While doing some research recently on the awesome
Ask Alexander, I came across an "In Memoriam" Houdini penned for his friend Alexander Weyer in the May 1921 MUM. It sent me down a few rabbit holes! But the hole I want to explore today starts with what Houdini writes in the second paragraph:
The very first engagement I played with Mrs. Houdini at the Fall River Museum, then under the management of J. S. Dunbar, I lectured on the entertainment and it fell to my lot to introduce Alexander Weyer to the public. He was then posing as a strong man, and his particular feat consisted of forcing nails through two inch planks with his bare hands. This was the incident which proved to be the inception of a life long friendship
This made me sit up! Houdini appears to reveal here when and where he and Bess made their debut as The Houdinis, information that has never been published as far as I know. At least, he almost does. But with some searching and triangulation of facts, I think I can zero in on this magical moment. It's not a home run, but let me run my work past you.
Houdini provides us with the year 1894 and a place, the "Fall River Museum." As to the date, the Coney Island Clipper announced that The Brothers Houdini would become The Houdinis on July 28, 1894. The first confirmed engagement for The Houdinis I've been able to find was during the week of October 15 at Barton's Theatre in Newport, Virginia. So their debut would need to fall somewhere between those dates.
As to the place, there was a
Fall River Dime Museum in Kansas. But I don't think that's what Houdini is talking about here. I believe he's talking about the Wonderland Museum in Fall River, Massachusetts. To make the case even stronger, that museum was managed by G. F. Dunbar. Yes, Houdini calls him J.S. Dunbar, but it all fits too well for this not to be the place.
Fortunately, the Wonderland makes our work easier. The museum began its Fall 1894 season on August 20. It then closed prematurely on September 29 to become a new theater (the Columbia). So that narrows the search to a mere six weeks. And look what we find on the bill for the week of September 10!
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| The Fall River Daily Herald, Sept. 8, 1894. |
There is WEYER working as a strong man, just as Houdini said. This would be a home run if we were just looking for Weyer. But we're also looking for The Houdinis, and they are not on the bill, darn-it.
However, there could be any number of reasons why they are not listed. They may have been a late addition. Or because, as Houdini says, he was working as the "lecturer" (which we might think of as an MC today), it could be that was his primary role this week, and he did Metamorphosis with Bess as an added attraction. That's not a bad way to test it out before an audience. So I don't think it's fatal to the case that The Houdinis are not advertised. And this is likely why it has never been found before.
So did The Houdinis make their debut at the Wonderland Museum in Fall River during the week of September 10, 1894? I think it's a pretty darn good possibility. But if you can do better, let us hear your theory in the comments below.
Houdini also talks about reuniting with Weyer in Liege, Belgium, which is the second rabbit hole I've been exploring with the help of Bill Kalush of the
Conjuring Arts Research Center and Eric Colleary at the
Harry Ransom Center. But that's one I'll save for another time.
Want more? You can read Houdini's full MUM "In Memoriam" for Weyer and view related research as a "Scholar" member of my
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