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Sunday, March 31, 2024
LINK: Houdini and the Sea Monster
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Friday, March 29, 2024
The Houdini Compendium by Alex Rusconi
One hundred and fifty years after his birth, Harry Houdini is still the most famous and controversial magician in history. His life, like a novel, is full of anecdotes and extraordinary episodes, just as his artistic career was extraordinary.This book collects 52 (like the years Houdini lived) curiosities about this character, his exploits, his friends and his loves, dispelling some clichés and highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of this giant in the history of entertainment. Even if you know Houdini's life perfectly, in this book you will surely find at least one "gem" that you didn't know about! The challenge is launched...
Foreword by Andrew Basso.
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Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Holmes & Houdini issue 3
As Nolen Savoy's apocalyptic plot nears fruition, Spencer Holmes and Erica Houdini must join forces, much like their famous ancestors did once before to save the world. But is it already too late?
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Houdini's Last Handcuffs by Charlie & Cheryl Young
Houdini’s Last Handcuffs weaves a mesmerizing blend of historical fiction and fantasy in 1950s Manhattan. On the 30th anniversary of Houdini's death, three young friends, gifted a mystical Ouija Board by the enigmatic writer Walter Gibson, find themselves thrust into a world of wonder.While the adults attempt to reach Houdini in a Séance at his former residence, the children unknowingly call upon the great magician, not through the Ouija board or séance but via an enigmatic pair of handcuffs from their father's magic collection.
Houdini, in dire need of their aid, reveals a hidden notebook filled with scientific formulas coveted by both benevolent and malevolent secret circles. This notebook is a puzzle, locked behind Houdini's cryptic code.
The unexpected unfolds, setting off a thrilling chase, where the pursuit of Houdini's notebook holds the key to secrets, mystique, and adventure. Houdini’s Last Handcuffs is a riveting journey into a world where magic meets science, tantalizing readers with every twist and turn.
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Monday, March 25, 2024
Marking Houdini's 150th in Budapest
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Sunday, March 24, 2024
Houdini is alive and well at 150
Friday, March 22, 2024
Celebrate Houdini's 150th with the SAM online
'The Magician's Ghost' reading in Edinburgh
A hundred years ago this year, renowned magician Harry Houdini hired a struggling scribbler called HP Lovecraft to ghostwrite a tale based on a strange experience he had in Egypt.At the time Lovecraft was himself going through a strange and terrifying event he would avoid speaking of for the rest of his life: marriage to an independent writer and business woman.What followed would change their lives and forever mark the world.The Magician's Ghost tells the story of a friendship spanning the natural, the fictional and the supernatural in a new play by the 2019 Bruntwood Award longlisted and 2021 Through The Mill Award shortlisted writer, Oliver Giggins, specially performed to mark the 150th anniversary of Houdini's birth.Please be aware this event is a Rehearsed Reading/ Work in Progress performance.
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Serenading Houdini with "Houdini"
Some celebrities and even brands shared their thoughts in the comments of the video. “Congrats, you won Best Cover Of Houdini At His Grave In 2024,” said MTV. “Do we know if he’s actually in there or did he escape that too,” said the PureWow brand. The Girls Next Door costar Holly Madison even chimed in saying, “Best thing I’ve ever seen.”
Tuesday, March 19, 2024
San Fransisco suspended straitjacket anniversary
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Houdini in Blackpool's new "Showtown" museum
Lancashire Evening Post, June 12, 1905. |
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Houdini spoke one year ago today
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Discovering Houdini's "O.D. stunt" at last!
Toledo Blade, December 8, 1916. |
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Wednesday, March 13, 2024
"That's an awful river."
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Houdini Museum launches new website
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Magic Castle announces a New Houdini Séance
March 24 is Harry Houdini’s Birthday& the Premiere of the New Houdini Séance Experience!The Houdini séance at The Magic Castle® debuted 55 years ago in 1969, with people experiencing a re-enactment of the final séance of 10 held over a decade at the nearby Knickerbocker Hotel by Bess Houdini—to summon Harry from the other side—on Halloween 1936, which was attended by Bill Larsen, Sr.
The séance at the club has always been a big draw, evolving over the years—Milt Larsen’s Winchester House, adding and changing effects—into what was best described as a campy (albeit fun) experience. Currently, we are in the midst of an exciting overhaul of the séance, the second in recent years, which will make a soft debut on Harry Houdini’s birthday, March 24 (for evaluation and tweaks by involved parties), and likely open for general membership bookings in late spring/early summer, with specific date to be announced.
In 2019-2020, the séance and the room were renovated under the direction of Jim Steinmeyer, making it a more modern, theatrical and technically advanced experience. The new, more low-tech séance option being developed will be a much more haunting, “jump-in-the-dark,” organic experience. Both seances will be available for bookings.
The new transformation is being supervised by a collaborative team that includes Todd Robbins, Chris Hart, Mike Caveney and medium/magicians Rob Zabrecky and Stuart McCloud; executive produced by the Board of Trustees and Chuck Martinez.
Says Todd, “The Magic Castle® is the center of the world of magic and Houdini is so much a part of that world. On the 98th anniversary of his death, you can ask 100 people to name the first magician that comes to mind and 90% of them will still say Houdini. Even though no one’s alive who’s seen him perform, he still lives on in our collective conscious and that’s the greatest feat of his entire career, that he became this legend. It’s important that The Magic Castle® do something that grabs people, is emotional and serves as a fitting tribute to this remarkable man.”
“I like to say that you’re never so alive as when you are scared to death!” continues Todd. “This experience will be a little more fun in the dark and very bespoke to who the medium is … rather than the medium being guided by the presentation. When the inaugural séance was created in 1969, the only automated gimmick was the table rising and the rest of it was up to the presiding medium. The original medium, Ed Fowler (who also performed under the stage name of E. Raymond Carlyle), had a grandmother and a great aunt who were ‘real’ mediums at a spiritualist retreat in Michigan. They taught him the techniques they used to deceive the believers. Rob and Stuart have been integral to this renovation.”
The Houdini séance chamber is located in an area that was originally part of the master bedroom of the Chateau-esque mansion built in 1908 by Rollin B. Lane, which was also the room where he passed away. “Ghosts do walk and who knows who will come back,” teases Todd, who doesn’t want to give away too many surprises. “It depends upon the people in the room and the willingness to open themselves up.”
Plans are also being discussed to initiate a stage two-update that integrates off-menu food service (Houdini’s favorite foods?) into the overall event with a host who provides historical insights, with a flourish of magic, as each course is served, leading up to the main event with a medium.
Says Todd, “The original séance included a personal chef and a small antique stove where he flambéed an appetizer of shrimp in cognac, finished a main course of filet mignon; and prepared flaming cherries jubilee. Unfortunately, it was a fun part of the performance that Milt didn’t run by the fire department and it was ultimately shut down!”
Participants in the final séance in 1936 (Bill Larsen, Sr., far right). |
I'm looking forward to seeing what the Castle has cooked up for this new seance!
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Friday, March 8, 2024
Shadow of Houdini with Sher'ril & Samantha
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Magic & Mind Games LIVE: A Tribute to Houdini
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Tuesday, March 5, 2024
Deconstructing Houdini '53: Judgment in Germany
“When any magician transgresses the bounds of reason and humbugs the people into not only thinking but believing that he’s supernatural, then this man becomes a menace to society and must be restrained from further practice of such deception.”
"I have never claimed to be supernatural. All my escapes have been effected by purely physical means."