A warning from Houdini

When Houdini returned to the UK at the start of 1913 his new feature was The Water Torture Cell (which he had debuted in Germany the year before). He was proud and protective of his new sensation, as this notice in the February 15, 1913 issue of The Era illustrates.

Click to enlarge.

The "Special Licence" Houdini is referring to is the license he received in 1911 when he first presented the Water Torture Cell as part of a play called Challenged. The mention of the two "Copyists" being fined in Germany is interesting. One is certainly Miss Undina. But who was the other?

Related:

• Poster for Houdini's Water Torture Cell play to be auctioned
• The Undina affair
• Houdini gives the all clear to his imitators???

Mystifier, Third Quarter 2000

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

The third quarter 2000 Mystifier runs only 4 pages, but the info contained in those four pages is something special. Curator Kimberly Louagie deep dives into Houdini's appearance in Madison, Wisconsin in January 1924. She then reveals a Q&A with Wisconsinite Morris Grenzow who actually saw Houdini in Madison when he was seven years old.

Grenzow travelled to the HHC on May 31, 2000 to share his memories. A sampling is below.

Q. What was Houdini's opening escape? 

A. His first act was escaping from a straight jacket. There were two men there from the Mendota Mental Hospital that put that straightjacket on him I can remember those two guys going around tightening the straps and this and that I would say he was out in a minute or two... Then they had him all chained up and padlocked, but he got out of those chains. Those chains flew ... and 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.

Q. What was Houdini wearing? 

A. Well, not much of anything really... He probably had tight knit pants and shirt and that was about it. I can remember more about what Mrs. Houdini wore. Her clothes was something you'd wear going to a funeral. Real drab looking, long shirt, you couldn't see much above the ankle. She had a hat like they wore at that time, kind of a felt hat, tight fitting. I have seen Doug Henning and his stage was full of props. But Houdini had practically nothing there. He was there himself [with] the straitjacket, the water chamber, and the chains. But he put on a great performance. He didn't need anything to prop him up. 

Q. How did the audience react to Houdini's show? 

A. Well, they were very pleased with the performance. I just don't remember that part of it. But my eyes were glued on him every minute he was there. I tell you I think he just kind of held the audience spellbound. They didn't really show any emotion at all. They just couldn't believe what they saw.

In the interview Mr. Grenzow also made the remarkable claim that Houdini escaped from his Water Torture Cell in full view of the audience. CLICK HERE for that and supporting evidence that he might have been correct.

In "Backstage with Sid Radner", Sid announced the opening of the new Houdini Museum at the Venetian Casino in Las Vegas (adjacent to Houdini's Magic Shop). Sid reports the museum displays the original Miss. Undina poster and Houdini's pillory escape. Also on display is an engraved flask from a Superintendent Piece to Houdini.

Sid then continues the saga of Donald Ferguson, the man who claimed to be the grandson of Theo Hardeen. Ferguson's latest move was to evade a court appearance claiming to be ill and confined to his bed. But witnesses reported Ferguson "was seen about town walking, running, driving, shopping, and pushing a stalled automobile" on the day of his scheduled appearance.

Sid closes with a shoutout to the HHC's new "A Magician Among the Spirits" exhibition. He also reports that a "virtual tour" is available on the HHC website.

Mystifier

Volume 10, Number 3

Third Quarter, 2000

4 pages

Contents:

Houdini "In The Greatest Performance of his Strenuous Career"

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• Where I met a man who saw Houdini
• Miss Undina in color
• Las Vegas Houdini museum closed

Mystifier, Third Quarter 1994

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mystifier

Volume 4, Number 3

Third Quarter, 1994

6 pages

Contents:

Houdini Discusses P.T. Barnum

Houdini Name on Ellis Island Wall

Curator Welcomed at HHC

Funds Needed to Repair Houdini's Gravesite

New Book at Museum Shop

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

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

Related:

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

Miss Undina in color

Not long ago I did a post about Miss Undina, the German imitator Houdini shut down in 1912 for lifting his Water Torture Cell escape. I included the famous and familiar black and white Miss Undina poster image, first published in Gibson's Houdini's Fabulous Magic (1961). But now thanks to Chuck Romano of Chuck Romano Magic, here's the poster in its original full color!

Apparently this color image has been hiding in plain sight. Chuck explained to me that he discovered it in Time Life's The Encyclopedia of Collectibles: Lalique to Marbles (1979). He tells me this find even surprised the late Sidney Radner.

This is really awesome because I don't believe I've ever seen this poster in color before. Even Tachen's seminal MAGIC 1400s-1950s reproduces this poster only in black and white.

Thank you Chuck.

The Undina affair

In 1912 a female escape artist calling herself "Miss Undina" started performing an imitation of Houdini's Water Torture Cell in Germany. The USD was only a few months old at the time, and Houdini took legal action to stop her. He announced his injunction with a full page ad in the German showbiz journal, Das Programm (No. 557).

Now mega collector Arthur Moses provides us with a look at that very ad. As you can see, Houdini published the statement in English, French, German and Russian. It's interesting that Houdini seems more roiled about Miss Undina's advertising (which appeared in Das Programm No. 551) than the act itself. It's also interesting that Houdini characterizes the USD as an "escape from a foot pillory under water".

Click to enlarge

Ironically, Miss Undina's advertising, which Houdini took such pains to surpress, survives to this day. As you can see, it does indeed borrow from Houdini's own USD posters of the time.

Thank you Arthur. Undina poster image from Houdini's Fabulous Magic by Walter B. Gibson and Morris N. Young.

UPDATE: Miss Undina in color.