Houdini's "Bell" Handcuff Reproduction

Here is another video from Dan Cox's YouTube channel CoxysPicks. This one is about the Houdini Bell handcuff. Enjoy.

Related:

• Houdini-Hodgson Challenge Recreated by U.K.E.A
• Guest Blog: The Replica Mirror Cuffs
• Houdini's lockpick

When did Houdini discover his lockpicking skills?

There are two often-told origin stories about how and when Houdini discovered his skills as a lockpicker. There's the "pies in the cupboard" story and the "convict in cuffs" story. But I recently discovered a third entirely different story told by Houdini himself in 1899. Intriguingly, it involves a hand injury as a boy.

This is a Patreon History Exclusive, so click below to unlock this latest lockpicker's tale.

Thank you to my patrons for supporting my research and content like this.

Related:

• Announcing WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon
• Did Hardeen reveal Houdini's most secret secret?
• Another reason to question the 'convict in cuffs' story

A fabulous start to 2023

Before I take my traditional year end break, I wanted to give a shout-out to the first big Houdini happening of 2023. In January the excellent 1961 book Houdini's Fabulous Magic by Walter B. Gibson and Morris N. Young will be reprinted in a new edition with a forward by Gabe Fajuri. Here's a teaser from publisher Vine Leaves Press.

You can pre-order the 2023 edition of Houdini's Fabulous Magic at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Release date is January 17.

Related:

• The best forgotten Houdini book
• 'Houdini's Fabulous Magic' returns in 2023
• Houdini on Magic gets a cover revamp (update)

Houdini's curious cross escape

One of the more unusual pieces of surviving Houdini apparatus is his "Cross Escape." There are actually two crosses. One is gaffed for quick release and was acquired by Sidney Radner from Hardeen. Today it is owned by Teller. The other was acquired by Henry Muller from Dunninger and was displayed for many years at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame. The photo in the right shows this latter cross as it appeared in the museum. (Fun fact: I now own that mannequin head.)

I admit this particular escape has always perplexed me. The Houdini Magical Hall of Fame described it as "a famous Houdini challenge escape," yet I've never been able to find any account of Houdini ever performing it. The quick release gaff seems more like a spiritualism or magic effect than a Houdini escape, and the overt religiousness doesn't seem to be Houdini's style. Recall how he took offense to Carl Mysto's use of a coffin onstage.

But David Muller recently sent me extraordinary audio of Joseph Dunninger going through the collection he sold to David's father in 1967, describing each piece of apparatus and its history. Here's what he says about the cross:

Dunninger: "The Houdini cross escape, used in Houdini's earlier performances. Made in his museum days. He would be tied to the cross, a screen would be placed in front of it and in a few moments he would liberate himself. It needs some repair as is obvious, but it's of very great historical value as it belonged to Houdini and was one of his first sensational escapes."

Hearing Dunninger call this an effect from Houdini's "museum days" is informative. Maybe this explains why I've not been able to find an account of it? And its similarity to a spiritualism or magic effect fits with the evolution of the escape act.

Teller also describes it as a "carnival item." In an interview Two Magicians One Mic Podcast, in which we get a glimpse of his cross in his "Houdini alcove", Teller says:

Teller: "It's a carnival item. It would be erected on stage and the person who's doing the spiel on the bally would take, usually, a runaway 13 or 14-year-old drug addicted girl, who happens to be with the carnival, and tie her neck and wrists to this cross. And then at the moment when they were trying to turn the tip and bring the whole group into the tent, all of a sudden she would just walk away from it. The ties would be gone."

The cross escape coming from dime museums or carnivals does makes sense. It's even possible Houdini didn't build the effect himself, but acquired it as he did his electric chair. But I'll keep on searching for some account of Houdini doing the escape himself.

In the 1970 BBC documentary The Truth About Houdini, Sidney Radner demonstrated his gaffed cross. This scene was cut scene from the documentary––possibly because The Magic Circle objected to the exposure––and it does not appear in any version of the doc today. But you can watch the full clip as a member of my Patreon below.

Thanks to David Muller for the Dunninger audio and Dan Bowen for the Teller interview alert.

Related:

• The Truth About Houdini's mysterious missing scene
• Purchase David Muller's 'Growing Up With Houdini'
• Houdini's head

Houdini penetrates the New York Times Crossword

The New York Times Crossword yesterday (9/11/22) had a clue referencing Houdini's Walking Through A Brick Wall illusion. This caused a surge of traffic to this post from 2014. However, as I didn't reveal the secret, I don't think that post would have been any help.

If you want the answer, you can find it here.

Thanks to Matt Guzman and Diego Domingo for the alert.

Related:

• When Houdini walked through a brick wall
• Hardeen: The Man Who Walked Through Walls
• L.A. Times crossword conjures Harry

Barry Spector's Top Secret "Collins Lock"

If you are a reader of this blog you are familiar with Barry Spector's amazing creations using wood from Houdini's New York home (278). But there's one Barry creation that I've never shared here because it exposes a secret. But that's why I have a Pateron! Clicking the image below will take you to photos and a short video of Barry's creation in action.

Heads up that if you join my Pateron now you will be billed at sign-up and then again on September 1st (Thursday) for that next month. So you may want to wait until the 1st to join. But if you do join now you'll unlock a lot of great content and be able to get the Ken Silverman PDF which will not be available in September. Either way, I look forward to seeing you inside.

Related:

• Barry Spector recreates Houdini's Russian Manacle
• Barry Spector's latest 278 wood lath creation
• Announcing WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon

Houdini helps a fellow Hungarian from beyond

Recently magician Richard Hatch sent me a collection of original Houdini press clippings from the 1930s and '40s. Some real gems in the batch, including the below. The movie being referenced here, "Vampires of Prague", would ultimately be released as Mark of the Vampire by MGM in 1935.

I don't know what this "net trick" of Houdini's would have been, but I don't think we need to go looking for it. I suspect this entire news item is the invention of the MGM publicity department. I just enjoy the intersection of Houdini and classic horror films, which have always been a side passion.

Mark of the Vampire was directed by Tod Browning, who also directed the Hungarian Lugosi in Dracula. Coincidently, I've just worked up another post with a Houdini-Tod Browning connection. Click here for that.

For more vampiric Houdini adventures, check out the links below.

Thanks Richard.

Related:

• Harry Houdini Vampire Hunter
• REVIEW: Houdini & Doyle (ep. 8): Strigoi
• Peepolykus blend Houdini and Dracula on the BBC

Roger Dreyer's Houdini Revealed, Parts 4-6

Last year The Houdini Museum of New York moved to New Jersey and owner Roger Dreyer launched a new website called Houdini Revealed. He has also created a multi-part series of biographical Houdini videos. I shared parts 1-3 HERE. Now Roger continues the series below. Enjoy.

Related:

• Roger Dreyer launches "Houdini Revealed" (1-3)
• Houdini Museum of NY is moving to New Jersey
• Guest blog: The Houdini Museum of New York, Part I | Part II

LINK: I was an astrologer – here's how it really works, and why I had to stop

It was 95 years ago today that Houdini resumed his testimony before a Congressional committee in Washington in support of a bill amendment to curtail fortune telling in the District of Columbia. So I thought this was a good day to share this link to an excellent article from the UK's Guardian website. It doesn't have anything to do with Houdini directly, but it's an eye-opening confession and explanation of the type of deception Houdini was battling in D.C.

Click here or on the headline and have a read at The Guardian.

Related:

• Mr. Houdini Goes to Washington
• Houdini on the Bible, Freud, spirits, and spells
• Houdini combats "fake news"

Houdini's advice for retailers

I don't know if this is even remotely true, but this is Houdini being Houdini. He always had some wisdom to impart and newspapers were always happy to print it. Enjoy!

Boston Sunday Post, Aug. 25, 1918.

Related:

• Houdini on being "not too tall"
• Houdini on the Bible, Freud, spirits, and spells
• Houdini's claim that he was building a "health house"

The Siberian Transport Prison Cell escape

Today marks the 117th anniversary of Houdini's escape from the Siberian Transport Prison Cell in Moscow on May 10, 1903 (in Russia the date was April 27th as they followed a different calendar at this time). It is one of his most famous and celebrated feats. So today I thought I'd link back to these two posts from 2016 in which I covered the escape and enduring mystery of how exactly Houdini did it. Enjoy.

Houdini vs. the Siberian Transport Cell, Part I: The escape

Houdini vs. the Siberian Transport Cell, Part II: How did he do it?

Related:

• Houdini in 1903
• Houdini's Last Secrets episode 3 unlocks the Carette
• Guest Blog: A modern day Transport Cell challenge

Did Houdini do the Water Torture Cell in full view of the audience?

In recent years it has become fashionable for escape artists to do Houdini's iconic water escapes, such as the Milk Can and Water Torture Cell, in full view of the audience. This would appear to be a bold new innovation. But is it possible Houdini occasionally did his Water Torture Cell without being concealed in his curtain cabinet? There is some evidence that he did!

In January 1924, a seven-year-old Morris Grenzow saw Houdini at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, Wisconsin. Mr. Grenzow's memory remained vivid, and he related what he saw to the Houdini Historical Center in May 2000. The following exchange appeared as part of that interview which ran in the Third Quarter 2000 issue of the Mystifier:

Grenzow: The final act was the water chamber. At that time Mrs. Houdini came out on the stage and there was another man there who had a fire axe that stood by the water chamber in case something were to go wrong and probably make it look good.... They lowered him in there upside down and he was in chains... I could see him wiggling around in that water to get out.

HHC. Was there a curtain in front of the water torture cell?

Grenzow: No. No. No. You could see the whole thing.... you [could] see him wiggling around in there. He came back out through the top.

Is it possible he really saw Houdini do the escape in full view? Let's dig deeper.

Grenzow saw Houdini at the end of a nationwide vaudeville tour that had begun in January 1923. This was a "return" tour after Houdini had spent several years making movies. I looked back at newspaper accounts from this tour and noted a few interesting things. First, even though the Water Torture Cell (a.k.a. USD) was 11 years old, it was being touted as his "new sensation." I also found many mentions of Houdini being shackled inside the cell, which is not typically how we think of him doing the escape, yet it is also what Mr. Grenzow remembers.

But the most exciting thing I found were three separate mentions of Houdini doing the escape "in full view of the audience." These appear while Houdini was playing Winnipeg (Feb. 19-25), Vancouver (Feb. 28-March 4), and the Hillstreet Theater in Los Angeles (April 23-29). Below is the mention from the Los Angeles Times:

Los Angeles Times, April 22, 1923.

I should note the above is clearly from a press release, not an eyewitness account, so it's not something I would normally give much weight to. But in light of Mr. Grenzow's account, this does become more meaningful. I also found a good description of the escape while Houdini was playing San Fransisco in March 1923 that says "a curtain is pulled" over the cell. So if Houdini was indeed doing a full view version of the USD on this tour, it appears he only did so in select theaters.

But how could Houdini do this without exposing the secret? I don't want to expose any secrets myself, but according to Mr. Grenzow, Houdini "came back out through the top." So let's accept that's what he and the audience saw.

My guess is the cell would still have been screened on the back and side, but the front open to the audience (not unlike how a seance medium is screened). Far from revealing anything, Houdini's escape might have appeared perplexing. Exactly HOW he was emerging from the top would not necessarily be clear. He might even appear to be penetrating the top of the solid stocks (and likely playing it up as such). Assistants could then remove the screening and the cell could be examined and all would still be locked tight. So in this presentation, Houdini would be mixing illusion and escape.

This would also explain why he only did it in select theaters. In the same interview, Mr. Grenzow says the Madison Orpheum "wasn't a big theater." So it's possible Houdini only did the full view USD in theaters where audience sight-lines would be agreeable to the effect.

Not long ago we uncovered evidence that Houdini did a caged version of the USD during his 1916 tour. That opened the door to the idea that Houdini would occasionally reinvent how he presented his most famous escape. So was a full view version a reinvention for the 1923 tour, if only as an occasional experiment? I think it may have been, and that's pretty wild!

Feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments below.

Related:

• The Milk Can escape in full view of the audience
• Was Houdini's caged Water Torture Cell a reality?
• Was there a Water Torture Cell movie?

You can still get Houdini The Key by Patrick Culliton

If you've read Joe Posnanski's The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini then you are now keenly aware of Houdini The Key by Patrick Culliton (and Houdini's Ghost). Joe spends a good chunk of his own book in search of this all-important work that reveals Houdini's most closely guarded secrets, including the Water Torture Cell.

But Joe made a few mistakes. First, the slipcase and cover of the book is not made of vinyl. It's made of a "bulletproof library cloth" called buckram. (That looks a lot like vinyl!) But more importantly, the book is not as hard to get as Joe believed. Patrick initially produced only 278 copies. But as those sold out, he quietly produced another 113, available only to those who missed the first run. Some of those are still available to buy direct from Patrick for the cover price of $195 (plus $12 postage), which is well below what the book sells for in auction. And Patrick will even sign it for you!

So if want Houdini The Key all you need to do is CLICK HERE.

Related:

• Houdini The Key released in limited Second Printing
• 'HOUDINI THE KEY' HAS ARRIVED
• Is Patrick Culliton about to reveal Houdini's secrets?

Houdini's secret mind reading system uncovered?

The restoration of Houdini's 278 continues with some interesting finds being made. Among them is the discovery of old wires that, according to the homeowners, run "everywhere." Some of the wiring is copper and hand wrapped with thread. A lot of it runs under the floors of the parlor and garden levels. What purpose this wiring served is a mystery. But Houdini buffs might have an idea!

On February 8, 1925, Houdini invited a group of notables, including Ralph Pulitzer, to his home for an experiment in "telepathy." He was looking to debunk the claims of a man named Earl Balfour who claimed he could divine what had been discussed in a room when he wasn't present. The next day The Brooklyn Daily Eagle covered the event.

Houdini never revealed the secret of his mind reading feat. But after his death, his nephew, Louis Kraus, did. In doing so, he also revealed one of the secrets of 278. Kraus's lengthy explanation was reprinted in Houdini The Key by Pat Culliton. Below is a key excerpt:

"The whole house at 278 West 113th Street was wired. The room in which the committee sat was so completely wired that the least whisper was picked up and carried electrically to an operator concealed in the basement. The operator held a transmitter in his hand and repeated all he heard. His repetitions were carried by other hidden wires to the top floor, terminating in loops under the carpet. In this way, the spoken thoughts of the committee in New York, were actually carried to the magician, invisibly through wire and air, but the method was electrical not telepathic..."

So is this mysterious wire part of Houdini's secret mind reading system? I think it almost certainly is. And while a few pieces of wire needed to be removed, most of it will remain as a historic part of Houdini's 278.

UPDATE: The following is from a lengthy profile of Amedeo Vacca in the December 1947 The Linking Ring. In it Vacca says he was the man who wired the walls of 278 for Houdini's mind reading trick. It then says:

Related:

• Houdini's 278 is coming back to life
• New 278 owners committed to preserving Houdini history
• Inside Houdini's 278

Mystifier, Fourth Quarter 1997

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

The Fourth Quarter 1997 Mystifier begins with the first article by new curator Margaret A. Ehr. In it, she addresses the controversial Fox television special Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed, which was running at this time. Ehr condemns it--along with the rest of the magic community--but she notes Houdini himself exposed his own secrets from time to time. She then explores two articles Houdini wrote for The Ladies Home Journal in 1918: "How I Get Out of a Strait-Jacket" and "How I Get Out of My Rope Ties". Near the end she states:

Perhaps Houdini had no fear that others, even knowing his exact techniques, could ever hope to truly challenge him. Houdini himself realized that he was physically exceptional. He understood that his short stature worked to his advantage, as did his impressive strength and flexibility. Few could match Houdini's claims of a double-dislocation at will, or six-inch chest expansion, either. Even knowing precisely what Houdini did to achieve his escapes, few if any magicians would ever be capable of Houdini's success. 

An article by Houdini scholar and regular Mystifier contributor Morris N. Young called "Defending Rabbi Weiss" follows. Young begins:

Too many attempts have been made to malign the reputation of Houdini's father, Mayer Samuel Weiss, especially regarding whether or not he was ordained as a rabbi. It is my purpose to show how unjust those accusations are.

Young goes on to explain how one went about becoming a rabbi in the days of Houdini's father, and how no official paperwork did not mean he was not a rabbi. Young doesn't name names, but this doubt was first cast by Manny Weltman in his 1993 book, Houdini: Escape into Legend, The Early Years: 1862–1900. (Rabbi Weiss's Certificate of Ordination was discovered by David Saltman in 2016.)

The museum shop announces pre-orders for four upcoming videos: Mystic Circle Murder, Houdini The Life of the Worlds Greatest Escapolgist, The Truth About Houdini, and a 2-set VHS of The Master Mystery. The announcement of The Master Mystery was a bombshell as it marked the first release of this movie. A familiar name listed in the "New Members" column is David Byron.

In his "Backstage" column, Sid Radner again sings the praises of the Goodspeed Opera House's Houdini musical. He also gives a detailed report on the Official Houdini Seance, which that year was held on the stage of the Goodspeed. A very special attendee was Anna Crankshaw (Thurlow), great-granddaughter of Margery. Also around the table were: Patrick Culliton, Tom Boldt, Gene Gamache, Larry Weeks, Geno Munari, and Susan Postal, the actress who played Margery in Goodspeed play. The medium was Elaine Kuzmeskus assisted by Barbara Dryden-Masse. Harry, as always, was a no show.

Sid concludes with a mention of a new series by Canada's Discovery TV on the history of magic set to premiere in Fall 1998. Sid says the crew spent 5 1/2 at his home shooting material for the Houdini episode.

[It's surprising this newsletter fails to mention the movie FairyTale: A True Story which was released in October '97.]

Mystifier

Volume 7, Number 4

Fourth Quarter, 1997

6 pages

Contents:

Revealing Houdini's Secrets–Again
Society of Young Magicians Program Update
Defending Rabbi Weiss
New Videos in Museum Shop
Member News

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• Exposing The Wizard Exposed
• David Saltman discovers Mayer Samuel's rabbinical ordination
• Interview with Anna Thurlow, great granddaughter of Margery

Patrick Culliton launches 'Houdini The Key' forum

The great Patrick Culliton has launched a private website forum devoted to discussing Houdini's secrets, especially those revealed his seminal 2010 book, Houdini The Key. Patrick will also use the site to provide book updates and corrections. The catch is you have to own the book and register to get in. But secrets await!

http://houdinithekey.com

Related:

• 'HOUDINI THE KEY' HAS ARRIVED
• 'Houdini The Key' spills the secret of a second Water Torture Cell
• Houdini The Key released in a limited Second Printing

Dover reprints The Right Way To Do Wrong

Today Dover releases a new reprint of Houdini's first book, The Right Way to Do Wrong. Dover has a long tradition of releasing Houdini titles. They've kept The Secrets of Houdini and Houdini on Magic in print for decades, and last year released Houdini's Paper Magic. So it's fun to see them keeping the tradition alive. Nice cover as well!

With this remarkable book, the legendary magician conducts a master class in crime by revealing the trade secrets of crooks. Harry Houdini is known not only as an illusionist and escaper of handcuffs and jail cells, but also as a debunker of phony spiritualists and other charlatans. His interest in exposing fakery led Houdini to interview both police and criminals around the world. The result is this captivating volume, intended to help readers avoid being victimized by pickpockets, con artists, and other thieves. 

Purchase Dover's The Right Way to Do Wrong on Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

UPDATE: I have my copy in hand and just a heads up that this is a mere slip of a book without the original book's frontispiece photo of Houdini or any of the original illustrations, which is disappointing.

Related:

• Houdini the writer
• Dover publishes 'Houdini's Paper Magic'
• Dover will release The Right Way to Do Wrong in 2019

Houdini's Last Secrets ep. 4 unearths Buried Alive

Houdini's Last Secrets goes out on a positive note with an investigation of Buried Alive. This was a good choice of subject for the final episode. Apart from two posters, very little is known about this feat, so it was not only interesting to see how Houdini might have accomplished the escape, but it was interesting just to see how he might have presented it in the first place!

One can easily get buried in the history of Buried Alive as there were multiple versions. The show does a nice job of separating Houdini ill-fated outside buried alive stunt and his later stage-bound version. (They avoid the Shelton Pool Test.) The episode sticks with the conventional wisdom that Houdini never performed his stage-bound version. But in recent years, evidence has surfaced that shows he actually did perform it at least twice at the start of his 1926-27 season.

Interviews are again a highlight. This time George Hardeen visits Antony Britton in England, who attempted the outdoor casket-free buried alive and, like Houdini, nearly died. Roger Dryer shows us his magnificent Houdini Museum of New York which holds a casket Houdini escaped from in 1907 (unburied). It's a treat to see David Merlini and his own House of Houdini museum in Budapest, Hungary. I don't believe David has appeared in a Houdini documentary before, but his knowledge of Houdini history and his first hand experience with escapes--including being buried alive--make him an ideal interview subject. Finally, we get to see the mighty Arthur Moses in his own temple of Houdiniana in Fort Worth. Arthur handles his Houdini history with great authority.

In fact, this episode is probably the best yet as far as Houdini history is concerned, expanding it with mentions of his movie career and crusade against fraudulent spirit mediums. The idea that George is uncovering the story of his great uncle for himself and the audience is best realized in this episode. Of course, it wouldn't be "reality" TV without talk of a murder conspiracy! But the episode doesn't go too deeply into this and is not significantly derailed by it.

But the meat of the episode is the Buried Alive itself. Steve Wolf at Stunt Ranch constructs a theoretical version of Houdini's stage apparatus for magician Lee Terbosic to attempt. Both the conception and method is ingenious, and because we don't even know exactly how Houdini presented it, there's no danger of exposure. But in bringing the escape to life, one can appreciate how it was an effective stunt, and maybe even a lost Houdini masterpiece. So the episode has provided a real service to Houdini history by showing us what may have been.

Overall, this series turned out to be a mixed bag. It contained a disappointing amount of speculative hokum about Houdini being a spy at the expense of a more fact based exploration of his life. But the team's investigations and recreations of Houdini's feats were all very well done, and the series provided great interviews with fresh faces. And above all, it was respectful to Houdini and made him ever more fascinating!

It also did not turn out to be an exposure show as many had feared. They did indeed successfully ride the line between exposure and investigation, and in the case of a few genuine secrets, such as the Water Torture Cell, they went out of their way to protect the real method. So I'd say this series was a cut above and a worthy addition to the growing list of Houdini documentaries. I would be happy to see a second season.

The complete Season One of Houdini's Last Secrets is available for purchase at Amazon and iTunes.

If you're interested in more information on Buried Alive, check out the below links:

Buried Alive
Digging into Houdini's Buried Alive
Ad shows Houdini performed Buried Alive in 1926

Houdini on being Buried Alive: "I like it very much."

Houdini's Last Secrets - Episode Guide

LINK: How Harry Houdini might have pulled off his most daring trick

This is a bit of a spoiler for tonight's fourth and final episode of Houdini's Last Secrets, but it's a good article by Mental Floss (an excellent website) with some nice details about the team's Buried Alive build. Click the headline to have a read.

Stunt expert Steve Wolf considers the buried alive illusion Houdini's most daring trick. "The margin for failure on that is zero," Wolf tells Mental Floss.

Houdini's Last Secrets airs on the Science Channel and the SciGO app. You can also stream episodes at their website or purchase the series at Amazon and iTunes.

I'll share my review of episode 4 tomorrow.

Related:

• Buried Alive
• Houdini's Last Secrets - Episode Guide

Houdini's Last Secrets episode 3 unlocks the Carette

The third episode of Houdini's Last Secrets investigates the Siberian Transport Prison Van escape in Moscow in 1903. This is an ideal subject for this type of series, and it was the episode I was most looking forward to.

Unfortunately, the history in this episode is as misleading as its title: "Siberian Prison Conspiracy." It's a jumble of fact, fiction, and speculation, all twisted together in support of the central idea that Houdini was in Russia working as a spy. Yes, we're back to that. This is a heart breaker after the very good episode 2 which stuck to the facts and showed what this series can be.

But if we set the pseudohistory aside, there are aspects of this episode that are very enjoyable, and it may have even helped settle a controversy about the carette escape that has lingered for decades.

Once again, a highlight are several fine interviews with fresh faces. We get to visit Ken Trombly who shares a rare original Russian playbill from his incredible collection. David Saltman talks about Houdini in Russia and offers some speculation about spy work. It's especially nice to see Rebecca Taylor, whose father, David De-Val, repeated many of Houdini's jail breaks. I love how they teased but didn't show her father's all-important "Gimmick X". And master locksmith Steve Sharp provides some interesting insight into lock picking. Getting into the mechanics of lock picking was one of the aspects of this episode I enjoyed the most.

Meanwhile, Steve Wolf at Stunt Ranch reconstructs a carette for Lee Terbosic to attempt an escape. It's exciting to see this legendary vehicle take form, although I would have expected there to have been some debate about the window size, which is key to the escape and a controversial aspect of the famous poster. In fact, there are a several things the show sidesteps to make their theories work, but that's fine.

In the end, Lee attempts the escape, and here's where the show might have provided a service to Houdini history. Houdini himself admitted that he picked the lock on the carette door. But the 1931 book, The Secrets of Houdini, claimed he actually cut through the zinc floor. This dramatic escape method became popular with biographers and appears in many books, although it was always doubted by the best, such as Milbourne Christopher, Ken Silverman, and Pat Culliton.

Now here we get to see the theory put to the test as Lee attempts to cut through the same zinc floor with his smuggled tool. He quickly discovers it's impossible in the allotted time. It would take hours or maybe days to accomplish. So at least this episode puts one myth to rest. Houdini did not cut his way out of the carette.

But how then does Lee escape? Or did he escape? I will leave that for you to discover.

Houdini's Last Secrets airs on the Science Channel and the SciGO app. You can also stream episodes at their website or purchase the series at Amazon and iTunes.

If you're interested in more information on Houdini's Siberian Transport Van escape and other topics touched on in this episode, check out the below links:

Houdini vs. the Siberian Transport Cell Part I: The escape

Houdini vs. the Siberian Transport Cell Part II: How did he do it?
Brad Meltzer is peddling the myth that Houdini was a spy

Houdini in 1903
Houdini's Last Secrets - Episode Guide