tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post4285465880535665528..comments2024-03-28T21:34:40.656-07:00Comments on WILD ABOUT HARRY: The Brandon bookJohn Coxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-22609947053881763462015-06-22T10:05:11.949-07:002015-06-22T10:05:11.949-07:00I think of Brandon's book as an interesting di...I think of Brandon's book as an interesting discussion about Houdini, rather than as a biography. I haven't read it for a while, but doesn't she emphasize his Jewishness? Ericnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-6738667334101830662015-06-21T18:27:56.280-07:002015-06-21T18:27:56.280-07:00Just a heads-up, tomorrow is going to be Gresham D...Just a heads-up, tomorrow is going to be Gresham Day, in a big way.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-55385604295672452322015-06-21T18:25:19.791-07:002015-06-21T18:25:19.791-07:00LOL. Ruth Brandon day. Love it. :)
It does have t...LOL. Ruth Brandon day. Love it. :)<br /><br />It does have the ring of truth to it. I've always thought his struggling years really formed him and his art and made "Houdini" this startlingly new phenomena -- a mix of stage and circus, magician and freak.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-88400170403535553242015-06-21T18:19:09.112-07:002015-06-21T18:19:09.112-07:00No, thank you John for posting a reminder for the ...No, thank you John for posting a reminder for the Brandon book. I discovered a number of things today that would have otherwise remained dormant. Father's Day will now be Ruth Brandon Day...<br /><br />That Al Flosso quote certainly has a ring of truth to it, doesn't it?Leo Hevianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-50948599161819897082015-06-21T15:59:55.964-07:002015-06-21T15:59:55.964-07:00Thanks Leo. That is an interesting quote.Thanks Leo. That is an interesting quote.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-51420253480307313302015-06-21T15:52:44.951-07:002015-06-21T15:52:44.951-07:00The sources are in the Notes section at the back. ...The sources are in the Notes section at the back. The origin for the imaginary child story was from a January 9, 1933 interview with Bess in the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. HH would send notes down to Bess from his 4th floor study via the maid about the imaginary son. The notes stopped when little Samuel became president of the U.S. Oh my. <br /><br />I tell you, Brandon's book is growing Leo Hevianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-49798619048533307412015-06-21T14:36:52.801-07:002015-06-21T14:36:52.801-07:00Funny you mention bookstores...one thing that real...Funny you mention bookstores...one thing that really stands out in my mind about this book is I discovered it in a bookstore. I had no idea it was coming, and it took me several seconds to process what I was seeing. What this really a NEW bio on Houdini? Turns out, it would be my last in-bookstore Houdini discovery.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-79449495993333828612015-06-21T14:35:02.880-07:002015-06-21T14:35:02.880-07:00Ah, yes, Trunk #8. And also her discovery of the i...Ah, yes, Trunk #8. And also her discovery of the imaginary child, Mayer Samuel, that Harry and Bess cooked up between them. I've never seen that appear in any other bio. Still not sure where she got this from, but she seems to have pulled it from a cache of letters.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-62429146052433295302015-06-21T14:32:45.452-07:002015-06-21T14:32:45.452-07:00Good point. Because it's such a great photo/co...Good point. Because it's such a great photo/coffee table style book, one tends to not think of it as a proper bio. But the text really is excellent.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-68592647045721434822015-06-21T13:41:30.395-07:002015-06-21T13:41:30.395-07:00It was 1995 when Houdini piqued my curiosity, and ...It was 1995 when Houdini piqued my curiosity, and when I went to the bookstore (remember those?) this was the book. Ruth Brandon struck me as one of those biographers who believe that their readers want to see great people with their pants down, and I disliked stepping around this aspect of the book. While I was able to perceive Houdini through the distraction, it did leave me wishing for a Lisa Cousinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-84562531572910654132015-06-21T11:18:05.873-07:002015-06-21T11:18:05.873-07:00I like to occasionally skim through the Brandon bo...I like to occasionally skim through the Brandon book. I don't want to have to slog through her theories and conjecturing. There are small golden nuggets of info that I have pleasurably discovered in this book. After reading John's blog, I pulled it off the shelf and discovered the contents of HH's Trunk #8. Dr. Morris Young found it after Hardeen died. Brandon deserves credit here forLeo Hevianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-33609471608385253952015-06-21T08:16:32.450-07:002015-06-21T08:16:32.450-07:00Agree with your ratings, John. I also like the one...Agree with your ratings, John. I also like the one by Randi and Bert Sugar - it may be the best-written of all of them.DAVID SALTMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270760638995836991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-71446244897547089082015-06-20T23:24:13.323-07:002015-06-20T23:24:13.323-07:00Of course, Walter Gibson always wrote that Houdini...Of course, Walter Gibson always wrote that Houdini was born April 6th in Appleton, because that was what his good friend Houdini told him. He was one of the last holdouts on that (he finally caved in his last book). Knowing a man personally can bring a different sort of bias.<br /><br />But don't get me wrong. I'm not recommending Brandon over the other major bios. Christopher, Gresham, John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-31991525238504303042015-06-20T21:30:17.046-07:002015-06-20T21:30:17.046-07:00No thanks. I'll settle for Christopher, Doug H...No thanks. I'll settle for Christopher, Doug Henning's great book on Houdini, or, the books about Houdini that were written by the guy who was his friend & confidant, & therefore TRULY knew him, Walter Gibson. The rest is all just hearsay imho. I'm Bill Smith & I approve this message. LOL! {No, not the illusion builder} :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-27095017221054821212015-06-20T18:29:04.753-07:002015-06-20T18:29:04.753-07:00Ha! How about that for a timing coincidence. :)Ha! How about that for a timing coincidence. :)John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-66770152069662396842015-06-20T15:38:45.506-07:002015-06-20T15:38:45.506-07:00I just bought myself a copy of Brandon's book ...I just bought myself a copy of Brandon's book yesterday, as it happens, though I certainly didn't pay full price for it. I'm prepared to overlook most of her 'theories', but I'm interested to see if she includes any Houdini quotations or facts that other biographers have overlooked.<br /><br />-MeredithAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-15563020438829354012015-06-20T13:13:14.365-07:002015-06-20T13:13:14.365-07:00Never thought I'd find myself sticking up for ...Never thought I'd find myself sticking up for Ruth Brandon, but she was definitely NOT pro-spiritualist. Her book and an article in New <br />Scientist make this abundantly clear. Her Houdini research, however, in my opinion was sloppy, stereotyped and full of unwarranted conclusions - particularly concerning his father. For a full trashing, see The Houdini File for May 29, 2012.DAVID SALTMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270760638995836991noreply@blogger.com