Here are some photos from the Official Houdini Séance 2016, which this year was held at the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee. Looks like another great event, even if Houdini decided to once again stay away.
Keep an eye on David Saltman's The Houdini File for more about the discoveries he shared at the show. The Official Houdini Séance takes place annually in cities and communities around the world where Houdini had strong ties.
Thanks to Bill Radner and Robert Somerdin for the pics.
Yesterday was the 90th anniversary of Houdini's death, and Harry made his presence known! Well, in a way. Reports from New York, Marshall, Danville and Milwaukee say Houdini stayed silent during the annual seances, but Houdini was alive in the media.
This year I decided to mark the occasion by revealing the long lost Houdini-Hilliar code, which we now know was: "Semper Idem." But my blog wasn't the only place this message was received! Here's a little postscript to my Halloween post.
Early in the morning, I went to the Magic Castle in Hollywood to take part in a live Halloween broadcast on local CBS news with Stephanie Simmons. I was there as the "Houdini Historian" along with magician Rob Zabrecky and magician/medium Misty Lee.
While waiting to shoot my segment in the Houdini Seance Room, I perused the display cases and read a letter that I hadn't really given much attention to before. It was written by Houdini in 1918 to Edwaun Fay Rice, curator of the Boston Public Library, and in it Houdini mostly complains about the expense and difficulty of heating 278 in winter.
But check out how he signs off at the end!
We hear you, Harry.
Hope you all had an enjoyable Halloween/National Magic Day. I think the day once again proved that HOUDINI LIVES.
Over the weekend I shared the story of the secret message code arranged between Houdini and his good friend magician William Hilliar [read: William Hilliar and the lost Houdini message code]. Houdini wrote the code in a Thesaurus that he gave Hilliar in 1917. Hilliar showed the message to no one, and after his death, the book with the message was lost...until now.
Turns out Hilliar did not keep the book under lock and key as he claimed. After Hilliar's death in 1936 it remained at The Billboard offices in New York where it was used as, yes, a thesaurus! That's when collector John Braun visited the office.
In 1973, Braun sent a letter to his friend Robert Lund, founder of the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan. In it he wrote:
Years ago, before THE BILLBOARD moved from their old office to Opera Place in Cincinnati, I stopped in to say hello to Bill Sachs, and saw a well-used looking thesaurus gathering dust on the window sill. Houdini had given it to his good friend Bill Hilliar and autographed it in leadpencil Dec. 2, 1917. It's still useful as a thesaurus, and I have one. I'm sure you do too, but this, in collector's language, is an "Association Item," I believe. I will not sell it, but I'll give it to you if you want it! Let me know. Bill gave it to me!
It's clear Braun did not understand the significance of the message inside the book. But apparently Bob Lund did. He never put the book on display in his museum. Instead, he kept it locked away and never showed anyone the secret message. At one point he considered offering a prize for anyone who could divine the message within.
Lund passed away in 1995. It's unclear if his wife Elaine (who was born in Grace hospital in 1926 on the day Houdini was admitted) understood the significance of the book. It was soon swallowed up in the massive museum archives where it remained unseen for years.
Then in 2006, a researcher (who wishes to remain anonymous) rediscovered the book. He came to understand the significance of the inscription and took photos. But as far as anyone at the museum knew, it was just another signed Houdini book. It was even displayed for a period of time in the Houdini exhibit. But when I visited the museum in 2015, the book was gone.
In August I received a friendly email from the researcher who had discovered the book in 2006. Fearing that "everything has been separated" and "history may get lost," he felt the time was right to tell the story and show the world the secret code. And what better day to do it than on the 90th anniversary of Houdini's death.
Here is the Houdini-Hilliar message code:
Click to enlarge.
A you can see, Houdini has written "Semper Idem" (sometimes spelled "Eadem"). This is a Latin phrase meaning "Always The Same." It was also the motto of the first Queen Elizabeth. Possibly this connection to England held private meaning for Hilliar and Houdini (Hilliar was English).
If you click to enlarge the image, you can also see that the message does indeed look like it's been traced over in pencil, so that part of Hilliar's strange tale, in which he claimed the message vanished after Houdini's death, seems to hold up. Luckily for us, the message has not vanished again and remains for all of us to see today.
And what does Houdini think about his code returning on this day? Click below and believe.
Honoring HARRY HOUDINI on the 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS DEATH October 31, 1926
This is something I've held back for a special occasion, and what could be more special than the 90th anniversary of Houdini's death! This is a two-part post, with the big reveal coming on Monday (Halloween). But today let me tell the backstory of the mysterious Houdini-Hilliar message code.
William J. Hilliar was a British magician and escape artist who was good friends with Houdini. [Read: Houdini and Hilliar.] Hilliar was the founder of the Sphinx magazine and went on to become the editor of The Billboard magazine. After Houdini's death, he wrote a series of articles for Billboard titled, "Is Harry Houdini Trying to Communicate with Me?" In it he revealed that he owned a very special Houdini artifact.
Here's the story as told by Hilliar himself.
We often discussed spiritualism and what it would mean to him if he could get a message from his departed loved one. He told me that if he died before them he would leave a secret code with his wife and brother, so that if he found it possible to send a message from the other world they would know it was really from Houdini. I begged him to leave one with me, but he merely looked intently into my eyes and nothing else was said of the matter at that time.
December 2, 1917, he came into The Billboard offices, then located at 42d and Broadway, and gave me a copy of Roget's Thesaurus. Upon opening the book I found an inscription written by Houdini in pencil and, as I started to thank him, he whispered: "Hilliar, there is OUR code, but never breathe it to a living soul. If I go first and you get a message from me which includes these words you will know it is genuine. If you pass on first I will look for the same from you."
No so-called medium, or anybody else, has ever given me the slightest hint of a genuine message from Houdini, but strange and unexplained incidents have happened to those penciled words–call them coincidence or what you will–in addition to other mysterious occurrences, which will be described in future installments, that I am convinced the great mystifier is trying to get in touch with me.
In a later installment, Hilliar continued his strange tale:
Three weeks after Houdini died I opened the book–and it almost fell from my hands. His signature was still plainly visible, but THE CODE WORDS HAD FADED OUT.
I consulted handwriting experts, without of course divulging the reason, and each one told me that while ink will fade from paper in the course of time, penciled writing will not, no matter how much it may be exposed to light.
I looked into the book (which by the way had never left my possession since Houdini gave it to me, always being kept under lock and key) several days in succession and eventually discovered a peculiar phase of the situation. While the writing had vanished, the slight grooves left on the paper from the original penciling remained, and I carefully traced them over. Since that time my own penciling of the code has disappeared overnight on several occasions.
Was this Houdini trying to contact his old friend? Hilliar came to believe that it was.
On November 15, 1936, just before his 60th birthday, William J. Hilliar took his own life.
So what ever happened to Hilliar's Thesaurus? And what was the secret code Houdini wrote in the book for his friend? This has remained a frustrating mystery for more than a half century.
But that's about to change.
Yes, this is THE book, and on Halloween at 1:26 PM (EST), the precise time of Houdini's death 90 years ago, I will open the book and reveal the long lost Houdini-Hilliar message code for all...if it hasn't faded out!
Should Houdini decide to return on this 90th anniversary of his death, he certainly has a choice of destinations, with seances being held in New York, Marshall, Danville and Colon. But the longest running of them all is the historic "Official Houdini Séance" which this year is being held at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee. Today I have some details of what to expect from the evening.
The event this year is being co-hosted by Dead Man's Carnival, a Milwaukee based Vaudevillian, Circus, and Burlesque show, and will offer up a full evening of music and magic open to the public. Period magic will be performed by Bob Rath, John Kurtz and Maria. Escapes will be performed by Glen Gerard and Ron Fable.
Houdini historian David Saltman, who has done important research on Houdini's childhood in Milwaukee, will be there to present his latest findings. David is arriving early to do some on-the-ground research and has already given a taste of what to expect at his blog The Houdini File. I'm looking forward to all of David's reports!
But the séance will be the true focal point of the evening, and this year the organizers have retained Rev. Lynette Corsten, a medium and astrologer. The Official Houdini Séance is distinctive in that it employees a real medium and conducts the séance with all seriousness. At the table will be Houdini notables: Bill Radner, Tom Boldt, Fred Pittella, Dr. Bruce Averbook, Robert Somerdin, Midge Markey and David Saltman.
The Official Houdini Séance 2016 will be held October 31 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available HERE. For more information, visit the event's Facebook Page.
Keep up with all the 90th anniversary Houdini events via #Houdini90th.
As we count down to Halloween and the 90th anniversary of Houdini's death, I'm kicking off my own celebration with a flashback to this post from 2013 about and Houdini and his good friend magician William J. Hilliar.
This is a warm-up for a very special two-part post that I'll roll out tomorrow (Oct. 29) and on Monday (Halloween). It's my way of commemorating this 90th year, and is something I've been holding back for a special occasion. I think you will find it "revealing."
Here's yet another Halloween event to mark the 90th anniversary of Houdini's death. Illusionist Wayne Alan presents a "90th Anniversary Houdini Séance Demonstration" at his Historic North Theatre in Danville, Virginia at 12:30 PM on October 31. Here's a description:
A demonstration of séance stunts popular in the 1920’s will be conducted at the Historic North Theatre by Celebrity Magician Wayne Alan. Mr. Alan is an authority on Houdini and has been researching his life for over 40 years. This fascinating, fun and eerie show/presentation will last 50 minutes. At 1:26 PM, Houdini’s time of death, everyone will hold hands and we will wait for 1 minute and 26 seconds for a sign from the other side.
Tickets are $10 an can be reserved by calling 434-793-SHOW (7469). Only 90 tickets will be sold.
Below are more seance events marking this 90th anniversary of Houdini's death.
Yesterday George Schindler, dean of the Society of American Magicians, dedicated a historical plaque at 244 East 79th Street in New York City. The building was once Mrs. Loeffler's boarding house, where the Weiss family first lived when they came to New York. The plaque honors the location as "Home of Harry Houdini 1887." It will be placed on the building's facade sometime this week.
Schindler also presented Houdini family member Deborah Hardeen with a honorary plaque on behalf of the S.A.M. and Sojourn restaurant (which is housed in the historic building and hosted the event). Deborah is the granddaughter of Theo Hardeen. She traveled from Connecticut for the event with her daughter.
Deborah said she grew up hearing stories about Houdini in school, but didn't know she was related until she was 12 years old when she discovered a letter addressed to "Harry Houdini Hardeen" and asked her father to explain. She said her father used to roll a coin across his fingers, a trick he had learned from his own father, Hardeen.
George Schindler also performed the annual Broken Wand Ceremony, which is normally held at the site of Houdini's grave in Queens. United States Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, New York State Senator Liz Krueger and New York State Assemblywoman Rebecca Seawright attened the event.
Despite Schindler telling stories about how the young Houdini and Hardeen practiced their magic at the boarding house, it's unclear if the entire Weiss family ever lived there. Current biographies say Ehrich and his father boarded there alone while the rest of the family remained in Milwaukee. The Weiss family later moved into a flat at 305 East 69th Street, which today are modern condos. When Houdini bought his brownstone in Harlem in 1904, it became the new Weiss family home.
As reported earlier, Sojourn will also be the site of Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz "Original Houdini Seance" on Halloween.
Photos from DNAinfo and MentalFloss. UPDATE: Our friend Joe Notaro has found this excellent quote from Hardeen in a November 1933 New York Evening Journal:
“…we trekked to N.Y. Stopping on 79th st with Mrs. Leffler, mother of George and John, but don’t tell these managers that we still owe “Ma” for room rent. During that first Winter, experiencing the Great Blizzard of “1888” and receiving much food from Mrs. Leffler, and studying at P.S 70”
The Hidden Room's production of Houdini Speaks to the Living has received a glowing review from austin360. The play features Patrick Terry as Houdini and Robert Matney as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It's running now through Oct. 30 at the York Rite Theater in Austin. A free performance will be held at the Harry Ransom Center on Halloween.
Patrick Terry as Houdini. (Photo by Kimberley Mead.)
"Terry’s work as a close-up magician in Houdini Speaks to the Living is immaculate. The play is performed in the Hidden Room’s atmospheric Masonic hall playing space, with the audience surrounding Terry as he conjures his illusions, making his work here all the more impressive. The magic tricks are mostly old classics, but that does not make them any less mind-boggling or, at times, downright spooky, making this a perfect Halloween-season treat."
Click the headline above to read the full review at austin360. Tickets to Houdini Speaks to the Living can be purchased here.
Looks like we can add Colon, Michigan, "the Magic Capital of the World," to the list of locations that will try to summon the spirit of Houdini this year. Ron Carnell, who does a regular comedy magic and dinner show at the River Lake Inn restaurant in Colon, will be adding a special Houdini seance to his show this Saturday, October 29.
"We'll have a forty-five minute comedy magic show first," said Carnell, "Followed by a leisurely dinner, and then conclude the evening with the séance. How long that lasts will ultimately be up to Harry."
The evening will also include a playing of the original recording of the Final Houdini Seance in 1936.
"The Séance might be a little spooky," Carnell says, "But our shows at River Lake always put the emphasis on laughter and fun. If we're successful this year, I suspect we'll discover Harry still has a great sense of humor."
The "Tribute to Houdini" Magic Show and Séance starts at 5:30 p.m. The cost to attend is $29.99, which also includes dinner. Seating is limited, so call (269) 432-2626 or visit the River Lake Magic website for tickets and information.
Below are links to more seance celebrations marking this 90th anniversary of Houdini's death.
The Society of American Magicians (S.A.M.) will commence National Magic Week and the 90th Anniversary of Houdini's death with a special press conference and luncheon at Sojourn in New York this Wednesday, October 26 at 7 PM.
There will be announcements of all the activities and events taking place throughout New York and the nation to honor the S.A.M.'s "Most Illustrious" past president. The event is free to magicians, illusionists, enthusiasts and fans. Relatives of the Houdini Family will also be in attendance.
To RSVP, contact George Schindler at the number or email listed on the event invite (right).
Sojourn is located at 244 East 79 St. in the building that was once Mrs. Loeffler's Boarding House, the site of Houdini's first New York home. The restaurant will also be the site of the "Original Houdini Seance" on Halloween.
Keep up with all the 90th anniversary Houdini events via #Houdini90th.
It was 90 years ago today that Harry Houdini was playing at the Princess Theater in Montreal, Canada. He had lectured a few days earlier at McGill University, where he boasted about his ability to withstand blows to his stomach. He even took a blow from a student as a demonstration.
On October 22, Houdini invited two McGill students, Sam Smilovitz (aka Smiley) and Jacques Price, to visit him at the theater. The boys arrived around 11:15 AM. Houdini was nursing a broken ankle, caused by an accident in the Water Torture Cell, so he reclined on his small dressing room couch and read mail while Smiley, an art student, sketched him. Smiley recalled that Houdini was kind, affable, and seemed to be trying "to impress upon us the he was 'one of the boys.'" He also recalled that Houdini appeared to be a man "much in need of a long, carefree vacation."
As Smiley sketched, Houdini spoke. He told them that even though he found film production "highly interesting," he would not return to it. He said that in a year or two he would write a book containing many of his secrets, but would withhold publication for a long time.
That's when a third student named J. Gordon Whitehead was shown into the dressing room. Whitehead was tall (six-foot-one) and spoke, as Smiley recalled, with "an exaggerated Oxford accent." He wore a blue gabardine coat that seemed too small for him. Whitehead was there to return a book Houdini had loaned him. Houdini invited him to have seat with the other boys.
The talkative Whitehead began peppering Houdini with questions. Eventually he asked Houdini his opinion of the miracles mentioned in the Bible. Houdini declined to comment on "matters of this nature." Whitehead then asked if it was true he could withstand blows to his abdomen without injury, a question Smiley said "came out of a clear sky." Houdini said that it was.
Whitehead rose up and started hitting Houdini in the stomach. He delivered several blows that Smiley described as being "terribly forcible, deliberate, well-directed." Eventually Houdini waved him off saying, "That will do."
After the bizarre incident, the boys settled back and Smiley finished his sketch, which Houdini signed and dated for him. Looking at the image, Houdini is reported to have said, "You made me look a little tired in this picture. The truth is, I don't feel so well."
Later that afternoon, Houdini's niece and show assistant Julia Sawyer found him in pain in the dressing room. Houdini explained that he had been struck in the stomach by a student before he had a chance to stand and get ready for the blow, "possibly because of a misunderstanding."
Nine days later Houdini would die on Halloween from complications of a ruptured appendix.
Here are collection of links related to Houdini's final days:
Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz of the Houdini Museum in Scranton will hold their "Original Houdini Seance" at the Sojourn Restaurant in New York City on October 31 at 12 PM. Among the attendees will be celebrity mentalist Marc Salem. The seance is open to the public. Admission is free.
The choice of location is a meaningful one. Sojourn is located at 244 East 79 St., in a building that was once Mrs. Loeffler's Boarding House. It was here that young Ehrich Weiss and his father stayed when they first arrived in New York in 1887. Amazingly, the building would still be recognizable to Houdini and his father today.
Dorothy and Dick's "Original" seance (not to be confused with the "Official" seance, which this year is being held in Milwaukee) traces back to Walter B. Gibson, who suggested that Dorothy carry on the annual seance tradition. Along with the American Museum of Magic's "Lox and Bagel" seance, it looks like Houdini is going to have a choice of destination on this 90th year!
Marc Salem's new show "Haunted Mind" will play a special Halloween night event at The Gramercy Theatre at 127 E. 23rd Street in Manhattan.
You can read the full Original Houdini Seance press release at Houdini.org.
The Hidden Room's production of Houdini Speaks to the Living debuts tonight at 8pm at the York Rite Temple in Austin, Texas. The play runs through October 30. A special free performance will be held at the Harry Ransom Center on Halloween.
Houdini Speaks to the Living stars magician Patrick Terry as Houdini and Robert Matney as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Author Beth Burns took much of the dialogue straight from correspondence, essays, diaries, and books in the Harry Ransom Center’s Houdini and Conan Doyle collections.
Beth recently told the Austin Chronicle: "I've spent so much time with the Ransom Center's incredible collections. I feel like Houdini and Doyle are my roommates now, because I sit with them and look at their correspondence and listen to them bicker. My job was specifically to activate the Houdini collection on the 90th anniversary of his death. And when I found out that Doyle's collection was nearby, we were all set – I've been poring over the documents, and I've learned so much about the two of them."
For more information and to buy tickets visit The Hidden Room website. Below is a promo for the play from the Humanities Media Project.
David Merlini's House of Houdini Museum in Budapest, Hungary is throwing a special Halloween party on Saturday, October 29th at 8:00 PM. Today is the last day to book, so if you're interested, RSVP to events@houseofhoudinibudapest.com.
For more information, check out the event page on Facebook.
The Official Houdini Seance will be held this year at the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The event is being co-hosted by Dead Man's Carnival, a Milwaukee based Vaudevillian, Circus, and Burlesque show. Below are details.
"The Offical Houdini Seance" & "Dead Man's Carnival" are proud to present this tribute to the worlds most famous magician on the 90th anniversary of his death.
As many know, in his later life Houdini had been a crusader against fraudulent mediums. Making it his personal mission to expose con artists who prey on grief stricken family with claims of contacting departed loved ones. He also vowed to prove once and for all if contacting the afterlife was possible. Promising that if there was any way to escape from the afterlife he would find it. He created secret codes only known to a few fellow magicians, friends, and relatives. With this fail safe against trickery he planned to alert them from the world beyond.
Each year on the anniversary of his passing fans honor his life and legacy with a sincere spiritualistic séance in attempt to make contact.
The program will also include expert discussion of Houdini’s life, magical entertainment, and live era approperate music from our house band "The Magnificents".
The Official Houdini Seance takes place on Oct. 31 at the Oriental Theatre on 2230 N. Farwell Ave. The show begins at 7:00 p.m. and continues through 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and will be available soon.
For more information, visit the event's Facebook Page.
Milwaukee makes a nice choice of location for the 90th year seance. Young Ehrich Weiss spent several formative years in the city. He even worked as a messenger boy and shoe shine on the streets. Maybe this year he'll come home.
Keep up with all the 90th anniversary Houdini events via #Houdini90th.
UPDATE: Tickets are now available HERE. Also, here's the official poster. Slick.
Here's another October event to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Houdini's death.
The Beloit Public Library in Beloit, Wisconson will feature magician and lecturer William Pack in a special Halloween presentation of his acclaimed lecture "The Essential Houdini."
THE ESSENTIAL HOUDINI-HALLOWEEN PROGRAM
Monday, October 31, 2016 - 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Join William Pack, Magician, Mentalist, Entertainer and Storyteller, for a great Halloween Program all about Harry Houdini. Mr. Pack will go beyond the myth and bring to life the true story of this American icon.
William Pack's self-published lecture companion book, The Essential Houdini, is available for purchase at Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).
If you have news of any other upcoming Houdini October events, please send me the details and I will gladly add it to my calendar.
Tonight I will be giving a talk on Houdini Among the Spirits at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. This "Castle Perk" starts at 8PM in the Inner Circle and is open to all AMA members.
At the conclusion of the talk, I plan to reveal a long lost piece of Houdini history that I've been holding back from this blog. But don't worry. I will share it here later this month.
TCMs restoration of Houdini's The Grim Game will screen TONIGHT at the Harry Ransom Center's Charles Nelson Prothro Theater at 7:00 PM. Eric Colleary, Cline Curator of Theater and Performing Arts, will introduce the film. The screening is open to the public and FREE.
The Grim Game is currently the only Houdini movie not available on DVD, so screenings like this are the only way to currently see what is by far Houdini's best film.
The Harry Ransom Center is located at The University of Texas at Austin and holds one of the largest collections of Houdini material in the world. The center is celebrating the 90th anniversary of Houdini's death with several special events this month.
For more information about tonight's screening of The Grim GameCLICK HERE.
The American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan have revealed plans for a special Halloween Houdini seance to mark the 90th anniversary of the great magician's death. Their seance will include nods to the first Houdini seance held at the museum back in 1978. Below is the full press release.
American Museum of Magic plans lox-and-bagel séance to lure Houdini's spirit
MARSHALL – Halloween will be an especially spooky day at the American Museum of Magic – especially if the ghost of the late magician Harry Houdini makes an appearance.
Halloween is the 90th anniversary of the death of Houdini at Grace Hospital in Detroit and the 38th anniversary of the first Houdini séance at the museum – the largest repository of magicians' materials and memorabilia on public display in the Western Hemisphere.
“Just as we did in 1978, we're going to tempt Houdini to show up by setting up a lox-and-bagel sandwich for him, and locking it inside his own escape apparatus,” said Susan Collins, who chairs the board of directors of the museum at 107 E. Michigan Ave. “We're told that it was his favorite snack, so we're going to make it tough for him to ignore us.”
Shortly after 2 p.m. on the afternoon of Oct. 31, select members of the museum's staff and supporters will sit in a séance circle around artifacts that once belonged to Houdini, and make their second attempt in 38 years to contact his ghost – if it exists. The public is invited to attend and observe the free event, but no children under age 8 will be admitted.
Houdini died at 1:26 p.m. on Halloween Day, Oct. 31, 1926, at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. Since then, magicians worldwide have celebrated October as “magic month.”
“This year, we'll be under daylight saving time on Halloween Day, and our panel of advisors tells us that – because of the time adjustment – it will be exactly 90 years since the death of Harry Houdini at 2:26 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time,” Collins said.
“When we shifted ahead by an hour last spring for daylight saving time, it put our clocks an hour ahead of Houdini’s time in 1926, and we won't 'fall back' to standard time until the following weekend,” she said. “So, at 2:26 p.m. on Halloween under daylight saving time, we'll hit the actual 90-year mark. That's when we will go silent and call for Houdini to give us a sign.”
The séance itself will be supervised by Marshall magician Phillip Hagerty, following a script prepared by John C. Sherwood, also a Marshall magician. The script will follow the format that the museum's late owner, Robert Lund, established for the 1978 event, which Hagerty and Sherwood attended.
Those who wish to observe should arrive at the museum by 1:45 p.m., Collins added. Sentries will guard the museum's locked doors to prevent unauthorized tomfoolery, and those attending will be invited to inspect the museum for any hidden accomplices. All museum telephones will be rendered silent during the event.
Houdini made no sign of returning in 1978. At the time, Lund said the failure may have been because the bagel he'd provided wasn't kosher. Lund also speculated whether adding cream cheese might have helped.
“We’re going to try to correct some of those oversights this time,” Collins said.
Houdini's late wife Bess frequently spoke of making a compact with her husband that they would attempt to contact each other’s spirit, if it were possible.
“Although she and her husband had become skeptics about the reality of such psychical events, Bess seems to have made several serious attempts to carry out that compact,” Sherwood said. “At one time, she even thought that the medium Arthur Ford had given her the message that she longed to hear, but she later renounced the experience as an error.”
As was done in 1978, the museum will hold its séance-style ceremony around Houdini’s own Milk Can Escape, an artifact acquired by Lund about a half-century ago, and a “spirit horn” once owned by the magician.
“Just as we did before, we plan to place a lox-and-bagel sandwich into or near the Milk Can and ask Houdini to take a bite out of it,” Collins said. “Or maybe he'll just tip it over – or something. We'll settle for any kind of unusual sign.”
Sherwood said Houdini's spirit will be given a variety of opportunities to make its presence known, perhaps by whispering through the spirit horn, extinguishing a candle, or opening a lock or set of handcuffs.
“We'll be able to see precisely what might happen because we're not going to turn off the lights,” Sherwood said. “As Bob Lund described him, Houdini was the enemy of darkness and – in his honor – all the lights will be on, including our brand-new array of track lighting. If anything is going to happen, we'll see it clearly.”
Collins was present for the 1978 séance and will join the circle in place of one of the initial circle-sitters, her late husband, John Collins, a former president of the Michigan Historical Society. Two other members of the 1978 circle will be present again – Sherwood and Norman Kinney of Marshall. A third living member of the 1978 circle, former Marshall resident Douglas Collins (no relation to the other Collinses), will be unable to participate.
Several other individuals are being selected by the museum's staff and board members join the séance circle on Halloween, Susan Collins said.
An empty chair in the circle will honor Lund, and a remembrance candle will be lighted in memory of John Collins as well as three of Lund's now-deceased friends who joined the 1978 circle – Royal Oak television producer Dan Waldron, and District Judge Dale Riker and his wife, Evelyn, both of Flint.
“If anyone has an advantage in bringing Houdini back, we have it at this museum,” said Sherwood, who also is a member of the museum's board of directors. “This is one of the few repositories in the nation that honors Houdini by displaying his own magical equipment, posters and other memorabilia.
“Countless artifacts safeguarded here were owned by Houdini and his friends, and by those who were inspired by him to embark on the hobby and profession of theatrical magic,” he said. “Over the decades, hundreds if not thousands of magicians – famous or not – have visited here to remember Houdini and the other performers who are honored here.”
Sherwood and Hagerty insisted that no magical shenanigans will be permitted during the event.
“You will not experience any trickery, theatrical deception or fraud during this gathering,” Hagerty said. “If anyone plans some form of nonsense, we'll find them out and denounce them.”
“We aren't Spiritualists or ghost hunters, either,” Sherwood said. “We aren't necessarily believers in the claims of those who trust in the spiritual return of the departed. Under no circumstances are we conducting a religious ritual in any way. Instead, this is an experiment — an expression of hopefulness and honor.
“Bess Houdini's seances — and her failure to produce her husband's spirit — actually had a intellectual, logical purpose,” Sherwood said. “After years of investigation and research, she and Houdini had become skeptics about psychic phenomena, and Bess actually believed the séances extended Houdini’s efforts in life — to stop the spread of superstition and unwarranted belief in nonsensical, magical thinking.”
“We simply plan to pay tribute to the most famous magician who ever lived,” said Susan Collins. “At the same time, we'll be honoring the memory of Bob and Elaine Lund, who made this museum possible.”
The museum will open at 10 a.m. that day, and a reception will begin at 1 p.m. Refreshments will be available before and after the séance. The museum itself will remain open until 4 p.m. that day. Additional information about the museum is available by calling (269) 781-7570 or by visiting americanmuseumofmagic.org.
PHOTO: Staff and supporters of the American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Mich., will conduct a 90th anniversary séance on Halloween Day to contact the spirit of magician Harry Houdini, who died in Detroit on Oct. 31, 1926. From left are Susan Collins, who chairs the museum's board of directors; Cindy Lake, the museum's administrator; John C. Sherwood, a museum board member and longtime Marshall magician; and séance supervisor Phillip Hagerty, also a longtime Marshall magician. Items Houdini once owned will be used during the event, including his Milk Can Escape apparatus (at center) and mediumistic “spirit horn.”
For the record, I've never heard of lox-and-bagels being Houdini's "favorite snack." Maybe they should have gone with Farmer's Chop Suey, the dish Houdini had a "hankering for" on his death bed.
The American Museum of Magic will hold several other escape-themed events throughout the month of October.
