It was 100 years ago today, on September 2, 1926, that Houdini began his 1926-27 "Coast to Coast" tour of 3 Shows in One at the Lyceum Theater in Paterson, New Jersey. The show featured some new illusions during the Magic section. In fact, advertisements emphasized the magic, stating: "As a MAGICIAN Houdini Starts where others leave off."
Papers also noted that this was Houdini's first appearance in Paterson in 30 years. They were right. Houdini had last played Paterson with the "American Gaiety Girls" in December 1895. Here's a review of opening night from The Morning Call.
Houdini played the Lyceum for three days before moving on to Majestic Theater in Boston for a three-week run. The lasting legacy of this short run is the famous poster (above), which survives today in the Library of Congress.
The Lyceum was located at 123 Van Houten Street. A fire destroyed the theater on March 22, 1931. Below is the only image of the Lyceum I could find online.
Want more? I've uploaded a dozen advertisements and reviews of the Houdini Lyceum show to my Patreon.
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