Houdini and Barnum

Harry Houdini is often compared to Barnum because they both were expert publicists. They both knew how to draw a crowd and give audiences something to talk about. But how much of a connection was there between the two men? Though the two men never met, they have many things in common.

Connection #1 &2
Their first connection to each other begins the year before Houdini was born. But first we must venture back in time to 1865, when John Nevil Maskelyne sought about to expose the famous Davenport Brothers. He introduced something he called The Indian Box trick. The box is a pine plank box 3ft by 2ft and 18 inches deep.   Maskelyne was placed into the box, the entire thing locked up and roped up, some bells and other devices were placed on the lid and a curtain closed around it.  No sooner did the curtains close than the sound of ringing bells and other noises emanated from the curtained cabinet. Eventually, the bells were thrown clear out of the cabinet. When it was opened, Maskelyne was found smiling, still inside the box. For those who don't know, this box was the precursor to the Substitution Trunk. But in it's original incarnation it was not used as a substitution or exchange effect. By the 1870s, Maskelyne's routine had changed and he was now getting into the box and out of the box magically.

Maskelyne wasn't the only one presenting The Indian Box by this time. Dr. Lynn presented the Indian Box to great acclaim all over London. In his presentation, the box

Dr. Lynn

was locked and tied with ropes. Then a plank was put over the top of the box and a boy climbed on top of the plank. A large wicker basket was placed over the boy and locked to the plank by way of padlocks. A curtain then went around the entire affair and in a little over a 90 seconds, the curtain was pulled away, the boy was found missing from the wicker basket and now was inside the trunk.

In 1873, after seeing this wonderful mystery in London, P.T. Barnum purchased the Indian Box Trick from Dr. Lynn. He began featuring articles in American papers that upon his return he would present this great mystery. Here was Barnum's announcement..."Mr. P.T. Barnum, at present in London, telegraphs to his agent here that he has purchased from Dr. Lynn for 1000 pounds sterling the wonderful Indian Box Trick, which has puzzled the metropolis, and filled the clever Doctor's coffers for the past few months.  Mr. Barnum will produce the trick upon his return."

However, a disgruntled former employee beat Barnum to the punch. A magician by the name of Henry Hatton, had heard what Barnum was planning and was prepared to debut the illusion before Barnum returned. On December 15, 1873 Hatton debuted the trick and began to tour with it. That was not the end of the trouble for Barnum. On Jan 15th, 1874, some idiot reporter at The News Journal in Wilmington Deleware, revealed the entire workings in great detail on the effect on the front page of the newspaper!

I would like to note however, what the reporter from The News Journal described was the canvas covered trunk, a slight variation from the Indian Box. And rather than a wicker basket being placed on top of the trunk, a cloth sack was placed on top with the assistant inside. The illusion at this point was still mostly a one person operation, with the exception of the second person who let the other magi out of the trunk at the conclusion of the act.

Barnum did have the trick presented upon his return and for a long while billed it as "The $2500 Box Trick", no doubt presenting it as different from the Indian Box trick, even though it was the same. Barnum would have started presenting the $2500 Box Trick right around the time that Erich Weiss was born. And a few years later, as a lad in Wisconsin, Erich would have seen Dr. Lynn present his version of the trick which he called "The Locked and Corded Box Mystery." Of course, this illusion would be the corner stone of Weiss/Houdini's career as he broke into show business. And this is connection #1 The Sub Trunk and connection #2 Dr. Lynn.

Connection #3
In 1862, William Mumler, a jeweler, who was interested in photography accidentally created the first spirit photograph. He knew it was a double exposure, but friends and family who saw the image, assumed it was a ghost that had been captured on film. Mumler's attitude towards the mistake changed and he soon began taking 'spirit photos' for hire.

Eventually, in 1868 he moved to New York from Boston and set up shop in the big city. It was here that he came to the attention of P.T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum was a critic and hired a photographer to try and duplicate the process, which he successfully did. Mumler also came to the attention of the law and was brought up on charges of fraud and arrested. At his trial, P.T. Barnum testified against him.

In 1865, a couple years before the Mumler event, Barnum wrote a book called, The Humbugs of the World, In the book he offered $500 to any medium who could prove power to communicate with the dead. Doesn't that challenge have a familiar ring to it? Houdini later in life would offer similar challenges. So P.T. Barnum was also a Spirit Debunker, just like Houdini, connection #3.

Connection #4
In 1882, Barnum purchased from the London Zoo, an elephant named Jumbo. The giant animal

would go on tour with the circus and be one of the leading attractions. Jumbo was 13 ft tall and weighed over 13,000lbs.

In 1918, Harry Houdini presented his illusion, The Vanishing Elephant, on the stage of the Hippodrome Theatre in NYC. The elephant he used was called Jennie, and Houdini claimed she was the daughter of Barnum's Jumbo. This was not the case, though I suppose one could claim it's possible they were related, after all they were elephants. Jenny weighed over 10,000 lbs according to Houdini.

The Vanishing Elephant Illusion is pure Barnum in both idea and execution. It was the largest illusion ever presented at it's time. It used one of the largest animals on the planet. Apparently, in the huge auditorium of the Hippodrome, only those sitting directly in front of the Vanishing Elephant Box could even tell the animal vanished, everyone else had to take it on faith. Yep, Barnum would be proud.



Connection #5
They were both authors, which could be said of many people. I find one book interesting  in particular written by Barnum, The Humbugs of the World. Found within the pages are discussions of hoaxes, medicinal quacks, religious humbugs, spiritualists, ghosts, and personal recollections. It reminds me of a couple of Houdini's books, The Right Way To Do Wrong, and Miracle Mongers and Their Methods. Both men were shining a light on the underbelly of society and making people aware of the scams out there. 

Houdini in Welsh Bro. Circus/Photo source NYPL

Connection #6
The Circus. Houdini and Barnum did not work together in the Circus, but they were both connected

to it. Houdini joined the Welsh Brothers Circus in 1895, four years after Barnum had passed away.
Barnum on the other hand created "P. T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome," a traveling circus, menagerie and museum of freaks. Barnum began his circus in Delevan Wisconsin. Houdini, as a boy of 12 ran away from home and ended up in Delevan Wisconsin.
 
Eventually, Barnum partnered with James Bailey and became the Barnum and Bailey Circus. Soon he would add, The Greatest Show on Earth, to the title.  The Barnum and Bailey Circus was later sold to the Ringling Brothers but this was after P.T. Barnum had passed away. Houdini started in the circus, Barnum ended in the Circus.


Connection #7
From the book, HOUDINI by Kenneth Silverman, pg 89 "He (Houdini) learned much as well from the practice of promotion by inundation, "mammoth advertising," as he called it- used by 19th Century Circuses and medicine shows, which sometimes plastered a town with thousands of posters."
This practice, may have actually come from either Barnum or John Henry Anderson. And if it came from Anderson, then it was from him that Barnum learned it.

During a tour of England, Houdini used thirty six thousand advertising sheets in a 7 month period.  T. Nelson Downs, a good friend of Houdini and who was in England at the same time, called Houdini, 'The P.T. Barnum of today.' This is where Houdini is most often compared to Barnum, in the marketing and promotions department. Houdini was a master promoter, a master at getting publicity. Barnum, who came before Houdini, could probably be considered the Father of Publicity and Promotion. Connection #7 both tireless master self promoters.

Connection #8
Houdini and Barnum were both showmen. I think it would be impossible to dispute this fact. Others in Houdini's time presented escapes. In fact, they were doing escapes before Houdini was around and now long after Houdini has been dead, but no one has captured the public's imagination with escapes like Harry Houdini. He transformed the genre by doing escapes outdoors, and making spectacles of his escapes.

Barnum made a spectacle out of everything he did. Consider his Feejee Mermaid. A total hoax, but people loved it. It was one thing that got them in the door, but once inside, Barnum would give them an experience they would never forget. This is why he searched the globe for oddities that no one had seen before.

Even in their failures they were a success. Houdini's movie career did not quite go the way he had hoped and he lost a lot of money. Imagine how thrilled he would have been to see the excitement displayed over the discovery of a complete print of The Grim Game, and how much fanfare there was when the restored film was shown for the first time in ages.

Barnum had failures as well but he always rebuilt, he always turned it around. He lost his museum in a fire, along with all the oddities within. But he rebuilt. When the second museum burnt down, he took his show on the road. He never quit, never gave up.

I'd say despite the fact they were born years apart, and never met one another, they were certainly cut from the same cloth. Connection #8 they were both SHOWMAN.

HERE is the link to the first article I called P.T. Barnum the Magician

P.T. Barnum the Magician

With the recent release of the movie, The Greatest Showman, I've once again become intrigued with Barnum. I will say that this movie has about as much to do with Barnum as the Tony Curtis movie about Houdini had to do with Houdini. But, like the Tony Curtis movie, it's an enjoyable film.

I'd like to examine the real Barnum for a moment, specifically his connection to the world of magic. If you're unaware, his connection is huge. Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in Bethel CT, July 5th 1810. Consider, Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809, Robert Houdin was born 1805 and you'll begin to understand where Barnum fits in history's timeline.

In 1836, Barnum had created something he called "Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theatre." This was a traveling troupe of performers and had on the bill a gentleman by the name of Joe Pentland. Mr. Pentand was a magician, and at some point, Barnum acted as hidden assistant to his act. This job seems to be shortlived however, as one faithful performance, Barnum, while hiding inside a table, was bitten by a squirrel, which caused him to straighten his neck and legs and thus collapse the table which he had been hidden inside of.

In February of 1837, Barnum sold half his interest in Barnum's Grand Scientific and Musical Theatre to a man named Henry Hawley.  Mr. Hawley was a magician who performed many standard tricks of the day, including the 'egg and bag trick'. According to Barnum's Autobiography, Barnum's Own Story, this was the trick were multiple eggs are produced from a bag, and then eventually a live chicken. This is quite different from the 'egg and bag trick' many of us are familiar with today. This was the original age old version that dated back to the time of Issac Fawkes. Hawley, remained with the show until August 1837, when Barnum dissolved their partnership.

In 1841, Barnum purchased Scudder's American Museum. Scudder's was a run down place featuring mostly taxidermy displays. When Barnum took it over, he transformed the building inside and out. He added performers, freak show entertainers and more. Among his most popular freak show entertainers was General Tom Thumb. Barnum met Tom (Charles Stratton), when the boy was only 4 years old. He brought him to his museum and soon took him on a tour of Europe.

Barnum first sets up shop in London, at a place that would one day be known for magic, Egyptian Hall. In here he shared many curiosities, automaton, and General Tom Thumb. It wasn't long before Barnum and company received an invitation to visit the Queen. The company was coached in proper etiquette, but that would go awry when young Tom Thumb would speak out of turn to Queen Victoria. She loved it. And Barnum and company were invited back a second time to the palace.

Barnum attended the World Exposition in Paris, while on tour in Europe in 1844, . This is where he happened to see Robert-Houdin and his many wonderful automaton, for the first time. Barnum was most intrigued with Houdin's latest creation, The Writing and Drawing automaton. The device was a small human like figure who was very lifelike in both appearance and physical action. By all accounts it was much more than a wind up novelty, this automaton wrote or drew according to the question asked.

During the exhibition, King Louis Phillipe attended and made a special arrangement to visit with

Robert Houdin to see his various automaton. The King was quite inquisitive and Houdin enjoyed the banter. But when the King came upon what was really the crowned jewel of the display, The Writing and Drawing Automaton, things really got interesting. Houdin explained what the device could do and then suggested to the King that he ask the automaton a question. The King asked, "How many inhabitants does Paris contain?"  The automaton began to raise it's arm, which allowed a sheet of paper to be placed on it's table. Then the little figure lowered it's arm and began to write, "Paris contains 998,964 inhabitants." The next test involved the King reciting a poem, but leaving out the final line. The King gave the first three lines of the quatrain, and then the little figure wrote out the last line to complete the poem.

The final test involved the automaton's ability as an artist. The King turned to the Comte de Paris who was in the King's entourage, and said, "choose your own subject for a drawing." The prince who was heir to the thrown, chose a crown to be drawn. The automaton began to fashion a crown on the piece of paper but in the midst of drawing the pencil lead broke, preventing the drawings completion. The King spoke up and said to the Comte de Paris, "As you have learned to draw, you can finish this for yourself." The Christian Fechner book, The Magic of Robert Houdin An Artists Life Volume 1, points out that this was a forewarning of events to come, as the Comte de Paris never took the thrown.


In the book, Struggles and Truimphs: Forty Years' Recollections of P.T. Barnum, by Barnum, he shares the story of meeting Robert Houdin. Barnum attended the Exposition specifically to find new curiostities for his museum, and right there he purchased from Houdin the Writing & Drawing Automaton, along with numerous other automatons. While in Paris, Barnum attended Robert Houdin's Soirees Fantastic, and was always introduced by Houdin to the other attendees.

Barnum sent the Writing & Drawing Automaton to London to be put on display and then later shipped it off to his museum in NYC. Sadly, the fire which destroyed the Barnum museum in 1865 destroyed the legendary Houdin automaton, along with many other irreplaceable treasures.

Let me back up slightly to 1856. At this time in history, there were three names that reigned supreme in American Magic History, Signor Blitz, Wyman the Wizard, and Jonathan Harrington. They all had similar acts which included magic, ventriloquism, and imitations. Ventriloquism back then was different from what we think of today. They used no mechanical dummies to speak through. Rather, they 'threw their voice' and made it appear that sounds, and talking, were coming from other places. In regards to the imitations, they would recreate the sounds made by animals, birds, even machinery and such.  All three gentlemen were well known by Barnum. In fact, Barnum had hired Harrington previously to perform for him at an exhibit in Boston. Blitz performed at Niblo's Garden, right near the Barnum Museum, and was on friendly terms with Barnum. Blitz in fact, may have been the most famous magician in the country at the time. It's said that there were 13 other performers working throughout the U.S. claiming the name Signor Blitz. Finally, we come to Wyman the Wizard, who was extremely popular and one of the most financially successful magicians of his time.

One evening in 1856, the three men attended the first American performance at Barnum's Museum of British ventriloquist and mimic Lionel Goldshmidt.  The theatre was sold out and the anticipation was great for this renowned performer. The only problem was, he had not shown up for the performance. As it got closer and closer to showtime, Barnum began to panic. He went to his three magic friends in the audience and asked if they could fill in. Blitz, declined because he did not have his equipment with him. Harrington similarly excused himself from performing. It came down to Wyman the Wizard who agreed to fill in. Barnum rushed him to the dressing room and quickly applied a fake mustache and beard to Wyman so that he might look more like the famed British Ventriloquist.  Wyman then went out and performed an impromptu performance of imitations and ventriloquism. He produced the sounds of many different animals and then had comedic conversations with members of the audience, thought it was Wyman's voice doing the talking from the audience and the answering. Barnum was relieved and elated. And that was not the only time Wyman worked for Barnum. According to Houdini (via MAGIC by David Price) while in NY in 1850, Wyman was under management of P.T. Barnum!

There is an interesting event that took place in 1855 when Barnum had invited Blitz to witness the

exhibition of a new invention called an annihilator, which I gather was some sort of fire extinguisher.   A building was about to be set on fire so they could demonstrate this new device, but before the fire was set, voices were heard coming from the building saying, "Don't! Please let me out! Don't burn me up!" The building was then searched, but no one was found inside. So again, they attempted to set the building on fire, but once again, voices were heard screaming out for help. After another search, they attempted to yet again set the building on fire but this time the sound of barnyard animals could be heard coming from the building. It then dawned on Barnum exactly what was going on, it was his friend Blitz creating the havoc. This story comes from the book P.T. Barnum the Legend and the Man by A.H. Saxon. The end result was the two men having a long standing feud.

 In the late 1850s Barnum was back on England on a lecture tour. He hired the famous European magician, Kratky Baschik to perform on his tour. I would surmise that Barnum was always on the hunt for talent and oddities in his travels. For example, in 1873, he featured an Italian Magician by the name of Patrizio, who performed  a feat known as, "Catching a Live Cannon Ball". It was also around this time he hired Professor Verbeck from France to tour with his show in the United States.

The Illustrated History of Magic by Milbourne Christopher describes John Henry Anderson, The Great Wizard of the North, "as the Barnum of nineteenth century bafflers." The book goes on to describe how Anderson would not just put up one or two posters advertising his shows, but rather he would paper the town, covering every available inch of space on a wall. The book even claims he put posters on the Pyramids in Egypt and on the cliffs of Niagara Falls! Anderson is also credited with the grand parade that was later copied by many circuses. One wonders who came up with this first, Anderson or Barnum? But, looking at his period of time, John Henry Anderson was born in 1814 and died in 1874. And, Barnum and Anderson knew each other well. The Illustrated History of Magic shares a story of Barnum having dinner with Anderson and the later introducing people to Barnum saying, 'he is the Great Wizard of the North'. He apparently played along at first but then started giving out 'free tickets' to people who came over. Once the REAL Great Wizard of the North realized what was happening he quickly reclaimed his title and put a stop to the free tickets!

Now, we all know about Barnum's Fiji Mermaid, and his famous Siamese Twins, and even the dog faced boy. But have you ever heard of Euphonia? Probably not. I hadn't. I saw a photo of a playbill for it in David Price's book, MAGIC A Pictorial History of Conjurers in the Theatre. The book only contains a single sentence on the device, "Professor Faber's talking machine automaton was exhibited by P.T. Barnum in 1873." That's it, no other information. So I had to do some digging.

It turns out that Joseph Faber was a German inventor, scientist who in 1840 created the first talking automaton. But because of the lack of interest in the device, he destroyed it! In 1844 he built another one but discouragement soon set in due to lack of interest and he again destroyed it. In 1845 he was building another one. What was this device? It was made almost entirely of wood and rubber and had a keyboard which could produce various sounds. The device also had a bellows which created the flow of air combined with the keyboard made the sounds. A female face was mounted to the device and in 1846, Barnum found out about it and purchased or leased it, I'm not 100% certain which. He sent the inventor and the machine to London where it was exhibited at Egyptian Hall. The inventor and the device made it's way through Europe before coming back to America and being put on display at Barnum's Museum.

Somehow the Wonderful Talking Machine-Euphoria, escaped the devastation of the Barnum Museum Fire of 1865. Perhaps the device was on tour at the time.

Barnum continued to feature the device, even in his traveling circus as late as 1873. To the right is a photograph of the automaton taken by famed Civil War photographer Mathew Brady.

I know there are more connections to magic by Barnum, I have not uncovered them all. In my next article, I'll be sharing a fascinating story of another artist who often gets compared to Barnum. It's quite the revelation, and one you'll want to read!

Houdini and Barnum

Houdini Vanishes Elephant 100 Years Ago Today!

Today marks the anniversary of the first mega-illusion in the history of show business. This illusion being the Vanishing Elephant presented by Houdini. The illusion was presented at the Hippodrome Theatre in NYC Jan 7th, 1918. There are some interesting articles about the elephant illusion that appeared in the papers of the time.

The first is the Jan 6th, 1918 issue of the New York Tribune where it states that Houdini will place the elephant into a "giant cylinder shaped container of such dimensions that the largest elephant can enter with ease. It walks through this tube and vanishes." A Vanishing Elephant Tube? On top of this it says Houdini had been working on this illusion for 4 years since his visit to India. What?

Only two days later  a much better description of the effect appears in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 8th, 1918. Here is what that paper printed, "Houdini has a score of stagehands drag out on the stage a big wooden cabinet, having a tube-like interior, seemingly about big enough to the 10,000 lbs elephant. Curtains at the front and doors at the rear are opened to give a clear view through the tube of the back drop, into this tube the elephant marches. the cabinet having been pulled around so that one side faces the audience. The curtains, thrown back, show the cabinet empty. The program says that the elephant vanished into thin air. That explanation is as good as any. The trick is performed 15 feet from the back drop and the cabinet is slightly elevated." So there we have a better description of what that 'tube' was, and a very thorough description of the effect.

As it turns out, despite the claim of 'working on this illusion for 4 years since being inspired by a trip to India', it looks like Houdini was not the originator of the idea. Guy Jarrett first pitched the idea and even created a small mock-up of the illusion for R.H. Burnside of the Hippodrome, which apparently fooled the director greatly. But they never came to terms. Then in comes Houdini who was able to pull it off and thus wins the distinction of being the first performer in history to make such a large object/animal vanish!

I've written about the Vanishing Elephant before, and would love to add a new twist to things, but I'm away from home and not near my library of books to scour through. So instead, I'll leave you with a cute little story that appeared in the Buffalo Enquirer on Jan 14th, 1918. It's from a column called 'Ye Towne Gossip'. and I'll reprint the entire thing below. Please note a small Houdini cartoon at the end of the article.

UPDATE: John Cox over at WildaboutHoudini.com has a wonderful article on the Vanishing Elephant which fills in many details. Please check it out.

2018 Yankee Gathering XVII News

The New England Magic Collectors Association

Yankee Gathering XVII 

November 15-17, 2018

Doubletree Hotel, Westborough, Massachusetts

It’s January 1, 2018. What better way to welcome the New Year than by making the perfect resolution you will want to keep — to attend The New England Magic Collectors Association’s Yankee Gathering XVII. Mark the dates November 15-17, 2018, on your calendar now.

This unique biennial gathering, again located at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough, Massachusetts, has been hosted by the New England Magic Collectors Association for over three decades. It offers a full slate of informative and entertaining presentations, performances with historical importance, exhibits featuring memorabilia and artifacts from the luminaries of the past, dealers of books, posters and apparatus, a flea market, and an enjoyable and lively magic auction. Also, this is the opportunity that comes every two years to renew longtime friendships and to make new ones with other magic collectors and historians.

Come and help us pay tribute to Guest of Honor Mike Caveney who, as a performer, historian, author, publisher and lecturer, has delighted and informed lovers of magic for over forty years. And, as one of the magic world’s preeminent collectors, Mike is the current owner of the Egyptian Hall Museum. Egyptian Hall is the oldest private magic museum in America, a true treasure-trove of magic artifacts and memorabilia, and an invaluable resource for researchers. 

Yes, there are still 318 days before Yankee Gathering XVII begins. But, time flies! So, mark your calendar now and make plans to attend. Space is limited to 200 attendees. Registration information will be available in early 2018. For more information, please visit www.nemca.com.

The Day That Changed The World of Magic

I'd say there were many dates that fit this title, but in the later 20th Century that date must surely be December 26, 1975. This was when Doug Henning's first NBC Special appeared on TV. It was also the night that many new magicians were born, due to Doug's inspiration.

To set the stage, magic was not a prime time event in the 1970s. It's luster had long ago run out. Magic had not totally vanished from television, it was being kept alive by Mark Wilson's wonderful TV shows. But those were not on prime time TV.

Doug Henning had made a big splash on Broadway with his show The Magic Show. It had taken everyone by surprise, and the true magic within the show was Doug. As was stated in the fine book by John Harrison, Spellbound, "Doug couldn't act, couldn't dance and couldn't sing", and yet here he was a bonifide Broadway Star.

It was producer David Suskind's idea to bring Doug to the masses via a network TV special. The first special had a number of unique qualities to it. First, the show would be presented LIVE. Second, Doug would be closing the show with a dangerous escape, the recreation of Harry Houdini's Water Torture Cell. It also had something unique that must have endeared Doug to magician's all over the country, and that was that he opened the show with the world's smallest trick, The Vanishing Nickle.

I still recall seeing this mystery for the first time. There was this odd looking guy, with long hair and a t-shirt, very un-magician looking to me. He began with a nickle on the palm of his hand and closed his fingers around it. Then he turned his wrist to show the back of his hand and then back over to show the closed fingers. When he opened his had the nickle was GONE! He turned his hand around to show the nickle was not on the back of his had and then he closed his fingers again. The next time he opened his had the nickle had returned.  This was all done with the camera very close up. Next he picked up the nickle and tossed it twice into the other hand where it changed to a larger coin, probably a half dollar. Then that half dollar changed into a jumbo coin. The audience burst into applause! That was the start of the new age of magic. 

Much of the magic on that special had been unseen for years, but after that night many routines would be staples of Doug's future performances, such as The Metamorphosis, Things That Go Bump In the Night, and The Sands of Egypt.

The big number of course was the Water Torture Cell, which was going to be done a little differently than Houdini's version. The first change was the cell itself. Doug's Cell had glass on every side. It was also elevated off the stage. In the Houdini version, Houdini made his escape while under cover of a curtain, Doug did the same, but rather than escape, Doug apparently vanished. At the moment when the tension was the highest, as if Doug had failed and maybe was drowning on National TV, a hooded figure with an axe ran in to break the glass. As the curtain was pulled away everyone saw that Doug had vanished from the tank........and then the hooded figure pulled back his hood to reveal he was Doug Henning! A remarkable conclusion to an incredible special.

It turned out to be one of the highest rated magic specials in Television history and made Doug a star over night! And as I mentioned earlier, that night gave birth to many new magicians as well.

The Magic Detective Year in Review 2017

2017 is almost finished. I'm going to take a few moments and feature the highlights from my blog and mention some other Magic Detective highlights as well.

First, I must confess to thinking that I was a bit slower on getting out articles this year than previous years. But after looking over last years numbers I was pleasantly surprised. 2016 saw 43 articles. 2017 saw a whopping 65 articles! For the record, I didn't look back any further because I know that some years I was a magic history fiend and spent more time blogging than working, lol.

If I'm going in chronological order, the first big event for The Magic Detective was the TEDx Talk in

April. This was so much fun, and I might have been the first person to speak about magic history at a TED event. I will confess, the talk was not exactly what I wanted, however, it is exactly what THEY wanted. Try covering all of magic history in 5 minutes, lol. I had a total of 8, five minutes for talk, 3 for a trick, because, yes, they wanted MAGIC too. And I'm not complaining, I loved every second of it. I totally loved the challenge and was honored to be asked to speak. It was great fun and I'd love to do it again.



A TED Talk might be the highlight of anyone's day, but not the Magic Detective. Nope. My assistant

and I left the Lisner Auditorium and headed straight for an old Cemetery in Washington D.C. to search for the grave of one of the early magic historians, Henry Ridgely Evans. It was no small feat and frankly dangerous. It was raining and the terrain made it very slippery. But we eventually found the grave! You can read about our trek on the link.

I quickly followed up the TEDx Talk with another gig with the folks at AtlasObscura.com. This time it was Houdini Takes DC and again, I was joined by fellow magic historian Ken Trombly. Ken has an incredible Houdini collection, posters, photos, playbills, it's truly remarkable. Ken spoke first for about 40 minutes. Then I was supposed to follow with a Houdini style magic show. However, I changed things on a dime. There were so many areas of information to fill in from Ken's talk, that I began speaking about Houdini and sharing additional stories. Then along the way I shared some routines. For example, Ken had displayed Houdini's King of Cards Poster, so I started my presentation with a Card Trick right out of Houdini's notes. Later, when I got into Houdini's Handcuff escapes, I demonstrated a handcuff escape. Near the end I spoke about two people who were influential in Houdini's life, Abraham Lincoln and Harry Cooke. I then demonstrated a Rope Escape that Harry Cooke presented before Lincoln himself.  The attendees loved it!

One of my favorite articles of 2017 was an Expose of Houdini's Card Act. I wish I had done this research before the AtlasObscura event the previous month, because I might have presented Houdini's Card act there. But as it was, I was not totally aware of what his act consisted of. There were tidbits of info all over in books, articles and such. I gathered them, and did additional research and put out a great piece.

And though this is somewhat out of order, another favorite article for 2017 was about Houdini at The Wintergarten. There are times when the research gets so consuming that I actually feel like I've been to these places. Most of the research on the Wintergarten didn't even make it into the article. The reason was because most of the research was about the venue, how it came about, what eventually happened to it, and the circumstances in Germany during the time all this took place. When I finally finished this article, for weeks after, I had this feeling as if I had truly been to Germany and experienced this entire event in history. Like I said, consuming.

The number of blog articles for 2017 would not have been so high had it not been for Houdini. The Houdini Month series this year really took me over the top. And there was some good stuff during that month. Some of my favorite articles from Houdini Month include : The King Breakers, The Ghost Houses, Houdini in Baltimore (my home town), Queen Victoria's Dress, and The Escape Revelation, which I had to sit on for YEARS before I was allowed to reveal it. I had a HUGE spike in readership in October because of Houdini month, though not as big as the first Houdini Month back in 2014. Sadly, HoudiniMonth didn't rate a mention on The Wild About Houdini Year in Review, so I'll have to try harder next year! (CORRECTION: I have been added to WildAboutHoudini Year in Review!!! Hey, how John Cox keeps up with all that stuff is beyond me. He is AMAZING! His Houdini Year in Review is spectacular and I encourage you to check it out!) And the truth is, the Houdini Month that appeared on this blog was NOTHING like I had planned. What I had been working on was going to be monumental, but LIFE stepped in the way and thwarted those grandiose plans....but who knows what the future might hold?

The most difficult moment for The Magic Detective this year was having to report on the death of my friend Steve Baker. It was also the most read article of the year, and deservedly so. Steve was a great entertainer and a controversial figure in entertainment. He had a stellar career up to a point and then things went awry. He always intended to make a come-back, but despite his best efforts it was never to be. His health deteriorated near the end and as he said to me many times, "If I knew I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself." A lesson to us all.

If I'm going to be honest, the biggest Houdini Event of the year, was not on my blog. It was over on John Cox's blog, WildAboutHoudini.com when he covered his visit to Houdini's home in NYC. Reading that article was memorizing, and the only thing that could have made it better, would have been to be there. But my performing schedule would not allow it so I missed out (and have regretted it every day since).

What is in store for 2018. Oh man, if I could only tell you? Big things ahead for magic history and for The Magic Detective. I'll tip you off early in 2018 as to some of the big things, so keep watching, keep reading, and please feel free to leave comments any time!

The Art of Magic Stamps 2018

These are impressive looking. It's nice that the US Postal Service has recognized magic as an art. I do like the artwork for these, though not particularly thrilled with the subject matter. The Rabbit/Hat is iconic to magic, though, you could count the number of magicians who pull an actual rabbit from a top hat on one hand, and likely no one does it currently. The Turban Wearing Crystal Gazer is another  kind of tired image. but hey, I like the design work, so I'm not going to complain. Im THRILLED the USPS will have these available. I'll be using them like crazy for business, as well as saving a bunch for my collection. I still have tons of sheets of the Houdini stamp from a few years back.

Here is a write-up I found on the stamps, "The Postal Service celebrates the art of magic with this pane of 20 stamps featuring digital illustrations of five classic tricks magicians use to amaze and delight audiences: a rabbit in a hat (production), a fortune teller using a crystal ball (prediction), a woman floating in the air (levitation), an empty bird cage (vanishing), and a bird emerging from a flower (transformation)."

The designs were done by Jay Fletcher, his instagram can be seen here. I'm not sure the actual date they get released other than some time in 2018. Keep watching for them!!!

Wednesday Wonders by David Copperfield

Are you on Instagram.com? Well, you might want to sign up. David Copperfield announced this week he will be posting photos from his collection every Wednesday in a project he calls #WednesdayWonders. I love this. The screen shot above is from his first announcement of the project. But it wasn't the first photo. Later in the day a photo appeared that showed a cool glimpse of Robert Houdin's Pastry Chef Automaton.

Instagram is owned by Facebook, and it's easy to sign up. It's also easy to follow people on there. David's name on Instagram is d_copperfield. Mine by the way, is carnegiemagic. I would encourage you to follow David to keep up with his #WednesdayWonders project, and please while you're at it follow ME as well. AND ALWAYS be sure to press the 'heart' button on the page to show you LIKE the photo. :)

Christmas with Houdini

Houdini loved Christmas. A simple google search for Houdini and Christmas will unveil a multitude of different Christmas Cards and Christmas Greetings from Houdini and Bess. One of my favorite things that I discovered about Houdini was he also loved to work during the Christmas holidays. To set the stage, this was a time of year when a lot of Vaudeville acts went home to celebrate. And traditionally, the Vaudeville houses saw a decrease in attendance during this time too. But Houdini, never turned down Christmas work. In fact, the Vaudeville theaters loved Houdini because he was such a draw and his appearances over the holidays was just the edge they needed to bring people in.

It's true Houdini was Jewish. But I know a lot of Jewish people who enjoy Christmas. As a dear friend once said to me, "my family and I LOVE to get gifts, so yes we celebrate, and we have a Christmas tree and everything!".  I'm told that there is a photo of Houdini and family with a Christmas tree in 278, his home in Harlem. But for some reason I can't seem to locate it at the moment. At any rate, Houdini certainly celebrated and enjoyed Christmas.

I think my favorite of the Houdini cards is the one below. It's a classic and I've loved it since the first time I saw it years ago.

A Few Talks With David Copperfield

On the Facebook page for the Essential Magic Collection, there are 7 video interviews that Luis DeMatos conducts with David Copperfield. Among the topics: Magic Books, Houdini, Chung Ling Soo, Dante, Robert Houdin and more. The interviews are fairly short but wonderful.

In the video that discusses magic books, David Copperfield tips the fact that he is trying to acquire the bookcase that was in Houdini's home at 278. I would imagine that he will eventually end up with it (IF he doesn't already have it). Copperfield also mentions he owns half of the Houdini Collection of magic books, the other half being in the Library of Congress.

As far as collections go, I never get tired of the glimpses inside of David's ever growing collection. And my admiration for Luis DeMatos goes up and up all the time when I see his incredible video projects both magic and now in this documentary style.

To see the videos, follow this link https://www.facebook.com/EMCollection/videos/vb.132396572192/10155986671877193/?type=2&theater

The American Queen of Mystery

Minvera, The American Queen of Mystery was a female escape artist whose career seems to fall between 1904-1913, her real name may have been Margaretha Gertz Van Dorn. I am not 100% certain of this due several different sources giving different names. In an interesting revelation by Hardeen in the Conjurers Monthly Magazine, he states he met with H.W. Snelling of Newcastle on Tyne, and he was surprised to learn that Snelling's daughter was married to Vano The Handcuff Expert (real name Edward VanDorn). This was the Dec 1906 issue of Conjurers Monthly Magazine. So her maiden name was Snelling, perhaps Margaretha Snelling. In the December 1909 issue of The Sphinx, it mentions that Minerva divorced her husband (Vano) on Nov 19th, 1909 in Chicago.

And taking this name game a step further, in July 1908 Minerva was involved in a lawsuit, and her name is listed in the newspaper as Minerva Minna Riedel of Germany. Yeah, I have no clue where that one came from, but it's definately Minerva American Queen of Escapes that is involved in the lawsuit. Was this just another stage name? It was a full year before her divorce.

In the Eau Claire Leader Newspaper Feb 17th, 1910, she is mentioned in an article as being married to Prof. Chas. M.J. Haugeros. A later article March 20, 1910 mentions that she married her manager. So Chas Haugeros was her manager and her second husband.

One of the keys to figuring out Minerva, the escape artist, is her first husband Edward Vano, or  real name Edward VanDorn. I've been able to date his act back as far as 1900. He is usually listed as a Handcuff Expert. At one point he is doing a dual act as Vano & Anvo:  The Transatlantic Wizards of Handcuffs. This comes from the July 1900 issue of Mahatma. I'm curious who the Anvo might be. They are listed again in the May 1901 issue of Mahatma. Then in June 1903, there is a mention that Vano is moving to Coney Island.  In a 1903 edition of The Sphinx, it says that Vano will appear in a new act called 'Vano The Mystery', and he will be assisted by Sadie Gibney. So no sign of Minerva, yet.

However, an ad in the Boston Post, May 25th, 1904 lists him as appearing at Austin and Stone's Museum as The VanDorns King and Queen of Handcuffs, so it's likely that Minerva is in the act at this point.

By September 1907, Minerva was appearing  solo with her husband acting as manager. Her billing at this time was Minerva Vano: Queen of Handcuffs. It wouldn't be long before she dropped the last name Vano and just went by Minerva. And as we learned above, she would also drop Mr. Vano.


There is a bit of excitement in July 1908 when Minerva is contracted to perform at The Merryland Park in Cumberland Maryland. She is set to be paid $75 for the week. The manager of the park asks if she can add something sensational to promote her appearance, which she does with no additional fee. She is handcuffed by the Chief of Police and jumped from The Blue Bridge into the Potomac River.  The newspaper article which features the jump, also points out that Minerva has escaped from 173 jails, 63 of which were in America. That sounds exciting, but it wasn't the excitement I was referring to. Apparently on Wednesday of her week at Merryland Park, Mr John Kirk, the park's manager, went to Minerva's hotel. Here is how the Cumberland Evening Times newspaper describes the event..."Mr. Kirk came to the hotel and after some discussion with Mr. Johnstone, her assistant, came to her and using very insulting language, but not complaining of the act, made a most insulting proposal which she resented and warning him of arrest if he continued to insult her, walked away. He followed her and said, "Ill fix you for this." Then on Thursday, she showed up at the park to fullfill her contract but was prevented from doing so. She was told to go to the box office to pick up her money and leave. But they only paid her a portion of what she was owed. So she sued him. Minerva won the lawsuit.

The following month Minerva appeared at Luna Park DC in Arlington VA. I found this personally fascinating because I had never heard of Luna Park DC. Apparently, there was an Amusement Park in Arlington along Four Mile Run Road and was quite popular until it eventually burned down and was razed in 1915. While performing at Luna Park, Minerva also did a handcuffed bridge jump. She jumped from the New Highway bridge into the Potomac River at 5pm on August 10th 1908. The newspaper account says that she may try to duplicate the feat later in the week but instead of wearing handcuffs she would be put into a straitjacket and attempt the dive. I could find no report of that taking place however.

In late 1908, Minerva heads to England for a tour that would last 14 months.  touring England and having a very successful run. While in England she does handcuffed bridge jumps, jail escapes, challenges and finished her act with her signature Water Filled Barrel escape. This was similar in effect to Houdini's Milk Can Escape, but used a wooden barrel instead. Also, Minerva was heavily shackled and handcuffed when put into the barrel.

According to the Jarrett Book, it was while Minerva was in England that she encountered 'the Houdini people'. Her accusation is that they put acid into the water of her Barrel and she was badly burned when she entered. She stopped the escape immediately upon feeling the burning sensation. I don't see any newspaper articles which refer to this or any other form of documentation other than Jarrett's account in the Jarrett book.

By October of 1909, Minerva is back in the United States presenting her act. Her name regularly appears in The Sphinx Magazine as touring the U.S.. The article I mentioned earlier from 1910 where she marries her manager, also states they were in Russia. But the way the article is written, it doesn't give the exact time they were in Russia, so it is possible this was 1910 or earlier.

According to Jim Steinmeyer in the Jarrett Book, Minerva marries Guy Jarrett sometime around 1913. So if all of this is correct, Jarrett is actually her third husband. They remained married for seven years until she divorced him for abandonment. Minerva appears to have given up her career when she married Jarrett and there is no record of her after this time that I can locate.

The Day Houdini Was Buried

We often hear about Oct 31st 1926 at 1:26pm, as the time when Houdini died. But it wasn't until November 4th that he was buried. I'm going to explore this slightly, and steal content from one of my own articles I wrote a while ago.

On the morning of November 4th, 1926, the bronze casket containing Houdini's body, made it's second to last stop, this time at the Elks Clubhouse on West 43rd near Broadway. It took three cars to move all the flowers from the funeral parlor to the Elks Clubhouse. Houdini would have been proud as the room was packed  for  his funeral. Close to two thousand people showed up for the service.

The service began at 10:30 a.m. and was officiated by Rabbi Bernard Drachman and Rabbi B.A. Tintner. Eulogies and remembrances were given by numerous fraternal groups, magicians and others in the theatrical community. The very first Broken Wand Ceremony was conducted by a member of the Society of American Magicians. This is where a magician breaks a wand to signify that the magic of the deceased individual has ended. It's a great ceremony, but I'm actually not sure how fitting it was for Houdini as his magic kinda continued on, even till today.
 

Kenneth Silverman's book HOUDINI!!! says that Bess held up well until the casket was sealed at which point she broke down in tears. Incidentally, the casket that Houdini's body traveled in from Detroit to NYC was actually a bronze casket liner. It was placed inside a larger casket and the entire thing hermetically sealed before it was carried out to the hearse. Houdini's male assistants acted as the pallbearers, with some very notable individuals being listed as honorary pallbearers; Martin Beck, his former manager and theatrical impresario, Bernard Gimbel, one of the originators of the Gimbels Dept. Store, William Morris, of the famed entertainment agency,  and Adolph Zucker, a film mogul who started Famous Players Film Company which eventually became Paramount Pictures. These were just a few of the high profile names listed as honorary pallbearers.

As the casket was carried to the hearse, the mourners could see for the first time that the streets were jammed with 2,000 spectators who had all come out to say their last goodbye to the master of mystery.


According to The Secret Life of Houdini, the funeral procession to Macapelah Cemetery contained twenty five vehicles.  How long it took to travel from the Elks Clubhouse to the cemetery, I do not know. Silverman's book HOUDINI!!! says that the funeral procession was scheduled to drive through the theatrical district before heading to the cemetery.

Finally at the cemetery, two rabbis were present at the grave site as well as Houdini's family and widow Bess and 500 hundred mourners. Rabbi Isadore Miller conducted the graveside service. The newspapers said that Bess Houdini collapsed at the graveside. She had been ill and under doctors supervision ever since her husband passed away a few days before. Houdini made it clear in his final burial instructions that he was to be placed next to his mother. After the final words and prayers were given by the rabbis, the casket was lowered into the ground. According to the Silverman biography, Theo Weiss, Harry's brother tossed a flower onto the lowering casket and as if by magic a shower of flowers were tossed by the grieving graveside friends.

To learn more about the grave and cemetery, go to Mysteries of the Houdini Grave

Houdini Documentary Available on DVD

About 15 years ago, I purchased a VHS tape of a documentary called simply HOUDINI. It was by Gene Gamache and put out my Unipix. It quickly became my favorite documentary on Houdini. It was well written, had great interviews and they had the perfect narrator, Hal Douglas. Mr. Douglas was famous for his many movie trailer narrations. He did a superb job on this documentary.  There is an original musical score by which moves the story along in an amazing way. Well finally, this documentary is available on DVD.

Some of the interviews include: Larry Weeks, Stanley Palm, Ken Silverman, Dorothy Young, Sid Radner, Whit Haydn, and more. You even get to see the tiny paw cuffs that Houdini had made for his dog.

Below you'll see an image of the front and back of the VHS version and below that, the front and back of the DVD. The DVD cover is similar to the VHS cover in that they used a picture of Houdini in the Russian Manacles. But that is where the similarities end. I really like this new cover.

The original cut had a 41 minute run time. However, this new DVD version was recut in 2013. The new version has a 60 minute run time. I'm curious to see what was added.  Repertoire Films is selling the DVD and they also have a poster available. You can purchase this direct from them at http://repertoirefilms.com or you can also purchase it from their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PeopleCameToSeeHimDie/

I know WildaboutHoudini.com posted this as well and I don't usually duplicate what John has done, but I really want to get the word out on this documentary!

Houdini Month Bonus: The King Breakers

If you've never heard the term King Breakers, you're not alone. It's a term known by most escape artists, but not really a popular term outside of the genre. In the book, Houdini The Untold Story by Milbourne Christopher, the term used is 'defeaters'. King Breakers/defeaters usually refers to a set of handcuffs that have been gimmicked, reworked, faked or mechanically altered in some way that prevents them from being opened by normal means. Some King Breakers are simply impossible to open once closed. Others have been reworked to open with a different key or with a different device other than the standard key. And still others, might not be faked in any way but for one reason or another are extremely difficult to get out of even with a key.

This phenomenon of having a cuff that could defeat an escape artist came about because of the numerous so-called Handcuff Kings of the early 20th Century. Competitors would use King Breakers to basically try and humiliate or destroy the reputation of fellow escape artists and magicians. Chief among them, HOUDINI. Quite possibly he was the originator of the King Breaker, I do not know for sure. But I do know he used them against fellow handcuff kings. And it's quite possible that their invention came about by sheer accident. Houdini was once caught in a pair of cuffs that had been tampered with, even with the key they would not open. This was early in Houdini's career, and he had to have the cuffs sawed off. He thought his career over, but he soon found there was little coverage of his failure and what there was came down on Houdini's side. After the humiliation of having to have the cuffs sawed off, Houdini vowed to never have cuffs put on that he didn't first examine and make sure were in working order. This is why he often refers to 'regulation cuffs.' If he felt for any reason a cuff wasn't legit, he could claim it was not regulation and could dismiss the challenge. Of course, he could also use this type of strategy of having king breakers against competitors.

What pair of cuffs were the first King Breakers? That's a tough question. As for regulation cuffs that have not been gimmicked, I would say the Bean Giants. Once these cuffs were put on, they were quite rigid, restricting hand movement. Even with a key, it was virtually impossible to open them. Houdini came up with his own method to escape from Bean Giants and I think it remained the go-to method from his time forward. In fact, he even produced a challenge flyer to anyone who get out of the Bean Giants with them placed on behind their backs. For this he offered a $50 reward.

It might be said that the Mirror Cuffs (photo top of page) were specifically designed to be King Breakers. Or at least that is what the publicity about them made you think. Over time, the theory behind the origin of the Mirror Cuffs is that perhaps the entire incident was concocted by Houdini. One clue is the fact that Houdini didn't have the cuffs tested beforehand. If you recall his embarrassment of being stuck in handcuffs. Well after this he always checked to make sure cuffs were in working order, but with the Mirror Cuffs he didn't. He surely did use the Mirror Cuffs later in his career, as his own personal set of King Breakers that he could challenge others with. In one instance, a young man took Houdini up on the offer to escape from the Mirror Cuffs. Houdini noticed the young man had thin wrists and would likely just slip the cuffs rather than open them. So Houdini locked the cuffs and handed them to the young man and told him to open them. After several frustrating minutes, the challenger gave up.

I recall a conversation I had with the late Norman Bigelow about a pair of King Breakers he made. They were basically ratchet cuffs that had a pop rivet through the keyhole that prevented a key from being used. I assume they could be double locked and then the only way off is to saw them off, or possibly drill out the rivet, which could not be done during a challenge. Clever guy ole Norm.

The photo above is from the recent Potter&Potter Auction. It's a pair of Lily Irons that have been turned into King breakers. They use a different key from the regulation one. Any would-be escapist with a hidden Lily key would be completed stopped cold with this particular handcuff.

Another famous pair of king breaker handcuffs used by Houdini were the French Letter Cuffs. Now 
in the collection of escapist Jon Oliver, these cuffs have a unique origin.

French Letter Cuffs (Jon Oliver collection)

In June 1902, Houdini was in Holland. While there he received word there was an escape artist in Germany basically trashing Houdini's name. The man's name was Kleppini, and he boasted that he beat Houdini in a contest. Houdini was livid and took a leave from his contract in Holland to confront Kleppini. Houdini even wore a disguise! Houdini sat in the audience as Kleppini badmouth him. Then at some point, Houdini, disguised as a mere spectator, spoke up to contradict what Kleppini was stating. At the requisite dramatic moment, Houdini whipped off his disguise to prove HE was Houdini! He then challenged Kleppini to escape from his cuffs. He even offered to escape from Kleppini's for the sum of 5000marks. But Kleppini nor the circus manager would put up the money. After this the crowd began to disperse.

The following day the circus manager visited Houdini with an offer of a challenge. In the process, the manager asked if Houdini would allow Kleppini to escape from an unusual set of French Letter Cuffs owned by Houdini. As he examined them, he asked Houdini the combination, which Houdini gave him. The word, 'clefs' which translated meant 'key' would unlock the cuffs. Houdini swore the manger to secrecy. The truth is, Houdini knew that the business manger would tell Kleppini the key-word and when faced with the French Letter Cuffs, Kleppini would be victorious. But, as fate would have it, that was not the case. On the night of the challenge, Kleppini was unable to remove the cuffs. Why? Houdini changed the key-word. Houdini later let the manager and Kleppini know what he had done and that the new key-word was 'fraud'. Ouch!

Pat Culliton in his fine book, Houdini: The Key, refers to the French Letter Cuffs and The Mirror Cuffs as SUPER CUFFS. I think it's a fitting description. He also adds that the Russian Manacles, Houdini Bell Lock Cuffs belong in this class and there is evidence some of them might have been made by handcuff manufacturer Thomas Froggatt.  This means these special cuffs were made for Houdini and used both as a way to promote himself and as a way to defend himself.

My old friend, the late Steve Baker, shared a technique he used when confronted with what he knew were king-breakers. He had them placed on between a number of other cuffs. In other words, they joined two pair of other handcuffs, but never went on his wrists. This technique was also used by Houdini.

I can attest to being stuck in handcuffs and it's not a pleasant feeling. The night I was stuck, I did eventually open the cuffs, but not without some severe bruises to my wrists. A painful lesson, but fortunately something done privately for a friend and not publicly where it could have been embarrassing. Due to that one incident, I am very cautious about cuff escapes. I wouldn't have believed it, but Norman Bigelow assured me there are still folks out there, (mostly a-holes and angry escape artists) who might show up with a pair of king-breakers. The chances are slim, but like Houdini's early career embarrassment when he had to have handcuffs sawed off his wrists, the danger still lurks in the shadows.

Houdini Month on Instagram & Final Thoughts

Over on my Instagram account I've been posting Houdini books every day this month. Sadly, I still have more books to go and I've run out of days. There were a few books I couldn't locate, but I have them....somewhere. Above are all the ones I posted except for one. The last one, which will go up later today, is below. My very first book on Houdini. Houdini the Untold Story by Milbourne Christopher. Notice how wrecked the copy is. I actually have a pristine copy of the book as well(thank you ebay). But this one was the one I took with me everywhere as I studied all I could on Harry Houdini. Looking at the photo above however, I'm realizing there are a lot more missing than I first thought. Some are different editions of the same book. No problem, I'll find them and save them for next time.

I hope you enjoyed Houdini Month.  I will let you in on a secret, the plans I had for the month did not come together the way I wanted. Yes, you read that right. What I had in mind for Houdini Month was vastly different than what you saw. A couple of snags along the way, and a busy performing schedule, caused me to put those ideas on hold. I still have half a dozen articles that I've not had time to finish. But the good news is, I'll be doing another edition of Houdini Month, down the road.

Keep watching, keep reading TheMagicDetective.com. The content doesn't stop just because Houdini Month has wrapped up. There will always be more to come!!!

OH WAIT. There are two more bonuses coming later today. One is a video, the other another article!

Houdini Month

Article 1: An Escape Revelation
Article 2: Houdini and Queen Victoria's Dress
Article 3: Steve Baker Interview
Article 4: A Houdini Card Mystery 
Article 5: Houdini's Detractors
Article 6: Houdini In Ice
Article 7: The First Statue of Houdini
Article 8: Houdini in Ukraine
Article 9: Houdini: The Latest Bust
Article 10: The Men Who Fooled Houdini
Article 11: Houdini & Dunninger Together, Again.
Article 12: Houdini in Baltimore 1916
Article 13: Houdini in Nashville 1899 
Article 14: A Poem about Houdini from 1916
CONTEST 3: Third Houdini Month Contest
Article 15: Houdini's Official Protege
Article 16: 104 Years Ago Today In the Life of Houdini 
Article 17: Houdini and His Ghost Houses
Article 18: BONUS My Original Invention
Artilce 19: BONUS Houdini and The King Breakers
Article 20: The Day Houdini Was Buried