Showing posts with label Budapest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Budapest. Show all posts

Friday, March 27, 2026

When did Houdini and his mother go to Budapest?

This week seems to be all about Budapest, so let's finish on theme and head down an early Easter rabbit hole.

In my upcoming book, Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900-1909, I'm hoping to provide the most complete and accurate chronology of Houdini's life during his peak "Handcuff King" days. I'm pretty confident my facts are confirmed and correct. But there's still one thing driving me crazy!

When exactly did Houdini and his mother travel to Hungary and have the "Queen for a day" reception at the Grand Hotel Royal in Budapest?

Every biography that includes this event puts it between Houdini's engagement at the Hansa-Theater in Hamburg and his opening at the Colosseum in Essen. That places it at the very end of April 1901.

However, this timing is problematic, if not impossible. Houdini closed at the Hansa on April 30 and opened at the Colosseum the next day, May 1 (after doing a police station test). So there's no time for a two-day excursion to Budapest.

I think it's more likely that it happened at the end of August 1901. Houdini himself said that at the end of the Budapest trip, he escorted his mother "en route to America." I take this to mean that he took her to her ship. And according to a letter Houdini wrote to Fredrick Roterberg (brother of Gus), his mother sailed for home on August 22.

Where does the April date come from? As far as I can find, the primary source for the entire Budapest story is Harold Kellock's Houdini: His Life Story. Kellock writes that it happened "at the close of his engagement" (implying Hamburg, but not saying that explicitly). What was Kellock's source? A clue can be found in this sentence:
"After listening patiently to his remonstrances," Houdini wrote in an autobiographical fragment, "I revealed to him my plot to crown my little mother and allow her to be Queen Victoria for a few fleeting hours."
I trust Kellock really did have an account of this written by Houdini, likely an unpublished document. However, I don't know where that document is today, and I don't believe any other biographers saw it. This is likely why Ken Silverman omitted the story entirely from his own book, Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss, but I think that's going too far. I believe it happened.

Milbourne Christopher in Houdini: The Untold Story goes with the April date, even adding the specific detail that Houdini closed on a Saturday. But Houdini's Hamburg engagement ended on a Tuesday. Christopher also says his mother returned to America before the end of Houdini's engagement in Essen in May. That's not correct either. So Christopher was working from a flawed chronology.

If I'm going to revise Houdini history and challenge the likes of Milbourne Christopher, I'd better have proof! Otherwise, I feel like I have to stick with the conventional placement of the trip at the end of April and add a caveat that it may have happened later. But, man, I'd sure like to know for sure!

My book is still a few months away from going to the printer, so my hope is that someone out there might have the Kellock document or anything that provides evidence for exactly when Houdini and his mother took their famous two-day trip to Budapest. April or August 1901? Or maybe some other time entirely???

If you have anything to share, feel free to comment below or shoot me an email.

Thanks to Dr. Steffen Taut for helping me nail down Houdini's German performance dates. Top image from the McCord Stewart Museum.

Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Celebrate Houdini's 100th in Budapest

A major 3-day celebration honoring Houdini will be held October 29-31, 2026, in Houdini's birthplace of Budapest, Hungary. Our good friend David Merlini of The House of Houdini is one of the event organizers. He revealed the details at a press conference yesterday (Houdini's birthday). The following coverage is from Hungary Today:

The “Houdini 100” commemorative series of events has begun, featuring a film festival, a circus production, a statue unveiling, and a quiz show for visitors in 2026.

The Houdini House in Budapest, in collaboration with the Hungarian Hollywood Council, Origo Film Studio, the Budapest Hungarian Circus, and Eötvös 10, is preparing numerous events to mark the 100th anniversary of the death of illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini, said David Merlini, founder of the Houdini Museum in Budapest, at a press conference held Tuesday in Budapest.

He added that they are organizing numerous programs for this commemorative year. Their plans include the unveiling of a statue of Houdini, the installation of a memorial at Origo Film Studio, a production at the Budapest Grand Circus, as well as a film competition targeting young people and a film festival with the help of the Hungarian Hollywood Council.

He emphasized that they hope to create a fitting tribute to Harry Houdini, who was not merely an escape artist but someone who redefined the limits of human capability. He noted that a century has passed since Houdini took his final bow before an audience in 1926.

The “Houdini 100” program series is not only a commemoration of a historical figure, but a commitment to preserving a legacy that belongs to all of us, he emphasized.

Balázs Bokor, president of the Hungarian Hollywood Council, announced that the film festival will be held between October 30–31 under the title “Houdini 100 – Magic.” They are accepting submissions from young people and students up to 25 years of age, who can create their films—up to 15 minutes long and on the theme of magic—using a smartphone or any simpler device.

The festival will open at Eötvös 10 on October 30, with screenings simultaneously taking place at the Budapest Grand Circus. The awards ceremony will be held on October 31 following the grand gala performance on the ring of the Budapest Grand Circus, he added.

Visit the official website Houdini100.org for more details.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2026

The marvelous Hungarian magician turns 152


Let's celebrate Houdini's 152nd birthday today by discussing a widely held assumption. This is the idea that Houdini always claimed to be an American. Of course, Houdini was born in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24, 1874. But during his lifetime, no one knew this, right? Well, not exactly.

In my first book, Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899, I showed how, during his struggling years, Houdini not only freely admitted to being a European, he exploited it! This made him exotic. Sometimes he would say he was from Budapest, but more often he would say he was from Austria (Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at this time). A few newspapers said he was Australian! But I believe this was just a mistake by the reporters. Try saying Austria with Houdini's accent and over pronunciation, and you can see how someone might hear it as "Aus-tral-ia." But most importantly, I have never seen him claim to be an American at this time. Born in Wisconsin? Boring!

But that's just his struggling years. When he became a success, he became all-American, right? Again, not exactly. Below is an image from my upcoming book, Handcuff King: The Conquests of Harry Houdini, 1900-1909. (I like long titles.) This is from January 1900, at the start of his all-important tour of the Keith's vaudeville circuit. Houdini had already found success on the Orpheum circuit out west. Now he was making his East Coast vaudeville debut. As you can see, he's billed here as "the marvellous [sic] Hungarian Magician."

Boston Evening Transcript, Jan 15, 1900.

Houdini continued to acknowledge his Hungarian birth for this entire tour. So, combined with his Orpheum tour, this means Houdini played the entire U.S. as a (sometimes) headliner for a full year as a Hungarian. But then it was off to Europe, where being an American was the exoticism to exploit. Born in Wisconsin? Wild! The identity stuck.

However, as late as 1902, Houdini told Ottokar Fisher that he was born in Hungary (check out Joe Notaro's own birthday post for more on this). I think this is suggestive. I'm betting that, at this time, his Hungarian birth was not unlike William Robinson's real nationality. If you knew him, you knew the truth. It wasn't a big deal. It was just showbiz. Certainly, everyone who knew Houdini from the 1890s -- and that included some very big names in magic like Howard Thurston, T. Nelson Downs, and Samri Baldwin -- knew his real birthplace.

It was later that Houdini worked to bury his Hungarian birth. People like Walter B. Gibson, who came to know Houdini in the 1920s, never knew of his real birthplace and had trouble accepting the truth when it came out. I don't know exactly why Houdini became so dogmatic about this aspect of his biography. Maybe that's something I'll discover when I start work on my next book.

However, even when Houdini claimed to be American, he always acknowledged that his parents came from Hungary and showed pride in that heritage. Here's something he told a reporter in Australia in 1910.
"You will think that I am vain to tell you these things. But I am a Magyar, and Magyars are vain. American born. Magyar descended; my parents came from Austria; my father was a clergyman in Wisconsin."
So here's a happy birthday to Houdini, the marvelous Hungarian Magician!


Cake image AI-generated.

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Wednesday, October 15, 2025

The Amazing Race asks, "What would Houdini do?"

Tonight's episode of The Amazing Race is called “What Would Houdini Do?” and sees racers traveling to Budapest, Hungary. What I find amazing is that this show is still on!

“What Would Houdini Do?” – Racers travel to illusionist Harry Houdini’s birthplace, Budapest, Hungary, where a puzzling Fast Forward puts one team to the test, while a horse drawn carriage has teams racing against the clock, on THE AMAZING RACE, Wednesday, Oct. 15 (9:30-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs).

This actually isn't the first time The Amazing Race has contained a nod to Houdini. Back in 2012, racers had to perform a suspended straitjacket escape as part of their challenges.

Thanks to Harry Houdini (real name) for the alert.

UPDATE: The show had a nice Houdini tie-in as David Merlini's The House of Houdini museum was one of the stops. You can temporarily stream this episode for free HERE.


Saturday, October 11, 2025

Take a River Cruise to Houdini's Birthplace in 2026

It's never too early to start making plans for 2026 and the centennial of Houdini's death. Here's an event being organized by our friend Scott Wells of the Magic Word Podcast that sounds like a doozy!

The Magic Word Podcast Presents:
A River Cruise to Houdini's Birthplace in Celebration of 100 Years Since His Death

Join other listeners as the Magic Word Podcast hosts a trip to Old World Europe. Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini. As many of you know, Ehrich Weiss, aka Harry Houdini, was born in Budapest in 1874 before his family migrated to Appleton, Wisconsin, in the U.S. David Merlini has a world-renowned House of Houdini museum in Harry's hometown and will be hosting a festival around the date of the great escape artist's passing. So, we thought it appropriate to arrange a trip to the Old Country, including Transylvania, during this historic time to join in the celebration, then have a leisurely river cruise on the back end.

This trip will begin with a few days in Romania and Transylvania from October 26-28. Then we join with the Houdini Festival in Budapest from October 29-31. We will spend the following days from November 1-3 exploring in and around Budapest. On November 4-11 we will join the AMA Cruise in Budapest on the romantic Danube aboard the AmaSofia and travel northwest to Vilshofen, Germany. Those longing for the romance of Old World Europe will get to travel into the very heart of the continent, where empires were built, kings and queens were crowned and some of the world’s greatest music was composed and performed by the likes of Mozart and Beethoven. Grand European cities like Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest forever remain timeless. Admire the beauty of Salzburg or the Czech Republic’s charming mountain town, Ceský Krumlov. From grand abbeys and fortresses perched high above the Danube to plentiful iconic UNESCO World Heritage Sites, be romanced by the Danube with all her regal and romantic splendor.

This will be limited to a small group, so don't delay if you are interested. The trip dates will be October 26 (arriving in Bucharest on October 25) through November 11 and departing from Munich, Germany, on November 12. Rates go up after October 31, 2025, and cabin availability will be going fast since it is a river cruise and not an ocean going vessel. 

If you are interested in joining for this once in a lifetime experience, then please drop an email to scott@themagicwordpodcast.com for more information.

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Friday, November 29, 2024

Hungary issues an official Houdini stamp


The Hungarian postal service Magyar Posta revealed their new Houdini stamp at The House of Houdini in Budapest, Hungary, today. The stamp commemorates the 150th anniversary of Houdini's birth. The stamp has a face value of HUF 1,270 and was produced in conjunction with The House of Houdini and David Merlini, based on the work of Tamás Ajtai and Barnabás Baticz. The stamp folds open to reveal an image of Houdini. The inside image even includes a hidden lock that is visible under UV light. 


I think this stamp looks fantastic, and I'm thrilled to see Houdini honored in his home country. You can purchase the stamp HERE.


Congratulations to Magyar Posta and The House of Houdini!


Photo courtesy Artin Diramerján and The House of Houdini. You can see more photos from today's event on my Patreon.

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Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Meet Houdini at Madame Tussauds Budapest

I've always loved wax museums, so this has me very excited. Madame Tussauds in Budapest, Hungary, has a breathtaking Houdini wax figure on display. The best I've ever seen. There's also a Water Torture Cell that you can go inside for a photo-op. The image below comes from the excellent website WAXIPEDIA.


Madame Tussauds Budapest opened in May 2023. According to Merlin Entertainment, over half of their 51 figures have Hungarian connections. As part of the planning phase, a large-scale survey asked the public who they would like to see included. Houdini made the cut along with Bela Lugosi (as Dracula). The majority of the figures were made "secretly" in Madame Tussauds workshop in London.


Okay, Madame Tussauds Hollywood, you're on deck! Let's get one of these gorgeous Houdini figures in LA. This was modeled from The Grim Game, so it fits into Hollywood movie history. It would also nicely complement Houdini's Walk of Fame Star just outside the museum and the Magic Castle up the street.

Thanks to Timothy Randall of WAXIPEDIA.

Monday, March 25, 2024

Marking Houdini's 150th in Budapest

David Merlini of The House of Houdini led an esteemed delegation to the site of Houdini's birthplace in Budapest, Hungary, yesterday to mark the magician's 150th birthday. This corner of Csengery and Dob was formerly Rákosárok No. 1, where the Weisz family lived in 1874.


In attendance: Jayson Dumenigo @afstunts; David Merlini; Judit Gálvölgyi, daughter of Rodolfo, the famous Hungarian Magician; János Gálvölgyi, legendary Hungarian actor and comedian; Pérer Niedermüller, Mayor of 7th District; Bryce Branagan and Megan Miller, Action Factory Team.

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Houdini's Budapest birthplace

Our good friend and long time reader Narinder Chadda recently visited Budapest and shot this video of Houdini's birthplace at 1 Csengery Street. In 1874 this was Rákosárok utca 1. sz., the address shown on the birth certificate of Erik Weisz.


Narinder also visited David Merlini's magnificent The House of Houdini museum in Budapest. David and Narinder recently became Angel patrons, so a big thank you to both! You can see some of Narinder's museum photos HERE.

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Saturday, November 20, 2021

The Scandinavian tour that wasn't


Here's an interesting item from the New York Clipper that provides new insight into Houdini's ill-fated Scandinavian tour of 1913. It also challenges conventional wisdom about exactly where Houdini was when his tour came to its sudden end. But we'll get to that.

New York Clipper, July 12, 1913

Of course, most of what was announced did not happen. That's because on July 17 Houdini's mother died and he immediately returned to New York (breaking his contract which had consequences as you'll read below). The three month Scandinavian tour was canceled and so too much of the tour of France. Houdini did honor his commitment to the Moss circuit in the UK the following year. Notice the mention of an "entire two hour show." I can only assume this is his Grand Magical Revue. It's interesting to see it was planned this early.

What's strange is the mention of Houdini playing Stockholm, Sweden, on July 16-18. Biographers have all put Houdini in Copenhagen when he received the news of his mother's death on July 17. That ain't Sweden!

It's possible plans changed or the paper got it wrong. But the below article from the New York Evening World announcing Houdini return to New York also says he was "called from Sweden." By the way, the "double" who was arrested was Jim Collins.

New York Evening World, July 29, 1913

Despite this, the evidence for Copenhagen is strong. Milbourne Christopher in Houdini The Untold Story has many details that confirms the location, including the fact that Princes Aage and Axel of the Danish Royal Family attended Houdini's show.


In 1990 Danish magician and collector Johan Ahlberg visited the Royal Library archives and uncovered newspaper accounts that confirmed Houdini's 1913 appearance in Denmark. Houdini opened on July 16 at the Cirkus Building in central Copenhagen. He was scheduled to give a special matinee the following day, July 17, but moments before the show he received the news of his mother's death and collapsed.

The Cirkus Building still stands today. So it was in the building that Houdini began and ended his 1913 Scandinavian tour, and received the worst news of his life.


UPDATE: Our friend David Merlini of The House of Houdini has provided information on another hitherto unknown stop on this tour. On August 16 Houdini was scheduled to appear with the Beketow Circus in Budapest! This would have marked his first and likely only professional appearance in his home town.

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Thursday, March 25, 2021

Blackstone produces a Houdini birthplace puzzle

Our friend Diego Domingo shares this curiosity from his collection to mark Houdini's 147th birthday yesterday. This is a label marked on the front "Blackstone Show 1956." Written on the back in Harry Blackstone Sr.'s handwriting is the following:


For starters, this was written before it was generally known that Houdini wasn't born in the United States. Also, that doesn't say Budapest! To my eye, that says Beregszasz, which until 1919 was part of Hungary and today is known as Berehove and is part of Ukraine. The city was home to a large Jewish community which you can read more about HERE.

So was Blackstone misinformed? Or does he know something we don't? If you have any ideas, feel free to share in the comments.

Thanks Diego (and Harry Sr.).

Friday, February 19, 2021

Off-script in Cincinnati

By 1906 Houdini had pretty much established his official show business biography. It always begins with his birth in Appleton, spins colorful tales of his childhood gift with locks, and finds the fully formed Handcuff King making an all or nothing bet on himself by traveling to Europe where he takes the continent by storm. Notably absent are his many years of toil in the lower rungs of show business and the critical role of Martin Beck. But it played well in newspapers and pitchbooks, and to use political parlance, Houdini had control of the narrative.

That's why the following from the November 19, 1906 Cincinnati Commercial Tribune is so striking. It's decidedly off-script by not only crediting Martin Beck with Houdini's discovery and early success in America, but also by saying Houdini was born in Budapest! While you can find mentions of Houdini's Hungarian birth during his early career, I've never seen it mentioned anywhere after his tours of Europe when he firmly established himself as "The Elusive American." Enjoy this rare blast of truth from 1906.

About Houdini

Eight or ten years ago, says Burns Mantle, Harry Houdini, who was seen on the local stage a week or two ago, was a poor unknown, doing twelve shows a day in a cheap western museum. His specialty was to release himself from handcuffs and other manacles.

The same eight or ten years ago Martin Beck was a rising vaudeville manager with about a third of the prestige and a sixth of the fortune that he now draws checks on. Beck saw Houdini, and Houdini talked with Beck. I believe it was Beck who gave Houdini his stage name, though the lad was born in Budapest and may have come honestly by it.

Beck signed a contract with the handcuff breaker which was extended over a period of several years, and Houdini was taken away from the museum and put into vaudeville proper. At the shrewd manager's dictation he visited police stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco, where he invited the officers to hold him with their manacles. He was not a confident performer in those days. Every time he was manacled he was frightened to death for fear he would not be able to get away and that his "act" would be ruined.

He made his first big sensation in San Francisco, after a committee of policemen had put four pairs of handcuffs, an Oregon boot, and a few balls and chains on him, and then fastened them all together. Just to make certain that he did not have a key concealed in his mouth with which he might unlock the cuffs, they sealed his lips with court plaster. Then they put him in the center of the "third degree" room and locked the door.

Houdini told me seven years ago, before he was as famous as he is now, that as soon as the door was closed he began his struggle to free himself and was working as though the devil was after him when he heard the labored breathing of some one. He glanced around the room. There was nothing that could conceal a man. Again he started to release his hands. Again he was certain he heard the breathing. And as he looked up quickly he saw a large oil painting on the wall quiver slightly. Slits had been cut in the canvas and he was being watched from that point of vantage.

The boy was clever enough to outwit the trickster, however. He edged his way slowly to the corner of the room farthest from the picture, turned his back on the spy, and in something like twenty-seven minutes was free. The feat was exploited in all the coast papers, and the "Handcuff King" was started on his career.

No one has been able to explain Houdini's system up to date. Every one is inclined to gasp, sniff and then declare him to be a fakir. Perhaps he is. But he is certainly one of the cleverest that ever lived, for he has fooled thousands of experts.

I don't know who Burns Mantle was, but from the sound of this he knew Houdini and maybe even Martin Beck. Houdini had played two weeks at the Columbia Theater in Cincinnati and was in Chicago when this story appeared, so it's possible he never saw it. If so, he may have felt the need to bring his friend Burns back on-script.

Houdini woodcut illustration from Waterloo Daily Courier, February 19, 1906.

UPDATE: Burns Mantle was a prominent theater critic and the founding editor of Best Plays. He first met Houdini in Denver in 1899 during his first stint as a reporter and Houdini's first tour on the Orpheum circuit. After Houdini's death, Mantle once again wrote about his friend and once again showed rare candor. The below is from the New York Daily News, November 14, 1926, and makes an excellent companion to the above.

Thursday, September 17, 2020

No sale for The House of Houdini in Budapest

David Merlini has turned down an offer of $18.6 million for his House of Houdini museum in Budapest and the rights to Houdini's name. The offer came from private investment fund CCV (Centurion Capital Ventures). David posted the news on The House of Houdini Facebook page, explaining in part: 

"The House of Houdini presents a private collection that took over 20 years to build, and it is currently the largest of its kind in Europe. Despite the fact that all of our exhibits, assets and trademarks are in private hands, we feel important to provide a publicly available update. 
As entering the agreement would have been resulted in the transfer of all usage, administrative and other rights to the new majority owner, there would have been no guarantee to keep the collection in Budapest long term. As this is a basic principle of our Statute, we have decided to withdraw from the deal. 
The House of Houdini has opened its gate in 2016 in the Buda Castle in Budapest aiming to pose a tribute to world famous Budapest born escape artist Harry Houdini through his original artefacts. We aim to fulfill our mission of preserving the heritage of one of our most famed compatriot for future generations with the same passion and enthusiasm. "


The House of Houdini is currently closed due to a Covid spike in Hungary, but has plans to reopen next week.

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Private investment fund circling David Merlini's House of Houdini

A private investment fund, CCV (Centurion Capital Ventures), is offering David Merlini $18.6 million for his House of Houdini museum in Budapest and the rights to Houdini's name. David controls the use of "Houdini" in the EU. The news broke via a press release late last month.

David has now confirmed for the Hungarian news outlet Blikk that the offer is legitimate. Says David, "I can’t comment on the details of the deal, but I have to make the difficult decision in days."

David Merlini opened The House of Houdini in 2016. Is the only Houdini museum in Europe. The museum, which is located in Buda Castle on Castle Hill, had reopened for business. But due to a Covid spike in Hungary, the government is once again ordering all museums to close.

UPDATENo sale for The House of Houdini in Budapest.

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Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Houdini on The Alienist

Houdini appeared on the TNT original series The Alienist doing a suspended straitjacket escape at the start of season 2, episode 6 ("Memento Mori"). I've not been able to discover who played Houdini. The series is set in New York but shoots in Budapest, as did the Houdini Miniseries. Here are some images.


Let's hope we'll see more Houdini in future episodes! 

The Alienist is available via the TNT app. But if you don't have cable you can see the Houdini scene within the 5 minute episode preview at the TNT website.

Monday, March 16, 2020

Houdini ('53) screenings cancelled and other closures


Due to COVID-19 concerns, AGO's screenings of Houdini (1953) on March 18 have been cancelled. The art gallery, which is currently home to the Illusions: The Art of Magic exhibition, has temporarily closed.

The AGO’s highest priority is the health and safety of our visitors, staff, volunteers and extended community. Upon the advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, the AGO is closing temporarily as of 9 p.m. on Friday, March 13 through Sunday, April 5.

AGO recently screened The Man From Beyond and Haldane of the Secret Service with live musical accompaniment by Marilyn Lerner.

Other Houdini-related closures include The Magic Castle, Harry Ransom Center, Catalina Island Museum, McCord Museum, Appleton's History Museum at the Castle, and The House of Houdini in Budapest. The David Copperfield and Penn & Teller shows in Las Vegas are temporarily dark. The Houdini Museum in Scranton is open on select days (call ahead).

For the latest information on COVID-19 visit the CDC website.

Hope everyone stays safe and well!

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Monday, February 10, 2020

Fred Pittella follows Harry and Mama to Budapest


On a recent business trip to Germany, our great friend and Houdini collector Fred Pittella followed in the footsteps of Houdini and his mother by taking a side trip to Budapest, Hungary. Not only did Fred visit David Merlini's House of Houdini museum and the 7th district where Ehrich Weiss was born, he also stopped in at the still standing Royal Hotel (today the Corinthia Hotel). It was here in 1901 that Houdini famously rented the hotel's Palm Garden salon to hold a reception with relatives for his mother who came gowned in a dress made for Queen Victoria.

Fred sends us some photos and says, "You could just imagine Houdini walking down these stairs with his mother on his arm, all puffy chest a proud son."


"How my heart warmed to see the various friends and relatives kneel and pay homage to my mother, every inch a queen, as she sat enthroned in her heavily carved and gilded chair." - Houdini

While no photos of this famous reception survive (to my knowledge), it has been depicted in two Houdini biopics, The Great Houdinis (1976) and the Houdini Miniseries (2014).


Here's an image from Fred's collection capturing the real Harry, Mama, and Bess at this very time.


Thanks Fred!

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Thursday, October 10, 2019

The House of Houdini welcomes special visitors

David Merlini's The House of Houdini museum in Budapest welcomed two very special visitors recently: Joe and Merna Guttentag. Merna's father was Dr. Daniel Cohn, the young physician who treated Houdini at the Statler Hotel in Detroit and arranged for his transport to Grace Hospital in 1926. Cohn was one of the four doctors who attended to Houdini during the week of his fatal illness. David shared photos of Joe and Merna on the museum's Instagram.



🇬🇧 After being cowardly hit in the stomach several times in his dressing room at the Princess Theatre in Montreal, Houdini’s ruptured appendix was first seen by a medic at the Statler Hotel in Detroit days later. A young doctor named Daniel Cohn, visited Houdini, and urged him to Grace Hospital immediately. 93 years later, it was our pleasure to welcome Joe and Merna Guttentag. Merna’s father was that doctor. 🇭🇺 Miután alattomosan, többször is gyomorszájon vágták öltözõjében, a montreali Princess színházban, Houdini roncsolt vakbelét elsõként Daniel Cohn, egy fiatal orvos vizsgálta meg napokkal késõbb, a detroiti Statler Hotelben, majd sürgönyözte Houdinit a Grace kórházba. 93 évvel késõbb, abban a különös megtiszteltetésben volt részünk, hogy Joe és Merna Guttentag-ot köszönthettük a Houdini Házban. Merma édesapja volt az a bizonyos orvos. #houdini #houseofhoudini #houseofhoudinibudapest #magic #davidmerlini
A post shared by Harry's Shadow (@harrys_shadow) on

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Monday, April 22, 2019

Houdini fiction in 'Today Tomorrow Always'

Houdini and Bess appear in a new collection of ten short stories, Today Tomorrow Always from Margery de Brus LLC. The Houdini story is called "Aufmachen" and is written by Cheryl Wollner.

Today Tomorrow Always: Volume One is an eclectic, entertaining, and thought-provoking mix of short stories. Readers will meet a lone robot mourning the loss of her creators as she continues to tend their gardens; Harry and Bessie Houdini as they navigate pre-WWII Budapest; a 70-year-old Dr. Dre who reinvents performance art, and many more unique but genuine characters. In our first anthology, we bring you a literary-scifi-speculative fiction mashup at its finest. Images of war and robots, Catholic Cardinals and queer lovers, Nazi occupation and forced marches throughout history live side-by-side in this intriguing and page turning collection. You’ll put down the book and question everything you think is real, only to pick up the stories and read them again. Three reading group discussion questions follow each story.

Purchase Today Tomorrow Always at Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK). Below are links to a few more Houdini adventures in the sci-fi realm.

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