Houdini Challenge & Endorsment

I've only ever seen one company that Houdini did a product endorsement for, Zam-buk. I often wondered if there were others and recently I came upon an advertisement using Houdini's image and name. It must have been part of the terms of a Challenge, to allow the company to use Houdini's name in an advertisement.

This is the James Henley Brewery of Providence RI. They were in business from 1861 till the late 1950s. On March 1, 1915, on stage at the Keith's Theatre in Providence Rhode Island, Houdini accepted a challenge from the Henley Brewers to lock him up in a barrel full of beer. The following evening on March 2, 1915, Houdini presented his usual act of The Needles, Water Torture Cell and The Challenge. I'm not sure what order, he may have done the challenge first. In any event, on March 3rd, The Pawtucket Times recorded the following:

Houdini had been submerged for three minutes in a barrel of ale which then had four padlocks placed on it... He appeared smiling in three minutes, remarking that the ale "did not even stagger him".

The ad below appeared in the March 8th, 1915 edition of the Pawtucket Times.

Last Minute Gifts for the Serious Magician

Here are a few more last minute gifts that you can get someone who is magically inclined.

Tobias Beckwith Get Your Career in Gear Course. Tobias is the manager for both Jeff McBride and Marco Tempest. He is an extremely successful business person who gives many incredible insights into getting your own career in gear. You can purchase the whole course, or buy the lessons individually. The first two lessons are currently free.

Aaron Fisher Personal Coaching in Card Magic. Aaron is a friend of mine and he is also someone very passionate about the art of card magic. He is using technology to allow him to personally coach people all over the world without actually being there in person. You can't go wrong with Aaron's teaching if you wan to learn the right way to present card magic.

Rick Marcelli Book. If you're not interested in becoming famous with magic, skip over this. I'll tell you up front, I have a copy of this book. Mine looks like it's been through a war. I've read it 4 times at least, some chapters even more. There is a great deal of valuable information here. If you aren't truly serious about a career in magic, move on.

Our Magic by Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant. This book was published back in 1911. The first few chapters should be required reading for everyone interested in magic. If you can survive chapter two, there might be hope for you as a magician. Truthfully, most magicians wouldn't make it past chapter two. The link above is for the Lybrary.com version but do yourself a favor and try and hunt down an actual copy of the book.

Magic Castle Membership. Why not become a member of the Magic Castle? There are different levels of membership to choose from. It certainly would be helping out the Castle right now due to their recent tragedy (fire) that they are still trying to recover from.

FREEBIE: The Manifesto by Helmer Guimarães and Derek DelGaudio. Its' free at JournalofSecrets.com. Read It!

Boston Globe Article on Ray Goulet

There is a great little article on Ray Goulet the magic collector, historian, performer and magic shop owner that appeared in the Boston Globe recently. You can read the article called Den of Illusion by clicking the link: Den of illusion

Ray's shop called Magic Art Studio can be found online at MagicArtStudio.com. Within the walls of the shop is Ray's Mini Museum of Magic.. There are a couple Houdini items, including this unusual looking wall bust of Houdini.

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.

Houdini Handcuffed Jumps Into Lake

October 14, 1907, 11:00 a.m. Houdini was at CityPark in Denver Colorado to help promote his upcoming appearances at the Denver Orpheum. The stunt was planned for the newspapermen, but 100 people turned out for his escape.

Houdini was shackled by the Chief of Detectives William Loomis using 'Jack Shepard Irons'. His arms were secured behind his back as well as his hands and padlocks were placed in the irons. Houdini was helped to the roof of the band pavilion (see first photo above).

He leaped off the building feet first (second photo) into the lake and vanished below the surface of the water. The newspaper accounts said 'you could hear a shudder go over the crowd when he jumped as it did not seem possible for him to free himself.' Approximately one minute later, Houdini bobbed to the surface free from the restraints and  holding them in his hands. He swam over to a small boat (third photo) and was brought back to dry land.

The crowd went wild when Houdini freed himself. Houdini was in town for a two week run at the Orpheum in Denver. A fairly typical stunt for Houdini, but probably one of the last jumps for that year as it was already October! Bridge and water escapes were for warmer climates.

Below is a photo of the location today. The Gazebo, or Pavilion has obviously been rebuilt, but this is the very location where Houdini did his escape in 1907.

Houdini, Keaton, Thurston and more

(click on picture to see larger version)

Above is a theatrical page from 1907 edition of the Boston Journal. There are a number of interesting things to point out on this page full of ads. First, you'll notice that the Houdini ad is at the top of the page on the left. It's the first spot you'd see if you are reading left to right. His name is the largest in the ad and in fact, half the ad is devoted to his act, "HOUDINI - NOBODY CAN HOLD HIM" slightly below that it reads "ANYBODY CAN CHALLENGE HIM".

Look at the ad to the immediate right, for the National Theatre, and then go to the bottom of the ad and you'll see 'BOUDINI-NOBODY CAN HOLD HIM', followed by 'ALL CHALLENGES ACCEPTED'.  Houdini's imitators were right on his heels, even in the paper, but they never got the notoriety that he did! Over at the WildAboutHarry blog, you can find an article describing a challenge that took place between Houdini and Boudini in 1905. The outcome didn't seem to stop Boudini from performing because here he is two years later performing in the same town at the same time as Houdini.

The Three Keatons

If you go back to the first add for B.F. Keith's and look below the Houdini stuff, you'll see one of the acts on the bill THREE KEATONS Myra, Joe and Buster. This is young Buster Keaton's family. His real name was Joseph Frank Keaton. The story is that one day the young boy fell down some stairs and though he was ok, Houdini proclaimed 'he's a real buster' or 'that was a real buster'. The name 'buster' stuck, and his family referred to the boy as Buster the rest of his life. Even Buster Keaton himself told this very story on how he got his name. By the way, Houdini and Bess were also Busters Godparents.

One other interesting fact about Houdini and the Keatons. According to a number of sources, Houdini and Joe Keaton (father) owned The Mohwak Indian Medicine Company, a traveling medicine show in 1895. This seems to be well documented in the Buster Keaton biographies, but I've never seen it mentioned in the Houdini biographies, though they do mention the story of Houdini giving the boy the nickname. Their traveling medicine show must not have lasted very long.  In the Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini by Ruth Brandon, she mentions that in 1897, the Keatons and Houdinis worked together in Dr. Hill's California Concert Company, which was also a traveling medicine show. In HOUDINI!!! by Kenneth Silverman, he mentions that it was the California Concert Company where Houdini began to present a Spiritualistic Seance Act. The act ended in 1898 when the company disbanded, and not a second too soon for Houdini who did not like deceiving people with seances.

Howard Thurston

Finally, near the center of the page there is an ad for the GLOBE. In the ad is THURSTON-The World's Greatest Magician. Theo Bamberg is also listed as being in the show and doing his Shadowgraphy act (hand shadows).

This ad appears in the same year that Thurston met with Harry Kellar about becoming his successor and buying his show. No mention of Kellar in the ad, so this might have been just prior to that agreement. Kellar and Thurston toured together in the 1907-1908 season.

A lot of magic history on one newspaper theatre page!

Another Rare Houdini Picture

This top one is new to me. Again, found it in a newspaper in the theatre section. The paper was from 1907, so I'm assuming the photo was also taken around that time.

Now the image below I thought was very cool. This appeared in the Jan 12, 1907 edition of the Pawtucket Times. But of all the advertisements I've come across so far, this was the first one that took a slightly more customized look by adding the lock and Houdini's name over it.

Just got a very nice shout-out from iTricks.com. Thanks very much!

The Pendragon Legend

Once upon time...There were two wizards who captivated the world. Their magic spell astounded young and old alike. With magic that was ancient and new all at the same time they grew in fame and fortune. Then tragedy struck and it was all gone. They were the Pendragons.

Jonathan and Charlotte Pendragon ruled over Grand Illusion for thirty some odd years. Jonathan is even credited with reviving the term 'Grand Illusion'. When I was just learning my craft they were already established. They were the first couple of magic. There was no one out there like them. Everyone, and I mean everyone, from amateur to professionals wanted their magic.  Teenagers would fight and argue over how to do the Pendragon Sub Trunk as fast as they did. David Copperfield, asked and eventually got permission to use Jonathan's handling of the cloth during the sub trunk exchange.

I only met them once. It was at a convention in Washington D.C.. I had tried to hire them to do a lecture after the convention, but the price their manager was asking was far more than our little club could handle. But I did still meet them, and helped them unload their props. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before I was pushed aside by the crowd of fans and fellow magi and that was the end of my meeting with them.

I learned a lot about illusion magic from Jonathan. His writings that appeared in Genii Magazine were some of the most brilliant things I had ever read. Every time a Pendragon issue would come out, I would devour it, and read it over and over. Jonathan was an illusion magic genius. His thoughts and philosophies on magic were so profound to me. Sadly, his act was fodder for lesser performers who would steal his creations, techniques and even complete routines without any acknowledgement of their creator.

The Pendragons idea for an act began with three tired old illusions: The Sub-Trunk, The Sword Basket, and the Broom Suspension. The sub-trunk dates back to Houdini and the trunk trick itself dates back to Maskelyne, though not with substitution effect that Houdini added. The suspension was the creation of Robert-Houdin and the sword basket, I'm not sure of it's origins. But by the time that Jonathan and Charlotte got hold of them, they were worn out old tricks. The idea of building an act on those three things was crazy.

360 Levitation

So what did they do? They built an act on those three things! They added touches to each routine, changes and alterations to take them from standard tricks to something different. Because of the athletic abilities they both shared, they were able to add elements into the routines that no act before had ever considered let alone tried. The end result was a spectacular act and what really amounts to an education in stage magic on how to approach your art.

They had plenty of historical moments. Probably the one that is brought up the most is the In Search of Houdini Special. This was hosted by William Shatner and featured a lot of guest performers. The Pendragons were on to do a recreation of Houdini's Subtrunk, using the original trunk I think, or at least one like Houdini's (steamer trunk). They went through the routine as Harry and Bess would have in around 4 seconds. Then, they repeated the trick, this time with their own trunk and their modern presentation. With lightning speed, Charlotte seemed to turn into Jonathan! Then Jonathan opened the trunk and as Charlotte began to stand up, she stopped and inched back down. On LIVE TV she had a costume malfunction, and was unable to get out of the box. It was funny for all watching and probably a little embarrassing for the Pendragons. It was certainly not something that stopped them or slowed them down. They handled the situation gracefully and professionally. I'm not sure anyone would have known had it not been for William Shatner pointing it out.

Clearly Impossible by the Pendragons

Over the years, they introduced illusion after illusion with interesting twists or presentations. On TV in England they debuted a Jim Steinmeyer illusion called 'Permeability', which they called INTERLUDE. Everyone and their brother soon got one and copied their presentation. They performed a Cage Production Illusion with fire and soon everyone was doing it. They introduced on a Disney Magic TV Special a clever 360 Degree Levitation and later they came out with a Sawing in Half Illusion that had clear plexiglass boxes to contain Charlotte. They called it 'Clearly Impossible'. And that was getting ripped off. Clever illusionists and illusion creators are no strangers to theft. It's been happening for 100 years but it's still wrong.

All that is gone now. The Pendragons faced some personal issues, some of which were covered in the press and much of which was not. I've got no comment, it's their business and no one else's. They have gone their separate ways. The Pendragons are no more. Charlotte has created an act of her own, which I think is a mix of illusion magic and stage magic. I've not seen it so I don't know exactly what is in her act. But I wish the very best for her and hope she meets with huge success.

Jonathan is still doing magic, though not the physical kind anymore. His act is more cerebral and shows a different side of his character. But from what I hear, Jonathan is slowly getting pulled back into illusions. So perhaps, we'll yet see a new type of Pendragon Grand Illusion grace the stages of the world that we can be inspired by. And hopefully, the magic world will look at him and learn that even with the greatest obstacles in front of you, it's possible to overcome and come out better and brighter.

Finally, watch this video of the Pendragons at the height of their career. They were incredible!

Rare Houdini Newspaper Pictures

I can't recall seeing these two images before, though perhaps someone else has. If they have been seen, they are at least rare. If not, then yet another new photo discovery for the year. The lower photo looks like it comes from a fairly famous photo shoot. One of the photos from this group was used for his famous Europe's Eclipsing Sensation Poster. This particular photo, Houdini is crouching down, knees bent. The sequence of handcuffs is identical to some of the other photos in this grouping.

Mystery Houdini Handcuff

I came across this article dated May 7, 1908 in which the photo above appears. I can't exactly recall seeing this particular cuff before. I've scoured the Houdini books and searched through a number of handcuff related sites and I've come up empty.

The handcuffs were a special creation specifically designed to challenge Houdini. They were designed by Captain Edward Bean, the original creator of the Bean Giant Handcuffs. This is the name given in the article, but at least two of the Houdini biographies say the creator of the Bean Giants was Captain Charles Bean. I'm settling with Captain Edward Bean because Handcuffs.org has the name as Captain E. Bean and those guys know their stuff.

According to the newspaper account, "the new cuffs look like an oxen yoke, are a foot long and weight ten pounds, and were designed to succeed the 'giants' as the best made handcuff...There is a separate key for each side, with the locks particularly inaccessible to the persons reach who has them on."  The newspaper refers to them as 'Trick Handcuffs' in the title, but there is no indication that they were actually 'tricked or gaffed' rather they were made to 'trick' Houdini.

Unfortunately for history, this seems to be Houdini's final night of a run in Boston. I can't locate a newspaper account for the following day which describes the nights challenge. Though, we can assume that Houdini freed himself or that surely would have been written up in a lot of newspapers. The next newspaper which carries news on Houdini is three days later and he is in Pennsylvania at that time.

The Bean Giants Handcuffs were once thought to be the toughest handcuff out there. Captain Bean offered an award to anyone who could get out of the handcuffs. Houdini took on the challenge and won, to the amazement of Captain Bean.

Captain Edward Bean invented the Bean Giants (1887), Bean Patrolman Cuffs(1882), Bean Prison Cuffs (1882) and a variant of the Bean design known as the Bean-Cobb was invented by Lyman Cobb in 1899.

The photo to the left shows Houdini with a number of different handcuffs on. The pair closest to his body are Bean-Cobbs, a popular handcuff with Houdini. I can't quite make it out but I think there might be a pair of Bean Patrolman cuffs in that mix as well, or it could just be another pair of Bean-Cobbs.

The famous Houdini handcuff poster below has Houdini wearing all sorts of interesting cuffs. He has on one pair of Bean Giant cuffs and  a pair of the Bean-Cobbs. The Bean Giants are on the right hand column at the top, the Bean-Cobbs are in the center image in the same location as the photo, closest to his body.

If anyone has information on the Mystery Bean Cuff shown at the top of the page, please let me know either in the remarks below or by email carnegiemagic@me.com

UPDATE: The cuffs were being discussed over at handcuffs.org. Bruce Thomson said "Is it just me, or do they seem to look like the cuffs in the poster for the Russian carette, which look like two huge cans of soup under the bow arms. Closest image I can find." They sure resemble the cuffs in that picture except that challenge was 1904, and these unusual Bean cuffs were introduced in 1908. 

Next Steve Santini offered this "Contain a "Scandinavian" padlock type mechanism comprised of rotating discs. In fact, they are actually scaled up padlocks with solid cast lock bodies and connector. Currently, they reside in David Copperfield's collection." And then he added "I think it highly unlikely Bean made these. They were more likely made by one of makers of the Scandinavian padlocks like Star or Climax or even perhaps Romer." 

I'm only going by what the newspaper article says "They were designed and made by Capt Edward Bean, formerly of the Chelsea Police force and a captain in the Civil War. He is 70 years old and has the distinction of inventing the original 'giant handcuffs' of which Houdini says 'The 'giant handcuffs are acknowledged the best made and hardest cuffs to get out of in the world.'"

That being said, it's still very possible that they were made by someone else as Steve suggests and the whole challenge orchestrated by Houdini. It would not be the first time he orchestrated a challenge! 
I greatly appreciate the help and knowledge offered by Steve Santini in locating and giving more information on this very strange looking handcuff.

Houdini Outdoes David Copperfield, What?!

David Copperfield about to make 13 audience members vanish!

David Copperfield is the best known illusionist in the world. He was recently crowned King of Magic, and it's hard to dispute that title. He has been doing an illusion in his show that I think is called '13'. I believe it was created by Alain Choquette and it begins by selecting 13 people at random from the audience. They are brought up on stage where they all sit on chairs that are on a raised platform. A small curtain goes around the raised platform and suddenly they are gone!

I've seen it. It's great, like most of the things David Copperfield does. However, I was totally taken back when I read an article from a newspaper dated Feb 3, 1918. The headline read:

CIVIL ENGINEERS VANISH 

UNDER HOUDINI "SPELL"

At first I thought it was just an article using Houdini's name, but not about him. However, I read the article and what a surprise it was. It turns out that the American Society of Civil Engineers was in NY for a convention. While there, three hundred members of the Society went to see Houdini at the NY Hippodrome in the 'CHEER-UP!' Show. He was creating quite the sensation by making an elephant vanish on stage nightly.

The engineers had made arrangements for the dozen newly elected officers to go up and examine the box. Houdini then asked them while they were up there if they would step inside, along with the elephant. Lo and Behold, Houdini, that master of mystery, caused all 12 officers AND the elephant to disappear! Eighty years later, David Copperfield would be closing his show with the same effect....minus the elephant of course. David's illusion is cool, but Houdini did it first!

Now this blog was called Houdini Outdoes David Copperfield. But I thought it only fair to allow David to return the favor. You see, David now has one of the largest, if not the largest collection of rare historical magic props. Among his collection are Houdini's Subtrunk, WaterTorture Cell, Milk Can Escape and more. So Houdini would feel right at home at Copperfield's very unique Museum/Warehouse.

The Strange Life of a Different HOUDINI

While doing a search through old newspapers today I was surprised to stumble upon this unique Houdini item. This clipping is from the Trenton Evening Times Newspaper in 1895. Appearing that week at the Trenton Museum was J.H. Houdini. My first thought was perhaps it was a typo and they added a 'J' to the name. But then I remembered that there was a J.H. Houdini who was one of the original two Houdini Brothers. This was Jacob Hyman.

Jacob is credited with being the person who actually came up with the name HOUDINI. Young Erich Weiss was telling his friend Jacob all about this great French conjurer Robert-Houdin that he'd been reading about. Jacob told him, that by adding an 'i' to the name it would mean 'like Houdin', thus the invention of the name Houdini. Jacob went on to become the partner in the original Houdini Brothers act in 1891. But for how long is in question, because by May of 1891, Jacob enlisted in the Army and was there until 1893. While away, Joe Hyman took over the role.

In 1893, the original Houdini Brothers, Jacob who was now out of the Army, Harry,  along with Dash, Houdini's actual brother were performing at the Chicago World's Fair. This photo is J.H Houdini and Harry Houdini, (Jacob & Erich) at the Chicago World's Fair standing in front of the Metamorphosis trunk and curtain.

Their partnership lasted until 1894 when Jacob decided to go out on his own. Harry then teamed up again with Joe Hyman, Jacob's brother, and then with Theo (Dash) who was Harry's brother. All of this happened over a six month period because in June of 1894, Harry met Bess Rahner and married her and the Houdini Brothers got dumped in favor of 'The Houdinis'.

J.H.Houdini (Jake Hyman)

We know a lot about Harry Houdini's history, but less about the other 'original brother'. It turns out that Jacob, continued to perform as J.H. Houdini, though at some point switched to J.H. Herne. His brother Joe joined the act and in 1897 they were presenting 'The Startling Theosophical Illusion SUBSTITUTION', which was their name for the Metamorphosis trick.

Jacob appears to have gone back to J.H. Houdini, probably as Harry was gaining fame. At one point he even billed himself as 'The King of Handcuffs'. It's hard to say if Houdini was even aware that his old friend was still using the name at first, but by 1903, Harry was more than aware. He had been been trying to get Jacob to stop using the name HOUDINI, but to no avail.

So Harry sent his brother Leopold, along with their lawyer and a pair of 'king breakers' (handcuffs that cannot be opened) to one of Jacob's shows. Being the 'Handcuff King' J.H. Houdini challenged people to bring their own cuffs. So Leopold went onstage and locked Jacob in the 'king breakers' and he was unable to open them. The embarrassing incident was followed with the threat of continued harassment unless he agreed to drop the name 'HOUDINI'. Sometime later, Jacob Hyman dropped the name. He actually got out of show business altogether and went into medical school at Ohio State University.

Whatever troubles were between Houdini and Jacob must have been forgotten over time. In fact, in 1906, Harry presented a new effect called "The Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery" using the very same barrel that Jacob Hyman used in his act. I'm guessing that Houdini may have purchased the J.H. Houdini show and props to help Jacob pay for Medical School, again, that is only a guess on my part.

After becoming a Doctor in 1911, he relocated to the Los Angeles area and became a prominent Beverly Hills physician. He also married Lyda Wilcox, who had been a Silent Era movie star known as Dorothy Dale. Her movie career ended after making the silent movie version of The Ten Commandments. The movie make-up she wore had damaged her skin and her show-biz career was over.

Church of the Open Door -Los Angeles

At some point later in life, Dr. Jacob Hyman converted from Judaism and became a Protestant Baptist. He also became a minister and would preach at the famous Church of the Open Door. One topic he preached on was 'Is Jesus Israel's Messiah?' which leads me to believe he probably considered himself what is called a Messianic Jew.

Jacob Hyman, the man who came up with the HOUDINI name died in 1942. His wife Lyda, also known as Alida, became a recluse later in life. She died tragically in a fire in her Los Angeles home in 1957.

UPDATE: John Cox has recently visited the grave of Jacob Hyman, and he wrote about his visit along with several other friends to the site. Please check it out at http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2012/01/uncovering-grave-of-houdinis-first.html

I hope this belongs to Jacob Hyman, otherwise there is yet ANOTHER Houdini out there

Houdini Straight Jacket History & More

(library of congress photo)

The escape from a straight jacket was original with Houdini. He claimed that he visited St. John Asylum in New Brunswick in 1896 and saw an inmate there struggling inside a straight jacket and this struggling gave him an idea for both an escape and the method. He also claimed to have asked a doctor for a jacket and worked on it for a week, no doubt practicing and improving his time. The Ken Silverman HOUDINI biography speculates that Houdini may have presented the straight jacket escape in New Brunswick theatres at that time.

In August 2011, John Cox wrote a great article on his blog WildAboutHarry, about an apparent dispute over that story being accurate. Harold Wright, a historian in New Brunswick claimed the story was a myth made up by Houdini. Interestingly, in the May 1918 issue of Ladies Home Journal, Houdini says that the asylum was actually in Europe. So perhaps, the story was indeed fictional. True or not, escaping from a straight jacket was a great idea and one Houdini profited from both financially and through publicity.

The first official straight jacket escape however took place in San Francisco not in front of a theatre audience but instead at a police station. He repeated the escape a few days later at a hospital. Both times he was placed in a private room to work his escape hidden from prying eyes.

When he added it to the stage show Houdini would be strapped in the straightjacket and then placed inside a curtained cabinet. My guess is he used the Metamorphosis cabinet to do the escape. Hidden from view, Houdini did his escape. I don't see any records that say Houdini's escape was boring or suspect. I would imagine like most things that Houdini did, the audience totally bought it. But his brother Dash was not so lucky. In 1904 at the Swansea Empire Theatre in Wales, Dash's attempt with the escape was met with skepticism. The audience challenged him to do it in the open, thinking that he had a hidden helper in the curtained cabinet who simply released him. Presenting it in the open would prevent any outside help. Dash repeated the escape and stunned the crowd. Somewhere there must be a letter or telegram from Dash alerting Houdini of the sensational discovery. One thing is for sure, Houdini too began doing the escape out in the open and left the curtained cabinet behind!

Another straight jacket perk that came out of England was the idea of hanging upside down while escaping. Except, the idea was not Harry's or Dash's, it was actually the idea of a young fellow by the name of Randolph Douglas, who chose the stage name Randini. Houdini and Randolph became friends and during a visit to Randolph's home in Sheffield, Houdini watched the young man demonstrate the hanging upside down escape from a framework in the attic of the house. Houdini's addition to the idea was doing it outdoors from a building, which you must admit was a pretty decent contribution. UPDATE: Turns out the previous paragraph might not be accurate. There was another performer who very well might have been doing the Upside Down Straight Jacket Escape prior to Houdini and Randolph Douglas. His name was Mysterio and was also known as The Great Alvin. You can read more about him here.

Over the years, Houdini accepted challenges from all sorts of straight jackets, and full body canvas devices. Some of the jackets were all leather, some were a combination of leather and canvas. One thing they all had in common, Houdini got out of each and every one of them. Then in 1918, he exposed his method (kindof) in the Ladies Home Journal. He claimed that he dislocated his shoulder in order to do the escape. But the truth was less dramatic. Dislocating a shoulder is not necessary, but it sure sounds exciting!

Houdini kept doing the straight jacket escape pretty much until the end of his career as far as I can tell. It's certainly an easy thing to travel with and the publicity he gained from hanging upside down from a building was priceless.

LATER STRAIGHT JACKET ESCAPES
After Houdini died, other magicians began to add the straight jacket escape to their acts. Some even copied his upside down publicity idea. One of the first twists to the upside down part was setting the rope on fire. It was Alan Alan in the 1950s who added this unique change to the hanging straightjacket escape, though Alan gives the credit to fellow magician Keith Clark for the idea. Alan Alan may have been the first to present the escape hanging upside down from a helicopter. James Randi, later presented the upside down straight jacket escape from a helicopter in Venezuela and also hung upside down over Niagara Falls in a straight jacket!

In 1967 in Oakland California, a magician who was using the stage name 'The Great Gerhardt' hung upside down outside of the Tribune Tower Building. Forty four years earlier, Harry Houdini hung outside the same building to present the straight jacket escape. It took Houdini several minutes to get out. This young fellow, whose real name was Steve Baker, got out in under ten seconds before a crowd of 20,000 people. Like Houdini, the publicity gained was enormous. So influential was this one event, that Steve dropped the 'Gerhardt' name which he used because he was a comedy magician, and instead went with 'Mr. Escape'. The name 'Mr. Escape' actually came from the Steranko Issue of Genii. Steve talked to Jim Steranko and got his permission to use the name.

David Copperfield presented a hanging straight jacket escape on one of his specials also from a burning rope. His twist was to be suspended with three flaming ropes which would burn through one by one and to hang over flaming spikes! Lance Burton presented the hanging straight jacket escape a number of times on TV and in front of an audience during the dedication of the HOUDINI Postage Stamp and also escaped from a straight jacket while inside a very small water torture cell like device. Dean Gunnerson hung upside down by his feet with no ankle restraints over Hoover Dam and escaped from a straight jacket, yet another dangerous twist.

Then there are the comedy magicians who use the routine for laughs rather than as a genuine escape. The comedy for them is the driving force. I have seen comedy routines that are funny, even hysterically funny. But most use tired old lines and gags and seem more like a filler routine than anything. Once the person is inside, they are out in no time. Most of the comedy routines just miss, for me at least.

There are the lightning fast escapers. Again, not a fan of folks who get out lighting fast. Steve Baker got out in under 10 seconds and it kicked off his career as an escape artist. But honestly, though we are friends, I'm not on board with the speed aspect. I watched a video of Norman Bigelow getting out of a straight jacket recently. His approach was slow and steady and it genuinely appeared difficult. THAT is the way to do it. IF you can get out super fast, my first thought is, you weren't in it very well. And you can bet that lay people are probably thinking the same thing.

Maybe the best modern day hanging straight jacket escape was presented by Penn & Teller. Theirs has comedy in it, but they also have a great deal of suspense.

Teller is hung in the jacket while Penn holds onto the rope reading 'Casey at the Bat'. Teller has to free himself before Penn finishes reading otherwise Penn will let go of the rope. Penn reads faster and faster as the routine progresses. It is funny, but it also has incredible tension. Penn and Teller have made the trick their own.

Watching their performance doesn't make you think about Houdini, it makes you think about this poor lil guy getting out of the jacket before his crazy buddy drops him onto a bunch of spikes! It's a great routine.

MY EXPERIENCE
Have you ever personally been inside a straight jacket? I'd guess that at least a few readers of this blog probably have, not because you're crazy but because you are probably magicians. The first straight jacket I wore was not a real straight jacket at all, but instead a large jacket with long sleeves that had the sleeve ends tied off with rope rope and then used the rest of the rope to wrap numerous times around the jacket. It simulated a straight jacket quite well. I was an adventurous and creative youth.

When I finally did encounter an actual straight jacket, it was a Posey brand canvas jacket, the real thing. It was also too small for me. A friend put me in it and I could hardly breath, that is how tight it was. If you know anything about straight jacket escapes, you'll know I've already broken a couple cardinal rules of getting out easily, too small of a jacket and putting it on super tight. For the first minute I just relished the thought of actually being in a straight jacket, it was really cool. Then I decided to attempt the escape. I can't say that I got out in 6 seconds like many so-called record breakers claim. It took me a couple minutes to free myself from a jacket that was way too small and way too tight. I was thrilled to have gotten out and frankly a bit relieved.

Years later I opted for a Steel Straight jacket. Mine is a reproduction of the one used in the Tony Curtis Houdini movie. In 2008, I presented the escape twice at the National Theatre in Washington D.C.. I was curious about the often quoted notion 'that modern audiences wouldn't sit through a long drawn out escape'. I decided to test the waters during the first performance. I struggled and struggled and struggled to get out of the steel jacket, sweat poured down my face, my shirt was ripped, I 'sold' that routine with every ounce of energy I had. Shocker, the audience sat for the entire thing and it really hit them hard. The second show, I did a more traditional presentation, getting out along with the recorded music background. Guess which one got the stronger reaction? The LONNNNG one! Oh, in case you're wondering, that is an air tight plastic box my head is locked in. I had to get out of that first, and then the jacket.

OVERDONE
Today, the straight jacket escape has been way overdone. It's like the Zig-Zag Lady in the 1980s. Many magicians use jackets that are way too large. If you look like you are swimming in the jacket you've lost an important element in the appearance of being secure. Do a Google search for 'straight jacket escape' and look at the number of images of people you've never heard of doing the escape. IF that many people can do it, is it really hard?

I've written about the Straight jacket on one of my older blogs quite a bit. I have a love hate relationship with it. In Houdini's day, it was a fantastic escape. After Houdini died, most of us have just been doing a cheap imitation of his escape. The majority of people using a straight jacket escape in their act don't have a clue how to deliver a striking escape with it. Watch Houdini, if he was presenting it onstage he was rolling on the floor, gyrating around, he knew how to sell it! On the flip side, watch Tony Curtis's escape from a straight jacket while portraying Houdini. His escape goes in the opposite direction, very little movement, complete concentration, his is also quite engaging. David Copperfield used this very same technique when he was strapped in a straight jacket during his Escape From Alcatraz Special. Some people do know how to deliver a good escape, but they are in the minority.

Sadly, many presentations today are more about the crotch strap jokes and then getting out as fast as possible. Even hanging upside down doesn't seem to be as big a deal anymore. The thing that scares me about the abundance of people trying the hanging straight jacket is that it is legitimately dangerous* and people can and do get hurt.


A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE
A while ago I was thinking about the Pendragons, and how against all odds, when everyone was doing the Sub-trunk, Sword Basket and Broom Suspension, they took those three illusions and built a career on them by adding something unique to each routine. They were able to presentations that were so compelling that people associate those effects with them.  I wondered, what was missing with the regulation straight jacket escape? What had not been done? It appeared that everything had been done: on the stage, in the air, upside down, underwater, over spikes, you name it, and it's been done. Or at least I thought.

A few months ago I had an idea for a new approach. A new angle that hadn't been tried. I spoke to Steve Baker about it. He thought it was brilliant. I shared it with Norman Bigelow, who said it was 'new, fresh and different'. There are a few obstacles yet to overcome so I can't divulge what it is. But trust me, I'm working hard on it, time will tell if it pans out.

In the meantime, my hats off to my fellow performers who are using the jacket the way it was meant to be used, to bring thrills to an audience. The most recent one was Wayne Houchin, who presented the straight jacket while hanging upside down. He has done the escape before, and has a safety crew there to assist him, he is smart and careful.

I'm not sure Houdini would be proud of us though, because he didn't really like anyone doing his stuff. But he might be amazed to know one of his creations is still be used over 80 years after he left this earth.

*WARNING

Just because a lot of people have presented a hanging upside down straight jacket escape, doesn't mean YOU should. If you do, DO NOT go into it lightly. I know of a fellow in Memphis TN who fell while hanging upside down in a straight jacket. The doctors told him the only thing that saved him was the jacket still being on, but otherwise he should have died. He was lucky.

Alan Alan, the escape artist from England, has fallen while hanging upside down and been injured. He once came up with a crazy idea of setting the jacket itself on fire. He got hurt with that too!

I know of a fellow who tried to do the straight jacket escape in the heat of the summer with a jacket that was too small. He did not get out. He struggled so much he actually caused a rip in the thick canvas. He also could have seriously injured himself.

The straight jacket escape, hanging or not hanging can be dangerous. To think otherwise is foolish. Take every precaution while learning. Always have safety people standing by. To put yourself in serious danger is just plain stupid. You'd be better off learning from a professional who knows the ins and outs of the escape.

The worst thing about escapes is 'magicians' think they are easy. I can't tell you the number of stories I've heard about magicians who went into some escape trick thinking it would be sensational and easy and they were hurt or even killed. Hmmm, maybe that's why so many people use the straight jacket as a comedy routine, it's safer and you live longer! Maybe they are on to something after all.

WILD ABOUT HARRY: Ken Silverman at the CJM: "Houdini was the first m...

LINK: WILD ABOUT HARRY: Ken Silverman at the CJM: "Houdini was the first m...:

John Cox from WildAboutHarry, drove up to San Francisco this week to listen to a lecture on Houdini by author Kenneth Silverman. Ken wrote the book, HOUDINI!!! The Career of Erich Weiss back in 1996 and it was great then and it's still great. His book is usually the very first resource book I go to when researching Houdini facts.

I knew John was going up there and have been waiting anxiously to hear the report of his trip. It was worth the wait for sure. Click the link above and read about his adventures to the Contemporary Jewish Museum and his visit with Kenneth Silverman!

Happy Holidays from Houdini

Here is a wonderful image, courtesy of the Boston Public Library. It is from the Houdini scrapbook compiled by Quincy Kilby. The scrapbook covered the years from 1904-1926. I've seen this image before in books, but didn't realize there was a slight colorization to it, though that might have been added by Kilby.

Houdini was Jewish, but he obviously celebrated Christmas or at least had no problem sharing the greetings. He had a number of images like this over the years. I'm not sure if they were actual cards or postcards. The one above has a crease down the center, which makes me think it may have indeed been a card. Kevin Connelly has a another image by the same artist on his blog, check it out.

It appears that Bess Houdini kept up the tradition after Harry had died. The above is an image from 1935 and came out of the Library of Congress Collection. The image has a crease in it, so I'm wondering if it was actually a card and we are seeing the inside of the card. If that is the case, then I've got no idea what the outside of the card looked like. However, it could just be a nice holiday greetings on Bess's stationary which is more likely the case.

One thing I found interesting on it were the three addresses for Bess. The Payson Avenue NY address is where the Rev. A. Ford Seance was held. I'm not familiar with the address on the far right and the lower one is obviously her California address.

I can't help but wonder if there are more unseen, Houdini Christmas cards out there? At the rate things have been showing up this year, I'm sure a new one will turn up soon.

Adelaide Herrmann Memoirs

(Library of Congress photo)

I decided to rewrite the earlier blog about the new 'Adelaide Herrmann Queen of Magic Memoirs' book, edited by Margaret Steele. The book can be purchased at  http://www.adelaideherrmann.com/#!the-book After reading an article about Margaret Steele that appeared in the October 2011 MUM magazine, I found some helpful information that I'm going to share with you.

Margaret Steele, is a musician, magician and magic historian among a host of other things. From what I've read, her approach to magic is quite artistic and she actually presents an act which is an homage to Adelaide Herrmann.

Who was Adelaide Herrmann? She was born Adelaide Scarcez in 1853 in Surrey England. She would meet and marry a man who later become the most famous magician of his time, The Great Herrmann (Alexander Herrmann). They worked together presenting magic all over the Globe until Alexanders sudden death aboard a train in 1896. It was up to Adelaide to pick up the show and carry on the tradition, which she did and became known as the Queen of Magic.

The book is just as much about Alexander as it is Adelaide. The final five chapters are those strictly about Adelaide and her life/work. It's exciting to know that such a book exists as there is just not enough information out there on the Herrmann family.

If you are wondering how this all came about, it turns out that that while Margaret was doing her own research on Adelaide Herrmann, a Herrmann family relative discovered the book. Apparently, it had been passed down through the family and now it was in the hands of someone who wanted to pass it on to a proper home. The relative contacted the SAM Parent Assembly, who in turn contacted Margaret Steele, because they knew of the work she was doing researching Adelaide's life. Long story short, Margaret purchased the book with an agreement to one day pass it on to the Parent Assembly.

How exciting is that? This happened LAST year, in 2010! It gives me such hope that other wonderful magic treasures are still out there waiting to be uncovered. I can't wait to order this book, hopefully they don't run out before that time. I thought I'd share with you a video of Ms. Steele presenting her act 'Cornucopia' An Homage to Adelaide Herrmann. It's a beautiful piece of magic set to an equally amazing piece of music. Enjoy.

You might also be interested in a previous blog article which mentions Compars Herrmann and his daughter, Alexander and Adelaide Herrmann, as well as Houdini, who it turns out was a relative! http://deancarnegie.blogspot.com/2011/09/houdini-herrmann-connection.html