You can get more information at the Lily Dale website.
Can make it to Lily Dale? Know that Anna will also be a special guest at this year's NEMCA Yankee Gathering, Nov. 7-9, 2024.
Friday, July 26, 2024
Anna Thurlow speaking at Lily Dale, July 27
Our friend, Anna Thurlow, the great-granddaughter of Mina Crandon, aka "Margery," will be speaking at Lily Dale's 10th Annual Symposium tomorrow, July 27. What a perfect way to mark the 100th anniversary of the Margery seances!
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
100 years ago on Lime Street
Margery is a big part of the Houdini story, and I've shared many Margery-related posts over the years. Below are some links for you to enjoy at your leisure.
Want more? On my Patreon today, I've shared the complete Houdini vs. Margery timeline from 1924 to 1926. Patrons can also download a free PDF of Houdini's pamphlet exposing Margery's methods as this month's free reward.
Monday, July 8, 2024
Summer break
I'm going to give myself a short summer break to recharge my batteries, chamber some posts, and work on other projects. I won't let any breaking news slip past, and I will still be active on my Patreon. Otherwise, see you in a few weeks!
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Deconstructing Houdini '53: Look at those!
Continuing my scene-by-scene dissection of the 1953 biopic HOUDINI starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Last time, Houdini acquired a new assistant on the eve of his return to America. But will he find success in his homeland?
Chapter 16: Look at those!
Houdini returns to the United States. We know that via a stock establishing shot of the Statue of Liberty. This also tells us he has returned to New York City. The following scene is short, but there is a lot to love, and it contains a shot that has obsessed me for years.
As triumphant music swells, we get a close-up of an invitation being opened in a newspaper office (the year strategically obscured on the postmark). Inside is an invitation to a reception at Houdini's home at 273 W 113th Street. Yes, the address reads 273 instead of 278. Why the change? It's possible the filmmakers were sensitive to the privacy of Rose Bonnano and her sister, who were the occupants of 278 at this time. In fact, producer George Pal had visited Rose in preparation for the film. Or maybe it was just nervous Paramount lawyers. But I'm glad they kept it close.
Notice the date of September 3rd. The real Houdini returned to America in late July 1905 and took a three-week rest. If he had arranged a press reception as this scene depicts, it would have indeed been in early September. However, the recipient crumbles up the invite and throws it into the trash as the music takes a downturn. We've gone from triumphant return to ambivalence in one efficient shot.
We then dissolve to find a forlorn Houdini standing on the stoop of his home. Once again the filmmakers are going for accuracy, although the facade is more Georgian than a classic New York brownstone. But that's what they had (and still have) on the Paramount backlot.
Here's a recent photo of Houdini's actual house, still standing strong on 113th Street in Harlem.
Inside, we see a banquet laid out for reporters who have not arrived. It's always a treat to see a re-creation of 278 in a Houdini movie, and this remains one of the best. A few things to notice here. There's a mummy case in the room. Also, the dress Janet Leigh is wearing is one of the very few pieces of wardrobe from the film that survives.
"I don't understand it," says Harry, "It's 3:30, and they were invited for 2:00. Why haven't the reporters arrived?" His mother answers, "Maybe they don't know who you are, Harry." Houdini responds, "Everybody knows who I am, Mama. Look at those!" He then points to a collection of posters and memorabilia that fills half the room.
Look at those, indeed!
When I first saw Houdini '53 on television, this shot went by in an eye blink, but I could see there were treasures to behold. With my first Beta tape recording of the movie, I could pause, but the picture was never clear on those early machines. The commercial VHS release and a better machine helped, but one could still only see so much in the low resolution of videotape. But with the advent of LaserDisc, DVD, and now Blu-ray, one can finally look deeply into this glorious shot. So let's break it down:
- Re-creation of Houdini's famed 1898 "King of Cards" poster with Tony Curtis' image central.
- Schultz Dime Museum poster, not based on any real Houdini poster. This is the second of three appearances it makes in the movie.
- Re-creation of The Houdinis 1894 Metamorphosis cutting with Tony and Janet images central.
- Photographic poster of Houdini escaping from the Russian safe. This seems to be an echo of Houdini's famed Victory in Cologne poster.
- Actual photograph of Houdini's 1914 packing case escape off the New York Battery.
- Actual photograph of Houdini's 1910 jump into Domain Municipal Baths in Sydney, Australia.
- Actual photograph of Houdini's 1917 suspended straitjacket escape in Times Square.
- Re-creation of Houdini lobby display case.
- Re-creation of Houdini handcuff and antique lock lobby display cases.
A parlor full of mementos of Houdini's career is consistent with the real 278, although what Houdini displayed were mostly his trophies and awards. A trophy or loving cup would have been a nice addition here.
Mama's response to all this is, "But that was in Europe, Harry. Americans are from Missouri; you have to show them."
I never understood this reference as a kid, but I eventually learned that Missouri is called the "Show Me State." This does fit the timeline. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver reportedly coined the phrase during a speech in 1899 when he declared, "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me."
Overall, the idea that Houdini was not immediately embraced back in his home country is correct. He had been absent from American stages for five years, and during that time, rival Handcuff Kings had flooded the market. He attempted a publicity stunt in which he defeated a rival in an underwater handcuff escape contest, but the coverage was skeptical and snarky. He then opened at the Colonial Theater, a famously tough venue in New York City, and made good. At the end of the year, he took out a half-page ad in The New York Clipper, proclaiming: "I TOLD YOU SO!" (You might say he "showed them.")
Back to the movie. Houdini steps up to Otto and says, "If the press won't come to me, I shall go to the press. Get my straitjacket." Notice that Otto is threading a film projector here. In a preceding shot, he was sitting across the room. Has something been cut? Regardless, I classify this projector shot as a nod to Houdini's real-life use of early film as a promotional tool.
But what exactly does Houdini have in mind? We'll raise the shade on that next time.
Thursday, July 4, 2024
The Houdini Inheritance by Emma Carroll
Today sees the release of The Houdini Inheritance by Emma Carroll. Aimed at young readers, the book has a nice premise and a nice cover. This is one I'll be adding to my shelf of Houdini fiction.
The English seaside, 1920sA world famous escape artist . . .
A suitcase full of secrets . . .
And a death-defying stunt . . .
When Harry Houdini comes to visit the seaside town of Sidford-on-Sea, Glory and her friend Dennis are first in-line to see him. He is there to perform a daring trick: he will jump off the town pier in chains, pitching himself into the water below. But when Glory outsmarts the infamous Houdini, she is suddenly sucked into his world, and finds herself tasked with looking after his precious trunk - the one that contains all his secrets.
With Houdini in danger, Glory and Dennis are thrown deep into an adventure that takes them all the way to Coney Island in America, and the dark underbelly of its amusement parks . . .
Purchase The Houdini Inheritance at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com. Author Emma Carroll is on a UK book tour. Below is a list of stops. You can also follow her on Instagram.
How do you feel about Houdini fiction? Is it harmless fun that honors Houdini? Or does it further muddy the facts of Houdini's life? I've thrown this question out as a POLL on my Patreon.
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
William V. Rauscher (1932-2024)
William V. Rauscher (1932-2024)The Reverend Canon William V. Rauscher was a magician, a psychic researcher, a biographer, and an Episcopal priest who served as rector of Christ Church in Woodbury, New Jersey, for 36 years. For four years Bill served as president of Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship (SFF), an organization focused on the implications of psychic phenomena for religion. At its peak SFF had 6000 members.
Bill was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Order of Merlin Excelsior. He was also a collector of magic and owned and performed the Flight of Time, the last illusion invented by Harry Houdini. He wrote 17 biographies of magicians. Bill maintained friendships with psychics, debunkers, fraudulent mediums, and the sixth man who walked on the moon, Edgar Mitchell, of whom he wrote a biography. He had psychic experiences himself but also exposed fraud in Spiritualism. He played a key role in publication of The Psychic Mafia, a most amazing exposé in the history of Spiritualism.
Rauscher received five writing awards from The Linking Ring, the magazine of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) and had been a member of the organization for 75 years. He was elected to the Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) Hall of Fame. In 1996 the New England Magic Collectors Association honored him for his many contributions to the art of magic. In 1991 he received the Milbourne Christopher Foundation award for his contributions to magic, noting his performing and writing, and in 2007 he was honored with the Christopher Literary Award. In 2023 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Magic Castle’s Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. That same year he was honored with the prestigious John Neville Maskelyne Prize for noteworthy contributions to the art or literature of magic from London’s Magic Circle.
Today we remember our friend Bill, an amazing person who touched the lives of so many.
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| Rauscher the Magician performing Houdini's Flight of Time. |
Houdini buffs will know Bill Rauscher as the author of The Houdini Code Mystery, Hardeen: Monarch of Manacles, and co-author of Arthur Ford: The Man Who Talked With The Dead. Bill knew Arthur Ford well. He also lectured on the Houdini Code and controversy.
I'm honored to have known Bill. He was always generous with his time and information. He was one of the rare Houdini truth seekers. He will be missed.
UPDATE: You can now read his full obituary in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Related:
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
LINK: The Torrence Collection
Mega collector Jon Torrence is sharing rarities from his amazing Houdini collection on his website, The Torrence Collection. Somehow, I wasn't aware of Jon or his collection, but I sure am now! Some real gems here. Click the headline or the image below to dive in.
A program pictured on page 6 has me especially intrigued. This appears to reveal a 1901 engagement in Mainz, Germany, and an encounter with a rival that is entirely new to me. Or it could be hokum on Houdini's part. Either way, it's a prime example of the Germany problem.
Monday, July 1, 2024
Guest Blog: Houdini's mysterious safe
Today, I'm happy to share a guest blog from our friend Johan Ahlberg in Sweden about Houdini and his safes. Take it away, Johan!
HOUDINI'S mysterious SAFE
By Johan Ahlberg
Harry Houdini had a great mechanical interest in complicated locks and safes. On his tour in Germany, he saw several safes and strongboxes that not only had complicated locks but also secret mechanisms to even find the keyhole. Some safes had combination locks, where secret levers needed to be operated in a secret manner to open the lock.
Houdini claimed he was challenged by a judge to open a big safe, which was kept in the judge's chamber with a combination lock, when he sued the German police for slander in Cologne, Germany.
The French magician Robert-Houdin made a desk with secret compartments. For extra security, there was a complicated lock in which you had to put your finger in a hole and touch a secret lever to open the lock. If you did it in the wrong way, a razor-sharp knife with a strong spring was activated, and the finger was cut off immediately. It was so the thief could easily be identified.
On December 4th, 1908, at the Euston Palace in England, Houdini was challenged to escape from a monster safe.
The safe was brought on stage. Houdini was searched and locked inside. He escaped in just 14 minutes, leaving the safe still secure and locked.
The terror of being locked up inside an airtight safe must have thrilled the audience. Houdini had planned the escape in detail, and it was probably one of Houdini's easiest escapes. But anything could have gone wrong; it took Houdini's nerves of steel to pull it off. If Houdini had fainted inside the safe or the lock mechanism had interlocked, it could have ended in disaster, like it did for Genesta when he tried to copy Houdini's milk can escape.
James Randi escaped in a TV show from a safe that was shown to be empty and locked. Suddenly, the combination dial started to spin. The door flew open, and out jumped Randi. The safe was so incredibly small that it seemed to be impossible for a human being to be inside. David Copperfield was handcuffed and locked in a safe with a combination lock. A chain was wrapped around the safe and padlocked. The clock started ticking, the combination dial started to rotate, and suddenly, a blast, the building was blown up, and everything was buried. David emerged on a table outside unharmed, smiling mysteriously. The effect was stunning, but Houdini was the first escape artist to escape from a borrowed safe under test conditions.
Houdini told a story in which he visited his lawyer in New York he was left alone with the lawyer's safe. He managed to manipulate the combination lock and his lawyer was dumfounded. Houdini claimed he had a micro meter in a watch that could register the small movements of the tumblers. To manipulate a combination lock can take hours or days to open even for a expert locksmith.
There was a rumor about a safe or a vault in Houdini's house. I once asked Marie Blood, Houdini's niece and the last link to Houdini's home, if she ever saw or heard anything about a vault? She said no! She never went down in the cellar. After Houdinis death there was another story about a safe that Bess couldn’t open. A locksmith, Charles Courtney, was called in an after working for hours on the combination lock it wouldn’t open. When Courtney asked Bess how Houdini opened the safe she said he just waved his hand over the lock and it opened like magic. Courtney bought a strong magnet and the lock opened or so he claimed.
The problem with that story is that a magnet can’t operate a lever through the safe's thick steel plates. In the safe, there were several love letters from women written to Houdini and the silver Mirror handcuffs. However, it’s a fantastic story.
Houdini's safe that Courtney claimed he opened with a magnet. The safe has the text “HOUDINI” on top. The Mirror handcuffs were stored inside.
An article in the Swedish newspaper KvP in 1974 described how Houdini had left a locked safe with his attorney in New York that contained his secrets. The safe was to be opened on Houdini's 100th birthday. With the press present, the safe was opened, but it was empty!
I bet Houdini was laughing in his heaven.
Thank you, Johan.
If you'd like to share your own Guest Blog here on WILD ABOUT HARRY, feel free to get in touch and let's talk about what you have in mind. I know there's a lot of untapped Houdini wisdom out there!
Related:
Friday, June 28, 2024
Triangulating The Houdinis first appearance
The very first engagement I played with Mrs. Houdini at the Fall River Museum, then under the management of J. S. Dunbar, I lectured on the entertainment and it fell to my lot to introduce Alexander Weyer to the public. He was then posing as a strong man, and his particular feat consisted of forcing nails through two inch planks with his bare hands. This was the incident which proved to be the inception of a life long friendship
This made me sit up! Houdini appears to reveal here when and where he and Bess made their debut as The Houdinis, information that has never been published as far as I know. At least, he almost does. But with some searching and triangulation of facts, I think I can zero in on this magical moment. It's not a home run, but let me run my work past you.
Houdini provides us with the year 1894 and a place, the "Fall River Museum." As to the date, the Coney Island Clipper announced that The Brothers Houdini would become The Houdinis on July 28, 1894. The first confirmed engagement for The Houdinis I've been able to find was during the week of October 15 at Barton's Theatre in Newport, Virginia. So their debut would need to fall somewhere between those dates.
As to the place, there was a Fall River Dime Museum in Kansas. But I don't think that's what Houdini is talking about here. I believe he's talking about the Wonderland Museum in Fall River, Massachusetts. To make the case even stronger, that museum was managed by G. F. Dunbar. Yes, Houdini calls him J.S. Dunbar, but it all fits too well for this not to be the place.
Fortunately, the Wonderland makes our work easier. The museum began its Fall 1894 season on August 20. It then closed prematurely on September 29 to become a new theater (the Columbia). So that narrows the search to a mere six weeks. And look what we find on the bill for the week of September 10!
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| The Fall River Daily Herald, Sept. 8, 1894. |
There is WEYER working as a strong man, just as Houdini said. This would be a home run if we were just looking for Weyer. But we're also looking for The Houdinis, and they are not on the bill, darn-it.
However, there could be any number of reasons why they are not listed. They may have been a late addition. Or because, as Houdini says, he was working as the "lecturer" (which we might think of as an MC today), it could be that was his primary role this week, and he did Metamorphosis with Bess as an added attraction. That's not a bad way to test it out before an audience. So I don't think it's fatal to the case that The Houdinis are not advertised. And this is likely why it has never been found before.
So did The Houdinis make their debut at the Wonderland Museum in Fall River during the week of September 10, 1894? I think it's a pretty darn good possibility. But if you can do better, let us hear your theory in the comments below.
Houdini also talks about reuniting with Weyer in Liege, Belgium, which is the second rabbit hole I've been exploring with the help of Bill Kalush of the Conjuring Arts Research Center and Eric Colleary at the Harry Ransom Center. But that's one I'll save for another time.
Want more? You can read Houdini's full MUM "In Memoriam" for Weyer and view related research as a "Scholar" member of my Patreon below.
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Houdini's Water Torture Cell 1 oz Silver Coin
Spectres has produced a 1 oz silver coin celebrating Houdini's Water Torture Cell. The coin is legal tender with a face value of 1000 Francs CFA. Details below.
Step back into the golden age of magic with Spectres' Houdini's Water Torture Cell coin. This 1 oz .999 pure silver coin pays homage to Harry Houdini, the illustrious Hungarian-American illusionist and stunt performer. Celebrating the centennial legacy of the Water Torture Cell, invented in 1912, this coin captures the essence of one of the most daring feats in escapology. A limited edition of just 1000 coins worldwide, each piece intricately shaped and proofed with color, the coin features a vintage illustration of Houdini in his self-named "Upside Down" escape act. This coin is not just a tribute to Houdini’s iconic 1912 invention but also a valuable piece for collectors and enthusiasts of American history.
You can buy the Houdini Silver Coin directly from Spectres. I've been told they have 8 left. I've also seen it available from sellers on eBay.
Below is a video that gives a good look at the coin. You can also watch an unboxing video HERE.
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Trudy Monti's new edition of The Zanetti Mystery
Our friend Trudy Monti has published a new paperback and hardcover edition of Houdini's The Zanetti Mystery.
Houdini's last published book, a romantic murder mystery thriller, was originally published as an 8-week newspaper serial, combining his love of mystery with his desire to expose fraudulent mediums. Thirty-five years of study and thirty-five years of experience gathered in every quarter of the world by the master of a unique profession went into the making of The Zanetti Mystery by Houdini in 1925.AND NOW – Ninety-eight years later, Houdini’s novella is presented to the public as Houdini’s final book.
Of course, Joe Notaro first collected and published The Zanetti Mystery in 2022. Trudy tells me she embarked on this project before she was aware of Joe's book. Her edition does not include the extra content one finds in Joe's book, but she did commission nice new original cover art.
Hey, if the world is big enough for a dozen different editions of A Magician Among the Spirits, etc., I think it's big enough for two Zanettis!
You can purchase Trudy Monti's The Zanetti Mystery on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Joe Notaro's edition of The Zanetti Mystery is also still available from Amazon.com.
Monday, June 24, 2024
Walking tour of Houdini's Appelton, July 10
The History Museum at the Castle will offer a walking tour of Houdini's Appleton on Wed., July 10 at 6:00 PM. Click here for more information and to buy tickets.
Related:
Celebrate Harry Houdini’s 150th birthday by exploring the myths and reality of Houdini’s brief life in Appleton. Visit the location where his childhood home once stood, sites of fictional magical feats, and his father’s synagogue. Explore the city that Houdini called home.
The History Museum at the Castle is located at 330 E College Ave, Appleton, WI 54911-5715. Once the home of the Houdini Historical Center, the museum still has a dedicated Houdini exhibit and research archive.
Related:
Sunday, June 23, 2024
Houdini's Coffin wins UK soapbox derby
A coffin-shaped racer paying homage to the great Harry Houdini escaped with top honors at Sunday's Red Bull Soapbox Race at Alexandra Palace, outpacing 58 other wacky entries, reports The Standard.
Thousands of spectators packed the grounds to witness the return of the event to British soil. The global competition challenges teams to cobble together the most outlandish gravity-powered vehicles imaginable before hurtling them down a treacherous hill.
The Hurry Houdini team from London were crowned this year’s winners. They said "a lifetime of preparation" had gone into the race and that they would be back to defend the title next year "with a few tricks up our sleeves."
You have now officially seen it all.
Saturday, June 22, 2024
130 years bound
Today is Harry and Bess Houdini's 130th wedding anniversary. The couple married in Coney Island on June 22, 1894. To mark the occasion, here's a beautiful unpublished photo from the collection of John C. Hinson showing the Houdinis in 1924. Forever bound!
Want more? You can read the original 25th anniversary letter from Harry to Bess as a member of my Patreon below. This gem comes from our friends at the Harry Ransom Center.
"We have starved, and starred together. We have had our little tiffs but your sunny smile, and my good (?) sense always smoothed out the bitterness. I love you—love you—and I know you love me. Your very touch, your care of me dearest and the laughter in my heart when you put your arms around me prove it. Think dear heart, twenty five years. . . .yours till the end of the world and ever after."
-Note written by Houdini to Bess on
their their 25th Anniversary
Thursday, June 20, 2024
High-Class Vaudeville in D.C.
Below is an unusually detailed vaudeville playbill from the September 20, 1924, Washington Times. This is a great way to see what kinds of acts shared the stage with Houdini during any given week.
Related:
Here's an ad for the following week. As you can see, Belle Baker, who once disrupted Houdini's act, was the new headliner. Note the reminder at the bottom of the page that Houdini would be closing out his engagement that night.
While B.F. Keith's Theater is long gone, the building facade survives. This is especially nice as it was also the site of a suspended straitjacket escape (in 1922). Today, what would have been the entrance to the theater is the Old Ebbitt Grill.
Related:
Tuesday, June 18, 2024
The Houdinis in the bordello
I'm sharing this one as a "History Exclusive" on my Patreon. Click the image below and all will be revealed.
My Patreon is going strong content-wise, but we seem to have stalled at just over 80 members. That's still far from the goal of 100 members, which will unlock unreleased Houdini audio. So, if you've been on the fence, why not take the leap, support my work, and enjoy all the pleasures within.
Monday, June 17, 2024
LINK: Houdini monkeys with a buzz saw
The photo below has long been somewhat of a mystery. But now our friend Joe Notaro has discovered an issue of Motion-Play Magazine for May 25, 1919, which describes Houdini's encounter with the buzz saw. Click to read at Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence.
This article also answers the question of what "trick" Houdini is showing DeMille in this photo.
Thanks Joe!
Related:
Sunday, June 16, 2024
Inside the Hulme Hippodrome
This video takes you inside the abandoned Hippodrome in Hulme, England, where Houdini performed in February 1909. Here's hoping it can be saved.
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| Music Hall and Theatre Review, February 19, 1909. |
For more on the theater and the effort to save it, check out the Save Hulme Hippodrome website.
Related:
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Houdini chases spooks in Charlottesville
The Daily Progress reported that both lectures were well attended. It said Houdini's "stereopticon pictures" (slide show) was "rather tiresome," but the remainder of the lecture was "very entertaining," with Houdini demonstrating how mediums produce paraffin hands and how spirits write messages on slates.
Houdini also escaped from his Milk Can and showed film of The Grim Game plane crash and his suspended straitjacket escape in St. Louis. This is the first account of Houdini showing films as part of his lecture that I've encountered. He may have been taking advantage of the fact that the Jefferson was also a fully equipped movie theater. In fact, both The Grim Game and Terror Island had played the Jefferson during their first runs.
Happily, the Jefferson Theater still stands in Charlottesville today. Restored in 2006, the theater is located at 110 East Main Street and is a popular live venue. The official website says the theater has hosted many famous performers, "ranging from Harry Houdini to The Three Stooges." I can't speak to the Stooges, but we know Houdini was here!
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Want more? You can access a collection of newspaper clippings related to Houdini's Charlottesville lectures as a Scholar member of my Patreon below.
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Houdini Night with the Tropical Masonic Lodge #56
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
'Houdini A Magical Odyssey' in Warsaw
A new play, Houdini Odyseia Magiczna (Houdini A Magical Odyssey), will debut at the Senatorska 35 in Warsaw, Poland, this Thursday, June 14, and play through June 19. The play is written and directed by Michał Walczak. Houdini is played by Piotr Sierecki. Ewa Dąbrowska is Bess.
Related:
Monday, June 10, 2024
"Houdini" works magic for Eminem
Like Dua Lipa before him, conjuring the name Houdini has worked magic for Eminem, with his new single, "Houdini," topping the U.S. and UK charts. The following comes from Billboard.
The song’s impact has been similarly instantaneous, both in terms of its own consumption and in its lifting of associated cuts. “Houdini” has already racked up over 30 million official on-demand U.S. streams through Wednesday (June 3), according to early reports from Luminate, while also selling over 36,000 copies – both tremendous four-day numbers for any artist in 2024, let alone one twice the age of many contemporary superstars. The song has also elevated the rest of Eminem’s discography, with his non-”Houdini” catalog notching nearly 46 million streams combined over those four days, a 38% rise from the equivalent period the prior week. (A big part of that gain comes from 2002’s “Without Me,” whose iconic “Guess who’s back, back again” intro “Houdini” resurrects, and which is up 56% to over 3.1 million streams for those four days.)Of course, Steve Miller is eating off the “Houdini” success as well: The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s eponymous band’s biggest Hot 100 hit more than doubled its streams over the same period, up 101% to 613,000. And yes, even that other recent hit of the same title is getting some spillover from the deluge: Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” was up 8% in streams over that period, to just over 2 million.
Friday, June 7, 2024
Bess and the "bad woman"
While reading Houdini: His Life Story by Harold Kellock recently, the following paragraph jumped out at me as containing an intriguing mystery:
Page 209: Another lady of the halls who cut a wide swathe among the European nobility bobs up in the diary for a time. She was on the same bill with Houdini and elected to make a confidante of Mrs. Houdini. She was a rare dark beauty. Her apartment was fitted in queenly splendor, and in the boudoir her pink perfection reposed on sheets of finest black satin. An amorous German prince had presented her with a toilet set of pure gold, and her jewels represented the taxed sweat of thousands of peasants of several countries. "I think –– must be a bad woman," Houdini confided to his diary, and speculated as to whether he was doing right in permitting his wife to associate with her.... The former idol of princes is now fifty and has settled down as a saleswoman in a five-and-ten emporium in New York City.
As this woman was still alive in 1927-8 (at age 50), it's clear Kellock is being careful not to name her. So who was she? All we know is what we have above. Is that enough to suss out the identity of the "bad woman"?
Please share any thoughts or ideas in the comments below.
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