript

 

There have been a host of Houdini documentaries over the years. This one is a fun documentary because it features Doug Henning and Harry Blackstone Jr.. I'm sure it's somewhere on youtube, but I didn't see it. Granted I didn't look through all the pages of documentaries.

This one is kind of unique because you can watch it on the site but you can also read the transcript, which is not something that most sites offer. It's a pretty standard documentary for the most part, no big revelations or anything. But as I said, some great footage of two of the recent masters of the art besides ton of Houdini stuff. This was originally shot for the Wisconsin Public Television out of Madison WI. It originally aired in April of 1987. 

Here is the link to the website. https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-526-9882j69777

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.

The Lost Episode - Houdini in Congress Part 2....still missing.

 

While reading Brad Riccas new book,  Lincolns Ghost, I had a strange feeling that I had read it before. In fact, the further I delved into the book, the more it all was coming back. It wasnt that I had read it before, its that I had been down this same research road before. It was similar to Part 2 of my  Houdini In Congress Episode from way back in Season 1. I had forgotten about it completely. In the first episode, I only covered the first meetings with Houdini in Congress, not the later incident. Part 2 was to cover the later testimonies, as well as a bit more information on the various mediums that Houdini encountered.

Try as I might, I cant locate it. I wrote the script. I thought I recorded it but I may not have. But I did write the script. So, Ive been going through countless files trying to locate it. I still have not come across it. 

But here is a a twist to the story. Fellow magic historian, Chuck Romano has written a book on Houdinis time before Congress. Apparently, also covered the mediums as well. The book comes out tomorrow. Here is a link to where you can purchase his book: Houdini vs. The Spiritualists. 

I will put up my episode at some point in 2026, once I locate the script. But I encourage you to get Chucks book, as he always does a fantastic job in his research. He also recently put out books on Bert Allerton, and a second book on Paul Rosini called Reworking Rosini. I have his first book, The House of Cards on the life of Paul Rosini. He also has a book, now in its third version, The Art of Deception. This is my favorite book by Chuck Romano, because Im in it, lol!!! I forget if one or two of my paintings are featured in there, I know its at least one. 

At any rate, I shall be exploring Houdini and the Congress and the Spiritualists more in 2026. If you'd like a bit of a preview, you can check out Episode 83 of the podcast, where I talk about the strange friendship between Houdini and Ira Davenport. http://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-83-the-strange-friendship-of-houdini-ira-davenport/ And then Episode 84 goes into Houdini and the Spiritualists to a small degree. http://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-84-a-magician-among-the-spiritualists/

Rob Lake and the Muppets Closing...and fast!

 

I just heard that Rob Lake and the Muppets was closing on November 16th. What? They just opened on Oct 28th. How can this be? Then I read a review of the show and it points out two glaring problems. One, there was no director for this production. Two, there was no real story or through line for this production. Im sure there was more to pan than that. Ok, I'll do it. How do you go to Broadway with run of the mill illusions? Now, granted, I didn't see the show but the reviewer points out the standard illusions that have everyone has been doing since the days of Thurston. 

I LOVE illusions! I even think you can get by with a few standards. I mean look what the Pendragons did with standard illusions. You can breath new life into them. But that said, Johnathan and his wife Charlotte were more than their props. David Copperfield was more than his props. Doug Henning was more than his props. They all had charisma. 

Let's look at the last time Muppets were in a magic show? That was Doug Henning's last tour. He had a couple illusions with a Muppet like character, one used a mis-made lady illusion. The other was a big illusion that I saw at the Warner Theater in DC but I honestly do not recall the effect, only that it was big and used life sized muppets. Did Rob have something like that in the show? I don't know.

Also, no offense, Rob Lake is not a household name. Doug Henning wasn't a household name either when he first went to Broadway. He also couldn't act, sing, or dance. But he could MAGIC better than anyone. And it was THAT quality that stole the show. Plus his show was called THE MAGIC SHOW and it didn't rely upon star power. It relied upon a story. 

When David Copperfield went to Broadway his show was called Dreams and Nightmares and he brought in Francis Ford Coppola to direct the show. I never say that show and Im honestly not sure if that show really had a story either. BUT it had star power, because at the time David was the most popular magician on the planet.

This production sounded like a good idea, but it appears they botched it. Im not sure the Muppets are the draw they once were either. Maybe the show could have been called KERMIT & His Magical Friends. And Rob Lake could have been THE guy to bring the magic. And then the other Muppets could make appearances. I mean, Andy Griffiths character of the sheriff began as a skit on the Danny Thomas Show. THEN it became its own show. 

I don't know. I wasn't there. Im only going by what Ive read. But its gotta hurt. I know if the show is closing this fast, they weren't selling tickets and they didnt have enough faith in the production to keep it running over the holidays. All I can say is, my best to Rob Lake on his future projects. He's a nice guy. 

Book Review: Lincoln's Ghost by Brad Ricca

 

Lincoln's Ghost -A Book Review

There is a new book out this October on Houdini, it's called Lincoln's Ghost by Brad Ricca. It has a picture of Houdini shaking hands with a shadowed figure, presumably Abe Lincoln. In truth, the photo was originally Houdini and Conan Doyle shaking hands. But I digress. One thing I noticed about this book was it was awfully familiar. Almost as if I had read it before. And the truth is, I did. I've gone down those paths that the author did to write the book. He did a lot of research I shall say. Sorry he didnt' choose this blog among his sources, but oh well.

Let's get to the book. I really enjoyed the book. I enjoyed reliving the interactions of Houdini and members of Congress. My initial research on this gave me the distinct impression that most of the Congressmen had no idea who Houdini was. And many took what he had to say rather lightly. Ricca does a fine job of sharing this story with the reader. 

I will admit for many years, the Spiritualism or Anti-Spiritualist part of Houdini's life was the least interesting to me. But now that I have lost friends and family members, it seems that this part of his life is actually incredibly fascinating. I like how Brad weaves the various stories together into one cohesive narrative. 

The introduction of Houdini's boyhood idol LINCOLN is quite good. We forget that Lincoln died only 9 years before Houdini was born, so it makes perfect sense that such a man would be an inspiration for the great magician. 

I did have my qualms with the book, in one part the author refers to the mediums as right-wingers. Though they were religious in nature, it's not an accurate description. Most main stream religions did not agree with Spiritualism, it was very much a fringe belief. And there clearly were Democrats and Republicans in this time period, but it's  hard to say there were left wing and right wing groups. There were certainly anarchists and progressives, but those affiliations were not the same as today. I wouldn't' label the mediums by today's political standards, other than to say they were mostly crooks, which was Houdini's belief as well.

An interesting point is the contention that there were mediums alive in Houdini's day who actually performed Seances at the White House during Lincoln's term in office. A book by Nettie Maynard is referenced as the source for this information. Ms. Maynard allegedly being the medium for the Lincoln's. This is highly interesting to me and something I wish to look into further. I do not know if Lincoln himself was into such things, but there is no question that Mrs. Lincoln was a firm believer in seances and mediums. 

As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the book. I won't nitpick it apart because overall the story is quite fascinating. As a Houdini historian, it's much easier for me to point out what I think are errors or misinterpretations. But the average reader is not interested in this, rather they want a good story and this comes across as a well researched and fascinating story about two of histories most iconic individuals.

The book is published by St. Martin's Press. It is available through Amazon.com, BooksAMillion and all the places fine books are sold. Get your copy today!!!!

Penn & Teller Have Road Named In Their Honor

 

The Comedy Magic Duo of Penn and Teller have just been bestowed a new honor, they have a road named after them. The road formally known as Viking Street will forever be known as Penn & Teller Court. 

Currently, Penn and Teller are on their 50th Anniversary Tour of the WORLD. I don't think there is any other comedy duo that lasted 50 years and I doubt their going to stop when the tour is over. They have a hugely successful TV show, FOOL-US, which is popular among laypeople as well as magicians. Once known as the Bad Boys of Magic, they are now more like Ambassadors of Magic. They put magic in such a great light that everyone that appears on that show looks like a million dollars. It doesn't matter if you fool them, what matters is you share incredible magic with an enormously large viewing audience!

According to media reports, Penn is 70 and Teller is 77. They certainly have much to be proud of. They could have retired years ago and they would have had a wonderful career to look back upon. But they are doing what they love. And WE LOVE THEM For IT!!!

New Magician Figurine

 

I love figurines, statues, sculptures of magicians. They are few and far between compared to clowns, angels, kids, pretty much anything else. And when I see a cool one, I try to get it. Here is one, made of acrylic that comes in 2 styles and various sizes. I love the fact that it has a stained glass look, as this is something I'm working on currently and will reveal later. Seems it would make a great gift for a fellow magician as well. Not keen on the custom printing at the bottom, but that's just me.

To get your cool stained glass magic figurine, here is the link: https://www.coenk.com/3612?ads=C1005A-C1005A%E7%BB%841-p_3612_1129451&fbclid=IwY2xjawNVSdVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFTZnAzUEpLdG5ZdDIyeHB5AR4nTVuUKPu5tlDNdQ7YT1BPXu8FUjALr5Pp4fyGMQRTJfA3ItE6KlkmA7VLTQ_aem_nCCqIMGudICWSWSDfQl7Ug