tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post7265689024196545151..comments2024-03-28T21:34:40.656-07:00Comments on WILD ABOUT HARRY: Opening up 'Houdini's Lost Diaries'John Coxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-26753429741389457692021-10-06T15:19:49.102-07:002021-10-06T15:19:49.102-07:00I also thought it was sketchy that HH wasn't k...I also thought it was sketchy that HH wasn't keen on the idea of a female escape artist. It was implied that he believed it would undermine the illusion of the required super human strength to accomplish his escapes. Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-37968051756499027622021-10-05T15:29:50.197-07:002021-10-05T15:29:50.197-07:00They were very keen to make this beat ALL about hi...They were very keen to make this beat ALL about his reaction to Minerva, and there's Ruth Brandon once again putting thoughts in Houdini's head saying he couldn't abide the idea of a woman doing his feats (so why would he then create another female escapist?). <br /><br />But I see a larger context here. Houdini has just made a VERY lucrative deal franchising Leonard Hicks as a "John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-70487839619431395832021-10-05T11:16:50.010-07:002021-10-05T11:16:50.010-07:00Yes, nothing about destroying her. It did say some...Yes, nothing about destroying her. It did say something like "Minerva a failure." I conflated that with destroyed since I heard that from the speakers.Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-42806818572086831792021-10-05T11:13:19.348-07:002021-10-05T11:13:19.348-07:00It's also telling he didn't write Budapest...It's also telling he didn't write Budapest, Hungary as an entry. He must have known he was born there.Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-24142022409954428172021-10-03T21:07:57.407-07:002021-10-03T21:07:57.407-07:00The diary didn't say anything about destroying...The diary didn't say anything about destroying or harming Minerva. All it said was: "I’m going to make a rival act for "Minerva" so have advertised for good swimmer females."John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-64493063545338785292021-10-03T21:00:03.846-07:002021-10-03T21:00:03.846-07:00And it isn't even an entry. Looks like he just...And it isn't even an entry. Looks like he just wrote it in the front of one of the diaries in the exact same way he signed books and photos with his adopted birthdate and birthplace. And, yeah, it was at a later time. They made a bit too much of that, I think. But it is telling that it's there at all. He knew eyes besides his own would one day be looking at these.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-14057239299250143562021-10-03T20:56:17.271-07:002021-10-03T20:56:17.271-07:00Thank you Tom. Appreciate the compliments. The cam...Thank you Tom. Appreciate the compliments. The camera set-up was wild. I've never done anything in which I was looking directly into the lens (the director, Simon, who was in England, was reflected in there). Yes, I also felt like it provided a fresh approach.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-5997796626547211742021-10-03T19:48:53.258-07:002021-10-03T19:48:53.258-07:00Looking at the second clip again I suddenly realiz...Looking at the second clip again I suddenly realized it was unwarranted to say "Houdini lied" about his birthplace in his diary. It is clear the entry about his birthdate was written at a different time from the words "Appleton, Wisc." And I believe the picture from 1878 was taken in Appleton, so "Appleton, Wisc" could simply be the picture's location, not DAVID SALTMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270760638995836991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-32551836602466224572021-10-03T18:15:58.686-07:002021-10-03T18:15:58.686-07:00HH wasn't honest with himself in his own diari...HH wasn't honest with himself in his own diaries. It isn't far fetched to suspect other entries like the crowd carrying him to his hotel. <br /><br />I found Minerva online and on this blog, but not in the Silverman bio. Did HH have acid put in the water of her Milk Can to burn her skin? She married Guy Jarrett as her second husband and he claimed it happened. Could this be the diary Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-82144969402684827292021-10-03T18:15:57.228-07:002021-10-03T18:15:57.228-07:00I enjoyed the documentary and found it very entert...I enjoyed the documentary and found it very entertaining. You looked great, John (I loved the way all of you were filmed, too; really nice lighting) and you sounded great -- you always come across as having a unique point of view about Houdini, or perhaps it's simply a deeper and more carefully considered insight about him. Also really enjoyed the other experts on the show. I was fascinated Tom and Johanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01133250855806942658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-4263822621255914902021-10-03T12:06:41.934-07:002021-10-03T12:06:41.934-07:00That was just Mike saying he doesn't believe t...That was just Mike saying he doesn't believe the diary entry about him being carried to his hotel. But I do. I don't think HH made up stories like this whole cloth. But he did embellish. So it might have just been two drunks carrying him. But he was carried.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-70397381834973295912021-10-03T08:08:31.832-07:002021-10-03T08:08:31.832-07:00Thank you Dale! As far as I know the diaries thems...Thank you Dale! As far as I know the diaries themselves are still owned by the Ernst family. Houdini's lawyer Bernard Ernst presumably acquired them from Bess. A few years back Bill did a lecture on the diaries, so it sounds like he has a relationship with the family. I think "custodian" means just that. They've entrusted him look after the use of the diaries. That's good John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-18734994634921776812021-10-03T07:21:52.498-07:002021-10-03T07:21:52.498-07:00Well done John! You came off looking and sounding ...Well done John! You came off looking and sounding great! I'm guessing there's gold left on the cutting room floor. But how did Bill Kalush get to be "custodian" of the diary and what exactly does that mean? Who owns the diaries and how did the owner(s)acquire them? Those are the questions I'm left with.<br />--Dale from Cleveland Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-60691256607548951532021-10-02T22:21:08.221-07:002021-10-02T22:21:08.221-07:00You're welcome! You earned pole position, and ...You're welcome! You earned pole position, and I'm sure it was fun all the way. But just to be safe, carry a small tape or digital recorder with you to quickly read diary entries if you're only given limited time to page thru them.Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-50291813843775878142021-10-02T22:12:34.837-07:002021-10-02T22:12:34.837-07:00I can't find Minerva in the Silverman bio. She...I can't find Minerva in the Silverman bio. She's not in the index. Did Silverman discuss her in his other book Notes to Houdini? Is it possible HH destroyed Minerva in his mind and jotted it down in his diary? One thing I learned from this documentary is that HH was writing fictional entries. One would think that diary entries are transparent about the author's thoughts. Then we see Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-41147973206003911332021-10-02T17:30:49.848-07:002021-10-02T17:30:49.848-07:00Thanks Leo. I'm hoping to finally get out into...Thanks Leo. I'm hoping to finally get out into the world next year and do some hardcore research. Getting a chance to read these diaries would be amazing.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-67219239236410020282021-10-02T17:16:58.508-07:002021-10-02T17:16:58.508-07:00Ah, right, true.
I was very excited to see this d...Ah, right, true.<br /><br />I was very excited to see this diary entry as I had no idea HH first recruited Wanda Timm in 1908 and that she was a Circus Busch girl. Like you, I always associated her with the USD/Undina take down. But then they showed me another diary entry from 1913 (unused) in which Houdini says "Miss Alice Baker" is doing the USD. So did Silverman get his female John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-9916142656893596912021-10-02T15:29:05.240-07:002021-10-02T15:29:05.240-07:00They implied that Houdini destroyed Minerva via Wa...They implied that Houdini destroyed Minerva via Wanda Timm, when she just faded out in her own right, according to Silverman. Wanda Timm proved much more important in the Houdini v. Undina story, which they should have told instead (IMHO). DAVID SALTMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270760638995836991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-10839000336009470692021-10-02T13:53:02.712-07:002021-10-02T13:53:02.712-07:00What did they get wrong about Minerva? I was just ...What did they get wrong about Minerva? I was just happy they didn't include the acid in the barrel story, because I know they had it!John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-74628971241265121492021-10-02T13:31:55.694-07:002021-10-02T13:31:55.694-07:00Great to see the world's foremost Houdiniphile...Great to see the world's foremost Houdiniphiles all in one place: Culliton, Kalush, Cox, Caveney, Penn & Teller. The show itself, OK, pretty good, but they did not know what treasures they had. Some ignorant gaffes, like the "Minerva" story, and some poor judges of character like Ruth Brandon, who, in my view, is one of the worst of all Houdini biographers. The reconstructed DAVID SALTMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06270760638995836991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-12747978381594966232021-10-02T09:37:12.581-07:002021-10-02T09:37:12.581-07:00THAT is interesting. The diaries have serious valu...THAT is interesting. The diaries have serious value for your Chronology book project. Have you approached the Ernst family to allow you to study the diaries? At the point, you're on the vanguard on all things Houdini. The Big Guy. At least here in the U.S. Talk to them. There's no time like the present.Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-22421979367794780172021-10-01T20:44:38.629-07:002021-10-01T20:44:38.629-07:00The filmmakers told me that they actually found th...The filmmakers told me that they actually found the diaries somewhat underwhelming as far as revelations were concerned. They said a lot of the diaries are just notations about which hotel he's staying at or how much he spent on a cab. Of course, that stuff is GOLD to me and my chronology! :)John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-80990798023086523842021-10-01T20:19:53.195-07:002021-10-01T20:19:53.195-07:00I see. We're looking at a high quality scanned...I see. We're looking at a high quality scanned reproduction of the actual diaries. The documentary was good, but the diary revelations were too few and far between. The bio aspect ate up the clock. Frustrating for Houdini scholars who wanted more info from the diary. Nonetheless, we still have our Bible to continue clutching.Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-75517197278855317842021-10-01T19:15:41.451-07:002021-10-01T19:15:41.451-07:00Hopefully I wasn't one of those experts. I'...Hopefully I wasn't one of those experts. I'm re-watching tonight so I will watch for that. As a habit I always try to say "fraudulent mediums" because that is what Houdini himself would say. And he was always careful to say he wasn't attacking the religion of spiritualism. But, yeah, this one was sharper than any doc I've seen before.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-60165814764456210122021-10-01T15:24:02.334-07:002021-10-01T15:24:02.334-07:00I actually was a bit put off by the experts hammer...I actually was a bit put off by the experts hammering on spiritualists. Years ago I was host of a radio show and discussed Houdini and his battle against “spiritualists.” After the show a woman called me and advised that spiritualism is a religion and just as bonifide as other religions. She suggested that in the future I should say that Houdini battled fraudulent mediums and not spiritualists Tom Ewinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00511038360398817984noreply@blogger.com