"Houdini" hits one billion streams

Just in case you're wondering how our friend Dua Lipa is doing these days, know that her single "Houdini" has just crossed one billion streams on Spotify, which I guess is a good thing! This is Dua's 13th song to hit that milestone.

Click below for more Dua Houdini mania.

Related:

• Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person
• Songs Called 'Houdini': Who Did it Best?

The Houdini Centennial Collection at The Miracle Factory

Our friend Todd Karr at The Miracle Factory is once again offering DVDs of rare Houdini film footage. His announcement below.

In honor of the 2026 100th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini, we’ve decided to reissue four of our long-out-of-print anthologies of historic Houdini films in a four-disk set that we’re calling The Houdini Centennial Collection.

We’re only producing 100 of these signed and numbered sets, so order now. This fascinating collection contains some of the most important archival footage of Houdini ever filmed. If you’re interested in Houdini, these must-have movies and rare clips are essential parts of his legacy.

The Houdini Centennial Collection: A four-disk set of historic Houdini media

1. Houdini Captured on Film DVD: Houdini in Newsreels 1901-1926
2. The Houdini Picture Show DVD: Houdini’s Feature Films 1920-1923
3. Houdini: The Master Mystery DVD: The 1919 Serial
4. Houdini Sounds of Mystery CD: Featuring Houdini’s Voice and the Final Houdini Séance

And please don't forget to visit The Magic Bibliography Site, our incredibly handy new website for serious magicians, historians, and collectors, and take advantage of our introductory-rate subscription before it expires April 1, 2026.

You can get more details and purchase The Houdini Centennial Collection at The Miracle Factory.

Related:

• The Miracle Factory manifests 'Spirit Frauds on Film'
• The Miracle Factory releases 3 new Houdini DVDs (2015)
• Houdini Sounds of Mystery on CD (2009)

The talk of Chicago

It was 100 years ago today that Houdini opened his "3 Shows in One" at the Princess Theater in Chicago for the start of what would be a remarkable 8-week run. For the occasion, I thought I'd rerun this post from 2022.

Here's one last post about Houdini at the Shubert Princess Theatre in Chicago in 1926. This 8-week run was longest single theater engagement for the 3 Shows in One and would prove to be Houdini's last appearance in the Windy City. Today I thought I'd share a collection of newspaper ads from the Chicago Tribune that pitched Houdini's show over the course of that record run.

This first ad from Match 4, 1926, shows the comedy play Young Blood with Helen Hayes preceding Houdini at the Princess. The Houdini show was playing the Bronx Theater in New York this week. Houdini flew by airplane to Chicago on March 7th. 

Coming!

Here's an ad for Houdini's opening night on Monday, March 8. You can bet he made sure the theater was ready, even if he had to do it himself!

Week 1

By the second week Houdini was "the talk of Chicago." I can believe it!

Week 2

Wonderful caricature artwork features on this ad for the start of Houdini's third week. If you've ever wondered what tickets cost back then, here you can see "600 Seats at $1 and $1.50 every night."

Week 3

More nice artwork for the start of Houdini's fourth week. "Have Houdini Give Your Friends a Spirit Message." I'm surprised spiritualism isn't played up more in these adverts.

Week 4

The famously prophetic Halloween artwork features on this fifth week ad. "Give yourself a treat. Bring the kiddies!" Any of those kiddies still around, I wonder?

Week 5

This week six ad takes aim at the pocket book. A .50¢ matinee? 300 seats at $1? No excuses now!

Week 6

Week seven saw a special added attraction -- reformed trumpet medium Annie Benninghofen.

Week 7

For his final week Houdini brought back some of his tried and true challenge escapes.

Week 8

Houdini's final two shows were on May 1st. He then traveled on to the Goodyear Theater in Akron, Ohio. Actress Eva Le Gallienne moved into the Princess with two Ibsen plays, The Master Builder and John Gabriel Borkman. Doesn't sound nearly as fun.

Last Day!

The Chicago Princess Theatre was located at 319 S. Clark Street. It converted to a movie theater at the end of the 1920s and closed in 1937. In 1941, the building was razed to make way for a parking lot. The Metcalfe Federal Building now stands on the site.

But let's not forget Houdini was here...for eight full weeks!

Clippings: Newspapers.com. 

Top photo: Houdini His Life Story by Harold Kellock.

Related:

• Houdini never ceases to surprise
• The Benninghofen confession
• Houdini's grand finale: 3 Shows In One

David Copperfield ending his MGM show on April 30

Big news in the magic world. David Copperfield has announced that he will be closing his MGM show on April 30, 2026. Below is the announcement on David's Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by David Copperfield (@copperfield)

If you've never seen David Copperfield live or have not seen his show recently, this is the time to get out to Las Vegas and see him at the MGM. Eight weeks. We're living a moment of magic history here!

I can't wait to see what's next for David. "The largest project I've ever tackled." Is he talking about his Moon illusion, or a Houdini book?

Related:

• Houdini and David Copperfield to be inducted into National Jewish Museum Hall of Fame
• David Copperfield receives S.A.M. "Alliance of Harry Houdini" award
• There's a Houdiniesque David Copperfield poster out there (update)

The 2026 Houdini Centennial Bookshelf 📚

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Houdini's death. This year will also see a record number of new Houdini books (including my own). So I thought I'd keep a running tally of books, and update this post with each new release. Here is what we have so far:

📘 Houdini & Me 2026 by Trudy Monti

Released at the end of 2025, this is Trudy Monti's latest magic journal and the second devoted to Houdini. Chronicle your days throughout this centennial year alongside select Houdini trivia. Amazon

📗 Kinema Comic 1922 (Jul-Dec) The Amazing Exploits of HOUDINI by Joe Notaro and Arthur Moses

The latest volume from Joe Notaro and Arthur Moses collecting Houdini's "Amazing Exploits" stories from the British Kinema Comic. Some of these tales are a real hoot, and the illustrations are dynamic. Amazon

📙 I Want to be Like HOUDINI! by Kent Cummings

Magician Kent Cummings tells his own life story alongside tales of the Handcuff King. A short but enjoyable magical memoir. Amazon, Magic Words Press.

📕 Houdini’s Library by Barb Rosenstock

The story of how Houdini was shaped by his love of books. A very well-done book for kids illustrated by Mar Delmar. And how about that dedication? You can read the author's own story of how this book was made HERE. Amazon, Bookshop.

MORE TO COME...

Exposing Houdini by Charles Greene III (May)

A Strenuous Life by Bruce Averbook M.D. and David Haversat (May)

Houdini: The Man Who Died Twice by Larrian Gillespie M.D. (July)

Houdini's Library by Eric Colleary (August)

Houdini Unlocked by Brian J. Robb (October)

The Murder of Harry Houdini: A Novel by Sara Herchenroether (December)

If you have a Houdini book coming out this year, let me know!

Filming Houdini in Vancouver

The Vancouver Sun has a nice post remembering Houdini's suspended straitjacket escape in the city in 1923. There are some choice photos from the collection of W.J. Moore at the Vancouver Public Library, including one that captures a film crew on an elaborate platform filming the stunt. We've seen film of Houdini doing suspended straitjacket escapes, but rarely do we see who was taking those films!

W.J. Moore Vancouver Archives

We also get this gem:

Film of the escape was shown that night at the Orpheum, where Houdini headed up a vaudeville bill. Houdini came out into the audience to watch the film with them.

“The film was evidently pleasing to the magician,” said The Sun. “At its conclusion, he faced the audience with a smile of satisfaction, exclaiming, ‘Isn’t that a wonderful crowd!'”

CLICK HERE to read then full article and see all the pics at the Vancouver Sun.

Related:

• Canada's Magic follows Houdini in Vancouver
• Lost Foote Photos - Houdini in Winnipeg
• Houdini's Suspended Straitjacket escapes

Houdini and Eva Tanguay in Rochester

Here's a terrific ad for the Cook Opera House in Rochester, New York, showing Houdini and Eva Tanguay on the same bill. (If you don't know who Tanguay was, check out this post.) This is the week Houdini did his famous jump from the Weighlock Bridge. It's wild to know that Eva was on the same bill. Did she see the jump?

Want more? I recently shared a collection of Houdini-related Rochester clippings with my Scholar-level patrons below.

Related:

• The girl who beat Houdini
• Houdini's Rochester bridge jump
• News 10 on Houdini's Rochester bridge jump

WILD ABOUT HARRY hits 20 MILLION views (sorta)

WILD ABOUT HARRY has now clocked 20 million pageviews since going live in November 2010. At least that's what my stats say. But I believe in the dead internet theory, so I suspect most of these views are bots. I actually think I got more legit daily views back in the 2010s, when Google still showed personal blogs in its news feed, and the internet was more merit-based. But, hey, it sounds good!

Thanks to all you humans for supporting this blog over the years. And thanks to all you Chinese bots for doing whatever it is you're doing here.

Related:

• Welcome to Wild About Harry
• ONE MILLION PAGEVIEWS
• The auction that launched a thousand blog posts

'Houdini Speaks to the Living' 2026 tour

Houdini Speaks to the Living, the acclaimed play from The Hidden Room Theatre, has left Austin and will embark on a 2026 tour. Below is a list of current dates. I will add more as they become available.

🔮 March 6 - New York Public Library. Click for tickets.

🔮 May 28, 29, 30 - House of Magic in Glenside, PA. Click for tickets.

🔮 August 7-22 - Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Click for tickets.

In Houdini Speaks to the Living, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini debate the true nature of magic, science and faith through a historically based, largely verbatim play from writer-director Beth Burns and writer-magician Patrick Terry, who also plays Houdini. Below is a photo of Patrick doing some research!

You can check out a tailer for the play on YouTube.

Related:

• REVIEW: 'Houdini Speaks to the Living' at The Players
• Houdini starts speaking tonight in Austin
• The real story of Houdini & Doyle

LINK: Dunninger tells dramatic stories about Houdini’s Death

Our friend Joe Notaro has added the October 26, 1952 Parade Magazine to his collection. This issue contains an article about Houdini and Joe Dunninger by Hy Gardner. Many wild tales here, but are any of them true? This one is a must-read, so click on over to Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence.

Related:

• Hear Dunninger inventory his Houdini collection
• Deconstructing Houdini '53: Main titles
• New Dunninger book released

Under since 1921

I know politics isn't very funny these days, but here's something from a gentler time. I've seen a lot of Houdini political cartoons, but this is the only one I've seen that ties into a specific Houdini stunt. In this case, it's his Shelton Pool Test. Just goes to show how much that feat captured the public imagination. 

Rockford Register Star, Aug 28,1926.

The artist is actually making a second Houdini reference without knowing it. Old John Barleycorn (a reference to prohibition) is reading the temperance play, Ten Nights in a Barroom. Houdini played the lead in this play during his struggling years on more than one occasion.

Related:

• The Shelton pool test at 90
• Houdini's nights in a bar room
• Political cartoonists still love Houdini

The Ultimate Houdini Chronology book update

What's going on with the first volume of my Ultimate Houdini Chronology book? The book is still on track for release this year, but I continue to make discoveries, and it continues to grow. To read about those discoveries and the people helping me make them, check out the latest book update below. I've been taking my patrons along on this journey from the very start.

If you just want to know when you can buy the book, I would recommend signing up to receive notifications on my new retail site, Wild About Harry PRESS.

Related:

• ANNOUNCEMENT: I'M DONE WITH HOUDINI!
• Wild About Harry PRESS is open for business
• Book work (Patreon)

Guest Blog: The Magic of Houdini's Library

Today sees the release of Houdini's Library by Barb Rosenstock. I am beyond honored to see that Barb dedicated this beautiful book to me. She has now graciously written a guest post sharing her experiences researching and writing this terrific book. Take it away, Barb!

The Magic of Houdini’s Library 

by Barb Rosenstock

There’s a new children’s book about Harry Houdini out this week. I wrote it. It wasn’t easy.

In a way, the project started the year I turned eight. First, a magician friend of my father’s called me onstage where I placed my small hand into a guillotine, watched it get ‘chopped off’, and amazingly replaced. The next thing I knew, I was studying Marshall Brodeen commercials and developing a crush on Tony Curtis as Houdini.

At some point I received a magic kit but never astonished anyone, not even my parents. My coins dropped, my pompom balls stayed put, and my cards flopped. “Ta da! The Ace of Spades!” “Sorry, it’s the King of Hearts.” Magic had looked so easy! Like many childhood obsessions, this one ended with the tricks in the trash and a vague sense that there was something about ‘magic’ that I didn’t understand.

So, except for wearing a magician costume to a college Halloween party, seeing big name magicians in Vegas, and a few local shows with my own kids, magic was not part of my life. In 2012, I found myself on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Library of Congress. Shifting careers from the corporate world to writing children’s nonfiction, I was researching a book on Thomas Jefferson. I jotted a quick note about a sign in one of the library’s myriad hallways, “Harry Houdini Collection.” I imagined it to be a few dusty boxes of magic paraphernalia. Instead, a quick Wikipedia search told me that the LoC Houdini shelves contained almost 4,000 volumes. And that wasn’t even Harry’s entire collection! That’s weird, I thought, Why would a magician need so many books?

So, off and on I thought about Harry; but spent the next dozen years publishing children’s books on other topics. In 2021, I mentioned Houdini to my editor and was floored by her enthusiastic response. I started learning—reading all the major Houdini biographies, talking to folks at the Library of Congress. But after months of false starts, I almost gave up. I couldn’t figure out what needed to be said about Houdini that hadn’t been said to kids before. Until…

I found Wild About Harry. John’s detailed posts about Houdini and your involved comments deepened my thinking about the man’s personality and influence. Because of posts and people found on the site, I wound up touring 278—Harry and Bess’ NYC home, visiting Gabe Fajuri at Potter & Potter, researching in Appleton and Austin, plus benefitting from the wisdom of the many Houdini collectors in this community. It was Harry’s relevance to your lives that led me to discover his relevance for today’s kids.

My newest picture book, Houdini’s Library, is the story of an immigrant boy who starts with almost nothing and become a superhero for the ages with the help of books. It’s a multi-layered story about magic—the magic of books, the magic of community, and of course, the magic of secrets, illusion, and escape.

Through the last four years of researching, drafting, and revising Houdini’s Library, I finally figured out what I hadn’t understood about magic as a child. Just like writing children’s books, magic can look simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Effortlessness (in writing or magic) is the result of focus and discipline. Houdini read and practiced, read and invented, read and met with experts, read and worked out, read and wrote, and practiced some more. I bet he felt like giving up sometimes (you know I did!), but Harry’s persistent commitment to excellence in his craft is a wonderful model for children. And Houdini truly loved his books, “The public knows me as a magician…it does not realize that I am a student.” The story of the boy who became the world’s best-known magician also turns out to be a tale of how to become a lifelong learner. No wonder so many (including Dua Lipa and Eminem) are wild about Harry!

I hope you will be as wild about Houdini’s Library as I have been about learning from each of you. I hope you pour over the detailed cut-paper dioramas of Harry’s life (truly magical!) created by illustrator Mar Delmar. I hope you will notice that the book is dedicated to our hardworking historian John Cox. And most importantly, I hope you will share the secret story of Houdini’s Library with a child in your life.

This time, I’ve worked hard enough to promise a bit of magic.

Barb Rosenstock is the award-winning author of nonfiction and historical fiction books for young readers. Her book, THE NOISY PAINT BOX, was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 2015. In addition to HOUDINI’S LIBRARY, other recent titles include SEA WITHOUT A SHORE, THE GREAT LAKES, and THE MYSTERY OF THE MONARCHS. Her first nonfiction book for young adults, AMERICAN SPIRITS: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad that Haunted a Nation, has been named a 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year. A native Chicagoan, Barb loves to share ideas about reading and writing with young people in schools across the country. Instagram: @brosenstock; Facebook: Barb.Rosenstock. Learn more at www.barbrosenstock.com.

You can purchase Houdini's Library: How Books Created the World's Greatest Magician at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Bookshop.org, or directly from publisher Penguin Random House.

Related:

• Houdini the bibliophile
• Houdini’s Library coming to the HRC in Fall 2026

"An Open Letter to Harry Houdini"

Repost from May 13, 2022, with an update.

Here's a curiosity from the September 11, 1925 Pittsburg Post. I'd love to know whether this "Open Letter" was the Aldine Theater manager's idea alone, or if he and Houdini cooked it up together as a nice bit of cross-promotion. Houdini was performing his "3 Shows in One" at the Alvin Theater in Pittsburgh this week.

The Pittsburgh Press, Sept. 11, 1925

Did Houdini take Mr. Sidney up on his offer? Afraid I don't know the answer, but I'm sure the medium-debunking theme of the movie would have met with his approval.

Despite being a work by Dracula and Freaks director Tod Browning, today, Wikipedia calls The Mystic "a little-known film with a cast of now-forgotten names."

UPDATE: The Mystic has now been released on Blu-ray as part of a special 3-film set of Tod Browning films that includes Freaks (1932) and The Unknown (1927). Below is a review from one of my favorite YouTubers. He does long and very technical reviews. The Mystic is the first of the three films he reviews.  Learning more about the plot, this certainly does seem to be a film that would have interested Houdini, and one he would have supported.

You can buy Tod Browning's Sideshow Shockers on Blu-ray and DVD at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Related:

• The Grimm Life Collective: Houdini in Pittsburgh
• Houdini helps a fellow Hungarian from beyond
• Hardeen among the celluloid spirits