Did Houdini repeat the Mirror Challenge?

The Mirror Handcuffs Challenge is the gift that keeps giving. There are still many mysteries and unanswered questions about this seminal escape during the height of Houdini's Handcuff King days. While the current hot topic is the Tatler cuffs, I recently stumbled on a new curiosity in the December 1947 The Linking Ring.

Below is an excerpt from the article "Royal Aquarium & Egyptian Hall" by Will Stone. As a young man, Stone worked with magician Paul Valadon in England. Stone talks about a hapless Handcuff King named Pongo, whom he had helped with an escape in the presence of Valadon and Albini. He then continues...

It was about this time that Houdini was advertised at the Hippodrome. He would give 500 pounds to any one who could get out of a special set of handcuffs, called "Mirror Handcuffs." The Daily Mirror Newspaper Corporation had these handcuffs made especially to challenge Houdini to get out of them, and Houdini accepted the challenge. At the same time, he passed the challenge along to any one. After a lot of urging, Valadon and Albini persuaded Pongo to compete, telling him that he had a fine chance to win, but warned him never to say a word about Valadon and Albini asking him to compete. In fact, never to mention either of their names.

The evening came when Houdini was to get out of the Mirror Cuffs. It had been advertised all over London. Val gave me tickets for Pongo and myself, with strict orders for me to see that Pongo got to the Hippodrome, and that his seat was right down near the stage. After having helped him in the back yard, he knew I was his friend, and he stuck close by. We got seats in the third row, and I had never seen such a full house before. Every seat was taken. The stage was set for Houdini. On the stage a small tent was erected. In came Houdini. The applause was tremendous. He stated what he was about to do—or try to do. He made a long speech, and he knew what to say and how to say it. He then made the challenge to any one in the audience who would attempt to get out of these handcuffs. Up jumped Pongo. "I accept that challenge," he shouted. Every eye was turned on him. Houdini stopped and stared. Then the audience gave a yell. Pongo grabbed me to go with him on the stage, but I pulled away from him and he went alone. Houdini asked three or four from the audience to come onto the stage to see that everything was fair. Valadon and Albini were among those who responded. Houdini looked Pongo over, and no doubt sized him up correctly. He then made a talk explaining things. He said he would fasten the Mirror cuffs on Pongo, and also an ordinary pair of cuffs. Pongo positively refused the ordinary cuffs; only the Mirror cuffs for him. So Houdini fastened the Mirror cuffs on Pongo and led him to the tent. In Pongo went.

After waiting a half hour, the audience became restless and began to shout. Another half hour passed and Houdini went and spoke to Pongo. Pongo came out, looking as if he had been in a fight. The audience saw him with handcuffs still on. He went down to the footlights with uplifted arms, and the spectators, seeing that he had something to say, quieted down. Pongo shouted: "Give an Englishman a chance!" That got them. The yelling and stamping was deafening. So Pongo went in for another half hour, but finally had to call it a go, and quit. The handcuffs were unlocked by the referee, and Pongo acknowledged his defeat.

Houdini was handcuffed with the Mirror cuffs, then with the ordinary pair of cuffs. He went into the tent, and in about ten minutes, out flew the ordinary cuffs. More yells and shouts, then they quieted down, for about twenty minutes. Houdini came out, still handcuffed. His assistant got a pair of shears and cut his coat up the back. It looked as if the coat was too tight. More yells and shouts and stamping! Houdini went into the tent again, and in about twenty minutes he was out with the cuffs unlocked. Then bedlam prevailed, and we went home.

What do we make of this? No mention of Pongo appears in any other account of the challenge, including the Daily Mirror's own highly detailed report. Stone's memories of the escape are also filled with slight differences, such as Houdini being secured with a second pair of handcuffs and his coat being cut off by an assistant instead of being slashed off by Houdini himself with a pen knife. It also seems highly improbable that a full hour would be given to a random challenger on the day of the highly publicized escape. But my biggest problem with this account is that we know Houdini offered up the Mirror handcuffs to challengers only after his escape on March 17 (read: Houdini's own Mirror Challenge).

However, I believe what Stone describes did happen. But it was not March 17, 1904. This was a performance after the original escape when Houdini accepted challengers, Pongo being one of them. Applying a second pair of handcuffs is a believable detail that makes perfect sense in context. The Mirror handcuffs were non-adjustable, so a second pair of cuffs would prevent the challenger from slipping them off.

But what of Stone's memories of seeing Houdini make the escape with all the on-stage dramatics of the original? Is he conflating memories of what he saw with what he had only read? That could be. But I think he may again be describing precisely what he saw, and Houdini was repeating his escape from Mirror handcuffs. He might have even done this several times during his six-week run at the Hippodrome when all of London was abuzz about the original escape.

What interests me is that Houdini also repeats the original escape's onstage theatrics, such as coming out of the cabinet and shedding his coat. But instead of going through the gymnastics of doing it himself, he had an assistant cut it off. Being locked in a second pair of cuffs and having them fly from the cabinet at the 10-minute mark is actually a nice addition.

All this is suggestive that Houdini came to see the Mirror Challenge and his dramatic struggles onstage as a performance piece. Or maybe it was conceived as such from the start.

Want more? You can read Will Stone's entire article from The Linking Ring as a Scholar member of my Patreon below.

Thanks to Joe Fox and the William Larsen Memorial Library at the Magic Castle.

Related:

• Houdini's own Mirror Challenge
• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I | Part II
• Joe Notaro is hot on the trail of the "Tatler Cuffs"

Houdini's humor

Once, during a Q&A, someone asked me if Houdini used humor in his act. I told them I didn't think so. That Houdini took himself pretty seriously. In fact, he once kicked a comedian (hard!) in the leg when he began telling jokes as Houdini struggled in a straitjacket.

But Patrick Culliton later told me I was mistaken. Houdini did use humor in his act. From that moment, I've kept an eye open for evidence of this, and, by gosh, it's out there! Check out the below from Houdini's appearance at the Regent Theater of Varieties in Salford, England.

This point was further driven home when I was shown a remarkable document at the Harry Ransom Center last year. It's a typewritten page of all the jokes Houdini had at hand during his performances. The jokes are pretty corny, largely dependent on puns and colloquialisms, but they apparently worked on audiences of the time. It's a fantastic glimpse at a part of Houdini's act that is (almost) forgotten.

Where can you read this remarkable document? The Harry Ransom Center, of course! Or you can read it as a member of my Patreon by clicking below.

Thanks to my patrons for supporting my research and content like this.

Related:

• Treasures of the Harry Ransom Center
• Houdini the humorist
• Houdini's madcap Hollywood lunch

Earliest known professional photo of Houdini sells for $78,000

The earliest known professional photo of Houdini and his brother, Theo, sold today for a whopping $78,000 (including 20% buyer's premium) at Potter & Potter's "Houdiniana and Magic Memorabilia" auction. The photo captures "The Brothers Houdini" at the start of their careers and was taken by Feinberg in New York. The auction dates it as 1892/3. There are at least three other known images from this photo session, but this is the only original I've ever seen. A treasure indeed and a new record for a Houdini photo.

The auction contained many other rarities from the family of Houdini's brother, William Weiss, and the collection of Manny Weltman (which you might recall I mentioned here). One of the stranger items was a carved cigarette holder presented given to William by Houdini. The auction says this rarity demonstrates "not only their close relationship, but Houdini’s generosity and self-love." But I can't help but think it might have been a gag gift. I can see his brother saying something like, "Every time I open the paper I see Harry's ass." So Houdini gives him this. Well, someone paid $20,400 for that view today.

SOLD for $20,400.

Speaking of Bill Weiss, his inscribed portrait sold for $660. An hitherto unknown photo of Houdini inscribed in 1904 took in $21,600. A portrait of a very young Theo Weiss sold for $3600. A photo of the young Cecelia Weiss with her mother and sister dated 1874--the auction listing speculates she may be pregnant (with you know who)--sold for $2400. This was the first appearance at auction for any of these rarities.

Inscribed Houdini ($21,600) and brother Bill ($660).

Young Theo ($3600) and Cecelia Weiss ($2400).

But the biggest seller in the auction was a spiritualism and magic scrapbook given to Houdini by Henry Ridgley Evans in 1924. This came from the Manny Weltman collection and was one of the items that failed to meet the reserve in the Weltman Swann auction in 2002. Today it blew away the auction estimate of $30,000 - $60,000 and landed at a wild $102,000 (including premium).

SOLD for $102,000.

However, the item that most bewitched me personally was a framed engraved print showing Moses transforming a staff into a serpent before a Pharaoh. This was obtained by Larry Weeks from the Houdini family and once hung inside Houdini's home. This blew past its $400-800 estimate and landed at $6,600. Happily, the winner was our friend Lee Terbosic. Congrats Lee! Now the hunt is on for a photo of this hanging inside 278.

SOLD for $6,600.

Afraid the only thing I came away with was the auction catalog. But it's a beauty!

Congrats to all the winners and to Gabe Fajuri at Potter & Potter for another wildly successful Houdiniana auction.

Related:

• "Houdiniana that has never before come to market"
• Houdini's belt buckle sells for $90,000
• Manny and Me

Guest Blog: Author-Lecturer-Mystifier-Mason

Recently I shared a link to an article about Houdini in the Jan-Feb 2021 Scottish Rite Journal, a magazine devoted to Freemasonry. The author, Maynard Edwards, got in touch, and explained that in the time it took to the publish that piece, he had continued his research and made several new discoveries and some corrections. So today I'm excited to share his updated article which rewrites what we know about Houdini the Mason. Enjoy.

Author-Lecturer-Mystifier-Mason

Recent Revelations in the Masonic Career of Brother Harry Houdini 

by Maynard Edwards, KCCH

On any list of famous Freemasons, Brother Harry (Houdini) is sure to be found. He was raised in St. Cecile Lodge #568 in New York on August 21,1924. St. Cecile Lodge was (and still is) a Daylight Lodge, geared specifically towards those in the performing arts, who often would not be able to attend evening meetings.

For at least the last thirty years, it has been reported that Harry became a Shriner shortly before his untimely death in 1926 and dates for his Scottish Rite Membership were not recorded publicly. However, a recent discovery at Mecca Shrine allows us to cement both his Scottish Rite and Shrine initiation dates much earlier than previously reported.

Mecca & The Mystifier

In March 2019, while cleaning up their office in the Grand Lodge of New York, Members of Mecca Shrine discovered a door hidden behind an old filing cabinet. The door led to a locker room and a curious discovery. The Current Assistant Rabban of Mecca Shrine in New York City, Noble Zachary Ostrow (right) explains "There was a big green locker that just had Mecca Shrine scribbled on the front of it. I don’t think anyone knew it had noticed it at least since the eighties. In there we found books full of Lodge records including petitions. The petitions were all numbered so we knew which ones were missing. After a few days of going through those books I found Houdini’s petition and it shows that he became a member in 1924. All the history books say 1926, and so people have gotten upset with me for finding this and making them have to re-write the history books."

The petition is signed by Houdini, and in his own handwriting he states his occupation as "Author – Lecturer - Mystifier". Conclusively we can now document that Harry Houdini became a Noble of Mecca Shrine on December 29th, 1924. Houdini became a Scottish Rite Mason in the Valley of New York Lodge of Perfection on October 7th 1924, joined the Council of Princes of Jerusalem on December 16th, and entered the Consistory on December 23rd.

Image courtesy Maynard Edwards.

Houdini was 50 years old when he became a Mason, but his experience in fraternal organizations began in 1903 when he became a member of the fledgling Society of American Magicians. The group had started only the year before with just 24 members in the back of a New York City magic shop. A rift with another prominent member of the club would cause Harry to resign in 1908, but by 1915 fences had been mended and Houdini was from then on an avid supporter of the group. He would be elected SAM President from 1917 until his death (interestingly, as President of S.A.M., Harry and other officers were referred to by the the title Most Illustrious).

When performing in a particular town, it was often Harry’s habit to connect with the local magicians and there are many surviving letters of his correspondence with fellow illusionists. It may have been such a connection that caused Harry to first mention an interest in Freemasonry.

My Dear Buckle

A postcard sent from Harry Houdini to a Mr. A. Buckle in 1904 was recently sold by the world famous Potter & Potter auction house in Chicago. The type written postcard, which sold for $900, reads:

My Dear Buckle,
Am very busy, have a very big task Tomorrow, and do not feell [sic] very much like writing. Regarding me being a Mason, I regret to inform you that I am not a Mason, and hope some day to belong to that Order. I do not belong to any secret order, and am a member of the S. of A. Magicians, and an Artist club in Germany.
Regards
Houdini.

The “A. Buckle” in this case was 20-year old Manchester Magician Arthur Buckle, sometimes billed as the Manchester Wizard. Buckle’s career consisted of mostly of private performances and writing for magical trade publications. The relationship between the then 30-year old Houdini and the younger conjurer isn’t well-documented, but it would not be a stretch to assume that as magicians they would have made each other’s professional acquaintance and become friends. The postcard salutation “My Dear Buckle” and another surviving letter from Houdini to Buckle indicate a personal relationship.

The postcard itself is remarkable for several reasons. First, the date of the postcard is March 16th, only a day before the famous Daily Mirror Handcuff Challenge, and the writing clearly indicates the challenge was on his mind. Also, Houdini expresses that he did not feel like writing. We know Houdini was troubled by an unknown illness during the end of his Hippodrome engagement and not long after the handcuff challenge, Harry was forced to take 12 days bed rest, canceling a number of engagements. Does this note indicate he was already feeling ill? Finally of course, it does seem to be the first documented expression of Houdini’s interest in Freemasonry.

While the postcard only reveals one side of the conversation between the two magicians, from it we can suppose that Arthur Buckle was a Mason and had asked if Houdini was a Mason, perhaps even inviting him to Lodge. In a collection of Houdini papers at the University of Texas in Austin, there exist other letters between Houdini and Buckle that may reveal more details, however as of this writing, those letters are not accessible due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Masonic & Magical Legacy

It would be another twenty years before Houdini’s interest in Freemasonry would manifest itself into his petitioning a lodge. Perhaps the business of being an international celebrity kept Houdini from joining the Brotherhood sooner rather than later? Or perhaps being elected President of the Society of American Magicians in 1917 increased his interest in fraternal organizations? We can only speculate as to why two decades elapsed before he was raised, his reasons are just one of the many secrets the Great Harry Houdini took to his grave.

There are no known photos of Harry in any Masonic garb, and his blue lodge petition, though not in question, has yet to be located. According to several Masonic sources, it is alleged that sometime after he became a Mason, Harry gave a benefit performance for for the Scottish Rite Valley of New York before a sold-out crowd of more than 4000 spectators at the Scottish Rite Cathedral (formerly the Manhattan Opera House, currently the Manhattan Center). However, no contemporary reports of this performance have been located, and no references to any such fundraiser has been found in any official Scottish Rite transaction. This leaves much doubt as to whether or not the performance truly occurred or perhaps was somehow conflated with another similar performance at some other time and place.

However, after his untimely death in 1926, Masonic funeral rites were performed by the Brothers of St. Cecile’s Lodge- which incidentally was held at the Elks clubhouse in New York (Harry became an Elk in 1912).

A great many vaudevillian performers were members of the Craft. Several of Harry’s Magical contemporaries were taken and accepted including Harry Kellar, Howard Thurston and even William Ellsworth Robinson- better known by his stage name Chung Ling Soo. As traveling performers, the Masonic Brotherhood would have provided vaudevillians with sort of safety-net while on the road. So too, the fraternity may have lent some of its dignity to a professional class that had historically been looked down upon.

Today the legacy of Houdini and the other Magical Masons of his era lives on in the Invisible Lodge, a Masonic club specifically for Master Masons who are either professional or amateur magicians. Founded in 1953 the club meets annually at midnight either at local Magician’s conventions or more recently at the Magic Castle in Hollywood. The Magic Castle itself is a private club for magicians and regularly members gather to hold a séance in an effort to contact the spirit of none other than Harry Houdini; so far the even the Great Houdini has not managed to reach back from the other side.

*Ill. Brent Morris, 33 and Jeff Croteau, Director of Library & Archives at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum and Library in Lexington Massachusetts contributed to this article.

Related:

• Scottish Rite Journal reveals Houdini the Mason
• Houdini lying in state at Elks Lodge #1
• Remembering Brother Houdini

Houdini's own Mirror Challenge

Here's a terrific news item from the March 21, 1904 London Daily Mirror. This is only four days after Houdini's famous escape from the inescapable Mirror Handcuff. I love the detail that he arrived at the newspaper office with wrestler George Hackenschmidt "to protect me." The idea of these two guys palling around London together is just great. I also like the "click bait" headline. Anyway, enjoy.

A few people did take up Houdini's challenge, but as far as I know, no one succeeded in opening the Mirror Handcuff.

Related:

• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I | Part II
• First look at the Mirror Handcuffs?
• Confirmed: 'Houdini Defeats Hackenschmidt' did exist!

Early illustrations reveal Houdini's "ghost house"

Here are some early illustrations from Houdini's prime "Handcuff King" days. What I really like about these is they give us a good look at his "Ghost House." This is the small tent-like enclosure where Houdini would do his handcuff escapes surrounded by a committee from the audience. These drawings give us a good idea of its scale. Newspapers reported that it was red.

Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, February 9, 1901.

Dramatic News, April 9, 1904.

The name "ghost house" can be seen as a nod to a medium's spirit cabinet, which shows how Houdini's handcuff act had roots in spiritualism. The only photo of the ghost house that I'm aware of is the famous shot of Houdini being locked in the Mirror Handcuffs on stage at the London Hippodrome in 1904. It's a little hidden among the committee. In fact, I bet some have never even noticed it!

I wonder what ever happened to Houdini's ghost house? How extraordinary would it be to see this piece of Houdini history today. Alas, the ghost house seems to have vanished...like a ghost!

If you enjoy Houdini artwork like this, check out my Facebook page Houdini Illustrated where I share images that don't always make it to the blog.

Related:

• "For a minute the air was full of flying bracelets"
• Mystifying man in St. Louis
• First public image of Houdini's Milk Can?

First look at the Mirror Handcuffs?

This illustration appeared in the March 15, 1904 issue of the London Daily Illustrated Mirror and offers what may be the first public image of the famous Mirror Handcuffs. I don't think we can infer too much from it, but you will note that the hinge resembles the one on what we've come to call the Tatler Cuffs. 

The last public appearance of the Mirror Handcuffs was at the New York Historical Society's "Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection" exhibition in 2018.

Speaking of the Mirror Cuffs, Joe Notaro has added more evidence to his mounting case that the Tatler Cuffs survived and may still be around today. Read Joe's latest at Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence.

Related:

• The Tatler Mirror Cuff mystery deepens
• Houdini's Mirror Handcuffs to be displayed in New York
• The Muller Mirror mystery key

Did Hardeen really discover the full view straitjacket escape?

It's an established part of Houdini lore that he originally performed his straitjacket escape inside a cabinet until Hardeen discovered the power of doing the escape in full view when challenged to do so one night by an audience that didn't believe his cabinet escape. After that, Houdini quickly adopted the full view presentation and the straitjacket became one of his most iconic and popular escapes.

I've always found this perplexing. How could Houdini, who knew full well the power of rope escapes done in full view of the audience, fail to see this himself? Nevertheless, here's proof positive that as late as November 12, 1904, Houdini is still doing the straitjacket escape inside his "red velvet tent." This is from the Birmingham Daily Gazette:

Click to enlarge.

From this it appears the escape is still effective ("the applause was tremendous"), so maybe that's why Houdini never felt the need to experiment. I should add that I've found another cabinet straitjacket escape on December 2, 1904, at the Pavilion Theatre in Newcastle (with a carpet laid on the floor to ensure no traps), but the above clipping makes better reading.

So if Hardeen really did make this seminal discovery, exactly when and where did this happen? Turns out that is NOT an easy question to answer. There are conflicting claims and not one of them commits to a date. But we know Houdini is still in his cabinet in November-December 1904, and it's said he did his first full view escape in Paris in March 1905. So we can assume Hardeen made his discovery sometime between those dates.

Thanks to my recent deep dive into the British Newspaper Archive (which I've re-upped for another month), I have Hardeen's schedule at this time. So with this in hand, let's examine the major candidates:

Christopher:

In Houdini The Untold Story, Milbourne Christopher says Hardeen made his discovery at the Swansea Empire in Wales. He does not provide a date, but Hardeen played Swansea the week of December 26, 1904, which is within the timeline. Christopher says Dash sent Houdini a newspaper clipping. That makes me suspect his source is a letter. I wish I knew for sure, because Christopher is also the sole source for Houdini doing his first full view escape in Paris in March 1905. (The first account I can find is April 14, 1905 in Cardiff.) This is two months after Swansea, so either Hardeen took his time telling him or Houdini took his time in adopting it. Or maybe there's a better candidate...

The pitchbook:

I believe everyone, including Christopher, uses Hardeen's pitchbook, The Life and History of Hardeen, as the primary source for the dramatics of this event. And why shouldn't they? The pitchbook contains what appears to be a detailed newspaper account (which, unfortunately, is undated and unattributed). It even has a photo of the theater announcing the re-challenge on a huge outside banner.

The pitchbook identifies the events as having played out at the "London Empire." Now, when I hear "London Empire", I think of the Empire Theater in Leicester Square. But Hardeen never performed there. So this could be a reference to greater London, and Hardeen did play Empires in Hackney, Holloway, and New Cross in late November 1904, which are (just) within the timeline. [UPDATE: The photo is the Holloway Empire.]

But here's the problem. Elsewhere this pitchbook photo is credited as being 1906. This is well after Houdini is doing the straitjacket in full view. In fact, I have found numerous accounts of Hardeen being called out of his cabinet to repeat his straitjacket escape all throughout 1906. It appears to have been a standard (staged) re-challenge, similar to how Houdini would be "re-challenged" to do his packing crate escape. In fact, Hardeen becomes so associated with this, the English press dubbed him "the straitjacket man." Here is one such account from the Empress Theater in Hartlepool on April 7, 1906:

Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail.

I now believe everything in the pitchbook is referencing one of these later staged escapes. It's also possible the story in the pitchbook is not even an actual newspaper clipping, which is why it is unattributed and suspiciously vague. So the pitchbook is pure misdirection.

Does this mean the entire story of Hardeen discovering the full view straitjacket escape is manufactured mythology? Did the brothers discover it in some other way, maybe even seeing an imitator do it? When going down one of these Houdini rabbit holes the "it never happened" option always has to be considered. But before we jump to that conclusion, there's one more candidate to hear from...

Hardeen (Himself):

In the March 1941 issue of The Sphinx, Hardeen provided a lengthy article called "Houdini-Hardeen Strait-Jacket Escape". In it he states he made his full view discovery at the "Bedford Music Hall, Camdentown, London." He also says the escape took a full "grueling hour." He doesn't give a date (why make it easy on us?), but I've discovered Hardeen at the New Bedford Palace of Varieties in Camden Town on March 24, 1905. Presumably Dash played the full week which began on March 20.

Music Hall and Theatre Review, March 24, 1905.

This engagement fits like a glove! It is within the timeline and, better yet, it is while Houdini is in Paris. So Christopher's claim that Hardeen told Houdini about the escape via letter and that Houdini first tried it in Paris works beautifully. We also know Dash joined Houdini in Cardiff for his battles with Frank Hilbert during the week of April 12, and it's on April 14th that Houdini does the first documented full view escape that I can find.

(By the way, Hardeen states in this same article that he and Houdini saw their first straitjacket in Berlin in 1900, which cannot be right. But that's a can of worms for another time.)

While I'm still not sure we have this is 100% locked down, I do feel pretty good about the March 1905 New Bedford engagement as being the time and place Hardeen discovered the full view straitjacket escape. I also still believe the core claim; that it was Dash who made this discovery and not Houdini. The primary reason are the 1906 staged re-challenges. Only Dash did these, and that suggests he had some ownership over this particular twist on the act. Not to mention he was able to put the story in his pitchbook.

So, yes, I think we are safe leaving this one in Hardeen's column. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments.

Thanks to Joe Fox for providing me with a copy of the original Hardeen Sphinx article. It is also reprinted in Pat Culliton's Houdini The Key and Hardeen: Monarch of Manacles by William V. Rauscher.

Related:

• Houdini vs. Hardeen in Oakland
• Jackie Gleason in a Hardeen jacket?
• Saint John historian claims Houdini straitjacket origin story a myth

More trouble for Mysto

Following up on Tuesday's post about Houdini's exposure of Carl Mysto's coffin escape in 1904, our friend Fred Pittella sends over these gems from his collection. This playbill predates the Salford exposure and is almost certainly the work of Houdini.

Click to enlarge.

Poor Mysto. Maybe it's his failed 1902 audition and Houdini calling him "a common bum and a dirty one at that", but I admit I feel sorry for him. I feel like he pulled himself together and came up with good idea with his coffin escape, especially the idea of his hands manacled through the top, and he didn't do anything to warrant its exposure.

But as said on Tuesday, Mysto's skirmishes with Houdini actually brought him publicity and bookings that he wouldn't have otherwise received, and he did go on to have a long career in English Music Halls. In 1922 he even starred in a popular musical comedy show, O.K., in which he played a magician detective named "O.K." In 1930 he renamed himself The Great Neudini.

Thanks to Fred Pittella for the share. Be sure and check out Fred's own website Houdini & Escapes Museum.

Related:

• Opening Mysto's coffin
• The curious story of Houdini and Carleete
• Lifting the lid on Sergeant Houdini

Opening Mysto's coffin

Contrary to popular belief, Houdini did not go after each and every imitator of his act. Theaters were awash in Houdini wannabes, and to have tangled with them all would have left no time for his own act and just brought them publicity. So unless an imitator made false claims about Houdini or used his name in their advertising, he largely ignored them.

In 1903 an escape artist who called himself Carl Mysto began performing challenge escapes in the UK. This was not typical of other Houdini imitators who largely confined themselves to the handcuff act. One of Mysto's feats was to escape from an "iron-bound coffin" with his hands manacled through holes in the top. The escape was a good one and it drew a fair amount of attention, even landing Mysto a photo spread in the Houdini friendly London Daily Illustrated Mirror (above and below).

Houdini had first met Mysto in October 1902 when the budding magician wrote asking if Houdini could arrange an audition. Houdini remembered: "Carl Mysto at the time was working in pubs, doing magic and passing the hat. He was a tramp. I gave him a pair of pants and a few old shirts and half a dollar. He gave a trial show and did not make good. He was a common bum and a dirty one at that."

In September of 1904, both Handcuff Kings found themselves playing opposite theaters in Salford near Manchester. Houdini was at the Regent Theatre of Varieties and Mysto at the Hippodrome. Mysto ran into trouble during his first week. On September 21 he was summons to the Salford police court on a charge of stealing a pair of handcuffs from a challenger, Thomas Skellington. The case was dismissed. 

Did Houdini have a hand in this? If so, it could help explain why the Hippodrome's manager, Broadhead, felt compelled to take a swipe at Houdini during a manager's meeting, saying Mysto gave a better show and did not "talk endlessly of his triumphs." Furthermore, at £10 a week, Mysto made a better profit than Houdini at £150 a week. Houdini's hatred of imitators was matched only by his hatred of unscrupulous managers, and when he learned of Broadhead's words the gloves came off.

Instead of challenging Mysto to a coffin breaking contest as one might expect, Houdini took an approach wholly bent on ruining his signature feat. He paid the man who made Mysto's coffin, Reuben Shaw, to make him a duplicate. He then exposed the escape on the stage of the Regent for two straight nights. The London Daily Illustrated Mirror ran a story complete with photos. Below are those two photos showing Franz Kukol and Hardeen (presumably standing in for Shaw) assisting in the exposure.

Unlike the stories of Houdini undoing Kleppini with the French Letter Cuff or Frank Hilbert with a crafty disguise, the Mysto affair doesn't present Houdini in an especially heroic light. It's an out-and-out exposure of another magician's original invention and a clear breech of the Magician's Code. Local magicians were said to be "blazing with anger", and at least one reader of the Mirror found Houdini's behavior unsportsmanlike:

Houdini portrayed his actions as providing a public service, saying the use of a coffin was "entirely out of place" and that after his exposure "no coffin will ever again be used as an accessory to a public amusement." Privately he told local magician Harry Whiteley that he regretted exposing the coffin trick, but his fight was with Broadhead, not Mysto. The incident did not hurt Mysto, who suddenly found himself in demand. But it also opened the door to exposure acts, many of which would target Houdini.

Despite Houdini's claim to have made the theatrical world safe from coffins, in January 1907 he presented his own coffin challenge escape at the Boston Athletic Association. That coffin is on display today at the Houdini Museum of New York along with an original poster from the 1904 Mysto exposure.

Thanks to Joe Fox for helping me uncover the Harry Whiteley letter and the name of manager Broadhead. For more on Mysto in Salford check out Harry Houdini Legend & Legacy by Brian Lead and Roger Woods, 1993.

Related:

• Houdini, the Magician's Code, and the Talking Tea Kettle scandal
• Houdini and Brindamour: Showdown in San Francisco
• Houdini gives the all clear to his imitators???

The Handcuff King in England

I recently subscribed to The British Newspaper Archive, and I'm losing my mind! I'm adding volumes of information about Houdini in the UK my Chronology. I'm also coming across many photographic gems, such as the below. This comes from the February 17, 1904 Tatler magazine. Not much to say except, wow, what a pic!

For the record, Houdini appeared in the UK in 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1913, 1914, and 1920.

Okay, back to work!

The Tatler Mirror Cuff mystery deepens (update)

Our friend Joe Notaro at Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence has devoted two new posts to the ongoing mystery of the "Tatler Cuff." As a refresher, back in 2014 a page from a 1904 issue of Tatler magazine appeared on eBay that featured a photo of Houdini's Mirror Handcuff. Except the cuff and key depicted in that photo was noticeably different from the Mirror Handcuff that we know today! This mystery cuff has come to be called the "Tatler Cuff."

Joe is continuing the investigation with some interesting new findings and observations. This is wild stuff, so I encourage you to click the links below and read the posts and comments.

Is Houdini being locked into the Tatler Cuff or the David Copperfield Mirror Cuff?

Mirror Cuff "exposed Jan 1920" and "locked in safe until mid 1930s"

NEW: 

William McCaffrey and Famed Birmingham “Tatler” Handcuffs

Houdini on race equality

We are living in a time of a serious re-examination of how historical figures may have helped or hindered the struggle for rights and equality for all, regardless of sex or race. So where did Houdini stand on this?

In Houdini's day the great struggle was that of women seeking equality in society and especially the right to vote. The "Suffrage" movement sparked demonstrations and even violence. When asked if he approved of "women participating in everyday life" (code for equal rights), Houdini's answer was an unequivocal, "Yes."

But he largely led by example–such as inviting Suffragettes onstage to challenge him in 1908–and avoided the mire of politics, stating: "I hope to keep out of politics, for that is a game in which most of us are defeated before we even get into."

But what about racial equality?

Being Jewish and an immigrant, Houdini certainly understood the sting of institutional discrimination. And while he wasn't perfect (his films and fiction trade on racial stereotypes), he had a strong sense of justice and did express a tolerance uncharacteristic for that time. For instance, he was impressed with the racial equality he witnessed in British Music Halls, and wrote about it in his New York Dramatic Mirror column on November 12, 1904.

In this remarkable paragraph, written in England for American readers, one may infer of his own feelings on race equality. And while Houdini's use of the word "colored" is considered offensive today, it was the most respectful language he could have used at that time.

Just a few lines referring to your article appearing Sept. 24, in which you reproduce a cut of a team called Cline and Clark, in which a white woman is doing a sketch with a colored man. That is nothing unusual on this side of the pond, and were I a colored man I would never leave this country. They are all looked upon here just as amicably as if they were white. The color line is unknown here, and many a team I've seen in which the man is colored and his partner white. The colored race over here has made a great big hit, and certainly are making good with their ability. I have been on the bill with several American colored acts that have "made good" without question. I may mention Brown and Navarro, Grant and Grant, La Belle Morcschania, Johnson and Dean, White and Black, the Four Black Troubadours, Eph Thompson, George Jackson, etc., and all have done well.

I trust that these few lines will not open any controversy, as I simply write for general information and nothing else.

Wishing everyone a safe and united Fourth of July weekend.

Related:

• Is Houdini's "Chinese Water Torture Cell" racist?
• Was Houdini a chauvinist?
• The Handcuff King's blog: Art and beer in Bavaria

Houdini in 1904

The culmination of Houdini's European adventures and his reign as "The Handcuff King" came in 1904. The year would see him perform the greatest challenge handcuff escape of his career. It was also a unique year in that he only performed in a single country; the United Kingdom.

This post is now retired. But you will be able to enjoy the story of Houdini in 1904 in my upcoming book. 

"The Great Handcuff Contest"

David Copperfield is sharing select treasures from his collection on his Instagram, and yesterday he shared this incredible poster for the Mirror Handcuff Challenge. Of course, that's what we call it today. In 1904, as you can see here, it was "The Great Handcuff Contest." (This can also be seen on a playbill that recently sold in auction.)

A post shared by David Copperfield (@d_copperfield) on May 9, 2018 at 1:33am PDT

Anything related to the Mirror Challenge is always of interest, and this is especially exciting to see because there is no illustrated standalone poster that we know of. (The closest thing we have is an image on this lost poster.) Of course, David also owns the Mirror handcuffs themselves.

Earlier this year I had the extreme honor of visiting David Copperfield's amazing collection in Las Vegas. Click the related link below to relive that adventure. Also stay tuned for some exciting Copperfield Collection news...

Related:

• Into The Copperfield Zone, Part I | Part II
• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I | Part II
• Guest Blog: Silver Mirror cuffs made before the challenge? Not so fast...

The Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery...or misfire?

The "Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery" has to be the least discussed original Houdini effect. In most biographies it receives only a few lines, if it's mentioned at all. In fact, if it weren't for the often reproduced UK poster (right), I think this effect might have become lost to Houdini history. Why is that? Is it because Houdini didn't do it for long? Or is it because the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery was a rare case of a Houdini misfire. Let's explore.

The origin of the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery goes back to Houdini's earliest days as a performer. Harry's first partner in The Brothers Houdini, Jacob Hyman, left the act and was replaced by Houdini's real brother, Theo. After a short stint in the army, Hyman got back into show business as J.H. Houdini. Having co-created the name, Jacob believed he had as much right to use it as Harry. His feature was an escape from a barrel that he called The Barrel Mystery.

Jacob Hyman a.k.a. J.H. Houdini

When Harry began achieving great fame in Europe, Jacob continued to tour small time American Vaudeville as "Houdini". This caused confusion in the press and with the public (and can still trip up researchers today). By 1903, the idea of two Houdinis became intolerable to Harry. After waging a war of words in the press, Harry dispatched his brother Leopold and a lawyer to confront Jacob. Exactly what was worked out is not known, but from that day forward, Harry became the only Houdini and also acquired Jacob's featured barrel escape. It seems likely Houdini simply bought out his former partner, as Jacob would go to medical school and become a Beverly Hills physician. (He and Harry remained good friends.)

Now in possession of Jacob's barrel, Houdini developed a new effect to replace Metamorphosis. The effect would see him locked in the barrel and then "triple-locked" into a portable prison cell. In "less that 2 seconds", Houdini would make his escape and his assistant, Franz Kukol, would be discovered inside. It's interesting that it was not Bess who played this substitution role as she had for 10 years with Metamorphosis. But it appears Bess was ready to leave the act, at least as a regular participant. The Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery offered her that...escape.

The first performance of the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery was at the Regent Theatre in Salford during the week of October 3, 1904. Houdini offered £100 to anyone who could find trap doors within the jail cell. (The barrel is apparently not part of the deal.) But a review of his act the following week at the Empire Palace of Varieties in Bristol describes the effect is being performed with a curtain cabinet instead of the jail cell, much in the style of Metamorphosis. Perhaps there was a problem with the cell that night. Or might this be the first sign that something wasn't quite working?

Advert in the Houdini Museum of New York.

On paper, the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery seems like a winner and an improvement over Metamorphosis in every way. First off, a barrel seems even more confining than a large steamer trunk. Instead of a curtain cabinet, meant only to conceal the exchange, a locked prison cell adds another layer of difficulty, while also nicely evoking Houdini's famous prison breaks. And the appearance of an assistant in the barrel provides the same surprise finale as Metamorphosis.

However, it's clear from the notices that the new feat did not pack the same punch as Metamorphosis. Newspapers frequently praised Metamorphosis as "clever" and a "neat trick." But descriptions of the Barrel Mystery tend to be somewhat dispassionate, such as this November 15, 1904 review of Houdini’s act in Leeds:

Houdini, in addition to his handcuff business, at which he is a past master, showed a packed house at the Tivoli last night a model of a prison cell. Enclosed and locked in a sort of barrel, he was duly placed in the cell, which was triply locked outside. In a minute or so, he was outside the cell and the barrel, when opened, contained an attendant.

So what was wrong? The Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery had it all. But maybe that was the problem. Was it an escape or a magic trick? It seemed designed to be both, but in doing so, it becomes neither. The set-up is pure escape, and a sacred one at that. This is "The Jail Breaker" after all. But the appearance of an assistant at the end reveals it to have been "just a trick" all along. One could see this as being confusing for the audience. It could have the unintended effect of undercutting the legitimacy of all of Houdini's escapes. Because if Houdini could secrete an assistant inside his escape apparatus whenever he liked, well...

It's also been suggested that the appearance of a male assistant lacks the poetry of man into a woman, husband into wife. Hardeen himself noted the improvement in Metamorphosis when Harry replaced him with Bess. Said Dash, "The exchange of one young man for another who looked a lot like him could not be as dynamic as the virtual transformation of a woman into a man."

This is probably why, despite the posters he had made touting the exchange, Houdini appears to have dropped the substitution element, at least on occasion. The Sunderland Echo on May 23 1905 describes the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery as a straightforward escape, with Metamorphosis back in the act as the closer. But even as an escape, it doesn't seem to have always wowed the crowds. As Houdini explained the workings of his prison cell one night in Hastings, someone in the upper part of the house repeatedly shouted, "It is faked."

Nevertheless, Houdini took the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery to America and featured it during his triumphant return tour of 1906. Despite having a fresh poster created that now billed it as "The Prison and Barrel Transposition" (right), he again appears to have presented it as a straight escape, as suggested in this April 19, 1906 review in the Hartford Courant:

In Salem, Mass, he was locked in a stout barrel with four locks and many straps, and placed in a facsimile of a German cell. In a few moments he was free.

But not all the reviews were dispassionate. When Houdini played the American Theater in New York in May 1906, the NY Clipper records:

His "prison cell and barrel substitution" was new to most of the audience, and was a tremendous success, being one of his best offerings.

Houdini was doing the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery as late as December 1906 (when the above photo was taken), so it's likely it continued as a periodic feature right through his 1907 tour. But with the coming of his next original invention in 1908, the undeniably successful Milk Can escape, the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery vanishes from the record. Metamorphosis returns as Houdini's preferred substitution illusion, and never again would Houdini so mix magic and escape into a single effect.

There is no known photo of Houdini performing the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery, and none of the apparatus survives (as far as I know). One can see the barrel in photos of Jacob Hyman, and it's likely its secret is revealed in Walter Gibson's Houdini's Escapes (page 212). Unfortunately, there are no photos or even a sketch of the prison cell. That part of the effect remains a mystery.

Today Metamorphosis stands as Houdini's great substitution trick, and is still performed to acclaim. The legacy of the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery remains a poster, and perhaps a rare example of when Houdini got it wrong.

Information critical to my understanding of the Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery appears in Derek Tait's terrific new book, The Great Houdini: His British Tours. Also thanks to Joe Posnanski and Bill Mullins for finding me reviews in America. The photo of Jack Hyman with the barrel is from The Secret Life of Houdini Laid Bare. The original belongs to Roger Dreyer. U.S. poster pic comes from HHCE.

Related:

• Uncovering the grave of Houdini's first "Brother"
• LINK: Second Prison Cell and Barrel Mystery poster
• Prison Cell & Barrel Mystery (The Magic Detective)

Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part II

Today Neil McNally continues his examination of Houdini's most challenging challenge escape. Or was it?

Houdini Reflected: Part Two

by Neil McNally

In the first part of this article, you read the full official account of the famous “Mirror Cuffs” and Houdini’s eventual escape and triumph over them. Now, if you were to take it all at face value, which you probably shouldn’t, you’d be no worse for wear in thinking that Houdini truly was the world’s greatest escape artist! No one here is arguing that point, but this is Harry Houdini we’re talking about, and with him nothing was usually what it seemed. The true story of the “Mirror Cuffs” is one that is multi–layered. By simply scratching the surface, true answers do reveal themselves, however others uncover one mystery, after another, after another.

A Challenger’s Challenge

"Talk about being billed big. You ought to see London and look about. Nothing on the walls but Houdini!"

With these not-so-humble words, Houdini wrote back to well-wishers in the United States. As mentioned previously, Houdini was deluged with adoration in the weeks following the event. The intense pressure he must have been under manifested itself by the end of the Hippodrome run when he became sick and was confined to bed for 12 days. Houdini, it would seem, was mortal after all.

Mortal or not, the answer to the puzzle of the Mirror Cuffs has been baffling experts for years. Where did these so-called mysterious handcuffs really come from? Was Houdini himself in on the challenge? The theories and answers to these questions, while not crystal clear, give us a unique insight into this challenge and, most importantly, the mind of Harry Houdini.

Will A. Bennet

A good place to begin is, of course, the beginning. For years after the event, the identity of the newspaper representative who issued the challenge has always been shrouded in mystery. It eventually took the discovery of a newspaper cutting from the Sydney (Australia) Evening News dated April 27, 1910 to shed some light on the situation. The cutting is available for download at the website Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence. In it, the reporter’s name was revealed to be Will A. Bennet. His light hearted “version” of events begins matter-of-factly with:

I was working with a London daily. One morning I suggested to the editor that it would be a good “gag” or “scoop” if we could put a pair of handcuffs on Houdini, the Handcuff King, that he could not open…The editor agreed in much the same way as he might have done had I suggested that it would be a good “gag” if I could get His Majesty...to give me an interview on his life as a monarch.

After being given reluctant permission, Bennet travelled to Birmingham to locate a pair of handcuffs strong enough to stump Houdini. What follows is the kind of story that should be taken with liberal grains of journalistic salt. Allegedly, Bennet was turned down by numerous locksmiths unwilling to take on such a challenge. With frustration mounting, his cab driver asked him to leave after doubting that he would have enough to pay him in the end. A heated argument ensued, causing a nearby police officer to break up the fight. As luck would conveniently have it, the police officer knew of just the right locksmith for Bennet to talk with…Nathanial Hart.

It is Hart, of course, who is the locksmith generally credited with creating the “Mirror Cuffs.” According to Bennet’s story, Hart wouldn’t sell the cuffs, only loan them for the challenge. It is at this point that it’s hard to say if this whole article is one long “embellishment” or sprinkled with some degree of fact. Bennet seems to play the challenge idea off as an afterthought for his editor and the newspaper. But, when looking at it from a real business angle, for the Mirror and Houdini, it was very much a win-win situation. It was one that could provide mutually beneficial publicity for them both…and publicity is exactly what Houdini craved and the Mirror offered.

Hart to Hart

In the 111 years since the challenge, Nathaniel Hart’s remains just as elusive and enigmatic as the day the challenge was issued. Many theories exist as to who he really was and how involved or not involved he may have been in the challenge. Or for that matter did he even exist at all? As for the latter, all signs seem to point to yes. The late British Mirror Cuffs expert and locksmith Mick Hanzlick spent the better part of his life tracking down the truths of the incident. In a newspaper interview from the Hertfordshire Mercury dated January 25, 2008 Hazlick elaborates on his hunt for Nathaniel Hart:

I assumed that as Hart was named as coming from Birmingham, the heart of the metal working industry in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the place to look was in that area. However, it seemed that I was looking in the wrong place. I received a copy of a census form from 1891, which showed a Nathaniel Hart, coachsmith (metal worker), as living at 24B West Street, Hertford.

While this didn’t 100% prove the existence of the Nathanial Hart from Bennet’s newspaper article, it was an intriguing lead. Hanzlick went onto bring up other interesting points such as: Why wasn’t Hart in the Hippodrome audience to see the challenge take place? Why wasn’t he publicly thanked after the event? Was it actually a set-up by Houdini resulting in Hart being paid to keep quiet for his services?

The latter question leads us back to Kenneth Silverman’s Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss. Citing lock expert Bill Liles, Silverman states:

Like British police cuffs of the period…the Mirror Cuffs were non-adjustable. Just as Bobbies often had to carry several different-size cuffs, the creator of the Mirror Cuffs needed to know Houdini’s wrist size in order to forge cuffs that fit him. This and other evidence led Liles to believe that Houdini designed the cuffs himself.

When talking about Houdini you’re always going to get more questions than answers. Nathanial Hart is no exception, and his dubious involvement in the “Mirror Cuffs” episode has to be left to our conspiracy-obsessed imaginations.

Conspiracies, Keys, and Cuffs

In our mind’s eye, it’s easy to envision a restrained Houdini within the darkness of his ghost cabinet locked in the throes of violent contortions. However, the real solution to the escape is most likely a little more simple than that…he had the key. If you’re still not a buying this theory, look no further than the Amazing Randi’s blunt assessment:

"I can assure you that the Mirror Handcuffs were not opened with anything but the key!"

One of the more prominent theories ties into something as simple as…a glass of water. Smuggling a key inside a glass of water featured into several of Houdini’s other challenges. This lends credence to the fact that Bess may have passed it to him around the moment when he requested to stretch his legs and a cushion was brought onstage for him.

However, Kenneth Silverman dismisses this theory due to the key’s large size and suggests that the key was in the cushion. However, as Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence convincingly mentions:

Handcuff experts point out that the working area of the key is all that is required and that the key could have been cut down to a length of about 1 ½ inches. The actual nested mechanism is only about an inch from the keyhole and not deep inside the cuff lock tube.

The exact way he obtained the key, for the time being at least, will have to be relegated to the world of scholarly research and rabid internet forum speculation. Both are places that the world of Houdini is right at home.

One would think that at this point there’s not much left to unearth regarding the challenge. However, William Kalush and Larry Sloman’s 2007 book titled The Secret Life of Houdini brought forth a scenario that seemingly altered the way the incident was viewed and Houdini’s involvement within it.

Six weeks after the Hippodrome, Houdini was presented with a silver replica of the original handcuffs by the British silversmiths Hamilton and Company while performing in Brighton, England. According to Kalush and Sloman, after you analyze the marks on the silver replicas, the visible date stamp was 1903. As the actual challenge took place in 1904, this naturally brought up an interesting question. Were the replica “Mirror Cuffs” possibly constructed for Houdini one year before the challenge took place?

In 2013, Mirror Cuffs expert Mick Hanzlick consulted with the London Assay Office; a firm that has controlled trademarks on silver for hundreds of years. This was their response.

The HC&O mark is the maker’s mark Hamilton & Company…the “h” denotes the date, 1903…The date marks did not run from January to January. The date marks ran from May to May.

Mick countered with this response:

The challenge was March 17, 1904. The replica cuffs were presented to Houdini about six weeks after the challenge, so at the latest that would be towards the end of April, 1904. During those six weeks, the cuffs would have to be registered as required by the Assay Office. So, that would have had to have been before May, 1904, therefore the 1903 “h” mark would have been the only one that could have been used.

Are you still with me? Hanzlick believed that the replica cuffs could have been made anytime between May 1903 and May 1904 and still carry the “h” mark. However, Hanzlick’s personal opinion was that the replicas were indeed made in the six weeks following the challenge and not a year before as stated in Kalush and Sloman’s sometimes factually embellished book.

Final Bows

When unraveling the Mirror Cuff’s long paper trail it’s hard to deny that nagging feeling that we will most likely never know the true answers and secrets that lie behind it. Houdini knew exactly what he was doing. The fact that the challenge is still being analyzed and dissected is a testament to his innate gifts at publicity and always leaving audiences wanting more.

Today the Mirror Cuffs and its silver replica reside in the personal collection of magician David Copperfield. They are a physical reminder of a simpler and more innocent; a time when Harry Houdini reigned supreme.

Special thanks to the works of Kenneth Silverman, William Kalush, Larry Sloman, and, above all, the late Mick Hanzlick.

Related:

• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I
• "My old friend and worthy opponent."
• A fresh new Mirror Handcuff mystery
• Guest Blog: Silver Mirror cuffs made before the challenge? Not so fast...