tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post140132587850623494..comments2024-03-28T21:34:40.656-07:00Comments on WILD ABOUT HARRY: Houdini vs. the Siberian Transport Cell Part I: The escapeJohn Coxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-76302953759110364972019-01-24T17:15:32.796-08:002019-01-24T17:15:32.796-08:00You're thinking of Buster Keaton. (Or are you ...You're thinking of Buster Keaton. (Or are you making a joke?)John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-17436362820566366852019-01-24T16:24:16.505-08:002019-01-24T16:24:16.505-08:00did harry houdini give charlie chaplin his namedid harry houdini give charlie chaplin his nameAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05633954338456725573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-23029636519964812582016-08-01T07:25:29.921-07:002016-08-01T07:25:29.921-07:00I guess a case can be made that it didn't happ...I guess a case can be made that it didn't happen. You can play that game with many famous events in his life. But the uncooperative Russian police and controlled press is why none of the typical documentation exists. And we do have private letters Houdini wrote about the escape. And, for me, the poster is all the evidence I need to believe that some form of this escape happened. Houdini John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-80850146631105494382016-07-31T11:39:41.532-07:002016-07-31T11:39:41.532-07:00One definition of faith: The unknowable promoted t...One definition of faith: The unknowable promoted to the irrefutable. <br /><br />We still don't have any tangible evidence of this escape. No sworn statements from prison officials, and no journalist or eyewitnesses who reported this.<br /><br />Silverman reminds us in his bio of Harry's fear of annihilation. It is one reason, besides ego, why he continually embellished his life to Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-46151215808866400972016-07-31T08:05:18.477-07:002016-07-31T08:05:18.477-07:00Oh, I'm sure it happened. Houdini wouldn't...Oh, I'm sure it happened. Houdini wouldn't go as far as to completely invent this.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-14699859005598230962016-07-30T22:58:41.010-07:002016-07-30T22:58:41.010-07:00The whole carette escape makes for a great story. ...The whole carette escape makes for a great story. All we have so far is HH's word. The fact that he commissioned a lithograph to document the escape doesn't raise the proof. Is there any shred of evidence this actually happened?Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-47790278149816659462016-07-30T21:12:38.323-07:002016-07-30T21:12:38.323-07:00The whole key in Siberia thing seems a little unli...The whole key in Siberia thing seems a little unlikely, but it makes for a great story.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-72690427085152017622016-07-30T12:50:44.943-07:002016-07-30T12:50:44.943-07:00I've reached the part in Eduardo's new Hou...I've reached the part in Eduardo's new Houdini bio where Harry is in Russia. According to Caamano, Charlie stayed with Harry and Bess until it died in 1911. Then Bess found Bobby, the fox terrier, straying around a butcher shop near 278 and gave it to Harry as a present.<br /><br />As for the carette escape, I just realized that since the key to open the lock was in Siberia, it helped to Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-20482228510434313192016-07-19T13:12:02.651-07:002016-07-19T13:12:02.651-07:00Something else I've been thinking about. Houdi...Something else I've been thinking about. Houdini says the Russian police photographed him that day. I wonder if those photos still exist somewhere buried in the Butyrskaya archives?John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-75433898256123731782016-07-15T09:08:10.615-07:002016-07-15T09:08:10.615-07:00Really? That I've never heard. Chaplin was onl...Really? That I've never heard. Chaplin was only 14 in 1903. Where does that info come from, David?<br /><br />BTW, Part II is up. Link above.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-54073451878237514062016-07-15T08:34:21.611-07:002016-07-15T08:34:21.611-07:00Named after Charlie Chaplin, then a relatively unk...Named after Charlie Chaplin, then a relatively unknown music hall comedian they had met in London.DAVID SALTMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270760638995836991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-67738108414605929342016-07-14T07:55:37.643-07:002016-07-14T07:55:37.643-07:00The obit in Houdini on Magic is for Bobby, his sec...The obit in Houdini on Magic is for Bobby, his second dog.<br /><br />The story is the Grand Duke gave the Houdinis Charlie, their first dog, as gift while they were in Russia.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-89395677736156288172016-07-14T07:25:05.470-07:002016-07-14T07:25:05.470-07:00Kept Charlie? Are you sure about that? Houdini w...Kept Charlie? Are you sure about that? Houdini wrote at length about the death of Charlie if I am not mistaken. You can find this within "Houdini On Magic". Or was this Charlie number 2?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-2474150530986536162016-07-13T17:28:51.498-07:002016-07-13T17:28:51.498-07:00They've yet to do the carette escape in a Houd...They've yet to do the carette escape in a Houdini movie. It would be great. But they typical show HH escape from Scotland Yard, and that represents the jail break aspect of his career.<br /><br />The miniseries was the first HH biopic to show him in Russia, so this would have been ideal. But instead we got a bullet catch that never happened.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-10762083012476830862016-07-13T11:34:45.134-07:002016-07-13T11:34:45.134-07:00And they kept Charlie Dog! And they kept Charlie Dog! John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-44780108577016626022016-07-13T11:00:40.631-07:002016-07-13T11:00:40.631-07:00Another misunderstanding that Houdini would tell, ...Another misunderstanding that Houdini would tell, was that he was not allowed to keep any of the Faberge items given to him by the Czar family.<br />He keep two items that I know about. One was a bowl that Ruth Kavanaugh had sold at auction in the 70s.<br />It brought over $6000.00 <br />Jon OliverAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-64583636083592665452016-07-13T10:40:32.354-07:002016-07-13T10:40:32.354-07:00Great story. Waiting for part 2. How'd he do i...Great story. Waiting for part 2. How'd he do it?<br /><br />BTW: this would've been great in the miniseries. Oh well.Mantoonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-46512271106108889902016-07-13T09:33:11.625-07:002016-07-13T09:33:11.625-07:00In old Russia, before they called everyone "t...In old Russia, before they called everyone "tovarishch" (comrade). they called everyone "gaspadin" (citizen).DAVID SALTMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270760638995836991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-83377091024355210072016-07-13T09:27:19.787-07:002016-07-13T09:27:19.787-07:00Cool. Thanks, David. In part 2 I address the mytho...Cool. Thanks, David. In part 2 I address the mythology, primary having to do with how the escape played out and how HH might have freed himself. But I admit I didn't remember your good work on Lebedeff. I will add that to the next post.<br /><br />Gaspadne is my bad. I pulled that from Houdini's account because I was excited to see a first name. But now I know why I hadn't seen that John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-49560633509477112712016-07-13T07:44:35.443-07:002016-07-13T07:44:35.443-07:00This excellent story repeats some historical error...This excellent story repeats some historical errors which we've gone to some length to investigate. No one named "Lebedeff" was ever chief of the Moscow police or the secret police in Russia. The non-existent first name "Gaspadne" is clearly Houdini's mangling of the Russian word "gaspadin," which means "Mister." For more on the real Mister LebedeffDAVID SALTMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270760638995836991noreply@blogger.com