Blackstone Auction by Potter and Potter

photo used with permission

On Oct 28, 2017, Potter and Potter will have another auction, this time The Blackstone Auction. The bulk of this auction comes from Dan Waldron's collection. And I should add, what a collection it is! Looking over the catalog, there are things here I didn't know still existed. I remember, the Blackstone Jr. Auction from a few years ago. There were a few Harry Sr. items in that auction. But this auction is mostly Harry Sr. with only a few things from Harry Jr. and then a whole lot of other historical  magic items as well.

Some of the highlights for me are the costumes. Wow! The Harry Blackstone Sr. tuxedo is remarkable because it looks JUST LIKE Harry Sr! You could make no mistake of who owned and wore this tuxedo. Much like Harry Jr who had very signature looking tuxedo jackets, this one has a particular cut to it that just screams BLACKSTONE!

There are many costumes from the female assistants too and they are incredible. One small let down, there are none of Adele Friel Rhindress's costumes. She was the Elusive Moth in the Blackstone show. But still the fact that these other costumes survive is amazing.

There are also two male tuxedo jackets that belongs to the male assistants. These come with a photograph with Harry and two gentlmen wearing the very same jackets. These would look amazing in a museum display recreating the image in the photograph!

My favorite costume here other than the Blackstone tux is the Lantern Jacket, worn during the Lantern Trick. This also comes with a photo of the costume as it appeared in the show.

I've got to admit, I'm also quite enamored with the artwork contained in the auction. There are a

number of really wonderful drawings and paintings. The standout painting I think would be the one which is featured on the cover of the auction catalog, by artist Salvatore Salla. Mr. Salla had a number of magic related paintings over the years and this one is wonderful.

I also really like the painting that former assistant and famous in his own right, George Johnstone painted (see image right). There are also two paintings by one of Blackstone's former wives, Inez Blackstone which are really amazing. I think those would have an even more collectable appeal because one depicts Blackstone and was painted by his wife!



Another one of the true gems of the auction are the Blackstone Scrapbooks. There is one that is listed as 'Pre-Frederick and Pre-Blackstone'. WOW! This was when Harry was still Harry Bouton, and performing with his brother in the act known as Straight & Crooked Magic. There are other scrapbooks as well, some from the 20s, some from the 40s, some from Blackstone assistants. Countless unpublished photos within.

You'll find photos, posters, personal belongings, props, like Blackstone Sr's birdcage and much much more. Then you'll also find a few items from Harry Jr., like Harry Jr's birdcage, a signed handkerchief,  and even a special Casadega Cabinet built by Bill Smith. There are 6 pages of Blackstone Jr. items.

Then we come to the section on apparatus. There are many great pieces, but hidden among them is a Houdini item. A pair of Houdini's Lily Irons, known as King Breakers. I'm going to have an article about 'King Breakers' on the blog in October, so I'm not going to say a lot about them, other than you should check them out.

For the Houdini fan, you'll find a few Houdini items in the books section. But when you get to the Ephemera section, you'll see a photo of Harry, that I sure don't recall, though maybe it is familiar to other folks. This photo is inscribed to Professor Hoffmann, of Modern Magic, Later Magic and More Magic fame.  There are a number of Houdini items including letters, other photos and something that solves a mystery that I had been working on. Again, there will be something on that next month. (Yes, expect a lot from me in October)

Also, of note in the Ephemera section are three works of art by Okito, called Marquetry panels which are inlaid wood used to create a picture. They are incredible.

Just when you think you've gotten to the end of the catalog, there is one more section, the final one is the Poster section. There are eleven pages of vintage magic posters. Some of the highlights here include Carter-Sawing in Half, Thurston Million Dollar Mystery, and Thurston Whippet, and a Chung Ling Soo/Suee Seen poster among many others.

All in all, another impressive catalog and will no doubt be another exciting auction by Potter and Potter. The auction takes place October 28th, 2017. Please visit their site for more information and to order the catalog or download it.

All the photos above come from the Blackstone Auction Catalog and are used with permission of Potter and Potter Auctions.

Escape Artist Steve Baker, aka Mr. Escape, Has Died

My friend and mentor, Steve Baker has passed away. He died at 11:11pm on Saturday Sept 16th, 2017 at his home in Illinois. His wife Julie, who was his faithful assistant throughout his career was by his side when he passed. Steve had been ill for quite a long time, but recently suffered several mini strokes which he did not recover from.

In the 1970s and 80s, Steve Baker was all over TV with his fabulous escapes. His career started a few years earlier when he hung upside down in front of the Tribune Tower Building in Oakland CA to recreate Houdini's Upside Down Strait Jacket Escape. Steve freed himself from the jacket in record time and it began his full time career in 1967.

Steve was known professionally as Mr. Escape. You might wonder where he got the name from? Well, the name had been used briefly by Steranko. According to Steve Baker, he asked Steranko if he could use it. A little known fact, when Steve Baker did his Tribune Tower Escape he was known as The Great Gerhart, so he was in need of a good stage moniker. 

Steve was a favorite of Dick Clark the TV celebrity and producer. In the 70s, Dick Clark invited Steve to present many daring escapes on his various TV shows. His very first was on Dick Clark LIVE Wednesday on NBC. Steve presented a thrilling version of Houdini's Water Torture Cell Escape.  He followed that appearance up with his Coffin of Death, and then a return visit had him doing a Double Hanging Strait Jacket Escape. Steve also did a challenge escape from a device created by one of the home viewers.

In the 1980s, Dick Clark had a show in CBS called Dick Clark LIVE, and Steve was again, brought on to do numerous escapes. Among those was his Tug of War Rope Tie, his Water Tank of Death, and a very thrilling original escape he called Death Race.

Despite his ability to free himself from anything, his life was not always so carefree. A freak accident while performing the Coffin of Death for the International Brotherhood of Magicians Convention, left him with severe burns on his hands.

In the mid 1990s, Steve was hit by a car in the parking lot of a grocery store which brought about numerous complications. Imagine that, the guy who had been chained to cars and was able to free himself, was hit by a car when not even chained. Life has an ironic way of playing out sometimes.

Though he tried to restart his career following this, it never really came back. He appeared on one episode of MindFreak and later was escape consultant for Andrew Basso on a TV Special  he was doing in Italy. Privately, Steve and I worked on some things we were going to do but his health gradually deteriorated until he was unable to perform anymore.

Steve had a love/hate relationship with the Escape Community. He had bitter rivalries with a number of escape artists. Probably the most prominent feud was with Norman Bigelow. Most people were unaware however that the two were good friends and respected each other greatly. Though the feud was real at one point in their lives, they preferred to keep it going publicly because they were hoping to face each other in an escape contest. All the details were worked out, but Steve's health and frankly his financial situation prevented it from eventually happening.  But please know, in the end the two finished their lives as fast friends.

This was not the case with others in the escape world. Steve Baker could hold a grudge, lol. And for now, I won't mention those other people. I think he was more connected to the Magic Community than any where else because he began his career as a magician. Most people are unaware that Steve did comedy magic for a long time, and he also had a mentalism act.

Steve Baker remained in the care of his loving wife Julie for the past several years. He lived a very private and secluded life. He no longer had email or internet access, and only a couple people even had his phone number. He preferred to be left alone I believe. When he lived in California,  I used to talk to Steve several times per week. Then when he moved back to Illinois, it was a couple times a month, then once a month, and after his stint in a nursing home rehab, it became several times a year. He always seemed to remember me when I called, but his short term memory had issues. He could remember things from long ago, but remembering things in the short term was a struggle for him.

He was one interesting character. For those who knew him, the regular every day Steve Baker, he was a super nice guy. He was not ego-driven like his on stage persona. His onstage character had the same bravado as Houdini.  In the end, he was just a performer who wanted desperately to get back out there in front of audiences because that is what he enjoyed most, entertaining people.  Life and health just got in his way. RIP my old friend, there surely will not be another like you.

Willard The Wizard

Harry Willard

One night this summer, I some how found myself in the world of Willard the Wizard. I had come across a VHS tape titled 100 Years of Willard. In regards to quality, it's awful, but if you're talking about content it was very interesting.  I think the video dates back to 1995, and I'm not even sure where I picked it up at. Probably one of my late night eBay purchases.

On the video numerous people share their recollections of the Willard show. These are not people like myself who have only read about Willard, these are people who saw him LIVE, and many who knew him and worked for him or with him.  The consensus among these folks was that Willard was THE BEST magician of the 20th Century, even better than our modern day performers. Of course these are just opinions, and if one or two people had said this, I could take it with a grain of salt. But many many people shared this same opinion. But it wasn't just folks on this video. Arthur LeRoy in the November 1950 issue of The Sphinx also said Willard was the Greatest. The Great Virgil, who was no slouch when it came to magic said in Sept 1950, "There has never been a greater magician than Willard." So I think it's important to delve into the life of this man...

HISTORY
The first thing I discovered is that there were a LOT of Willard the Wizards. There was James, the original, who was born and traveled throughout Ireland with his tent show. Then there was James the second, the son of the original who moved to the US and became the first U.S. Willard the Wizard. Then there were his three sons, Harry, Tommy and Bobby, all of whom would eventually become Willard the Wizards. Bobby the eldest son, who was born in the 1880s went back to Europe to tour as Willard the Wizard there. He then took the tour to Australia and died in 1913. Harry Willard was born in 1895 and the youngest brother, Tommy was born in 1903. Both Harry and Tommy would take out shows of their own, replacing their papa James, who became the business manager.

In 1936, Papa Willard passed away, and then a few weeks later Tommy passed away. All the props and equipment from Tommy's show went to Harry. Harry Willard would go on to to be the best known of the Willard the Wizards. But surprisingly, among the family, they all felt that there was no better Willard the Wizard than Papa James. Unfortunately, we know little about his performances.


From an article on Willard in the Nov 1950 of The Sphinx, I learned something very surprising.

When you attended a Willard The Wizard show, you were not bombarded with pitch items. There were no programs, no t-shirts, no toys, no magic sets, nothing to buy beyond the ticket. (I'm not sure about concessions, like popcorn and soda, however). This was a long standing tradition with the Willard's going back to the very original Willard. The feeling was they were performing artists and it was their responsibility to give the best theatrical performance they could. The price of the ticket was enough for them. How different it is today. When attending any sort of show, whether it's a sporting event, concert, circus,play, musical, or magic show, there is a great deal to buy afterwards. Why? Well, people like souvenirs, many folks collect these things. Memorabilia is big business. Plus, it helps to cover many costs associated with putting on a live show. In other words, it's good business. But the feeling from the Willard Show 70 years ago was that you were a huckster to sell such things. It just goes to show how it is a bad idea to judge history by modern sensibilities.

Several sources mention that Harry Willard performed in the style and manner of Alexander Herrmann. Again, I'm assuming that connection is made by folks who were familiar with both entertainers. We know that Herrmann was an especially charismatic performer and was known to be quite funny as well. So I would assume that Willard possessed those qualities as well. An interesting point that was made in an article by Walter Blaney is how humble and unassuming Harry Willard was offstage. In fact, you'd never know he was Willard the Wizard when he was offstage. But when it was showtime he would totally command the stage!

One thing that set Willard apart from other magicians of the time, and possibly the reason he is not better known, was because the Willard show was a tent show. They traveled with a huge circus style tent from town to town. Unlike Thurston, Dante, and Blackstone who were theater performers, Willard was on his own stage every appearance. The show was also a regional show, traveling to mainly areas in Texas in Louisiana. But folks from those areas who saw Harry Willard, all had the same opinion of how great the show was. No less than Walter Blaney said, "He was the BEST magician in the world!". 

Among his performing material he presented, the Metamorphosis, the Dolls House, Selbit's Stretching a Lady, Girl Without a Middle, multiple different levitations, Glass lined trunk, Cremation, the Spirit Cabinet, the Costume Trunk and on and on it went. They traveled with three different shows because over the course of the time they were in a town, they would present all three programs. Just amazing to consider.

Of his performing material, there are some pieces that really stand out. One of those was his Thumb Tie. No one has ever done a better, more convincing thumb tie than Harry Willard. Virgil is quoted in the Willard the Wizard book by Bev Bergeron, "My personal thought on the thumb tie is that there never has been one as good before Willard and I doubt if there ever again will be one as good."

Another classic from the Willard show is The Spirit Cabinet. The version Harry presented was the Anna Eva Fay Spirit Cabinet. He performed it with his wife and later in life he taught his daughter Frances to perform the part of the medium in the routine. Frances Willard later went off to perform the Willard Spirit Cabinet with her husband Glenn Falkenstein for years after. From what I have heard, there is a new generation trained to do The Willard Spirit Cabinet, Frances's daughter Hannah and her husband, Michael Ammar.

One illusion really stands out, The Cannon and Nest of Boxes. I have seen such performed by Blackstone Jr., Mark Wilson, and others. Usually. the illusion involves a rather large and frankly fake looking cannon that the girl climbs into and is apparently shot INTO the boxes. But Willard used a real cannon. The assistant was strapped to the mouth of the cannon, and when it went off, a huge puff of smoke and a very large BANG! In that moment she vanished! No coverings, she simply vanished. Oh man I wish I had seen this as it sounds spectacular! And of course she was discovered moments later inside a nest of boxes. I should point out, because other writers have also pointed it out, that the nest of boxes were awfully small, which made the illusion even more sensational and bewildering.

Harry Willard died at the age of 74 in San Antonio Texas. He had just received a Performing Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts in February of 1970, a few months before he passed. I have purposely left off the bigger details of the lives of the Willards as I didn't think I could do it justice from the little information I have used as source material. There is a book by David Charvet, published by MC Magic Words called, Willard: A Life Under Canvas, that will surely do a far better job of detailing the life of Harry Willard and his family than I can do here. I actually, don't have a copy of the book, which now is top on my list of books to get! And if you'd like to learn more about Willard the Wizard, I would encourage you to try and find Bev Bergeron's book Willard the Wizard or David Charvet's book Willard: A Life Under Canvas.

Bill Tarr Author Of The Best Selling Magic Book Of All Time

Bill Tarr on cover of Now You See It Now You Don't Notebook

Back in 1976, a new book of sleight of hand appeared in book stores across the United States. The book was called Now You See It, Now You Don't by author Bill Tarr. The book was illustrated by Barry Ross. The book was divided into sections on cards, coins, and billiard balls. The action of each sleight or maneuver was captured wonderfully in the line drawings done by Barry Ross.  Now You See It, Now You Don't is the all time best selling book in the history of magic.

The following year, Bill Tarr followed up with 101 Easy To Learn Classic Magic Tricks. This book was illustrated by Frank Daniel in a very similar style to that of Barry Ross. In 1978, Bill Tarr again came out with another book on sleight of hand, The Second Now You See It Now You Don't and Barry Ross was back as illustrator. Again the book was broken into chapters and delved even further into sleight of hand and manipulation style magic.

For folks growing up in the 1970s, these books, which by the way were published for the general public, were our first exposure to many of magics secrets of manual dexterity. In the 1800s, there was Modern Magic, Later Magic and More Magic by Professor Hoffmann. In the 1930s  and later you had the Tarbell Course in Magic, though this was not for the general public. But in the 1970s the Now You See It Now You Don't Books were the go to book for budding young magicians.

In 1998, Bill Tarr put out another book, this time through magic book publisher Kaufman and Company, the book was called The Now You See It, Now You Don't Notebook. Tarr also put out a video on Basic Card Sleights, Natural Sleight of Hand, and Basic Coin Techniques, as well as a number of tricks including Dazzle and Steel Fingers. Earlier in his life he wrote a column called Slik Sleights for The Conjurors Magazine from Dec 1947 to September 1948.

Who was this fellow Bill Tarr? He was born May 31st 1925 in New York City, NY. At 10 years old he became interested in magic. He would often frequent Max Holden's Magic Shop, as well as Flosso's Magic Shop. This is at a time when folks like Dai Vernon, Doc Daley, Jean Hugard and others were in town, and Bill would watch and study them from afar.

As a teenager he began to do shows around NYC. This was the early 1940s just as World War 2 was starting. Many of the regular magicians were getting drafted, so this left a lot of work for Bill. Though much of the work was not high paying, it was great experience and his audiences were fantastic.  At 17, he enlisted in the Navy and was trained in meteorology. He was stationed in a secret U.S. base  in Siberia. He severed honorably for 3years.

Bill Tarr in 1947

In the December 1947 issue of The Conjurors Magazine, there is an article on Bill Tarr which states that after his time in the Navy he intended on making magic his full time profession.  Despite his life long interest in magic, Bill Tarr actually became a well known sculptor. His most famous piece is was a massive memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King which took 2 years to complete at a cost of $53,000.  The memorial to Dr King is located right next to Lincoln Center. According to Mr. Tarr, "It's probably the largest welded steel sculpture in the country, maybe the world...120 feet in girth and weighing 63 tons."

Besides being a prestigious sculptor, Tarr also occasionally performed a mental act with his wife Yvonne.

Bill Tarr died from Parkinson's disease on November 7th, 2006. He was 81 years old.

It appears all of his books are still available. I don't think the videos are produced any more however.

Special Note: The 'Best Selling Magic Book' quote was from 1988, I don't know if any magic book for the public has since set a new record.

Throwing Cards Blog Features Carnegie!

My buddy Gary Brown over at  The Propelled Pasteboards blog has featured a promotional piece I created earlier this year as both a handout, throw card, and pitch item. It was designed to look like a 19th Century Cabinet Card with a tin-type photo image. It came out wonderfully but then I realized the back of the card needed something. So I added contact information and an optical illusion magic piece. I was first given the optical illusion by my friend and fellow performer John Carlson. But the original image was too modern for my taste. So I recreated the optical illusion in more of a Victorian era style.

Coincidentally, the very day the article was posted, I was a theater autographing a ton of these cards for audience members! They've turned out to be a great promo item. The optical illusion trick on the back is one of the things that really makes it a keeper! Thanks again to John Carlson for that tip!

Please go over to the site and check it out for yourself, and while your there, please look at the enormous collection of throw cards that are featured on this site!

Otto Maurer And His Magic Shop

Who was Otto Maurer? I think I first heard the name in connection to the sleight known as the Back Palm. Later, I came upon the name Otto Maurer again, while researching the Coin Casket, or what Maurer called, "The Miraculous Golden Box." But who was this guy Otto Maurer?

He was born Otto Maurer in Gemeisheim Germany on October 28th 1846. He immigrated with his family to America at the age of 5 according to The Perennial Mystics by James Hagy.  MagicPedia says that Maurer was a graduate of a German University and came from Berlin. This information may come from an unidentified clipping in one of Houdini's scrapbooks. I have not yet been able to track down the most accurate information.

In 1872, Otto Maurer opened his magic shop on No 321 Bowery in NY. I believe it was simply a tinsmith shop at first, but because so many magicians came to him asking to have their props repaired, he shifted to a magic shop. In his catalog he makes claims to being a performer as well as builder and even offered lessons in magic. But T. Nelson Downs in a 1924 letter said that Maurer was definitely NOT a sleight of hand performer. That doesn't mean he wasn't a magician, he could have simply used apparatus magic. And speaking of T Nelson Downs, there is a great story that is related in numerous sources about Downs first visit to New York City. Downs stopped into Otto Maurer's shop and told him that he was in town performing, not only that,  he was making $100 a week. Maurer said to Downs, "No magician has ever been paid that kind of money, GET OUT of my shop!" At least one source claims the amount was $150.

Though he issued a catalog with an illustration of a grand storefront on the cover, the Otto Maurer Magic Shop was not a storefront at all, but rather it was a basement location where he built most everything.

An interesting story from W.W. Durbin which appeared in the Dec 1935 edition of The Linking Ring, tells how he (Durbin) ordered a number of things from Maurer and some of it arrived, some of it didn't, some took a while before they arrived. In addition, some of the items were clearly salvaged from (non magic) store bought purchases and then welded or attached in various ways and then gimmicked to produce the desired magic effect. From the description that Durbin gives, it sounds as if Maurer had his own methods on some items as well. And indeed, Otto Maurer did claim to use the very latest methods for his apparatus. For example, the Vanishing Birdcage that Maurer sold was unlike the DeKolta cage that was all the rage at the time. Instead it used a rather unconventional method and a very solid cage.

Otto Maurer covered the issue of potential delayed props on the first page of his catalog. Here is how it reads,  "It being almost impossible to keep a full supply of everything on hand, some articles selling more rapidly than others, all orders cannot be filled from stock. All goods not on hand must necessarily be manufactured after the order has been received, and consequently such orders require time to fill..." It goes on, but the point is, Maurer was letting potential customers know ahead of time, there might be a delay in ordering if it was an item that needed to be built.


In his book, Adventures in Magic, Henry Ridgely Evans shares the story of how when he was 19 years old me went from Baltimore to NY to find Otto Maurer's Magic Emporium. Despite much searching, he could find no store front, no palace of mystery. Finally, he asked someone who guided him to a set of stairs on the side of a building. Henry Ridgely Evans said, "Imagine my astonishment at finding the Aladdin's palace of enchantment in the cellar of a grimy old tumble-down house. My gorgeous dream was dispelled. His magnificent magical salon was a myth, but his heart was in the right place."

In another issue of the Linking Ring, W.W. Durbin describes what the inside of the shop looked like,

and it was not unlike near every magic shop I've ever seen. Photos adorned one wall. There were display cases with various types of apparatus that took up other areas. Sounds pretty standard magic shop with the exception of it's basement entrance. Despite the apparent lack of a fancy establishment, this did not deter magicians of all kinds from frequenting his shop. And clearly, it had a good reputation because folks like Trewy, T. Nelson Downs, Herrmann, Thurston and Houdini all visited the shop and purchased from the shop.

Otto Maurer's big claim to fame seems to be his learning the back palm from a Mexican gambler. This sleight he later showed to Houdini, Thurston and a host of others who used the underground technique to it's fullest. From what I can gather, Dr. James Elliott also learned the sleight from Maurer, and then developed the more impressive Front and Back Palm version. Though others would make claim to that as well. T. Nelson Downs attributes the effect to Elliott.

In 1890 he changed the name of the shop to The Columbia Magic Trick Manufacturing Company.

In 1899 Otto Maurer began to develop health problems. This issues soon made a turn for the worse when he was diagnosed with Cancer. All the money he had saved from his magic shop went into medical bills. He died nearly penniless at the age of 53 at Metropolitan Hospital in NYC on May 15th, 1900. He was survived by a wife, son and a daughter.

Due to his financial situation, he was buried in an unmarked grave in the public area of The Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Queens NY. Magic historian Tom Klem started a GoFundMe.com campaign last August (2016) to raise money for a gravestone for Otto Maurer. The money was successfully raised and a stone has been placed in the cemetery for magic dealer and magician, Otto Maurer.

For a time his son, Otto Jr. took over the shop and moved it's location. But a few years later sold it to Frank Ducrot. And Ducrot also purchased Hornmann's shop, as well as quite a few other magic shops. Otto Maurer Jr. eventually took a job in the music department at a department store.

Images provided by Tom Klem and posted with his permission. A BIG THANK YOU to Tom Klem for working so hard on the project to get a gravestone for Otto Maurer!!!

Carnegie's TEDx Talk

Finally, my video from the TEDx Foggy Bottom event in April has posted! I think my video must have been the last one edited, lol. I will say, the TEDx folks did a fantastic job editing footage from numerous cameras to give a seamless video of my presentation.

As I stated in the past, I had 8 minutes. In that time I had to present a talk on magic history and do a magic trick. I also had to follow the guidelines on what makes a TEDTalk. Afterall, it was their event, and I surely wanted to present something that worked for their program. My talk rounded out at roughly 12 minutes with no magic trick. So I had to cut away various talking points in order to get my talk down to the allotted time.  The final result, though brief, was fun and concise. They were pleased with my final version and the audience liked it as well. Below is my quick talk on magic history!

The Magic of Niagara Falls

Recently, I got to thinking about the famous image of Houdini holding onto a rock at Niagara Falls. As I pondered the drama in that photo (see below), I suddenly began to see all these various connections in the magic world to this beautiful natural treasure of scenic beauty.

However before we can get to the magicians, I need to point out the daredevil who started this whole Niagara Craze. Her name was Annie Edson Taylor and she was born in 1838. At the age of 63 she decided to attempt going over Niagara Falls in a Barrel. She thought it would leave to fame and fortune. On Oct 21st, 1901 Annie made her attempt. And after 20 minutes her barrel was seen bobbing up in down in the water below the falls. She was alive and came out of the barrel unscathed except for a cut on her chin which happened when the lid was being removed from the barrel. Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over Niagara Falls and live. She would repeat the stunt a few years later at another falls.

Though she did gain some modicum of fame from her daredevil stunt, it did not really lead to the kind of riches she had hoped for. She died in poverty in 1921.

Annie's success started a fad of going over the Falls in a barrel and many others followed her daring feat. Some were successful and some died in the attempt.
In an odd twist of fate, or coincidence, Harry Houdini showed up to film his movie The Man From Beyond on the very day that Ms. Annie Edson Taylor was being buried. The whole story on that event can be found over at John Cox's site WildaboutHoudini.com

According to biographer, Milbourne Christopher, Houdini had plans on presenting a spectacular escape at the Falls by being placed into a packing case, sent over the Falls where the crate would smash to pieces on the rocks below and then when it seemed there was no hope for Houdini to be alive, he would mysteriously appear on the shore, to the delight of one and all. But this escape was never presented. The 'stunt' can also be found in Walter Gibson's book, Houdini's Escapes and Magic. Gibson points out that this was an idea, a concept for an escape but it didn't go far beyond the idea phase. I tend to think that given the fact that the stunt had been successfully presented by several other people and that some had died in the process, it would put Houdini more in the realm of copying what someone had already done and I don't think he would have done that, and may be why the 'idea' never went anywhere.

Rather it would seem that Houdini's Niagara Falls adventure begins with the filming of The Man From Beyond. The film had several locations including Lake Placid, NY, Fort Lee, NJ, but the climactic scene with Houdini rescuing the heroine from going over the Falls at Niagara took place at the actual Falls in Ontario. Houdini would be performing some fairly dangerous stunts, like swimming in and against the current to save the damsel in distress. Despite having a safety line attached to him, it was still quite dangerous. I should note, that though Houdini never did the escape as listed in the previous paragraph, we do at least have the film footage of Houdini in Niagara from The Man From Beyond.

Fast forward to June 6, 1968 and Houdini again appears in Niagara Falls Ontario. This time in the form of the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame. For many years, this Museum would be the place that stored and displayed many of Houdini's famous escapes, including The Water Torture Cell. In 1995 the museum burned to the ground in a mysterious fire. The carcass of the Water Torture Cell was later sent to John Gaughan in California where he amazingly restored the cell.

In 1978, for the filming of a magic documentary, James Randi, the escape artist and famous psychic debunker, escaped from a Straitjacket while hanging over a freezing cold Niagara Falls. It was so cold during taping that Randi wore a ski mask to cover his face. He also wore thermal underwear, and if you watch the footage captured on the documentary Houdini Never Died, you'll see Randi having a bit of trouble getting out of the jacket at the end. No doubt the cold and the extra clothing added to the escapes difficulties.



In 1990, for his 12th annual CBS special titled The Niagara Falls Challenge, David Copperfield would close out a special filled with fantastic magic, with an escape that had him apparently going over the Falls in some sort of metal container strapped to a raft. I didn't feel it was his best closer, but not because the escape was weak. In my opinion what made the whole thing weak was the reveal of Copperfield hanging from a helicopter by a wire. He should have taken a page from Houdini's notebook and appeared on the shore or at least swimming to the shore. Still it added another magic feather in Niagara's cap.

The final magic connection is still there, it's the Greg Frewin Theater, owned and operated by magician, illusionist Greg Frewin. Though he became famous for his incredible Dove Act, Frewin has presented Houdini-like escapes in the past. The most notable escape was a packing crate escape presented on the Champions of Magic over the French Riviera in Monte Carlo.

UPDATE: Wait, hold the presses!!!! I just found out one other connection (sort of). It turns out the Niagara Falls area was the final destination of the proposed VEDA-LAND amusement park. This was the TM Amusement park that Doug Henning left magic to spearhead. Of course, it never happened because Doug died before Vedaland was built. And I have my doubts it ever would have been built. But I'll save that conversation for another time.

In the past 100 years, Niagara Falls has drawn, daredevils going over the falls in barrels, giant rubber balls, large metal cans, there have been daredevils who have walked via tight rope OVER the Falls, and of course, you've read above about the various exploits of the magicians. Perhaps, the most magical thing about this location is simply the breathtaking beauty of Niagara Falls itself.

The Wonderful World of Magic Poster Books

Who started this craziness with the Magic Poster books? I think it was Taschen. Actually, it was Charles Reynolds in 1976 with his book of magic posters. It just took everyone else a long time to catch on.

Is it just me, or is anyone else having 'magic poster overload'? ANOTHER book of vintage magic posters has just come out, and like all the previous books it's a beauty. Sorry, I'm not going to rate which one is the best because when it comes to magic posters, I love them all and of the ones I listed below, I have all but one.

Before I tell you about the latest book, let's go back and look at some others. As I mentioned, the first Magic Poster book that I can think of was 100 Years of Magic Posters by Charles and Regina Reynolds. Published by Darien House in 1976, this book was for the general public. And it was printed in multiple languages as well as in a hard cover version and a soft cover version. I never realized it came in different language versions until I went to read the copy I purchased not long ago and realized it was in GERMAN! A quick look online and I found copies in Dutch and in other languages. The book measures 11x16 (at least that is the size of the German edition). The only drawback I can see to the book is that of all the pages of full cover reproductions, in the middle of the book there are 30 pages of posters in black and white. But other than that I know it was an extremely popular book for it's time. I've seen copies sell online from $50-100.

Next we come to the massive Taschen book on Magic Posters, called MAGIC 1400s-1950s.  I was visiting with Ken Klosterman when I first heard about this book. He showed me a copy of the Taschen book on Circuses and mentioned that they were doing a volume on Magic Posters.  The book came out in 2009 and measures 12.5 inches wide, 20 inches tall and 3 inches thick
and weighs about 17 lbs. The books authors are Mike Caveney, Jim Steinmeyer and Ricky Jay and Noel Daniel listed as Editor. A single volume of the book has chapters in English, German and French. Additional copies may have come out in other languages, I'm not sure. The original volume came in a slipcase and even had it's own cardboard carrying box with handle! The posters are in vivid color and are amazing. The only drawback to this book is it's so HUGE you need a special table to display it and frankly you might need a special table just to look through the book because it's so massive. It's a whopping 25 inches wide when you open it up!  Interestingly, the cover of the book features Harry Kellar paging through a massive book on a table. That table was later recreated by Lupe Nielsen of Nielsen Magic, and it was specifically made for this giant Taschen book (see the link).

Taschen was not finished however with magic poster books. In 2013, they put out a slightly smaller edition which measured 10.6 x 15.6 x 2.4 and weighed 12 lbs. I believe there was a third volume as well which was slight smaller than the second edition. Mine is in storage so I can't readily check on it. And then a final version which would measure 13.5 x 9 x 1.4. and weight considerably less than the original (see photo left).

Taschen also put out Magic Poster Calendars, a Gift Box of Magic Poster Postcards, and a Magic Poster Journal. And a quick search through Amazon shows that they also put out a volume of their book in paperback version. I've not seen the paperback version however. All the other books are hardcover books.

Speaking a Nielsen Magic, the massive poster collection of Norm and Lupe Nielsen went up for auction recently, at least part of it. Potter & Potter Auctions created two hard cover catalog books to commemorate the auction. These books, unlike those previous mentioned are in a more manageable size., 11x9. The books are called The Golden Age of Magic Posters-Nielsen Collection Volume 1 and 2. These books are beautifully done.  Because they are catalogs, after the full color photo of the posters, you get a description along with the estimated auction price.  Of course, these prices are estimates, as the final prices the posters sold for varied.

Gabe Fajuri runs Potter & Potter Auctions and he had the two catalogs made. Now he has created a new volume, The Golden Age of Magic Posters Deluxe Edition. Unlike the previous volumes, this book is not a catalog. Rather it is a coffee table book, 9x12 with slip cover. It has 800 posters that appear in the previous volumes but also an additional 100  posters and unique images that were not part of the original set. This volume is a deluxe edition and limited to 200 copies. If you want to pick up a copy of this beautiful book, follow this link https://quickerthantheeye.com/p/posters/the-golden-age-of-magic-posters-deluxe-edition

The latest book is called ILLUSIONS-The Art of Magic and is the companion book to the Allan Slaight Collection being displayed at the McCord Museum in Montreal. The book is gorgeous. I love the sleek black design on the outside of the book. Many of what I would call popular posters are featured in the book, as well as many that seldom seen.

This book is available through Amazon at the following link.https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Art-Magic-Posters-Golden/dp/8874397585/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500084052&sr=8-1&keywords=illusions+the+art+of+magic


There are two other books that rate an honorable mention here. They are not Magic Poster books like those above, but there are loads of magic posters featured in these two books. And both books feature a full color section. The first is Milbourne Christopher's Illustrated History of Magic, and the next is David Price's MAGIC A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theatre.  The Christopher book is still fairly easy to find, a new edition was printed a few years back so I'm sure you can find it on ebay. The Price book is harder to find, though a copy is listed in the upcoming Potter & Potter Auction. If you do not have a copy of that book, and you are into magic history, YOU have to get one!

By the way, if there is a book of magic posters I missed, please let me know. I think there was a book on European Magic Posters, but I don't recall the name of the book, nor do I know the author.

Doug Henning Mania

I know I've been absent for the past few weeks. I missed out on the tour of the Houdini House in NYC. I guess it's the curse of being a performer, and a busy one at that. I don't quite have the amount of time I'd like to do some other things, like explore Houdini's home.

I have been hip deep in shows. But when I'm not out performing I seem to be engrossed in the world of Doug Henning. I'm not exactly sure what started this, maybe it was the new DougHenningProject blog. But I've been watching tons of clips of Henning that I have on old tapes. I've watched most of the old specials. I've purchased some posters and am rereading the excellent book by John Harrison.

 I was certainly inspired by Doug Henning. He and Houdini were two driving forces of my initial

interest in magic. As I look back over my own career I see Henning's influence in much of the material I perform. The Needle Through Mirror still figures prominently in my show, and was featured by Henning on one of his specials. Twilight, a trick by Paul Harris was featured on that same special and was something I did early one and recently relearned it. The Vanishing Nickel, which was the opening trick of Doug's first NBC special was also one of my first tricks. The seashell matrix was another routine that I was always fond of and recently recorded it for my WeeklyWizardry show on Facebook. In my big show we present his Ring in Bread routine which he featured in his last tour and was the creation of Jim Steinmeyer.  Another routine that Doug did was Joe Riding's 3 Card Trick with 4 Cards, which again, I have in my show, but with a very different presentation.  The Rubic's Cube trick from his Broadway Special is yet another one! Gosh, there were more than I realized. What can I say, Doug Henning had an eye for great magic. And of course he had a top notch team of advisors finding that magic for him!

Watching Henning on talk shows is a delight. He excelled in those circumstances. Seeing him LIVE was even better. I was fortunate enough to see his show live 4 times. He always seemed genuine on stage. You never got the impression he was putting on an act, but rather, the guy you saw on-stage was probably very much like his off-stage persona as well.

The one negative thing I will say is the writing on his specials was dreadful. I remember back in the day thinking it was dreadful and it's worse now, lol. But the magic was rock solid.

I have a feeling more Henning magic will be in my shows in the future. After receiving the gift of one of Henning's canes from his Cane Cabinet, I've been giving that illusion serious thought. There are also two illusions that Henning did that I've never seen anyone else do that I think would be wonderful. In fact, I've always thought it would be a great fit for my show. I'll reserve the right to keep the name of it secret for now.

But look at some of the illusions Henning did that others have done. Origami Box, yes Doug was the FIRST to present this beautiful illusion. Walking Through A Mirror, another first. The Water Levitation was pure Henning and the first to do it. The Elevator was a Doug Henning first, though his Elevator had a different method. And even though he wasn't the first to present The MisMade Lady and The Zig Zag Lady, they were certainly most associated with Doug Henning.

Where would we be today without Doug Henning? It's hard to say. He brought magic back to the masses and opened the door to future performers like David Copperfield and the countless others that followed him. Yes, it's true that Doug Henning was a product of his time and seems kind of goofy today. But I encourage you to look beyond the crazy costumes and corny jokes and experience the magic from a guy who truly believed there was real magic in the world! And please check out the DougHenningProject blog as it continues to have great content and interviews with folks who knew and worked with Doug Henning!

LINK: WILD ABOUT HARRY: Inside Houdini's 278

Last Sunday, June 18th, there was an open house at the location of Harry Houdini's home in New York. This would be the first time that many people have ever seen in the inside of the house. I unfortunately, was unable to attend. If I had found out a bit sooner, I would have been there, but as it was I had performances which I was unable to reschedule at the last minute. So I missed an opportunity of a lifetime. Though, something tells me I shall yet see the house one day.


My fellow Houdini-fanatic, John Cox, of WildAboutHoudini.com was there. He has written what I believe is his ultimate Houdini article. I don't believe anything he has written before or in the future will ever top this piece. Writing about history is one thing, experiencing history first hand is another. John got to experience history and not only that, because he has incredible knowledge of Houdini, he was able to figure out things about the house, areas where Houdini had taken iconic photos and more, that the average person just wouldn't know about. Seeing the many additional photos that he included in his article, I must say that even I would have been unable to deliver such a fine piece. His photos of the inside of the house from The American Museum of Magic, really took the article over the top. I will always regret not being able to make it, but like Houdini, I chose the path of performing, and history was a later passion. Still, if the opportunity to explore the house ever comes up again, I do hope I am able to take full advantage. And I'll be carrying John's article with me as I explore the place because it is so rich with details. Thank you John and now folks, please head over there and read all about it (if you have not already done so!)

WILD ABOUT HARRY: Inside Houdini's 278: Last Sunday I spent three remarkable hours inside Houdini's house at 278 West 113th Street in New York City. The occasion was an open...

1953 Houdini and A Pair of Houdini Handcuffs

My fascination with handcuffs began with the scene depicted above from the 1953 movie HOUDINI with Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. In the scene, Harry brings home a pair of cuffs, according to him "they're good ones". And Bess puts them on Harry. She covers his hands with a towel and bing-bang- boom, he is FREE!!!! It's actually a rather stunning performance, because he is out almost instantly, no struggle, no contorting, he is just out. The cuffs in question are called Hamburg 8s and they are an unusual make of cuff.

As you can see by the image to the right, when closed they form a figure 8. They hold the hands quite

securely and don't allow for much movement, unlike ratchet cuffs that have a chain in the middle. By the way, these Hamburg 8s that I'm holding belonged to Harry Houdini. They are now in the possession of his great nephew, John Hinson. And John brought them to the 2016 Yankee Gathering just so I could see them! I was awestruck to say the least. They were very small, but the more I thought about it, I have a pair about that size that I got from Ian McColl a long while ago. My wrists are fairly large so a lot of cuffs seem small to me.

John let me examine them and even 'try' them on. I say 'try' them on, because he didn't bring the key and they were far too small to fit my wrists. I must admit, I had just the tiniest bit of temptation to force them shut on my wrists to see if I could get out. I think I could have gotten them closed, with a fair degree of pain in the process! Common sense quickly stepped in and kicked the temptation to the curb. For the record, I have gotten out of Hamburg 8s before. But I would never put a pair of Houdini cuffs on EVEN if they did fit. These mechanisms inside are 100 years old and the cuffs are worth a LOT of money. If something were to happen and the lock sudden failed or broke, well it would be a disaster for all parties. So I would never lock a pair of Houdini cuffs on me or anyone.

For a long time I was under the impression that Houdini never really encountered a pair of Hamburg 8s because they came out after he passed away. Though I don't have a definite date of manufacture (some say they were patented in the 1930s), I have seen photographic proof of that style cuff existing during Houdini's time, just not on Houdini.  Plus some folks over at the Forum at Handcuffs.org have had a lengthy discussion over it and again, it does seem to  point to  the cuff existing in Houdini's time.  I totally believe that the cuffs John Hinson had did belong to Houdini. Interestingly, there are several versions of the cuff, one with a side key hole, some with flat keys, curved keys, even circular keys. But all lock the same way. I've included a very short video below of John and I putting on the cuffs. (IF the video shows up, I've been having issues getting it loaded)

The Magic Collectors Weekend Report

I'm not sure if I've had a guest blogger on here, or if I have it's been a while. My friend Blair Marshall who is a great Magician/Illusionist from Canada, attended the Magic Collectors Weekend, and I asked him if he could share his experience with the readers of TheMagicDetective.com. I discovered that John Cox from WildAboutHoudini.com had a guest blogger do a write up for his site as well. I decided to wait a couple days before I put this up to give folks enough time to see his write-up. I purposely chose to use a similar format, but have done my best to give you different photos and different content.

And now, Take It Away Blair...

Mike Caveney started the day by doing an awesome job telling The Egyptian Hall story to the gathering here in Montreal for the Magic Collectors Weekend. Egyptian Hall was the magic collection of David Price Jr.. To read more about Egyptian Hall, follow this link


What an amazing kick-off to our day at the McCord Museum and the opening weekend of their Illusions: The Art of Magic exhibit. Prepare to see some really incredible images I took during my time at the exhibit!

Here are some of the photos of the amazing magic poster collection at the Montreal McCord Musuem we saw during the Magic Collectors Weekend. The exhibit represents approx. 10% of their collection. They are beautifully displayed and the exhibition halls are well themed. A big thank-you to Christian Vachon, the poster collection curator, for the love, care, and attention to detail that he gave to this amazing exhibit. BRAVO CHRISTIAN, BRAVO McCORD!!!

If those pictures were part of the 10%, what else is there??? As part of the MCW we were taken "behind the scenes" by the magic poster collection curator Christian Vachon and down into the vault where we saw some amazing HUGE posters . Merci Christian!

The attendees to the MCW were taken to the library by Geneviève Déziel of the Montreal McCord Musuem where we got to view some of the Houdini artifacts from the collection (not shown to the public).

This is the former student union hall where it is said Houdini gave his last talk to the McGill students on spirit mediums, he died just a few days later.

The museum may eventually do a Houdini exhibit.


We did not know the programming for the Magic Collector's Weekend here in Montreal.  Little did I know that the Friday evening event was about the early years of Doug Henning. After an opening talk by Michael Grandinetti, the stage was taken over by Brian Lumley and Maya (Lesley Fitzpatrick-Walker ), two of Doug's very close friends and assistants from the "Spellbound" days and on. Brian was a carpenter (still is) and built sets and props for Spellbound.  Maya was part of a two woman magic act called Mars and Mayo who worked with Doug.

I had met Doug Henning prior to them in 1969/70, and I had performed on a magic convention show with Maya and Mars in 1977. So it was great meet them and to reconnect with Maya again. (ed note: To read more about Maya, visit her site where she talks about Doug http://www.mayafair.ca/previous-incarnations/)

On Saturday evening, after the show The Allan Slaight Awards were given out. To read more about the awards please visit http://www.magicana.com/news/blog/and-award-goes-0

Julie Eng and David Ben, along with their support team, did an awesome job pulling together the Magic Collectors Weekend here in Montreal, folks from all over the world attended, making it truly an international event. Thanks Julie and Ben!!!!!

Blair Marshall and Julie Eng

 Thanks BLAIR for the great photos and report!!! Also, please go to http://www.magicana.com/ to see all the wonderful articles and videos of magic history they offer and subscribe to their magazine. Also, visit http://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/exhibitions/magic/   to learn more about the exhibit.
And finally, Please check out John Cox's site to get even more perspective on the weekend.. http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2017/05/magic-comes-to-mccord-museum-in-montreal.html