Guest Blog: The Magic of Houdini's Library

Today sees the release of Houdini's Library by Barb Rosenstock. I am beyond honored to see that Barb dedicated this beautiful book to me. She has now graciously written a guest post sharing her experiences researching and writing this terrific book. Take it away, Barb!

The Magic of Houdini’s Library 

by Barb Rosenstock

There’s a new children’s book about Harry Houdini out this week. I wrote it. It wasn’t easy.

In a way, the project started the year I turned eight. First, a magician friend of my father’s called me onstage where I placed my small hand into a guillotine, watched it get ‘chopped off’, and amazingly replaced. The next thing I knew, I was studying Marshall Brodeen commercials and developing a crush on Tony Curtis as Houdini.

At some point I received a magic kit but never astonished anyone, not even my parents. My coins dropped, my pompom balls stayed put, and my cards flopped. “Ta da! The Ace of Spades!” “Sorry, it’s the King of Hearts.” Magic had looked so easy! Like many childhood obsessions, this one ended with the tricks in the trash and a vague sense that there was something about ‘magic’ that I didn’t understand.

So, except for wearing a magician costume to a college Halloween party, seeing big name magicians in Vegas, and a few local shows with my own kids, magic was not part of my life. In 2012, I found myself on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Library of Congress. Shifting careers from the corporate world to writing children’s nonfiction, I was researching a book on Thomas Jefferson. I jotted a quick note about a sign in one of the library’s myriad hallways, “Harry Houdini Collection.” I imagined it to be a few dusty boxes of magic paraphernalia. Instead, a quick Wikipedia search told me that the LoC Houdini shelves contained almost 4,000 volumes. And that wasn’t even Harry’s entire collection! That’s weird, I thought, Why would a magician need so many books?

So, off and on I thought about Harry; but spent the next dozen years publishing children’s books on other topics. In 2021, I mentioned Houdini to my editor and was floored by her enthusiastic response. I started learning—reading all the major Houdini biographies, talking to folks at the Library of Congress. But after months of false starts, I almost gave up. I couldn’t figure out what needed to be said about Houdini that hadn’t been said to kids before. Until…

I found Wild About Harry. John’s detailed posts about Houdini and your involved comments deepened my thinking about the man’s personality and influence. Because of posts and people found on the site, I wound up touring 278—Harry and Bess’ NYC home, visiting Gabe Fajuri at Potter & Potter, researching in Appleton and Austin, plus benefitting from the wisdom of the many Houdini collectors in this community. It was Harry’s relevance to your lives that led me to discover his relevance for today’s kids.

My newest picture book, Houdini’s Library, is the story of an immigrant boy who starts with almost nothing and become a superhero for the ages with the help of books. It’s a multi-layered story about magic—the magic of books, the magic of community, and of course, the magic of secrets, illusion, and escape.

Through the last four years of researching, drafting, and revising Houdini’s Library, I finally figured out what I hadn’t understood about magic as a child. Just like writing children’s books, magic can look simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Effortlessness (in writing or magic) is the result of focus and discipline. Houdini read and practiced, read and invented, read and met with experts, read and worked out, read and wrote, and practiced some more. I bet he felt like giving up sometimes (you know I did!), but Harry’s persistent commitment to excellence in his craft is a wonderful model for children. And Houdini truly loved his books, “The public knows me as a magician…it does not realize that I am a student.” The story of the boy who became the world’s best-known magician also turns out to be a tale of how to become a lifelong learner. No wonder so many (including Dua Lipa and Eminem) are wild about Harry!

I hope you will be as wild about Houdini’s Library as I have been about learning from each of you. I hope you pour over the detailed cut-paper dioramas of Harry’s life (truly magical!) created by illustrator Mar Delmar. I hope you will notice that the book is dedicated to our hardworking historian John Cox. And most importantly, I hope you will share the secret story of Houdini’s Library with a child in your life.

This time, I’ve worked hard enough to promise a bit of magic.

Barb Rosenstock is the award-winning author of nonfiction and historical fiction books for young readers. Her book, THE NOISY PAINT BOX, was awarded a Caldecott Honor in 2015. In addition to HOUDINI’S LIBRARY, other recent titles include SEA WITHOUT A SHORE, THE GREAT LAKES, and THE MYSTERY OF THE MONARCHS. Her first nonfiction book for young adults, AMERICAN SPIRITS: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad that Haunted a Nation, has been named a 2025 Kirkus Best Books of the Year. A native Chicagoan, Barb loves to share ideas about reading and writing with young people in schools across the country. Instagram: @brosenstock; Facebook: Barb.Rosenstock. Learn more at www.barbrosenstock.com.

You can purchase Houdini's Library: How Books Created the World's Greatest Magician at Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Bookshop.org, or directly from publisher Penguin Random House.

Related:

• Houdini the bibliophile
• Houdini’s Library coming to the HRC in Fall 2026

Guest blog: Houdini in Pittsburgh by Zabrecky

Recently, magician Rob Zabrecky spent six weeks performing in Pittsburgh. As the lead Houdini Seance medium at the Magic Castle, Rob knows his Houdini history, and Pittsburgh has a lot of Houdini history! Rob takes us on a tour in this special guest blog. Enjoy!

HARRY HOUDINI

IN PITTSBURG

A deepish dive into the master magician’s
life and times in the Steel City

By Rob Zabrecky

Pittsburgh is a wonderful city. Many of its original buildings, homes, and small businesses are still intact and operating. There are more neighborhoods than you’ll be able to visit, and many of its downtown areas could easily be stunt doubles for lower Manhattan’s streets and alleys. And let’s not forget that Steel City was a regular stop for Harry Houdini, who headlined its theaters, jumped off one of its bridges, and wiggled upside down out of a strait jacket before legions of curious onlookers long before you were born.

The master magician performed in Pittsburgh many times, primarily at the Grand Opera Theater (1906 – 1915) at 332 Fifth Avenue in downtown (now operating as The Warner Centre). Pittsburgh was a regular stop during his touring years. He performed here nearly annually for two decades until his death in 1926. Next time you’re there don’t miss:

The Houdini Triangle…at least that’s what I call it. The following three locations are within a few short walkable blocks of each other. Each location represents a different aspect of Houdini’s performing and touring career:

*Houdini Upside-down Straightjacket Escape: At lunchtime on November 6, 1916, Houdini hung like a bat outside the office windows of the Pittsburgh Sun newspaper performing his world famous upside-down straightjacket escape. He dangled and escaped from the straightjacket high above legions of Steel City spectators prior to his show later that evening at the New Davis Theater. This performance also served as a publicity stunt, making local headlines and ensuring every ticket for his full evening show was sold.

100 years later to the day, Pittsburgh magician and escapologist, Lee Terbosic, recreated Houdini’s escape before a large and enthusiastic crowd to commemorate Houdini’s original feat.
Liberty Avenue & Wood Street, one block from Liberty Magic, 811 Liberty Avenue, Downtown Pittsburgh

*Houdini Bridge Jumps/Plunges: Houdini jumped off the old Seventh Street Bridge into the Allegheny River twice, both times while handcuffed in Pittsburgh Steel. The daredevil’s first jump was on May 22, 1907 and was repeated the following year on March 13, 1908.

The second jump proved much more difficult than the first; the nearly freezing temperatures of the early spring water was much colder than during his previous jump. Houdini biographer Bill Kalush wrote: “On March 13, 1908 Houdini told a reporter from The Pittsburgh Leader that the day before the leap he sent a cable to Hardeen, who was doing similar act then in Europe, and the charges came to exactly $13. That same day Houdini’s mail consisted of 13 letters. He switched rooms at his hotel and the new room, was no. 26, divisible by 13. The letters contained 13 new challenges, the license plate of the auto that drove him to the bridge totaled up to 13, and the cinematographer who was filming the jump had exactly 1,300 feet of film in his camera.”
“I feel nervous today,” Houdini said. “There is a goneness in my innards that isn’t pleasant.” He ate an apple to settle himself down, then dove. It was exactly 1:13.

“In a minute and half from the time, I struck the water I had freed myself and was ready to rise to the surface,” Houdini told the press. “Small boats were cruising about looking for me, and, as luck would have it, I came rushing up at great speed just underneath one of these crafts. So rapid was my ascent that in rising I hit my head a fearful blow…and sank back into the water again stunned and bleeding. When I struck that boat I thought of the thirteens of the day and concluded that it was up to me to battle for my life. Just when it seemed that all was over with me, I rose to the surface and willing hands dragged me to safety. It isn’t any fun taking your life in your hands. Really, I’m in earnest. If a fellow wasn’t married it would be a different thing, though even a single man oughtn’t to be hankering for chances to risk his life”
The Seventh Street Bridge/Andy Warhol Bridge
Seventh Street & The Allegheny River

*Location of former Alvin Theater: Nearly a year before his death, on September 18, 1925, Houdini was winding down a run at Pittsburgh’s Shubert Alvin Theater. During the run he offered $10,000 to anyone who could use supernatural powers to correctly answer three questions that were placed by him into sealed envelopes. Then then pastor of the Pittsburgh Church of Divine Healing, Reverend Dr. Alice Dooley, attempted — and failed — to answer Houdini’s secret questions.
119 Sixth Street, near Sixth Street Bridge. Currently a closed Bailey’s Gym.

*

Many of Houdini’s Pittsburgh performances were presented at the now defunct Grand & Davis Theaters:

September 24-29, 1906: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


May 20-25, 1907: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


May 27 – Jun 1, 1907: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


March 13, 1908: Houdini jumps from 7th Street Bridge, known today as the Andy Warhol Bridge, Pittsburgh, PA 


March 16-21, 1908: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


November 13-18, 1911: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


March 8-13, 1915: Grand Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


November 6-11, 1916: Davis Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


March 6-11, 1922: Davis Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


February 1, 1924: Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 


February 23-28, 1925: Davis Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA 


September 14-19, 1925: Alvin Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA

*

From an article titled, “Harry Houdini and Pittsburgh – the ties that bind,” Clay Morgan wrote:

Industrial dominance drove the growth and identity that brought Pittsburgh to prominence and made it a major destination for famous vaudevillian performers. Houdini arrived in 1905, fresh off a five-year European tour that created his reputation as escape artist and "King of Handcuffs."

Around 40,000 Pittsburghers were treated to the nail-biting exhibition one century ago on March 13, 1908. Houdini stripped to his swimsuit, surrendered to tight manacles fashioned from Pittsburgh steel and leapt 40 feet from the original Seventh Street Bridge into the stinging Allegheny River waters. In a short while, his head bobbed up and vanished before he emerged for good, free and holding the conquered cuffs.

Houdini’s first Pittsburgh plunge came almost a year earlier, on May 22, 1907. A rare photo from the time peers over the backs of spectators staring at the bridge in direction of the North Shore. In the background, filthy factories pour billows of smoke into the lunchtime sky over the crowed waterfront. To the right, onlookers crowd the rails of the bridge. Over a dozen boats linger in the water. In the center of it all is Houdini in mid-jump – dressed in a white bathing suit and falling, knees still up. In less than two minutes he rose from the murky stage.

However, his first trip to Pittsburgh was in November 1905, The Jewish Criterion wrote: “He defies anyone to come on the stage of the Grand next week and bind him successfully.”

The Grand Opera House hosted Houdini during his first visits to Pittsburgh from 1905-08. Intense buzz in 1906 created so many sell-outs that Houdini stayed a third week so everyone around town could have a chance to experience the mind-jarring show.

He returned to the Pittsburgh Grand in 1913 [most likely 1915] and brought influences from afar, the East Indian Needle Trick and the legendary Chinese Water Torture Chamber. On Nov 6, 1916, Houdini escaped from a Straitjacket while hanging from the Pittsburgh Sun Building 50 feet in the air. On Nov 7, 1916, Pittsburghers packed in the New Davis Theatre to see Houdini headline.

In October 1919 (as Congress outlawed alcohol), “The Grim Game” opened in theatres such as the Grand, Strand and Belmar. Houdini played Harvey Hanford, wrongfully accused of murder and desperate to escape.

Pittsburgh’s strict “blue laws” also outlawed movies and performances on Sundays, so Houdini won by grabbing the headline show on Saturday evenings. In Pittsburgh, he topped his buddies Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Tom Mix.

Over the final years of his life, Houdini dueled with Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, an avid supporter of spiritualism. The men took turns lecturing in Pittsburgh. Houdini spoke at the Carnegie Hall on Feb. 21, 1924. The following year he brought a full medium exposing show to the Davis Theater. Once again, Pittsburgh demand kept him in town an extra week. Houdini’s final Pittsburgh show was at the Alvin Theatre in September of 1925.

In 1916, Houdini — now 42 years old — returned to Pittsburgh to appear at the former Davis Theatre. He drew thousands of people into the street by hanging upside-down in a straightjacket on a rope in front of the offices of the Pittsburgh Sun newspaper at the corner of Wood Street and Liberty Avenue downtown. He wowed the huge crowd (and promoted his show) by successfully and safely wriggling out of the jacket.

Thank you Rob!

Rob's own nicely formated PDF of this article can be downloaded at my Patreon below.

Related:

• Another World by Rob Zabrecky
• Rob Zabrecky talks Houdini with Dana Gould
• List of surviving Houdini theaters

Guest Blog: Houdini's mysterious safe

Today, I'm happy to share a guest blog from our friend Johan Ahlberg in Sweden about Houdini and his safes. Take it away, Johan!

HOUDINI'S mysterious SAFE

By Johan Ahlberg 

Harry Houdini had a great mechanical interest in complicated locks and safes. On his tour in Germany, he saw several safes and strongboxes that not only had complicated locks but also secret mechanisms to even find the keyhole. Some safes had combination locks, where secret levers needed to be operated in a secret manner to open the lock.

Houdini claimed he was challenged by a judge to open a big safe, which was kept in the judge's chamber with a combination lock, when he sued the German police for slander in Cologne, Germany.

The French magician Robert-Houdin made a desk with secret compartments. For extra security, there was a complicated lock in which you had to put your finger in a hole and touch a secret lever to open the lock. If you did it in the wrong way, a razor-sharp knife with a strong spring was activated, and the finger was cut off immediately. It was so the thief could easily be identified.

On December 4th, 1908, at the Euston Palace in England, Houdini was challenged to escape from a monster safe.

The safe was brought on stage. Houdini was searched and locked inside. He escaped in just 14 minutes, leaving the safe still secure and locked.

The terror of being locked up inside an airtight safe must have thrilled the audience. Houdini had planned the escape in detail, and it was probably one of Houdini's easiest escapes. But anything could have gone wrong; it took Houdini's nerves of steel to pull it off. If Houdini had fainted inside the safe or the lock mechanism had interlocked, it could have ended in disaster, like it did for Genesta when he tried to copy Houdini's milk can escape.

James Randi escaped in a TV show from a safe that was shown to be empty and locked. Suddenly, the combination dial started to spin. The door flew open, and out jumped Randi. The safe was so incredibly small that it seemed to be impossible for a human being to be inside. David Copperfield was handcuffed and locked in a safe with a combination lock. A chain was wrapped around the safe and padlocked. The clock started ticking, the combination dial started to rotate, and suddenly, a blast, the building was blown up, and everything was buried. David emerged on a table outside unharmed, smiling mysteriously. The effect was stunning, but Houdini was the first escape artist to escape from a borrowed safe under test conditions.

Houdini told a story in which he visited his lawyer in New York he was left alone with the lawyer's safe. He managed to manipulate the combination lock and his lawyer was dumfounded. Houdini claimed he had a micro meter in a watch that could register the small movements of the tumblers. To manipulate a combination lock can take hours or days to open even for a expert locksmith.

There was a rumor about a safe or a vault in Houdini's house. I once asked Marie Blood, Houdini's niece and the last link to Houdini's home, if she ever saw or heard anything about a vault? She said no! She never went down in the cellar. After Houdinis death there was another story about a safe that Bess couldn’t open. A locksmith, Charles Courtney, was called in an after working for hours on the combination lock it wouldn’t open. When Courtney asked Bess how Houdini opened the safe she said he just waved his hand over the lock and it opened like magic. Courtney bought a strong magnet and the lock opened or so he claimed.

The problem with that story is that a magnet can’t operate a lever through the safe's thick steel plates. In the safe, there were several love letters from women written to Houdini and the silver Mirror handcuffs. However, it’s a fantastic story.

Houdini's safe that Courtney claimed he opened with a magnet. The safe has the text “HOUDINI” on top. The Mirror handcuffs were stored inside.

An article in the Swedish newspaper KvP in 1974 described how Houdini had left a locked safe with his attorney in New York that contained his secrets. The safe was to be opened on Houdini's 100th birthday. With the press present, the safe was opened, but it was empty! 

I bet Houdini was laughing in his heaven.

Thank you, Johan.

If you'd like to share your own Guest Blog here on WILD ABOUT HARRY, feel free to get in touch and let's talk about what you have in mind. I know there's a lot of untapped Houdini wisdom out there!

Related:

• Is it safe?
• Guest Blog: The Stockholm Affair
• Deconstructing Houdini '53: Judgment in Germany

Todd Aydelotte's New York Houdini history run

Todd Aydelotte is embarking on one of the most novel Houdini tributes I've ever encountered. So novel, I don't think I can do it justice. So I'm going to let Todd explain it himself!

I'm an ultrarunner, Race Director and public relations executive living in New York City. Uniquely, as a 'historical ultrarunner', I run long distances to trace the lives of famous New Yorkers, and well known historical events in NYC. Here's a story from Runner's World that traces my many historical ultras, over many years (as far as I know, I'm the only person running like this).

I approach my subjects with extraordinary care, and only start running after consuming huge doses of historical information; stated another way, after my mind is loaded with history, I set off on foot to examine that history, and consider my own place in it. For my Houdini series, I've read five books, though your site is my primary source for information (I've discovered that the Houdini biographies often contradict one another, so it often takes a John Cox to sort it all out!). The books I've read include: The Witch of Lime Street, Gresham's Houdini, Gibson's Houdini's Escapes and Magic, Gibson/Young's Houdini's Fabulous Magic and Silverman's Houdini.

For most of my historical running series, I embark on a broad range of shorter runs first -- typically 5 miles to 15 miles -- over weeks and months, wherein I visit key sites I've been reading about, while documenting everything on my IG @toddaydelotte. At the conclusion of a series, I then design a 30-100+ mile 'Historical UltraRun' (any run in excess of 26.2 miles is considered an 'ultra' distance), where I string all the sites together, and seek to create a unique historical tapestry for me to run across over a 24-48 hr period -- and hopefully, plunge myself into a heightened state of consciousness.

BIG PICTURE

As any ultrarunner will tell you, at long distances big things happen in the mind. As the body breaks, the mind expands and ultrarunners experience heightened states of consciousness, moments of clarity, and hallucinations. And into this sacred space is where I inject history -- and try to catalyze unique experiences. By running this way, I've discovered I can engage dynamically with the subject matter, fostering a deep connection to the person/events I'm to.

If you visit the link in my bio on IG, it will take you past the paywall at UltraRunning Magazine, where you will find a story on my last historical ultra -- The Howl UltraRun, a 93-miler I worked on with Allen Ginsberg Estate.

OVER THE SPRING

For the next few months I'll be tracing Harry's history across NYC... his teen years on the Upper east Side... his early performances on Coney Island and in the dime museums on 14th Street... his battle against the surge in Spiritualism... his many escapes and shows throughout NYC... his family and key addresses in NYC... What I love about Harry's history is that it intersects with so many broader historical trends and unique events in the City... ie, the death of Vaudeville... the 1st World War & so many people embracing Spiritualism in a desperate attempt to connect with the lost... NYC's transition to a fully electrified world, and the rise of automobiles...

And into all of this comes Harry's story, a story rooted in courage, ambition, creativity and confidence. I've been fascinated by Harry throughout my life, and this is a series that really excites me, especially given Harry's love of endurance and running.

For the final "Houdini UltraRun", I'm still putting it all together. However, if I stay injury free, it may ultimately look something like this. I will start running at Midnight on a Friday, and will run a 30+ mile route that covers Harry's entire life, all the sites I've covered in the series, spanning his teenage years on the Upper east Side to his shows on Coney Island and to his grave in Queens, and all points in between. My goal is to enter Central Park at 4 AM the next morning, at the conclusion of 30+miles of Houdini historical sights -- and this is where the tribute to Harry's endurance begins! The run is not over -- it's only just begun. I will then attempt to run non-stop 'Central Park Loops' -- Harry's favorite training route, a 6 mile loop around the Park -- from 4 AM (when the Park opens) till 2 AM the next day (when the Park closes). This will certainly be 100+ miles of running, and I'm doing that to honor Harry's super human endurance.

Todd has already completed one of his preliminary runs, which you can see on his Instagram below. There will be more to come, so be sure and follow him. I'll also be providing updates here on WILD ABOUT HARRY. 

Go Todd!

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A post shared by Todd Aydelotte (@toddaydelotte)

Related:

• Houdini the young runner
• Houdini's in New York
• Appleton holds "Houdini 10k" run

Guest Blog: Houdini at Park East Synagogue

Over the holidays our friend Benjilini, magician and author of Benjilini on Houdini, gave a talk at the historic Park East Synagogue in New York City, which remembered their "most magical member" with a special Shabbat Chanukah Dinner on December 23. Today Benjilini provides us with a full report of what sounds like a magical evening.

On a bitter cold and stormy day, I arrived by a car service to the Park East Synagogue located on 163 East 67th St. in Manhattan, NY on Fri., Dec. 23rd for my Houdini presentation at 1pm.

I was escorted into the building thru a security check point. Cantor Benny Rogosnitsky was so excited to see me! With a huge hug he told me, "I know you are going to do a great job, "Benjilini on Houdini!"

Cantor Benny's assistant immediately handed me my payment for the evening. She took me downstairs to their main Ballroom to set-up my display on a long table and provided me with easels which I requested from them.

After my set-up, I took a photo and recorded a small 2 minute video. Cantor Benny took a photo with me and was quite pleased that this program was on the site of John Cox WILD ABOUT HARRY who he apparently knew.

I walked the 18 blocks to the San Carlos Hotel to drop off a few things. My room was 4 stars! I was very surprised by this huge room because I would probably, like Houdini, only be asleep for about 3-5 hours on my return after the event in the evening.

I returned to the Synagogue for the outdoor and indoor Chanukah candle lighting. We prayed in the wonderful 1890 Huge landmark Synagogue followed by a most tasty Sabbath meal along with the close to 100 people for this sold-out event.

Many people went to my display table, as I stood by my Houdini pieces to provide much additional information. Finally, after my introduction from Cantor Benny, it was my turn. After much discussion about the close relationship between Houdini and Rabbi Bernard Drachman (1861-1945) who began his relationship with Houdini during his Bar-Mitzvah in 1887 until Houdini's passing in 1926, I allowed a few people to come up and speak about Houdini.

A Rabbi who knew Rabbi Drachman's son's before their passing told the audience a story that was not mentioned in Rabbi Drachman's book. After Houdini donated a sum of $500 to Rabbi Drachman in order to receive his father's set of Maimonides books the story continues. Here is something new about Houdini that was NEVER mentioned in any book including mine as well. Some years after the event, the Park East Synagogue had a huge leak within its building. Houdini payed the entire amount for its repair and provided the final payments to complete the mortgage of the Synagogue. So, the historic Park East Synagogue stands to this day thanks to Jacob Weisz who later became the legendary Harry Houdini!

Most speakers would never allow three other people to come up and interject and speak at the podium. By doing this, we heard from a licensed Doctor that there was no effective antibiotics to treat Houdini's bursted appendix back in 1926 along with the story above. Also, the President of this Synagogue is responsible for closing the streets by the Machpelah Cemetery where Houdini is buried located in Glendale, Queens on Halloween to keep away those who continually come there on that day to create mayhem and chaos.

After displaying certain pieces, I performed three magical effects. A metallic circle created by Juan Mayoral back in 2001 transformed into the "Star of David." I provided a wonderful introduction before I placed handcuffs on Cantor Benny who hired me for this historic event. After he could not escape, I had him place the handcuffs on me but behind my back. I quickly and thankfully, escaped from these handcuffs as "Houdini." However, my original "Chanukah Dreidel Enlargement" effect, whereas, the small dreidels are transformed into 10 times their original size but now filled with candy using the only two young girls that attended this Sabbath dinner, created a loud and huge applause!

From the ending of that presentation until I left on Saturday evening from the Synagogue about 30-50 people continued to stop me and say, "I enjoyed your entire presentation!" "Why?" "It was 'genuine' on your part. You clearly showed your love for Houdini but your magic tricks are fantastic!"

With a great program, great prayers, delicious food, wonderful accommodations at the Hotel, it was hard to say, Good-Bye. Cantor Benny told me before leaving on Saturday night, "Benjilini on Houdini, you did not just perform a great program as everyone is talking to me about it, YOU hit it out of the ballpark!"

I stayed very calm throughout the entire weekend. I do not know why their response to my entire presentation was so highly effective? However, I have found a new mission. I must provide many additional Houdini lectures with combined magical effects performed by me. I pray to the Almighty, for the Park East Synagogue to rehire me for many future events. I pray to the Almighty that our magical organizations, etc. will recognize my talents and hire me to present these lectures on Houdini as well as having me perform too in 2023 and beyond. I feel it is my TIME! -Benjilini

Thank you Benjilini!

Related:

• Houdini at Park East Synagogue, Dec. 23
• Guest Blog: Houdini Broken Wand Ceremony 2022

Guest Blog: Houdini Broken Wand Ceremony 2022

Our friend Benjilini, magician and author of Benjilini on Houdini, provides us with a full and heartfelt report on this year's annual Broken Wand Ceremony at Houdini's grave.

On a brisk windy day with 40 degree temps., Rich Cohn picked me up with his heated car at 11:30. We went to pick up our Dean of the Society of American Magicians (SAM) and my friend of over 30 years, 93 year old George Schindler. Although, George does not drive anymore, his directions to the cemetery was better than any GPS dashboard.

We arrived at the Machpelah Cemetery off the Jackie Robinson Expressway on Exit 3-Cypress Hill St. Once again, the gate was locked as we as well as others waited patiently for someone to unlock the heavy lock. Dorothy Dietrich came to our car and said, "I could probably pick that lock but I don't want to be arrested." George said, "Houdini could escape but now they keep him locked up." I was laughing with his keen sense of Jewish humor.

A few people cleaned up the gravesite of Houdini before the Ceremony. We purposely perform the SAM-PA#1 HOUDINI ANNUAL BROKEN WAND CEREMONY on his Hebrew date of death (Yahrtzeit) due to those individuals who continue to come on his English date of death on Halloween and leave weird things on his headstone which is disrespectful. Also, in the past, many strange individuals would attend the service on Halloween dressed as witches, etc. Now, for some years, it is held on its proper Hebrew date which is the 23rd day of the Hebrew month called Marcheshvan in a dignified manner.

Some of our members visited Larry Weeks gravesite before the Broken Wand Ceremony. We noted the the 2 new markers for C. Gladys Weiss and for Dr. Leopold Weiss, sister and brother of Houdini renewed thru Dorothy and Dick and, I believe, the SAM Endowment Fund. Devlin displayed a beautiful model of the Houdini family plot with proper gravesites in order which included the exedra, the weeping woman, and the red colored SAM symbol on the 1916 exedra. I noted how Theordore Dash Hardeen's gravesite had the wrong date of birth on his marker to proclaim he was born on a leap year (Feb. 29th). Also, Dorothy provided a story concerning the life of a fallen soldier, Mr. Wolf, by his marker signifying his death in WWII near the Houdini family plot. She wants to repair that area as it was damaged during the erection of the Houdini plots.

We gathered on the exedra and a gentleman from The Polar Bear Club took many photos of us along with Mark Mitton. We had a huge crowd of 15 or more for the ceremony. George had me break the wand created with the wooden lath from Houdini's renovated home on 278 created by Barry Spector for me to use that day. He sent it to me and demanded of me to take its broken pieces home on this 96th Yahrtzeit for our compeer Houdini. As usual, I discussed the amazing things concerning Houdini's family gravesite e.g. the mausoleum on the back bears the name of Appleton. Appleton, WI was the early home of Ehrich Weisz when he immigrated to America back in 1878 at the age of 4. Houdini was able to have a bust of himself erected on his huge exedra which is not allowed in a Jewish cemetery as no graven images is permitted. Also, the headstone in front of the family plot bears the name Meyer Michael. Michael Mayers is the homicidal knife bearing killer in the old film called Halloween.

I led the Hebrew part of the service with its English translation. Training as a child from my mom, Nechama Mindle Mildred R.I.P., taking me to family members gravesites, Rabbi Noah Valley R.I.P, who conducted the Broken Wand Ceremony for many decades, and our living Dean of the SAM George Schindler allows me to perform the service with much respect and tears. Having 10 Jewish males, I was able to conclude the ceremony with the Mourners's Prayer called Kaddish. Many of our fellow compeers after the ceremony shook my hand and told me, "I was very touched for the way you led the service. I want to thank you."

11-12 of us gathered at a historical German restaurant called Zum Stammtisch. Being kosher, I enjoyed a nice beer while my fellow compeers enjoyed many delightful dishes which included some tasty cabbage too. The stories, the laughs, the camaraderie is what makes us a close fraternity. Past President Bob Braun told me "he would nominate me to be a future 2nd Vice President" as I would be honored to be a future President of our SAM-P.A.#1 Assembly. Time will tell?

I spoke to the owner of the restaurant for about 10 minutes. He truly appreciated my kind words of the beautiful architecture, the shining wooden interior of this historical German restaurant and, of its kind and highly professional staff. He appreciates us coming there for many years. He shook my hand with much kindness.

We concluded this special gathering with an anonymous fellow member presenting me some additional gifts as prizes for my kids at cpnyc.org. Rich Cohn drove George and me home. I still had tears in my eyes after the event at home thinking about my friend, George. May the Almighty One protect us with many additional years of good health, peace and wealth to be used to bring our "magic" to others and, hopefully, to ourselves as well.

Thank you Benjilini!

Photos courtesy Benjilini, Todd Harris, and SAM PA#1.

Related:

• S.A.M. wand breaking ceremony in 1976
• Gladys and Leopold headstones return to Machpelah
• The Houdini-Weiss exedra turns 100

Jim Steinmeyer on Houdini’s North Pole mystery

Recently I was having a conversation with the great Jim Steinmeyer who brought up Houdini's "Walking Through the North Pole" illusion. I had to admit I had never heard of this! So Jim wrote up a terrific overview of this mysterious Houdini effect, which I'm excited to share today. Enjoy!

IS THIS HOUDINI’S LAST ILLUSION?

by Jim Steinmeyer

In the June 1926 Sphinx, Max Holden described the Banquet of the Society of American Magicians which had been held on June 4, 1926, at the McAlpin Hotel in New York City.

In it, he described a trick that, it seems, was Houdini’s last creation, an unusual illusion. Houdini called it Walking Through the North Pole.

Here is Holden’s description:

"Harry Houdini next presented an illusion with two bare wood tables in the routh [“rough"?], and a piece of pole. He said it represents the North Pole. A dainty little miss was placed on one table, a screen placed round table; likewise a screen was placed around other table, and on screens being removed there was the dainty miss on the other table. After seeing Rubini, nothing is impossible, and how that dainty miss traveled invisibly through the air over that North Pole is beyond me. Miss Horwitz is the dainty miss, a daughter of my friend Sam. Maybe he will satisfy my curiosity."

(Rubini was a mindreader who had just appeared on the show and impressed the magicians with his feats. Sam Horowitz produced the S.A.M. shows, so presumably Houdini recruited his daughter to help.)

Not everyone was as complimentary as Holden. Two other reviewers added sparse details. The MUM publication for July 1926 noted the illusion very briefly:

"[Next on the show was] Houdini, presenting his new illusion, ‘Walking through the North Pole.’”

An article in Billboard described the performance this way:

"Houdini’s latest illusion [is] called * “Walking Thru the North Pole”. In full view of the audience he somehow man­aged to transfer a little girl from a table at one end of the log, which represented the North Pole, to a table at the other end.”

Notice that Billboard’s reviewer categorized the pole as more of a log.

But the most definitive judgment may have been years later. Writing about his friend and associate Harry Houdini, the great magician, Servais LeRoy, used the North Pole trick as an example of Houdini’s poor judgment with illusions.

From LeRoy:

“[Houdini] had a pleasing stage presence but was in no sense a finished magician, although this detail never seemed to trouble him. His dexterity was out of the ordinary but never reached great heights. As an illusionist he never left the common place; his illusions were anything but subtle. His escapes were incomparable. I frequently wondered at the indifference of the one and the perfection of the other, and finally was forced to the conclusion that his want of originality was the answer. Using other men’s ideas, he was unable to improve on the original and was forced to let it go at that, or produce something still weaker. His illusion of the North Pole (shown at the meeting of the Society of American Magicians Annual Banquet, 1926) was an example. The Vanishing Elephant was another. Both were perfect in their utter weakness. On the other hand, the problems and stunts he was fond of showing in private or semi-privately were perfectly done; the whole informality and apparent impromptu performance suited his unusual style."

As a fan of both LeRoy and Houdini, allow me to make a few observations about this criticism. LeRoy was legendary as an artistic illusionist, someone whose performances were perfect and mystifying, and he should be remembered as one of the greatest inventors of illusions in our history. He also writes honestly and insightfully, giving us a look at his taste and understanding of magic. But, like a lot of his contemporaries, he seemed to be frustrated by Houdini.

Still, LeRoy was wrong about dismissing Houdini’s innovations, for Houdini distinguished himself by inventing an entirely new class of illusions, called escapes. And, as LeRoy wrote, “His escapes were incomparable.” Houdini was not the finished, classical magician that LeRoy idealized, and he did not share LeRoy’s taste for stage illusions or innovative techniques. This really is an example of two incredible innovators—so very different—who couldn’t understand each other.

So where does that leave the Walking through the North Pole illusion?

Holden seems to describe a pole that connects the tables horizontally, as the lady supposedly travels “over it, invisibly.” But the action of the trick isn’t clear. The MUM and Billboard describe that the idea was a girl walking “through” the pole, and Billboard suggests that it was more like a long log. Presumably, the pole was used to connect the tables, either from tabletop to tabletop, or along the floor.

I have my own theories about it, and would hope, at some point, to try those out in a demonstration or a recreation. But the premise of the lady traveling invisibly over the pole, or through the pole, isn’t really a clear, interesting, or magical image. The North Pole would have been a topical effect in 1926, with recent headlines about Byrd and other explorers. But even that doesn’t quite work. The legendary North Pole suggests, of course, some sort of fanciful pole standing upright in the frozen tundra, not Houdini’s horizontal pole between two tables.

It’s worth noting that in England, Devant had briefly presented another North Pole illusion years earlier, tying it to topical explorations. He used an upright pole and the illusion was the transformation of a man to a polar bear!

And so, Houdini’s last illusion, given a topical name but a muddled plot, was exactly the sort of thing that inspired LeRoy’s criticism. Still, we have to admit, Houdini has us with a real mystery. With the apparatus long gone, with most in the audience shrugging off the mystery, it’s unlikely we’ll ever fully understand Houdini’s North Pole mystery. 

Thank you Jim!

UPDATE: Jim continues his investigation of this effect at his own blog. Check out: WHAT WE HIDE: HOUDINI’S FINAL ILLUSION.

Related:

• Secrets of the new Houdini Seance by Jim Steinmeyer
• Jim Steinmeyer reveals The Secret History of Magic
• Jim Steinmeyer talks about The Last Greatest Magician in the World

Secrets of the new Houdini Seance by Jim Steinmeyer

Today we have a very special GUEST BLOG and a real treat. The great Jim Steinmeyer provides us with an exclusive insider's look at the new Houdini Seance Experience at the Magic Castle, the world-famous clubhouse of the Academy of Magical Arts in Hollywood. The show was written and produced by Jim Steinmeyer with new effects created by Jim and designed and built by John Gaughan and Mike Elizalde of Spectral Motion. The show was directed by Benjamin Schrader. The room was art directed and scenic painted by Jim Piper.

Enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at the new Houdini Seance. Your chair is waiting...

SECRETS OF THE SEANCE

by Jim Steinmeyer

The challenge of the show, of course, was “how” we bring Houdini back, if we successfully reach his spirit, and what, if anything, he has to say. The problem, of course, is that if we fail to reach Houdini’s spirit, the theatrical point of the seance is foiled. And if we manage to get a message from Houdini, we’ve sort of messed up anything that Houdini represented during his lifetime. And… of course, the Magic Castle might be expected to show a little respect for Houdini’s firmly-held beliefs. 

I can’t ruin the surprise, of course, but it’s fair to say that Houdini doesn’t come back from the dead, and Houdini ends up having quite a bit to say to us directly and offers us a gift. At one point, we actually hear Houdini explain that “anyone can be fooled in a dark room,” which turns the entire seance experience upside down and makes us question anything we’ve seen. I actually think that his message about eternity shows an understanding that only someone like Houdini would have been able to express. His insight is more enlightened than the usual ghostly messages or whispers in the dark. 

 
The new seance room is a mix of design and function, history and “new legends” in order to set up their show. For those that are interested in the real history, here are few secrets of the new seance experience. 

THE NEW SEANCE ROOM 

The room was completely rebuilt, right down to the studs, with new electrical wiring, improved air ducting for the air conditioning, and better soundproofing. We concealed a lot of this by designing the room with its own history. For example, the new fireplace is a small, elegant Victorian bedroom fireplace, now bricked up. The wainscoting around the room has been painted over. Although these are new elements, they suggests layers of changes and generations of use. We picked out a rich Victorian teal blue for the walls. It’s actually very close to an original color of the room, from about a dozen years ago, which was dark green. 

 
Disney art director, scenic artist and longtime Castle member Jim Piper added warm wood grained moulding around the ceiling. You’ll find that the theme of the woodwork and stained glass lighting fixtures is “roses.” There’s definitely a reason for that. We get a beautiful misty glow to the room when the rose colors play on the images and the walls. It feels haunted. Our lamps are all Edison bulbs, which flicker and flash at special moments of the seance. 

THE PICTURES ON THE WALLS 

We’ve added a number of interesting Houdini graphics to the walls, including authentic posters from his career, as well as a recent collectable reprint of the poster from his Grand Magic Revue. If you get a chance to look at the images, you may note some interesting nods to the Vanishing Elephant (including an antique Elephant lamp), images of Arthur Conan Doyle, Margery, her spirit guide Walter, and beautiful images of the Final Houdini Seance of 1936. Those 1936 images were kindly provided by Mark Willoughby. One of my favorite images in the room shows the assembled group on the Knickerbocker Hotel rooftop. The camera is pointed towards the Magic Castle (then, of course, the Lane Mansion). The Castle must be in the shot, although, at nighttime, it’s not illuminated. It’s a wonderful combination of “now” and “then." 

There’s also a small picture above the fireplace of an actual spirit medium, circa 1920, in Chicago. That medium is tied to my family history, a friend of my grandparents, and the picture provided a lot of inspiration for me. Let’s just say that, if elements of the seance feel weirdly authentic, it’s because of that particular medium and what he actually did during his Chicago seances. Does that sound mysterious enough? 

THE HOUDINI ROSES 

We’ve added a sweet new Houdini myth, about the dried roses that Mrs. Houdini kept in her house in Los Angeles. The mediums will tell you the story when you experience the seance. Those Houdini Roses gave me a chance to introduce a brand new effect to the room, a sort of spirit photograph experience for the audience. John Gaughan built the effect for our seance room. 

THE GHOSTS 

I don’t want to spoil the seance for those that are about to see it, but don’t be surprised if you now see a few ghosts. Mike Elizalde’s company, Spectral Motion, expertly sculpted the special ghosts for us. They’re ghosts of recognizable people, so the project provided a particular challenge to achieve the perfect mixture of reality and fantasy. Let’s just say that you’ll meet some friends, and some enemies, in the seance room. 

THE WATER TORTURE CELL 

Another newly designed effect is one that strangely, supernaturally, tells the story of Houdini’s famous escape, and gives an account of the accidents that plagued the great magician at the end of his life. The demonstration uses a beautiful little model of Houdini’s Water Torture Cell. The apparatus for this was created by John Gaughan and Freddie Wong. 

SOME CLASSIC EFFECTS 

We had a chance to reprogram the moments of the famous floating table, so now, when the Spirits take control, the table seems to vibrate and shudder before soaring into the air. Similarly, the famous tambourine still opens its case and rattles in the dark, and the Milk Can (the Irby Milk Can which was seen in the 1952 movie) rattles in the dark room. 

OUR MUSIC AND SOUNDS 

Fans of Houdini will get a chance to hear the 1936 Final Houdini Seance, played over Los Angeles radio and played through an antique radio set. They’ll hear Bess sing the actual Paul Dresser song, “Rosabelle,” that inspired the Houdini’s code; they’ll hear Houdini’s patter for The Water Torture Cell, recorded on a wax cylinder; they’ll hear from Arthur Conan Doyle, and his concern for Houdini. They’ll hear a snippet of “Souvenir,” Walter’s favorite song, a bit of “Pomp and Circumstance,” and a weird waltz—that the band played on the Titanic—that appears on the gramophone to welcome Walter into the room. 

OUR CAST OF VOICES 

One of the big secrets of our seance is that we’ve re-recorded every voice. Yes, every single voice! It was the only way to get the particular performances we needed. It means that, when the seance audience hears Houdini’s Water Torture Cell introduction, we are actually setting up the sound of his voice, so that we can control it. We can bring it back, with our own message, and the audience recognizes Houdini. We play tricks with that through the seance. It’s a very sneaky deception, especially because, to many people, the voice on the cylinder and the Final Houdini Seance recording will sound authentic. Here’s the celebrity cast that secretly took part in our production: 

• John Cox (who occasionally has something to say about Houdini) at the beginning of dinner, the radio plays a number of 1920s songs. John is the announcer who promotes Houdini at the Garrick Theater in Detroit, then introduces the Detroit News Orchestra. 
• Sara Ballantine (popular actress and AMA Board of Directors member) plays the part of Mrs. Houdini, who now explains the Rosabelle code during the Final Houdini Seance 
• Neil Patrick Harris (star of stage and television, former AMA President) plays the part of Edward Saint, who serves as the medium imploring Houdini to return during the 1936 seance. 
• Patrick Culliton (actor and Houdini author) plays the part of Arthur Conan Doyle, who explains that “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” 
• Teresa Ganzel (comedy actress and voice-over talent) plays the part of Margery the Medium, who briefly returns in the darkened room to complain about Houdini and wrestle control of the seance away from the medium. 
• Robert Clotworthy (actor and voice-over narrator who hosts Ancient Aliens and The Curse of Oak Island) plays the part of Walter, Margery’s brother and spirit guide, who returns with a wild, demonic laugh to challenge Houdini. 
• Paul Reubens (the famous comedy star, Pee Wee Herman’s alter ego, and AMA member) plays the part of the radio announcer interviewing Houdini, who asks him about his pact with his wife to return from the grave. 

And the person who plays Houdini… Well, I’m going to keep that a secret. 

PUTTING TOGETHER ALL THE PIECES 

Then we were able to add the considerable talents of our Magic Castle mediums, special lighting effects, sound effects, and a few tales of Houdini’s spectacular career and his mysterious adventures in the seance room, and you have the new Houdini Seance! 

In January, the Magic Castle will begin booking the New Seance, with Rob Zabrecky in the medium’s chair. 

You can get full details and pricing for The Houdini Séance Experience at the Academy of Magical Arts website.

Thank you Jim!

Related:

• The last original Houdini Seance
• Magic Castle Houdini Seance is coming back to life
• The Magic Castle unveils their new Houdini Séance

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