Houdini and The Divine Sarah

Here's a photo of Houdini with the great French actress Sarah Bernhardt a.k.a. "The Divine Sarah". This image has appeared in several books, but this first generation print comes from the Harry Ransom Center.

In 1916 Bernhardt was presented with a bronze statuette of herself on behalf of the Actors of America. She then received a second surprise; the bill for $350 ($7,136 today). She returned the statuette to everyone's embarrassment. Learning of this, Houdini paid the bill and promised to return the tribute to the great actress personally. Bernhardt insisted he keep it, but she did reportedly ask if he could use his magic powers to restore her amputated leg.

This photo and at least one other taken at this same time are the only known images of Houdini and Bernhardt. But did you know this moment was also caught on film?

This rare unseen film is something I promised to unlock if I achieved my goal of 50 patrons. Well, I hit that goal yesterday thanks to our friends Vincent Toms from 278 (#49) and Randall Bell (#50). So today I'm sharing it as a Patreon exclusive. Just click below and watch this photo come to life!

Thanks to everyone for your support. If you haven't yet joined, come hang with us!

Related:

• LINK: Houdini’s bronze of Bernhardt
• Announcing WILD ABOUT HARRY on Patreon
• Patreon updates subscription billing

Houdini plays the Palace...in 1983

On May 22, 1983, ABC broadcast Parade of Stars. The two-hour special benefited the Actors Fund and featured an assortment of Broadway and television stars recreating famous vaudeville acts at the Palace Theater in New York. Of course, Houdini played the Palace many times, and he was represented not only in the show, but also on the advertising key art below (top left).

Houdini was portrayed by Alan Alan, the English escape artist who died in 2014. Alan did his signature upside down chain escape from a burning rope. According to a user on IMDb, Alan's act was cut down from 13 minutes to six minutes to eliminate the comedic elements and make it a more straightforward Houdini escape.

Other celebrities who portrayed Palace stars of the past were: Debbie Allen as Josephine Baker, David Cassidy as George M. Cohan, Gregory Hines as Bill Robinson, Ann Jillian as Mae West, Rich Little as Jack Benny, Dorothy Loudon as Fanny Brice, Jeanne Moreau as Sarah Bernhardt, James Whitmore as Will Rogers, and Shelly Winters as Sophie Tucker.

You can read a New York Times review of the show HERE. You can also view a short clip on YouTube.

For fun, here's a photo of the Palace with the real Houdini headlining (also notice the real Fanny Brice on the bill).

Thanks to Mark Willoughby for sharing the art and bringing this one to my attention. 

Related:

• Alan Alan passes away at 87
• When Christopher channeled Houdini
• Harry Ransom Center presents Vaudeville!

Houdini in 1917

Welcome to another year of WILD ABOUT HARRY. Let's kick off 2017 with a look back at what Houdini himself was up to 100 years ago.

Quick! Name a significant Houdini escape, piece of magic or performance associated with the year 1917?

One can easily do this for nearly every year of Houdini's life: 1903/Carette; 1908/Milk Can; 1914/Walking Through A Brick Wall. But 1917 is tricky. That's because for the first time in many years, Houdini didn't invent or perform any new escape or feat of magic. In fact, his act was basically the same one he had been doing since returning to the U.S. in 1914. Of this period Silverman writes: "Much of what had brought Houdini to this height he was now preparing to downplay or abandon."

This post is now retired. 

You will be able to enjoy the story of Houdini in 1917 in my upcoming book.

LINK: Houdini’s bronze of Bernhardt

In 1917 Houdini came to the rescue of actress Sarah Bernhardt. The famous French theater star had been presented with a bronze cast of herself on behalf of the "Actors of America," but then later billed for it. Unable to pay the bill, the actress had to return the gift with great embarrassment. Houdini swept in and paid the bill on her behalf, and his generosity paid him back in publicity.

It's a story that always gets a mention in major Houdini biographies, but the bronze itself has remained somewhat of a mystery. What ever happened to it? That mystery is now solved in a nice post at the Houghton Library Blog. They not only tell the story of the bronze, but also have a photo of it from the Harvard Theatre Collection. So click the headline above and read all about "Houdini’s bronze of Bernhardt."

Thanks to ​Dale Stinchcomb.