The Grim Game - Review

I've now officially seen The Grim Game. Actually now I've watched it three times. What an interesting movie. It's always exciting seeing Houdini in action. And it's even better seeing so many of the iconic photos of him come to life. For example, I never realized that the image of him in a straitjacket on the ledge of a building was actually from this movie. It's always been an incredible photo but now I've watched the whole scene.

As a silent film, I really enjoyed The Grim Game. Some of the story descriptions however seem a bit off to me. The IMDb website says "Jailed unjustly for a murder he did not commit, a young man uses his amazing powers of escape to free himself and pursue the actual killers, who hold his fiancée captive." While this is somewhat true, the facts of how he was jailed are quite different.

Houdini plays a character called Harvey Hanford who is the star reporter for The Daily Call Newspaper. The newspaper is struggling financially, and Hanford concocts a fake story idea to drum up some interest in the paper. But along the way, his plot goes horribly wrong and the three fellows who are in co-hoots with him, basically double cross him. Part of Hanford's plan was to end up in jail and later be exhonerated. But his three accomplices realize it's a great opportunity for each of them to take advantage of the situation and pin the blame on Hanford.

There is a lot of action in this movie. Houdini does a lot of escapes in the movie too. Early in the film, some of his fellow reporters handcuff him while he is napping in the newsroom. He wakes suddenly to find himself confined, but he frees himself to their astonishment. Later in the movie he does another multi-handcuff escape and in addition frees himself from a jail cell by scaling down the wall. No safety line for ole Houdini, he's doing all his own stunts and they're quite amazing.

The one stunt he does not do is the mid-air exchange between the two airplanes. But having watched the scene and realizing that these are propeller driven planes, whoever that stuntman was, sure was brave (or crazy). The mid-air collision of the two planes was an accident that was captured on film and later incorporated into the story.

There were a few moments in the movie I especially liked. There is a scene where the  security guard for the Cameron Estate shows up with a shotgun and corner's Houdini. Then Houdini with his hands up, has a pistol pop out of his sleeve and he overtakes the guard. Pretty cool bit of sleight of gun there.

Another scene that I got a kick out of is later in the film where Houdini takes a sword away from a fellow while they're fighting and Houdini throws the sword across the room which impales itself into a wall, right next to the face of a woman. Pretty startling little effect there.

Seeing Houdini though do his escapes is the best part of the film, and these include: handcuffs, jails, straitjackets and ropes. I also enjoyed the playful quality Houdini shows on film which is quite different from the often super serious images of him in photographs. It helps to make Houdini more human. I frankly thought Houdini was a fine actor, in fact, better than the other males in the film who were prone to a lot of over-acting. Houdini came across quite natural and believable.

If you've not seen The Grim Game, you should watch for a reply by TCM. I enjoyed the second showing of the movie with the alternative soundtrack. The music fit the action much better whereas in the other score the soundtrack became repetitive and at some points worked against the movie.

The Grim Game, two thumbs up from me!

By the way, it was very cool seeing John Cox-Wild About Houdini mentioned in the Special Thanks column. Also, was glad to Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich were mentioned during both showings on TCM and they also make it into the Special Thanks credits as The Houdini Museum!

Houdini the Movie Star Debuts on TCM Tonight!

How ironic is it that almost 100 years later, Houdini would be making a movie debut on television. His recently rescued and restored movie The Grim Game airs tonight on Turner Classic Movies(TCM). The story of how it was recovered and restored has been covered many times and on many websites. And, it has been shown to probably thousands of people now. It first made it's debut at the TCM Movie Festival earlier in the year. Then it was shown in various locations across the country.

A lot of magicians have seen the movie at this point, because it was shown at a major magic

convention. I however, being the recluse that I am, have not seen it. Actually, I haven't seen it mainly because my performing schedule this year has not allowed me the free time to venture out and see it. I came really close a few months ago when Dick Brooks and Dorothy Dietrich had a showing in Pennsylvania, but even that I was unable to swing. So, for me, the Magic Detective, I'll be seeing The Grim Game for the first time ever! It's pretty wild too considering one of my all time favorite Houdini posters, was actually a poster for this movie. Years ago there was a book called The World's Greatest Magicians by Hyla Clark, and within the chapter on Houdini, was this incredible full color poster of Houdini in a straitjacket, hanging upside down from a building. The colors and imagery were captivating and still are. (see image below)

Now, tonight, everyone who has access to TCM has the opportunity to see Houdini at his best. Many reviews that I've read point out that this was by far Houdini's best movie. And others make a point of saying that Houdini was actually a very good actor, contrary to what some have said about his other movies. To me, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is this chance to see Houdini in action. The mind conjures up so many images of what a person could be like when you read books about them, but to see them captured on film it adds another dimension. Yes, I have seen the other Houdini movies, and I enjoyed them all. But THIS movie, The Grim Game was the one I always wanted to see and precious little remained of it, until now.

Who do we have to thank for all this? Larry Weeks for holding on to the only surviving copy of the movie all these many years. Dick and Dorothy of the Houdini Museum for their tireless work in getting this movie back out to the public. Without their efforts, it's possible we would never see the movie. Rick Schmidlin, the restoration producer, and TCM for all their efforts behind the scenes and for bringing the movie to national prominence. There are others to thank as well, like ALL the Houdini blog writers who wrote stories of this movie and have continued to promote Houdini so many years after he passed on. And all the Houdini fans that continue to keep his spirit alive!
Thank you all!

Oct 18th, 8pm and 11:45 pm on TCM, Turner Classic Movies. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/496393/The-Grim-Game/#

UPDATE: I can now officially say I've seen The Grim Game. Wow! What an enjoyable flicker. And the music score that some have said is repetitive, is SO REPETITIVE! Whoa! Now the next showing at 11:45pm will have a different score, so I'm going to set the DVR to record that one and watch it tomorrow. I'll put up my review of the movie once I watch the other version.

 

#HoudiniEffect #Houdini #TheGrimGame

Some Grim News, But It's All Good

Sunday Night, TCM will be airing for the first time EVER, Houdini's greatest movie The Grim Game. You will be witnessing history in more ways than one. Of course, the first showing on TV is history making in itself. From what I understand the first showing at 8pm will have the same score used in the previous viewings of the movie this year. That score was done by Brane Zivkovic under the supervision of Rick Schmidlin, the restoration producer. However, the second viewing at 11:45pm, will contain a new score done by Steve Sterner. Mr. Sterner is known as The Piano Man of the Silent Screen. Why? Read on.

Apparently, the one complaint with the early viewings, was that the score of the movie was a bit repetitive. This was first brought up by Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks during an early version of the restoration. They made suggestions but apparently were ignored.

During the original showing in Hollywood, the praise for the movie was universal, and the one negative point was the repetitive score, which most agreed was very good at times, but needed more to it. So now, on October 18th, you get a chance to hear the first score at 8pm and then the newer score at 11:45pm. Set your DVRs it's going to be one great night for HOUDINI!

There was a lot more drama that went on behind the scenes while trying to get this movie restored. To read more about what went on, check out what Dick Brooks and Dorothy Dietrich had to say. They were instrumental in getting this movie out to the public and frankly, we would likely not be watching it at all if it were not for their efforts. They have done an incredible amount of fantastic work keeping HOUDINI's name alive and thriving into the 21st Century!

Different Le Grand David Poster

I just stumbled upon this new poster from the Le Grand David Magic Show online. Actually, it's not NEW as in it just came out. It's new as in, I've not seen it before. I'm pretty familiar with all the artwork done by the company. Most, including this one, were painted by Rick Heath.

The one thing that comes to mind when I see this painting, what a loss the magic world has felt since Le Grand David has closed it's doors. One of the grandest shows to ever grace the stage.

The Maro Adventure Completed

I finally returned from my trip to Michigan to perform and lecture. The performances were at the W.T. Best Theatre, also known as The Old Art Building in Leland Michigan. The lecture I presented was on the Life and Magic of Walter Truman Best, better known as MARO Prince of Magic.

Why, you might ask did I present a lecture on some obscure magician? Well, it turns out, Maro lived in the town of Leland in the early 1900s. His home still stands there to this day. In fact, his home is for sale for a whopping $4.5. million dollars! The Historical Society and the Leelanau Community Cultural Center were aware of Maro's connection to the area and I was contacted to come and lecture and share some magic.

The shows were great fun. The stage is not very large, nor is the theatre, but given that the building is close to 100 years old, it had a very unique feeling to it. Like stepping back in time to be truthful. I presented mostly modern routines during my two afternoon shows. Interestingly, even though I was 800 miles from home, I met two people from my area who were in attendance at the earlier shows. Small world!
I also have an odd feeling that the place may just be haunted. Why do I say that? Well, my second show had two mishaps. One during a routine that NEVER EVER EVER has given me trouble. Somehow a string from who knows where got twisted into a prop and made it impossible to function. Later in the show something else went south on me. Again, stuff that never ever happens and it happened twice in the same show.  It made me somewhat apprehensive about the evening lecture.

The evening lecture is something I had been working on for months. It began with tons of research into this fellow Maro, who I had only known of because of his posters. I dug up a lot of information from quite a few sources. After compiling all the historical facts, I had to put it together so that a lay audience could understand and appreciate it. Let's face it, magicians who are into magic history would eat this stuff up. But lay people, that's another story.

I decided to include a number of Maro's routines in the lecture. First up was Maro's Slate Trick which I found in an old issue of The Sphinx. I combined it with the Spirit Dial, an effect popular among Victorian Era Magicians. I actually combined the Maro Slates with the Spirit Dial into an effect that was quite entertaining and mysterious.

The big effect I had planned for the lecture did not come to be. I had wanted to present The Flags of All Nations, a staple of Maro's show. However, the Flags I obtained began to disintegrate as I worked with them. Perhaps sometime down the road I can get them remade/restored but it didn't happen this time around. Instead the big feature was my Hand Shadow Act. It lasted just over a minute long, probably much shorter than Maro's actual routine. I think my version gave the 21st Century audience who was watching enough entertainment and got the point across as to the various things that can be done with hand shadows without going too long with it. Maro's ghost did not show up during the lecture at all.  I had the distinct feeling that he was sitting in the back watching and smiling. The audience of non-magicians thouroughly enjoyed the lecture, magic and power point presentation. Many came up to me after and shared their connection to Maro, Maro's home, or some of the magicians who performed in Leland after Maro died in 1908.


I will be doing a more complete write-up of my trip and of Maro for a magic magazine. Once that article is finished, I'll let you know where to check it out. Oh, and I took some video footage that I will edit soon for an upcoming episode of The Magic Detective Youtube Show. Yes, it's coming back!

Historical Display created by Kim Kelderhouse of the Leelanau Historical Society

A True Magical House for Sale

In the past I shared pictures of a number of famous magicians homes. But there is one that I was not aware of until recently. The house was built for Edward Maro, The GREAT MARO and is located in Leland Michigan. It's sits on the shores of North Lake Leelanau and it's breathtaking to say the least.

With any luck, I'll get to see the house in a few weeks as I'm traveling to Michigan to perform in a theatre named after Maro. In fact, I'll be presenting a lecture on Maro while I'm in town as well as doing two shows.

Once the lecture is done, I'll do a nice bio piece on Maro for the blog and hopefully will have a new episode of The Magic Detective Youtube Show to debut.

By the way, the house, dubbed Maronook, after the Great Maro, is for sale. The listing is here,
https://www.coldwellbanker.com/property/320-E-Hywood-Lane-Leland-MI-49654-MLS-1804279

Norman Bigelow has passed.

It's tough when we loose people in magic and it's tougher when they're friends. Yesterday, the magic and escape worlds lost Norman Bigelow. Norm was born August 12th 1944. His real name was Henry Hebert and he later changed it after being adopted. Norm was an apprentice to Frank Renaud who performed professionally as The Great Reno.

Norm was a big fan of Houdini and studied his career inside and out. He had many theories about Houdini's life, some of which were thought to be controversial, but Norm always stood by his opinions. I believe he broke new ground in a number of areas on Houdini and we all owe him a debt of gratitude.

Besides being a student of Houdini and Reno, Norm was an accomplished escape artist. He was also very creative in his field. He gave rise to the 'full view picking' technique which today seems to be the standard used by many escapists.

Norman Bigelow passed away at home on Sunday August 16th 2015 after a long battle with illness. As his wife Janet said, "he was home where he wanted to be."

Norman and I shared many emails and ideas and stories together. He was always an exceptionally creative individual. I was honored when he would email me about history questions, though I'm sure Norm has forgotten more than I will ever know. He was one of a kind, a superb individual and an escape artist of the highest order.

Here is the link to the obituary from the funeral home. http://www.rickerfh.com/sitemaker/sites/Ricker1/obit.cgi?user=37805811_NBigelowSr

The Great Lee Grabel Has Passed

Lee Grabel, one of the magicians in the Royal Dynasty of Magic has died. He passed away July 27th, 2015 at his home. Lee Grabel was to receive the Mantle of Magic from Dante, but Dante died suddenly before an officially ceremony could take place. Because, he was the only one Dante was considering, the Mantle still went to Grabel. Lee passed the Mantle of Magic on to Lance Burton in 1994.

His life story was covered in the wonderful book, The Magic and Illusions of Lee Grabel by Ormond McGill. One thing I would like to mention, Lee Grabel retired from magic in 1959. Having seen him in his later years and still a commanding presence, I personally wish he had continued on all those many years as his magic was wonderful.

I'll have a longer biographer at a later time. For now if you'd like to read more about Lee, please visit his website http://www.leegrabelmagic.com/index.html

A Cool Houdini Connection and The Official Houdini Seance 2015

Imagine going through life and hearing from relatives that you're related to Houdini or someone close to Houdini. That was the situation Robert Strong was in. He had heard from relatives that there was some family connection to Houdini, but no one was quite sure what the connection was. Robert thought he might be related to Jacob Hyman and Joe Hayman. So the search was on earlier this year to discover that branch of his family tree.

He was surprised to find out that it was not the Haymans but rather Sidney Radner who he was related

to! The man who owned the bulk of Houdini props for so many years having purchased and/or acquired them from Houdini's brother Hardeen. Too bad Robert didn't know this before Sid auctioned everything off.

I should mention that Robert Strong is a very busy full time professional magician from Maryland. He currently lives in San Francisco, but travels all over the country presenting his unique brand of comedy magic.

Once Robert found out he was related to the Radners he contacted Sidney's son and a new door opened. Robert is helping out with the Official Houdini Seance this year. Plans are in place for the event to take place in San Francisco at the Brava Theater. There are new websites set up for this event, one of them being a Kickstarter Campaign, though that page is not yet live.

You'll want to be sure to LIKE the Facebook page by going here https://www.facebook.com/houdiniseance

Check out the official webpage for the event here http://www.houdini-seance.com/   (The site is still under construction, so you'll want to check it out from time to time to see the progress)

Finally, the Kickstarter page is https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/radicalphysics/236293987?token=744b6390

AND to learn more about Robert Strong, http://strongentertainment.com/

BREAKING: TCM WILL AIR 'THE GRIM GAME' ON OCTOBER ...

This comes from John Cox over at WildAboutHoudini.com Exciting News!!!WILD ABOUT HARRY: BREAKING: TCM WILL AIR 'THE GRIM GAME' ON OCTOBER ...: "I'm on my way!" Here's the news we've all been waiting for! TCM will air their restoration of Houdini's The...

Another Book Update and More

The Conjuring Arts Research Library every summer for the last 3 years has had a special FREE book download. They offer a different book each week to download in pdf format. Many of these are hard to get and all are out of print. This week they have Prof. Hoffmann's MORE MAGIC. You can still find this volume from time to time on ebay, but here is a chance to get it for free! Just visit the following link this week http://shop.conjuringarts.org/store/pc/FREE-More-Magic-PDF-by-Professor-Hoffmann-127p1218.htm#.VaMSR0WpNWY
In addition they have a number of 50% off deals as well so be sure to stop by their site and check out what they have to offer.

Next is a surprise catalog by Potter and Potter Auctions. It's for the Magic LIVE Auction which takes place in Las Vegas on August 12th. Unfortunately for me, I won't be attending this year and this auction, unlike their others, won't be open to online bidding. Still, the catalog has great images and who knows, it might inspire you to head to Vegas!

To download the catalog or order a printed version, go here: http://www.potterauctions.com/auctions/upcoming

It Must Be Book Month, Another GREAT DEAL

I just saw over on Chuck Romano's website that he found 'a stash' of his great book on Paul Rosini called HOUSE OF CARDS-The Life and Magic of Paul Rosini. This book is a real gem. The first 101 pages is the biography of Paul Rosini. The next 100+ pages is the magic of Rosini. What's great about this is you really get to understand him as a performer through his choice of material. And then as an added bonus there is a reprint of Paul Rosini's Magical Gems by Rufus Steele, which runs about 67 pages. A total of 320 pages on the incredible Paul Rosini.

I paid $35 for the book when it first came out. Chuck is selling these for $17. Get them while you can! Click the link above to head over the Chuck's site!

Incredible Hofzinser Deal-Act Now!

I just found out about this and sadly, you've only got a few hours to act before the sale is over. Hocus Pocus, the online magic dealer is having a 24 hour sale, which ends tomorrow at noon on the two incredible Hofzinser Books by Magic Christian.

These normally retail for $299.95, but during their 24 hour sale, which ends noon July 10th, you can grab these two books for $149.95. That is 50% off and these books are fantastic.

Volume 1 is Non Plus Ultra -Magic of the 19th Century
Volume 2 is Non Plus Ultra- Hofzinser's Card Artistry

If you're interested, go here to read the review I wrote of these books back in Feb of 2014. http://www.themagicdetective.com/2014/02/the-ultimate-hofzinser-books-review.html

If you don't  have these books, you should jump on the chance to get these 2 volumes at half price!

Harry Cooke's Grave

I've been doing some research on Horatio Cooke recently. He has quite the life story which I covered briefly in an earlier blog article. I was rereading the magazine article that Mark Cannon wrote for the MUM back in April 2006. The article was incredible and it ended with Mark discussing the difficulty he had trying to locate the grave of Harry Cooke. He eventually discovered it with the help of magic historian, Diego Domingo. There is a great photo in the magazine of Mark kneeling in front of the grave.

I realized that I never included Harry Cooke in my The DeadConjurers blog. So I went online and found another photo in Find-A-Grave.com. The photo owner Don Lynch kindly gave me permission to use the photo that he took of the grave. Thanks Don!

But I also found something else of interest. I found the photo of a grave belonging to 'The Infants of HG Cooke and LM Cooke' in Illinois. I'm 99% sure this grave belongs to two children of Harry and Louisa. They lived in Illinois before moving out west to California. It's likely these two children died in childbirth.

Harry Cooke and his wife are buried in Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, the same cemetery where Harry Kellar is buried. Incidentally, they were good friends.

Photo used with permission of Don Lynch

In Search of Maro, Prince of Magic

I'm currently working on a special project about The Great Maro. His real name was Walter Truman Best and he was a popular Chataqua and Lyceum performer. He died in 1908 at the young age of 39. But before he died he made connections with a number of interesting characters from the world of magic. These include A.M. Wilson, Silent Mora, Eugene Laurant, J. Elder Blackledge, Karl Germain and Harry Kellar.

His life story is fascinating. Digging up information on him has been exciting, thrilling, difficult at times, and yet really enjoyable. I'm attempting to put together a recreation of part of his act. A previous article I wrote about The Flags of All Nations was actually part of the act I'm working on. And just today I got the inside work to his Meteoric Ribbon Routine.

I'm wondering if anyone out there has information on Maro, or even props and such you'd be willing to share for my project. I'd like to have a powerpoint presentation and if I could have photos of his actual props, that would be so incredible. Anyone with any Maro knowledge, please contact me!
carnegiemagic@me.com

Once the project is complete, I'll post an article about the life of Maro here, and I'll probably begin another season of The Magic Detective Youtube Show with a longer episode about Maro.

Magic Poster Exhibition in Germany

I just received an email from Wittus Witt in Germany notifying me of an exhibition he has of Barkow and Friedlander Posters. The exhibition is at Gallerie-W in Hamburg and runs from June 21 to August 31st, 2015. The hours they are open are Wed-Friday 2pm-6pm and Sunday 12-6pm.

The exhibition is dedicated to two printers, Barkow and Friedlander and the majority of posters appear to be those of Kassner. There are also some pieces of Dante's memorabilia on display as well. Dante performed for quite a long time in Europe before being forced to return to the United States due to the outbreak of war.

The poster on the left is Kassner 'Out of a Trunk' and is actually from my own collection. Please forgive the poor quality of the image as I took it from an older photograph I had of my old studio. Currently, the Kassner poster, along with most of my posters, is in storage.

However, this is not about my collection but rather, Wittus Witt's collection, which you can see if you are in Hamburg this summer. OR, if you're not, you can view the video below and get a good glimpse of the treasures in his collection. By the way, the website for this is http://www.galerie-we.de/

The Flags of All Nations

The Magic Detective is up to his old tricks, actually NEW old tricks. Over these past several months you may have noticed my absence from the blog. This is mainly due to my performing schedule. It's great to be busy! But along the way I luckily and happily stumbled upon a great opportunity. I'm currently working to recreate part of the act of a magician from the past and I'll be presenting it in the Fall.

The act I'm working on is a silk/flag/ribbon act. The key feature of the act is something known as The Flags of All Nations. This was apparently the creation of Johann Hofzinser. Yes, he created more than just card tricks. From what I've found his version was called 'The Patriot'.

It's been a lot of fun digging up information on this old gem. I have also found it in the book, The Modern Conjurer by C. Lang Neil, simply called The Flag Trick, but this book also mentions it was known by other names such as 'The Congress of Nations' and 'The Multiplying Flags'. It was a popular routine in the Victorian era and early 20th Century. And it evolved over time into a very elaborate series of productions.

In it's simplest form it began as several small flags that vanished or transformed into colored ribbons. From the ribbons larger flags would be produced and eventually a giant flag and flagpole! It seems that each performer added his own touches to the routine.

Who performed this trick?  Hofzinser, Eugene Laurant. Edward Maro, David Devant, Karl Germain, LeRoy, Talma and Bosco, J.B. Bobo, and even Harry Blackstone Sr. had a unique twist on the concept. It must have been an extremely popular effect because the trick is featured on a number of stock magic posters.


The Flags of All Nations isn't really made anymore. There have been some small reproductions of parts of the routines in the past, but I've not found the whole thing anywhere. Thankfully, by combing through my large library of historical magic books, I've been able to figure out where to find 'some' of the items required. My most recent acquisition were two Silk Fans which are spring loaded. In the photo above I'm holding the silk fans. These aren't flags, but they will do for what I need. I may end up having larger versions of this item made for the routine.

If you're wondering why this was such a popular routine well there are multiple reasons. People were flocking to the United States in droves during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. They came here to become Americans, but had their roots in other lands. So when a magician produced a flag from the country of their origin it was exciting for them to see. And then when it concluded with the Stars and Stripes, well who would not be proud of that? The wonderful thing about the routine was it was easily adapted to whatever country you were in. For example, if you were in England, the final flag would not be the US Flag but the Union Jack. All the other components of the routine could remain the same but the final flag production would change to the country you were in.

Some performers had to learn the hard way about this. One magician was performing in Canada and finished with the US Flag. It actually got boos from the audience because at the time Canada and the US were involved in a trade dispute. So this magician changed the final flag to that of the Canadian National Flag and had much better results.

I venture to say that once I've finished all the research and found or built all the items, I'll be the only 21st Century magician performing this classic from yesteryear. I'll have more news on my 'recreation' of the act later in the Summer as well as info on whose act I'm recreating. For now, enjoy this image below of a magician who featured The Flags of All Nations (his was called The Flags of The World) prominently in his show.
In addition, check out the incredible Friedlander Stock Image here, and a small image of an incredible LeRoy, Talma and Bosco poster here.

A Unique Piece of Doug Henning's Magic

The illusion above is a Disembodied Princess created for Doug Henning's touring show by Jim Steinmeyer. It was called 'Seeing Through Surrounded' and was the last illusion designed for Doug Henning.

The very first prop of this kind was created by P.T. Selbit and was called The Man Without a Middle. His version was quite different from what many are used to. In the Selbit version, the entire middle section of the box is removed leaving the head section to be held up by two poles.

The next version to come along was created by Carl Owen when he worked for Thayers. He called his version 'The Disembodied Princess' and his version was a vast improvement on the original because the methodology was simplified. In the Carl Owen version, the top door would show the girls head, her legs could be seen in the two sections below. Two large blades would pass through her neck and waist and then the middle box was opened to show that part of her body was gone, even though the legs and head could still be seen.

In the book, P.T. Selbit Magical Innovator, the authors Eric Lewis and Peter Warlock comment that if Selbit had never created The Man Without a Middle Illusion, then Robert Harbin would never have developed his Zig Zag Lady. The Zig Zag was Harbin's way of creating a similar effect with even more advancements.

Getting back to the Doug Henning prop, this was developed because Doug was appearing in a number of 'Theatres in the Round' and they were unable to do the standard Disembodied Princess due to site issues. So 'Seeing Through Surrounded' was built to allow a view of the prop from any angle. A full description of the prop along with it's inner workings appeared in a small booklet called Square One put out by Stan Allen of MAGIC Magazine.

I had read Square One and was instantly fascinated by the line drawings of this prop but was never fortunate enough to see it in action. Imagine my surprise while visiting a Science Museum in Tampa Florida to come upon a large touring feature called The Magic of Science, and among the items on display was this prop once owned by Doug Henning.

Eerie Ghost Image-Is It Houdini?

Several weeks ago I posted the above image from Andrew Basso that was taken at the location of Wm. R. Hamilton's Funeral Home on 3957 Cass St. in Detroit MI. This is where Houdini was embalmed. The photo at the top of the page shows Andrew in front of the Funeral Home. Andrew by the way, is currently touring with the show The Illusionists.


But now it's been discovered there was a ghostly image in the photo all along. It just took a while to discover it. I must admit it's pretty freaky. I don't think it's Houdini. To me it looks more like Edgar Allan Poe. What do you think?

10 Legendary Magicians LINK

This is a link to a very interesting article on 10 Legendary Magicians You've Probably Never Heard About. It's a strikingly good list to be honest. I can't help but wonder if the writer has some knowledge of magic history. No sources are listed where he got the information. And sadly, there some bad choices for photos. The Robert Heller photo is NOT Robert Heller the magician. The DeKolta photo is also a stock image, not the real magician. But other than that, it's an interesting choice of people. I'm personally glad that Robert Heller made the list. I'm also kind of saddened that Doug Henning, Howard Thurston and Harry Kellar made the list. They deserve to be on the list, don't get me wrong, but the fact that they are not remembered by the public today is unfortunate.

I'm curious what your list might have been? I probably would have swapped Pinetti for Hofzinser, and combined Adelaide with Alexander Herrmann so that I could include Signor Blitz. I really don't think I would have put Doug Henning on the list though because he is too modern and I do think despite the fact he is not a major celebrity, a lot of people today still know of him. So that would have left one spot......hmmmm Blackstone? No, that name still is remembered thanks to his son. Probably, Dante.

Mystery Photo of Houdini

I don't recall seeing this photo before, though maybe some of you have. I know where it's from and I do have an additional photo to go with it. Just wondering if anyone else can identify it? I did so poorly on my first attempt trying to stump you all. If you have an idea, put it in the comments below.
NO USING GOOGLE to FIND IT!!!!!!!

The above photo comes from Oakland California. The site is the Tribune Tower which was still under construction at the time. The year was 1923 and Houdini hung from the unfinished 9th story of the building. 40 years later another escape artist would duplicate the same escape from this same location effectively beginning his career in escapes.

What Houdini Landmark Is This?

Here is a mystery photo. I'm curious to see if anyone can figure out what site this is and why it's important to the overall Houdini story? Just post your guesses in the comments section. Good Luck!

The Houdini Museum In the News

I have to admit something which I'm not happy about. I've not been to the Houdini Museum in Scranton PA. Why haven't I? That's a good question, for which I don't have a good answer. BUT, I can tell you that I'll be making a trip up there fairly soon!

The museum is run by Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz. You should all be very familiar with them at this point in time. Their efforts to help and promote the name of Houdini in the past few years are incredible. Their latest effort of course was getting that film footage that Larry Weeks had into a better safer home. Had it not been for Dick and Dorothy, I hate to think what might have happened.

But, let's get to the museum. They've been getting a lot of press lately and the most recent article is from Getawaymavens.com. The article lists the best things to do in Scranton and a visit to their Houdini Museum tops the list! I think for any magic fan and especially Houdini fan, a visit to their museum is a must do!

The photo below shows Dorothy and Dick and their holding a vest once worn/owned by HOUDINI himself. They brought the vest with them to the Turner Classic Movie Film Festival in California recently. This is just one of the wonderful items that they'll share with you during the tour. In the photo at the top I can see images of Houdini's Father and Mother hanging side by side on the wall. So much cool stuff! I can't wait to go there in person so I can give a much better description of everything. Until then, if you are in Scranton, please arrange a visit!

Open year round Saturdays and Sundays, in July and August Daily. Only one tour and show (plan on 3 hours) per day, $17.95 adults, $14.95 under 11. You must CALL for RSVP (570-342-5555). The museum is in a house on a very busy main street, with a parking lot in the back.

Magic On TV Update

Wizard Wars from the SyFy channel has been cancelled. This is really a shame as it was a fun show and I know a lot of lay people who loved watching it. On the flip side of things, apparently the WB which was showing reruns of Penn and Teller Fool US from England has now ordered a new batch of shows. So this week, Penn and Teller will be filming a new round of FOOL-US from their home in Las Vegas! Host Jonathan Ross will be back as well P&T. I really enjoyed season 1 of the show, so I expect the same from season 2.

Gay Blackstone's Masters of Illusion will also be back on the CW. Syfy has a number of other magic TV shows like Troy and Close-up Kings. Of all the shows I've mentioned, I have not seen Troy or Close-up Kings. But I've enjoyed the others. I fully expect to see even more magic on TV in the coming months/years.

S.A.M. President HOUDINI Returns to the S.A.M.

I just saw this over at the SAM website. HOUDINI via his movie The Grim Game will be making an appearance at this years (2015) SAM National Convention in Philadelphia. They will be showing the movie during the convention and Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz will be on hand at the convention to answer questions regarding the movie.

The SAM Press Release notes that Houdini was President of the SAM when The Grim Game was made. In fact, Houdini was President of the Society right up until the time of his death. His grave even has the emblem of the Society of American Magicians as part of it's decoration.

It should be noted that this viewing is for registrants of the convention only, no outside tickets will be sold. To read the entire press release, go here...

A Special TCM Thanks For Dorothy and Dick

I was not present at the special screening of The Grim Game last Sunday at the TCM Classic Film Festival. I was surely there in spirit however. Much has been made about how this 'lost' movie found it's way to the light of day. Frankly, it was Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz who took the initiative to get the ball rolling and thankfully helped in bringing this film to the light of day again.

In addition to all Dorothy and Dick did for The Grim Game, they were also special guests at the TCM Classic Film Festival and they gave an introduction to Houdini. Before the screening of The Grim Game, Dorothy presented a straightjacket escape and did a card routine using one of Houdini's actual vests. It set the mood for what was about to happen and the folks at the TCM Classic Film Festival were thrilled. They sent Dorothy and Dick a very glowing letter of thanks, and D&D shared it with me to share with you all.

Happy Birthday Houdini!!!!

Yes, here we go again! This day, April 6th, is the day that Houdini celebrated as his birthday. For all I know, it was the date he actually believed was his birthday. It's so fascinating that every year goes by, Houdini gets more popular while others of his time fade into obscurity. Oh heck, what am I saying, people from 10 years ago have faded into obscurity, Houdini was born 141 years ago and if he hasn't faded from the scene yet, he likely never will.

Happy Birthday Harry!

Houdini on American Heroes Channel

I just watched a show on the American Heroes Channel called Americas Most Bad-Ass. It's a historical match up between 4 different famous people. In the episode tonight, the match-ups were Neil Armstrong, Teddy Roosevelt, John Dillinger and Harry Houdini. There are at least two so called experts per contestant, we got, Larry Sloman, co-author of The Secret Life of Houdini and NY magician Matthew Holtzclaw. I honestly had not heard of any of the other folks who represented the other three people.

First off, whose idea was it to pit Houdini against an astronaut? Really? The choice of stories told for Houdini were not the best in my opinion. They opened with Houdini's first straight jacket escape in Washington D.C.. You know what, I can think of someone else a little better prepared to talk about HOUDINI in WASHINGTON D.C. than the two guys they had on the show. Call me crazy, but I do know someone who has written quite a lot about it and has actually been to both locations where he did his upside down straight jacket escapes, as well as researched all his challenges in the area, where he stayed while he was in D.C. and many other aspects of his D.C. escapes.

The second story they choose was the Houdini Frozen Over Belle Island Bridge Escape, which was not frozen over, though, they again throw out that falsehood. I can think of someone who did a fantastic article on Houdini's Belle Island Jump recently. Maybe they should have talked to him. In fact John Cox and yours truly may have been able to provide enough information that would have helped Houdini fare a little better than he did on the show.

They brought up Teddy Roosevelt flying in a plane, not flying the plane, but flying in a plane. But no mention of Houdini's historic First Flight in Australia where he actually flew the plane.  Now, in truth, the show is very tongue in cheek and more of a fun way to share history than an actual contest. But I think if you're going to share history, let's get it right.

In my book, the first man to walk on the moon, pretty much beats anyone. Did he? You'll have to watch the show for yourself.  But if you want a really fun test, ask any school child, ask some teens, ask some 20 and 30 year olds who Armstrong, Roosevelt, Dillinger and Houdini were. My bet is, Houdini will come out as the best known of the bunch, even beating the astronaut. But then again, I'm slightly biased :)

Houdini - Detroit Landmark

My friend Andrew Basso is an escape artist from Italy. He is truly an International Escape Artist however. He is one of the featured performers in the show The Illusionists that is currently touring the United States. Andrew has been checking out various Houdini hotspots along the tour route.

A few weeks ago, I saw a photo of Andrew wearing the actual Steel Straight Jacket used by Tony Curtis in the movie Houdini. This was in the collection of someone in Canada (I think). I occasionally will get a text from Andrew asking about Houdini's connection to this city or that city. And this morning, I sent him some information on Detroit.

As you may or may not know, most of the landmarks in Detroit connected to Houdini are long gone. But there is one that still remains, Wm. R. Hamilton's Funeral Home on 3957 Cass St.. This is where Houdini was embalmed by John Fraser, one of the employees at the funeral home. The photo at the top of the page shows Andrew in front of the Funeral Home.

If you have not seen The Illusionists, I would encourage  you to do so. Andrew does an upside down Straight Jacket Escape and The Water Torture Cell during the show. He is a very charismatic performer with very humble approach to his art. That seems like a contradiction, but it's not. Andrew is not over the top, not bombastic, he is likeable, friendly and you'll find yourself rooting for him to defeat his bonds while he attempts his escapes. Check him out in The Illusionists on tour!

The Grim Game-Houdini's Best Movie

I believe it is tonight, March 27th, when a whole new generation of people will get to see, for the first time, the cinematic magic of HOUDINI. Not, Tony Curtis, Paul Michael Glaser, Harvey Keitel or some other actor portraying Houdini, but instead, the real honest to goodness Harry Houdini. Tonight, at the TCM Film Festival, audiences will get to see The Grim Game for the first time in many many years. As far as the motion picture industry was concerned, this movie was lost. Only a small 5 minute segment of film seemed to remain from the original print. The magic world, at least some of us in the magic world knew otherwise. We knew a print existed though it's condition was anyone's guess.

Thankfully, through the tireless work of Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks from the Houdini Museum in Scranton, Rick Schmidlin a Film Preservationist, along with Turner Classic Movies the movie was purchased from it's previous own, Houdini collector Larry Weeks and tonight the movie will make it's 21st Century debut.

I have a wish, and I doubt it would come true, but I would love to see this movie get released to movie theatres all over the country and then perhaps find it's way to get nominated by the Academy Awards Committee for some honor. If nothing else, perhaps it's time to recognize HOUDINI for his contribution to Movie Making.

Oh, by the way, I was slightly incorrect when I said that HOUDINI aka Tony Curtis wasn't going to be there. Actually, according to the list of movies at the Festival, the 1953 Paramount movie HOUDINI, starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, will be showing at the Turner Classic Movie Film Festival. I know we will get a full report from our friend John Cox about these movies. And I'm sure we will hear from Dick and Dorothy as well as they will be at the festival as well. Exciting times to be a Houdini fan!


UPDATE: Ok, I got the date wrong! It's tomorrow night. That doesn't make me any less excited about this. I'm going to throw things over to John Cox who is THERE and has been following this much better than I have. John runs WildAboutHoudini and if you don't know that you are either new to all this stuff or living under a rock. Here is his latest post about the movie, http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2015/03/tomorrow-grim-game-will-be-free.html

Remembering Cesareo

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the passing of Cesareo Pelaez, my friend and the leader of The LeGrand David Spectacular Magic Show on Beverly MA.. I was just about to put in the video of their  show that Cesareo gave me years ago, and that's when I remembered what day this was. Sure miss him and all my Beverly/LGD friends.

Update: I suppose that the above was hardly enough of a remembrance. It was more of a mention. Cesareo seems to creep up in conversations several times a week. I stay in touch with one of the members of the company so I often hear things about him that I didn't know. I suppose I'm reminded of Cesareo every day really because one of his costumes hangs in my office as well as a painting I did of him. On Sunday, I had the good fortune to show my friend Bobby a video of Cesareo performing the Floating Table, which was one of Cesareo's signature routines. I tried to win that table during the auction and sadly my final bid did not go through, and I lost it to someone else. That's not important though. What is important is the positive impact Cesareo had on my life and many others through his magic and teachings. He was a remarkable person.

Houdini's Birthday?

For years we have all celebrated March 24th, 1874 as Houdini's birthday, or more appropriately, Ehrich Weiss's birthday. Is this true? Houdini always said he was born April 6th. Hardeen stated the same thing. Walter Gibson and Dunninger also stated the same thing.

I just read an article that said one evening Dr. Leopold Weiss, Houdini's brother, was confronted at a party that had some magicians present. They asked him about the March 24th Birthday. The brother replied "That's nonsense! He was born in Appleton, April 6th!". This is the very same brother that Houdini stopped speaking too because he had married his brother Nathan's wife.

That article in question is by Bob Lund and was printed in the October 1971 issue of Linking Ring. The title of the article was 'Somewhere West of Budapest, Somewhere East of Appleton' starting on page 34. The craziest thing in the article is the reproduced letter from Gladys, Houdini's sister to Bess Houdini. In the letter she tells the story of a young infant boy named Ehrich who died in Budapest after taking a fall. And then she writes, "newborn children are named for the departed." So does this show that there were TWO EHRICH Weiss's? Harry being the second Ehrich? So he had two birthdates, two birthplaces and there were two of him?

It's late and that article was a lot to wrap my head around. For now I'll just wish Harry A Great Birthday!!!!! The rest of you go find the article in AskAlexander and read it for yourself.

UPDATE: Let me say, I do think Houdini was born March 24th (Today) but this article mentioned a lot of unusual things. I don't ever recall hearing the 'other Ehrich' story before but apparently it is mentioned in two previous biographies. It just goes to show that the more we learn of Houdini, the more fascinating he becomes. Happy Birthday Harry!!!

'Houdini & Doyle' TV Show Just Announced

This is surprising and quite fascinating. I just read on broadcastingcable.com that Fox just picked up a 10 episode drama based on the lives of Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It will apparently be some sort of crime drama where the two investigate crimes of a supernatural nature. That should be interesting. Houdini says, "FAKE! Next!" and Doyle says, "Genuine Phenomenon if I ever saw it!" lol.

I hope it's a little better than a previous Houdini TV program. 

Houdini's Death Certificate

I'm not sure if I've seen this before, but thanks to www.seekingmichigan.org it's online for all to see.
There are some interesting things on this document. First, his name is listed as Harry Houdini, not his real name Ehrich Weiss. Next, his profession is listed as 'ACTOR & LECTURER', not magician. His date of birth is April 6th, 1874 and his birthplace is Appleton Wisconsin. I'm going to have to go back into my records and see, but I wonder, did Houdini know of his real birthplace and date. I probably knew this and just don't remember.

Finally, Cause of Death are all the various things we have heard in the past: Diffuse Peritonitis, Streptococcic, Ruptured Appendix.

Alexander The Man Who Knows- Book Review

This is going to be a short book review. Why? I'll tell you at the end. But first, the book is called Alexander The Man Who Knows by David Charvet it's published by Mike Caveney's Magic Words and there are two editions. The book first came out in 2004, but shortly after the publication, a bunch of new information came to light. So Mike Caveney and David Charvet decided they would do a second edition after the first one sold out. In 2007, the second edition with updated information was published.

On the opening page there is a black and white photo of Claude Alexander Conlin, wearing a top hat, smoking a cigarette, and wearing a tuxedo. The text to his left reads:

Alexander

The Man Who Knows

Mindreader

Charlatan

Extortionist

Bootlegger

Bigamist

Murderer

Magician

What more do you need to know? The book is exceptionally well researched. It's filled with incredible photos and stories. It's an easy read and it's a highly entertaining read. This is actually the second time I've read the book. I had read the original 2004 edition shortly after it came out and loved it. I just got this newer edition, and loved it again.

I've often said that there are so many wonderful magicians who deserve to have their life stories turned into movies. Houdini has had this honor several times. Robert-Houdin should have a bio-pic, Harry Kellar, Howard Thurston, Max Malini, Chung Ling Soo, and without question Claude Alexander Conlin-The Man Who Knows.

In a previous post I had written that there had been a movie called "Eternally Yours" starring David Niven that was apparently based loosely upon the life of Alexander. I am not sure where I heard that bit of trivia, but I don't think it's true. So the time is ripe to have a movie about one of magics more colorful characters. Part con-man, part motivational speaker, part magician, Alexander was a fascinating individual.

Normally, I share a little bit more about the book, and in a previous Alexander post, I did tell more about his life but don't even click the link to the previous post (unless you're unable to get a copy of the book). Honestly, this book is so fascinating, just go out and buy it and read it. It's available through Mike Caveney's website.