RICKY JAY MOVIE IN D.C. For One Week!

The new documentary about Ricky Jay titled "Deceptive Practice -The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay" starts tomorrow June 28 in Washington D.C. and runs until July 4th. The movie will be at the Landmark E Street Cinema. The address is 555 11th Street NW, Washington, DC - (202) 783-9494. The website for the theater is http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/WashingtonDC/WashingtonDC_Frameset.htm
Co-Directors Molly Bernstein & Alan Edelstein will be there In Person Friday, June 28 at 7:15pm & Saturday, June 29 at 4:45pm. If you're coming to town to attend the SAM National Convention, you might want to give yourself time to go see this movie, I would suggest arriving a day early.

The following description of the movie comes directly from the theatre website.

Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay is a mesmerizing journey into the world of modern magic and the small circle of eccentric geniuses who mastered it. At its center is the multitalented Ricky Jay, a best-selling author and historian, an acclaimed actor (House of Games), a leading collector of antiquarian books and artifacts, but above all a conjurer capable of creating a profound sense of wonder and disbelief. Deceptive Practice traces the story of Ricky's achievement, from his precocious apprenticeship in Brooklyn, beginning at age 4, with his grandfather Max Katz, as well as Al Flosso, Slydini, and Cardini (all among the best magicians of the 20th century), to his extraordinary one-man shows on Broadway. Friends and collaborators appear, such as David Mamet and Steve Martin (who joins Jay in a hilarious turn on a vintage '70s "Dinah Shore" TV show). Throughout, Jay demonstrates live on camera his mastery of sleight of hand. Viewers will gain not only a deep appreciation for the arduous and arcane demands of the magician's craft, but also for the colorful use of language and storytelling central to the art.

Taschen MAGIC BOOK Issue with Amazon

I don't know what the problem is exactly, but when I went on Amazon.com to try and order the new Taschen book MAGIC 1400s-1950s, the book was listed as Currently Unavailable and there is also a notation that the book is under review. I am going to guess it probably has something to do with the weight of the book and the packaging leading to damaged books. I'll be  happy to go on record and say UPS and the Postal Service could care less about what is inside a package, so if an item isn't packed properly, it is likely to arrive damaged. The wonderful USPS damaged three posters I ordered in the past and good luck trying to recover the insurance on one of those. You practically need an act of congress to get your money out of them.

UPS is considerably better when it comes to paying for a claim. But as far as being sure an item arrives in perfect condition, no carrier can guarantee that. The original Taschen book was packed in it's own carrying case and that was then put into another box. I think it was a safe way to ship it. I don't know how the current edition is being packaged.

But there is good news. You can still order the book directly from Taschen by going to this link!

Highlights of Germain's Magic

HIGHLIGHTS Of GERMAIN'S MAGIC

In my previous blog about Karl Germain I mentioned that the poster of him with the spirit figure/witch and black cat was one of the most striking posters in all of magic history. (Part of that poster can be seen to the right) Though I had seen the poster image in my youth, it would be a number of years before I actually encountered his magic. This happened through two books The Secrets of Karl Germain & Germain the Wizard and His Legerdemain by Stuart Cramer that I happened to eventually track down. I found Germain the Wizard and his Legerdemain at Barry's Magic Shop and some time later I found Secrets of Karl Germain at Denny & Lee's Magic Shop. I was so thrilled because I'd always heard of the books, but they were long out of print. Yet, when I found copies I made sure to buy them and devour the contents.

One of the book contains a most unusual magic effect called The Block.  The routine begins with Germain passing out a long block of wood to an audience member to examine. He also has a wooden board that he passes out for examination. After they are returned he brings them on stage and holds the end of the block against the board and it passes right through. Quickly, Germain removes it and places that block against a different area on the board and it again passes right through. Finally, he picks a third spot and again does the seemingly impossible. If this thing looks as good as the photographs it must look like a miracle. One of the great benefits of much of Germain's magic is the naturalness and simplicity of the props. At least as far as how they appear to the audience. What could be simpler than a block of wood and a wooden board?

There is a photograph of Germain and a butterfly that I always found quite magical. Well that routine, called simply The Butterfly and here is another effect that sounds like a dream. Germain plucks silk scarves out of thin air, one at a time. He bunches the scarves together to form a sort of cocoon and suddenly the thing bursts open to reveal a very large silken butterfly spreading it's wings! I wish I could see this in action. The photos of the butterfly are amazing and I've only seen them in black and white. I can only imagine what they look like in color or in real life. A popular magic effect today is taking several colored scarves and turning them into a giant silk with a butterfly printed on it. But Germain's effect is so beyond that.

Germain's actual props for the Water Jar Illusion (Klosterman Collection)

Germain's Water Jars is an effect that I've heard about but never really knew all the details. It's been said about this effect that Germain was the only performer to ever really make it work. By that I imagine others had tried but never gained the notoriety from the effect like Germain did. Here is a description of The Germain Water Jars...Six Large Metal Jars are shown to be empty one at a time. Then mysteriously, each jar fills to the brim with water which is then poured out into a large tub. It sounds amazing. I've never seen it performed. I do know that David Ben had performed a version of it in his show The Conjurer, ten years or so ago. But I can tell from the description that most modern performers would avoid this effect for the simple reason that it's liquid and thus messy. But if other magicians from Germain's time tried to perform it and met with little success, then I'd have to say it belongs only in the hands of a master conjurer.

Ken Klosterman Collection

The idea of growing flowers was not a new thing in magic. Robert-Houdin was doing it long before Germain and then his flowers turned into Oranges! But most magicians were using some sort of covering or tube during the course of their flower routines. Harry Kellar used covers and had an incredible sequence of misdirection to bring about the conclusion of his trick. Karl Germain's father had seen a magician in Europe in the 1860s present some sort of Blooming Flower routine and it left such an impression, it's no surprise that a version of it found it's way into Karl's act.

Together, father and son created a number of different versions of the Growing Flower trick, but the final version was pure magic. It was called The Enchanting Rose Wonder. No coverings in this version. It began with a flower pot sitting on a three legged table. The pot was filled with soil and slowly little sprouts appeared, then more foliage and eventually the roses. And in Germain's version, the roses were clipped off and given to members of the audience thus proving they were real! To the left is a photo of the actual Germain Flower Growth now in the collection of Ken Klosterman. You can actually see a video of the Flower Growth in action on the DVD set for the 2011 Essential Magic Conference. During the tour of David Copperfield's collection, he actually stops and demonstrates the trick.

Many of my magician friends ask me "what's the big deal about magic history?". There are so many ways to answer that, but the above piece on Germain's magic just shows how inspirational a look back can be. Who today is turning silks scarves into a butterfly? And with the technology today imagine how much more incredible we could make it look. Jim Steinmeyer, one of magic's most prolific writers and inventors was inspired by Germain's Block trick when he created The Perforated Brick effect which can be found in his book Conjuring Anthology. If Mr. Steinmeyer get's inspiration from Germain, I think we all could!

These are just a few of the wonders from Karl Germain's show. I may put together a second article featuring more of Germain's effects. I'm also working on another biographical article. In the mean time, if you're interest in Germain is peaked in the same way mine was, you might want to track down the book Germain the Wizard by Stuart Cramer and published by The Miracle Factory. The book has been sold out for some time, but you might be able to find a copy at Denny's or on eBay. Until next time!

Mattmuellar the Wizard

As far as posters go, the above image is one of the most striking magic posters ever created. I still recall the first time I saw this poster in real life. It was at the American Museum of Magic many years ago and I was dumbstruck by it's beauty. It was at this point that my fascination with Charles Mattmuellar began.

He was born Feb 12, 1878 in Cleveland Ohio. His first magic show was a bit of an impromptu thing where he presented a 'spirit cabinet' like effect for some friends. He was eight years old at the time. His mother forbid him to pursue the magical arts, but he did anyway. Eventually, his father recognized the talent that the young boy had and Mattmuellar the Magician was born!

In grade school Charles became known as Karl because of the number of other students in his class named Charles. The name stuck and he kept it for the rest of his life. As a magician, he would first use his last name Mattmeullar and then for a very short period use the name Alexander, after his idol Alexander Herrmann. However, when Karl had the opportunity to move into the Lyceum circuit, he was encouraged to alter the name again because there were already a multitude of 'Alexanders' in the show business world. Karl chose the name Germain, after the Marquis of St. Germain, a mystery man and mountebank. At first a mistake in spelling in an advertisement caused the name to be  spelled  'Germaine' with an 'e' on the end but eventually he dropped the 'e' and used Germain. He would also eventually drop the term 'magician' in favor of 'the Wizard' to round out the name.

Though in the early days his mother was against her son doing magic, she eventually got involved. It

(Ken Klosterman collection)

was his mother who apparently handled his money, at least in the beginning and did so well investing it that Germain was able to live off it throughout his life. His sister Ida became part of his act, becoming an assistant when he presented his mind reading routines.

Finally, and probably most importantly,  it was his father Charles Mattmuellar Senior who deserves a great deal of credit in the success of his son. His father helped build the famous Germain Flower Growth Illusion, using both carpentry skills and wood carving skills. They would build many versions and adaptations of growing flower tricks over the years. One of their creations was the forerunner of the Square Circle effect and a clever improvement to the Kellar Flower Growth routine which was then adopted by other performers.

I would imagine his father also built the first Wooden Block Thru Board Illusion and many of the other signature effects, possibly even the Germain Spirit Lock. I do know for a fact his father built the Germain Spirit Dial, which was a popular effect with magicians of the time, but Germain's prop was built by his Dad. The Flower Growth and the Spirit Dial can both be seen in the photograph to the right. Ken Klosterman owns a great deal of the Germain props and has a very extensive collection of Germain posters. I believe a second Germain Flower Growth is in the David Copperfield Collection, given to him as a gift from Mr. Klosterman. And recently, I learned the Germain Spirit Lock resides in Tim Moore's Magic Collection.

There is much to share about the life of Karl Germain as he truly was an amazing Wizard. At another time, I'll delve deeper into his effects and in a future article I'll share some stories of his life and the tragic turn near the end of his life.

Now You See Me - Review

I finally got to see the movie NOW YOU SEE ME today. I think in a previous blog I mentioned it looked like it had potential from watching the trailer. Well, I'm happy to say that it more than delivers.

The movie has quite a cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo, Michale Caine, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent, and the drop dead beautiful Isla Fisher. I frankly could have watched the movie with ONLY Isla Fisher and I would have been happy, but that's just me. The story is basically about a group of magicians who are known as the Four Horsemen, who put on a show together and the big trick is robbing a bank in the middle of the show and giving all the money to the audience. That is the premise, but the story is much more involved and there are twists and turns and pieces of misdirection that are worthy of the best magic show. In fact, the opening scene is a magic effect not only in the movie but it also is subtly done to the theater audience, brilliant!

My thoughts on the movie after it was over was that the must have scene David Copperfield's PORTAL Illusion and created this elaborate story around that trick. David is one of the consultant's on the movie, as well as Keith Barry and Jonathon Levit and Dan and Dave Buck. The magic in the movie is exceptionally well executed and frankly inspiring.

One thing I found interesting is the connection to magic that many of the stars have. Jesse Eisenberg is from NJ and his earliest exposure to magic was from a very popular NJ kidshow magician named Bruce Bray. I knew Bruce, he was a great guy and sadly he passed away not long ago from complications due to an accident.  Mark Ruffalo actually co-starred as Theo Hardeen in the TNT HOUDINI movie that came out a few years back with Jonathan Schech in the lead role. Michael Caine of course was in The Prestige and another movie called Is Anybody There in which he plays a retired magician. Then there is Dan Franco, who is the brother of James Franco, better known now as the Wizard from The Great & Powerful OZ. That's as close of a connection as I could put together for Dan Franco, but he does do a great job in the movie. I'm not really sure what the others stars connections to magic are, but I can say that Woody Harrelson and Isla Fisher both did pretty decent tricks on TV Talk Shows promoting the movie.

Now I have to tell you about the strangest thing that happened when I saw this movie today. I walked into the theatre with a buddy of mine, a fellow entertainer. As we sat down we noticed the theatre was fairly packed, pretty unique for a weekday showing. But the odd thing was that the movie was packed with all women. We actually thought that we might have gone into the wrong theatre, so I got up and walked out to make sure we were indeed in the correct theatre. We were. So next we figured THEY were all in the wrong theatre and the moment the movie started there would be a grand exodus. But that didn't happen. My conclusion, "chicks love magic!" That was the line I said to my buddy who cracked up. They were probably there for the young stars like Franco and Eisenberg, but still, they were there and the movie was so well done that it was clear everyone enjoyed it.

As a magician I would encourage you to see this movie because there are moments in the movie that are frankly inspiring. The water torture cell by Isla Fisher is superb. The way the magic show is shot in the round with big video screens around the theatre is honestly, something we should all look into.
Five out of five stars for me!

Magic Detective Vanished???

 Hi Everyone,

Sorry for vanishing on you though it was not on purpose. There was a minor complication with my site that caused it to dissappear. I was unaware that the site had been down until I started getting emails from my readers. It's been a very frustrating day of trying to figure out what happened and getting it resolved. You'd think it would be an easy fix, but that was hardly the case. The good news is it's back up and running and viewable by the WORLD!

Thank you to everyone who alerted me to the problem and for those who helped in getting it fixed and back up!

Dean Carnegie

Our Magic and More!

OUR MAGIC is a book by Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant originally published in 1911. I first heard about the book through an article that Jonathan Pendragon wrote for Genii Magazine which he gave a list of his top 20 magic books related to illusions. Among the list was OUR MAGIC and unlike some of the other books he listed, it was easy to obtain a copy.

Here was an eye opening book! Probably the first book to discuss magic theory and certainly the first book to really help define whether or not magic was art. My favorite chapter is called The Three Degrees of Art and it breaks down into: High Art, Normal Art and False Art. It's an intriguing chapter to say the least and it's followed by 300 other pages of incredible theory, ideas and secrets. It's certainly a must read for anyone involved in the performance of magic. Sadly, the few magicians I know who own a copy have felt the book is best preserved in the shrink wrap they purchased it in. In other words, they haven't read it. I'm sure there is plenty of room for debate on 100 year old theories discussed within the book. It's still worth a read and a great deal is still quite applicable today.

The NEXT Our Magic
I don't know if I'm asleep at the wheel, or if Facebook is just not allowing me to see posts by friends as often as it used to, but I've now missed two opportunities to contribute to film projects. One was by a fellow magician who has moved into movie making. I found out about his project just after the funding had been raised.

The next is a documentary film project by Dan & Dave Buck, Jason England and Paul Wilson. I had seen the mini-documentaries that they had posted on the internet and was enthralled with what I had seen. I only wished I had been among the folks giving their thoughts on magic because I certainly am filled with my opinions on why I think magic is art and why it often falls short. Their new project was up on Kickstarter.com to raise funds and ended on May 27th. I think I had heard about this back in April but was not aware of the timeline and the fundraising ended over a week ago.

But the good news is they raised the nessassary funds and are now moving forward with this new documentary which will be aptly called OUR MAGIC. Please watch the video below to get an idea of how these film makers are putting their hearts into this project. If it's anything like their other videos, this will be something we can all be proud of! Best wishes to all involved!

Movie Water Torture Cell on Display at New Magic Museum

Guy Pierce as Houdini in Death Defying Acts

Over in Norfolk (UK) The Davenport's Magic Kingdom has recently opened. This is a museum dedicated to five generations of magic collecting and magic memorabilia. It's a special magic museum open to everyone. With the price of a ticket you get to see the wonderful exhibition and a 30 minute magic show.  There are posters, costumes and props on display AND you'll also find the Water Torture Cell used by actor Guy Pierce in the movie Death Defying Acts. The film came out in 2007 and also stars Catherine Zeta Jones in a highly fictionalized story about Harry Houdini and a psychic medium.

I received a photo of the cell from one of my readers, Philip David Treece. He also mentions that it's a very large cell probably much larger than any cell previous made. Below is the photo of the cell. Enjoy the photo and if you are in the UK by all means, go check out Davenport's Magic Kingdom.

Tim Moore Dentist and Magic Collector

Props once owned and used by Robert Houdin

Any Dentist's Office that has magic posters hanging on the wall is definitely the Dentist I want to be seeing! The only problem is, his office is in Ohio! The dentist in question is Tim Moore, who is not only an accomplished dentist but he is also a magician and magic collector. The Robb Report, which is a Luxury Lifestyle Magazine is featuring  Tim and his magic collection in an edition of their magazine called 'COLLECTION' June 2013 edition.

The article is titled 'Grand Illusions-A collector's devotion to illustious artifacts from the golden age of magic'. The photos in this article are amazing. I've never actually seen Tim's collection in person (though I hope to see it one day soon) but he certainly owns some truly remarkable pieces. In one of the first photos you can see the small floating ball that was once used by Howard Thurston. In another photograph, the fabric cards used by Servais LeRoy can be seen. And in another photo, that I'm particularly envious of, Tim Moore is holding onto Karl Germain's Spirit Lock! In fact, the article goes on to describe how he came into possession of the famed Spirit Lock.

It's a fantastic article full of beautiful photographs. I'm personally also intrigued with all the top hats he owns from famous magicians. I believe the article mentions he owned Houdini's Top Hat and if you think Houdini didn't own one, well, he's got a photo of Houdini and Hardeen both wearing their hats!

Here are a just a few items from his Houdini collection, there are a lot more than this!

The Man Who Left Houdini Hanging, Or Did He?

Richard Pitrot, The Globe Trotter

 In the Spring of 1900 Martin Beck, Houdini's manager had made arrangements with an international agent named Richard Pitrot, to book a tour of Europe for Houdini. When Houdini arrived in Europe he discovered there were no bookings and had to take things into his own hands.

It sure seems odd that a successful and up and coming artist like Houdini would be left totally helpless in a foreign country. In fact, it also seems really strange that a person known for booking acts internationally would be the person who dropped the ball. Was this just another part of the Houdini legend or what happened? I'm not really sure, but let's begin with the agent.

Richard Pitrot was born in 1851 in Europe and began his career as a performer. He was what we could call today an impressionist, meaning he did impressions of famous people. He was billed as 'The Monarch of Mimicry'.

His two best impressions were of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, according to the book The Papers of Will Rogers by Will Rogers. The book says he first came to the United States in 1889 still performing his act. But by the time the Houdini incident took place he was already established as an international agent. In fact, he was known by the moniker, The Globe Trotter.
He not only found American acts for European audiences but also brought over European acts for American audiences.

The book The Papers of Will Rogers page 205 further states "Pitrot was greatly respected by his colleagues for knowing the value of an act and by performers for his integrity in obtaining fair salaries." Another book which speaks of Pitrot's character is Forty Years Observation of Music and the Drama by Robert Grau. That book says "An agent more associated with foreign styles of acts is Richard Pitrot, and no man today stands in greater esteem." The book further stated, "His advice is sought by many before they embark for this country; he is also able to bring to this country any artist he desires without a contract. I have never heard of anyone complain of Pitrot nor has he ever been conspicuous in legal complications for breach of contract, such as is often the case with foreign agents."

In Houdini!!! by Kenneth Silverman he mentions that Houdini wrote the words "Dam Liar" on a telegram dated May 29th 1900, sent from Richard Pitrot to Houdini. The telegram apparently informed Houdini that Pitrot would not be going with him to England, but that there were dates awaiting him.

S.S. Kensington

Houdini and Bess set sail May 30, 1900 on board the S.S. Kensington. This ship was part of the Red Star Line and arrived in England on June 9, 1900. When Houdini arrived, there were no gigs awaiting him. Several sources mention that the British bookers distrusted American acts. For example, page 81 of Houdini-The Man Who Walked Through Walls by William Gresham, he states "The Britishers were not impressed. They had been badly stung on some American acts and were not tantalized by clippings from American papers..." This quote was in regards to Houdini's pressbook filled with articles from American Newspapers. I'm just guessing but perhaps Richard Pitrot did set up a tour, but because the British agents were highly skeptical of unknown American acts, they did not keep their word. This is merely a guess on my part. But given the reputation of Richard Pitrot, it doesn't add up that he would just set-up Houdini for a fall.

Interestingly, Milbourne Christopher's Houdini The Untold Story, implies that Houdini sailed to England knowing he would have no shows waiting but intended to get bookings on the power of his pressbook alone.  There is no mention of Pitrot's involvement in most of the biographies, except for the Kenneth Silverman book where it would seem the discovery was first published.

From Otaga Witness 1901

While in England Houdini continued to correspond with Martin Beck and was agitated by Beck's insistence that Houdini pay Pitrot's commission, even though Houdini arrived to no tour . This information comes from the Silverman book on HOUDINI!!! page 50. Would Martin Beck continue to insist Houdini pay the commission if he didn't believe in Richard Pitrot's abilities? It sure seems odd. But there is a bit more to this. Apparently, Beck must have kept working with Pitrot to book Houdini overseas because I discovered two articles from New Zealand newspapers in 1901 that show Pitrot was still working to book Houdini. However, Houdini was still in Europe at the time so this did not happen.

Despite this initial incident with Houdini, Richard Pitrot went on to have a very successful career as a show business agent. He died from diabetes on March 21, 1929 in NYC.


I must thank the wonderful WildAboutHoudini.com for mentioning the name Richard Pitrot in his final article on TheHandcuffKings Blog. I couldn't recall the name Richard Pitrot, so I began the research and then wrote the piece above.

Cabot St. Cinema Theatre For Sale, I'm Speechless.

The home of the LeGrand David Spectacular Magic Company, The Cabot St. Cinema Theatre in Beverly Mass, is for sale. For the full article go here: http://www.salemnews.com/local/x701045570/Cabot-Street-Cinema-in-Beverly-for-sale

I'm at such a loss for words, I'll have to post my thoughts another time. Here is a link to all the articles I've written about the company and their theatre. http://www.themagicdetective.com/search/label/Cesareo%20Pelaez

Unlocking the Voice of Houdini

Houdini died in 1926, but years before, in 1914, Houdini made a recording of his voice. The original recordings were done on an Edison Wax Cylinder and are owned by David Copperfield.  A version of that recording can be found in various places on the internet. There is one other place were the recordings of Houdini's voice exists and that is in the collection of Arthur Moses.

In the May 2013 issue of MAGIC Magazine, Arthur Moses talks about the recording of Houdini's voice and actually shares some interesting insights into the version that is heard online, as well as a full transcript of the TWO versions that Houdini recorded. I won't give any details away here because I really want to encourage you to purchase a copy of the May 2013 issue of MAGIC and read it for yourself. It's a very revealing article. The information in that article was originally revealed at the Chicago Magic History Conference in 2012 when Arthur gave a talk entitled "Houdini's Recorded Voice, Have You Heard It All?"

Oh, and just before that piece on the Voice of Houdini in Magic Magazine, you can also read an article by Bill Winters called "The Many Editions of Harry Houdini" which is basically an article about Arthur Moses collection. Again, a must read!

Arthur was at the D.C. Magic History Symposium a couple weeks ago and I had the privledge of meeting him. Though I must admit I didn't get to spend but a few minutes chatting. I was unaware of this article prior to the conference however. Always enjoyable meeting a Houdini collector!

Magic Movies

There are a flood of 'magic-themed' movies coming out or have come out. I will state for the record that I did see Burt Wonderstone. I saw it in a movie theatre with a total of three other people.  I kind of liked the movie, but kind of not. There were parts of it that I enjoyed and I appreciate how the producers did their best not to make fun of magic, but instead make fun of the characters. In fact, I'm grateful that they did that. But overall, it wasn't a great movie. It seemed more of an 'insider' movie, because there were plenty of funny things for magicians but lay people wouldn't understand.

I'm sorry to say I will not be going to see Desperate Acts of Magic. I'm judging it by the trailer and I just can't see it. It looks like it makes fun of both magic and magicians and I'm not into that. Magic frankly has enough problems without a movie making fun of it. I could be wrong, and the movie might be quite different, but the poster alone is enough to keep me away. It's hard for me to say that too, because there are many fine people who are in this movie and I know they put their hearts into it. I'm not suggesting that you skip it. If you like comedies and this type of movie, then by all means go see. But for me, I won't be going. I know they are showing the movie before the big SAM National Convention.

A movie not directly about magic, but with many magic elements in it and many magic references as well is OZ-The Great & Powerful. I've seen OZ 4 times now at the theater. It is a sequel to the original movie The Wizard of Oz and the cast and director did an amazing job. The movie begins with a carnival magician named Oz who just so happens to gets caught in a tornado and swept away to the land of Oz. The opening shows a number of magic effects as well as a scene of actor James Franco presenting a magic show. Lance Burton was the magic consultant on this movie. When the wizard arrives in Oz the people are all thrilled because there is a prophecy that states a great wizard will come and help the people of Oz free them from the witch. Franco, as the wizard, thinks something is wrong because he knows he is a fake wizard, not the real thing. Here in lies the conflict and the resolution will only make you smile. It's now out on DVD and on iTunes, so please check it out.

The next magic movie is a documentary, Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay. This movie I will see and hopefully see more than once. Ricky Jay is serious about magic and about treating magic as an art form. He still puts comedy and humor into his performances but the magic is not demeaned in doing so but rather it is enhanced by it. I have the utmost respect for him and look forward to this movie.

The final movie is called Now You See Me and it's a crime drama of sorts with illusionists as the thieves. I'll probably go see that just because it looks cool in the trailers. It seems to treat magic on a level above the 'party clown' stereotype and that is refreshing. And the movie has Isla Fisher doing magic and escapes....SOLD! Where do I buy my ticket?

With so many wonderful stories and characters in the world of magic, we've got plenty of material to have great movies, and often even funny movies about magic without making fun of it. I have a feeling that the audience for Now You See Me will dwarf Burt Wonderstone, only because in one the movie looks cool and in the other the movie looked dorky. Plus, Now You See Me has Isla Fisher as a magician and that to me is GOLD!

For the record, I loved The Illusionist with Edward Norton, The Prestige with Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, and I also really liked The Great Buck Howard with John Malkovich and Colin Hanks. There are some really good movies about magic out there and let's hope they keep coming.
The History Channel just announced a Houdini movie of sorts, I can't tell you how excited I am about that!

UPDATE: To read my review of Deceptive Practice click HERE. To read my review of Now You See Me, click HERE.

Happy Birthday Doug Henning!

Today is Doug Henning's birthday. He was born May 3, 1947 in Winnipeg Canada. He is credited with the rebirth of magic in the 1970's that eventually led to a second Golden Age for us magicians.

Doug sadly passed away on February 7th, 2000. But we can still enjoy much of his magic that was recorded on video. Below is a wonderful illusion, created by Jim Steinmeyer and first presented by Doug Henning! 

New Edition of MAGIC 1400s-1950s by Taschen

Remember that GIANT magic book that Taschen printed a couple years ago that cost $200? The book was so large, you had to have a special desk just to hold it. In fact, one enterprising individual, Lupe Nielson, is building the very desk that is on the cover of the magazine! By the way, Lupe also sells these tables on her website. These tables are of the highest quality and will be a piece of furniture you'll cherish for ages. Plus, one of the few tables that can hold that giant book!

Well, Taschen is putting out another edition, a slightly more manageable copy at 9.9 inches by 15 inches, hardcover in a slipcase, 544 pages, for $69.99. The great news is, it's supposed to be available sometime this month (May 2013).

This was a must have in it's giant size, so I would say it's a super must have in it's slightly smaller size. To order a copy direct from Taschen, go to http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/popculture/all/44810/facts.magic_1400s1950s.htm

Clearing the name of HOUDINA

On Feb 11, 2012, I wrote a blog article called Houdini Going Postal, in which I relayed the story of a confrontation between Harry Houdini and Francis P Houdina. I found out about the article from one of my readers who forward newspaper clippings of the event. The story is also covered in the book, The Secret Life of Houdini by William Kalush and Larry Sloman.

The short version of the story is that Houdini claimed he was getting mail from Houdina and vice versa and what set him off was a bill addressed to Houdini but was for items that went to Houdina. Houdini went to confront Francis P Houdina at his place of business and a scuffle broke out.

Well, turns out the whole thing was staged. Imagine that, Houdini setting up an event just to gain publicity, shocking. I was contacted by the son of Francis Houdina who had plenty of documentation to prove his story was correct. The name 'Francis P. Houdina' is fictitious. The 'Francis P' part comes from Harry Kellar's fathers first name, the Houdina part is easy enough to figure out. There was a co-worker mentioned in the story as well George Young. That name came from Dorothy Young's last name. Apparently, the two young men were only 18 year olds at the time. And they were from a town not far from Appleton Wisconsin. There is a bit more to the story, but I'm just going to leave it at the story of Houdini and the workers at Houdina Co. is false, a staged story devised by Houdini.

I'm not giving the actual names of the people involved because the individual who contacted me hinted he'd rather not put the spot light on the living members of the family. I'm not really sure that would happen, but I'll gladly honor his wishes.

Houdini and the Welsh Brothers Circus

(library of congress photo)

Today, May 1st, marks the 118th Anniversary of the first day of work for Bess and Harry Houdini with the Welsh Brothers Circus. According to the fine book, "Metamorphosis" by Bruce MacNAB, they signed for a 5 month tour with a weekly salary of $25.

The circus was run by John and Michael H. Welsh and based out of Lancaster Pennsylvania.  The Houdini's presented their Sub-trunk Routine along with a second sight demonstration. They also had other duties as well, among them A Punch & Judy Show, Bess as a singing clown and Harry's work as a Wild Man.

In the beginning of the movie "HOUDINI" starring Tony Curtis, we see Harry pretending to be the Wild Man of Borneo. Apparently, the real Houdini played 'Projea, The Wild Man of Mexico'.

The Houdini's presented their act 226 times in that five month period. And according to Harry the Welsh Brothers "fed their performers extra well."

Harry and Bess would return to the Welsh Brothers at a later date, but on far different terms.

A building that was 'papered' by the Welsh Brothers Circus Advertisements

The Kindness of Harry Blackstone Sr

While at the Magic History Conference in D.C. my friend Adele pointed out a jeweled pin she was wearing. I guess it's called a broach. It was quite stunning with it's many colorful stones and it was in the shape of a ballerina.

Well it turns out that Harry Blackstone Sr. gave this piece of jewelry to Adele on her 18th Birthday back in the 1940s. She wears it proudly today and it's so nice that she remembers the many adventures she had on the Blackstone show so many years ago. I frankly can't recall much of went on at my first job, let alone names and dates and places.

Adele Friel Rhindress is a remarkable person and a treasure in the world of magic history.

me, Trixie Bond and Adele

It's Over. D.C. Symposium on Magic History

So many highlights to record I'm not sure where to start. Well, let's begin with the auction which was fun to watch, but I got there too late to register for it. There were several Houdini items and some props that had belonged to Tampa and Raymond posters. There was some really cool stuff. But the most amazing piece was brought from California to DC by Mike Caveney. It was a contract, written in Russian for Houdini's tour of Russia. It was amazingly signed with both Harry Houdini's signature and Erich Weiss's signature. It sold for $10,000 to Bill Kalush, but word is he purchased it for someone else who has a big ass warehouse in Las Vegas, at least that's the gossip going around. It was exciting to watch the bidding on that and kudos to Bill Kalush for picking it up regardless of the gossip. Honestly, I hope he bought it for his own collection.

The afternoon lectures were interesting. There was a fellow who was an American of Indian decent named Shreeyash Palshikar who spent some time in India learning about the magicians there and he shared his knowledge of Indian Magic History which I found fascinating. I really enjoyed his lecture.

James Hamilton lectured on Alexander Herrmann and his smoking habits. He concluded by showing an item that Herrmann kept at his home which looked like an odd cigar box which could be showed empty and then a moment later would be filled with cigars. The top of the box had a cigar cutter in it and in the top section there was a place for matches and a striking surface. The prop belonged to John Daniel and was willed to James Hamilton. I talked with James about it the day before and mentioned that it looked to me to be a Martinka Drawer Box and he agreed it did and it was possible that it was made by them, but he wasn't 100% sure who manufactured it. What was certain was that it did belong to Alexander Herrmann.

The third speaker was Will Given who talked about The Davenport Brothers. Having just completed a bunch of research on the brothers a while back, I didn't expect there to be anything new in here to me. And in fact, when I first posted this blog I had forgotten about something he said that was NEW to me. I really enjoyed his talk!
 By the way, the night before (Friday) Bill Kalush mentioned finding a manuscript written by Houdini which had the 'real work' on the Davenport Rope Tie which has NEVER been revealed anywhere.

The evening had a big delay in the show because one of the acts had not showed up. I think it was just a miscommunication and the show was up and running around 9pm. Darwin Ortiz did a fine job and there were a few lay people sitting behind me that were going especially nuts over his performance!
OH, the M.C. was my old friend Bob Sheets. Bob is like the go-to guy for this kind of thing locally. I always enjoy watching Bob work. He was really funny tonight.

The middle act was the Shreeyash Palshikar  and he opened with a rendition of the Indian Cups and Balls which is different from the cups and balls that we all know. I was familiar with what he was going to do because I recently watched a DVD with Charlie Miller discussing the Indian version of the trick. His version was quite good.

Then Bob came out and did a bit and introduced Eric Henning. He is a local performer and he did two tricks with borrowed rings and also the Linking Rings. Next up was a special guest, Pernel Zorch. If you don't know this name it is Al Cohen, the former magic shop owner and super nice guy. He created a character back in the late 1970s that was a comic magician character. Al actually got me involved slightly as well. He said he was going to do the needle through balloon but couldn't because he didnt have any props. Then I held up a Needle to his surprise and someone else produced a balloon. Then Al went into his routine where the needle bent while trying to push it through a balloon. Funny Stuff! He spoke a little about his creation of the character and then a video was shown of Al doing the act at a convention and it was hysterical.

Bob Sheets came back with more of his zany magic and finally the Indian Magician Shreeyash   returned to the stage to do the East Indian Needle Trick, a Needle through arm and an interesting version of the Sands of Egypt, or in this case, Sands of India trick.

Oh I almost forgot that Johnny Fox was there and he also did a sword swallowing spot on the show plus a tribute to Nate Leipzig which you had to see to believe. 

With that, I said good bye to some friends, headed to the dealer room and packed my artwork and bolted. I was exhausted. Sadly, there were several people I didnt get to say goodbye too, but I'm sure I'll see them all again soon.

On a personal note, I had a fun lunch with Wayne Alan today where we mostly talked Houdini. I had dinner with my friend Adele and Trixie Bond and her husband Mark and it was a very fun time. I got to meet and talk with John Gaughan for a bit today and also met Gary Hunt who is a fellow researcher into the life of Wyman the Wizard! He showed me photos of Wyman's House in NJ. So cool to see. And there were other things that went on this weekend that I'm sure I'll remember in a few days but my brain is fried right now from lack of sleep.

OH crap, I just remembered something. I got to meet Arthur Moses today who is a big Houdini collector. I was going to buy some stuff from him but completely forgot. Arthur if you're reading this, I'll put in an order via the web!

Big thanks go out to Ken Trombly and Elliot Blatt who put together a great convention. And also, Ken Norris and Tom Olenick who did the audio visual stuff behind the scenes and kept the conference running seamlessly. Tom Ewing did a GREAT job as the auctioneer and for M.C.ing many of the events. Also a big thank you to my friend Adele for encouraging me to come to this. It was my first magic history conference and I had a wonderful time!

Day 2 DC Magic History Symposium

I can't report too much on Day 2 because I missed 2/3rds of the days events. I understand that the attendees enjoyed the Library of Congress though there were issues with the buses. I missed the afternoon lectures, so I'll have to catch up on some of that tomorrow.

I arrived at 8pm, just in time to see the first speaker, John MacLaughlin. He spoke about Magic, Espionage and the CIA. It was an incredible talk and I was frankly enthralled the entire time. So well put together and interesting throughout. He was a tough act to follow.

In the second spot was Bill Kalush, who frankly did an excellent job as well. When you come upon NEW Houdini material it's big news and he had some new Houdini stuff to share. A lost/forgotten manuscript that Houdini had written has been found. He also shared his thoughts and insights on the story of Houdini having to cut a whole in the ice to escape from a river. It was great and I hope I have some time tomorrow to meet and chat with Bill.

The final speaker was Dale Salwak who spoke about Magic and Magicians in North Korea. Also, fascinating and delivered with sincerity and passion. He is correct when he says that magic is a language that overcomes barriers and politics and can bring people together. I applaud his work and I also hope to get to meet him tomorrow.

I forgot to mention seeing my friend Joe Pecore at the event yesterday. Joe is a great guy, magic history lover and is Mr. Magicpedia, and a good friend as well. He's invited me to work on a project in the fall that is very exciting, so I'll share more about that in the future.

I had to say goodbye to my friend Scott Humston who was in the area visiting and came to the conference yesterday and today, but he is going to miss everything tomorrow because he and his family have to get back to Florida for shows on Monday. I can understand this because I missed most of today from shows. Safe travels.

I chatted a little with Wayne Alan both yesterday and today and Wayne is the fellow putting on the Houdini Festival in Danville at the end of June. We'll be talking about that more tomorrow so I'll have more information about that festival in the near future.

OH, I got to see my old friend Richard Kaufman who I haven't seen in years. Richard lives not all that far from me, but it seems like forever since I've seen him. It was good to see him again. Oh and speaking of folks I haven't seen in years, Charles Green is another local who I've not seen in a long time. It was nice to see Charles, though we didn't get to chat but for a moment.

I saw Al Cohen from a distance, I hope to see him again tomorrow.
I sold three paintings and had to bring two back as it looks like they are now reserved for another buyer. So not bad.  I hope to sell more tomorrow, but I'm not sure how it's going to go. This was a test run to see how they'd sell.


Looking forward to tomorrow!



OH WAIT! I almost forgot, yesterday I met Diego Domingo. I missed his talk today, but yesterday he showed me a grave photo of someone that really surprised me. And tonight he told me about another grave that he had found. Turns out Diego has also uncovered the life history of George White, the assistant to Howard Thurston, who later worked for a time for Dante. Diego had given this talk a couple years ago for another Magic History Conference and he was kind enough to share some of the details with me. WOW, it was incredible! 

Day 1 DC Symposium on Magic History

So I just got home a few minutes ago after a long day at the conference. Now, when I say long day, I mean that in the best way. I was up at 6am and arrived home around 12:30am. But all the stuff that went on today was fantastic. My booth with my artwork looks fantastic and I have a primo spot! (thank you again Ken Trombly). My booth is next to Ray Goulet but the day was so busy I hardly had time to say hello.

Dean, Adele and her Boss!

The conference didn't really begin until 8pm, but the dealers room opened in the afternoon. I sort of expected my booth to be the oddball because, #1, no actual magic history items, though it was filled with paintings of historical magicians, and #2, not many people know me. However, as it turns out, a LOT of people there know me! I saw a lot of friends, like the lovely and charming Adele Friel Rhindress who worked for Blackstone Sr. and is one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.
I got to see my friend Trixie Bond and her husband and see more pictures of a special project she had done in her 'magic room' using some of my artwork. It was wonderful.

I spent an hour+ talking to James Hamilton about Alexander Herrmann. I've wanted to meet James for years and it was a joy talking to him and learning about his vast knowledge of Herrmann. OH, and he let me know I need to make a correction to one of my blog articles, which has a slight error! I will be changing that after I finish this.

I met Rory Feldman who owns a huge Thurston collection. He didn't have a booth or a display, he is just attending the conference. I was very glad to finally meet him. He couldn't be a nicer fellow and I'm looking forward to seeing his collection up in NYC soon.

Carnegie, Adele, Rory

I met a couple local guys, Mike Rose, who actually helped me out with a Joe Karson piece for my blog, but this was the first time we met face to face. Also a fellow named John Martin who collects Magic Posters was there and we talked for quite a while. Nice guys both. And Lee Asher's Dad, well, I might have to write a blog article just about our conversation alone, it was awesome!

I must say I met so many wonderful people today that I know I'm going to forget some and I apologize for that. Bill Schmeelk from Wellington Enterprises came over and admired my artwork. Ron Cartlidge also spent some time at my booth. Sara Crasson, who is a lawyer and magician had some very intriguing things to say about magic and intellectual property laws and she is writing a column for GENII about it. So I've got to check that out.

But I know you all want to know about the evening talks. Well, there was some confusion about the list of speakers, which I'm not quite sure what happened, but Eric Henning had to take over the opening spot and gave a talk on Charles Bertram which I really enjoyed. Next was David Saltman, who has the wonderful blog www.houdinifile.com. He spoke on Jerry Andrus and Houdini and his talk was great. He had a lot of footage of Jerry presenting his optical illusions and a little magic. It was awesome! I frankly can't wait for his book to come out, which is about Houdini's time in Russia. If you remember, I wrote a blog about Houdini's time in Russia also, but David has uncovered far more than I did.

There were two fellows who spoke about the John Salisse Magic Collection and I forget their names but I really enjoyed their talk. The posters they acquired are incredible and apparently one of the fellows has given a talk on Dr. Lynn,which I must find more about!

Tom Ewing did a great job M.C.ing the activities of the night and Rich Bloch made a surprise appearance accepting awards for both Nick Ruggerio and Carl Williams, neither of whom was able to attend.

I met Bruce MacNab in the dealer room and finally got his book, but I'll miss his talk tomorrow. Though he said he would fill me in once I returned, so I'm looking forward to that. I have to say, for my first magic history conference, I am having a GREAT TIME!

Oh, I almost forgot, just before they closed the dealer room near midnight, I got to meet the fellow who bought the Robert Heller Hat! I'm so glad he came up to say hello. I'm glad that hat has a new home and someone who appreciates Heller's contribution to the art.

More news tomorrow...

Magic Site Seeing in the Nation's Capital

Originally this blog article was specifically for those attending the Washington D.C. Symposium on Magic History. I wanted to share with you some interesting sites to see while you are in town that are all magic related. But now the S.A.M. Convention is here, so for all those attending please enjoy this guide as well!

1. The location of the old Al's Magic Shop. If you knew Al Cohen, or had ever been to the shop, you know what a great guy Al was as a demonstrator. His shop was a hang out for many over the years. The final location of the shop was at 1012 Vermont Avenue NW. The original shop location was torn down in the late 1970s.

2. Robert Heller spots. Robert Heller was a resident of Washington D.C. for several years. Neither of his homes are still there, but I will give you the locations. The first place he lived in Washington is 260 F. Street NW. which is today a parking lot that is at the corner of 3rd and F st. St. (see link)
The next place that William Henry Palmer/Robert Heller lived in D.C. was 447 13th Street NW. Today the Warner Theatre sits at this location. He also played piano at the Church of the Epiphany at 1317 G St NW, Washington, DC.

3.  HOUDINI in D.C.. Harry Houdini was all over the D.C. First spot would be Old Ebbitt's Grill,

which is located across the street from the Treasury Building at 675 15th St NW. This is the location of Keith's Vaudeville Theatre and also the spot where in January 12th of 1922 Houdini hung upside down and escaped from a Straight Jacket.  If you walk up the street to the brown building you can get almost the identical view as seen in the photo to the left. Slightly down the street from Keith's Vaudeville Theatre location is the 'W' Hotel, which used to be the Hotel Washington and Bess and Harry stayed here several times on their visits to D.C. That hotel was also featured in the Godfather Movie.
Houdini's first hanging straight jacket escape in D.C. was from the Munsey Building which today is the J W Marriott Hotel at 1331 Pennsylvania Ave NW. Houdini also performed at the Chase Theatre while in town but it's long gone. The Old DC Jail where Houdini escaped from the cell of the assasin of President Garfield was located at 625 Park Road NW in D.C.(it is no longer there, a church stands in the lot where the jail used to be). See also, Capital Building and White House.
This link also describes the Challenges Houdini presented while in D.C. http://www.themagicdetective.com/2011/01/houdini-dc-challenges.html

4. Harry Kellar in D.C. Kellar performed a number of places in D.C. including the National Theatre (see address below) The Columbia Theatre 1112 F St NW but is gone now and Ford's Theatre on 511 10th St NW. 
 
5. The National Theatre 1321 Pennsylvania Ave NW. This is a historic theatre which still happens to be open and operational. Magicians who had performed there include: Robert Heller, Alexander Herrmann, Harry Kellar, Harry Blackstone Sr. and Penn and Teller.

6. National Theatre/Helen Hayes Theatre this is a smaller theatre within the National Theatre. During the Civil War days it was a pool hall frequented by none other than John Wilkes Booth. Today it's a small theatre where performances are given on select Mondays and Saturdays throughout the year. Countless D.C. area magicians have performed in this room, including ME!

7. MAX MALINI in D.C. Malini performed in several places in D.C. including The Willard Hotel
1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (Houdini and Bess were also known to stay at this hotel). The Roosevelt Hotel 2101 16th St NW Washington is another spot where Max Malini set up shop, but today they are apartments. See also Capital Building and White House.

9. Alexander Herrmann in D.C.. Herrmann the Great appeared at the National Theatre (see address above) and also performed along with Compars Herrmann at the White House in the East Room to entertain none other than Abraham Lincoln.

10. Wyman The Wizard in D.C. John Wyman Jr. performed at Odd Fellows Hall fairly regularly when he was in Washington at 419 7th St N.W. He also performed for President Lincoln at the White House in the East Room. Wyman lived on 6th St in D.C. but I don't have an exact address and I'm sure the building is gone.

11. Signor Blitz in D.C. There is a story of Blitz running into Abraham Lincoln at the Summer White House (known today as Lincoln's Cottage) 140 Rock Creek Church Rd NW where Blitz did some magic and the President and magician had an interesting exchange.

12. The Capital Building & White House. There is more 'magic' going on in these places than any magician could ever do! But I'll give you a brief run down of some historical moments. Max Malini bit the button off Senator Hanna's coat on the steps of the Capital Building. Malini also gave an impromptu performance in the Marble Room of the Capital. Houdini gave his testimony before Congress at the Capital Building during the debate over Fortune Telling in the district.

The White House has seen countless magicians. Alexander & Compars Herrmann performed for Lincoln in the East Room of the White House. Houdini was known to have been invited to the White House. Howard Thurston performed there during the White House Easter Egg Roll, as did Al Cohen,
David Williamson, Silly Billy, the entire cast of the Le Grand David Spectacular Magic Company from Beverly Mass, Doug Henning, Harry Blackstone Jr., Steve Wyrick, Wayne Alan, Trixie Bond, Ralph The Great, Dean Carnegie, Dave Risley, Mac King, Ken Scott, Mark Daniel, Ray Goulet, Mike Bent, Emanuel Shabum, Eric Henning, The Pro Kids Show performers, Adam Ace, James Wand, and many many others from all over the WORLD!

13. Henry Ridgely Evans in D.C. Henry Ridgely Evans the prolific magic writer lived in D.C. and is buried here. His grave is in the Oak Hill Cemetery 3001 R St NW. Grave location: Stewart- Lot 610 East

14. Fords Theatre in D.C.. Of course, this is the historic theatre at 511 10th St NW where President Lincoln was shot. But it was also a spot where Harry Kellar performed and then years later, Lance Burton, The Pendragons and others have performed there for the Gala for The President. This building once had a sister location in Baltimore where Harry Kellar passed his mantle to Howard Thurston. That Ford's Theatre is no longer there.

15. Next is the Library of Congress which has quite a lot of magic posters and ephemera in it's collection. The Houdini collection is housed in the Jefferson Building and I think you need an appointment.

DC Magic History Conference THIS WEEK!!!!

Hi Friends, One more reminder about the Washington Symposium on Magic History which starts this week, on Thursday April 25 to be exact.

It's going to be GREAT! There are a lot of exciting talks in store and the list of folks in the dealers room is amazing! OH, and yours truly will have a booth in the dealers room with my paintings for sale and info on the Magic Detective. I'll also be doing a lot of networking to set up interviews with folks for future episodes of The Magic Detective Youtube Show which I hope to start back up very soon.

So, if you've not yet signed up, please do so....(if you love magic history that is). And if you are attending, please be sure to stop by my booth and check out the artwork and even BUY some if you want! I rarely sell my paintings but I've recently decided to move some of the older pieces to make room for the new stuff. I hope to see you there!

Houdini in D.C. 97 Years Ago Today

Harry Houdini was in the Nation's Capital, Washington D.C. on April 19th, 1916 and he had a busy day scheduled. He was going to present what I think was his FIRST hanging straight jacket escape in Washington that day. There was an enormous crowd that had gathered to watch Houdini attempt the impossible. The Washington Times newspaper said that there were more than 15,000 spectators who came out to watch Houdini. The paper also said "Persons who saw the great throng from windows of nearby buildings said it was the biggest crowd ever assembled in Washington at one place except for the inauguration of a President."

Houdini was appearing at the Keith's Vaudeville Theatre on 15th, which was about a block from where the straight jacket escape would take place. This particular escape is not the one captured in the famous photo of Houdini hanging upside down in front of the Treasury Building. In fact, that escape took place in 1922. The first hanging straight jacket escape by Houdini in Washington D.C. took place in front of the Munsey Building. It was also known as the Times Building and today is known as the Marriott Building. It is located right next to the National Theatre at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street. I am assuming Houdini hung on the side facing Pennsylvania Avenue because he would be seen by more spectators from that side. Due to the fact it was the Times Building probably explains the front page coverage of his escape in the Washington Times Newspaper.

Houdini in a Straight Jacket (not from D.C. stunt however)*

The paper says that a derrick was erected and hung out of a 5th floor window. Ropes and pulleys were attached to this which would later raise Houdini from the ground. The straight jacket he was placed in seems to be different from the standard. The paper says "Houdini was strapped into this jacket with his arms bound to his sides with heavy leather bands and buckles. His hands were in front of him and all of the buckles were in the back where he could not possibly reach them." It sounds like a slightly different kind of jacket because of the leather bands that held Houdini's arms to his sides. But it could have just been a normal leather straight jacket and this was how the reporter perceived it.

Houdini was raised between 75-100 ft in the air and freed himself in 2.5 minutes.

Houdini gives an interview to the newspaper before the escape and has this to say, "I've about reached my limit, it seems to me. For the last thirty years, or thereabouts, I've been getting out of all sorts of things human ingenuity has devised to confine a human being. Up to date there hasn't been anything made that confined my activities to any alarming extent. But some day some chap is going to make one. And I'm going to quit with a clean record before he comes along. I've about made up my mind that this is the last stunt I'll perform. Hereafter, I intend to work entirely with my brain. See these gray hairs? They mean something. I'm not as young as I was. I've had to work hard to keep ahead of the procession. I'll still be entertaining the public for many years to come. But I intend to do it along lines not quite so spectacular. As an escapist extraordinary I feel that I'm about through."

Houdini said that in 1916 and he would have been 42 years old. But apparently, he did not retire from escapes as he continued to do them for another 10 years, until his untimely death.

*The photo is not from the 1916 D.C. Straight Jacket Escape. I did find a photo that 'might' have been from that escape because of the configuration of the jacket, but I don't know who owns it so I just skipped by it.

Also, the above link on the Munsey Building will take you to an article I wrote about Houdini's D.C. Challenges and there is a photo of the building as it looked around the time of Houdini.