Bringing Houdini to 2026

I thought I could avoid TikTok for the rest of my life, but this is just too much fun. Welcome to the future, Harry.

@cosminacreates Catch me or I go Houdini 😂👀 #houdini #historytopresent #magnificai ♬ sunet original - CosminaCreates

Related:

• Off to see Harry...
• Timeless Houdini
• Serenading Houdini with "Houdini"

Off to see Harry...

I'm going to wrap up 2024 with a speculative journey. I often think about time travel. Well, more specifically, I think about time traveling to see Houdini. I know I'm not alone in this. So if time travel were possible, and, say, you could select 3 specific days in the past in which to see Houdini, what days would those be? Here are the 3 days I would program into my flux capacitor:

Saturday, May 14, 1898

On this day, the Welsh Bros. Circus was playing in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The young Harry and Bess Houdini were traveling with the circus performing Metamorphosis in the circus concert tent, where Bess would also do her seriocomic songs. It's also possible I could find Harry doing his King of Cards act in the sideshow. While all this would be enough, this day marked Houdini's debut as a "clown on bars" in the Big Top show. "Went big and funny," he wrote in his diary. So, yeah, a chance to see so many aspects of the young Houdini and Bess and experience the entire Welsh Bros. show... What a day! Also, if the rules of time travel allow, it would be easy to approach and talk to him.

For my second date, it's very hard to not select March 17, 1904, as that was the day of the famed Mirror Handcuff Challenge in London. Very hard! But the Mirror Challenge was just one performance, and I want to maximize my Houdini time. Besides, I know Joe Notaro will choose the Mirror Challenge, so I can learn all about it from him. Instead, I'm going to...

Saturday, March 2, 1918

This time, I'm landing in New York City to see Houdini vanish his elephant and escape from an underwater packing case at the Hippodrome. In fact, I could see it twice as the Hippodrome had a matinee (at 2:15) and an evening show (at 8:15). After the evening show, I could zip over to Martinka's magic shop and, using a 1918 S.A.M. card borrowed from one of my collector friends, I could attend the 174th regular meeting of the S.A.M. which Houdini presided over as President. But there's more! This was the week Houdini was giving World War I soldiers lessons on how to escape from German handcuffs. So, disguised as a soldier, I could get a lesson in escapes from the Handcuff King himself! Although, a 60-year-old private might seem a bit suspicious. He might think I'm an imitator come to steal his secrets! Maybe I need to rethink this one.

My last choice has to be a performance of the 3 Shows in One. But which one? While it is tempting to see Houdini's final show in Detroit, I think it would be too upsetting. So I'll leave that to others. Instead, I'm going to...

Thursday, September 30, 1926

This was when Houdini was playing his 3 Shows in One in Worcester, Massachusetts. This is also the day of the Summerfield's Department store test, in which he was sealed in a glass casket for an hour propped up on view. Unlike his other outdoor stunts, which were over relatively quickly, this is one I could savor. I'd get to stand and look at the 52-year-old Houdini for an hour! Heck, maybe I could even strike up a conversation with Jim Collins. Maybe get a backstage pass to the show that night! And speaking of that show, Houdini was doing the onstage Buried Alive in Worcester at this time. So I can see exactly how he presented this still largely mysterious escape. Yes, this means I would not see the Water Torture Cell, but I want to learn during each jump. I would also get to see all the new and improved magic for the 1926-27 season, including Slicing a Girl. And how poetic to see Houdini at age 52 doing his King of Cards routine, just as I had seen him do it three days and 28 years earlier.

How about you? What would your three days with Houdini be? Let us know in the comments below. I've also launched a POLL on my Patreon.

Thank you for your patronage and support this year. It was a big year for centennials and celebrations, and I expect more of the same in 2025. Happy holidays. I'll see you all in the future!

The Houdinis 1924 Christmas Card.

2024 in Review:

January (23 posts)

February (20 posts)

March (20 posts)

April (20 posts)

May (21 posts)

June (19 posts)

July (11 posts)

August (18 posts)

September (19 posts)

October (22 posts)

November (19 posts)

December (8 posts)

Most Viewed New Post of 2024

Geno Munari Houdini collection lost in fire (Oct. 21)

Timeless Houdini

Back in 2017, Houdini made an appearance on the time-traveling television show Timeless. Houdini was played by Michael Drayer. Now, you can watch one of the Houdini scenes via the YouTube channel Scene City.

This episode was called "The World's Columbian Exposition" and is set during the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. It first aired on Monday, January 16, 2017. Timeless ran for two seasons on NBC.

If you could travel back in time and see Houdini, what would you go to see? I will reveal my own choices in my year-end sign-off post at the end of this week.

Related:

• 'Timeless' Houdini episode will air January 16
• Timeless crew werk'in on Houdini episode
• Houdini will appear in 'Timeless'

Holmes & Houdini: The Curse of Moriarty

The dynamic duo of Holmes & Houdini are back in Holmes & Houdini: The Curse of Moriarty by David Wohl. This is the complete story in a single 48-page graphic novel.

Spencer Holmes and Erica Houdini return for another supernatural case of mayhem. But this time their investigation leads them to Victorian England, where the world’s most famous detective (and Spencer’s ancestor), Sherlock Holmes, was ensnared in a deadly game of his own, against his most malevolent nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. What secrets lie in this dark tale, and what could Moriarty be dabbling in that brings in the famed vampire hunter—Liesel Van Helsing??

Don't miss this centuries-spanning mystery that will change everything we thought we knew about the great detective!

You can purchase Holmes & Houdini: The Curse of Moriarty for the Kindle on Amazon.com. Printed copies can be purchased directly from Zenescope.

Related:

• Meet Holmes & Houdini
• Holmes & Houdini issue 3
• Arthur Moses reprints the first Houdini & Holmes adventure

The Mona Lisa Mystery by M.A. Bennett

Here's some Houdini fiction I overlooked last year. The Mona Lisa Mystery by Emma Carroll is Book 3 in her "Butterfly Club" series.

Would you risk the future to change the past?

Luna, Konstantin and Aidan are time-travelling thieves working for The Butterfly Club.

When they are asked to steal a little-known painting called the Mona Lisa, Aidan can only think of one man who can make things disappear – the magician, Harry Houdini. And as luck would have it, Houdini cannot resist a challenge.

The three children and Houdini travel to 1911 Paris where they face an impossible task – stealing a painting right off the wall of the fortress-like Louvre Museum.

As Houdini prepares for the theft, a heist which will require him to pull off his greatest ever trick, the time-thieves realise that the Mona Lisa is smiling because she holds a secret. Her creator, Leonardo Da Vinci, hid mysterious codes within the painting.

The race is on to solve the puzzle in time...

Sounds fun, but why isn't Houdini included on the cover? This is probably why I overlooked it!

Purchase The Mona Lisa Mystery at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Below are some more adventures of Houdini and Time Travel.

Related:

• Houdini joins the Time Spies
• Hurry Up, Houdini! in paperback
• 'Houdini and Me' by Dan Gutman released today

Holmes & Houdini issue 3

The dynamic duo of Holmes & Houdini wrap things up in issue 3 of Zenescope's series, written by Honor Vincent and illustrated by Oliver Borges.

As Nolen Savoy's apocalyptic plot nears fruition, Spencer Holmes and Erica Houdini must join forces, much like their famous ancestors did once before to save the world. But is it already too late?

You can purchase Holmes & Houdini #3 for the Kindle on Amazon.com. You can also buy directly from Zenescope, which offers printed copies with variant covers. Depicted here is cover B by Igor Vitorino and Ivan Nunes.

Based on the preview pages at the official website, this last issue features an appearance of the real Holmes and Houdini in 1913 (below).

Related:

• Meet Holmes & Houdini
• Holmes & Houdini issue 2
• Arthur Moses reprints the first Houdini & Holmes adventure

Holmes & Houdini Issue 2

The dynamic duo of Holmes & Houdini are back in issue 2 of this three-part series from Zenescope written by Honor Vincent with artwork by Oliver Borges. Girls get it done...again!

The die has been cast, the game is afoot, and this thrilling journey has begun to unfold! 

Spencer Holmes and Erica Houdini’s lives would never have crossed-paths or so they thought. But when a plot that involves the very future of all human life begins to dig its way into the literal minds of all those around them, only Holmes and Houdini will be able to try and find a way to save everything and everyone. 

Don’t miss this exciting and mysterious next chapter of the biggest new series from Zenescope Entertainment!

You can Purchase Holmes & Houdini #2 for the Kindle on Amazon.com. You can also buy directly from Zenescope, which offers printed copies with variant covers (the above is Cover B by Jordi Tarragona and Ivan Nunes).

Issue 3 is due out on March 20.

Related:

• Meet Holmes & Houdini (issue 1)
• Arthur Moses reprints the first Houdini & Holmes adventure
• Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini collected edition

Meet Holmes & Houdini

Zenescope has released the first issue of their new series, Holmes & Houdini, by Honor Vincent, with artwork by Oliver Borges. The characters are descendants of their famous namesakes and part of the female-driven "Grimm Universe." Girls get it done!

Ancient secret societies! Mysterious advanced technology! Bloodlines tied to the end of the world! 

Few names hold such a high prestige and weight as those of Holmes and Houdini—Spencer Holmes and Erica Houdini have known that all too well, as they both have been carrying the burden of their infamous ancestors their whole lives, completely unaware of the other's existence. But when the death of a loved one sets these two on a collision course, they discover that their worlds are much more entwined and extraordinary than they ever imagined. 

Don’t miss the thrilling first issue!

The good folks at Zenescope sent me a review copy, which I greatly enjoyed. It's a good story, the artwork is the type of highly detailed comic art I like, and there are several mentions of (the real) Houdini. This first issue is focused largely on Erica Houdini (aka Erica Weiss), and, yes, she does magic and escapes. In fact, one of the alternate covers features Erica in escape action.

You can Purchase Holmes & Houdini #1 for the Kindle on Amazon.com. You can also buy directly from the publisher Zenescope, which offers printed copies and four variant covers. Issue #2 is due out on February 21.

Related:

• Arthur Moses reprints the first Houdini & Holmes adventure
• Sherlock Holmes vs. Harry Houdini collected edition
• Airship 27 releases 'Holmes and Houdini'

Houdini and The Doctor share a long hot summer

It's become somewhat of a tradition for a new Doctor (Who) to namecheck Houdini. That was the case again in the Doctor Who 2023 Christmas Special: The Church on Ruby Road, which introduced Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor. 

In the episode, the Doctor and his latest companion, Ruby, are tied up in an alien ship. The Doctor quickly frees himself, and Ruby asks how he did it...

Later in the episode, Ruby figures out the Doctor is a time traveler by recalling his reference to Houdini...

Even the official Doctor Who Facebook page (below) celebrated the reference. Are they setting us up for a proper Houdini meets the Doctor episode? The summer of 1926 was a hot and wet one. Just saying.

Thanks to Whovian Athena Stamos for the tip and pics.

Related:

• Houdini and the Doctor reunite in STAR TALES
• Harry Houdini's War is at peace with the facts
• Houdini and The Doctor meet again!

'Houdini and Me' released in paperback

Today sees the release of the U.S. paperback edition of Houdini and Me by award-winning children's author Dan Gutman. The hardcover was relased last year. This is actually Gutman's second time using Houdini in one of his works. Houdini appears in his 2012 book Ray & Me which featured a similar time-travel premise.

Harry has always admired the famous escape artist Houdini. And when Houdini asks for help in coming back to life, it seems like an amazing chance...or could it be Houdini's greatest trick of all?

Purchase Houdini and Me by Dan Gutman at Amazon.com.

Related:

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'Houdini and Me' by Dan Gutman released today

Today sees the release of Houdini and Me by award-winning children's author Dan Gutman.

Harry has always admired the famous escape artist Houdini. And when Houdini asks for help in coming back to life, it seems like an amazing chance...or could it be Houdini's greatest trick of all? 

Eleven-year-old Harry Mancini is NOT Harry Houdini--the famous escape artist who died in 1926. But Harry DOES live in Houdini's old New York City home, and he definitely knows everything there is to know about Houdini's life. What is he supposed to do, then, when someone starts texting him claiming that they're Houdini, communicating from beyond the grave? Respond, of course. 

It's hard for Harry to believe that Houdini is really contacting him, but this Houdini texts the secrets to all of the escape tricks the dead Houdini used to do. What's more, Houdini's offering Harry a chance to go back in time and experience it for himself. Should Harry ignore what must be a hoax? Or should he give it a try and take Houdini up on this death-defying offer? 

This is actually Gutman's second time using Houdini in one of his works. Houdini appears in his 2012 book Ray & Me which features a similar time-travel premise.

Below is a fun promotional video from publisher Holiday House featuring the author in New York.

 

Purchase Houdini and Me by Dan Gutman at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

Related:

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• Inside Houdini's 278
• Illustrated gems

'Hurry Up, Houdini' french paperback refresh

Attention completists. A new French edition of 2013's Hurry Up, Houdini by Mary Pope Osborne has been released by Bayard jeunesse. While the French translation was first released in 2014, this refreshed paperback sports new cover art and a slightly different title. Illustrations are by Philippe Masson.

The fictional book tells the story of two kids who set out to discover the secret of Houdini greatness via some time travel magic.

La Cabane Magique, Spectacle de magie avec Houdini can be purchased on Amazon.com or Amazon.fr.

Related:

• Houdini le magicien
• Hurry Up, Houdini! in paperback

Houdini on Mars

While Houdini has battled Martians in fiction before, I don't believe he's ever actually been to the red planet itself. But now Harry Houdini And The Great Worlds' War! by Daniel T. Foster appears to deliver just that.

Mars: A world under siege by an invading force.
Jupiter: A sinister foe bent on domination of the Solar System.
Earth: Torn between helping an ally or making themselves a target.
It would take a magic trick to save the Etherverse. Luckily, we've got just the man to pull it off: Harry Houdini!
War and intrigue on the planet Mars in 1919 come together in "Harry Houdini and the Great Worlds' War," the thrilling fourth chapter of The Etherverse! Features a special bonus story on "The Klank Korps," the Earth's attempt at a mechanical soldier...in 1917!

A 24 page comic book made in "Dime Novel" style. Written by Daniel T. Foster, and illustrated by Michael J. King

Purchase Harry Houdini And The Great Worlds' War! at Etsy.

Thanks to Arthur Moses for the alert.

Related:

• Houdini and Charmian London battle Martians
• Close Encounters of the Houdini Kind
• Houdini meets the Martians

Xavier Riddle Houdini book released

A companion book for the Houdini episode of the PBS Kids series Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum is released today by Penguin Young Readers.

Based on the children's book series Ordinary People Change the World by New York Times bestselling author Brad Meltzer and illustrator Christopher Eliopoulos, the series will introduce kids to inspiring historical figures and the character virtues that helped them succeed.

Brad is too scared to spend a full night in the museum's nature exhibit so the Secret Museum sends him and his friends to meet Harry Houdini! This episode-based 8x8 will focus on the traits that made our heroes great--the traits that kids can aspire to in order to live heroically themselves.

I Am Harry Houdini can be purchased on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk (UK release May 1).

Related:

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• Prince of the Air: A Story of Young Houdini

Houdini and the Doctor reunite in STAR TALES

In the first season of Jodie Whittaker's Doctor Who, the Doctor name-checked Houdini, saying how she once spent a "wet weekend" with the escapist. Now Houdini and the Doctor are reunited in this clever collection of adventures pairing the Doctor with famous personalities.

‘Even though they’re gone from the world, they’re never gone from me.’ 

The Doctor is many things – curious, funny, brave, protective of her friends...and a shameless namedropper. While she and her companions battled aliens and travelled across the universe, the Doctor hinted at a host of previous, untold adventures with the great and the good: we discovered she got her sunglasses from Pythagoras (or was it Audrey Hepburn?); lent a mobile phone to Elvis; had an encounter with Amelia Earhart where she discovered that a pencil-thick spider web can stop a plane; had a 'wet weekend' with Harry Houdini, learning how to escape from chains underwater; and more. 

In this collection of new stories, Star Tales takes you on a rip-roaring ride through history, from 500BC to the swinging 60s, going deeper into the Doctor's notorious name-dropping and revealing the truth behind these anecdotes.

The Houdini story is by Steve Cole and is called "Who-Dini?" It's narrated in part by a thinly disguised Dorothy Young ("Dorothy Smith"). While the story doesn't actually chronicle the aforementioned "wet weekend", it's a fun romp set in Chicago in 1926 and finds Harry and Bess interacting with two different Doctors. And it has a nice surprise ending.

Doctor Who: Star Tales is released today in the UK in hardcover and can be purchased at Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Related:

• Houdini gets a Doctor Who namecheck
• Harry Houdini's War is at peace with the facts
• Who-dini audiobook available in U.S.

The Phantom Files: Houdini's Curse

Buried in all the Halloween action this year was the release of this bit of Houdini fiction, The Phantom Files: Houdini's Curse by William B. Wolfe.

The Greatest Escape Artist of All Time is Trapped. 

And he thinks I have the key... 

After our adventure with Mark Twain, I'd hoped Bones and I were out of the ghost hunting business for good. 

But a crafty magician has other plans. Houdini himself is stuck between worlds, and Bones can't wait to help him. 

When the mysterious Reaper666 is added to our crew and we come up against a powerful vengeful spirit, it's not just Houdini's afterlife on the line. 

We better have some fantastic tricks up our sleeves, or we're going to all end up imprisoned with Houdini. 

Or worse.

Purchase The Phantom Files: Houdini's Curse at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. [Amazon links earn a commission and support Wild About Harry.]

Related:

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Harry Houdini's War is at peace with the facts

Big Finish has released their Doctor Who audio drama Harry Houdini's War on CD in the UK. This is the conclusion of a trilogy of adventures with the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) and features Houdini played by John Schwab.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio play, and while I don't think I'm versed enough in Doctor Who to compare it to other Who adventures, I can review its use of Houdini.

It's clear writer Steve Lyons and all involved have done their homework. Peppered throughout the production are snippets of authentic Houdini history, kicking off with the first lines of dialogue which are a recreation of Houdini's Water Torture Cell patter taken from his only known voice recording. John Schwab nicely imitates Houdini's super syllabic enunciation ("Lay-dees and gen-tell-men"). Thankfully, he doesn't keep this up or we would never get through this! Schwab's Houdini does feel deliberately contemporary (reminiscent of Michael Weston in Houdini & Doyle), but that works for the story and nicely highlights Harry as a man ahead of his time and a good fit with the Doctor.

The story opens with Houdini performing in New York City in September 1917, which is accurate (although he was only doing War benefits at this time). Houdini teaching doughboys how to escape German restraints gets a nod. His history and skills as an aviator comes into play in a major way. We also hear mention of his movie work, his handcuff escapes in Germany "a decade before", and after a Tardis time warping makes him a day older (or is he younger?), Houdini quips, "I'll have to change my birthday...again." Hey, we get that!

Also mentioned is Houdini being turned down as too old to enlist, although John Schwab sounds younger than Houdini's 43 years at this time. The Water Torture Cell gets a lot of attention. We even get to hear "Asleep in the Deep" during the performance. Okay, Houdini used "The Diver" for the Water Torture Cell and "Asleep in the Deep" for the Milk Can, but it's creative license and "Asleep in the Deep" works better. The fact that they used any authentic Houdini music gets a big thumbs up from me.

The CD also includes 10 minutes of interviews in which Houdini is discussed by the producer, director, and stars Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, and John Schwab.

I'm not generally a fan of Houdini fiction, but this is a case where it is all done right. They frame their fiction with facts instead of bending Houdini history to fit their story. It's a class act by Big Finish.

Alt cover with Colin Baker era DOCTOR WHO logo.

You can purchase Doctor Who: Harry Houdini's War audio CD at Amazon.co.uk. In the U.S. you can buy direct from Big Finish.

Thanks to Athena Stamos.

Related:

• Houdini and The Doctor regenerate
• Houdini and The Doctor meet again!
• The Doctor meets Houdini (at last!)

LINK: Houdini on the Meaning of Flying Saucers

I just stumbled on this interesting post from 2018 at the blog The Saucers That Time Forgot (The Murky and Quirky History of UFOs). Yes, it's Houdini giving his opinion on UFOs from the beyond the grave. And Joe Dunninger is also involved.

It's a little hard to explain, so I'd recommend clicking the headline link and heading out of this world.

Related:

• Close Encounters of the Houdini Kind
• Houdini and Charmian London battle Martians in 'Metamorphosis'

The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles 3: Metamorphosis

The third and concluding book in Marty Chan's The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles, Metamorphosis, has been released by Fitzhenry and Whiteside. Here's a description:

The conclusion to the Ehrich Weisz Chronicles trilogy! 

In this third and final book of the Ehrich Weisz Chronicles, Ehrich must make good on his promise to his brother Dash that they will return to their home dimension from their current location in the alternate New York, where immigrants are not just from different lands -- but from different dimensions. When an attack by the Dimensionals kills passengers and crew of the airship Oriental Clipper, Demon Watch Commissioner Thomas Edison promises to electrocute 54 Dimensionals unless Ehrich and his friends can stop him, while thwarting warlord Ba Tian's planned invasion of New York.

Purchase The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles: Metamorphosis at Amazon.com. There you can also buy the first two books, Demon Gate and Infinity Coil.

Related:

• Discover 'The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles' (book 1)
• The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles book 2 released today

Doctor Who: Harry Houdini's War

Houdini and The Doctor are once again in action in a new audio drama by Big Finish Productions, Harry Houdini's War. This is the conclusion of a trilogy of adventures featuring the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker). Harry Houdini's War is written by Steve Lyons and features John Schwab as Houdini.

The world is at war, and Harry Houdini wants to fight for his adoptive country. He might get the chance, when an old friend crashes his New York show. 

The Doctor is on the trail of a Central Powers spy ring, which has somehow acquired unearthly technology. But he is also keeping a dangerous secret… 

Finding himself on the run behind enemy lines, the world’s greatest escape artist has to work out who he can trust – and fast.

Doctor Who: Harry Houdini's War will be released this month and can be purchased at Big Finish.

UPDATE: This can now be pre-ordered as an Audio CD at Amazon.co.uk. Release date October 31 (of course!).

UPDATE #2: Review: Harry Houdini's War is at peace with the facts.

Related:

• Houdini and The Doctor regenerate
• Houdini and The Doctor meet again!
• The Doctor meets Houdini (at last!)