Welcome to the Harry Houdini Centenary year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and welcome to another year of WILD ABOUT HARRY. Of course, 2026 is no ordinary year. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Houdini's death on Halloween in 1926. As such, there will be various Houdini celebrations, several new books, a major new documentary, and more that's yet to be announced. If you were around in 1976 and experienced the 50th anniversary, you're about to experience it all over again. But even more so!

I'm super excited that this will be the year I launch my new e-store and publishing arm, Wild About Harry PRESS, where I will soon be offering the first volume of The Ultimate Houdini Chronology. My commitment to this new enterprise may result in fewer posts here on WAH, but I won't let anything major slip past.

So strap in for what promises to be one WILD year!

The World of Magic aired 50 years ago tonight

Had to jump back in to note the 50th anniversary of a magic milestone and a personal one as well. It was 50 years ago tonight that Doug Henning's first "World of Magic" television special aired LIVE on NBC. Doug's magic and his climactic performance of Houdini's Water Torture Cell was a ratings hit, and this special has been attributed to launching Magic's second Golden Age. Having just seen Houdini (1953) the previous month, this special only cemented my newfound Houdini mania.

San Francisco Chronicle, Dec 25, 1975.

Did you see this special live? If so, share your memories in the comments below.

Related:

• "Houdini must have been crazy to do this."
• My first look at the real Houdini
• Doug Henning's World of Magic aired 35 years ago today

Escaping obscurity in 2025

It's time for me to wrap up 2025 and take my year-end break. It was another great year for Houdini, and for me personally with the release of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899. I'm looking forward to continuing the story next year in Handcuff King: The Rise of Harry Houdini, the first book in my 3-volume Ultimate Houdini Chronology.

With more and more AI slop flooding the online space, I'm happy to be moving into the world of books, which is where I learned about Houdini in the first place. I hope you'll join me. But don't worry. WILD ABOUT HARRY will continue into 2026 and beyond.

Here's a look back at the year that was.

2025 in Review:

January (18 posts)

February (16 posts)

March (19 posts)

April (20 posts)

May (19 posts)

June (20 posts)

July (19 posts)

August (13 posts)

September (19 posts)

October (25 posts)

November (19 posts)

December (5 posts)

Most Viewed New Post of 2025

YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY (June 29)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Top image: Street advertising for Houdini's 1912 engagement at the Gayety in Washington, DC. Screen capture from The Truth About Houdini (1970).

Exploring Houdini's Boston

While on a recent research trip for my next book, I passed through Boston, which is a fantastic city for Houdini locations. Among these is the site of Keith's Theatre, where Houdini appeared many times and did so many famous feats, including his escape from a sea monster. However, identifying the theater's location can be tricky. Most photos and vintage postcards (such as the above) show an impressive entrance on Tremont Street. This is what stands on that site today.

However, this was not the theater. This was just a facade built along the well-trafficked street that led patrons into an arcade and through a tunnel under Mason Street, bringing them up into the actual theater on Washington Street. 

Below is the original building on Washington Street that once housed Houdini's Keith's Theatre. You can see a billboard above it listing the many venues that once occupied the building, including Keith's (I didn't even notice this billboard when I was taking this pic).

The pic below shows a different perspective. On one side of the building is the Paramount Theater. This is where the Adams House Hotel once stood. Houdini stayed at Adams House whenever he was in Boston. It was there that he took the first of his famous ice baths. On the other side is the current Opera House, which was once called the B.F. Keith's Theater. But this was a newer Keith's, opened in 1928, so don't be fooled by this one, especially as it resembles the Tremont Street facade.

This wasn't my only stop. I've shared a series of videos on my Patreon exploring the other locations, including the real location of Houdini's famed "Boston Tombs" jailbreak, which I think might come as a surprise to most folks. I know it was a surprise to me!

If you're a patron, you can continue the tour below.

Still need more Houdini in Boston? Below are a few links you might enjoy.

Related:

• Houdini plays Boston in 1895
• Houdini's return to form
• Houdini comes out swinging

The Dream Big Folio: Houdini’s Illusion That Inspired David Copperfield

Here's a nice holiday gift idea. "The Dream Big Folio: Houdini’s Illusion That Inspired David Copperfield" is a new release by History By Mail. Below is a photo and details.

Step into the moment that redefined what humans believe is possible.

Dream Big Folio – Houdini’s Illusion That Inspired David Copperfield brings you inside the legendary 1918 Vanishing Elephant performance at the New York Hippodrome—an act so audacious it later inspired a young David Copperfield to imagine making the moon disappear.

This folio is built around one extraordinary centerpiece: a replica of Houdini’s original letter to Harry Kellar, preserved exclusively in David Copperfield’s International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts, the world’s largest private collection of magic memorabilia. Kellar, widely known as the “Dean of American Magicians,” was the most celebrated magician in the United States before Houdini and one of Houdini’s early heroes and mentors. The original letter resides only in Copperfield’s museum.

Everything in the folio is designed to give you the same spark Copperfield describes in his letter—the spark that later helped fuel some of the most iconic illusions in modern history.

You can purchase "The Dream Big Folio: Houdini’s Illusion That Inspired David Copperfield" at the History By Mail website.

Related:

• 100 years ago Houdini vanished an elephant
• Revisit my visit to the Copperfield Collection
• David Blaine's Beautiful Struggle started with Houdini

Arrival of the Mirror Cuffs

Here's a nice find from the October 18, 1976 Welland Evening Tribune. This photo was taken at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada, which was preparing to host the 50th anniversary Houdini seance that year. 

On public view for the first time, as part of the seance paraphernalia, will be Houdini's famous "Mirror Handcuffs." Prized by Houdini while he lived, since his death, they have been a part of a private collection held by a niece of Houdini's in New Jersey. The sterling silver handcuffs are engraved: 

"Presented to Harry Houdini, The Handcuff King, by the Daily Illustrated Mirror, London, as a memento of his success in escaping from the celebrated Mirror Handcuffs, March 17, 1904."

The article says these are the engraved silver replicas. I don't know whether the working cuffs came at the same time, but I know the museum had both when I saw them on display in 1990. Today, both are in David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas.

I'm actually more intrigued by the pouch holding the handcuffs and a photo from the challenge with what may be Houdini's handwriting. Does this pouch date back to Houdini? Is it still around today?

Want more? This month's Patreon reward is a searchable PDF of the 32-page souvenir booklet published by the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame during its 27 years in business. Just click below to claim.

Related:

• Mirror, Mirror...
• The Muller Mirror mystery key
• 1971: Year of the Torture Cell(s)

Houdini historic marker destroyed for second time

Star Weekly reports that a roadside monument commemorating Houdini's historic first flight in Australia has been destroyed for a second time this year.

The historic plaque was first established in Diggers Rest with help from the local Lions Club in 1990. The Melton council had the monument rebuilt in March after hearing of the first destruction. Melton Lions Club member and former president Greg James is saddened to see the monument destroyed once again. 

“I was there when it was first put there – it took a lot of effort from the Lions Club,” he said. “It’s a valuable monument for the aviation industry and for Australia. To see it destroyed I was devastated, absolutely devastated.” 

Residents believe the most damage is caused by vandals, while tire marks on the road lead others to believe the damage was caused by "hooning," an Australian term describing a person who deliberately drives a vehicle in a reckless or dangerous manner to provoke a reaction from onlookers. 

Greg James said locals want the monument restored. “We want it back. The local residents and Lions club members are disappointed that it’s like this.”

Related:

• LINK: Houdini monument in ruin
• When Houdini showed Australia that a man can fly
• Houdini soars at new Diggers Rest Pavilion

LINK: Hanging with Harry: Revisiting one of Houdini’s stops in Grand Rapids

Here's a nice article by Matt Jaworowski at WOOD TV about Houdini's suspended straitjacket escape in Grand Rapids on November 29, 1916. Click the headline or the image below to have a read.

While Houdini's 1916 Grand Rapids appearance is the most celebrated, the city was a regular stop during his struggling years. "The Houdinis" were very popular at Smith's Opera House and generally treated as stars. So it's fair to say Grand Rapids was one of the first cities to embrace the Handcuff King. (You can read more about Houdini's early Grand Rapids appearances in Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899.)

Related:

• Grand Rapids suspended straitjacket escape date?
• Houdini's Suspended Straitjacket escapes
• You can now own Houdini's first diary

Did Blackstone kill Houdini?

How's that for a clickbait headline? See, I can play that game! Really, this should be headlined, "Houdini was headed back to Buffalo in 1926." But that's not nearly as provocative. But now that you're here, here's the story.

During his 1925-26 season of "3 Shows in One," Houdini played the Shubert-Teck Theatre in Buffalo, New York.  I recently discovered that Houdini planned to return to the Teck for his 1926-27 season. Check out the below from the Sept. 2, 1926 Buffalo News.

The Buffalo News, Sept. 2, 1926.

Going by the "tentative" schedule, this would have put Houdini at the Shubert-Teck during the week of October 18, following the close of Gay Paree. But that didn't happen. Instead, Houdini went to Montreal, and we all know what happened there! (If you don't, punch this link.)

But guess who did open in Buffalo on October 18? Harry Blackstone.

Buffalo Courier Express, Oct. 17, 1926.

Blackstone played the Lafayette Theater this week in conjunction with the movie The Four Horsemen starring Rudolph Valentino. He even accepted a challenge packing box escape from the Nash-Buffalo Motor Corp. 

The Buffalo Times, Oct. 21, 1926.

Did Houdini change his route to avoid a head-to-head with Blackstone in Buffalo? The Vagabond King, which had opened at the Teck on the 18th, was held over for a second week, suggesting the theater did have an open week on their schedule.

So did Blackstone kill Houdini?

It's also possible we have these backwards. It could be Houdini canceled his Buffalo appearance for reasons unknown, and Blackstone decided to swoop in and give Buffalonians the magic and escapes they had been anticipating.

Another one to investigate.

Want more? You can read the various newspaper clippings I gathered for this post as a "Scholar" member of my Patreon below.

Related:

• Blackstone can't escape virtual Houdini
• Blackstone gives Bessie a lift
• When Blackstone, Houdini, and Thurston shared a stage

Escape obscurity at the Harry Ransom Center

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin, which holds the largest public archive of Houdini material in the world, has added Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899 to its collection. I like to think the Harry Ransom Center is pretty discerning about what it brings into its world-class collection, so this is an honor. Also, if you live in the Austin area and can't afford the book, here's a great way to still use it in your studies. Just click below.

Of course, you can purchase Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 for your own library at Mike Caveney's Magic Words.

For more Harry Ransom Center action, check out the links below.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Related:

• Treasures of the Harry Ransom Center
• More treasures of the Harry Ransom Center
• Harry Ransom Center reopens Houdini and magic collections

Dr. Timothy Moore sells his entire magic collection

Here's some big news. Noted collector Dr. Timothy Moore has sold his entire magic collection, which includes many Houdini treasures, to The Hand & The Eye, a new Magic Castle-like magic venue set to open in Chicago in 2026. Below is a video from WOSU showcasing items in the collection.

Nice video, but what's with that nasty AI-generated Houdini poster in the thumbnail image? Certainly, that is not part of the collection.

According to a report at Galerie, The Hand & The Eye is the creation of Chicago native and magic enthusiast David Rockwell, and will be housed in the famed McCormick Mansion, a 36,000-square-foot estate located at 100 E Ontario Street. You can sign up for updates at the official website.

Thanks to Richard Hatch.

Related:

• The talk of Chicago
• Chicago straitjacket escape for everyone

Hardeen at the Golden Gate

Here's something interesting. In June 1927, Hardeen played the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco. This was his first tour as "Houdini's Successor." Houdini had played the Golden Gate in 1923. The theater still stands today, and it occurred to me this might be the only surviving theater where both Houdini and Hardeen appeared?

Hardeen also played the Hillstreet theater in Los Angeles, where Houdini appeared in 1923. However, the Hillstreet is long gone.

It would be fun to find all the shared theatres that the two brothers played and see if any of those, besides the Golden Gate, still stand. But that's fun I'll leave for someone else. 

Related:

• A San Francisco treat
• Houdini no Junior
• Hardeen's last bow

NEMCA announces 2026 Gathering in Nashua

Here's another reason to get excited about 2026. The New England Magic Collectors Association (NEMCA) has announced the dates and location for its next "Yankee Gathering" convention. Word is there will be a fair amount of Houdini action. Save the date!

For more information, watch the NEMCA website and Facebook.

Related:

• October surprise
• Houdini's Flower Table blooms at Yankee Gathering
• Houdini at Yankee Gathering XV

Wand breaking ceremony at Houdini's grave 2025

The SAM Parent Assembly #1 held its annual wand-breaking ceremony at Houdini's gravesite on November 14. This long-standing tradition dates back to Houdini's funeral in 1926. Rabbi Noah Valley conducted the Hebrew portion of the ceremony for many decades. It is now conducted by magician Benjilini, who kindly provided these images.

The SAM used to do the wand-breaking ceremony on Halloween. But it was feared that the ceremony was drawing too much attention to the gravesite and was leading to vandalism. It was decided to hold the ceremony on the date of Houdini's death on the Jewish calendar. But I am hoping the ceremony moves back to Halloween for the 100th next year.

Related:

• S.A.M. will honor Houdini in Appleton next year
• S.A.M. wand breaking ceremony in 1976
• The Houdini-Weiss exedra turns 100