Houdini 100 statue concept

David Merlini has shared a concept for the statue and fountain to be erected in Budapest as part of the Houdini 100 celebrations. I love it!

Related:

• Celebrate Houdini's 100th in Budapest
• New historical marker coming to Houdini Plaza
• When did Houdini and his mother go to Budapest?

New historical marker coming to Houdini Plaza

The Appleton Post-Crescent reports that a new commemorative plaque will be installed in Houdini Plaza to mark the 100th anniversary of Houdini's death. The Wisconsin Historical Society approved the proposal in February, and on Tuesday, the Appleton Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved the project. The marker will read: 

1874-1926

Born Ehrich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary, Harry Houdini became a world-famous magician and escape artist.

His family immigrated to the United States when he was 4 years old. They settled in Appleton in 1878. His father, Mayer Samuel Weiss, served as the first rabbi of Appleton's Zion Reform Jewish Congregation.

Throughout his career, Houdini proclaimed Appleton as his hometown. In 1897, he and his wife, Bess, performed at the Appleton Opera House. He challenged the local police and escaped from their handcuffs and a jail cell.

Houdini's career soared after he traveled to Europe in 1900, where he performed many daring escapes and stunts. He was also an author, pioneer aviator, silent film star, inventor, and collector.

Appleton proudly remembers its connection to the legendary “Handcuff King.”

I love that it mentions Houdini's 1897 appearance in Appleton. For the record, this was on March 29-30, when The Houdinis were traveling as part of the Rogers' Orpheum Stars company. Houdini escaped from handcuffs at the local police station on March 29. (As far as I know, he did not do a jail escape.)

Related:

• Houdini returns to Appleton in 1897
• The Houdinis are Rogers' Orpheum Stars of 1897
• Appleton launches "Year of Houdini" celebration
  

LINK: Houdini monument in ruin

A marker commemorating Houdini's historic flight in Australia is currently lying in pieces along Holden Road in Diggers Rest. The cause of the damage is unknown. The monument was erected in 1990 to celebrate “80 Years of Flight.” You can read a full report by David O'Conner at DiggersRest.com by clicking the headline or the image below.

A second monument to Houdini's flight, erected in 2010, stands at Old Calder Highway, Stan Payne Reserve, in Diggers Rest.

Below is the marker as it stood. Here's hoping it will be restored.

Related:

• When Houdini showed Australia that a man can fly
• Houdini soars at new Diggers Rest Pavilion
• Diggers Rest historians hold fundraiser to buy Houdini rarity

Houdini's 2nd lecture tour began 100 years ago today

It was 100 years ago today on Oct. 9, 1924, that Houdini kicked off his second Spiritualism lecture tour at the Pine Street Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Houdini began his talk by telling the crowd that he had first been to Williamsport during his 1895 tour with the Welsh Bros. Circus and that he had never seen a town that had changed so much over the years.

Today, Williamsport commemorates both his appearances with a historical marker erected by Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz in 2016.

Houdini's second spiritualism tour, now called "Can the Dead Speak To the Living?" took him on a 9000-mile cross-crossing route through Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York. His two combined tours covered almost 12,000 miles during this single year.

For this occasion, I've created an interactive Google map showing the complete route of Houdini's two tours (as far as I know them). If you're a member of my Patreon, you can start the journey by clicking below.

Thanks to my patrons for supporting content like this.

Related:

• Houdini's war on fake mediums began 100 years ago today
• Houdini describes his spiritualism lecture in full
• Williamsport honors their "Wild Man" with historical marker

Searching for Houdini in Columbus, Texas

This historical marker can be found at the Old Stafford Opera House in Columbus, Texas. It shows Houdini performed at the historic theater. But did he?

Unfortunately, I have no record of Houdini in Columbus, and I have a pretty complete listing of all the stops on his Texas tours of 1916, 1923, and 1924. However, there is still a possibility that he appeared at the Stafford due to a certain peculiarity of these tours.

The Texas-based Interstate Amusement Company, the circuit on which Houdini toured, would occasionally send a vaudeville troupe appearing in a major city to a smaller city for a single night's performance. These were mid-week appearances, the theaters would literally swap acts. Houdini appeared in Galveston and Corsicana this way. So could Columbus have been another one of these one-nighters?

I haven't found anything (yet), so I'm throwing this out to other research bloodhounds. If it helps, below are the dates of Houdini's Texas tours.

1916: Jan. 10 to Feb. 13

1923: Oct. 28 to Nov. 25

1924: Oct. 12 to Oct. 19 (spirit lectures)

It sure would be nice to put Harry in Columbus. The theater is a beauty!

Thanks to the Discover Columbus Texas Facebook page for the pics and Richard Hatch for sending me down this rabbit hole.

Related:

• Houdini tours Texas
• Houdini arrives in Galveston (at last)
• 'Houdini Way' appears in Kingsland, Texas

LinkNYC has Houdini covered

Our friend Michelle Ainsworth sends in an alert she recently spotted Houdini trivia on one of New York City's LinkNYC wireless charging and information stations. According to Michelle it read: "Harry Houdini is buried in Queens, New York."

These LinkNYC digital displays are ever changing and I've not been able to find a photo of the Houdini trivia, so this is just a heads up that it's currently in rotation. If someone can grab a pic, I've love to share it.

I'm betting this isn't the first or last bit of Houdini trivia to show up on LinkNYC.

Thanks Michelle!

Related:

• Houdini among "Windows on the Bowery"
• Houdini's hat floats in the 23rd Street subway
• Houdini honored as Brooklyn resident

Barrymore Film Center adds Houdini to their Walk of Fame

The Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, recently held a VIP reception to unveil their Walk of Fame Class of 2023. Look who made the list this year:

Marion Davies

James Young Deer 

Francis Doublier 

Douglas Fairbanks 

D.W. Griffith 

Harry Houdini 

Florence Lawrence 

Frances Marion 

Lewis J. Selznick 

Mack Sennett 

The BFC is a 260-seat cinema, museum and archive, dedicated to Ft Lee's role as the birthplace of cinema.  Their Walk of Fame honors pioneers of early cinema and can be viewed in their sky gallery.

Thanks to Carl Morano for the alert.  

Related:

• Nashville remembers Houdini
• Houdini honored as Brooklyn resident
• Williamsport honors their "Wild Man" with historical marker

Nashville remembers Houdini

Reader Michael Ochoa sends in this photo he took at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. He says Houdini also appears in a film on the auditorium's history. There's no escaping this good old boy!

This timeline chronicles Houdini spiritualism lecture at the Ryman Auditorium on March 11, 1924. The "sunk in water" escape referred to in the ad was his Double Fold Milk Can. Houdini included escapes during this first lecture tour.

This wasn't Houdini's only appearance in Nashville. In 1899 he played two weeks at the Grand Theater on Church Street and even escaped handcuffs at a local police station. During his second week he shared the bill with Sigmund Neuberger a.k.a. The Great Lafayette. This is when Houdini gifted Lafayette with his cherished dog "Beauty." Below is an ad for that week.

The Nashville American, Nov. 12, 1899.

Thank you Michael!

Related:

• Houdini (Himself) in Nashville
• Houdini did not approve this message
• For the dogs

Salem's "Houdini Way" mural

Last year came news that the City of Salem, Massachusetts, would rename Front Street "Houdini Way" in honor of Houdini's jailbreak from the Front Street police station on April 16, 1906. As you can see below, the name now appears on a concrete barrier that extends across the passage. This image comes from Mink Creative Studio who created the mural.

UPDATE: The good folks at Mink Studio inform me that this barrier was erected in October just for the busy tourist season. So it's likely no longer there. But let's hope it reappears this year as it was a popular spot for photo ops. Even among Salem's witches!

Related:

• Salem will rename street "Houdini Way"
• LINK: The complete account of Houdini's visit to Salem, Massachusetts
• 'Houdini Way' appears in Kingsland, Texas

The Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd (and Houdini) Alley video

Exciting news for silent movie buffs and fan of Hollywood history. The famous alley off Cahuenga Blvd in Hollywood has now been officially named the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley. The below video, made for last month's Silent Movie Day gives a rundown of all the famous silent films shot in the alley, including Houdini's The Grim Game!

The recognition and naming of the Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Alley was thanks to the efforts of silent movie historian John Bengtson and Hollywood Heritage. (John is also the guy who identified the alley in The Grim Game.) You can watch a video of the September 29, 2021 dedication ceremony HERE.

Related: 

• The Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd (and Houdini!) alley
• Houdini in the Cahuenga alley
• The silent cinema of Harry Houdini

'Houdini Way' appears in Kingsland, Texas

Yesterday members of the the Texas Association of Magicians (T.A.O.M.) magically unveiled a street sign for the new "Houdini Way" in Legendary Estates on Lake LBJ in Kingsland, Texas. This is the first street in Texas to be named in honor of Houdini.

You can view the magic moment below:

The Texas Association of Magicians (T.A.O.M.) 2021 Convention begins today in Austin and runs through September 6. The event kicks off this morning with a special tour of the Houdini Collection at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.

Coincidentally, the city of Salem, Massachusetts designated their own "Houdini Way" in July. Let's keep 'em coming!

Thanks to Scott Wells of The Magic Word Podcast for the news and images.

UPDATE: Scott has covered the unveiling event on his Magic Word Podcast HERE.

Related:

• Houdini invites you to TAOM 2021
• Salem will rename street "Houdini Way"
• Houdini tours Texas

New Houdini monument rises in Laurel Canyon

While driving through Laurel Canyon yesterday I was excited to see something new outside the gates of the Houdini Estate. A large Houdini bust atop a tall stone pedestal with commemorative plaque now sits at the intersection of Willow Glen and Laurel Canyon Blvd. It's visible to passing cars and accessible to the public. (The bust had previously been located inside the Houdini property.) What a magnificent public tribute to Houdini!

Related:

• A new addition to The Houdini Estate
• The true story of the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Houdini Estate sees wedding of owner José Nazar

Salem will rename street "Houdini Way"

The City of Salem, Massachusetts, will rename Front Street to "Houdini Way" in honor of Houdini's jailbreak from the Front Street police station on April 16, 1906. Below is the motion from the Office of the City Clerk.

Houdini performed with his own vaudeville touring company in Salem from April 16-18, 1906. This was his only appearance in Salem (as far as I know). The building that stands at the site of Houdini's jail break is the original.

Thanks to Erik Bartlett at TheMagicDetective Group for the alert.

Related:

• LINK: The complete account of Houdini's visit to Salem, Massachusetts
• Petition to rename 113th Street "Harry Houdini Way"
• Houdini in 1906

Houdini and the New Britain mystery stunt (update)

Recently reader Brittany Hart reached out to see if I has any information on a stunt Houdini is said to have performed in her hometown of New Britain, Connecticut. While she could find no information in the local newspaper archives, she points out there's a plaque on the historic Andrews Building commemorating the feat. She was kind enough to send over this image.

It certainly sounds like what Houdini did here was a suspended straitjacket escape. However, I can find no record of an outdoor stunt in New Britain. In fact, the only appearance I have for Houdini in New Britain is a two day stint with the American Gaiety Girls in early March 1896. This was long before Houdini was famous and well before his suspended straitjacket days (not to mention before the Andrews was built). But he did do a handcuff escape at the local New Britain police station.

Houdini performed in nearby Hartford in 1906 and 1926. He also gave charity performances in Westport in 1917 and Southport in 1924. But it doesn't make much sense for him to promote these appearance in New Britain.

However, I did discover that Houdini's The Master Mystery played at the Lyceum Theater in New Britain in December of 1918. This was among the first theaters to show the serial and this was during a time Houdini was on the road making personal appearances. Is it possible he promoted the movie with a suspended straitjacket escape from New Britain's famous 5-story landmark?

Hartford Courant, Dec. 22, 1918

I'm afraid this one has me stumped, so I'm throwing it out there. Can anyone help crack the case of Houdini and the New Britain mystery stunt?

UPDATE: Thanks to our friends Jim Klodzen and Joe Fox, it appears the mystery may be solved, and it's not good news for New Britain nor the Andrews Building.

In 1919 an escape artist calling himself "The Great Luther" toured New England in the wake of Houdini's The Master Mystery, playing theaters that had shown or were showing the serial. Luther advertised himself as a "former assistant to Houdini," but Houdini told Billboard that he had never heard of him.

In February, Luther appeared at the Lyceum Theater in New Britain, which had just played The Master Mystery. On February 23, 1919, he performed a suspended straitjacket escape from the New Britain National Bank Building at 272 Main Street. This is not the same as the Andrews Building which stands at 132 Main Street. But they are on the same block with the Lyceum between them, and as Luther seemed to be doing all he could to be confused with Houdini, it not hard to believe that over time Luther became Houdini in the minds of the citizens of New Britain. At least I think this is the best explanation that we have so far.

Thanks to Brittany Hart for bringing this to our attention in the first place!

Related:

• Houdini's known suspended straitjacket escapes
• Houdini and The Master Mystery at Clune's
• That pesky Parson's Theater program

10th Anniversary: Diggers Rest centennial festival

It was 10 years ago today that Diggers Rest in Australia kicked off their centenary celebrations of Houdini's historic first flight on the continent on March 18, 1910. You can revisit the festival via my post about the lineup of events below:

Diggers Rest Houdini centenary celebration schedule

TEN YEAR UPDATE: The centenary came off as planned and a monument now stands at Diggers Rest (below). Gary Sunderland's model of Houdini's biplane, made especially for the celebrations, eventually landed at the local Houdini's Café e Cucina. However, despite the best efforts of the organizers to discover what happened to Houdini's historic Voisin biplane after he sold it in 1913, it remains a lost artifact.

Related:

• Welcome to our WILD 10th year
• When Houdini showed Australia that a man can fly

Mystifier, Second Quarter 1996

Continuing my issue by issue look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The Second Quarter 1996 Mystifier is made up largely of a very fine article by Edwin A. Dawes about Houdini and The Magicians' Club in England. Houdini was president of the club from its founding in 1911 to his death. The article is a treasure trove of information about the various Magicians' Club events that Houdini attended, including this gem about a 1920 dinner honoring Houdini officiated by The Great Raymond.

Will Goldston claimed in his book Sensational Tales of Mystery Men (1929) that Houdini detested Maurice Raymond and, when he learned that Raymond was the occupy the Chair at this particular function, at first refused to accept any presentation from him. It took Goldston's powers of persuasion to get Houdini to allow Raymond to officiate. Even then Goldston had to reprint the tickets to placate Houdini who insisted that "The Great Raymond" be replaced with "M.F. Raymond" because "he's not great at all."

According to Milbourne Christopher in Houdini The Untold Story (1969), the antipathy had been aroused years previously when Raymond ordered a Water Can escape from Ornum, a British manufacture, without seeking Houdini's permission. However, Raymond apologized and at the dinner presumably made ample amends by declaiming in his speech, "Harry Houdini was born, as I was, under the Stars and Stripes. He saw them a little ahead of me and he had been ahead of me ever since."

The newsletter continues with a photo of the newly installed "Harry Houdini Family" inscription on the Wall of Honor at Ellis Island in New York City. Getting Houdini's name on the wall was due to the efforts of HHC member Paul Rosen. Among the "New Members" are Lance Burton and Dean Gunnarson.

The newsletter only runs four pages this time, but tipped into each member's issue was a letter from HHC Executive Director Steven M. Wilson announcing that the Mind Over Magic exhibition, announced in the previous issue, is being postponed (indefinitely, as it would turn out). Wilson explains that "concerns began to surface about the many directions the project could take, and whether the exhibit was right for our audiences needs."

Sid Radner starts off his "Backstage" column with an amusing look at people he has encountered who have legally changed their names to "Harry Houdini." [We have a regular reader here named "Harry Houdini." Is he one of the folks Sid mentions?] Sid then announces that Houdini Comes To America by Ronald J. Hilgert will be the first HHC publication and will be limited to 300 signed copies.

Sid finishes with a promise to reveal details on Ken Silverman's upcoming book and the recently completed Houdini documentary in the next issues. He signs off with: "Houdini Lives!"

Mystifier

Volume 6, Number 2

Second Quarter, 1996

4 pages

Contents:

Houdini and the Magicians' Club

Houdini Family Named on Wall of Honor

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• LINK: An invitation to meet Houdini
• Houdinii
• The textbook

Plaque marking Houdini's first New York City home

The New York Post reports that a historic plaque marking Houdini first New York home will be installed at 244 East 79th Street, the one-time location of Mrs. Loeffler's boarding house where the Weiss family lived in 1887. The plaque dedication was part of the Original Houdini Seance held at Sojourn Restaurant on Halloween.

A plaque was said to have been installed there in 2016. But when I went to Sojourn to have a look in July, the restaurant staff had no idea what I was talking about. So I'll believe it when I see it!

Nevertheless, it's one fine looking plaque.

Photo from David Allen @TodaysNew.

UPDATE: According to Dick Brookz of the Houdini Museum in Scranton (who organize the Original Seance), the 2016 plaque was stolen.

Related:

• Houdini a no show, but 2018 seances still a success
• Wild in Houdini's New York (2018)
• S.A.M. dedicates historic plaque and honors Deborah Hardeen in New York

Mystifier, Third Quarter 1994

Continuing my issue by issue look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The Third Quarter 1994 Mystifier features a lengthy review of the biography Barnum by Morris R. Werner, written by Houdini for the May 1923 Literary Digest International Book Review. It's pretty interesting to hear Houdini discuss his great predecessor in self-promotion. He even says that he read Barnum's autobiography as a youth. Here's a taste:

It would pay every one, in an educational way, to read Barnum's "Life" and then pick up Mr. Werner's book and see how hard the latter tries to show us Mr. Barnum as he really was. He does it very ably, but there is one curious oversight: he seems to have forgotten entirely the publicity promoters of Barnum. I was fortunate enough to become acquainted with Kit Clark, one of the original "abusive bill writers." No one man, without lieutenants, I believe, has every projected a publicity campaign to equal that which Clark carried through for Jenny Lind. Outside of the presidential campaigns, in my humble estimation, the Jenny Lind exploitation will rank with the greatest ever seen in this country.

By the way, Houdini's copy of the Werner book, inscribed to Houdini by the author, is today in the Harry Ransom Center collection. [see update below]

The newsletter continues with the news that "Harry Houdini and Family" will be added to the Ellis Island "Wall of Honor" in New York, thanks to the sponsorship of HHC member Paul Rosen. Rosen said he elected to use the name Houdini instead of Ehrich Weiss as Houdini "is how the public knows him." The newsletter says the name is expected to be added to the Wall in 1995. (It's worth noting that the Weiss family likely came through Castle Garden at the Battery, not Ellis Island.)

Benjamin Filene is announced as the new curator of the Houdini Historical Center. Filene says he's "eager to immerse himself in Houdini lore." A fundraising campaign for repairs to Houdini's grave is also announced. The grave site was vandalized on May 25, 1994.

In "Backstage with Sid Radner," Sid welcomes to the HHC Raymond Corbin, a great proponent of the Spook Show genre. "It's too bad the new generation of magicians and the public can't experience the thrilling piece of Americana that was the midnight spook show," says Sid. He also thanks Arthur Moses and the late Manny Weltman for uncovering the Houdini Barnum review.

Sid then reports that he, David Baldwin, and Henry Muller of the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame have acquired the Walter B. Gibson/Great Raymond Collection. He says it took nine people an entire weekend to clear it out of the barn in which it had been stored. Among the treasures is an original Miss Undina poster, said to have been the very poster used by Houdini in his 1912 trial against her. Sid promises more about the collection in a future issue of Mystifier.

Mystifier

Volume 4, Number 3

Third Quarter, 1994

6 pages

Contents:

Houdini Discusses P.T. Barnum

Houdini Name on Ellis Island Wall

Curator Welcomed at HHC

Funds Needed to Repair Houdini's Gravesite

New Book at Museum Shop

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

UPDATE: Our friend Eric Colleary of the Harry Ransom Center has tweeted images of the book itself. Dated on Houdini's birthday! Check it out here.

Related:

• Miss Undina in color
• Hugh Jackman inhabits another Showman (Barnum)
• Here are the missing headstones for Gladys and Leopold Weiss

Wild in Houdini's New York (2018)

Last weekend I traveled to New York City to speak at the New-York Historical Society. It was a fantastic trip filled with Houdini sights and discoveries. I'm sensitive about not making this blog "all about me" (people come here for Harry), and I considered not writing up this trip up as I did my visit to NYC last year. But there was just too much cool Houdini stuff to not share! So here we go. All about me. And if you're wondering where the photo to the left was taken, just you wait!

I arrived on Thursday night and met up with my father and sister, Taylor, who would be sharing some of my adventures. (My sister, whom I'm very proud, lives in Manhattan and works for Macy's Fashion Design.) We had dinner at Keens Steakhouse in Herald Square. The restaurant dates back to 1885 and is deeply rooted in the theatrical history of the area. Actress Lillie Langtry famously challenged Keens Men Only policy in 1905. While there were no references to Houdini inside, there's no question that he ate here, so I considered this a Houdini sight in itself.

Friday, July 13th

I had most of the day free before my talk, so I decided to hit a few Houdini locations. The first was the Houdini Museum of New York at Fantasma Magic. This was my first visit to their new location with an expanded space for owner Roger Dreyer's spectacular Houdini collection. Roger wasn't able to be there, but he told his staff to let me see anything I wanted, even offering to open any display case and let me handle any object.

I've written about the museum's artifacts in previous posts [be sure and read: Did Hardeen reveal Houdini's most secret secret?], but what stood out to me this time was the grave bust of Houdini that now sits in the entryway. This is the 1976 replacement bust, which was stolen in 1983 and recovered in 2002. It's on loan from the Society of American Magicians. What I love is it still has the police evidence tag on it -- now part of its history! I was also excited to see a very detailed photo of Bess in her stage coat; the very coat I would be seeing on display at the NYHS that night. John Gaughan's full size reproduction of the Automaton from The Master Mystery is a new and popular addition. I also got to see some of the treasures back in Roger's private office. It was a perfect way to begin my day. Thanks to everyone at the museum for making me feel so welcome.

I then crossed town to "Mrs. Loeffler's Boarding House" at 244 East 79th Street. This was the first New York home of the Weiss family, and it would still be recognizable to them today (at least the outside). I stopped in at Sojourn restaurant excited to see the historic plaque that was given to them by the S.A.M. in 2016. I presumed it would be hanging up in the restaurant or somewhere on the building facade. Unfortunately, it was nowhere to be found.

My great friend Colleen Bak, formerly "our girl in Queens" who so lovingly watched over Houdini's grave, joined me for lunch. We had a delightful meal and conversation. Did young Ehrich and Dash play where we were seated? It's possible!

Time was getting tight, but with Colleen's subway assistance, I could squeeze in one more stop. So we shot down to 14th Street where, again, I had been told I would find a historic plaque. This time I was in luck! Near 14th and 3rd is a plaque marking the spot where Tony Pastor's famous vaudeville theater once stood. Interestingly, it was just across the street from where Huber's Dime Museum was located at 106 East 14th Street. So I got two Houdini locations in one. Thanks Colleen!

I then zipped back to Taylor's apartment; napped, showered, put on my suit, and I was off to the New-York Historical Society, housed in a beautiful building off Central Park West. There I met curator Cristian Petru Panaite who showed me around the amazing Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection exhibition. It's every bit as impressive as I imagined, and the Houdini area (a round glass enclosure surrounded by large screens showing Houdini doing escapes) was breathtaking. And the Mirror Cuffs!

The exhibition also had a clever "levitation" photo op. Here's Taylor getting a lift from DC.

After a quick sound check inside the museum's impressive Robert H. Smith Auditorium, I was able to meet magicians Adam RealMan and The Great Dubini, who were performing for the assembling crowd and would be featured for the entire "Houdini Weekend." But now it was showtime!

I'm happy to report that my talk on "Houdini in New York" seemed to go over extremely well. I had built this talk just for this event, and I really wanted to deliver for the museum and David Copperfield who had put so much (blind?) faith in me. I shared several uncommon stories, and the ~370 attendees seemed to really enjoy them. I was also able to play up the fact that the day marked the 104th anniversary of Houdini's first performance of his Walking Through A Brick Wall at Hammerstein's Victoria in NYC, a happy coincidence.

We then screened the excellent PBS documentary Houdini (2000). After the screening, I met many friends and blog readers, and even the family of Kenneth Silvermam. I was also thrilled to meet in person the new owners of Houdini's house (278), who were sitting front and center. They told me they were stunned when I showed a photo of Mrs. Loeffler's boarding house and Sojourn restaurant, because that is where they had met! So they met at Houdini's first New York home and then ended up buying his house. Now that is wild!

Saturday, July 14th

This was to be an exciting day, as I had been invited to see 278, which is currently in the process of being restored. Having met my father and sister at my talk, the new owners also invited them along, so this proved to be a nice family adventure for us. At noon we made our way to Harlem and walked up the steps and through those magical doors. Last year when I left the open house, I felt a wave of sadness as I realized I may never be back. But here I was back inside 278!

This time I knew much more about the house. But that doesn't mean there still weren't discoveries to be made. The first was just how much Fred Thomas, the previous owner, had saved it. I'm afraid I've never given him enough credit for this. But now I saw the photos Fred took when he first bought the house in 1991. I'm not sure what the heck was going on inside the house during the '80s, but it looked on the edge of being condemned! I also saw Fred's blueprints for his own renovations and restorations. So while he may not have loved Houdini fans, he clearly loved 278. Thank you Fred!

I was also able to go down into the basement, which I could not do in 2017. At long last I saw the mysterious wheel that has, so far, failed to excite Houdini collectors, maybe because some have suggested it might just be part of the dumbwaiter or some other mechanical part of the house. I wanted to get to the bottom of this, so I rolled it out into the light to get a closer look. I even took a wet paper towel to clean it off.

The first thing I discovered was that it was painted dark green with signs of bright orange paint as well. It reminded me of circus colors, and my mind flashed on this image. Could this have been from a circus wagon? Or, better yet, could it have come from Houdini's vanishing elephant cabinet, which was said to have been painted to look like...a circus wagon!!!

This possibility had me bouncing off the basement walls. However, when I later read up on wagon wheels, it turns out they were commonly painted this shade of dark green to hide dirt. Orange was also a color commonly found on wagons. (Who knew wagons were so colorful?) So the paint was not unusual or especially theatrical. However, it does confirm this is a wagon wheel, not a gear, and Houdini did an escape called "the big wheel release." So I'm pretty convinced this is the last original Houdini prop stored in the basement of 278. (A wine press that dates back to Houdini is also still present.)

The owners then took me on a very thorough tour, showing me where they had uncovered some of the original flooring and features, and even a few mysterious areas that had been sealed off, such as a large space in the basement and a fireplace on the top floor. What could be inside? They intend to find out! I also saw the original doorway to Houdini's library that Fred had stored in the basement. It will be put back in place. The new flooring in Houdini's bathroom will also be taken out. According to the owners, Fred did not remove the original floor, just covered it over. So will they find the much mentioned "H" in the tile underneath? (One concern is Fred might have poured concrete over it.)

We explored and talked for hours (outlasting my dad and Taylor). Then, for the grand finale, we went up on the roof. Yes, I was on the freakin' roof of 278! Here I could see the top of the famous stairway skylight, and also where two other skylights had originally been (or maybe the stairway skylight had been moved?). I was also able to take a flashlight and look into a crawl space just below the roof -- gazing into the very guts of 278. The owners joked (or not?) that it would be fun to project film of Houdini escaping from a straitjacket on the side of the adjacent building so it could be seen from the street below. Um...yes please!

After our explorations, we had a lovely outdoor lunch at Bier International just down the street (I could see 278 from my seat). We enjoyed sausages and beer, and I was struck by how the area still has a German influence, just as it did in Houdini's day. It was a sensational time and I'm so grateful to the new homeowners for the visit. I really got a good idea of what they are planning, and I know the finished house is going to be magnificent. They also invited me back, so I'm excited that I'll be able to continue to share details of the house's revival.

By now it was late afternoon and I was pretty tired, but I decided to go for broke and make the trek out to Queens and visit Houdini himself. After an hour subway and bus ride, I found myself at Machpelah Cemetery. It was closed on Saturday, but I know Houdini's trick of how to walk through walls. The weather was perfect and the light beautiful, and I spent a good two hours there as the sun set. I've never been to the grave alone, and it was nice to spend this time, as Houdini himself once put it, "in silent contemplation." (Okay, I did briefly FaceTime with my cat.)

Sunday, July 16th

My flight home wasn't until the afternoon, so I could still hit a few Houdini spots. For this I was aided by the great Fred Pittella, whose amazing Houdini collection I saw during my 2017 trip. Fred picked me up from Taylor's apartment and we travelled to Union City, New Jersey. There we found the building that once housed Houdini's workshop and his ill-fated Film Developing Corporation. Today it is part of Hudson River Studios, a collective of buildings available as rental space. This building is known as, what else?, "Houdini"! There's even a pic of Harry inside the front door. (And that's where I took the top image.)

The building was closed on Sunday, but I was happy just to see the outside, which still looks almost exactly as it did in Houdini's time. But then a film crew arrived to load some equipment into the building. After a little persuading, the very nice woman in charge allowed us to have a quick look inside. It was immediately clear that the film lab must have been housed in a large open area on the first floor. But what about the workshop?

Until now, my best guess was that it was on the second floor. This is because in the few photos of that space the windows appear to be level with the neighboring rooftops. Unfortunately, we could not get to the second floor as that is where the film shoot was taking place. However, Fred and I could see those same level rooftops from the first floor -- so it's a bit of an optical illusion. That means it's possible the workshop was here somewhere.

That's when I moved toward the back and found another room off to the side. Boom! The brick walls and the windows are a very good match to the famous photos. It also makes logical sense that Houdini's workshop, with its heavy machinery, would be on the first floor. So Fred and I firmly believe we've found the location of Houdini's magic workshop. What an unexpected treat!

By the way, the fact that there hasn't been an Official Houdini Seance in this place is crazy! This needs to happen.

Leaving the lab, Fred and I traveled deeper into New Jersey for what would be the last stop of my trip, and it was a big finish! We arrived at the home of the King himself, Kevin Connolly, who owns one of the world's great Houdini collections.

To describe all I saw just isn't possible. Kevin's study is filled with Houdini posters, pitchbooks, tobacco cards (the largest collection of Houdini cards in existence), and bookcases overflowing. At long last I got to see the fabled Russian pitchbook. Kevin even kindly paged through it for me, allowing me to confirm some important research. He also showed me his Haldane of the Secret Service pressbook, which came from the Christopher Collection and is, as far as I know, the only one in existence. Oh some of the Haldane posters it shows!

If that wasn't enough, we then took a seat at the dining room table and Kevin served up an unending banquet of file folders jam packed with programs, letters, and photos. Truly spectacular Houdiniana at my fingertips. In one folder Kevin had programs from almost every stop of Houdini's 1922 Vaudeville tour (allowing me to confirm and fill in a few spots on my Chronology). I also got to read through the unusual letters Houdini wrote about monkey gland transplants, an operation he might have been considering having himself.

It was also just a delight to talk, joke, and gossip with Kevin and Fred. These guys know where all the bodies are buried! They also remember the "old timers" like Sid Radner, Jay Marshall, and Milbourne Christopher. Hmmm...does that make us the new "old timers"?

We bid our goodbyes to Kevin and his lovely wife Susan, and Fred drove me to the airport. Thus my 2018 Houdini adventure came to an end. Thanks to everyone who made it so special.

Thanks to my dad, Ron Cox, Colleen Bak, and Ray McNally for the event and exhibition pics.

Related:

• New 278 owners committed to preserving Houdini history
• Is there a Houdini prop in the basement of 278?
• It's now the "Houdini Studio" in New Jersey
• Wild in Houdini's New York, 2017