A NEW Houdini Poster?!

Well prepare yourselves, I believe we have a previously unknown Houdini  poster to add to the mix. I don't recall seeing this in any book. If it has been in a book, then this will likely be the first time you're seeing it in color. And the most amazing thing of all, this was purchased on eBay!

The poster is in the collection of Ken Trombly. Ken was one of the guest speakers at the ObscuraDay event in D.C. today. Ken has a HUGE collection of Houdini items, posters galore, and photos and postcards as well. He's got a number of things I'd like to write about in the future, so I'm going to keep quiet on the rest. But he told me this poster below was purchased on eBay....according to Ken, "back when eBay was good." So it was a number of years ago. I'll be writing MORE about Ken and his talk, but I wanted you to see this before anyone beat me to it! :)

I would encourage you to follow Ken on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/magic_posters/
and while your at it, follow ME there too https://www.instagram.com/carnegiemagic/

UPDATE: Joe Notaro alerted me to the fact that not only is this NOT a new discovery, but it's also appeared in three different books, and one of those was in color.  Well, lol, it was NEW to me, lol. I do appreciate the feedback though. I love to hear from folks so anytime anyone wants to comment, please do.

 (image used with Ken Trombly's permission)

Happy Belated Birthday Doug Henning and News

I guess I had forgotten, but May 3rd was Doug Henning's birthday, he would have been 70 years old. It's been 17 years since he left us. Seems like just yesterday. Though he had been retired, his absence in the world of magic is still felt deeply. I was looking over my past articles and saw that I had 15 articles that are either about Doug or mention Doug Henning. You can view those here: http://www.themagicdetective.com/search/label/Doug%20Henning

But there is news, and news for which I am very very happy. There is a new blog devoted strictly to Doug Henning. It is called DougHenningProject.com  and is put together by Neil McNally. He starts off very strong with a three part interview with Milt Larsen about Doug. It's great stuff. And with so many people who knew Doug still alive today, this site should be a rich treasure trove of Doug Henning facts and trivia. I almost wish I had done it! Best of luck Neil!!!

IF you're wondering if I was inspired at all by Doug Henning. YOU BET I WAS. Look at the photo below of a young Doug and younger me!

Next Up for The Magic Detective, Obscura Day 2017

Last year, I was invited to entertain during Obscura Day. This was part of a Nationwide group of festivities put on by AtlasObscura.com. Last year's event in Washington was called HOUDINI IN DC. And this year, it's called, HOUDINI TAKES DC. Last year, there were three locations for events. One in the law offices of Ken Trombly, who shared his collection of Houdini posters and photos. Next was McPhereson Square Park, where I presented a short magic show with routines that were similar to those that Houdini might have done. The final leg of the journey was a walk over to the location of of where Keith's Vaudeville Theatre once stood, today it is The Old Ebbitt Grill. I shared some history of the theatre, as well as information on Houdini's upside down outdoor hanging straight jacket escape from that very building.

Ken Trombly from 2016

This year the event takes place in a single location, no travel needed. Everything will be in one place. My friend Ken Trombly, who is a HUGE magic collector, will be bringing a number of his Houdini pieces. Last year he bought several posters and quite a few photographs. His collection is mind boggling! Ken will also be speaking about Houdini as well. I'll be bringing a pair of Houdini cuffs as well as some other Houdini-era cuffs. I will also be presenting a few magic routines, again in the lines of what Houdini might have done. Last year, pretty much the entire show was made up of escapes. This year, there will probably only be a single escape, maybe two and the rest of the program will be magic. If you can make it out, it's going to be a lot of fun. Seating is limited. So get your tickets soon! http://www.atlasobscura.com/events/obscura-day-2017-houdini-escapes-dc

Carnegie from 2016 Obscura Day!