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.
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| 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!
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| Week 1 |
By the second week Houdini was "the talk of Chicago." I can believe it!
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| 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.
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| 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?
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| Week 5 |
This week six ad takes aim at the pocket book. A .50¢ matinee? 300 seats at $1? No excuses now!
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| Week 6 |
Week seven saw a special
added attraction -- reformed trumpet medium Annie Benninghofen.
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| Week 7 |
For his final week Houdini brought back some of his tried and true challenge escapes.
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| 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.
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| 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!
Top photo: Houdini His Life Story by Harold Kellock.
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HH doing the wet sheets in 1926? Good Lord. You'd think he was too old for that escape. Helen Hayes. I remember her in the Herbie the Love Bug film in the mid 70s. She was an old lady by then.
ReplyDeletewow....somehow I have seen both the Ibsen plays mentioned in that ad (The Master Builder and John Gabriel Borkman)....Meatloaf says two outta three ain't bad, but I am really wishing for that third....if I could trade out the experience of one of those plays for HH I would, and I love Ibsen! ;)
ReplyDeleteI learned something new! I didn’t know he took a plane! 🥺❤️✨ I bet they were very rickety though. Didn’t they have nurses on the plane too or was that a little later? - Abby Martin
ReplyDeleteHoudini changing that lightbulb himself. Unbelievable. And it does look like him.
ReplyDeleteJohn, I know that behind when I see it! That’s Houdini’s! 🤠- Abby Martin
ReplyDeleteHaha.
DeleteBTW--That top photo of the theater front is absolutely incredible. The photos in the Kellock book are printed on nice glossy paper, and the resolution is impressive. That photo is like a portal to step into 1926 Chicago.
ReplyDeleteThe $1.50 for the best seats is the same as less than $28 today. What a great deal.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw Doug Henning in 1981 my ticket was $17.50.
Delete