tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post822809756297058650..comments2024-03-18T20:46:10.605-07:00Comments on WILD ABOUT HARRY: Mrs. Houdini and her handcuffsJohn Coxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-1783727776061375322015-08-31T21:22:19.647-07:002015-08-31T21:22:19.647-07:00In THIS POST you can see exactly how the cuffs sat...In <a href="http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2014/10/halloween-1936-final-houdini-seance.html" rel="nofollow">THIS POST</a> you can see exactly how the cuffs sat on the table during the rooftop seance itself. It's interesting that they were interlocked with another pair of cuffs.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-11014810778890694272015-08-31T19:46:23.862-07:002015-08-31T19:46:23.862-07:00That is correct. Harry emerged from the cabinet af...That is correct. Harry emerged from the cabinet after the first 22 minutes to better examine the cuffs under the stage lights. I misremembered that as the coat tearing moment. He emerged 13 minutes later to ask for a pillow for his knees. The coat tearing came 20 minutes after that.<br /><br />On page 210 of The Untold Story, you can see the Mirror Cuffs on a table at the Knickerbocker Hotel Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-78131200765893499192015-08-28T19:34:07.673-07:002015-08-28T19:34:07.673-07:00The coat came off 55 minutes into the escape. Ten...The coat came off 55 minutes into the escape. Ten minutes before he walked from his cabinet free from the cuffs. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-91806889323544865522015-08-28T19:30:25.624-07:002015-08-28T19:30:25.624-07:00Yes they are. One would need multiple wax impres...Yes they are. One would need multiple wax impressions. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-6418831350442597732015-08-28T18:34:25.447-07:002015-08-28T18:34:25.447-07:00Yes, the coat came off, but I believe early on. Th...Yes, the coat came off, but I believe early on. The cuffs were still on him so the tattered coat no longer figured in the escape.<br /><br />I understand that round keys, like the ones from the Mirror Cuffs are much more difficult to duplicate via a wax impression.<br /><br />Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-9356007865943016772015-08-27T17:40:06.486-07:002015-08-27T17:40:06.486-07:00Houdini cut his coat off during the challenge not ...Houdini cut his coat off during the challenge not before it. <br /><br />The hypothesis would be that Houdinis key made from say a wax impression did not work thus requiring the actual key to make his escape. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-71355034185353857042015-08-27T16:40:13.287-07:002015-08-27T16:40:13.287-07:00HH wore evening clothes and had access to his ghos...HH wore evening clothes and had access to his ghost house. If he used a duplicate key for this escape, he wouldn't have needed anyone to smuggle it to him. That whole charade with the penknife to cut off his coat was not only great showmanship, it may have also been a subliminal way to convey that the coat was empty before the challenge. Brilliant.<br /><br />We definitely need a clearer Leo Hevianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-79956680760206495822015-08-27T09:25:59.625-07:002015-08-27T09:25:59.625-07:00The clearest photo I have seen is the one right be...The clearest photo I have seen is the one right below the photo of the Tatler cuff. You can easily make out some details and the best view of the ghost house. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17114940067069653377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-54429266964394232562015-08-27T08:51:10.558-07:002015-08-27T08:51:10.558-07:00I wonder if some collector has the original negati...I wonder if some collector has the original negative or at least a first generation print? That would probably be the only way we could get in there and really see detail. It's a wildly reproduced photo, but I've never seen one of pristine quality. Might not exist.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-20834606347329007822015-08-27T08:04:25.544-07:002015-08-27T08:04:25.544-07:00Wish there was a way (I am sure there is a way) to...Wish there was a way (I am sure there is a way) to digitally enhance the photo of Houdini being locked into the cuffs so we could better see if these were the Tatler of DC versions. This would be the only real way anyone will ever know for sure. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17114940067069653377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-70095236615109210922015-08-27T07:12:50.341-07:002015-08-27T07:12:50.341-07:00Yes, indeed. That does make sense.Yes, indeed. That does make sense.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-81613200217160219442015-08-27T04:48:24.733-07:002015-08-27T04:48:24.733-07:00The point is.......assuming the key was smuggled t...The point is.......assuming the key was smuggled to Houdini as per Goldstein Houdini would want to cover it up. Best way? Make duplicates of the original small key but make them so large no one would ever believe it could have been smuggled to Houdini as it was. In other words making the keys large completely covers up Houdini was smuggled the key during an escape he was going to fail. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17114940067069653377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-24439167147364125322015-08-26T21:32:04.649-07:002015-08-26T21:32:04.649-07:00The Mirror challenge especially keeps us guessing....The Mirror challenge especially keeps us guessing. Seems like every few decades a new twist or a new theory emerges.<br /><br />Yeah, Houdini and Bess both cherished the Mirror cuffs. They represented either Houdini's greatest victory, or his greatest creation.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-87938348199178986552015-08-26T21:28:14.477-07:002015-08-26T21:28:14.477-07:00But the Goldston story was first told in 1929. The...But the Goldston story was first told in 1929. The long key was around well before that.<br /><br />I think someone mentioned this, but was the long key never meant to be seen? Was an extra long key part of what helped him escape? Then it makes sense that we see the Mirror Rep on stage with the short key and why we see the short key in the Tatler pic. It was the public key. Over time, the short John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-32037889090048648552015-08-26T19:56:10.311-07:002015-08-26T19:56:10.311-07:00Interesting that HH still has us guessing 111 year...Interesting that HH still has us guessing 111 years later. Rigged Tatler cuffs that he quickly slipped out of? Or maybe a duplicate key with the real Mirror Cuffs? How significant that Bess hung on to this set of cuffs and not others. This set was special and was kept in a glass showcase at 278. They contain some kind of mojo, a power that sums up the story of HH.Leo Hevianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-11398929685244081672015-08-26T17:08:11.001-07:002015-08-26T17:08:11.001-07:00But if the (small) key fits? Anyway more than li...But if the (small) key fits? Anyway more than likely the key used that day was the small one so this eliminates the idea that the key was 6 inches long and could not be passed to Houdini in a glass of water. This WAS the point made to destroy Goldsteins version of this escape. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17114940067069653377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-8866171338611102872015-08-26T16:47:44.818-07:002015-08-26T16:47:44.818-07:00I feel like the key in the glass of water thing is...I feel like the key in the glass of water thing is a red herring. If Houdini set-up the challenge and was in control, he wouldn't have needed a key passed to him. He could have had it in his pocket (or concealed in the ghost house).<br /><br />The key in the glass or water only really supports Will Goldston's "Bess cried the key out of the Mirror rep" story. But could we be John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-43985510211643644592015-08-26T16:03:46.815-07:002015-08-26T16:03:46.815-07:00That small key could have been passed to Houdini i...That small key could have been passed to Houdini in a glass of water. Reason for making large keys to eliminate the idea from the thought process???Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17114940067069653377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-54649721508705754232015-08-24T17:41:32.907-07:002015-08-24T17:41:32.907-07:00The question here is what did Hardeen know about t...The question here is what did Hardeen know about the Mirror Challenge? Interesting that HH taught him the handcuff act early on, but we never see Hardeen perform a Mirror cuff type of challenge escape. Presumably, HH wanted that for himself and as his swansong to eventually get out of the handcuff business. <br /><br />Some escapes seem to have been off limits for Dash, like his own USD. <br /><Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-39388011031455507182015-08-24T17:27:42.771-07:002015-08-24T17:27:42.771-07:00It looks like a touched up photo to me. The small ...It looks like a touched up photo to me. The small key next to those cuffs and the presumably small key the gentleman locking HH is holding--nags at me.Leo Heviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12990057178465581105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-65162390156880870272015-08-24T12:08:44.872-07:002015-08-24T12:08:44.872-07:00Yeah...the key...hmmm.Yeah...the key...hmmm.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-28862930518208200782015-08-24T10:33:07.123-07:002015-08-24T10:33:07.123-07:00But that key? But that key? Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17114940067069653377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-42464248486999738782015-08-24T09:16:05.535-07:002015-08-24T09:16:05.535-07:00This is true. Houdini would not hand over a gaffed...This is true. Houdini would not hand over a gaffed cuff to the press. However there is no reason to believe he did. All we see is a photo of the cuff. No mention that it was handed over to anyone at least not for any extended period. There are certainly ways to gaff a cuff that would not be readily observed or noticed. As an example a cuff designed to rap open would function normally but Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17114940067069653377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-67595980863881582842015-08-24T07:49:18.347-07:002015-08-24T07:49:18.347-07:00Also remember there are some who look at the Tatle...Also remember there are some who look at the <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X2kU0xZZULw/VFalnvpwwNI/AAAAAAAAabo/JiWW5BZtqUM/s1600/%24_57.JPG" rel="nofollow">Tatler cuff photo</a> and see a drawing, not a photograph.John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4732721553418878547.post-6341226043155903212015-08-24T07:43:15.343-07:002015-08-24T07:43:15.343-07:00I'd really love to read the letters between Ha...I'd really love to read the letters between Hardeen and Sid, now in the DC collection, to better understand their relationship. One has to remember that Sid was trying to build an escape career of his own at the time, The Great Rendar, and I have a feeling Sid was more interested in acquiring Houdini props to use in his act and learning tricks of the trade from Hardeen. So Sid wasn't John Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04391313393222271260noreply@blogger.com