Going wild on The Skeptical Help Bar, Friday (Aug 1)

This Friday (Aug 1), I will be live-streaming with Kenny Biddle, Chief Investigator for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, on The Skeptical Help Bar. This is Kenney's "Open Mic Night" Q&A style show. We will be talking about Houdini, Escaping Obscurity, my recent appearance on Ghost Adventures, and wherever anyone wants us to talk about! And, yes, we will be drinking.

The live stream link is embedded below, or you can check it out on YouTube. The time is 5pm Pacific. The video will reflect your own time zone. You can be notified when the stream goes live by clicking the video below.

Hope to see you there!

Related:

• Houdini's spirit trumpet on Ghost Adventures
• Center For Inquiry welcomes Houdini (and I)
• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY

Evidence of a NEW Houdini voice recording!

Let's kick the week off with some exciting news.

Houdini made more than a dozen radio broadcasts from 1922-1926, debunking spiritualism and giving magic lessons. I have long believed that there must be a recording of Houdini's voice from this time. Now our friend Joe Notaro of Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence has discovered evidence of such a recording, and I'm losing my mind!

The listing below from the Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) at the University of California Santa Barbara, shows that Houdini recorded a "monologue" on Spiritualism to a 10-inch record in New York on December 16, 1922. This doesn't appear to have been a radio broadcast per se, but a direct recording made for the Victor company.

Click to view at DAHR

Before we get too excited (as I did when I first saw this), know this is just evidence that a recording was made, not that a recording survives. I confirmed this with the DAHR, who said, "The record was made but was never published (that we know). It's possible a test pressing exists."

This is still tremendously exciting. Perhaps a copy survives in the Victor archives. Or perhaps this 10-inch record exists unlabeled in some Houdini collection, just waiting to be played. 

But what is this exactly? Here's some speculation. 

This was during the first year of Houdini's radio broadcasts on Spiritualism (March is the first broadcast I'm aware of). Maybe he's making a private recording just to hear what his address sounds like? Not unlike how he recorded his Water Torture Cell patter on wax cylinders years earlier. Or maybe he's making a recording for use by radio stations. Pre-recorded material was in use at this time. This means some of the known Houdini broadcasts might have been this recording.

But here's another theory that's a little wild. 1922 was the year of the famous seance in which Lady Conan Doyle claimed to make contact with Houdini's mother. On December 19, just three days after making this recording, Houdini had a written statement notarized entitled, "The Truth Regarding Spiritualistic Seance Given to Houdini by Lady Conan Doyle."

Could this be a recording of Houdini speaking this same statement? He certainly thought it was important, and I could see him making a recording of it, if only for his own files.

Okay, audio historians, we have the date, we have the place, we have the label. Who wants to get their name into the Houdini history books by tracking down this recording?

Thanks to Joe Notaro at HHCE and David at the DAHR.

Related:

• Houdini's known radio broadcasts
• ALL the Houdini wax cylinder audio has been saved!
• "It affords me pleasure to address you for a few moments on the subject of Spiritualism"

How to spot AI writing

This video doesn't have anything to do with Houdini, but it is worth watching as we enter an era of AI-generated Houdini content. I think it's good to know what to look for and know when you are in the hands of a human or a bot. The use of the em dash alone was eye-opening for me. Enjoy.

And, of course, AI continues to get Houdini facts wrong. You can read an example of this in today's Patreon post.

Related:

• I hate A.I. and the feeling appears to be mutual
• Houdini A.I. is inaccurate, artless, and everywhere
• When AI generates your Houdini facts

Houdini plays Boston in 1895

Boston was wild about Houdini from the start. We are all familiar with his record-breaking runs at Keith's Theatre on Tremont Street during the height of his Handcuff King days. However, Houdini had appeared in Boston years earlier, well before he became famous and received positive reviews.

In October 1895, the American Gaiety Girls, a burlesque show that Houdini starred in and co-managed, played the Palace Theater on Court Street. This review from the Boston Post gives an excellent idea of what the show was like and singles out The Houdinis and their "European illusion or box trick" for special attention. 

Boston Post, Oct. 29, 1895.

Notice that "dashing burlesquer" Flo Harvey is part of the show. Years later, Flo came to see Houdini when he got his big break in vaudeville at the Omaha Orpheum. Houdini mentions her attendance in his diary, which you can read for yourself in Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899.

The American Gaiety Girls returned to the Palace in Boston in March 1896 and once again received good reviews.

Want more? You can see a rare handwritten letter from Houdini this time, read more reviews, and see images of the Palace as a "Scholar" member of my Patreon below.

Related:

• The American Gaiety Girls forever
• Houdini and the American Gaiety Girls 
• Houdini's return to burlesque in 1912

How we made the Deluxe Edition deluxe

If you were one of the lucky 150 buyers of the Deluxe Edition of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899, then I think you will be interested in this three-part post on my Patreon about the creation of the book and its unique tip-in. 

Part 1: Concept

Part 2: Creation

Part 3: Completion

If you're not a member of my Patreon, this is a great month to join. All new memberships are currently 50% off using the code DIARY. This offer is only good until the end of the month.

The Deluxe Edition of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899 is sold out, but you can still buy the Regular Edition at Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

Related:

• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY
• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Reviews & Reactions
• The oldest surviving Houdini poster?

The Amazing Exploits of HOUDINI, Vol. 2 released

The second volume in Joe Notaro and Arthur Moses's reprints of the Kinema Comic series The Amazing Exploits of Houdini has now been released. Details below.

From April 24, 1920 to November 27,1926, The Kinema Comic in England published a serial called "The Amazing Exploits of HOUDINI, Written by Houdini Himself." In these yarns, the Master of Mystery chronicles his most amazing exploits. Surviving copies of these issues are almost impossible to come by these days.

Now, Joe M. Notaro and Arthur Moses are tracking down these rare stories and making them available in book form for the very first time!

This second volume compiles the stories that ran from January to June 1922 (25 issues) along with all the original illustrations.

You can purchase Kinema Comic 1922 (Jan-Jun) The Amazing Exploits of HOUDINI from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk in hardcover or paperback.

Related:

• Now you can read "The Amazing Exploits of Houdini"
• "The Amazing Exploits of Houdini"
• Houdini Periodical Bibliography Revised 3rd Edition

The Ruratania Mystery

In Houdini (1953), we get a close-up on the boat ticket for Harry and Bess's famous trip to Europe. It shows them sailing on the SS Ruratania. The real Harry and Bess sailed on the SS Kensington of the Red Star Line. As far as I can find, there was never a ship called Ruratania. So why did the filmmakers use this name?

I have a theory. “Ruritania” is the name of the fictional European nation featured in the famous novel The Prisoner of Zenda. A film adaptation of the novel was a hit for MGM during Houdini’s production year. So was using Ruratania (slight change in spelling) an inside joke? Maybe!

However, I was recently reading the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client," and was surprised to read this:

It was simply that among the passengers on the Cunard boat Ruritania, starting from Liverpool on Friday, was the Baron Adelbert Gruner, who had some important financial business to settle in the States.

Another reference to a ship called Ruritania! The story identifies it as a Cunard liner, so I checked the listing of all Cunard's ships, and there is no Ruritania or Ruratania. So I still believe a ship with this name never existed.

"The Adventure of the Illustrious Client" was first published in Collier's magazine in 1924. The Prisoner of Zenda novel was published in 1895 and would have been known to Doyle. So is Doyle making the same inside joke that Houdini makes 29 years later?

It's also possible that both Doyle and the Houdini filmmakers were simply modifying the familiar name of Muratania (a very real ship), and it's just a coincidence that they both landed on Ruritania. OR could Houdini screenwriter Philip Yordan have been a Sherlockian, and the joke in Houdini is actually a nod to "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client,” which in itself is a nod to Zenda? Now my head hurts.

I own the two major annotated volumes of the complete Holmes stories, The Annotated Sherlock Holmes by William S. Baring-Gould and The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes by Leslie Klinger, and neither makes any reference to Doyle's use of Ruritania.

This might be a case for Sherlock Holmes!

Related:

• Saga of S.S. Imperator
• Climb aboard the Frisia
• The ship(s) from Haldane of the Secret Service

Rare Houdini book defaced with fake signature

This is distressing. This beautiful condition copy of Houdini's 1921 book, Magical Rope Ties & Escapes, has been defaced with a fake autopen Houdini signature on the cover. The same autopen is used inside the book.

This autopen signature has appeared at numerous auctions over the past few years. In some cases, it has appeared on books and photos published after Houdini's death. However, here it is on what is actually a valuable book that would sell well at auction. But this signature makes it worthless.

The auction house is Norwood Auctions in Norwood, Pennsylvania. I don't know anything about them. Roger Dreyer of Houdini Revealed has fought the good fight in trying to get these fakes taken down, but Live Auctioneers seems to do a brisk trade in selling fakes to gullible buyers. Don't be a gullible buyer!

I actually have a suspicion about who is behind these fakes, but I have no proof.

R.I.P. to this once-beautiful copy of Magical Ropes Ties & Escapes. 

On my Patreon, I have a "Fraud Pack" that collects images of fakes so people can be aware of them and become familiar with the look of this autopen signature. This is FREE for everyone to download by clicking below. 

UPDATE: I contacted Norwood Auctions. They are standing by this and tell me it was consigned to them by "a well-known elderly collector with a long history of dealing in historical items and artifacts." I remain skeptical.

Related:

• Houdini now signing books from beyond the grave
• There's a skilled Houdini forger out there
• Houdini fakes are flooding online auction sites

Escaping Obscurity event at the Magic Castle, Sept 8

On September 8, the Magic Castle in Hollywood will host a special "Behind the Bookcase Live" event showcasing Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899. I will be there with Mike Caveney, Bruce Averbook, and Michael Albright. So far, this is the only book event planned, and it'll be a rare chance to get your book signed by all four principals. The event is open to all AMA members. It will also stream live on the Magic Castle website.

Hope to see you there!

Behind the Bookcase Live:

"The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini"

with Mike Caveney, John Cox, Michael Albright & Bruce Averbook

Monday, September 8, 2025

7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Milt Larsen Inner Circle & Online

Register to Attend In Person:

Members.MagicCastle.com

Under "Events"

Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 is available exclusively at Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

Related:

• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY
• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Reviews & Reactions
• The Magic Castle reorganizes with Houdini's help

Alex Robinson conjures "The Mama Message"

I'm wild for the mock-up comic book cover created and posted to Bluesky by artist Alex Robinson.

#OnThisDay in 1922, #SirArthurConanDoyle hosted a #seance in an attempt to convince skeptic #HarryHoudini. It didn’t go so well. #History #comics #historyComics

[image or embed]

— Alex Robinson (@alexrobinson.bsky.social) June 18, 2025 at 8:57 AM

To be clear, this isn't a real comic book, just an imaginary what-if. However, there was a 1979 issue of Ripley's Believe It or Not! (#89) that is similar to this. You can see that and read the real story of "The Mama Message" via the related links below.

Related:

• Houdini & Doyle - Believe It or Not!
• The Mama message
• The Mama message has returned!

Houdini: The Man, The Myth, The Legend with Brett Oddly

Magician Brett Oddly presents Houdini: The Man, The Myth, The Legend, at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival July 16-27, 2025. Below are details.

Step into the world of the legendary Harry Houdini in this thrilling tribute to the master escape artist. Combining historical storytelling with daring escapes and mind-bending illusions, this show brings Houdini’s most famous feats to life — just as he performed them. Experience the suspense of his death-defying challenges, the wonder of his signature magic, and the drama of his relentless battle against frauds and fakes. Through gripping reenactments and authentic recreations, audiences will witness the legend as he rises to the world’s greatest illusionist. 

 

A spectacle of danger, deception and daring, this is more than a magic show — it’s a journey into the life and legacy of Houdini himself. 

Visit the Winnipeg Fringe website to buy tickets and for more information.

Related:

• Lucky Charm with Louise Casemore
• 'Letters To West 113th' at the Edmonton Fringe
• Edinburgh Festival is wild about Harry

Houdini book release dates

Determining the exact release dates of Houdini books can be challenging. I typically have to estimate the date based on when reviews begin to appear. However, in some cases, I have been able to nail down a specific date. Here are a few:

• June 7, 1928: Houdini: His Life Story by Harold Kellock.
• Aug 3, 1959: Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls by William Lindsay Gresham.
• March 21, 1969: Houdini: The Untold Story by Milbourne Christopher.
• Dec 1, 1977: Houdini: His Legend and His Magic by Doug Henning and Charles Reynolds.
• Oct 31, 2006: The Secret Life of Houdini by William Kalush and Larry Sloman.
• Oct 31, 2010: Houdini The Key by Patrick Culliton.

No Silverman? Nope. I have never been able to find an exact release date for my favorite Houdini biography. But I know it was sometime in October 1996.

Regarding my own book, Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899, I'm happy to firmly establish the release date as June 25, 2025. That is the day publisher Mike Caveney picked the books up from the shipper, the day it first went live on his website, and the day of the first sales. June 25. Locked!

So what other Houdini events happened on June 25? Here's a list:

• 1894: The Brothers Houdini begin their second week at Vacca's West End Casino in Coney Island.
• 1896: Houdini escapes handcuffs at a police station in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
• 1898: The Welsh Bros. Circus plays Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
• 1906: Harry Thaw shoots Stanford White at the Madison Square Garden rooftop theater. (Not Houdini related, but HH was in NYC at the time and would have been following the news of this famous crime and scandal.)
• 1919: Houdini makes a personal appearance at Clune's in Los Angeles during the 9:30 showing of The Master Mystery.
• 1920: Houdini attends séance with ectoplasmic medium Eva C. at 20 Hanover Square in London.
• 1953: Paramount's Houdini premieres at the Des Moines Theater in Iowa.

I'm offering a copy of Escaping Obscurity, signed on June 25, on eBay. This is the first author-signed edition, and the only one signed on the day of its release. If you're interested, the auction can be viewed HERE. It ends on Wednesday, July 16.

You can purchase Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 from Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

Related:

• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Reviews & Reactions
• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Discoveries & Corrections
• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY

S.A.M. will honor Houdini in Appleton next year

I don't need to tell you that 2026 is going to be a big year for Houdini. Here's the first big event to be announced. The Society of American Magicians (SAM) will hold its annual convention in Appleton, honoring Houdini. Dates are July 1-4, 2026.

You're invited to return to where the magic began.

Join The Society of American Magicians in Appleton, WI, Houdini's childhood home, for a once in a century gathering to honor the world's most legendary magician.

Celebrate Houdini's life, artistry, and enduring impact on the art of magic, 100 years after his passing. 

July 1-4, 2026 

HOUDINI 100 Years Later: Honoring the Legacy

Registration and information: magicsam.com/page/appleton

This one sounds irresistible!

Related:

• 40th anniversary of Houdini Plaza in Appleton
• New Houdini Plaza bust revealed
• Houdini's history with the S.A.M. told in new book

Meet the Nudos

The book is out, but the discoveries continue!

In Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899, we did our best to decipher Houdini's frequently indecipherable handwriting. But we couldn't get it all. For instance, on page 43, you'll find this:

In the book, I speculated that Houdini could be referring to a trapeze accident, and the illegible word was likely the name of the act. Now, magician and all-around good guy Richard Hatch has puzzled out that the illegible word here is "Nudos." 

The 3 Nudos were trapeze artists Marie, Richard, and Beth. Happily, this was not a fatal accident, as The 3 Nudos continued to perform into the 1900s.

You know, my initial temptation with this entry was to interpret "traps" as a reference to a magic trick. Thank goodness I didn't write that! I just wish I had discovered "The 3 Nudos" myself before publication, as that [illegible] is going to drive me nuts now.

I have launched a page where I will track Escaping Obscurity Discoveries & Corrections. If you believe you've cracked some of these illegible words, feel free to send them my way.

Purchase Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 exclusively at Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

Thank you Richard!

Related:

• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Discoveries & Corrections
• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Reviews & Reactions
• Coney Island: Where Harry met Bessie

Lucky Charm with Louise Casemore

A new immersive play, Lucky Charm, written and performed by Louise Casemore, will be part of Edmonton’s Found Festival, July 10-20, 2025. Below is the poster and details.

 

“Harry Houdini has died. Nevertheless, his wife would like a word…”

Join us for the world premiere of Louise Casemore’s immersive new play, Lucky Charm. A Defiance Theatre production produced as part of Edmonton’s Found Festival, in partnership with Theatre YES.

From 1894 to 1926, Bess was married to the most famous magician in the world. That is, until he died under mysterious circumstances. Now, you’re invited to step on up! Satisfy your curiosity, don’t be disappointed! 

“For the price of a personal token, you’ll be permitted to venture inside the home where Mrs. Houdini sleeps, eats, and does her damndest every single week to make contact with her dearly departed. Watch from the gallery, or have a seat at the séance table. Treat yourself to a spectacular display of grace, grief, and with any luck: a little terror and delight of the paranormal. Behold as we explore one of the greatest mysteries from the four corners of the earth: the palpitating possibility of LIFE AFTER DEATH.”

Inspired by the seances held by Bess Houdini following her husband’s death, Lucky Charm is an immersive exploration of grief and the magical possibilities in the unknown.

All performances are sold out, but you can sign up to receive updates on standby tickets and news about future performances at Common Ground Arts.

Related:

• Houdini plays
• Beatrice Houdini
• 'Bess - The Other Houdini' is coming to the UK

LINK: Joe Notaro reviews Escaping Obscurity

The first review of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899, is up on Joe Notaro's excellent blog Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence. Just click the headline above to read.

Joe has published several very important Houdini books himself. You can check those out in the related links below.

If you post a review of Escaping Obscurity on your website, please send it my way and I will share it here. Even the bad ones! (Well, not too bad.)

Thank you, Joe.

Related:

• Houdini Adaptations by Joe M. Notaro
• Joe Notaro publishes 'Houdini's Schooldays'
• Joe Notaro presents Houdini's Jorkins & Co
• ESCAPING OBSCURITY: Reactions & Reviews

Speaking of diaries

Here's a curiosity I just stumbled across in the December 11, 1951, issue of the Toledo Blade.

Toledo Blade, December 11, 1951.

I believe this could be a reference to Houdini's 1916 diary (one diary), which somehow escaped the others. The "Hollywood lad" is likely Ray Muse, who wrote in the October 1950 Genii that he had received the diary as a "recent gift." Did he ever show it to Houdini (1953) producer George Pal? That I don't know, but I'd like to think that he did.

The diary was eventually acquired by Manny Weltman, who owned it for decades. (I got a look at it in 1980.) After Manny's death, it was auctioned by Swann Galleries in 2002. Today it resides in The Averbook Magic Art Museum and Library. Yes, Dr. Bruce Averbook owns two Houdini diaries!

While this 1916 diary is still under wraps, Houdini's precious first diary is now published as Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899, available exclusively from Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

Related:

• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY
• Opening up 'Houdini's Lost Diaries'
• Manny and Me

Escape to Patreon with 50% off new memberships

To celebrate the release of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899, I'm offering 50% off new Patreon memberships in July. This applies to the first month and is open to new members only. Just use promo code DIARY.

On my Patreon, you'll find a wealth of exclusive Houdini content, receive special monthly rewards, and get the scoop on my next book. And if we reach 100 members (only 9 members away), you'll hear something truly wild.

You'll also be supporting all the work I do here at WILD ABOUT HARRY and the creation of books like Escaping Obscurity. So why not join us (at 50% off) and go wild!

Related:

• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY
• Announcing WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon
• Want to hear unreleased Houdini voice?

Escaping Obscurity with Scott Wells (2024)

This is an on-the-spot interview I did with Scott Wells of The Magic Word Podcast during last year's MAGIC Live in Las Vegas, where I gave a preview of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899. Now that the book is out, I've reposted this on my Patreon and made it public so everyone can listen and get a taste of what this book is all about.

Purchase Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 exclusively at Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

Related:

• YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY
• Revealing Houdini's diary at MAGIC Live!