Arrival of the Mirror Cuffs

Here's a nice find from the October 18, 1976 Welland Evening Tribune. This photo was taken at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada, which was preparing to host the 50th anniversary Houdini seance that year. 

On public view for the first time, as part of the seance paraphernalia, will be Houdini's famous "Mirror Handcuffs." Prized by Houdini while he lived, since his death, they have been a part of a private collection held by a niece of Houdini's in New Jersey. The sterling silver handcuffs are engraved: 

"Presented to Harry Houdini, The Handcuff King, by the Daily Illustrated Mirror, London, as a memento of his success in escaping from the celebrated Mirror Handcuffs, March 17, 1904."

The article says these are the engraved silver replicas. I don't know whether the working cuffs came at the same time, but I know the museum had both when I saw them on display in 1990. Today, both are in David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas.

I'm actually more intrigued by the pouch holding the handcuffs and a photo from the challenge with what may be Houdini's handwriting. Does this pouch date back to Houdini? Is it still around today?

Want more? This month's Patreon reward is a searchable PDF of the 32-page souvenir booklet published by the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame during its 27 years in business. Just click below to claim.

Related:

• Mirror, Mirror...
• The Muller Mirror mystery key
• 1971: Year of the Torture Cell(s)

Dixie Dooley's remarkable visit to 278

Dixie Dooley, magician, escapist, and author of Houdini--Question Reality (a wild book I really enjoy), has graciously allowed me to share a recording he made about his visit to 278 on November 16, 1985. Dixie was one of the only Houdini fans to enter the house in those days, and he came away with some amazing artifacts. It's a story you have to hear to believe, so click below and take the journey at my Patreon. 

Thank you, Dixie.

Related:

• New Houdini book by Dixie Dooley
• The haunting of Houdini's 278
• Inside Houdini's 278

Houdini in the April The Linking Ring

If you're a Houdini fan and an IBM member, then you will be happy with the April 2024 issue of The Linking Ring. The magazine contains three notable Houdini pieces.

The first is "The Search For The Holy Grail of Houdini Handcuffs" in which Joe Notaro outlines his discoveries regarding the elusive Tatler Mirror Handcuffs. In the second, David Haversat tells the story of Bess and magician William Harkness, "The Canadian Houdini." These are both groundbreaking articles. Finally, Larry Lipman offers a very positive review of the 2019 book, The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski.

The Linking Ring is the official magazine of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM). You can join the IBM and receive The Linking Ring via their official website.

Thanks to Joe Notaro. 

Related:

• Joe Notaro is hot on the trail of the "Tatler Cuffs"
• Bean Giant surpise (Pateron)
• REVIEW: A Houdini book for everyone

Did Houdini repeat the Mirror Challenge?

The Mirror Handcuffs Challenge is the gift that keeps giving. There are still many mysteries and unanswered questions about this seminal escape during the height of Houdini's Handcuff King days. While the current hot topic is the Tatler cuffs, I recently stumbled on a new curiosity in the December 1947 The Linking Ring.

Below is an excerpt from the article "Royal Aquarium & Egyptian Hall" by Will Stone. As a young man, Stone worked with magician Paul Valadon in England. Stone talks about a hapless Handcuff King named Pongo, whom he had helped with an escape in the presence of Valadon and Albini. He then continues...

It was about this time that Houdini was advertised at the Hippodrome. He would give 500 pounds to any one who could get out of a special set of handcuffs, called "Mirror Handcuffs." The Daily Mirror Newspaper Corporation had these handcuffs made especially to challenge Houdini to get out of them, and Houdini accepted the challenge. At the same time, he passed the challenge along to any one. After a lot of urging, Valadon and Albini persuaded Pongo to compete, telling him that he had a fine chance to win, but warned him never to say a word about Valadon and Albini asking him to compete. In fact, never to mention either of their names.

The evening came when Houdini was to get out of the Mirror Cuffs. It had been advertised all over London. Val gave me tickets for Pongo and myself, with strict orders for me to see that Pongo got to the Hippodrome, and that his seat was right down near the stage. After having helped him in the back yard, he knew I was his friend, and he stuck close by. We got seats in the third row, and I had never seen such a full house before. Every seat was taken. The stage was set for Houdini. On the stage a small tent was erected. In came Houdini. The applause was tremendous. He stated what he was about to do—or try to do. He made a long speech, and he knew what to say and how to say it. He then made the challenge to any one in the audience who would attempt to get out of these handcuffs. Up jumped Pongo. "I accept that challenge," he shouted. Every eye was turned on him. Houdini stopped and stared. Then the audience gave a yell. Pongo grabbed me to go with him on the stage, but I pulled away from him and he went alone. Houdini asked three or four from the audience to come onto the stage to see that everything was fair. Valadon and Albini were among those who responded. Houdini looked Pongo over, and no doubt sized him up correctly. He then made a talk explaining things. He said he would fasten the Mirror cuffs on Pongo, and also an ordinary pair of cuffs. Pongo positively refused the ordinary cuffs; only the Mirror cuffs for him. So Houdini fastened the Mirror cuffs on Pongo and led him to the tent. In Pongo went.

After waiting a half hour, the audience became restless and began to shout. Another half hour passed and Houdini went and spoke to Pongo. Pongo came out, looking as if he had been in a fight. The audience saw him with handcuffs still on. He went down to the footlights with uplifted arms, and the spectators, seeing that he had something to say, quieted down. Pongo shouted: "Give an Englishman a chance!" That got them. The yelling and stamping was deafening. So Pongo went in for another half hour, but finally had to call it a go, and quit. The handcuffs were unlocked by the referee, and Pongo acknowledged his defeat.

Houdini was handcuffed with the Mirror cuffs, then with the ordinary pair of cuffs. He went into the tent, and in about ten minutes, out flew the ordinary cuffs. More yells and shouts, then they quieted down, for about twenty minutes. Houdini came out, still handcuffed. His assistant got a pair of shears and cut his coat up the back. It looked as if the coat was too tight. More yells and shouts and stamping! Houdini went into the tent again, and in about twenty minutes he was out with the cuffs unlocked. Then bedlam prevailed, and we went home.

What do we make of this? No mention of Pongo appears in any other account of the challenge, including the Daily Mirror's own highly detailed report. Stone's memories of the escape are also filled with slight differences, such as Houdini being secured with a second pair of handcuffs and his coat being cut off by an assistant instead of being slashed off by Houdini himself with a pen knife. It also seems highly improbable that a full hour would be given to a random challenger on the day of the highly publicized escape. But my biggest problem with this account is that we know Houdini offered up the Mirror handcuffs to challengers only after his escape on March 17 (read: Houdini's own Mirror Challenge).

However, I believe what Stone describes did happen. But it was not March 17, 1904. This was a performance after the original escape when Houdini accepted challengers, Pongo being one of them. Applying a second pair of handcuffs is a believable detail that makes perfect sense in context. The Mirror handcuffs were non-adjustable, so a second pair of cuffs would prevent the challenger from slipping them off.

But what of Stone's memories of seeing Houdini make the escape with all the on-stage dramatics of the original? Is he conflating memories of what he saw with what he had only read? That could be. But I think he may again be describing precisely what he saw, and Houdini was repeating his escape from Mirror handcuffs. He might have even done this several times during his six-week run at the Hippodrome when all of London was abuzz about the original escape.

What interests me is that Houdini also repeats the original escape's onstage theatrics, such as coming out of the cabinet and shedding his coat. But instead of going through the gymnastics of doing it himself, he had an assistant cut it off. Being locked in a second pair of cuffs and having them fly from the cabinet at the 10-minute mark is actually a nice addition.

All this is suggestive that Houdini came to see the Mirror Challenge and his dramatic struggles onstage as a performance piece. Or maybe it was conceived as such from the start.

Want more? You can read Will Stone's entire article from The Linking Ring as a Scholar member of my Patreon below.

Thanks to Joe Fox and the William Larsen Memorial Library at the Magic Castle.

Related:

• Houdini's own Mirror Challenge
• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I | Part II
• Joe Notaro is hot on the trail of the "Tatler Cuffs"

Joe Notaro is hot on the trail of the "Tatler Cuffs"

Our friend Joe Notaro at Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence is continuing to investigate the mystery of the "Tatler handcuffs" and has found yet another link in the chain.

As a refresher, in 2014, a page from a 1904 issue of Tatler magazine appeared on eBay that featured a photo of Houdini's Mirror Handcuffs (right). However, the cuffs and key depicted in that photo are noticeably different from the Mirror Handcuffs that survive today in the Copperfield collection. This mystery manacle has come to be known as the "Tatler Cuffs."

Joe had a major breakthrough in 2020 when he found a second photo of the Tatler Cuffs in 1933, along with evidence that Bess gave the cuffs to W.W. Durbin, owner of the American Egyptian Hall Theater and Museum in Ohio.

Now Joe has found compelling evidence that the Tatler cuffs were displayed as part of Ted Heuber's traveling IBM Museum in the 1930s and may have remained in Heuber's possession for a permanent museum that never happened. Joe even found a mention of them in a 1955 Linking Ring.

For this latest development, click over to HHCE and read: The missing IBM Museum is “the key” to the Tatler Handcuffs. This is wild stuff!

Related:

• A fresh new Mirror Handcuff mystery
• The Tatler Mirror Cuff mystery deepens (update)
• First look at the Mirror Handcuffs?

Deconstructing Houdini '53: Mirror images

Continuing my scene-by-scene dissection of Paramount's classic 1953 biopic Houdini. Last time we experienced Harry's career Metamorphosis. Today he faces two challenges...

Chapter 12: Mirror images

Houdini became famous throughout Europe in the early 1900s as "The Handcuff King and World Champion Jailbreaker." In the next two scenes of Houdini '53, we see him earn these titles with two spectacular challenge escapes. One challenge builds on a foundation of myth while the other builds on fact. But you might be surprised which is which.

In the preceding sequence. Houdini was challenged to escape from a Scotland Yard jail. Now he arrives onsite and meets the warden (Malcolm Lee Beggs). The warden performs a search of his new "prisoner." This is not a strip search that the real Houdini would endure. Bess is not present, which seems like a missed opportunity, but it may be accurate. Despite what we see in other biopics, I've never heard of Bess attending any jailbreak, and it's possible women would not be allowed in a cellblock. (So much for passing the key in a kiss.)

Houdini is handcuffed and the door is locked. He instantly escapes the cuffs and hands them to the warden who blusters, "We'll see who has the last laugh, Mr. Houdini!"

Once the men are gone, Houdini retrieves a length of wire from his waistband and goes to work on the lock that extends outside the cell, a complication he learned about only after he had agreed to the challenge. Across from him a prisoner (Ralph Peters) watches with fascination and begins to mirror Houdini's actions with a bent spoon. But it isn't going well and Harry even drops the wire. The prisoner likewise drops his spoon.

Houdini's all-or-nothing escape from Scotland Yard is told in almost every major biography. In these colorful accounts, it's a handcuff escape in the lobby of Scotland Yard with the man doing the cuffing none other than Superintendent William Melville himself. So the movie is basing this on fact. Or is it?

I don't believe the Scotland Yard escape ever happened. At least not as described in any biography. Houdini did visit Scotland Yard during his first weeks in England but as a tourist. (You can read my full case HERE.) So while the filmmakers might think they are drawing on real Houdini history here, they're actually building upon a myth, and it won't be for the last time. But I don't fault them as the Scotland Yard escape has long been considered fact.

While Houdini continues to struggle we fade away to the next day at the Alhambra Theater. The audience is chanting "We want Houdini!" as Bess tries to placate them with magic. The warden is sitting smugly beside Inspector Marlick (Barry Bernard). It's clear Houdini has not escaped.

Bess then enacts an improbable plan. She announces to the audience that while Houdini is unable to appear in person, "He will send his alter ego from the spirit world." She backs into the cabinet, the movie's version of Houdini's "ghost house," and quickly dons a tuxedo and Houdini mask (or many I should say a Tony Curtis mask). She then steps from the cabinet as "Houdini," much to the astonishment of the audience.

This is the third time we've seen disguise used in this movie. That could be why this doesn't seem as improbable as it should. But what I especially love here is the mention of "the spirit world." It nicely foreshadows what's to come and pulls from reality. The Houdinis performed a spiritualism act early in their careers. While this was never established in the film, we can still imagine Bess, in desperation, reaching back to her knowledge of spirit trickery to once again deceive an audience. It's also the second time in this sequence that we've seen someone "mirroring" the real Houdini. And speaking of mirrors...

A man in the audience (Tudor Owen) suddenly stands and challenges "Houdini" with a special pair of handcuffs that he made himself. He marches on stage and manacles the magician, saying the only way to get the cuffs off is to saw them off. The audience laughs heartily as the disguised Bess tumbles back into the cabinet and a new struggle commences. Handcuffs rigged to never open were something the real Houdini had to contend with.

That's when we see the real Houdini, finally free of the jail, arriving backstage. He sneaks inside the cabinet and helps the handcuffed Bess get free of her disguise and tuxedo. Houdini himself then emerges from the cabinet, torn jacket in hand, having apparently escaped the inescapable handcuffs. When the challenger asks what happened to his cuffs, Houdini shows they are now on Bess. Metamorphosis!

Some might view all this as pure Hollywood fiction. But I see a conscious echo of Houdini's very real escape from the Mirror Handcuffs in London in 1904. Think about it. It's a custom-made super cuff brought on stage by an aggressive challenger. Houdini's coat is sacrificed in the course of the drama. And one of the many stories about the Mirror challenge is that Bess saved Houdini by securing the key. What did we just witness but Bess saving her husband? So this super cuff challenge mirrors the Mirror!

With these two triumphs, we've reached the halfway point in Houdini '53. It seems the only question now is how high can The Great Houdini climb?

I feel a montage coming on...

Click to see all chapters of Deconstructing Houdini '53

Related:

• Houdini vs Scotland Yard; but did it really happen?
• The real story of Houdini at Scotland Yard?
• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I

LINK: Houdini’s pocket jack knife re-discovered

Our friend Neil McNally has a sensational Houdini scoop on his terrific blog The Doug Henning Project. Neil has shared a photo of Houdini's recently re-discovered jack knife along with a letter of provenance from Doug Henning himself. Neil got this from Brian Lumley, Doug's early assistant.

Could this be the pocket knife Houdini famously used to cut off his coat during the Mirror Handcuff Challenge in 1904? How cool would that be?

You'll have to head over to The Doug Henning Project to see the knife and read Doug's letter, so go! Before Houdini cuts ya.

Thanks Neil and Brian.

Related: 

• Neil McNally launches The Doug Henning Project
• Doug Henning and Houdini's glasses
• Doug Henning talks Houdini with Bob Lund

Remembering Bess

Just a quick post to remember Bess Houdini on this the 79th anniversary of her death on February 11, 1943.

Related:

• AUDIO: Marie Hinson remembers the death of her sister Bess Houdini
• Bess makes her final journey
• Bessie's two graves

Houdini's own Mirror Challenge

Here's a terrific news item from the March 21, 1904 London Daily Mirror. This is only four days after Houdini's famous escape from the inescapable Mirror Handcuff. I love the detail that he arrived at the newspaper office with wrestler George Hackenschmidt "to protect me." The idea of these two guys palling around London together is just great. I also like the "click bait" headline. Anyway, enjoy.

A few people did take up Houdini's challenge, but as far as I know, no one succeeded in opening the Mirror Handcuff.

Related:

• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I | Part II
• First look at the Mirror Handcuffs?
• Confirmed: 'Houdini Defeats Hackenschmidt' did exist!

First look at the Mirror Handcuffs?

This illustration appeared in the March 15, 1904 issue of the London Daily Illustrated Mirror and offers what may be the first public image of the famous Mirror Handcuffs. I don't think we can infer too much from it, but you will note that the hinge resembles the one on what we've come to call the Tatler Cuffs. 

The last public appearance of the Mirror Handcuffs was at the New York Historical Society's "Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection" exhibition in 2018.

Speaking of the Mirror Cuffs, Joe Notaro has added more evidence to his mounting case that the Tatler Cuffs survived and may still be around today. Read Joe's latest at Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence.

Related:

• The Tatler Mirror Cuff mystery deepens
• Houdini's Mirror Handcuffs to be displayed in New York
• The Muller Mirror mystery key

The Tatler Mirror Cuff mystery deepens (update)

Our friend Joe Notaro at Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence has devoted two new posts to the ongoing mystery of the "Tatler Cuff." As a refresher, back in 2014 a page from a 1904 issue of Tatler magazine appeared on eBay that featured a photo of Houdini's Mirror Handcuff. Except the cuff and key depicted in that photo was noticeably different from the Mirror Handcuff that we know today! This mystery cuff has come to be called the "Tatler Cuff."

Joe is continuing the investigation with some interesting new findings and observations. This is wild stuff, so I encourage you to click the links below and read the posts and comments.

Is Houdini being locked into the Tatler Cuff or the David Copperfield Mirror Cuff?

Mirror Cuff "exposed Jan 1920" and "locked in safe until mid 1930s"

NEW: 

William McCaffrey and Famed Birmingham “Tatler” Handcuffs

The Muller Mirror mystery key

On last Sunday's Magic Collectors' Corner ZOOM conference, Roger Dreyer gave a tour of his amazing Houdini Museum of New York at Fantasma Magic (which is now reopened for business). Among the many Houdini treasures Roger showed was a replica of the famous Mirror Handcuff made by Ian McColl. The cuff hangs in a display case with a key, and I was very surprised when Roger said he bought the key from the late Henry Muller who told him it was "the duplicate key."

I immediately remembered this post from 2013 in which I shared a photo of Mirror handcuffs on display at Henry Muller's Houdini Magical Hall of Fame with two keys. This is significant as the Mirror cuffs are supposed to have only one key. Both keys eventually vanished from the display case.

Roger has been good enough to send over a nice photo of the mystery key, which he purchased from Henry in 2016.

Now, before we get too excited and begin to speculate that this second key might have been used by Houdini to open the cuff during his famous 1904 challenge, Roger reports that David Copperfield tried this key on the original Mirror Handcuff and it did NOT work. So despite being a "reproduction not made by anyone modern", this doesn't appear to be the secret of the Mirror Handcuff escape.

But what is this key and why does it exist? I guess it's yet another Henry Muller Houdini mystery.

If you missed this latest Houdini-themed conference (#11) you can watch it on the Magic Collectors Corner Facebook Group.

Thanks Roger.

Related:

• Mirror, Mirror...
• Limited Edition Mirror Handcuff Key
• Magic Collectors' Corner goes inside the Houdini Museum of New York

Mystifier, Summer 2002

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

The Summer 2002 Mystifier features a lengthy profile of Bess aka "Madame Houdini" by HHC curator Kimberly Louagie. It contains mostly known information, but a gem is the reproduction in full of a letter Bess wrote to Hardeen on April 21, 1911. Letters written by Bess during Houdini's lifetime are uncommon, so this is something special. It's written to Dash in secret after Harry and his brother appear to have had a fight. I'm taking the liberty of reproducing it here:

    My dear Bro. Dash,
        Just heard that you were not coming over here, and the reason why. Now Dash, please do come over and if Harry does not pay the difference I will. Harry does not know I'm writing this. Now I want to tell you why he is sore. You know we are playing all the towns that you played, and of course there are plenty of guys always ready to tell H. about your challenges and what you did, and H. told me you had promised not to do challenges etc. Of course he is sore now, but I am sure if he sees you he'll forget all about it. Harry is working to death, he looks so old, he's quite gray and I am afraid he is over doing it all. Now please Dash come over. I'm looking forward with pleasure of seeing Elsie and Baby Harry, but I hope you will come with them, and I am ready to help to keep my word about paying the difference (you know I have a bank account). Please let me know at once if you come.
         I am as ever your loving sister Bess.

Following the Bess piece is a plea to "Friends of Houdini" for donations to the HHC by Executive Director JoEllen Wollangk. There are also details of a special party on July 5, 2002 to celebrate the upcoming Houdini stamp.

Page five contains another rare treat. It's a facsimile reproduction of an Oath of Secrecy signed by Houdini assistant John Boyd on May 7, 1913. I admit John Boyd is a new name to me.

Sid Radner's photo is omitted from his "Backstage" column this time. Sid discusses the above oath and how oaths such as these are why one doesn't read exposures from Houdini's assistants. Sid again claims all published accounts of how Houdini did his Water Torture Cell are incorrect. He then says something very intriguing regarding the Mirror handcuffs:

At the present time the secret of the London Daily Illustrated Mirror Handcuff escape is still unknown to the public. I know the answer but I am not convinced that revealing the secret serves any good purpose.

What exaclty did Sid know???

Sid finishes by saying he has been in touch with a newly discovered member of the Houdini family and that he will reveal more in a future Mystifier. (Sid sure loved to withhold, didn't he?)

The newsletter ends with the special announcement that the recently restored Water Torture Cell will be unveiled at the American Jewish Historical Society of New York. There's also a reproduction of Josolyne's illustration of Houdini's Walking Through a Brick Wall from Weird Wonders for Wizards (1925), which is a correction to the last issue which mistakenly used Gibson's illustration from Houdini's Escapes and Magic.

Mystifier

Volume 12, Number 2

Summer 2002

6 pages

Contents:

Madame Houdini
Houdini Stamp Event
We need your help!

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• Beatrice Houdini
• "Dearest Vincent" - Lost Bessie letter comes home
• Houdini secrecy oath sells on eBay

REVIEW: A Houdini book for everyone

To date there have been more than 160 non-fiction books written about Houdini, and just as many that feature Houdini in fictional adventures. There have been books devoted to his entire life, to his psychology, and even to a single trick. So one can pretty much find a Houdini book to suit ones needs...as long as you don't mind sifting through some 300+ titles.

Or you can just read one book, The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski. Because this is the first Houdini book that will appeal to everyone. And I mean everyone. If you love Houdini and think you know it all, this book will give you new insights. If you hate Houdini and have had enough of him already, you will find support and ammunition for your hatred. And if you just want to see what all the fuss is about, this book will tell you everything you need to know and just might hook you into Houdini World. And with the author's breezy observational style, it's just a great read!

The key here is that Joe Posnanski is an honest broker who approaches his subject as an outsider. He's also a sports writer with keen reporter instincts and an understanding of human nature and fame. The result is one of the most honest Houdini books ever written, one that treats Houdini mythology and biography with refreshing transparency. You always know where you stand with Joe. There's no manipulation of Houdini history for his own gain, no conspiracy theories or pseudo-history. Joe always lets the reader know when he's relating a myth, fact, or something that seems to exist in-between. In this way he's able to leave no compelling Houdini story untold, but also leaves no confusion in his wake. Bravo.

But one should understand going in that Joe is not out to break new ground as far as Houdini's life story is concerned. This is not a strict biography (although it still works as one and is factually solid). His real goal is to discover why Houdini continues to fascinate today. So a lot of this book is Joe's personal journey into "Houdini World", as he calls it. Along the way he meets a cast of characters both famous and unknown, including: David Copperfield, Jim Steinmeyer, Mike Caveney, Joshua Jay, Dorothy Dietrich, Dick Brookz, Jen Kramer, Andrew Basso, Jamy Ian Swiss, Kristen Johnson, Lee Terbosic, Juan Tamariz, Eric Mead, Paul Cosentino, Joe Notaro, myself, and most significantly, Patrick Culliton.

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini is really a search for two enigmatic men; Houdini and Patrick Culliton. Patrick is a big part of this book. It even opens with a quote from him. Patrick has made no secret of the fact that he doesn't like his portrayal in the book. (Pat would like us all to know the cover of his book Houdini The Key is made of buckram, not vinyl.) But I think the book works beautifully as a tribute to this greatest of all Houdini historians and remarkable man. There's no "afterlife" of Harry Houdini without Patrick Culliton.

Some other highlights. Joe's description of going through the late Ken Silverman's research papers at Appleton's History Museum gives a real feel for how Ken himself struggled to discover Houdini. Joe's overview of the various theories and arguments about how Houdini may have escaped from the Mirror Handcuffs (or not) offers the most definitive examination of this escape ever put in print. Mike Caveney's unbridled dislike of Houdini is, yes, a highligh! Mike is one of the greatest magic historians alive and his take on Houdini is important and valid. But Mike doesn't write much about Houdini. Now, thanks to this book, we have Mike Caveney talking Houdini on the record. I'm also thrilled with what isn't in the book. Houdini a spy? Joe addresses this with a single word: Silly.

But this wouldn't be a proper review without a few criticisms. The notion that Houdini was a magician of limited ability gets a bit overstated and never properly refuted (and it can be). Joe allows Joshua Jay to tell the story of the punch and Houdini's death, which feels too important and subjective to be covered by someone other than the author himself. And while not really a criticism as it's a standout and somewhat heart-stopping moment, Jim Steinmeyer's partial exposure of the Water Torture Cell might be misunderstood by the layperson. (Without revealing anything, know Houdini could do the Water Torture Cell without an assistant in the building.)

But I keep coming back to the honestly. As to Houdini's spiritualism debunking, Joe admits: "I can't lie: It bores me. I prefer the escapes. I'd rather talk about the magic." It's this level of candor that makes this such a refreshing read. For me it feels cathartic, a clearing of the air. Sometimes it takes an honest outsider to show you the world that you've been living in. Joe Posnanski is that man and The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini is that book. And it's for everyone.

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini can be purchased at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Related:

• Joe Posnanski's "Did I Mention" Houdini book tour
• The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini Los Angeles launch events
• A magical visit to the workshop of John Gaughan (2017)

Mystifier, First Quarter 1994

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

The First Quarter 1994 Mystifier kicks off with a favorite topic: Was the Mirror Handcuff Challenge Real or Arranged? The article by Bill Liles and Janet Merrill is very well-researched and nicely annotated. Their conclusion? (Spoilers ahead!):

We believed Houdini used his extensive knowledge of locks and lock picking and his specific familiarity with the Bramah lock to design the handcuffs used on him in the Daily Illustrated Mirror challenge. The most challenging part of Houdini's 70-minute escape was probably maintaining audience attention while he pretended to be initially overwhelmed by the intricate locking mechanism, before simply using a duplicate key to escape from it.

The issue continues with a report on David Copperfield's performance at the Pickard Auditorium in Neehah, Wisconsin. David, who first visited the HHC in 1993, donated a portion of his ticket sales to the museum and attended a special members only gathering after the show. Sid Radner presented him with a gift basket containing assorted Houdini HHC souvenirs and "a half-pound of Houdini blend coffee from The Daily Grind, an Appleton gourmet coffee shop." (There was Houdini coffee?) The newsletter contains a nice photo of David receiving his gift.

New HHC members are listed on page 4. Among the familiar names is our friend Joseph Fox, Wayne Allan, Richard (Dixie) Dooley, Mick Hanzlik, and also John Gardner. Gardner was a British novelist who at that time was writing the James Bond books. Being a big Bond fan, I've read all of Gardner's Bond novels, and in several he name-checks Houdini. So it looks like he was a genuine fan!

Page 5 reproduces a 1913 article from The Sphinx on "A new and original break for locating the Chosen Card." It also announces that HHC curator Moira Thomas is leaving and that a national search for a new curator is underway.

In his "Backstage" column, Sid Radner discusses at length the Mirror article. He also teases that he has uncovered a new forgotten member of Houdini's company -- "a woman who worked for Houdini as an investigator of psychics in the Chicago area in 1925." He says an interview with her will appear in a future Mystifier.

Sid also writes about the recent BBC documentary, Omnibus: Houdini, and that Ruth Brandon's Houdini biography, The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini, should be out soon in the United States (it was first released in the UK in 1993).

Mystifier
Volume 4, Number 1
First Quarter, 1994
6 pages

Contents:
The Mirror Handcuff Challenge: Real or Arranged
Copperfield Appears for HHC
New Members
New T-Shirts at the Museum Shop
Backstage with Sid Radner

Thanks to Gary Hunt of Handcuff Queens for supplying me with this issue.

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I
• The Brandon book
• Mrs. Houdini on making coffee

Thanks everyone

I'm still in New York and about to fire out on a new Houdini adventure, but I wanted to post a very big THANK YOU to everyone who came to my talk last night at the New-York Historical Society. So nice to meet so many of you in person. We had a great turn out (~370) and everyone seemed to really enjoy the evening. And the museum's exhibition is spectacular!

Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection runs through Sept. 16, 2018.

Related:

• Houdini's Mirror Handcuffs to be displayed in New York
• Join me Friday for a "Houdini Weekend" at the New-York Historical Society
• Houdini's in New York

See inside the 'Summer of Magic' exhibition in NYC

This AP video gives great look inside the New-York Historical Society's Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection exhibition. You'll see many of the Houdini rarities on display, including the Mirror Handcuffs and a one-of-a-kind Overboard Box poster, which I believe is being exhibited for the first time ever.

For more information on the exhibition and the many related special events -- including my own appearance on July 13 -- visit the New-York Historical Society's website. The exhibit runs through Sept. 16, 2018.

Related:

• New-York Historical Society's Summer of Magic begins TODAY
• Houdini's Mirror Handcuffs to be displayed in New York
• Into The Copperfield Zone, Part I | Part II

New-York Historical Society's Summer of Magic begins TODAY

The New-York Historical Society's exhibition Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection begins today. Among the many magic rarities on displays are several Houdini items, including his original Milk Can, Metamorphosis trunk, straitjacket, Bess's stage coat, and the Mirror Handcuffs (the first time the cuffs have been shown publicly in some 20 years). The exhibition runs through Sept. 16, 2018.

The museum is planning a full program of magic and Houdini related events, kicking off tomorrow with a special one-on-one interview with David Copperfield. Here are the details:

An Evening with David Copperfield
Bernard and Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series

David Copperfield, Mark Pocan (moderator)
Sat, June 16th, 2018 | 7:00 pm
$38 (Members $24) 

Magic has the power to inspire, amaze, and make the impossible a reality. How did sleight of hand and grand illusion evolve into one of the most fascinating and intricate performance arts in history? In an illuminating conversation with Mark Pocan, world-renowned magician David Copperfield uncovers the history of magic from its origins, including well-known figures such as Georges Méliès and Harry Houdini. Purchase tickets here.

For more information on the exhibition and all the summer programs -- including my own appearance on July 13 -- visit the New-York Historical Society's website.

UPDATE: The David Copperfield event is now SOLD OUT.

Related:

• Houdini's Mirror Handcuffs to be displayed in New York
• Into The Copperfield Zone, Part I | Part II

Houdini's Mirror Handcuffs to be displayed in New York

The legendary Mirror Handcuffs will be part of a display of original Houdini artifacts at the New-York Historical Society's Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection exhibition, June 15 to Sept 16, 2018. This is the first time the Mirror cuffs have been made available to view by the public in some 20 years!

The exhibition will feature a rich assortment of rarities from the Copperfield Collection. Below is a description from the museum's website.

Summer of Magic: Treasures from the David Copperfield Collection features highlights from the International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts, the incomparable trove of magical historical artifacts from the Emmy Award-winning illusionist David Copperfield. Evoking the New York magic shops that sparked Copperfield’s imagination, displays explore the careers and achievements of legendary magicians from the Golden Age of Magic (1889s–1930s) and showcase iconic objects used by Harry Houdini in his famous escape stunts, culminating with the Death Saw—one of Copperfield’s groundbreaking illusions. Curated by Cristian Petru Panaite, assistant curator of exhibitions.

Iconic objects on view include the Metamorphosis Trunk, used by Harry and Bess Houdini, that allowed the couple to magically trade places; handcuffs from the 1904 London Daily Mirror challenge, from which Houdini struggled to escape for more than 70 minutes; and Houdini’s Milk Can, an act that premiered in 1908 in which he attempted to escape from this colossal, locked can filled to the brim with water. Also on display are a dress believed to be worn by Adelaide Herrmann (1853–1932), the “Queen of Magic,” who started out as her husband’s assistant and carried on the show after his death, performing her dangerous death-defying bullet catch act; Harry Kellar’s Nested Boxes, an illusion performed for President Roosevelt’s family; and an Inexhaustible Barrel from Dante the Magician’s Broadway show Sim Sala Bim.

A recreation of a magic shop evokes the legendary New York City stores like Macy’s Magic Counter and Tannen’s Magic Shop that inspired and nurtured many magicians. On display are A. C. Gilbert Mysto Magic sets and props from Tannen’s grand catalog—decks of cards, linking rings, a disappearing bird cage, and wands.

The museum is planning a full program of magic and Houdini related events, including a special "Houdini Weekend" on July 13-15. I will be appearing on Friday, July 13, to give a short presentation on "Houdini in New York" before a screening of the acclaimed 2000 PBS documentary, Houdini. The event is free but you'll need to reserve tickets online or by calling (212) 485-9268.

For more information on the exhibition and all the programs, visit the New-York Historical Society's website. I will also keep you updated on all the Houdini-related talks and events.

Related:

• Into The Copperfield Zone, Part I | Part II
• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I | Part II
• "The Great Handcuff Contest"

"The Great Handcuff Contest"

David Copperfield is sharing select treasures from his collection on his Instagram, and yesterday he shared this incredible poster for the Mirror Handcuff Challenge. Of course, that's what we call it today. In 1904, as you can see here, it was "The Great Handcuff Contest." (This can also be seen on a playbill that recently sold in auction.)

A post shared by David Copperfield (@d_copperfield) on May 9, 2018 at 1:33am PDT

Anything related to the Mirror Challenge is always of interest, and this is especially exciting to see because there is no illustrated standalone poster that we know of. (The closest thing we have is an image on this lost poster.) Of course, David also owns the Mirror handcuffs themselves.

Earlier this year I had the extreme honor of visiting David Copperfield's amazing collection in Las Vegas. Click the related link below to relive that adventure. Also stay tuned for some exciting Copperfield Collection news...

Related:

• Into The Copperfield Zone, Part I | Part II
• Guest blog: Houdini Reflected, Part I | Part II
• Guest Blog: Silver Mirror cuffs made before the challenge? Not so fast...