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| Ken Trombly Collection |
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| The Herald Statesman, Nov 16, 1926. |
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| Seance table and program. |
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| The Inner Circle |
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| Medium Cheryl Burch leads the attempt. |
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| Are you here, Harry? |
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| The seance handcuffs remained locked. |
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| Debbie Hardeen-Bloom |
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| Magician Daryl Rogers |
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| Magician James David |
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| Escapist Mike Schroeder |
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| Rarities from the Tom Boldt Collection. |
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| Perfect day for a seance. |
I'm surrounded by new friendly people willing to guide me, and faces from the past who seem oddly familiar. They should. The faces are my family, and the new people are those who knew them, love them and love them still.
Sid starts his "Backstage" column with a rundown of several new books: Final Seance: The Strange Friendship between Houdini and Cohen Doyle by Massimo Polidoro; Spellbinder: The Life of Harry Houdini by Tom Lalicki; Houdini, Tarzan, and the Perfect Man: The White Male Body in the Challenge of Modernity in America by John F. Kason; and the aforementioned Houdini's Box: The Art of Escape by Adam Phillips. Sid also notes that the bestseller The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon "features repeated references to Houdini.""No one knows how Houdini did the tricks. So, we pondered it and came up with our own methodology so that Lee could perform the trick," Hardeen said.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND HISTORY'S MOST ICONIC ILLUSIONIST"HOUDINI'S LAST SECRETS"PREMIERES SUNDAY, JANUARY 6 AT 10PM ON SCIENCE CHANNEL
Magicians, past and present, marvel at the death-defying performances of the legendary Harry Houdini. His breathtaking escapes and astonishing illusions have never been equaled, or fully understood. With the help of skilled engineers, accomplished illusionists, and a member of his own bloodline, a new Science Channel series looks to uncover the methods to Houdini's magic and madness. HOUDINI'S LAST SECRETS, a four-part series, premieres Sunday, January 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Catching a speeding bullet, being buried alive, submerging himself in a water torture cell. How did the world's greatest showman pull off such death-defying stunts? His talents allowed him to become one of, if not the biggest celebrity in the world. Those same unique skills, along with the company that he kept, led some to believe that he was an informant for the top U.S. and European spy agencies during World War I. Helping piece together clues and testing out his most daring stunts are Houdini's grand-nephew George Hardeen, magician and daredevil Lee Terbosic, and master stunt builder Steve Wolf. With access to the master illusionist's personal scrapbooks, letters, and pictures, they look to uncover the science of Houdini's stunts as well as the myths behind his legend.
"Harry Houdini is the definition of mind-blowing," said Marc Etkind, General Manager of Science Channel. "He was clearly ahead of his time when it came to using engineering to accomplish his stunts, so much so that his methods continue to be debated by today's master magicians. It's no wonder that just the name Houdini still stirs the imagination of people, nearly a century after his death."
Each episode will be centered around one of Houdini's most daring stunts. The premiere looks at Houdini's famous water torture cell escape to unmask the potential methods he may have used, and what the dangers involved could have been. He performed this feat many times in Washington D.C., where President Woodrow Wilson was rumored to often sneak over to watch Houdini. Other episodes focus on The Siberian Transport stunt, catching a bullet, and his escape from being buried alive.
HOUDINI'S LAST SECRETS is produced by Megalomedia for Science Channel. Executive producers for Megalomedia are Jonathan Zowaradan and David Barsky. Wyatt Channell is executive producer for Science Channel.
Harry Houdini’s Closest Living Relative Comes to the Famed Magician’s Hometown
George Hardeen to visit Budapest on the 91st anniversary of Houdini’s death
Budapest, HUNGARY – David Merlini, owner and founder of The House of Houdini Budapest, has invited George Hardeen—Houdini’s great-nephew—to visit Europe’s one and only Houdini Museum on October 31, the 91st anniversary of Houdini’s death on Halloween night, 1926.
Houdini was born Erik Weisz in Budapest, Hungary. He "borrowed" the name Houdini from French magician Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin. Houdini’s younger brother Theodore, who was also born in Budapest (as Ferenc Dezső Weisz) took the name Hardeen because it sounded like Houdini. Their father left Budapest in the late 1870s and settled in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he became the town's first rabbi. Houdini and Hardeen often performed together. Theo was a brilliant magician and escape artist in his own right. Houdini and his wife, Bess, had no children, and when he died on Halloween, 91 years ago, he willed all of his props to Theo. Theo Hardeen even named one of his sons Harry Houdini Hardeen (George Hardeen's father).
About George Hardeen
George Hardeen, 65, didn't find out he was Houdini's great-nephew until he was a teenager, as his father never talked about the connection—or mentioned his middle name. George Hardeen's grandfather died before he was born. When George Hardeen moved to northern Arizona in the early 1980s to pursue a career in journalism, he fell in love with the people and the landscape and never left. „The Houdini legacy has taken a new branch – Hardeen says - because my wife is Navajo and my children are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation.” George Hardeen travels to Budapest for the first time to pay a visit to The House of Houdini, a privately held museum dedicated to he memory of Harry Houdini.
“…we trekked to N.Y. Stopping on 79th st with Mrs. Leffler, mother of George and John, but don’t tell these managers that we still owe “Ma” for room rent. During that first Winter, experiencing the Great Blizzard of “1888” and receiving much food from Mrs. Leffler, and studying at P.S 70”
Chris Hardeen of Team Gladiators in Flagstaff (Right) and Besmik Gashi of Kicker’s MMA in Phoenix trade punches during their three round fight on Saturday at the New York Style Throwdown III in Cottonwood. Gashi was victorious in this fight by decision. (Photo by Greg Macafee)
Large, oversize 75 page personal scrapbook of Hardeen. Compiled by Hardeen himself from 1912-1914. Contains newspaper clipping and advertisements for Hardeen's upcoming dates and favorable press. Nearly every page has handwritten annotations by Hardeen. Includes a letter written by Hardeen's son " Dear Papa were (where) are my skates I will not go in the road, Theodore Weiss.". Hardeen types on the top of the page - This is the first letter that Toddles Weiss wrote to his Father. I received it in Buffalo, N.Y. Feb. 26th 1913. Signed Theo Hardeen Weiss. Measures 14.5" x 19". Detached front cover. A very historically important scrapbook.
Outstanding, original first-generation Houdini photo from photographer's collection. Image of a manacled Houdini taken by the Siegel Studio in Boston. The photo was developed on Baryta layer (fiber) photographic paper, giving the image a matte appearance. However, the image is highly detailed and crisp. Photo can be lifted to reveal a number 6, an indication for the photographer and client (Houdini) of what image was to be used or ordered. Harry Houdini's name is written below and the date of 1915. The image is from an earlier time in Houdini's career. One often sees the variant of this image taken at the same studio of Houdini looking down at his arms. Very rare.
"It gave me great pleasure to know your safe arrival and also to learn that you will do me the honor of a visit on or about July the 1st. and don't come with the idea that you are going to get away in a few hours. Come prepared to spend a few days!"
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Radio was quite new in 1925. The first commercial station KDKA, had gone on the air in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania just five years earlier. So a magic trick about radio was a very up-to-the-minute feature.
To present the illusion of Radio of 1950, Houdini walked around and behind an empty table in the center of the stage so the audience could see there were no mirrors underneath. Then two assistants put the "radio" on top, completely filling the table.
"I would like to present my original conception of what radio will be like in 25 years." Houdini said, "Tune in to any station and get the girl you want. No, gentlemen, it is not for sale."
He opened the entire front, which consisted of two doors, and removed a panel that held various coils and transformers and large glass tubes the size of light bulbs that were used before transistors were invented. The audience could see there was nothing else inside. He replaced the panel and closed the front.
"Now," he said, "we will tune in Pittsburg Station KDKA." He began twisting the dials. Suddenly a voice from the radio speaker announced, "Miss Dorothy Young, doing The Charleston." That was my cue. As the orchestra started playing that popular jazz dance, I threw open the lid, popped up my head at one end and kicked one leg up in the air. I kicked the other leg, clicked my feet together, jumped up, and curtsied. Houdini opened the front of the radio, lived me down, and I went into a wild Charleston as the audience laughed and applauded.
"He would already have made intensive investigations into television. He would have made all the proper contacts to insure him being the first magician to present a televised magic show to a really large television audience."
"Here would have been a chance for him to take up the cudgel and attack. Knowing the world as he knew it, and as he would have known it had his life been spared, it is certain that he would have intensely disapproved everything Nazi. What a thrill he would have had exposing the "Bund."
