Friday, March 3, 2017

Houdini in 1901


When England's Queen Victoria died on January 22, 1901, the 26-year-old Houdini was performing his second record breaking engagement at the Alhambra Theater in London. The Queen's death brought an end to the 64 year "Victorian Era" that had transformed England into a great empire. If Houdini had any reaction to this historic moment, it has gone unrecorded by biographers. But he did buy a dress said to have been designed for the Queen before her death. He thought it would look good on his mother.

This post is now retired. But you will be able to enjoy the story of Houdini in 1901 in my upcoming book. 

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      9 comments:

      1. Leo HeviaMarch 3, 2017 at 4:37 PM

        Another great year in the life of Harry and Bess. Thanks John, bravo!

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      2. MantooMarch 3, 2017 at 5:56 PM

        Wow, this is great. What a year. I love the “seven bald men” bit. That has to be put in a future biopic: Houdini examines the man’s bald head from all angles, then tells his baffled assistant, “Perfect, now get me six more.”

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        Replies
        1. John CoxMarch 3, 2017 at 6:40 PM

          Ha! I like that idea. They did show the bald men briefly in the TNT biopic. You can watch it HERE.

          Delete
      3. MantooMarch 3, 2017 at 6:51 PM

        Son of a gun, I never saw that movie. We gotta watch it next time at the King’s house.

        ReplyDelete
      4. Leo HeviaMarch 4, 2017 at 6:43 AM

        John when you're finished with these year posts, you have to publish it into a book. A real book with photos and paper.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. John CoxMarch 4, 2017 at 6:47 AM

          Yeah, that's a good idea. But I probably won't be finished until 2026. But at some point I'll do some kind of book version of this blog.

          Delete
      5. NarinderMarch 5, 2017 at 2:46 AM

        Excellent. Thank you.
        "trains difficult and unreliable"...still the same... :-)

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        Replies
        1. John CoxMarch 5, 2017 at 9:11 AM

          I didn't go back and review the full quote, but he had very specific complaints about train travel in the UK, how you had to continually switch trains, etc. For an entertainer who has to travel with a large amount of props, you can see how this would be frustrating.

          Delete

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