Robert Heller's Nephew, Maybe

Imagine my surprise to discover a performer who claimed to be the nephew of Robert Heller. I found  him quite by accident. I was looking for posters belonging to Robert Heller and came across the one to the left thinking it was an unusual Robert Heller poster. But the picture didn't quite look like Robert and upon closer examination, I saw the name Geo W. Heller in the upper left hand corner. Who was this guy?

His name was George Waldo Heller, not be be confused with George Washington Heller, who was one of the early members of the S.A.M. and served as Vice President under Houdini. No, George Waldo Heller was very different indeed and is a bit of an enigma. He was apparently born in New York in 1860 and claimed to be the nephew of Robert Heller. Is this possible? Well, Robert Heller had two siblings, Angelo C. Palmer and a sister Fannie Palmer. According to ship records, when Robert Heller came to America the first time in 1852, be brought along a brother 'Ernest Heller' who likely was actually his brother Angelo. So perhaps George Waldo Heller was the son of Angelo/Ernest. Or it could be that there is no relation and he made it up for publicity reasons. It's impossible to tell.

One thing I do know is George left the U.S. to go to Australia in 1889 as part of Hiscock's Pavilion Company. He stayed in Australia and continued to perform until 1927. Heller helped Will Alma get his start. And when Heller had his own touring company he hired Harry Cameron, known as The Great Carmo to be one of "Heller's Entertainers".

But it's Will Alma who gives us some insight into who George Heller was. Alma say's that Heller would go overseas to do business with Conradi and Willmann, the magic dealers. I also know that he had Stanyon build apparatus for him because I found records of this in Stanyon's Magic Magazine. His act consisted of illusions and small apparatus routines. The illusions included 'The Bridal Chamber', 'Gone', 'Cannon and Boxes', and 'Black Art.' He also presented a Second Sight act and a Spirit Cabinet, both routines featured by Robert Heller. Among his smaller prop routines he used Stanyon's Billiard Ball Pedestal, Confetti Doves & Flowers, The Drum That Cannot be Beaten, And a host of Telescoping Flagstaffs which can be seen in the poster at the top of the page.

Alma mentions that George Heller toured India as well as Australia and I was able to find a record of Heller in New Zealand in 1909 also, where his entertainment was described as first class. During a tour of North Queensland, floods ravaged the area and the Heller company was forced to travel by boat. In 1927, Will Alma formed a partnership with Heller called "Alma-Heller's Wonders," but they only presented three shows. George Heller became ill and the tour was cancelled. He died of cancer 1932 and was survived by his wife Maudeena. They apparently had no children.

Heller had a number of very beautiful full color posters, but his appearances within magic literature are quite small. In fact, if it were not for Will Alma, we would know precious little about George Waldo Heller.

Of the various magic sources that mention George Heller I did find some facts to be questionable. A couple sources say that Heller in his later days became a businessman. But I can find no record of what business he went into. He did provide touring entertainment and hired other magicians as well, so he very well may have gone into producing or acting as an agent. His final tour, which lasted three shows, he only showed movies with an Edison projector. So it's also possible the 'business' that is referred to was showing movies rather than performing. Also, several sources say that Heller performed in 1930 and 1931, but according the Will Alma, Heller never recovered from his ailment in 1927.

I'd like to add one more thing about the possibility that he was related to Angelo Palmer, the brother of Robert Heller. I cannot say for sure if this is true, however, I did find that Angelo lived and died in Australia. He did not however have anything to do with the magic business, Angelo was a lawyer. The one jarring thing is that Angelo went to Australia in 1853. So he likely only stayed in the US for a year before coming to Australia. If he traveled back and forth, I have yet to find the record. He did return to England when his father died, but eventually went back to Australia. Angelo C. Palmer died August 10th, 1912 at the age of 80. It is always possible that George Waldo Heller was actually born in Australia  and later traveled to NY, rather than being born in NY. There are a lot of questions and sadly, not a lot of answers.

UPDATE
Well, George Waldo Heller was NOT related to Robert Heller. It took me a while to find the proof, but I found it. Angelo Palmer who was Robert Heller's real brother denied that George was related to the family. And another performer who had worked with George prior to his name change gave the REAL NAME as Robert Wezner. Thanks to an issue of MUM from 1923 the mystery was solved!

The Odd Dr. Slade

A friend of mine sent me information on the grave of Dr. Henry Slade, but I couldn't quite recall who he was. I thought he had something to do with 'spiritualism' but was not totally certain so the research began. His name shows up in magic periodicals and even magic books. So who was Dr. Henry Slade?

He was born in Johnson Creek New York in 1836 and at an early age showed signs of having some sort of psychic ability. The claim was he had some sort of telekinetic power and could cause objects to move and even levitate. Let's stop right there for a moment and get some historical perspective.

In 1848, two sisters, Margaret and Katie Fox of Hydesville NY began to produce spiritualistic manifestations in the way of rapping sounds. This unusual phenomenon had never occurred before and when the news got out the world of so-called spirit communication took off. By 1954, two brothers, Ira and William Davenport were presenting something they called 'The Spirit Cabinet' in which manifestations also took place. The brothers were from Buffalo NY. And guess what town sits right in the middle between Buffalo and Hydesville............Johnson Creek.

Henry Slade would have been 12 when the Fox Sisters started their 'spiritualistic work'. As I mentioned before, as a boy Henry showed 'signs' of some sort of unusual power. Quite interestingly, the two young Davenport boys also showed 'signs' of unusual powers at a young age, all of this right after the word of the Fox Sisters hit the newspapers. For the record, people who could create these manifestations were referred to as  'Spirit Mediums'.

Slade moved to Michigan when he was 20. His title of 'Dr' apparently was not a medical doctor but rather a 'spiritual doctor'. His signature spiritualist manifestation was called 'Slate Writing'. At the time a very common item was a small square or rectangular piece of chalkboard or blackboard that was used by school children, these were called slates. Dr. Slade would show the several slates to have no writing upon them and during the course of his seances, writing would appear. This writing, he claimed, were messages from the dead. And to make his 'slate writing' even more exciting, the words were often written in different languages.

The spiritualist community recognizes that Dr. Henry Slade inventing or discovering slate writing. He certainly gets credit for it's popularity. If you're wondering how this fits into magic history, well let me explain that the Fox Sisters and the Davenport Brothers all later revealed that what they were doing was fake. In other words, they used what we would call 'magical methods' to create their effects. Magicians of the time knew this and that's why many of them included 'fake spirit effects' in their shows. Others, like Harry Kellar actually exposed the methods used by fake spirit mediums in their performances.

Slade apparently made millions of dollars over the course of his career by presenting seances and slate writing exhibitions. He traveled to Europe and performed before many of the royal families. At the height of his career it was near impossible to get a sitting with Dr. Slade. Even with the exposures in the press and by magicians like Kellar and by scientific investigators, his popularity continued.

That popularity stopped when he was beaten and robbed one evening in NY. He lost $10,000 worth of money and diamonds, likely everything he had. Ten Thousand dollars in the late 19th Century would be about $250,000 today, he could have lived on that the rest of his life. But now the money was gone and on top of that he developed some sort of paralysis after his injuries. He continued to give sittings but now at the discount price of .50 cents. His frail body, lack of money and constant exposure of mediums in the press and in theatres brought his career to an end. He would up in a Sanatorium in Detroit. And died on September 9th, 1905 and was buried in a paupers grave in Battle Creek Michigan.

But the story doesn't quite end there. A number of famous spiritualists of the time found out about Slade being buried in Battle Creek and began to take up a collection to have his grave moved to Albion Michigan. It was discovered that Slade owned a plot in the Riverside Cemetery there. They did get his grave moved and now he rests beneath a very large monumental tombstone with the following inscription on it "Henry Slade, renowned throughout the world as the first spiritualist medium for the independent slate writing. Retired to spirit life September 8,1905 after an earthly visit of 69 years, 5 months and 22 days. With toil now finished, with soul set free, he now enters eternity."

So was Slade the genuine spirit medium that he claimed or was he like the Davenport Brothers, the Fox Sisters, Anna Eva Fay and others of the time, a fake? Well, he had been exposed a number of times. The most damning exposure came from Remigius Weiss who caught Slade in the act and forced him to sign a document stating that his manifestations were all done through trickery. Weiss later gave the document to Harry Houdini to be used in his book A Magician Among the Spirits.  

Episode 2 Magic Detective Show

Here is Episode 2 now online. Once you watch the episode, head over to the blog article which gives more information about Episode 2. Enjoy!

Episode 2 Additional Information

For the record, I love searching out the graves of dead magicians. Mainly because it's so darn hard to find the graves of living ones. On Episode 2, I showed three photos of graves of magic related people. The first was the grave of Anna Eva Fay Pingree. Anna Eva Fay was a phenomenon in her day. She was born Ann Eliza Heathman in 1851, just at the time that the Fox Sisters and the Davenport Brothers were making news as spiritual mediums. She apparently showed signs of having 'the gift' and was encouraged to move in this direction. Ann met a man who would become her manager and he taught her the actual gifts (the methods used by fake mediums).  They created an act where she would present 'Light and Dark Seances' on-stage for audiences. Among her interesting creations during the 'light seance' was the effect we know today as The Dancing Handkerchief.  Her 'dark seance' sequence was similar to the Davenport Brothers act, she would be tied to a chair inside a cloth cabinet and bells would ring, tambourines would play and other manifestation would occur.

Over the years she would move away from the seance aspect of the show and move more towards mentalism effects, all with a 'spirit' kind of theme to them. She retired from show business in 1924 and settled in Melrose Mass.

The next grave belonged to Mina Stinson Crandon, better known as Margery the Medium. She was the medium who The Scientific American Magazine was going to acknowledge to the world as being  a genuine medium and could really speak to the dead. Well, that is until Houdini got wind of this and he stepped in. Actually, he more than stepped in, he took over the investigation and an all out war ensued! Houdini had a special wooden box built to house Margery and prevent her from causing the manifestations to happen by her own hand. Her spirit guide 'Walter', who was her deceased brother, still spoke however and could be quite the salty tongued spirit.

Houdini successfully prevented the Scientific American Committee from awarding Margery with any sort of authenticity certificate.

She lived on Lime St in Boston and is buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery. The photo was provided to me by escape artist and investigator Norman Bigelow. Norm is currently offering a lecture about Margery and Houdini and other mediums.

Last up is a fellow who I've done a LOT of research on, William Henry Palmer, who performed under the stage name of Robert Heller. He was quite the performer. His show included not only magic, but mind reading and music. You see, Robert Heller was an accomplished concert pianist. The Library of Congress even has several of his pieces of sheet music in their collection.

Heller traveled the world presenting his magic. He actually was from England but his career really blossomed in America. One of his most popular feats was his Second Sight routine. This was an early version of what we think of today as mentalism or mind reading. Heller used multiple methods to read the mind of Haidee Heller, a woman he called his sister but apparently she was not. Incidentally, there is a wonderful story I read that happened between Robert Heller and Haidee. After the musical section of the show one night, he and Haidee got into a quarrel behind the scenes. She refused to come out for the Second Sight routine. So Robert Heller walked out and announced "Ladies and Gentleman, this is the part of the program where Ms. Haidee Heller comes out, except tonight she refuses to do so. Let's wait and see." He then quietly took a seat on the couch and began to twirl his thumbs not speaking a word. A few moments a red hot Haidee came storming out. Heller said "Ah! I thought so" and they continued with the show.

Robert Heller died unexpectedly in November of 1878. He was on tour in Philedelphia and had performed at the Concert Hall on Nov 26th, but showed clear signs of being ill. It was pneumonia and he died the next day. His body was sent to Machepelah Cemetery in Philidelphia and was placed in a vault there. Sometime later it was moved to Mt. Moriah Cemetery where he remains to this day.

Incidentally, these three folks were all connected in two ways. First they all had a connection to Houdini. Anna Eva Fay and Houdini were friends. Margery and Houdini were friendly enemies. Houdini re-discovered the grave of Robert Heller. Second connection is they all presented seances!

More Magic Detective News

Tomorrow, Friday Oct 12 my second episode of The Magic Detective Show will be up on Youtube.  This next episode  I'll be showing three different graves of magicians. For regular followers of my blog, you will have seen the graves, HOWEVER, there is something there that I teased about in one of my columns that you haven't seen. So tomorrow, go check it out.

Because my format is only 5 minutes long, I am not able to get in depth into things like I want. I do plan eventually to do longer episodes but right now I need to build the audience and get the interest going and frankly, 5 minutes seems to be about the standard for popular shows on Youtube. But I have added one feature. After the episodes, I'm adding a blog article with more in-depth information. Hopefully this will work to bring more people to the blog and also bring my blog readers to the show.

Finally, The Magic Detective Show & Blog now has an Official Facebook Fan Page. So if you are so inclined, please go over and 'Like' my page!

Don't forget to enter the Magic Detective History Contest going on this month! The contest ends on Oct 30th, 2012, and the answers will be revealed on The Magic Detective Show!

http://www.themagicdetective.com/2012/10/magic-detective-magic-history-contest.html

Episode 1 Additional Information

First, thank you to everyone who clicked over to watch my new The Magic Detective Show on Youtube! I really appreciate it. Episode 1 showed an escape gone wrong. The escape in question happened in Venezuela some time around the mid 1970s and featured escape artist Steve Baker.

Many of my younger readers and viewers may not be familiar with Steve, but from the late 1960s to the 1980s he was easily one of the most recognized and popular escape artists around. I can remember seeing him on TV all the time when I was a kid.

The escape that is featured on the video is called 'Trial By Fire'. It just so happens that another escape artist, Norman Bigelow, also has an escape that he presents called 'Trial By Fire' but though they share the same name, the escapes are very different. In Steve's version he is chained to a wooden post and surrounded by a canvas covered t-pee like structure. The t-pee is sprayed with a special flammable chemical and then set on fire. Steve has seconds to get out the chains and burst through the t-pee flames before he too is engulfed in the inferno.

He had presented the escape successfully before. But on this night in Caracas something went wrong! At this point I encourage you to watch the video if you already haven't. It's worth seeing, plus I explain what went wrong.

Now the good news, Steve still escaped. The bad news was he suffered from some pretty bad burns. There was also more bad news. He still had another escape to do. He was supposed to escape from a packing crate in front of a live audience. His hands were bandaged up, but he still submitted to the challenge and escaped! But it was such a struggle that his hands began to bleed and by the time he got out of the trunk, his bandages were soaked red with blood!

Also on the bill with Steve was another escape artist, The Amazing Randi. James Randi was another well known escape artist of the time, but he was slowly phasing out escapes and moving into the world of exposing fake psychics. His career as an investigator of fake psychics still goes on today. However, during his time in Venezuela, he too was there to present escapes. His first escape was from a locked safe on live TV, which is something he had done a number of times in his career. His second escape had him escaping from a straight jacket, but not in the normal way. They decided to hang Randi upside down from a helicopter and fly him all over the city dangling by his ankles! By all accounts it was quite thrilling.

If I'm not mistaken there is an audio recording that Randi did in the late 70s or early 80s that was put out by Martin Breese and I believe that he mentions his time in Caracas with Steve, and I know he also mentions an escape of his that almost went wrong involving a locked safe.

Now, just to keep the record straight, I mentioned Norman Bigelow and his escape also called 'Trial By Fire'. I do not know who created the name first. I have a feeling it was a name they both chose without knowing of the others creation. Bigelow was another of the big escape names in the 1970s. He was performing in colleges and went on to become a prolific writer on escapes and magic. One of his tomes had to do with the Death of Houdini and he put forth the theory that Houdini was indeed killed. I believe the name of the manuscript was 'Death Blow'. Lots of people talk about that possibility today, but it was Norm who really looked into it and developed the theory.

Norman Bigelow continues to delve into little know areas of Houdini's life even today. Though his views are sometimes controversial, he doesn't do these things to become popular but to expose the truths he thinks are still hidden in Houdini's life and truths he believes we all should know.

Now, as to Norm's version of 'Trial By Fire'. He would be handcuffed to a board. Running along the board is a trail of gunpowder which was set on fire. Underneath his hand is a large amount of gunpowder. He had only seconds to get out of the handcuffs before being badly burned. His escape was done out in the open with the audience watching him as he openly picked the handcuffs. A very original and very unique escape and presentation.

Speaking of original, his manuscripts are filled with ideas and concepts for escape artists and magicians. One of his ideas was used by David Copperfield in the 1980s and then featured on one of his Television Specials.

In the future I think I'll continue to add some additional bits of information about the various episodes because afterall, they are only 5 minutes long. Eventually, once the audience is built up, I'll move to a longer format. See you all on FRIDAY for another episode of The Magic Detective Show!

The Magic Detective Show on Youtube!

 

FINALLY!!!!!!!! After months of delays, the first episode of The Magic Detective Show is online!
There is now a MagicDetective Youtube Channel, and I'd love it if you subscribed to the channel. I think I'm going to put together a 'blooper' video after a while so you can see some of the earlier attempts of recording the show. There are things I'd like to do that I can't because of the restraints of my camera. So season 1 will keep this format and if it's popular enough and I do a second season, I'll upgrade the camera and the look of the show.

If you are a collector or historian or performer with a cool piece of magic related history who would be willing to appear on my show, please let me know that also! You can reach me at: carnegiemagic@aol.com

Don't forget to enter the Magic Detective History Contest going on this month!

http://www.themagicdetective.com/2012/10/magic-detective-magic-history-contest.html

One Day Till -The Magic Detective Show

So after months of shoots and reshoots and restarts, the first episode is in the can, as they say. Between camera problems and just simply getting the time to shoot the show, it's been a challenge. I had expected to have this done MONTHS ago (like in January) but it never happened. But now I'm glad to say that the first and actually second episodes of the show are done.

The Magic Detective Show is a 5 minute look into the amazing world of theatrical magic history. We'll cover stories like the life, death and mysteries of Houdini, the first great American Magician Harry Kellar, we'll go in search of props and artifacts that belonged to great magicians and we'll visit with magic historians and collectors and much more.

The first episode of the Magic Detective You Tube Show will debut tomorrow, Friday Oct 5th at NOON Eastern Standard Time. It features an exciting escape from the 1970s gone bad!

The address to the Youtube channel is www.youtube.com/themagicdetective

Don't forget to enter the Magic Detective History Contest going on this month!

http://www.themagicdetective.com/2012/10/magic-detective-magic-history-contest.html

Magic Detective Magic History Contest

(See Entry Rules at the bottom of the page)

1. Who was the boyhood idol of Houdini?

2. Name two famous magi-folk who died on a train.

3. Who was the Elusive Moth?

4. Many magicians have used devils or demons on their advertising. Which Houdini poster featured devils?

5. Name three performers who have used the slogan “All Done By Kindness”.

6. Name four magicians in Machepelah Cemetery.

7. Name 2 famous mind reading escape artists with a connection to Houdini.

8. This desk belonged to two authors, name them. Where is the desk today?

9. He could do a great Bullet Catch for publicity, but then chose suicide in real life. Who was this person?

10. Who was the Frito-Lay Magician?

11. Who started performing in the Asparagus Valley Cultural Society?

12. Thomas Edison designed and built an illusion for this magician.

13. What magician had a nickname on the West Coast and a nickname on the East Coast which were similar to his real name?

14. Houdini allegedly put acid in this person's water barrel.

15. Name this gift-giving magician. (below)

16. Robert Heller, Houdini and Servais LeRoy all had the same idea but only one carried through with it. What was the idea?

17. What trick did Max Malini show President Warren G. Harding that garnered front-page newspaper coverage?

18. A coin magician who later made his living as a school show performer.

19. T.Nelson Downs was the King of Koins first and for a time presented an illusion act created by this man.

20. Early card pioneer and inventor of a mirror trick.

21. He was Fredrik before he took the name of a cigar.

22. Longest Running Resident Magic Show in United States?

23. Al Wheatley is credited with this invention.

24. Who was Wanda Timm?

25. What did Houdini do that had a negative effect on Long Tack Sam?

26.  Karl Germain and Quintino Marucci both featured this trick in their act.

27. What is the #1 most popular blog article to appear on The Magic Detective blog?

Contest Rules:

1. You can send your answers via email to carnegiemagic@aol.com
1. You must include your name with your entry.*
2. You don’t need to include your mailing address at this point, but if you win, you will need to send that to receive the prize.
3. Please put the question number next to your answers :)
2. First person with all the answers correct will win Prize 1. In the event that no one gets all the answers correct, then the first person with the most correct answers will win.
3. Prize 2 will be given to the winner of a blind drawing from the group of remaining winners (if there are any).
4. Entries will be accepted till October 29, 2012.
5. The Winner(s) will be announced on October 31, 2012. 
6. You can see the prizes here: http://www.themagicdetective.com/2012/09/a-little-more-on-magic-history-contest.html

                *Your entries and emails will be strictly kept confidential. I will not share or sell your email address.

Nate Leipzig - A Real Magician

Right now I'm asking myself, "how did I miss this guy?" There are some folks in magic history that I've heard about all my life but don't really know much about. Today I'd like to share with you a little about the life of Nathan Leipziger, known professionally as Nate Leipzig.

Nate was born in Stockholm Sweden in May 31, 1873. He came to America in 1883, so he missed the 1880 census and sadly the 1890 does not exist, it was destroyed years ago in a fire. But he shows up on the 1900 US Census. The reason I bring up the census records is because they add some interesting information that is different from what Nate wrote in his autobiography. Nate states his father was from Russia and his mother from Utica NY. However, the census records state his parents were both from Poland. And in 1900 he was 27, and still living at home and working as an 'optician'. It is possible his mother was born in Poland, moved to the US and that is where is father met his mother. Also, depending upon the area of Poland his father was from, it could have been considered Russia at some point. But then again, perhaps he was doing what many people did at that time and rewrote his own history.

He apparently felt that if he read about a trick in a book, it was his duty to recreate the effect using his own methods. It was this unusual philosophy that caused him to not only impress magicians but everyone who watched him perform. Magicians were taking notice of the youngster. The King of Koins, T. Nelson Downs was bragging about a coin flourish that Leipzig had created. Ten Ichi from Japan was so impressed with Nate that he asked to meet with him and offered to trade the method of his Thumb Tie Routine for Nate's Ring on Stick routine.

In 1901 Nate was asked to become a partner in an act by Berol and Berol which was a 'Rag Painting Act'. This alone is fascinating to me as I have never heard of rag painting. From what I gather, different colored rags were placed against a black velvet background to create recognizable works of art. Joining this act would mean Nate would have to leave home for the first time. His family did not have high hopes for his future with this venture. But as unique and novel as the act sounds, after two years the partnership split up and Nate was on his own.

Here is when a stroke of luck comes his way. J. Warren Keane was a vaudeville magician who needed to find a quick replacement for his act. He called Nate, who had never done magic in vaudeville before, but Nate agreed to give it a try and began to perform at Proctors in NY. It turns out he was a huge hit. The same reason that magicians were bowled over by Nate was the same reason audiences were. He did tricks that no one had ever seen before and if they had, he did them differently than everyone else. In other words he was highly original. After appearing at Proctors for only two days, he received word that none other that William Morris wanted to see him. Nate showed up at his office and Morris offered Nate a contract to tour the Keith Circuit. Consider this, you don't find a bigger agent than William Morris, and Nate was brand new in the Vaudeville world, yet he had the bravery to haggle over the pay. Nate requested more than Morris was offering. They argued over it and Morris agreed to increase his pay. He knew Nate was worth it.

His act consisted of manipulations with thimbles, billiard balls, cards and card tricks like the Rising Cards. He also presented Vest Turning, Ring of Stick and the Magnetized Knife. By 1904, Nate decided to change his name from Nate Leipziger to the shortened version that we all know, Lepizig. In 1906 offered a tour of Europe and he became as big a sensation over there with audiences as he had been in the U.S..  The one difference between Nate's work overseas is that he often had the opportunity to perform before royalty.

He returned to the states for a few months but in 1908 he was heading back to England for more work. It was on this tour that he met Leila, who would become his wife. Over the next few years he would continue to travel the globe and return to the U.S.. But when WW1 broke out Nate had an interesting predicament. Because of his German sounding name, he was forced on occasion to alter it. One of the alterations was 'Nat Lincoln'.

Over time, Nate began to slow his performing schedule down. He seemed to have a keen sense that Vaudeville was coming to an end and he switched gears to more private functions. He remained one of the most influential and original magicians of all time. He also picked up three students that he taught and shared his magic with. Those students were Roy Benson, Fred Keating and John Scarne. And of course his magic also greatly influenced Dai Vernon who wrote the book along with Lewis Ganson, 'Dai Vernon's Tribute to Nate Leipzig'. One of the lessons he imparted to his students was 'to never make a sucker out of a spectator'. In other words he was against embarrassing or humiliating a volunteer. Nate also believed in a natural approach to magic, he was against the fancy flourishes and finger flinging. He wanted things to be as simple and mystifying as possible.  His one exception to the rule was the flourish that he had developed, and that most everyone in magic eventually learns but probably doesn't know who created it, the coin roll.

Nate Leipzig died on October 13, 1939 from cancer. He had a long and influential career in magic and his insight and magic live on today in the acts of many performers.

When I started writing this I said "How did I miss this guy?". I don't have an answer. I knew who Nate Leipzig was, and have even read about him, but apparently it didn't sink it. When I was researching the life of Long Tack Sam I came upon a whole section in the wonderful Roy Benson book by Levent, about Nate Leipzig. As I read the words that Benson had to say about Nate, I sat spellbound. I began to recall moments in time when I heard others mention Leipzig, for example John Carney presents his version of a Leipzig Cigar Trick on one of his SECRETS DVDs. David Blaine actually has a Nate Leipzig trick that he apparently saves for special occasions to show clients because it's so strong. Well, as all this began sinking I decided to dig in and really look up this guy and it was like finding a whole new world! Thanks to AskAlexander.com, The Roy Benson by Starlight Book by Levent and Todd Karr, and other sources I learned a great deal about one of magic's greats and now can proudly say that I too have been influenced by the magic of Nate Leipzig.

In May 2020, I expanded this original article and made it a podcast. There is a lot more information on the podcast. You can hear that here.

A Little More on the Magic History Contest

As it stands right now there are between 25-30 questions to the contest. I may alter that before Oct1, but it will be somewhere in that range. The questions are all magic history related and there are a couple trick questions in there, which means you have to really pay attention to what is being asked.

First Prize

Originally, the idea of a contest was going to be something just for fun. But as I got more serious about it I figured I'd give away a prize or two. So first prize will be a copy of the new book "The Amazing Harry Kellar" by Gail Jarrow. The second prize, if there is a second prize winner, will be a copy of the book "Houdini His Legend and His Magic" by Doug Henning, hardbound copy.

The winner(s) will be announced on October 31, 2012 on the Magic Detective Show on Youtube, and there will be a link on this site as well. So that means after months of delay the Magic Detective Show will finally hit the internet. The first episode will actually air before October 31st and I'll give you an update shortly on when that will be......

Magic History Contest Begins Monday

Be here Monday October 1, 2012 because that's when I'll post the Questions for the First Annual Magic Detective History Conference! I'll also post the rules and prize information. The contest will run until Midnight October 30th, 2012. Then on October 31, 2012, I'll announce the winners of the contest.

Before Monday comes around I'm hoping to get another article finished, this time on magician who I didn't know that much about but have enjoyed researching his life and career.

Elect the Next President, Houdini

Above is a famous poster known as the 'Houdini For President' poster. I got to thinking about this, especially given that it's an election year and started doing some research into Houdini's presidency.
As it turns out Houdini was President a lot! In 1911, Houdini was elected President of the Magician's Club of London. The Magician's Club was the brainchild of Will Goldston, but Will chose the position of Treasurer and allowed Houdini to remain President of the club until he died in 1926. After this Goldston took over until his death at which point the club vanished into the night.

In 1917, Houdini was elected President of the Society of American Magicians. Houdini served as the Most Illustrious President until his untimely death. On his gravestone it actually reads M.I. President 1917-1927, even though Houdini died in 1926.

In 1919, he became the President of the Martinka Magic Company. Interestingly, the Society of American Magicians, or S.A.M. as it's known, was actually formed in the backroom of Martinka's Magic Shop back in 1902. Even on the logo that Martinkas uses today it says "Formerly Owned by Harry Houdini"

One of Houdini's first jobs as President was to also purchase the Hornmann Magic Company and merge it together with Martinkas. Houdini only lasted 9 months in office before selling off his 51 percent controlling stock to Alf Wilton who was one of the original partners in the deal to purchase Martinka's from Charles Carter. He only lasted a short time because yet another Presidency was taking up his time...

Houdini's final office of the Presidency was for the Houdini Picture Corporation, though I imagine that is one office he might have passed on had he known how tough the movie studio business was. He should have stuck with making movies for others rather than trying to do everything.

The 'Houdini For President' image was later used in 2002 as the image for the Houdini U.S. Postage Stamp that the Society of American Magicians lobbied for for many years.

I think modern day Presidents and politicians of all kinds admire magicians and Houdini. Magicians have the ability to misdirect and fool their audiences, while Houdini could escape from impossible situations and have the people rooting for him the whole time. Sounds like a politicians dream!

Houdini in Vancouver

Here is one I found online. This is the kind of stuff I love to find but this blogger already did all the work so I'll just post a link to their site! It contains a photo of Houdini presenting his hanging straight jacket escape that I do not recall seeing before. Enjoy. http://changingvancouver.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/137-west-pender-street/

The Amazing Long Tack Sam

Sometimes in magic a name is so intriguing you just want to learn more. Such is the case with Long Tack Sam. I first encountered Sam by seeing one of his posters in a magic book. The poster was colorful and his name just made me wonder what his act could be like. Was he another William Robinson who pretended to be oriental or was he the real deal like Ching Ling Foo? It would be a long time before I would actually have those answers because the book that showed his poster didn't really tell anything about Sam, and I couldn't find his name anywhere else in my small library of magic literature at the time.

Fast forward to 2003 when news of a documentary on the life of Long Tack Sam catches my attention. I think it was 2004 when I was able to get a copy of the documentary. It was created by Ann Marie Fleming who just so happens to be Sam's great granddaughter. What a treat this documentary was. She shows you the journey she went on to discover her great grandfather and it's amazing. Frankly, Ancestry.com should sponsor her movie and show it on their website!

Anyway, back to Sam. He was born September 16, 1884 in Northern China. There are conflicting reports of his childhood, so it's hard to know which one is true. One version of the story has a young Sam apprenticing with a Chinese Magician named Wang for six years. After that period of time, Sam had learned two tricks, the Linking Rings and the Rice Bowls. He left there and went out to work as a magician in Shanghai where we eventually joined another performing troupe. Another version of his earlier years has Sam being trained in acrobatic techniques by his brother and Sam eventually running away from home.

Whatever the case, he eventually left China probably working with a western circus. In time he would become part of The Tan Kwai Troupe and Sam became the director. The name of the show would change several times until he finally decided to use Long Tack Sam. Apparently his real name was Lung Te Shan or possibly Lu Te Shen. But he chose Long Tack Sam as the stage name for his troupe.

His performing trip were made up of acrobats, jugglers, dancers and he did the magic and also comedy. By all accounts he was a marvelous impressionist and mimic and could apparently copy the dialects of many languages including: Yiddish, French, Italian, German, American, Australian and probably more.

The magic that Sam included in the show consisted of the Burnt & Restored Turban, the Linking Rings, The Needle Swallowing Feat and Rice Bowls. But his stand out trick was one that other 'oriental acts' had presented, but not in the dramatic fashion that Sam did. This description is from MAGIC: A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theatre by David Price, "Long introduced his amazing bowl production. The trick performed as part of a flip sometimes called a somersault in the air performed without touching the hands to the floor. After the flip, he had the bowl of water with fish in his hands".

However, a newspaper from the times describes the act as this, "Instead of making a head-roll over before showing the bowl, Long Tack Sam did a hand-spring, which makes and causes the trick to appear to be much more difficult." So perhaps Sam had multiple ways of presenting the trick, but all included some feat of acrobatics just prior to the producing the bowl and it was more dramatic than anyone else who was presenting a bowl production which is why his stood out above all others.

On Sam's first visit to the U.S. his troupe got to open for the Marx Brothers at the Palace Theatre in NYC. Prior to coming to America, Sam had married a woman from Austria. As WW1 broke out all over Europe, it made travel to Austria impossible. It also made it impossible for his wife and daughters to come to America.

Sam has two daughters, Mina and Nepoldini, who eventually become part of his act in the later years. They go by the stage names Meena and Neesa. Neesa has a special gift of playing the violin that is incorporated into the show. Daughter Meena dances in the show and assists Sam during his presentation of the Doll's House Illusion where she magically appears from a tiny Doll's House. In 1932, Sam and his daughters performed at the now famous Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood California.

Long Tack Sam and his troupe are extremely successful and quite popular in America, Australia and China. Sam even invests in theatre property in China and two restaurants in London. Eventually, as age creeps up and life on the road gets to be too much, Long Tack Sam retired from show business. He was talked into coming out of retirement by Herman Hanson in 1952 to appear at the Boston Society of American Magicians Conference. He performed his fish bowl production and gave a lecture at the conference as well.

And a few years later in 1958 he did return to the stage for one last benefit show for the Society of American Magicians in NYC. Sam was the Masters of Ceromonies, he was 73 at the time. Sam was in declining health in the last few years of his life due to an unfortunate car accident. He died in Linz Austria on August 7, 1961.

Just to put Long Tack Sam into perspective, Orsen Welles considered Sam one of his mentors. Sam was friends with Dai Vernon, Max Malini, Nate Leipsig, Houdini and basically all the greats of his time. The legendary comedian George Burns said of Long Tack Sam, "The Greatest Vaudeville Act I'd ever seen."

On the DVD 'The Greater Magic Video Library Volume 29 with Charlie Miller and Johnny Thompson', Charlie Miller demonstrates the Chinese version of the Cups and Balls that he learned from Long Tack Sam himself. One of the moves appears to be the exact move that makes up one of the key elements to the Roy Benson, Benson Bowl Routine.

Finally, the DVD documentary The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam is a must watch. It's produced, directed, narrated and stars his great granddaughter Ann Marie Fleming. It is so rich with magic history and yet tells a wonderful story of her family ancestry and contains some elements that are heart breaking and some very joyous moments as well. It's amazing that Ms. Fleming made the documentary when she did because all of the magic people interviewed in the film: John Booth, Elaine Lund, Jay Marshall and Jackie Flosso are all now gone.

I've seen the documentary numerous times and enjoy every viewing. I only wish there were more documentaries like this on our brothers and sisters in the magic world. We owe a huge thank you to Ms. Ann Marie Fleming for the wonderful job she did to bring her Great Grandfathers story back to the masses where it belongs.

The Upside Down x 2 or More- Reposted

Today, September 21, 2012 marks the 100th Anniversary of Houdini's most famous escape, The Water Torture Cell. The article below was originally posted to my blog on Jan 2, 2011 and I'm reposting it now for those that missed it. My take on this is that there were more than 2 Water Torture Cells.

I would encourage you also to go visit John Cox's fantabulous website because he has a fact filled article on the history of the Water Torture Cell right up till today, www.WildAboutHoudini.com

I'm also researching a new lead for more information on this topic, so perhaps down the road I'll have some new information to share.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The USD or The Water Torture Cell or Houdini's Original Invention, whatever you call it, this is one of the most unique escape illusions in all of magic. It's also one of the most copied since the time of Houdini. Many performers have built their careers with this effect.

In the Patrick Culliton book 'Houdini-The Key' he mentions that there were two Water Torture Cells. This was something I had never known. But imagine my surprise when I heard recently that there were as many as four.  The person I heard this from said he sold the cell in the 1980s and so far the only thing I've turned up has been a fabricated mock-up and not an original cell. Being able to turn up proof of more than two Houdini cells has not worked out so well.

However, let's get back to the two cells that Pat mentioned. I think there is photographic proof of  two cells and if you look carefully in the following photos I'll point out why I think we are looking at two different Water Torture Cells.

This image is a classic. Houdini hanging in the  UP-SIDE-DOWN Water Torture Cell or USD, as he called it. Notice the stocks. Patrick Culliton points out in his book that the yale lock in the front of the stock was added for the photo. However, I don't think so. These are different foot stocks altogether. They are missing handles, they are missing the metal trim on the sides and they are even missing the four corner circles that were used to hook cables to raise the stocks and Houdini in the air.

Now look at the frame around the glass, specifically the rivets along the top. There are seven rivets and the two on the far right and far left are closer together. In every photo of the USD there are seven rivets along the top and bottom of the front framework. However, most of the the other photos of the USD the rivets are equally spaced along the top and bottom. But not here. Also, take note of the width of this USD. It appears wider than those in other photos. I think this is because originally Houdini had a cage placed in the USD and there needed to be a little extra room to move around. Take a good look at the next photo. You'll see the cage inside, I believe this is the same cell as in the first photo. But notice the difference in foot stocks in this photo as compared to the photo above. This cell is the same as the one in the above photo, the distance between the rivets helps to identify it as the same cell (look at the lower rivets as the upper ones are hardly visible in the photo)

Now check out this photo. I believe this photo was taken after the clean-up that John Gaughn did to the cell but prior to it's destruction in the fire of the Niagara Falls Museum. Notice the evenly spaced rivets along the top of the frame. Also notice that the glass in this photo is much narrower than the photos above. The glass is as wide as the cage in the upper photos. But in the cage photo the glass extends beyond the edges of the cage several inches. This cell to the right is the one that went into the Houdini museum in Niagara Falls and was later destroyed in the fire. The remnants of this USD were used to build the recreated cell that sits in David Copperfield's museum.

Next compare the foot stocks in the photo directly above and the color photo to the right. Specifically look at the space to the left and right of the handles on the stocks. You'll see in the upper photo the space is wider than the photo to the right. More proof the upper cell was a wider cell.

To me it's pretty strong photographic proof of two different cells, but trust me you've really got to stare at these things to see the differences. The two cell photos at the top are of Cell #1, the color cell photo is Cell#2.

Oh, if you are wondering what happened to the cages that went inside the Houdini USD, according to Sidney Radner (via John Cox's Site WildAboutHarry.com) they were lost while in Henry Mueller's possession.

Patrick Culliton says that the second cell deteriorated in the backyard of Bess's sisters house. Though I honestly think the cell that deteriorated  was probably 'the first/wider/original'. Sid Radner received a later version of the cell. We know that Hardeen was considering rebuilding the second cell to train Sid but that cell would have to have been slightly larger to accomodate Hardeen. There is a famous photo of Hardeen and Sidney Radner standing next to the USD and they both dwarf this small cell.

But my mind does keep going back to the idea that there might have been more than two cells. I've certainly seen photos of at least three Houdini milk cans. So maybe there is a third Water Torture Cell out there somewhere. The next question is, what on earth does someone do with one of these things if it isn't being used or on display? I know Steve Baker's Water Torture Cell is gone. Who has it? No idea. It too was unique enough that if someone else performed with it it could be identified. Other people have performed the USD over the years with their own cells, are there just dozens of these things sitting in storage units all over the country???

Third Cell? Not this one, but I'll keep searching

The supposed third Water Torture Cell I was told about was sold to a museum in Nashville and later moved to Gatlinburg TN and still sits on display. However, the only USD I could turn up in Gatlinburg is this one at the Ripleys/Guinness Museum, and it's clearly not an original. (see side photo) Take a moment and read what is printed on the card that is stuck on the upper part of the cell. The last paragraph says "Although the exact history of this water torture cell is unknown, it was built in the early 1900s and is rumored to have been used by Houdini himself."

This WTC is even smaller in height than the others. The hardware on it is clearly modern. IF for some reason it was real, only the lower portion could be as the stocks are also very obviously made of modern plywood. I want to thank my friend Terry Evanswood for his help in searching this out and for taking the pictures.

Still, I'm holding out hope that a third one shows up someday as it would be almost like the holy grail of magic props.

If anyone knows the location of ANY Water Torture cell, original or otherwise, please let me know. If there is a third Houdini cell out there I'd love to find it. I'd also like to find what happened to Steve Baker's WTC. His cell was nearly 7ft tall when the stocks were put on. It was massive compared to Houdini's and I know it's been out of his possession since the early 1990s. And where is Doug Henning's WTC today? I know Brett Daniel's owned it for a time but I don't think he has it any more.


Any leads, please email me at carnegiemagic@me.com

Now if you want to read MORE about Houdini's Water Torture Cell, please read this blog about the 'Two Torture Cells' which is different than what I covered.  visit http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2007/02/mystery-of-two-torture-cells.html 
I have a theory on this too that I may share eventually.

Some Treats from Genii Magazine

The October Issue of Genii Magazine is very exciting. Richard Kaufman has done a fantastic job with Genii since he took it over and this issue is another fantastic one for the magic history fan. Let's begin with the cover. The moment I saw the cover I realized it was actually taken from a Herrmann the Great poster. But reading further in the magazine I found that the cover was recreated by Mrs. Kaufman. In fact, Richard shows the two posters side by side but it's in black and white in the printed version (color in the digital edition).

The article on Max Malini is by David Ben and it is a MUST READ! There are tons of photos that I've never seen before and the article is filled with facts and trivia that you'll just love.

One thing you don't want to miss when reading Genii is the monthly column by John Gaughan called "The Chamber of Secrets". Every month there is some rare treasure from John's collection. It's usually the first thing I read when the magazine comes. The second thing I read is Jim Steinmeyer's column and then I look at the rest of the magazine.

Now, if you are a subscriber to the magazine, and if you aren't you should be, there is another magic history treat that you'll find in Richard's column called GENII SPEAKS. If you look at the top of page 11 you'll see a box that says 'Ray Goulet's Mini Museum'. Click the box and watch the video of Richard taking a tour of Ray's Mini Museum. I was there back in April, so I know how great it is, but there are even things in the video that I missed on my visit. And for the Houdini buffs, watch closely because there are a number of Houdini items you might not have seen before.

Finally, if you haven't already done so, please check out the site for the Genii Convention! Sadly, I'm going to miss it because I've got shows during that time. But rest assured, Richard his pulling out all the stops to have one earth shattering convention!

Auction of Charles Reynolds Collection

On October 27th, 2012 Potter & Potter Auctions will conduct an auction of the collection of Charles Reynolds. Mr. Reynolds was a consultant to Doug Henning and Harry Blackstone, a designer of illusions and a treasure trove of valuable magical knowledge. He was also co-author on the book HOUDINI His Legend and his Magic by Doug Henning.

The write-up for the auction says there will be additional items of magical apparatus, Houdiniana and ephemera from other collections as well. So it's sure to be an exciting assortment. As with all of the auctions presented by Potter & Potter, there is an auction catalog available.

Also, Potter & Potter Auctions hold monthly eBay auctions as well and there are a number of cool items listed right now. Among them there is a copy of the Raymond Book at a very good starting price.

Gus Roterberg and Houdini

Houdini, Mrs. and Mr August Roterberg

Here is a name you hear every now and then in magic history circles, Roterberg. For those who collect apparatus, you probably hear it more. But I decided to spend some time and find out exactly who this Roterberg fellow was and as I dug I discovered he had a very close relationship with Houdini.

August Roterberg was born on April 5th 1867 in Hamburg Germany. He immigrated to the United States in 1882. He married Anna Miller in 1894 and became a father in 1895 to twins, Hattie(Harriet) and Frederick. He opened his own magic manufacturing business which was located in several spots along Ontario Street in Chicago over the years and some say even had a store in the old Palmer House Hotel lobby.

Houdini's first trip to Chicago was possibly during the 1893 World's Fair where he and Theo and Jacob Hyman performed. This is probably when Houdini first met August Roterberg, or Gus as he was often known. It's clear through the various letters sent between the two gentlemen that they were more than just acquaintances because one letter in particular mentions the death of Harry's brother William and also mentions his brother Leopold.

In another letter to Bess, Harry mentions that he is going to have lunch at Roterbergs, which again signals a friendship beyond that of the typical magic dealer/patron. The photo above is of Houdini and the Roterbergs outside of their shop on 151 Ontario Street in Chicago.

Gus Roterberg

According to a couple newspaper accounts from 1897, Gus also started teaching lessons in sleight of hand to 'drummers'. But in the context of the article it sounded odd to me and then I discovered that 'drummer' was a slang term for traveling salesman.

Gus Roterberg was known for making excellent magical apparatus and he clearly hired the best craftsman he could find. According to Milbourne Christopher's book The Illustrated History of Magic, Roterberg found out about a young man skilled in cabinet making and hired him to build wooden boxes. That young man was Henri Bouton, who would later change his name to Harry Blackstone. Also working in the shop, was Gus's son Frederick who would demonstrate items for customers and a young man named name George Wright.

It turns out that young George Wright stumbled upon an ingenious method to make wooden balls appear and multiply. The story has it that Roterberg would often order wooden Ball Vases from Austria and on occasion the gimmicked piece would warp or become detached. Roterberg instructed George Wright on what to do to fix them and one day quite by accident one of the shells from the gimmick fell upon one of the solid wooden balls. George messed around with it and eventually created what we know as the standard billiard ball production move. In time, Roterberg would sell this new creation at his shop and apparently this is how Roterberg has received credit for the creation of the Multiplying Billiard Balls, however, it was actually the invention of one of his employees.

Roterberg is also credited with the invention of the Multiplying Thimble trick which could very well be true. One thing he deserves great credit for is the publishing of magic books specifically for magicians. Today we have many magic publishers, but in the 1890s, Gus Roterberg was the first one printing books in English specifically for magicians only. His books include: The Modern Wizard (1895), Latter Day Tricks (1896), New Era Card Tricks (1897), and Card Tricks and How to Do Them (1902).

In 1908, when Houdini decided to sell his Challenge Handcuff Act, he partnered with Gus Roterberg and Ralph Read to sell what would be called 'The Defiance Handcuff Act'. Roterberg would make all the special keys needed, and if I can read between the lines in their correspondence, may have also provided Houdini with keys that he needed on occasion. In Patrick Culliton's book, The KEY.

According to Magicpedia, Roterberg sold his mail order business to Ralph Read in 1908 and then later sold the entire magic business in 1916 to Arthur and Carl Felsman when he was only 49. Looking at the US Census records I discovered Gus Roterberg started another business, a stationary store. His son Fred eventually took over the stationary store and Gus and Anna retired to Pasadena California where Gus died on September 23rd, 1928 at the age of 61 from natural causes. Anna moved back to Chicago and lived with Fred and his wife and Harriet and her daughter, for the rest of her life.

 I have a feeling there is more to be said about the friendship between Gus and Harry and I hope as time passes we are able to uncover more.

This coming Sunday, Sept 23rd, marks the 84th Anniversary of the passing of August Roterberg. If anyone knows where Gus is buried, I'd appreciate it if you could pass that information on to me as I'd like to include his grave on my other site. I'm pretty certain he is buried in Chicago, but I've yet to find out where.

The location today of 151 W Ontario St, same place the photo at the top of the page was taken.

Magic Detective Contest Coming Soon!

I mentioned a while ago something about a contest. When I first thought of it, it was just a fun little idea that I figured my readers would enjoy. But then the more I toyed with the idea, the more exciting the concept became.

So, on October 1st, 2012, I'll debut the CONTEST right here on this blog. It will be made up of questions about magic history. Entries will be sent to me via email and I will accept them right up till October 30, 2012. On Halloween, October 31st, I'll announce the winners. There will be two. The first winner will be the very first person to get an email to me with all the answers to the contest correct. The second winner will be different. Everyone else who enters and gets the answers correct will have their name submitted for a drawing, and I will have one name drawn from that group and that person will win a prize.*

Basically, if you RUSH to answer you could be the first winner. BUT, if you find out about the contest after the October debut, you can still enter with a chance to win something.

I'll announce what the prizes are on October 1st.

*Rules subject to change and alteration prior to contest date :)

Houdini Picture Corp Building

A couple weeks ago, Kevin Connolly posted a picture of a letter from Houdini on his website. I noticed at the top of the letter is said "Houdini Picture Corporation" and gave the address. I always get a kick out of seeing if these locations exist today. Sometimes they do, sometimes sadly, they've been torn down.

In the case of the Houdini Picture Corporation it appears the building is certainly still there. It was called the Candler Building and is located at 220 West 42nd Street in NYC. The photo above shows the building, but I have no idea what floor the business was located.

Below is another photo which I posted in the past. This is Houdini's Film Development Corporation which was located in West Hoboken NJ. I believe this is where Hardeen was working at some point.