Dua Lipa drops by the Houdini Estate

Our new friend Dua Lipa held the Los Angeles launch event for her new single "Houdini" at, where else, the Houdini Estate! Billboard reports:

When Dua Lipa announced a trio of release-week fan events for her new single “Houdini,” taking place in London, Los Angeles and Tokyo, she kept the exact locations a secret. But was there ever any doubt where the LA party had to be held? 

Lipa invited hundreds of her biggest fans to the mysterious Houdini Estate in the winding hills of Laurel Canyon Boulevard on Tuesday night to navigate an escape room (fitting for the famous illusionist and the slippery new song) and to dance the night away at an open-air disco party.

When the second go-round wrapped up, Lipa teased that she wouldn’t be leaving the estate just yet. “You guys are the f—ing best, thank you so much! I want you guys to stay, enjoy your time, those that haven’t, try the escape room. I’m going to do a little walk around. I’ve got to go and see this spooky-a– place.”

It's not really apparent in the pic, but she's making that expression because she's just discovered the bookcase opens and is a secret passage to the master bedroom. People love that.

Okay, that's the last Dua Lipa post, I promise. At least until she drops her next single, "Hardeen."

Thanks to Neil McNally at The Doug Henning Project.

Related:

• Dua Lipa unlocks 'Houdini'
• Dua Lipa has to explain Houdini was a real person
• Drake scared away from "haunted Houdini house"

A look inside the Houdini Estate

Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of acting as Houdini historian during a wedding at the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon (congratulations Chris and Adrienne). It's great how this has become such a prime Los Angeles event venue that so intrigues people. It's also wild to think I used to crawl around its ruins when I was a kid.

Anyway, I thought I'd share this video from Home Lore. This gives a good look at the property with some nice nods to Houdini history, and the presenter is a lot of fun. Enjoy.

You can find information on how to rent the property for events or even just an overnight stay via the official website. And if you want a Houdini historian on hand, I'd be happy to join the party!

Related:

• The true story of the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Two rare props come home to the Houdini Estate
• Once Upon A Time in Laurel Canyon

LINK: Kiwanis Experience the Magic of the Houdini Estate

The Burbank Leader has posted coverage from The Magic of Kiwanis event last month at the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon. I had a nice conversation with the reporter, David Laurell, and I think he does a great job encapsulating the house history here. They even caught a pic of me yapping it up to one of the groups inside the house.

Click here or on the headline to have a read at the Burbank Leader.

Related:

• Second Houdini tribute rises in Laurel Canyon
• The Magic of Kiwanis at the Houdini Estate, March 25
• The true story of the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate

Second Houdini tribute rises in Laurel Canyon

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending The Kiwanis Club of Burbank's Annual Gala at the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon. It was terrific event and I had a great time giving Houdini talks and answering questions for attendees. You can see photos and coverage at MyBurbank.

It seems every time I return to the Houdini Estate something has been added or changed. This time I was excited to see the Houdini sculpture "Rise", which had been located inside the estate and has always been one of my favorite works of Houdini art, now stands outside the entrance just off Laurel Canyon Blvd. This means it can be seen as you drive past the property. 

Not long ago a large bust was added outside the Willow Glen entrance. So whether you're traveling North or South through Laurel Canyon you get a glimpse of the estate's namesake.

"Rise" was created by Brannon Wright in 2013.

Speaking of the Houdini Estate, I am now on their list of recommend vendors and entertainers. That means if you want a Houdini historian at your special event, just give me a shout! Like the Kiwanis did.

Thanks to Cari Pelayo and The Kiwanis Club of Burbank for allowing me to be part of their magical event.

Related:

• The Magic of Kiwanis at the Houdini Estate, March 25
• New Houdini monument rises in Laurel Canyon
• Two rare props come home to the Houdini Estate

Two rare props come home to the Houdini Estate

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending a charity event benefiting Rescues Rock, a nonprofit animal welfare, education and rescue organization, at the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon. The "Hootenanny at Houdini" was an evening of fun and music with performances by Billy Gibbons, Lisa Loeb, as well as magician Kayla Drescher. I also had the pleasure of spending time with owners José Luis Nazar and Kathleen Martínez who shared a new house mystery with me...but I'll get to that.

Whenever I get a chance to enter the estate I'm always excited to see what might be new. Last week I reported on the beautiful new monument that now stands just outside the gates. On this night I was in for another surprise. The main house now has on display the famous Iron Box and a Houdini Milk Can. You might recall these were auctioned in March of last year. Now we know where they went!

The Iron Box is best known for its appearance in the classic biopic Houdini (1953) starring Tony Curtis. The box features in what Houdini expert Patrick Culliton (who was also at the event) calls "the best scene in the movie" when Houdini gets trapped under the ice of a frozen river. The box was supplied by Dunninger who always claimed it had belonged to Houdini himself. 

We've yet to be able to draw any firm conclusions as to its life before the movie. But as a standout feature of Houdini '53 it is a wonderful piece of cinema history and it seems fitting that it is now home in Hollywood.

The Milk Can continues to be an intriguing mystery. This was the can that was on display for many years at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada. After the museum fire and closure it took a strange detour and wound up on display--along with the Iron Box--in a coin shop in Santa Monica (where I got a look at it in 2016).

The distinctive ring on the bottom of the can and the rectangular hasp on the collar suggests this could be the can Houdini used in the Double Fold Death Defying Mystery. Unfortunately, the lid is not the original. It was made by John Gaughan for the previous owner. The original lid was said to have been "lost" at the Niagara Falls museum. But I suspect it's still out there and I'm sure José would be interested in uniting the lid with the can. So if you have a lead, please get in touch.

Patrick Culliton and I examine the Milk Can as homeowner José Nazar looks on.

I couldn't be happier that these two gems are now part of the Houdini Estate where they can be enjoyed by guests and further studied. And, yes, that Milk Can poster on the wall is a mockup from the recent Adrian Brody miniseries. That will be replaced with a reproduction of the original in the Harry Ransom Center. The bust on top of the can is a modern creation and a beauty.

Okay, so what about this new mystery? While strolling the gardens, Kathleen and José pointed out to me what appears to be a sealed doorway. This was walled up when José acquired the property and they have no idea what it is, where it could lead, nor what might be inside. So on the spot we hatched the idea to crack it open on Halloween 2022. (We can't do this year as Kathleen with be in Egypt on her own excavation.) 

What might we discover? Houdini secrets? The old elevator to the fabled tunnel under Laurel Canyon? I don't know, but it will surely be another Houdini Hootenanny!

Thanks to José and Kathleen for inviting me to join the fun. And if you are interested in pet adoption or helping in animal rescue, please visit the Rescues Rock website.

Related:

• Milk Can and Iron Box surprise at auction
• Houdini relics resurface in Santa Monica
• Houdini Estate sees wedding of owner José Nazar

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

Houdini Air B&B? Can It Be?

Today I'm back on the always enjoyable Transatlantic History Ramblings podcast with Lauren Davies and Brian Young. This time the topic is the fabled Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon, which is now available for rent via Airbnb. But we also talk about Doug Henning, Lance Burton, the Wonderland Murders, and Yanni! It's always a joy to join Brian and Lauren, so have a listen below. Interview begins at 30:55.

You can listen and subscribe to Transatlantic History Ramblings on Apple, Spotify, Google, Anchor, or your favorite podcatcher. You can also follow them on Twitter @HistoryTA.

Related:

• The true story of the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• We're getting closer to putting Houdini in Laurel Canyon (for real)
• The Man Who Walked Through Walls AGAIN!!

Fire at the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon

I'm taking a break from my break to share news of a fire that broke out in a shed on the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon on Christmas night. Luckily, it sounds like the fire did not reach the house itself. The below comes from KABC Eyewitness News.

The fire started just after 8 p.m. in a shed behind the house in the 2400 block of N. Laurel Canyon Blvd., which was once home to legendary illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini. 

Over 100 firefighters responded while helicopters performed water drops. 

Crews say they were helped by the wind which pushed the flames into a small area of brush. 

The fire was fully contained in about an hour. 

Fire in this area is no joke. In 1959 a massive brush fire destroyed the original mansion that stood on this property along with many homes. For a full history of Houdini's connection to the property check out this post.

Thanks to Mark Willoughby for the alert.

UPDATE: Below is some video of the action.

Related:

• Houdini Estate sees wedding of owner José Nazar
• We're getting closer to putting Houdini in Laurel Canyon (for real)
• A new addition to The Houdini Estate

Chadwick Boseman at the Houdini Estate

Yesterday came the shocking news that Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman passed away at age 43 of colon cancer. In 2018 Boseman did a photo shoot at the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon, which he shared in a tweet (below). R.I.P. Chadwick.

Shot at the illustrious Houdini Estate. Thank you @BritishGQ, @DylanJonesGQ and #GavinBond! https://t.co/FXkcxjnVkn pic.twitter.com/OQazEujnfX

— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) September 6, 2018

You can read his full obituary at Deadline Hollywood.

Related:

• What's this have to do with Harry?
• Jane's Addiction photo shoot at the "Houdini House"
• Drake scared away from "haunted Houdini house"

Houdini echoes in the canyon

The other night I was watching on Netflix the documentary Echo in the Canyon, about the Los Angeles music scene of the 1960s and 70s, and this caricature map of famous Laurel Canyon residents popped up. Spot any familiar faces?

Click to enlarge.

Here's a closer look at the excellent Houdini caricature by Mark Stutzman. Houdini gets a nice name check in the doc as well. It all shows up around 01:01:20.

This of course is a nod to the famous Houdini Estate where the escapist lived for several months in 1919 while making movies at the nearby Lasky studio, and where Bess Houdini lived from 1933-35. For more on Houdini in the canyon, check out the links below.

Related:

• Once Upon A Time in Laurel Canyon
• The true story of the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Is this Houdini and Bess in Laurel Canyon?

Once Upon A Time in Laurel Canyon

I really enjoyed the new Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Not only because I'm a Tarantino fan, but it depicts a bygone Hollywood that I clearly remember. And now friends have alerted me to a Houdini connection to the film. If you buy the exclusive LP soundtrack, it includes a map of 1969 Hollywood. And if you look closely on that map, you'll see the "Houdini Mansion" among the historic Manson-era haunts.

This is a reference to what is today the restored and privately owned Houdini Estate, a popular site for weddings and film shoots. But back in the 1960s and '70s it was a burnt-out abandoned ruin that everyone called the "Houdini Mansion". This was a haven for hippies and all kinds of characters to flop, including one man who called himself Robin Hood and would shoot arrows at people. And, of course, it was said to be haunted!

The remains of the house and gardens with overgrown stairways and stone arches where open and visible to motorists driving through Laurel Canyon, so the "Houdini Mansion" was a well-known and somewhat mysterious Los Angeles landmark. No surprise to see it on this map as part of the Hollywood Tarantino so lovingly recreated in his movie. [For the truth of Houdini's connection to the property check out my related links.]

No, this photo isn't from the movie, and that's not Brad Pitt! This is me in 1977 at the "Houdini Mansion" showing off a freshly pilfered brick. And look at that cool Magic Castle t-shirt.

The Once Upon A Time in Hollywood exclusive soundtrack LP is available in independent record stores and in a limited quality on Amazon.com.

Thanks to fellow Tarantino fans Matt Bradford and Michael Curran for this one.

Related:

• The true story of the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Mannix at the Houdini estate in 1968
• A new addition to The Houdini Estate

The Ghost of Harry Houdini

Here's a well done video by Caitlin Jane to kick off my special Halloween week of "Ghost Posts." She might not have all her facts straight, I'm all for bloggers and YouTubers who take on Houdini as a topic, and who doesn't love a ghost story!

Stay tuned for more Houdini "Ghost Posts" from the past resurrected every day at 1:26 PM (the exact time of Houdini's death) just to spook you.

Related:

• Drake scared away from "haunted Houdini house"
• Houdini now haunting McSorley’s Old Ale House
• Did this Medium have a ghostly encounter at Houdini’s grave?

Houdini Estate sees wedding of owner José Nazar

Earlier this month I had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of Kathleen Martinez and José Nazar at the magnificent Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon. José is the owner of the property and the man responsible for restoring it and giving it new life and fame.

It was a magical wedding filled with whimsy and creativity around every corner. And a camel! There were also some fascinating and notable guests, including the great Patrick Culliton (who I hear partied until 3am). The bride had just come in from Egypt where she is currently searching for the lost tomb of Cleopatra. I'm not kidding.

It's always fun to get a peek inside this special place, so here are a few photos to enjoy. And congratulations to José and Kathleen!

The Houdini Estate is available to rent for all occasions. Visit the official website for details. For more on the history of the property, check out my post from 2012: Inside the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate.

Related:

• A magical wedding in Houdiniland
• A new addition to The Houdini Estate
• Pat Culliton and I found Bess Houdini's house...like heroes

Pat Culliton and I found Bess Houdini's house...like heroes

Recently Patrick Culliton and I made a fresh search for the location of 2435 Laurel Canyon Blvd., where Bess Houdini and Edward Saint lived from about 1933-35, and where Houdini himself might have resided while making The Grim Game (although firm evidence for this remains elusive). What instigated our search was the appearance of a photograph of the house, the first we've ever seen, that sold in a recent Haversat & Ewing auction for a whopping $1,925 on a $125-$150 estimate. The photo is annotated in Bessie's hand: "My home on Lookout Mountain Laurel Canyon Hollywood Calif."

Turns out it was less of a search than a confirmation. Patrick has always pointed to a mountainside just off Laurel Canyon Blvd.--directly across from what is today called The Houdini Estate--and said that was where the house sat before it burned in the massive 1959 Laurel Canyon brush fire. The remains were later demolished when the mountainside was graded back to widen the street.

Sure enough, all we needed to do was hold up a printout of the photo to see that distant mountains lined up perfectly. But the photo also offered up some new information. According to canyon lore, the house had an "elevator" to the street. It's not clear, but I think the photo might show part of what might be funicular chair to the street, which did exist in Laurel Canyon.

But most intriguingly, the photo shows that the house sat higher and further back on the mountain side than we thought. This suggests the possibility that the foundation didn't fall victim to the grading of the hill after all. So, obsessives that we are, Pat (age 75) and I decided to climb the hill and investigate. The hill is steep and eroding and I was worried one of us would take a fall. Little did I know the real danger we were heading into...

We made our way gingerly up the crumbling hill to what we could see was an open area. Once there, we found a pasture that was suspiciously level, exactly what you'd expect to see if a house once stood there. That's when we started to spot random bricks in the ground and some very old and rusted pipes. There was also what appeared to be a stone staircase angled down toward the adjoining property once owned by Tom Mix and Frank Zappa. So it was clear. Not only was this the site of Bess and Ed's house, but there were still remains to prove it! (Yes, I took a brick.)

That's where we should have left well enough alone. But we were intrigued by a second plateau higher up the hill and felt we needed to investigate. So we made our way higher into thicker brush. When we hit the second plateau we found no remains of a house. We did find a treehouse and what appeared to be evidence of homeless encampment, so we decided we had gone far enough and began to search for a safer path back down the hill.

That's when I felt the first sting.

I looked down to see that a wasp had just stung me on my arm. In fact, there were two of them. Bemused, I called out to Pat, saying I just got stung by a stupid wasp. But before I finished my sentence, I heard Pat yell, "Wasps!" Like in a horror movie, as he ran past me I turned to see his back was COVERED in wasps. That's when I realized I was also COVERED in wasps. Somewhere, somehow, we had tripped up a wasp nest and they were on the attack!

Websites say if you are attacked by a swarm of wasps you should not bat them away, wave your arms or make noise. You simply remain calm and walk away in a straight line. We did NOT do that. Instead, we got down that mountain in record time, swatting and waving and yelling the whole way. We both ended up with a dozen stings each. Thankfully, neither of us are allergic, and although we both felt dizzy and spent a pretty uncomfortable week nursing our stings, we survived.

And we found Bess and Ed's house. Like heroes.

Related:

• Inside the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Vintage postcard shows Houdini's (real) Hollywood home
• Is this Houdini and Bess in Laurel Canyon?

A magical wedding in Houdiniland

On Wednesday I had the great pleasure of attending the wedding of Craig Dickens and Elizabeth Del Sol at the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon. Craig and Elizabeth are both magicians and Magic Castle members (Craig is also an illusion builder), and the spirit of Houdini was ever present.

The bride herself appeared via a tabletop illusion. The ceremony was officiated by magician Larry Wilson, who worked Houdini into his script. ("He was one of the great romantics of the 20th century.") I told Magic Castle librarian Lisa Cousins, who had kindly invited me to be her plus one, that it's a good thing I'm so into Houdini...because he sure seems to come up a lot!

There were no shortage of magic luminaries in attendance, including: Mike Caveney, Misty Lee, Steve Valentine, Bill Goodwin, and my table mate, George Tovar, himself a Houdini buff since childhood (his entry point: Williams & Epstein).

I could go on about how lovely the wedding was and what a beautiful couple Craig and Elizabeth make (I guess I now cry at weddings), but this is a Houdini blog, so I'll focus my attention on the Houdini Estate itself.

I've written at length about the house history, and I've experienced the dramatic revival of the property first hand. Still, it's always exciting to get back inside and see what's new. This time I was thrilled to see that owner José Luis Nazar has added yet more Houdini tributes, statues, signage, and flowers!

Three new additions, created by the groom Craig Dickens, were getting their event debut on this day. These are three magic illusion photo ops. One allows you to assume Houdini's famous 1903 photo in heavy chains (sans loincloth, although I'm sure that can be arranged!). I won't spoil the illusion by explaining how it's done, but it's pretty clever, and I heard mention that David Copperfield had commissioned one. There's also a levitation and a head on a platter photo ops. Great fun.

Under the ownership of José Luis Nazar, this one time ruin really has become a Houdiniland, and I mean that as a compliment. It's a verifiable fairy tale world of Houdiniana, whimsical and beautiful. And even if we can't (yet) put Houdini himself in the house, it has now earned the right to the name "The Houdini Estate" for its joyous celebration of Houdini and his connection, both real and mythic, to Hollywood.

Congratulations to Craig and Elizabeth, and thank you Lisa Cousins for inviting me to join the celebration. It was a truly magical event.

If you are interested in having a wedding or event at the Houdini Estate, you can find details at the official website. Also check out the magic websites of bride and groom Craig Dickens and Elizabeth Del Sol.

Related:

• We're getting closer to putting Houdini in Laurel Canyon (for real)
• A new addition to The Houdini Estate
• Inside the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate

We're getting closer to putting Houdini in Laurel Canyon (for real)

Did Houdini really live in Laurel Canyon? That's a question I get asked all the time. At the moment, we only know for certain that Bess and Ed Saint rented a guest house across the street from what is today called the "Houdini Estate" (Bess had parties at the larger estate, hence its reputation). Houdini may have rented that same guest house while he was in Hollywood in 1919 making The Grim Game and Terror Island. However, conclusive evidence for this remains elusive.

But recently while working on the year 1919 for my New Houdini Chronology, I found two newspaper clippings that get us a step closer to putting Harry in that house!

The following comes from the Los Angeles Daily Times, April 18, 1919. It announces Houdini's forthcoming arrival in the city and details about where he will stay.

This is significant in that here we have firm evidence that Houdini rented a house in Hollywood. The exclusion of an apartment-house is particularly important. That's because in 1917 Jesse L. Lasky built the Hillview Apartments on Hollywood Blvd. where actors could live while working at the nearby Lasky Studio on Vine Street. This would have been the logical and practical place for Houdini to stay at this time, and it always hung out there as a possibility. But not anymore. Harry wanted a house.

It's said Houdini came to rent the Laurel Canyon house because he was friendly with the owner of the connected estate across the street, Ralf M. Walker. But Walker did not cut Harry a friendly break on the rent, if we are to believe this second clipping from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette dated July 6, 1919:

Again, we have mention of a rental "home." As far as it being "near the studio"... I guess that's relative. Certainly Houdini could have rented a house closer. But even in 1919, the drive to the studio would probably have only taken 15 minutes, and some location shooting on The Grim Game was done on Laurel Canyon's Lookout Mountain.

I also discovered in the April 26, 1919 issue of Holly Leaves that Houdini, Bess, and Julie Karcher initially checked into the famous Hollywood Hotel upon their arrival in the city. Maybe the house wasn't ready yet?

While not a smoking gun, this, combined with the description in Kellock of Houdini's Hollywood home being on a bluff visible from the road, takes us a bit closer to putting Houdini in 2435 Laurel Canyon. But the search for conclusive evidence continues.

Click below for more on the "Houdini Estate", including my post from 2012 detailing the house history.

UPDATE: I recently found a reference to Houdini and Bess "securing apartments near the Lasky studio in Hollywood" when they returned to L.A. in September to make Terror Island. So it looks like the house was just for The Grim Game stay. I'm thinking chances are good this was the Hillview.

Related:

• Inside the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Is this Houdini and Bess in Laurel Canyon?
• Vintage postcard shows Houdini's (real) Hollywood home

Happy birthday Bess

Today is Bess Houdini's 142nd birthday. Bess was born Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner on January 23, 1876 in Brooklyn, NY. As you can see below, she marked her start in show business as 1894, the year she played Coney Island as part of The Floral Sisters and married Harry. The rest is history.

Below are a few more Bessie birthday posts to enjoy.

Related:

• A birthday present for Bess
• "Precious Lump of Sweetness" turns 137
• The birthday girl knows all

A new addition to The Houdini Estate

Yesterday I zipped up into Laurel Canyon to have a look at this recent addition to the famed Houdini Estate. Very nice!

This new signage is in front of the property on Willow Glen. So even though the estate is private, you can still get a nice photo. Think that now makes this a must stop on the L.A. Houdini sightseeing circuit.

Once a ruin, the beautifully restored "Houdini Estate" is available as a rental for weddings and other special events via the official website. For a full history of Houdini's connection to the property, check out this post from 2012.

Related:

• Inside the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Mannix at the Houdini estate in 1968
• Vintage postcard shows Houdini's (real) Hollywood home

Lorde rocks "so haunted" Houdini Estate

New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde performed a pop up concert at the Houdini Estate in Laurel Canyon yesterday. You can read full coverage at iHeartRadio, which includes this gem:

Lorde, like the rest of us, was mesmerized by the location. “I also did a lot of googling about the Houdini Estate and it turns out this place is so haunted,” she told the crowd before performing “Writer In the Dark."

Once a ruin, the beautifully restored "Houdini Estate" has become a popular place for events of all kinds. The property has an official website, Facebook and Twitter. You can read my own history of the estate HERE.

Related:

• Inside the Laurel Canyon Houdini Estate
• Drake scared away from "haunted Houdini house"
• LINK: Who Haunts the Houdini Mansion?

Drake scared away from "haunted Houdini house"

A story in the National Enquirer says that rapper Drake was "scared away" from the fabled Houdini Esate in Laural Canyon while shooting a promotional video. Under the headline, "Drake Hits The Brakes At Haunted Houdini House!" the tabloid reports:

Famed for his trademark cool-as-a-cucumber persona, Canadian-born crooner Drake suddenly turned terrified/chilled to the bone, even though it was hot as hell in L.A., while shooting a hush-hush TV promo at the allegedly haunted estate of legendary magician Harry Houdini!

The ‘Hotline Bling’ singer kept freaking that Houdini’s haunt lies smack in the middle of creepy, winding Laurel Canyon, where L.A. lore famously claims ghosts, ghouls and witches have roamed the windswept hillsides for decades!

Totally terrified, twitching at every creepy creak or chilly draft on his cheek, distraught Drizzy, saying he felt like he was burning in the ‘hotline to hell,’ finally performed his own magic, abruptly disappearing down the path back to his car at a, er… dead run.

However, the website Gossip Cop doubts the story, citing the "suspicious language" of the tipster. But as I can't seem to find the original story at National Enquirer, I'm wondering if Gossip Cop invented the story just so they could debunk it. Fake news creating fake news to debunk it as fake news? My head hurts.

Of course, the house in Laurel Canyon only has a tenuous connection to Houdini, as I covered in this 2012 post. But it has drawn many celebrities and rock stars over the years. Although most have managed it better than scaredy cat Drake!

Related:

• What's this have to do with Harry?
• Maroon 5 gets help from Houdini’s ghost
• Jane's Addiction photo shoot at the "Houdini House"