Houdini Descendant, Journalist, Horseman, Backcountry Guide & Host of ‘Finding Uncle Harry’Houdini is his DNA. Finding Uncle Harry is his journey. George Hardeen was 10 when he learned the family secret: his Grandfather Theo “Dash” Hardeen was younger brother, stage successor and bloodline link to his Great Uncle Harry Houdini. Now, after a life in journalism, George is following the history and stories back through conversations with magicians, escapologists, collectors and authors to the family line he scarcely knew.
In this episode of Talking Strange, host Aaron Sagers sits down with John Cox, the leading Houdini historian behind the acclaimed blog Wild About Harry. Cox is the author of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897–1899 and is currently completing a definitive three-volume Houdini biography. Aaron and John dig into Houdini's complicated, often contradictory relationship with Spiritualism — a movement he publicly crusaded against. They trace the rise and collapse of his friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes creator and devout Spiritualist whose unwavering belief in psychic phenomena put him on a collision course with Houdini's exposure campaigns. The conversation also covers Houdini's own staged séances, the mystery of his famous secret code with wife Bess, and the strange afterlife of his legacy in pop culture.
On this week's episode of The AP Strange Show, Houdini historian John Cox joins AP for an in-depth discussion about the legendary magician, escape artist, and arch debunker of Spiritualist phenomena, Harry Houdini.In this conversation, he and AP discuss some of the lesser known history of Houdini in AP's hometown of Worcester, MA, including his last outdoor performance and the mystery surrounding the coffin he used during his "buried alive" performances. From there John talks about what got him into the rabbit hole of Houdini's life, the work he's done to attempt a balance between the legends and facts about the man, and the various projects he's worked on in preserving Houdini's legacy.
You can listen to The AP Strange Show on the official website, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or via the embed below. Enjoy.
The Magic Word Podcast Presents:
A River Cruise to Houdini's Birthplace in Celebration of 100 Years Since His Death
Join other listeners as the Magic Word Podcast hosts a trip to Old World Europe. Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini. As many of you know, Ehrich Weiss, aka Harry Houdini, was born in Budapest in 1874 before his family migrated to Appleton, Wisconsin, in the U.S. David Merlini has a world-renowned House of Houdini museum in Harry's hometown and will be hosting a festival around the date of the great escape artist's passing. So, we thought it appropriate to arrange a trip to the Old Country, including Transylvania, during this historic time to join in the celebration, then have a leisurely river cruise on the back end.
This trip will begin with a few days in Romania and Transylvania from October 26-28. Then we join with the Houdini Festival in Budapest from October 29-31. We will spend the following days from November 1-3 exploring in and around Budapest. On November 4-11 we will join the AMA Cruise in Budapest on the romantic Danube aboard the AmaSofia and travel northwest to Vilshofen, Germany. Those longing for the romance of Old World Europe will get to travel into the very heart of the continent, where empires were built, kings and queens were crowned and some of the world’s greatest music was composed and performed by the likes of Mozart and Beethoven. Grand European cities like Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest forever remain timeless. Admire the beauty of Salzburg or the Czech Republic’s charming mountain town, Ceský Krumlov. From grand abbeys and fortresses perched high above the Danube to plentiful iconic UNESCO World Heritage Sites, be romanced by the Danube with all her regal and romantic splendor.
This will be limited to a small group, so don't delay if you are interested. The trip dates will be October 26 (arriving in Bucharest on October 25) through November 11 and departing from Munich, Germany, on November 12. Rates go up after October 31, 2025, and cabin availability will be going fast since it is a river cruise and not an ocean going vessel.
If you are interested in joining for this once in a lifetime experience, then please drop an email to scott@themagicwordpodcast.com for more information.
Related:
This is an on-the-spot interview I did with Scott Wells of The Magic Word Podcast during last year's MAGIC Live in Las Vegas, where I gave a preview of Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899. Now that the book is out, I've reposted this on my Patreon and made it public so everyone can listen and get a taste of what this book is all about.
Purchase Escaping Obscurity: The Travel Diary of Harry Houdini, 1897-1899 exclusively at Mike Caveney's Magic Words.
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| Lancaster New Era, April 22, 1895. |
