Houdini arrives in Galveston (at last)

When Houdini ran away from home at age 12, he sent a postcard back to his mother saying he was going to Galveston, Texas. He never made it. Later in life, Houdini annotated the postcard and explained that he got in the wrong boxcar and wound up in Kansas City instead.

Even Houdini doesn't seem to remember why he was going to Galveston, writing on the card, "I was on my way to Texas?" But in looking at the history of the city in the 1880s, one can see that it was a port town with a steady influx of immigrants and a large jewish community. I suspect young Ehrich got a hot tip that there was ample work for young Jewish men in Galveston, and he was heading there to make money for the family.

It would take 37 years, but Houdini finally did make it to Galveston. During his second tour of Texas in 1923, he played the Galveston Opera House (right) on November 6. It was a one-day stop with a matinee and evening show.

This was an unusual engagement. Houdini was actually headlining at the Majestic in Houston this week. He and his fellow performers on the Majestic bill travelled to Galveston for this one day only, then returned to Houston. Al G. Field's Minstrels filled in at the Majestic while the vaudevillians were in Galveston.

The Galveston Daily News reviewed the show on November 7 (Vaudeville Brings a Crowed House). The final paragraph was devoted to Houdini.

Houdini, magician and mystic marvel, whose name did not appear on the program, did several amusing tricks. He escaped from a straightjacket in less than a minute, gave a demonstration of spirit writing and presented other tricks no less interesting.

In his book Houdini's Texas Tours 1916 & 1923, Ron Cartlidge says Houdini conjured a message from a recently deceased black pastor from Galveston during his spirit slates trick. Notice he didn't do his Water Torture Cell. I'm sure that remained back in Houston. I'm not sure why his name didn't appear in the program. He certainly appeared in the advertisements, as you can see at the top of this post.

This wasn't the only time Houdini played a one-day side engagement during his Texas tour. While playing Fort Worth later that month, Houdini travelled to Corsicana for a one day appearance at the Ideal Theatre on November 20, 1923. So it appears Karl Hoblitzelle and his Interstate Amusement Company had their own unique way of doing things, and that turned out to be a good thing for Houdini. It gave him the chance to finally visit the city of his runaway dreams.

Happily, the theater Houdini performed at in Galveston still stands and is beautifully preserved. It's still a popular venue for live performance. Below a video that gives a great look inside. You can visit their website at thegrand.com.

Want more? You can read related clippings for Houdini's engagements in Galveston, Houston, and Corsicana as a "Scholar" member of my Patreon. Just click below.

Related:

• Houdini tours Texas
• Homeless Houdini
• Exploring Houdini's Austin

Pulling Houdini's ear at the Rialto

Here's a gem of an eyewitness account of Houdini at the Rialto theater in Washington, D.C. in August 1922. This engagement also marks a significant moment in Houdini history, but I'll come back that after the story.

Washington Herald, August 27, 1922.

The Rialto was a movie theater and Houdini was there making a personal appearance with The Man From Beyond. But unlike the movie's similar run at the Times Square Theater in New York in which Houdini performed magic, for this Washington engagement he demonstrated spiritualist trickery. These were his first public lectures on the subject and the debut of Houdini the ghostbuster.

This also means the intrepid Betty Whitfied had to sit through two showings of The Man From Beyond to see Houdini a second time. A Houdini nut indeed!

But not all audience members found his demonstrations as entertaining, as can be read below:

Washington Herald, August 29, 1922.

Hey, at least he liked the movie!

Built in 1918, Moore's Rialto was located at 713 Ninth Street NW. In 1925 it was taken over by the Universal Picture chain who operated it until 1927. It was demolished in 1940.

Below is the site of the Rialto today, where Houdini first entertained and inflamed with his spirit busting.

Images: Newspapers.com

Related:

• Unpublished photo captures Houdini the lecturer
• Houdini describes his spiritualism lecture in full
• Houdini did not approve this message

Unpublished photo captures Houdini the lecturer

You never know where a new image of Houdini will appear next. This unpublished photo comes from Pixels.com which sells an assortment of public domain images as wall art, coffee mugs, and even face masks. Not sure this would make a great face mask, but it is an exciting image as shots of Houdini captured during an actual (indoor) performance are rare.

This picture is credited as being 1926 and shows Houdini giving a lecture, likely related to spiritualism. He has what look like Spirit Slates in his hands and is addressing what appears to be an audience volunteer. The men in the photo look too old to be college students, so this is not Houdini's famous final lecture at McGill University. But this image gives us a taste of what that may have looked like.

UPDATE: It appears the original source for this image is the Library of Congress.

Related:

• Houdini describes his spiritualism lecture in full
• A new candidate for Houdini's last photo (update)
• More magnificent Houdini images materialize

LINK: TR vs. Houdini (History Vs. podcast)

This is a very well done telling of the famous story of Houdini fooling President Theodore Roosevelt aboard the Imperator in June 1914. Click the headline to have a listen at the History Vs. podcast at Mental Floss.

Related:

• Postcard signed by Houdini and T.R.
• Houdini and the Presidents
• A day at the pool (UPDATE)

Houdini describes his spiritualism lecture in full

Houdini's spiritualism lecture tour of 1924 does not get much coverage in books. In fact, exactly what his lecture consisted of has never really been clearly spelled out. Yes, Arthur Moses gives a detailed description of Houdini's slide show in his book, Houdini Speaks Out. But Houdini's slide show made up only 30 minutes of what was a full evening talk. So what else went on?

On December 4, 1924, Houdini penned a letter to the Chattanooga Daily Times spelling out exactly what his lecture contained. (This was in reaction to what I called the Chattanooga debacle.) I've transcribed it as published, complete with what Ken Silverman called Houdini's "tortured gammer" and other oddities, such as calling Margery "Margie". (I suspect Houdini dictated this.) Nevertheless, it offers an excellent record of his "Can the Dead Speak to the Living?" lecture.

First and foremost, I am not doing a vaudeville or magical performance. My performance is split up in four parts. For twenty-five to thirty-five minutes I speak about my experiences with the most celebrated or notorious mediums of the world, giving detailed facts of how I as a professional medium in my younger days created sensations in several towns, and then I exposed the methods by which I obtained my information. 

I explain and expose minutely how as a passenger on board the S.S. Imperator I gave a séance in which Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and Victor Herbert participated and how I completely baffled them with a secret spirit message from W.T. Steed. 

Describing my séance with Lady Doyle in which she purported to obtain a spirit message from my sainted mother. 

How I produced two miracles in one day by the most remarkable coincidence that ever happened to a mortal man, and for which I have authentic proof. 

I issue my challenge of from $1000 to $5000 in the form of a wager to any medium who will perform three times in my presence whose feats I cannot explain, have duplicated or performed myself. 

Second, I present fifty slides in which I am photographed with mediums, the majority of them having long passed away, which shows my intimate contact with these famous miracle-mongers. This runs about thirty minutes, and as I have been investigating over thirty years, I am shown with mediums who are dead almost a quarter of a century, for at one time I was a firm believer, but when they commenced to exchange tricks with me I saw through the mockery of their pretensions. 

Part 3. I expose and give on the stage an exhibition of a number of perfection feats in legerdemain, which I have injected for the younger element, and present tricks that I have taken me years to perfect. Incidentally, also showing a mystery on which I made my reputation: the masterpiece of the yogis; the East Indian needle mystery in which I swallow fifty to one hundred needles and bring them up threaded. 

I expose the world-famous Dr. Slade's method of slate-writing and explain it to the audience. 

I call a committee on the stage and they hold my hands and feet and I show the public how bells are rung, tambourines shaken, under test conditions. 

Showing that I can make paraffin hands which the scientists of Europe claim cannot be made except by disembodied spirits. 

Showing to the public how Margie, the Boston medium, successfully hoodwinked hundreds of investigators while trying for the Scientific American prize, of which I am one of the committee, showing how she tossed the megaphones in the air while both her hands and feet were being held. 

Showing how she caused tables to float in the air, rang bells, and how I detected her fraud, and defy her to produce anything which I cannot explain or duplicate under my test conditions. Margie is the most successful as a conjuring medium of all times. 

Explaining how the Spanish nobleman’s son, Argamasilla, successfully fooled the scientists of Europe and prominent newspaper men of America, pretending that he could read through metals. 

At the finish of my performance I allow the public the right to question me, any rational question they desire. This, strange as it may appear, makes the most interesting part of my entertainment.

When Houdini refers to his "two miracles in one day by the most remarkable coincidence that ever happened to a mortal man," I believe he's talking about when he started and stopped the rain during a 4th of July party at the home of Bernard Ernst in Sea Cliff, New York in 1922.

Photos at the top from The Tao of Houdini by Patrick Culliton.

Related:

• Houdini at Chapel Hill (and in my home)
• The Chattanooga debacle
• The so-called miracle of July 4, 1922 (HHCE)
  

David Haversat lands Houdini's spirit slates & chair

David Haversat has once again tracked down and added to his collection a major piece of Houdini history. Below is the email sent out yesterday from David Haversat Magic with the exciting news.

A tantalizing listing on eBay for Houdini's Chair and Spirit Slates topped the Houdini search for years, but one day just like magic...it disappeared never to reappear again! That was back in 2006 and some wondered what became of this historic relic? 

Several years ago I visited the owner who listed the chair and slates, it indeed was still there after all that time. In fact it had been in the same location for 80 years! Everything about the offering was terrific. The original crate with "Houdini" stenciled in multiple places, the letter from Hardeen, the slates and of course the special chair where Houdini sat and demonstrated in his big show how unscrupulous mediums could make the secret switch.

I made an offer, left and wondered if one day I would receive the call? 

Well that day came and I'm now the proud owner of these historic items that have only been owned by several. 

The chair passed from Houdini to Hardeen and then to Herman L. Weber (1900-1953) a.k.a "Nemreh". It sat on the same property until I recently purchased the chair along with the magic collection of Herman Weber.

Herman L. Weber with his old friend Hardeen.

Check out the links below to see the original 2006 eBay listing and other recent finds by David.

Related:

• Houdini’s Spirit Chair & Slates on eBay
• Unknown 6-sheet Master Mystery poster surfaces
• Rare German Water Torture Cell poster uncovered

REVIEW: Bob Loomis delivers a Houdini masterclass

Houdini's Final Incredible Secret by Bob Loomis is a masterclass in the study of Houdini and magic history. It's really one of the most remarkable works ever produced on any single magician. This densely packed 323 page book is about a single magic trick that Houdini performed once. That's it! How can that be a book? Well, imagine spending a week in Houdini's home, getting to know every aspect of his personality and his environment, and then travel with him step by step in the trial and error development of a single perfect magic feat. Yes, that's a book!

The trick that is the focus of Bob's 20 year investigation was performed by Houdini for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Bernard M.L. Ernst in his New York home in 1922. Only one description of the trick exists, told by eyewitness Ernst in his 1932 book Houdini and Conan Doyle: The Story of a Strange Friendship (pages 240-245). The trick involved producing the written message "Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin" on a chalk slate suspended in the middle of a room in full view of Doyle and Ernst.

Past books have mentioned the famous feat and some have attempted to explain it, including most recently The Secret Life of Houdini. Bob examines and dismisses all previous explanations, which he shows invent or omit key descriptive information to fit their own theories. Bob assigns himself the task of explaining the trick exactly as described by Ernst.

It's clear that Bob is a researcher par excellence (he was the librarian at the Magic Circle in London). It's also clear he delights in doing research. Bob shares that joy by taking the reader step by step through every bit of his own process with lively prose. It might even be too much process for some. But even if one feels lost at times, there are gold nuggets along every part of the trail, so one never dares jump ahead.

I was especially impressed with Bob's overview of Houdini's character (the good and bad) on pages 67-89. Even if one doesn't want to take this full journey, the first section of the book is required reading for anyone with a desire to better understand Houdini. Gold, gold, gold!

So did Bob solve the mystery of Mene Tekel? Well, he certainly offers an explanation that is technically feasible, and he's backed it up with proof that the methods -- and there are several methods at work -- were all familiar to Houdini. The explanation is not simple or elegant. It requires divergent elements to work perfectly in sync, and the possibility of failure seems remarkably high. Maybe that's why Houdini only performed it once.

One aspect of the explanation that I don't think Bob nailed as well as others is how Houdini acquired the message that Doyle wrote several blocks from Houdini's house. Bob offers several scenarios in which confederates on the street could have gotten a peek at the message. But it just seems high risk for Houdini to leave such an essential part of the trick in the hands of others and chance. It also just seems a little improbable that such a complicated and seemingly nonsensical message could be gotten from a glance or by watching the end of a pencil. And would Houdini really be able to canvas the entire neighborhood with confederates, including policemen? Well, this is Houdini we're talking about, so maybe!

To his great credit, Bob takes Ernst at his word and accepts that Houdini not only had to fool Doyle, but Ernst as well (who remained with Houdini at all times). But I'm not entirely convinced Ernst was an innocent observer. He was Houdini's lawyer and confidant (consigliere?) in all matters. My own feeling is he was in on the trick. This would help explain some things. But there I go twisting the stated facts to fit my own ideas, just as others have done in the past. As I said, Bob doesn't give himself that luxury. As impossible as it all seems, Bob shows us that the impossible was possible.

In the end, whether or not you fully agree with all of Bob's findings, you'll still agree that this is a remarkable book. In Houdini's Final Incredible Secret, Bob Loomis not only teaches us how Houdini did it, but he also gives a lesson in how to research Houdini and magic history in a meticulous and ethical way. It's a book that deserves a standing ovation.

You can purchase Houdini's Final Incredible Secret at Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

Related:

• Bob Loomis reveals 'Houdini's Final Incredible Secret'

Bob Loomis reveals 'Houdini's Final Incredible Secret'

A nice surprise landed on Amazon today. Bob Loomis, librarian at The Magic Circle and editor of The Magical Spectator, has published a new non-fiction work called Houdini's Final Incredible Secret: The True Story of How Houdini Mystified the Creator of Sherlock Holmes. Here's the cover and book description.

After twenty years of painstaking research, Houdini’s last great riddle has finally been solved. This unique book investigates the baffling intimate performance Houdini created for his friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The exploit made the creator of Sherlock Holmes insist that Harry had employed occult or supernatural powers to accomplish it. As bestselling author Richard Wiseman points out in this innovative book’s introduction, it also describes the very fabric of magic itself, including the complex relationships between each generation of performers, the way in which tricks evolve over time, and ultimately, the surprising truth about the fundamental nature of mystery.

I don't yet have the book in hand, so I don't know entirely what to make of this. But it's always exciting to have a new non-fiction work about Houdini, especially one written by someone as versed in magic history as Bob Loomis (follow him on Twitter @Spectator_Bob).

You can purchase Houdini's Final Incredible Secret at Amazon.com (U.S.) and Amazon.co.uk (UK).

UPDATE: Bob has now launched a Facebook page devoted to the book HERE.

Related:

• The real story of Houdini & Doyle
• Review: Houdini and Conan Doyle by Christopher Sandford

Houdini lives at LILA

On Tuesday I had the great pleasure of giving a talk about Houdini to the 7th Grade class at the International School of Los Angeles a.k.a. LILA. This was a tag-team talk with the great Joe Fox who demonstrated some of Houdini's magic and escapes. Joe did the Kellar Rope Tie, Spirit Slates, escaped from handcuffs and showed the students a real straitjacket. But Joe really brought the house down when he extracted a 4-inch lock-pick from his nose!

The students were attentive and enthusiastic, and I was very impressed with how much knowledge of Houdini they already had. True, their teacher, Anna Scottie, had assigned them a Houdini biography to read (Harry Houdini: Death Defying Showman by Rita Thievon Mullin), but during the Q&A, I could see they had already dug beyond the text. One bright young man asked about "conspiracy theories" surrounding his death. The Miracle Factory's Todd Karr, who arranged this event, informed me that his daughter, Sierra, had developed a particular interest in Bean Giant handcuffs. Looks like there's a new generation of Houdini Nuts in the making!

The students also taught me a lesson about magic history. They seemed especially taken with the story of the Mirror Handcuff Challenge, but when I mentioned that the handcuffs are today owned by David Copperfield, I could hear, "Who?" These bright young students, who knew the name J. Gordon Whitehead, had never heard of David Copperfield?

Afterwards, Todd told me that shouldn't have come as a surprise. They would know the name Criss Angel, but Copperfield has been off television for decades. That's when I realized I've been holding a false assumption. I believed Copperfield had broken through into popular culture and had taken a place beside Houdini as the very definition of a magician. After all, in the recent Marvel movie Ant-Man, a character reacts to the Ant-Man's metamorphosis as "some David Copperfield s***."

However, I'm now thinking that Copperfield, like so many other great magicians in history, might not transcend his era. Not that he will ever be forgotten within the world of magic. But a horse who escapes from its stable will never be called a "Copperfield Horse." (I use this example because I opened the talk with a clip of "Houdini Horse.")

This helps me understand how a magician as popular as Howard Thurston could today be largely forgotten outside magic circles. It also makes me marvel even more at how strong Houdini's hold is on popular culture. I guess a biopic every decade and 150+ books help. Not to mention that Houdini still tends to fascinate school kids.

As I was leaving the school, I noticed the car parked beside mine had a surprising window sticker. If you're as knowledgeable about Houdini as the 7th graders at LILA, you'll understand why I thought this was a little spooky...

Thanks to Todd Karr, Sierra Karr, Anna Scotti, Milan Mendis, Anneli Harvey, and all the 7th Grade students at LILA for a wonderful visit.

Related:

• David Copperfield vs. Harry Houdini
• Is this J. Gordon Whitehead at McGill in 1926?
• Sterling Biographies Houdini

Roasting Houdini

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of attending the "Houdini Historical Comedy Roast" at the NerdMelt Showroom in Los Angeles. Comedians Eddie Furth and Ryan Pigg are the brains behind these clever historical roasts ("Teaching history a lesson"), and it was one wild night! From race to the Holocaust to every form of sexual insult aimed against one's mother, nothing was off the table. From start to finish it was a free-for-all of rapid-fire comedy insults both onstage and off. Not only was it a blast as a Houdini event, but it was exciting to experience this cutting edge of the L.A. comedy scene.

The NerdMelt showroom, located in the back of Meltdown Comics on Sunset Boulevard, was hot and near capacity with a mix of regulars and first timers drawn in by the Houdini name (even the great Max Maven was in attendance). Things kicked off at 9pm with hosts Eddie Furth (@EddieFurth) and Ryan Pigg (@RyanPigg) giving an introduction and taking Houdini trivia questions from the audience. The prize for stumping them were assorted Fleshlights (look it up). However, I knew they were in trouble when they were stumped by the question: "What was his wife's name?" The fleshlights went fast and, no, I did not ask a question (but I had one chambered).

It was then time for the man himself, The Great Houdini, to take the stage! Houdini was played by talented comedian and magician Justin Willman (@Justin_Willman), who made his entrance in chains and period tux. For my money, Justin was a dead ringer for Houdini in his younger, handsomer Handcuff King days. I mean, check this out.

The first comedian roaster up was Sara Schaefer (@saraschaefer1), who fretted that her audience was divided between people who knew absolutely nothing about Houdini and people who knew way too much ("Bunch of know-it-alls!"). Sara joked about the ridiculous complexity of the coded message Houdini arranged between himself and Bess. But she scored her biggest laugh by poking fun at people who spend all their time at The Magic Castle, several of whom were in the audience. She was terrific.

Next came the talented and ultra cool Jamar Neighbors (@JamarNeighbors). Jamar's act was loose and less about Houdini and more about magic. Funny moments were when he pointed out that his sister was "scared of magic" and that "Illusionist" was just magic speak for "arrogant magician." Said Jamar, "If I ever call myself a 'Humorist', you can sock me in the face." It was a slow burn of an act that drew one in for the kill, and I got a feeling I was seeing a future comic star on stage

Then came the absolutely hysterical Lisa Best (@lisabestcomedy) who set the room on fire with her insane persona. Lisa played the part of a somewhat dim roaster (repeatedly telling Houdini that his dead parents "HATED YOU!"), but I could tell she did the most research of them all. Lisa pulled out some obscure information, such as the fact that Houdini's sister Carrie Gladys was blind: "NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE WAS THE BEST PART OF BEING YOUR SISTER!" She relentlessly and sometimes irrationally zinged Houdini/Willman, who struggled to keep a straight face during her set. She was magnificent.

Host Eddie Furth then took the stage. He pointed out that Houdini was the first person they've roasted who "wasn't an entire dick." He said the more he researched, the more he realized Houdini was "a really great guy." I liked that.

Eddie then introduced a surprise guest roaster who didn't think Houdini was such a great guy: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle! Doyle was played by Christian Spicer (@spicer), who came out wearing a straw hat and bushy grey eyebrows and mustache (which he sweated off before the end of his set). Doyle was enraged and foul-mouthed and raved about spiritualism being the only explanation for phenomena such as David Copperfield's ability to score with supermodels. He also brought up the Houdini Museum in Scranton, commenting on how it was advertised as the only building in the world entirely dedicated to Houdini. "That seems about right!" He was very funny, and having Doyle appear as a surprise roaster was an inspired idea.

It was then Houdini's turn to roast his roasters, and Justin knocked it out of the park. ("Tonight might be the first time I jump off a bridge after a show.") During his very funny set, Houdini not only took down his fellow roasters, but leveled shots at modern pretenders: David Copperfield, David Blaine, Penn & Teller and Criss Angel. He also did a card trick for Conan Doyle that was so filthy I won't describe it, but the climax might have been the funniest moment of the entire roast. He then concluded the evening with a demonstration of the Spirit Slates (a favorite trick of the real Houdini), in which the spirits sent a clear message to the room that you can read below:

The topic that the comedians singled out the most was Houdini's death by appendicitis (it was part of every set). His height, looks and religion also came in for some repeated fun. So did the various names he used throughout his career, such as King of Cards and The Prince of Air ("MORE LIKE BEING THE PRINCE OF BEING A DIPSHIT!" - Lisa Best). Adrien Brody also came in for a few choice insults.

After the show, I was happy to get a photo with Willman/Houdini (and his slates), and Eddie Furth allowed us to strip the room of their Houdini Historical Roast posters, so all the Houdini Nuts in attendance (Lisa Cousins, Joe Notaro, Joe Fox, Bullet Valmont) got to take home a nice souvenir.

All in all, this was one of the wildest and most unique Houdini events I've ever experienced. I had a blast.

You can keep up with the latest Historical Roasts via Facebook and Twitter. Roasts are also posted on their YouTube channel. The next Historical Roast subject will be Michael Jackson on September 1st.

Photos by Joe White (@mightyjoewhite).

Related:

• Houdini gets roasted tonight
• Houdini Historical Roast, August 4
• The mystery of Carrie Gladys Weiss

Houdini and the Presidents

In honor of this Presidents' Day, I thought I'd repost this original photo of Houdini and Theodore Roosevelt taken aboard the ocean liner Imperator on June 23, 1914.

It was aboard this "last boat out of Germany" (before the outbreak WWI) that Houdini would amaze the former President with a demonstration of Spirit Slates -- accurately pinpointing where Roosevelt had just spent his Christmas holiday. The next day it was said that Roosevelt took Houdini aside on deck and asked him, "man to man," if what he did was genuine Spiritualism.

"No, Colonel," Houdini is said to have answered. "It was just hocus pocus."

The above photo is from my own collection and is glued into an inscribed copy of The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin (those ink flecks are from Houdini's signature). I've seen other copies of Unmasking with this same photo glued inside. I'm not sure when Houdini did these or how many exist, but it makes for a nice presentation copy.

The original version of this photo (right) shows Houdini and Roosevelt standing amid a group of other passengers. Houdini had the other men cropped out. This wouldn't be the only controversy related to this photo, as David Saltman explored at The Houdini File.

In his book Shots At Sea, Tom Lalicki had some fun with Houdini and Roosevelt's ocean-bound adventures, although he set his action aboard the Lusitania and worked in his fictional young hero Nate Fuller. In 2011 a remarkable artifact from this voyage sold on eBay.

While fiercely patriotic, Houdini was largely apolitical. He didn't belong to any political party and was said to have voted only once in his life for Warren G. Harding in 1920. In 1914 he met with President Woodrow Wilson, who told the magician: "Sir, I envy you your ability of escaping from tight places. Sometimes I wish I were able to do the same."

Of course, Houdini was also photographed with his favorite President, Abraham Lincoln...via the spirit world!

Related:

• Postcard signed by Houdini and T.R.
• Houdini's toughest audience
• LINK: The Man Who Hated Houdini

Houdini’s Spirit Chair & Slates on eBay

A seller on eBay has put up for auction Houdini’s Spirit Chair, magic slates, and travel crate, along with a letter of provenance from Houdini’s brother, Hardeen. Here is is the full description from the seller:

Houdini's Brother's

Heartfelt Gift To My Dad

This one-of-a-kind collectible is a treasure from my magician father's collection of magic memorabilia. (Herman L. Weber, 1900-1953, a.k.a. "Namreh, and "Weber The Wizard.") My Dad had a large room all decorated with magician’s window cards and posters and full of magic memorabilia. It was a gathering place for all of the magicians and magic buffs who played or visited Allentown or Philadelphia and stayed at our house through the years. My brother and I are now getting a little long in the tooth and we are letting go of most of our Dad's collection of magic memorabilia.

Houdini's brother, Hardeen, graciously gave Houdini’s spirit slate and chair and crate to my father. The chair is purple-black while its crate is reddish in color. This is what Hardeen wrote my Dad on March 8, 1935:

My dear Herman:

Since my talk with you at the S.A.M. meeting, the thought came to me that you would be about the most logical person to receive my brother Houdini’s Spirit Slate and Chair, which he used in his big Evening Show. As you and Houdini were such good friends, I think he would approve of my decision, if He in the other world would know of it. So I am shipping the whole outfit to you today in the same crate that it always traveled with when Houdini used it. I may add that it has not been out of the crate since my brother passed on. I guess you know by this time that I shall be in Allentown for the big show on the 30th, day of March. Will close now, sending you my best wishes for your continued success in the mystery business. I am, Sincerely yours Hardeen

While providing the provenance for the Houdini items, the Hardeen letter and envelope are themselves collectibles. To preserve the Hardeen letter and envelope, I have sandwiched both between two thick sheets of plexiglas. The letter and envelope can very easily be removed and beautifully matted and framed.

My brother and I were not even born when Houdini died; therefore, I am somewhat vague regarding how Houdini used this setup in his show. Our father never explained it to us. The fact that the spirit chair traveled in its very own crate indicates that the chair was a significant part of the program. Because Houdini debunked spiritualists and mediums, I assume that he used this part of his show to expose "spirit messages." Perhaps someone who is truly familiar with Houdini's performance will be kind enough to email me and allow the explanation to be credited and inserted here.

Magician friends and antiques dealers have advised me not to alter the condition of the Houdini spirit chair and crate. How the chair got into its present condition in the crate in over 80 years is a puzzle to me. Perhaps as a result of moths or rodents. Nonetheless, considering that it is a Houdini original, the spirit chair is still a "beauty!" It is up to buyer whether to restore the chair, which I am told would not be difficult. The shipping crate obviously traveled--and its condition is part of the crate's charm.

Bidding starts at $24,500.00. The 10 day auction ends on August 28 and can be viewed HERE.