Adrienne Barbeau on seducing Houdini

Here's one from the old site that I thought was worth reposting here.

In 2006 horror movie website The Terror Trap interviewed the great Adrienne Barbeau. While she's had an illustrious career in films such as The Fog and Escape from New York, Houdini buffs know her best as the seductress Daisy White in the 1976 TV movie The Great Houdinis (a movie we love around here).

The following is an excerpt from the interview in which Adrienne recalls her days playing the "other woman" in Houdini's life.

TT: We're going to jump ahead a few years to The Great Houdini, a supernatural-tinged Made-for-TV movie that you made in 1976...

AB: Oh yes...

TT: We love Houdini. It's very rare, having never been put out on video, but we have a copy and remember seeing it when it aired. Do you recall how the role of Daisy came your way?

AB: That was an offer. I had just signed with Creative Artists. I didn't even know who they were. They were just getting started, but through a series of coincidences, I ended up signing with them. And they called one day and said "we've got this offer for you to do this part." It was the first film that I had ever done and I knew nothing about films. I had only done stage and tape up until that time. We did Maude the same way you do a stage play. We just rehearsed for 4 1/2 days and then did it for an audience straight through, no stops or anything. So we did the master...the first establishing shot...on Houdini...and I didn't know that people did close-ups. I went off and started to change clothes to do the next scene! (Laughs.)

TT: That's funny. You know, in particular one of the things that strikes us about The Great Houdini is that you got to work with such a fantastic cast: Paul Michael Glaser, Ruth Gordon, Sally Struthers, Peter Cushing...that must have been a very fascinating experience for you.

AB: My husband would remind you that we had Vivian Vance on that one...he's a big I Love Lucy fan!

TT: Yes!

AB: I've had a fascinating career...because I've worked with so many wonderful actors and interesting people. I knew Sally, of course, because she was doing All in the Family at the time. Unfortunately, I didn't have any scenes with Ruth or Peter, so I didn't get to spend any time with them. As I said, it was my first film experience and a real learning process.

With Paul Michael Glaser in The Great Houdinis

Head on over to Terror Trap to read the full interview with Adrienne Barbeau. Also check out her official website: www.abarbeau.com.

Link: Special offer from Edge of the Unknown artist Marco Roblin

Edge of the Unknown artist Marco Roblin is offering buyers of the new Collected Edition a special offer via his blog. Just click the headline above for details.

Watch for my review of this latest Houdini-Conan Doyle adventure in the new year.

The Aviator

Here's another beautiful original photo from our mysterious benefactor, MSW (who last helped us bust Bess). This pic shows Houdini in Australia behind the wheel of his Voison Biplane, possibly on the day of his historic first flight.

From the collection of MSW. Click to enlage.

A beauty! Thank you MSW.

Doug Henning's World of Magic aired 35 years ago today

It was exactly 35 years ago on December 26, 1975, that Doug Henning performed his first live television special on NBC, The World of Magic. Of course, what made this night so memorable, and now legendary, was Henning's performance of Houdini's Chinese Water Torture Cell.

Henning was not a death-defyier by nature, and he would later admit that performing the USD was a harrowing experience, and one that he would never repeat. But he also noted, "I reached 50 million people through my first TV special. That's more people than saw Houdini in his whole lifetime."

I was one of those 50 million, and I'll never forget the experience of seeing this show. Along with seeing the movie HOUDINI with Tony Curtis (which I think all happened in the same month), it sparked my interest in magic and obsession with Houdini. In fact, the TV Guide advert for the show (below) was the very first image I ever saw of the real Harry Houdini. This image bewitched me.

Original TV Guide ad. (Click to enlarge)

Henning's special was a huge hit, and not only did it make Doug Henning the preeminent magician of the day, but it reinvigorated magic and opened the door for other magicians to mount their own Prime Time TV specials, which continue to this day. Henning would go on to perform several more live TV specials and tour until 1987 when he retired to study Transcendental Meditation (he reportedly sold many of his effects to David Copperfield). He died of liver cancer in 2000 at the age of 52 -- the same age as Houdini when he died.

Doug Henning is one of the all-time great names in magic. And on this day 35 years ago, he proved himself to be a showman worthy of Houdini.

Thanks to Andrew Martin (www.andrewmartinmagic.com) for reminding me of this important anniversary. You can read the full story of Doug in Spellbound: The Wonder-filled Life of Doug Henning.

Wishing everyone Happy Holidays

1925 Houdini Christmas card recently displayed at the Boston Public Library

Houdini and Conan Doyle venture into Edge of the Unknown

Horror website Bloody Disgusting reports that Jack Reher (Red Machine) is penning a live-action adaptation of Jon Vinson's 2009 graphic novel, Edge of the Unknown, which features Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle investigating a series of brutal murders in 1920's Hollywood.

The project is said to be "out to directors." No studio or producer mentioned, so this is probably an independent endeavor, as was the original graphic novel.

I admit I had not even heard of this book until I saw this article. Happily, I was able to find that you can still order all four issues, or a new 160-page Collected Edition, at Indy Planet.

Judging by this sample artwork, I'd say this endeavor looks bloody cool!

A new Houdini graphic novel for 2011

Just in time for Christmas Capstone Press has released Houdini: The Life of the Great Escape Artist by Agnieszka Biskup with illustrations by Pat Kinsella.

This graphic novel biography for young readers runs 32 pages and does a very nice job condensing Houdini's life into its major and most visual moments. Using the performance of the Water Torture Cell as an anchor, the story flashes back to his influence by Robert-Houdin, his early career performing Metamorphosis, the handcuff escapes, and even the Mirror Challenge. Bess doesn't find her way into the story, but we do get a mention of Houdini's film career. The illustrated story ends before the 1920s, leaving an addendum to describe his Spiritualist crusade and details of his death. There is also a glossary and study aids in the back.

The book appears to be well researched (it cites The History Museum at the Castle in Appleton as a consultant). Of note is some authentic Houdini patter used during the USD, Mirror, and Metamorphosis performances.

All in all, a very nicely done little book, and definitely one for the kids or collection.

Houdini The Life of the Great Escape Artist is available now in paperback. It will be released in Library Binding on January 2, 2011.

www.capstonepub.com

Houdini and Genii go for cover #18

Here's a great way to kick off the new year. Houdini has made the cover of the new January 2011 issue of Genii: The Conjurors' Magazine. And it's a beauty of a cover at that!

Inside the magazine contains a spectacular 18-page spread on the new traveling exhibition, Houdini Art and Magic, with lots of rare photos of Houdini and images from the exhibition, along with articles by Ken Silverman and curator Brooke Kamin Rapaport, as well as blurbs by James Randi, David Blaine, and Richard Kaufman.

The issue is out now to subscribers and should be available in stores soon.

By my count, this makes the 18th Houdini-Genii cover (including one Bessie cover). Ironically, the poster image on this 2011 issue uses the same photograph that graced the very first Houdini-Genii cover in October 1936.

A history of Houdini on Genii

1936 to 1942

1953 to 1964

1972 to 2011

LINK: Lessons in Manliness from Harry Houdini

The King of Cards in 1926

In his new book, Houdini The Key, Patrick Culliton reveals some details of a lost short film Houdini apparently made for Pathe in early 1926.

In this film Houdini demonstrates some of his famous card flourishes, including his 32 card forward and back palm, an armspread turnover, a waterfall, and an amazing armspread toss and catch. Later in the film Houdini reportedly demonstrates some card cheat methods.

I threw the net out to some of my fellow Houdini thinkers and collectors for more info, but no one could tell me anything more about this curious short. There's also no mention of it in Matthew Soloman's seminal study Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century. The small amount of footage that survives appears to have come from the 1950 feature documentary, The Golden Twenties.

Why was it made? How long was it? Why did Houdini do this with Pathe and, most intriguingly, could it have been a sound film? It's not impossible.

Both Fox's Movietone and Warner Bros. Vitaphone sound systems came into use in 1926. The first feature sound film, Don Juan (music only), was released that same year. In fact, 1926 was a year filled with sound film demonstrations across the country in newsreels that bear a striking resemblance to this Houdini footage. So the technology was there. Was Houdini there as well? It would seem out of character for him not to jump on this new technology.

Sound or silent, it would be nice to see this entire film. In The Key we see images of Houdini performing in tux and tails on a full dress magic stage. It is poetic that the last moving images of Houdini shows him as he began -- as the "King of Cards."

Image from Houdini Art and Magic

UPDATE: It appears more of this rare footage can be seen on the 3-DVD set "Vintage Magic Films" produced by The Miracle Factory.

UPDATE 2: Here's a piece of the footage from the 1986 documentary, Hollywood Ghost Stories.

UPDATE 3: CLICK HERE for details about where and when this short film played, and the title!

Bessie does her bad, bad thing

Here's a terrific photo of Bess Houdini that I've never seen before from a private collection. The caption reads, "Mrs. Harry Houdini; oldest lady magician and the youngest man magician; Howard Brant 4/26/1935." You can also clearly see her famous wedding band in this pic.

From the collection of MSW. Click to enlarge.

But what is the "bad, bad thing" that we've made such a fuss about? Lifting a rabbit by the ears! A real rabbit should never be picked up by the ears (kids). That technique belongs in the dustbin of magic history along with killing the dove.

(And here you thought it was going to be something else.)

A big thanks to MSW for this one.

Bessie busted!

We received from a private collector a rare photo of Bess Houdini doing a bad, bad thing in 1935. What kind of evil deeds could our sainted Bessie possibly get up to, you ask?

Check back here tomorrow when we will bust Bess.

The search is on for Houdini's WTIC radio broadcast

Last week I shared the complete text of a rare and, until now, unknown radio address that Houdini gave over station WTIC-CT on December 3, 1925 (click here to read the full article and speech). At the end, I speculated whether it might be possible that a recording of this broadcast still exists.

Well, I've just exchanged emails with the very helpful Chief Engineer of WTIC who is going to make a search of their archives. He says it's a long-shot as only a handful of recordings from 1925 still exist, but WTIC does archive special and historic broadcasts such as this. He also said he believes the WTIC guestbook contains Houdini's signature. How cool is that?

Stay tuned!

The Weed Chain Tire Grip challenge

One of Houdini's most visually spectacular escapes was when he was challenged to free himself from chains provided by the Weed Chain Tire Grip, Co. Houdini accomplished the feat on April 10, 1908 at the Keiths Theater in New York City.

The image of Houdini in the "grip" of the weed chains is a famous one. Houdini would make good use the dramatic photos in his pitchbooks, and the image of him laying flat has gone on to appear in many biographies. However, details of the escape itself have always been somewhat scant.

Now, super collector Arthur Moses (Houdini Speaks Out) sends over the Weed Chain Tire Grip Co's own account of the challenge from their company pitchbook, The Weed. One interesting revelation is that Houdini repeated the escape a second time in Philadelphia.

Is it just me, or does it sounds like Houdini wrote this article himself? Enjoy.

Click to enlarge.

Click to enlarge.

Thank you, Arthur!

UPDATE: The Weed Chain rematch