Here's a fun find. On December 26, 1972, Houdini's niece Ruth Kavanaugh (daughter of Bess's sister Marie) appeared on the show To Tell The Truth. For those unfamiliar with the show, the premise was that three people would all claim to be the same person, and a panel of celebrities would attempt to guess which was the real person. On this episode (#0892), the celebrity panel was: Bill Cullen, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean, and Kitty Carlisle.
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| The High Point Enterprise, Dec 26, 1972. |
I asked our friend John Hinson about this, and he does remember watching it. But this was before home video, so he doesn't have a copy. And before someone asks, no, she did not bring the Mirror Handcuffs (Ruth owned them at this time). Does anyone else remember seeing this?
I would sure love to see this episode. There is a YouTube channel devoted to uploading complete seasons of To Tell the Truth, but it has yet to reach the 1970s.
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A nice find! Is Ruth still around? She deserves props for taking care of the Mirror Cuffs/Silver Replica while they were in her possession.
ReplyDeleteNo, she passed away in 2011, I believe.
DeleteOh dear. She was a second generation interview candidate now gone. Henning thanked her and Marie in his book: "...who supplied us with the bulk of the visual material in this book and many personal reminiscences." I wonder if she ever contributed an article to any magic journal. Would have been nice to sit down with her over coffee, a notepad, and fire away with questions.
DeleteRuthanne Kavanaugh Obituary (2011) - Colorado Springs, CO - The Gazette https://obits.gazette.com/us/obituaries/gazette/name/ruthanne-kavanaugh-obituary?id=20115562
DeleteLook what I discovered!
DeleteWILD ABOUT HARRY: "Houdini must have been crazy to do this." https://share.google/rkxCkeJpkIHblkCQT
Houdini is crazy but that’s why I love him. 🥺❤️ - Abby Martin
DeleteAlso side note. It’s a shame that this episode isn’t found anywhere. I want to see Bess’s sister’s daughter.