It was 100 years ago today on October 29, 1924, that Houdini gave his spiritualism lecture at the Victory Theatre in San Jose, California. This was Houdini's only visit to the city. A review of the lecture in the San Jose Mercury News began:
A missionary with a message of sanity and common sense, Houdini, a powerfully built little man in a dress suit, left no doubt in the minds of an audience at the Victory theatre last night that so-called mediums are despicable frauds. It was a wonderful evening's entertainment, the best San Jose has offered in a long time.
During the lecture, SAM member Fred P. Faltersack came onstage to assist Houdini in demonstrations. Faltersack worked at the nearby Winchester Mystery House, the world's most vivid example of how belief in spiritualism can overtake a person's life. After the lecture, Faltersack gave Harry and Bess a midnight tour of the sprawling property. Houdini was reportedly impressed with Mrs. Winchester's seance chamber. The next day, Houdini and company left for San Fransisco.
I recently took a quick trip to San Jose and had a chance to visit the various Houdini locations in the city. There's more than you might think!
First up was the site of The Victory Theatre at 45 N 1st Street (the address later changed to 57 N 1st). The Victory later became a movie theater and was renamed The Crest. In October 1953, it played the Tony Curtis Houdini biopic. So I guess Houdini returned after all! It's fun to think that someone who saw Houdini at The Crest may have also seen the real Houdini there in 1924.
The Crest remained a popular San Jose cinema until 1965, when it burned to the ground. The fire was attributed to two teenage boys. The theater was never rebuilt.
Today, the site of the Victory/Crest is a parking lot. Ironically, an escape room currently sits at the end of the block.
Just one block over from the Victory is the site of the Empire Theater at 23 N 2nd Street. Hardeen appeared here twice in July and November 1908. The theater closed in 1926. Today, an attractive building stands on the spot, but it's unclear if this is the original theater building. (I don't think it is.)
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| San Jose Mercury, Nov 17, 1908 |
Not far from the sites of the Victory and Empire is the still-active
Jose Theater at 62 S. Second Street. The Jose's vertical sign once hung outside the Victory/Crest. It was moved and re-lettered after the Victory's destruction in 1965. Theater lore holds that Houdini performed here, but I think it's being confused with the Victory. However,
Terror Island played here in 1920, so it still qualifies as a Houdini location to me!
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| Evening News, June 11, 1920. |
San Jose once again became the center of Houdini activity when the PCAM (Pacific Coast Association of Magicians) held its annual convention at the Civic Auditorium in July 1938. Bess was an honored guest and featured in their big show inside the Mongomery Theater. Here, on July 21, 1938, it was proclaimed that Halloween would henceforth be known as National Magic Day in honor of Houdini.
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| Evening News, July 19, 1938. |
The
San Jose Civic Auditorium and Mongomery Theater still stand today. So does the Hotel Sainte Claire (today the
Westin), where Bess and Ed Saint stayed during the convention. The hotel sits just across the street from the Auditorium at 302 South Market Street.
Finally, the
Winchester Mystery House still stands and is a very popular San Jose landmark and tourist attraction. They are proud of their Houdini connection. In their archives, they have a 1924 newspaper clipping that Houdini signed and sent to the house after his visit. A large Houdini poster also hangs in one of their dining rooms.
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| George Hardeen at the Winchester Mystery House in 2024. |
There was a plan to hold a Houdini Seance at the Winchester Mystery House during the 1938 PCAM convention to be attended by Bess and conducted by Ed Saint. The seance was announced in newspapers and magic magazines. But it never happened. In 1976, a local SAM chapter held a 50th Anniversary Houdini seance in the house.
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| Genii, July 1938. The seance never happened. |
This week, Houdini seances will be held in Appleton, Scranton, Las Vegas, Chicago, and more. But if you ask me, I think this year Houdini's spirit can be found in San Jose!
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