Showing posts with label Mike Caveney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mike Caveney. Show all posts
Monday, May 25, 2026
Harry Kellar: The Magician Who Inspired Houdini
Here's an excellent new documentary from PBS station WQLN about Harry Kellar. Great interviews and good Houdini content as well. Enjoy.
In the reenactments, Houdini is played by Howard Lang. Kellar is played by Aaron Pacy.
Monday, September 1, 2025
Escaping Obscurity book signing at the Magic Castle
Just a reminder that I will be joining Mike Caveney, Bruce Averbook, and Michael Albright for a discussion and signing of our book Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 next Monday, September 8, at the Magic Castle. The event is open to all AMA members. It will also stream live on the Magic Castle website.
Looking forward to a magical evening at the Magic Castle! If you are a member, I hope to see you there.
Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 is available exclusively at Mike Caveney's Magic Words.
If you can't make the event but still want a signed copy, know that I'm currently listing one of 25 signed Author Copies on eBay. The auction ends on Wednesday.
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Saturday, August 2, 2025
Pick up Houdini's diary at MAGIC Live!
"The response to Escaping Obscurity has been unbelievable. Getting ready for Magic Live where I will bring plenty of copies."
The diary's owner, Dr. Bruce Averbook, will also be at MAGIC Live!, so maybe you can get him to sign your book. Alas, I will not be there. I gave my presentation on the book at last year's convention. As I said at the time, it was worth the wait!
You might also want to swing by the booth for Vanishing Inc. They will have advance copies of their mammoth new book showcasing the collection of Ken Trombly. The book features two chapters filled with images of Houdini rarities from Ken's incredible collection.
If you're not going to MAGIC Live! and still want a copy of Escaping Obscurity, you can do that by clicking over to Mike Caveney's Magic Words.
Sunday, June 29, 2025
YOU CAN NOW OWN HOUDINI'S FIRST DIARY
It's here! I'm super excited to announce the publication of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899. This book reproduces every page of Houdini's first travel diary from the collection of Dr. Bruce Averbook, which has never been made available to the public before.
I have annotated the diary so readers can easily follow all the wild ups and downs of Houdini's struggling days. When I was invited by publisher Mike Caveney to do this project, I had expected it to be a largely academic exercise. What I didn't expect to find was such an amazing story within this incredible artifact. That story is now yours.
Publisher Mike Caveney says:
Three things made me want to publish this nearly illegible diary. First, the great Houdini historian, John Cox, agreed to decipher and then annotate the text found on each and every page. Second, my friends in the magic collecting world stepped up with an unbelievable array of suitable photographs, many of which have never appeared in print. And lastly, my old friend and graphic designer extraordinaire, Michael Albright, agreed to assemble this complicated jigsaw puzzle into a beautiful, full-color book of 373 pages measuring 9 by 12 inches. The final result is nothing short of breathtaking.
The book is available exclusively from Mike Caveney's Magic Words in a Regular and Deluxe Edition. I hope you all love it.
UPDATE: The Deluxe Edition has already sold out, making it the fastest selling Deluxe Edition in Mike Caveney's Magic Words history. But there are still Regular Editions available. The print run is not huge, so it's possible the book could sell out entirely. Just saying.
UPDATE: You can now buy signed and discounted copies directly from me at my new online store Wild About Harry PRESS.
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Cover reveal! Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899
Today, I'm excited to reveal the final cover of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899, which will be published by Mike Caveney's Magic Words. The talented Michael Albright designed the cover and book.
The book will be sold exclusively by Mike Caveney's Magic Words. The release date and price have yet to be determined. The hope is to have the book available in time for MAGIC Live in August, although it could be much sooner. I will give my Patreon supporters an early heads-up when the purchase link goes live. We expect the special edition to sell out fast!
The book runs 376 pages and contains over 200 images. Every page of Houdini's first diary from the collection of Dr. Bruce Averbook is reproduced, along with material from several other major magic collections, including the David Copperfield collection. I have annotated the entire diary so you can follow the remarkable story of Houdini's early career toiling in dime museums, circuses, medicine shows, and even seance chambers. The book contains a wealth of new information and tells the story of Houdini's early career like no other.
Attendees at this week's Magic Collector Expo in Las Vegas got a first look at the book. Below is a pic of publisher Mike Caveney with the unbound proof edition and some reactions below.
David Charvet: I shared a dealer booth with Mike at the Expo and was able to look at the proof copy of the book closely. In a word: SPECTACULAR.
Patrick Daniel: It is absolutely amazing!!!! I cannot wait to get a copy.
Lance Rich: It's verrry cool. I haven't checked it out in depth.... but the slipcase and design are beautiful.
Joe Notaro: It's truly amazing! Can't wait for it to come out!!
Want more? I've shared the evolution of this cover design with some early concepts on my Patreon.
Thanks to Charles Greene III for the convention photo.
UPDATE: Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899 is now available exclusively from Mike Caveney's Magic Words.
Monday, May 5, 2025
Houdini diary book in the wild!
I'm not at the expo this year, so attendees will be seeing the book before I do. Let me know what you think! I'll reveal the final cover here on Thursday.
This year's expo includes a tour of David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts. David was very kind in allowing us to use several rarities from his Houdini collection in Escaping Obscurity.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
DIARY BOOK COVER REVEAL! (update)
Today, I'm thrilled to reveal the cover of my upcoming book annotating Houdini's first travel diary. I think you will all agree, this is magical.
Related:
Dear Diary: The Hopes, Dreams, and Secret Loves of Harry Houdini is at the printer and on track for a late summer 2025 release from Mike Caveney's Magic Words.
UPDATE: Just an April Fools Day joke, folks. But it is true that the book is at the printers and will be out this summer. 👏
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Thursday, January 9, 2025
Los Angeles fires temporarily threaten Magic Castle
The Magic Castle was under threat, but appears it will be safe thanks to the heroic efforts by some Magic Castle heroes and the LAFD. It was touch and go for awhile, but we survived (another) fire! The LAFD is welcome to use our parking lot for staging the fight all night.
The Houdini Estate marked the literal edge of the evacuation zone and appears to have never been seriously threatened.
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| Houdini Estate inside the red zone. |
Also safe are our good friends Mike Caveney and Tina Lenert at Egyptian Hall Museum in Pasadena, although the area remains under an evacuation warning.
The news is not so good from the other fires that are still raging. However, the Santa Ana winds have died down, so let's hope this helps firefighters get these horrible blazes under control. For those who have asked, I'm safe here at WILD ABOUT HARRY headquarters.
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Sunday, January 5, 2025
Diary book update updated
Well, it wasn't.
I'm learning a lot about book production, and one of the things I've learned is it takes longer than expected. But the reason for the delay is the book has grown into something much larger and more ambitious than initially planned. How does a pocket-sized 70-page diary become a 400-page coffee table book? You'll find out!
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Mike Caveney's Magic Words is publishing Houdini's first known travel diary from the collection of Dr. Bruce Averbook. I have annotated the diary and gathered many rare images from several major collections to illustrate it. The talented Michael Allbright, who does all the design work for the Magic Castle, is designing the book.
Last year, I revealed the title at the Magic Collector Expo, Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899, and gave a major preview of the book at MAGIC Live. I also shared the prototype cover on my Patreon.
So what about the release date? The good news is Michael has finished a draft, and we are fine-tuning it before entering the final production stages. Printing can take several months, so that's the wild card. I don't want to again promise something that I can't deliver, but I don't see how this isn't a 2025 release. It better be! I'm well into my next book, and we don't want a log jam of Houdini books, do we?
Wait, a log jam of Houdini books sounds pretty great!
Thanks for your continued patience. As I said last year, it will be worth the wait.
UPDATE: Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899 is now available exclusively from Mike Caveney's Magic Words.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Magic Castle announces a New Houdini Séance
The Magic Castle in Hollywood, home of the Academy of Magical Arts, will soon debut a New Houdini Séance Experience. Below is the news sent to members via the AMAs Flash Paper newsletter.
March 24 is Harry Houdini’s Birthday& the Premiere of the New Houdini Séance Experience!The Houdini séance at The Magic Castle® debuted 55 years ago in 1969, with people experiencing a re-enactment of the final séance of 10 held over a decade at the nearby Knickerbocker Hotel by Bess Houdini—to summon Harry from the other side—on Halloween 1936, which was attended by Bill Larsen, Sr.
The séance at the club has always been a big draw, evolving over the years—Milt Larsen’s Winchester House, adding and changing effects—into what was best described as a campy (albeit fun) experience. Currently, we are in the midst of an exciting overhaul of the séance, the second in recent years, which will make a soft debut on Harry Houdini’s birthday, March 24 (for evaluation and tweaks by involved parties), and likely open for general membership bookings in late spring/early summer, with specific date to be announced.
In 2019-2020, the séance and the room were renovated under the direction of Jim Steinmeyer, making it a more modern, theatrical and technically advanced experience. The new, more low-tech séance option being developed will be a much more haunting, “jump-in-the-dark,” organic experience. Both seances will be available for bookings.
The new transformation is being supervised by a collaborative team that includes Todd Robbins, Chris Hart, Mike Caveney and medium/magicians Rob Zabrecky and Stuart McCloud; executive produced by the Board of Trustees and Chuck Martinez.
Says Todd, “The Magic Castle® is the center of the world of magic and Houdini is so much a part of that world. On the 98th anniversary of his death, you can ask 100 people to name the first magician that comes to mind and 90% of them will still say Houdini. Even though no one’s alive who’s seen him perform, he still lives on in our collective conscious and that’s the greatest feat of his entire career, that he became this legend. It’s important that The Magic Castle® do something that grabs people, is emotional and serves as a fitting tribute to this remarkable man.”
“I like to say that you’re never so alive as when you are scared to death!” continues Todd. “This experience will be a little more fun in the dark and very bespoke to who the medium is … rather than the medium being guided by the presentation. When the inaugural séance was created in 1969, the only automated gimmick was the table rising and the rest of it was up to the presiding medium. The original medium, Ed Fowler (who also performed under the stage name of E. Raymond Carlyle), had a grandmother and a great aunt who were ‘real’ mediums at a spiritualist retreat in Michigan. They taught him the techniques they used to deceive the believers. Rob and Stuart have been integral to this renovation.”
The Houdini séance chamber is located in an area that was originally part of the master bedroom of the Chateau-esque mansion built in 1908 by Rollin B. Lane, which was also the room where he passed away. “Ghosts do walk and who knows who will come back,” teases Todd, who doesn’t want to give away too many surprises. “It depends upon the people in the room and the willingness to open themselves up.”
Plans are also being discussed to initiate a stage two-update that integrates off-menu food service (Houdini’s favorite foods?) into the overall event with a host who provides historical insights, with a flourish of magic, as each course is served, leading up to the main event with a medium.
Says Todd, “The original séance included a personal chef and a small antique stove where he flambéed an appetizer of shrimp in cognac, finished a main course of filet mignon; and prepared flaming cherries jubilee. Unfortunately, it was a fun part of the performance that Milt didn’t run by the fire department and it was ultimately shut down!”
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| Participants in the final séance in 1936 (Bill Larsen, Sr., far right). |
I'm looking forward to seeing what the Castle has cooked up for this new seance!
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Tuesday, July 11, 2023
Michael Albright to design the Houdini diary book
Michael designed the Dai Vernon book Revelation for Mike Caveney, who is also publishing the diary book. Says Mike, "I have published over 50 books on the history and practice of Magic but the one Michael designed has been called not just the most beautiful book I have ever published, but the most elegant book in the magic world."
This book will reproduce every page of Houdini's very first travel diary from the collection of Dr. Bruce Averbook, along with annotations written by myself and images from major collections. How all those elements come together is a design challenge, so it's in the right hands! I can't wait to see what Michael Albright does with Houdini.
UPDATE: Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899 is now available exclusively from Mike Caveney's Magic Words.
Thursday, May 18, 2023
You will soon be able to read Houdini's first diary
And soon you will be able to read it!
Bruce has made a deal with Mike Caveney of Mike Caveney's Magic Words to publish the diary complete. Every page will be reproduced. I'm honored to say that Mike and Bruce reached out to me to do research and provide detailed annotations for each and every entry. I've been working on this for the past several months and have been dazzled by the amount of new information and new characters contained in this little red book. It's a treasure trove.
The book will also be filled with rare images––many never-before-published––from major collections, including David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjurings Arts and the Harry Ransom Center. In fact, if any collectors out there have material from 1897-1899 that you'd be willing to share, please get in touch!
There is no release date yet, but it's closer than you may think. I've finished my annotations and we are currently gathering images. Our hope is to have the book in people's hands later this year or early next year. The book does have a tentative title, but I will share that along with the cover at a later date.
Even Mike Caveney admits this has him "all hopped up on Houdini." I'm certainly very excited. I think this is going to be an extraordinary book that tells the story of Houdini's early days like none other.
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| The diary on display in 2010. |
UPDATE: Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini 1897-1899 is now available exclusively from Mike Caveney's Magic Words.
Wednesday, March 29, 2023
ALL the Houdini wax cylinder audio has been saved!
This is news that I've long dreamed of being able to report. This may be the biggest news I've ever reported here on WILD ABOUT HARRY. Little did I dream that I would play a role in this moment of Houdini history, but a role I did play! But to share this news right, I need to tell the whole story.
One of the great treasures inside David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas are the original wax cylinders containing the only known recordings of Houdini's voice. These were discovered in 1970, and only two of the three Houdini cylinders were ever transferred to a playable media. (Only a short clip has ever been released.) The cylinder said to contain Houdini and his sister Gladys reading poetry written by their father was never transferred and has not been heard since 1970. There are also five other cylinders in the collection with no record of what's on them. So there's still a lot of mystery surrounding these cylinders.
For the past two weeks I've been doing work and research inside the museum. I shared some of my adventures here. But I was keeping a secret this whole time. Mike Caveney was also at the museum. Years ago Mike and I pitched David on the idea of making new digital transfers of all the wax cylinders. The purpose was to finally hear the fabled poetry cylinder, document what's on the mystery cylinders, and digitally preserve all the recordings for the future. David tasked us with investigating how this could be done safely.
It's been a long journey, years in fact, but all roads lead to Dr. Michael Khanchalian, aka "The Cylinder Doctor," who just happens to live 20 minutes from Mike. Not only can Michael repair damaged cylinders, but he has developed a player that can safely play old recordings. He was clearly the man for the job. So we once again pitched the idea to David.
Any reluctance on David's part was understandable. He has the original cylinders and the original tape transfers from 1970 (which, ironically, may no longer be playable), so why risk damaging the cylinders or discovering they had gone bad or, worse, that some slippery collector in the 1970s had pulled a switcheroo and he actually owned nothing. The value of these cylinders could be wiped out entirely. But David Copperfield is dedicated to preserving magic history, and if there was a chance of capturing a new piece of Houdini's voice, he would take the risk. He gave us the go-ahead and trusted us to get the job done.
Lifting the heavy glass off the display case in the museum to retrieve the cylinders was pretty nerve-wracking. And it was about to get worse. Mike had left the museum by the time all the arrangements had been made, so it fell to me to bring the cylinders to Los Angeles. Without revealing what I was doing to anyone besides those in the museum, I loaded all eight cylinders into my car and made the trek back to LA, battling a three-hour traffic jam and two hellacious downpours along the way. But I made it!
The next day (March 16, 2023) Mike and I arrived at Michael Khanchalian's beautiful home. He has an amazing collection of players and cylinders and is clearly an expert and enthusiast in this field. "He's the John Cox of wax cylinders," joked Mike. After a fabulous tour of his collection, we got down to work in his "lab."
The first three cylinders, which had come from David's vault and were labeled as containing Houdini's voice, did not contain Houdini's voice. Michael knew this instantly as he could tell they were commercial recordings and not the type of "blank" cylinders one would use for recording. Instead what we heard were vaudevillians Will Oakland ("When You and I Were Young, Maggie"), Billy Murray & Ada Jones ("Whistling Coquette") and a musical march (Queen of Sheeba). It was fun to hear these sounds from the past, but it was a little disconcerting, and the switcheroo theory was dancing in my head. But we still had five cylinders to go.
The cylinder labeled "Pa's Poems" (in Houdini's handwriting) was up next. Michael was encouraged by what he saw. At least this was the correct type of "blank" cylinder. This was the moment of truth. Houdini history was about to be made, for better or worse.
Michael slid the cylinder on his player, carefully calibrated the needle, hit the record button (we were making direct transfers to CD, no computers or hard drives involved), and lowered the needle. Then this happened.
Houdini's powerful voice boomed out over the room in a recording that had not been heard in 53 years. He introduces "an original German recitation" of poetry written by his father, "Reverend Doctor Mayer Samuel Weiss," to be spoken by his sister, "C. Gladys Weiss." There is a fantastic candid moment when Houdini is about to state his father's birthday and he has to ask Gladys, "What was the year?" It's very faint, but it's there, and we all looked at each other in delighted disbelief at what we had just heard.
Gladys then recites the poem in German. Gladys was blind, so she's doing this from memory. As Houdini says on the recording, the poem was "taught to her" by their father. I believe she makes a mistake and starts over after a small gap in the recording. Houdini then comes back on and says he will repeat the poem "in case you did not understand it." This seems to be his true speaking voice and not the "presentational" voice he uses on the other recordings. He then proceeds to recite the poem also in German. He speaks faster and, to my ear, more confidently in German, with great flair and rolling R's. Gladys signs off with the date, October 30, 1914, which is a day after the other recordings were made. The fact that this recording was made on a different day has never been documented.
Speaking of the machine(s) from the 1970s, our expert Michael said he was amazed the recordings weren't destroyed back then, as you can't play these Edison Blanks on a regular machine. They are much softer and the weight of the needle can wipe them clean. Several times he said it was miraculous that the recordings survive and in such great fidelity.
The final two cylinders were commercial recordings of German songs. It was still exciting to hear these as all the cylinders belonged to Houdini and it's wild to hear the music he played at home for pleasure.
Over the next few days I prepared notes and transcriptions of all the cylinders and reunited them with their correct cases. I was helped in this by magician Jessica Jane Peterson who became the fourth lucky person to hear the poetry recording.
I then drove the cylinders back to Las Vegas and played the new recordings for David. He was thrilled by what he heard. He instantly picked up on all the same moments that had so excited us in LA, especially the moment when we hear Houdini's more natural speaking voice. Even before the recordings ended he was working on the next steps. Audio work will be done to clean up the recordings and the German will be translated. It was mission accomplished and everyone was delighted and relieved!
I took myself out to dinner that night and thought about what had happened. Not only had I finally heard the "Pa's Poems" cylinder, but I now understood it was always the most precious and personal recording of them all. Houdini loved and and honored his father and you can hear that. He loved his sister and you can hear that. The family language was German and you hear that. If Houdini ever came back, this would be the cylinder he would want to hear. Preserving it was more important than I ever understood. I felt like I had done a service for both Houdini and David Copperfield, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude at the amount of trust that had been placed in me.
I then sent David a text with one last request. Could I share this momentous news? His response came back quickly: "Sure."
As I said, David didn't need to do this. This headline could have easily read, "The Houdini wax cylinders are no more." But this is what makes David Copperfield a titan of magic. He took the risk, extended extraordinary trust, and now deserves the credit for saving this important piece of Houdini history. Maybe even the most important piece. When and where the general public might hear these I can't say. But the fact that we can now hear them was the purpose of this incredible journey.
Thanks to David Copperfield, Mike Caveney, Michael Khanchalian, Jessica Jane Peterson, Glenda Wellendorf, and everyone who helped bring Houdini (and Gladys Weiss) back to life.
Want more? You can view additional images from this adventure as a "Scholar" member of my Patreon by clicking below.
Thursday, September 30, 2021
Opening up 'Houdini's Lost Diaries'
Even though I'm not a fan of the quick-cut, sound-clipy style of HISTORY shows (and that bombastic music), I thought this documentary was cut above in every other aspect. It really does feel we get something new here. There are several photos I've never seen before. They eschew all the easy mythology and work to get their facts right. I especially liked how they characterize Ehrich Weiss as making a conscious effort to transform into the mythic HOUDINI. It's a well told story.
The line-up of talking head experts is also impressive. But it's Teller who steals the show by not only speaking on-screen for the first time in a Houdini documentary, but tearing up twice. It's also a joy to see the great Patrick Culliton, "Houdini's Ghost", back in front of the camera talking Houdini.
So what about the diaries? While offering no real bombshell revelations, there is still gold. The fact that Houdini paid some challengers isn't new, but I love that he apparently coded these payments in the diaries as "be quick." The diaries are really used more to provide the kind of deep character insight that you don't get in other Houdini documentaries. Many pages are shown on-screen, and you can bet I'll be doing some pausing! Bill Kalush, who also gives a rare on-screen interview, is described as "the custodian of the diaries."
I was a little surprised by the sparse use of film footage. Instead they relied heavily, maybe too heavily, on reenactment photographs. And where the heck is Bess!? They also fall into the familiar narrative trap of jumping from Mama's death to spiritualism, ignoring Houdini's war work and movie career. However, they do not conflate his mother's death with spiritualism and correctly root it in his relationship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Spiritualism comes in for the harshest treatment of any Houdini documentary, with Penn Jillett taking off the gloves and likening it to organized crime. Sounds right.
In the end, they do amp up the sensationalism around Houdini's death and hint at possible murder, which I guess is just de rigeur for anything that airs on HISTORY. But they ultimately come down on the side of reason and discount any conspiracy.
Houdini's Lost Diaries is definitely one to watch. The option to stream free or buy on Amazon Prime appears to only be available to U.S. viewers at the moment. But as this was made by the BBC, I expect it will be getting a UK airing sooner than later. Below is an extended preview.
Friday, September 24, 2021
'Houdini's Lost Diaries' will be revealed Tuesday
I was involved with this as an occasional consultant and will be appearing onscreen along with heavyweights such as Mike Caveney and Patrick Culliton (yes, "Houdini's Ghost" appeared for this one!). I've not seen the finished film, but I did see various incarnations of the script. So I know they did mine gold from the diaries! While I interpreted some entries differently from the filmmakers, I'm optimistic they will temper the sensationalism that HISTORY requires (and their promo suggests) and we'll finally get a Houdini doc that breaks new ground and provides fresh insight. Guess we'll find out together!
Houdini's Lost Diaries airs this Tuesday on HISTORY. I believe it will stream free on the website for a week. You'll also be able to buy the episode via Amazon Prime.
Below is a behind the scenes photo courtesy of actor and magician Paul Zenon who participated in several of the reenactments. What the heck is going on here? It's all in the diaries!
UPDATE: My review and where to watch: Opening up 'Houdini's Lost Diaries'.
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Cox & Caveney Behind the Bookcase rematch!
Just a heads up that Mike Caveney and I will be back at it this Thursday, June 11 at 7:00 PM (PST) for Part 2 of "Behind the Bookcase: Eternally Houdini."
Behind the Bookcase is available to all AMA Members via the AMA Facebook Group. Episodes are then archived and available on the Magic Castle website. So if you're a member of the AMA, hope to see you Thursday!
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Monday, May 25, 2020
Talking Houdini with the AMA this Thursday
With the Magic Castle closed due to Covid-19, the Academy of Magical Arts wanted some way to continue to bring members magical experiences. Among those efforts are Facebook Live events called "Behind the Bookcase," which have proven to be very popular. So I'm excited and honored to have been asked to join Mike Caveney and Jonathan Levit for a "Behind the Bookcase" all about (surprise) HOUDINI this Thursday, May 28 at 7:00 PM PST.
"Behind the Bookcase" is available to all AMA Members via the AMA Facebook Group. Episodes are then archived and available on the Magic Castle website. So if you are a member of the AMA, I'll see you Thursday "Behind the Bookcase." (We'll turn Mike Caveney into a "Houdini Nut" yet!)
UPDATE: I'm happy to report that the event went so well we are planning a Part 2. And I think Mike might be re-catching Houdini fever (his interest in magic actually began with the Epstein book). And if you want to know the "secret of Houdini's favorite suit", I've shared it HERE. Thanks to all who watched!
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UPDATE: I'm happy to report that the event went so well we are planning a Part 2. And I think Mike might be re-catching Houdini fever (his interest in magic actually began with the Epstein book). And if you want to know the "secret of Houdini's favorite suit", I've shared it HERE. Thanks to all who watched!
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Monday, August 21, 2017
Video offers glimpse of a rare Houdini poster
In September 2000, Mike Caveney purchased the "Egyptian Hall" collection of David Price. Now Mike has created a drool-worthy video that shows some the magic props and posters from that collection that he auctioned off. Among the treasures are some familiar Houdini posters -- Buried Alive and King of Cards -- but it's what shows up at 4:25 that made me spit out my coffee!
This specific poster for Houdini's 3 Shows in One is completely unknown to me. The style, however, is familiar. It's one of a series of posters made for his final tour that eerily used Halloween imagery (witches, bats, and black cats). Of course, that tour ended on Halloween 1926 with Houdini's death. Who owns this poster today, I wonder?
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This specific poster for Houdini's 3 Shows in One is completely unknown to me. The style, however, is familiar. It's one of a series of posters made for his final tour that eerily used Halloween imagery (witches, bats, and black cats). Of course, that tour ended on Halloween 1926 with Houdini's death. Who owns this poster today, I wonder?
Below are links that show a few more of these "Halloween style" Houdini posters.
UPDATE: So it looks like the proud owners of this poster are none other than our friends Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz at the Houdini Museum in Scranton. Just another reason to visit!
UPDATE: So it looks like the proud owners of this poster are none other than our friends Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz at the Houdini Museum in Scranton. Just another reason to visit!
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