Link: Houdini Straight Jacket History

Dean Carnegie has a terrific article on his blog today about the history of Houdini's straitjacket escape, including modern day interpretations (both serious and comic), and his own experiments performing the metal straitjacket as seen in the Tony Curtis Houdini movie.

Great stuff as always from Dean, so click the headline and have a read at Magic Detective.

New cover illuminates Luminaries

Luminaries by Timothy M. Brenner, which was first published in June, is now available with this slick new cover (left).

Luminaries is an "an alternate history mystery-thriller set in the early 1930's" that finds Houdini, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Orson Welles tracking down a serial killer who murdered a member of the British Royal Family. The three famous protagonists are each gifted with supernatural abilities, with Houdini being "a master of telekinesis".

Author Timothy Brenner tells me that he's currently working on a sequel tentatively titled, Luminaries: Black Dragon. While the first book is told mostly from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's point of view, Book 2 will be told from Houdini's viewpoint.

Luminaries is available as a paperback and Kindle eBook from Amazon.com.

Houdini still a star in San Francisco

I've returned from my trip north to visit Houdini Art & Magic and hear Ken Silverman speak at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. I'm working on my full report... In the meantime, check out these light-post banners which line Fisherman's Wharf and dot the city. Yes, Houdini is still a headliner in the City by the Bay!

Wild About Harry is hitting the road

Tomorrow I will be gassing up the Humber and hitting the road for San Francisco to see Houdini Art and Magic at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and hear a lecture by the great Kenneth Silverman, author of Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss (still the best Houdini biography, IMO). Here are the details on Ken's talk from the CJM website:

Kenneth Silverman: Harry Houdini—Jewish Star of American History - Thursday, Dec 8 ∙ 6:30 – 8 PM.

Kenneth Silverman, Pulitzer-prize winning biographer and author of Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss, discusses Houdini’s leadership in creating the Rabbis’ Sons Theatrical Benevolent Association, a group that included the most famous Jewish entertainers of the day. Silverman addresses how Houdini used his fame to combat anti-Semitism and comments on the significant legacy of Jews and magic in American history. Silverman, professor emeritus of English at New York University, has also published biographies on Cotton Mather, Edgar Allen Poe, and Samuel F.B. Morse. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he has received the Bancroft Prize in American History, the Pulitzer Prize in for Biography, the Edgar Award of the Mystery Writers of America, and the Christopher Literary Award of the Society of American Magicians.

You can follow my adventures on the road via Twitter @HoudiniWild. I'll post a full report on my return.

UPDATE: Ken Silverman at the CJM: "Houdini was the first modern magician."

Houdini is ready for his closeup

There is a fair amount of film of Houdini performing his famous outdoor feats, but because of the nature of the events, almost all of it is shot from a distance. But here among footage of an outdoor straightjacket escape is this unique closeup of Houdini.

Even though we seen closeups of Houdini in his silent film work, there's just something about seeing the man as he appeared on the street. I'd peg this as early 1920s. I love the two kids in the background -- looks like they can't believe they are this close to The Great Houdini!

This clip comes from the PBS American Experience documentary, Houdini.

We are Teller approved!

Check out this completely unsolicited tweet from Teller of the great Penn & Teller. What an honor and a wonderful surprise!

If you're wild about Houdini, you'll like this very well-done Houdini fan site.wildabouthoudini.com
— Teller (@MrTeller) December 5, 2011

Thank you, Mr. Teller. You've made my day. :)

Houdini meets Dorothy Parker

Houdini's fictional career continues in the new book, You Might As Well Die by J.J. Murphy. The book finds Houdini and Dorothy Parker puzzling out a crime with a spiritualist connection in 1920s New York. It is released today in paperback and is the latest in the Algonquin Round Table Mysteries series.

While the author points out in an afterward that the story is entirely fictional, he (she?) does suggest that Houdini and Parker could have met while Houdini was performing his record breaking run at the New York Hippodrome, which sits across the street from the Algonquin Hotel. You Might As Well Die also features Edna Ferber -- who definitely did meet Houdini -- and recently starred alongside Harry in her own fictional murder mystery adventure, Escape Artist.

The next Algonquin Round Table Mystery, A Friendly Game of Murder, will feature Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A preview of that book in contained in the back of You Might A Well Die.

Purchase from Amazon.com

Link: John Cox reviews Masters of Mystery

Inside Magic, a wonderful website for magic news "Updated Daily for the Professional Magician" has reprinted my review of Christopher Sandford's Masters of Mystery: The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini. They've also added a few kinds words about WILD ABOUT HARRY. I'm honored! Click the headline to check out the review and to have a browse around Inside Magic. You'll find great stuff there.

The Story of Harry Houdini

Amazon.com has just made available for the Kindle The Story of Harry Houdini by James C. Young. No, it's not a new book per se. The product description below explains what this is exactly:

Originally published in 'The New York Times', This Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 20 pages, consists of three parts. Part I, a brief overview of the life and career of the master magician and escape artist, was originally published January 13, 1918. Part II, which focuses on Houdini as both a medium and a debunker of mediums, was originally published May 7, 1922. Part III, which concerns one of Houdini’s greatest escapes, was originally published July 8, 1912.

Interesting. And it's only .99¢. Still, I wish there was a way to get this in a printed edition.

Christopher Sandford signing tonight in Berkeley, CA

Just a reminder that Christopher Sandford will be signing copies of his new book, Masters of Mystery: The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, tonight at 7:00pm at Books Inc. in Berkeley, California.

Masters of Mystery: The Strange Friendship of Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini was released by Palgrave Macmillan last month. The book was first released in the UK lin October under the title, Houdini and Conan Doyle. You can read my review HERE.

For more information on tonight's signing, visit the Books Inc. website.

Watch Houdini's overboard box escape

Having discovered a way to combine Quicktime movies for my 13 second Grim Game assemblage, I've now gathered together several trims of what is Houdini's only filmed overboard box escape (to my knowledge) to give us the full event in 01:37. These clips come from The Learning Channel's 1999 documentary, The Greatest, the 1971 BBC documentary, The Truth About Houdini, and The Houdini Code (2008).

Kellar?

Unfortunately, I don't know where or when this escape was filmed. But I love then tension you can feel as the crate is lowered into the water and the agonizing beat as it is completely submerged up to the lid...and then plunges lower. Also, is that Harry Kellar who shakes Houdini's hand at 20 seconds and then looks at the camera at 31 seconds as the box is lifted away? Check out the screen capture on the right. I think it is.

Enjoy the show.

UPDATE: This is confirmed to be Harry Kellar. The man standing next to Kellar, who also shakes Houdini's hand, is magician Nate Leipzig.

UPDATE 2: You can now watch a more complete and clearer version of this footage HERE.

UPDATE 3: I've finally discovered exactly when and where this footage was shot. Check out: Houdini's overboard box footage identified at last!

Related:

• The Overboard Box
• Houdini goes overboard in San Fransisco
• The untold story of Houdini's 1914 Battery Park escape

Watch 13 seconds of The Grim Game

After posting the Mysteries & Scandals Knickerbocker Hotel episode yesterday, I was inspired to break out my old VHS copy of the episode they did on Houdini himself. I don't think I've watched it since it first aired on October 26, 1998. It's a decent little doc containing interviews with all the usual suspects (Dorothy Young, Ken Silverman, Penn & Teller), but what made me sit up was that it contained a pretty substantial clip of the jail cell sequence from Houdini's lost film, The Grim Game.

I've combined the clip with the eye-blink fragment I posted back in December of last year to now give us 13 glorious seconds of Houdini struggling with his shackles in The Grim Game! Enjoy.

For more on what is said to be Houdini's best film, check out: I've seen The Grim Game.

Houdini never around when we need him, claims wife!

Check out this sensational letter written by Bess Houdini that was recently offered up on eBay. Here Bess is writing to the famous Klein's Restaurant in Pittsburgh, PA, thanking them for their sandwiches. It's a wonderful slice of life from the Houdini roadshow circa 1925, and it's very uncommon to see a letter written by Bess during Houdini's lifetime. But I'm especially crazy about her P.S.:

"Please pardon the signature in pencil, but Houdini is the only one who has a fountain pen, and of course he isn't around when we need him."

Unfortunately the starting price of $900 appears to have been a little too steep to attract a buyer and the letter cycled off today unsold.

Click to enlarge

P.S. Noticed the auction used a quote about Bessie's dueling birth dates from my birthday tribute last January.

Mysteries & Scandals checks into the Knickerbocker Hotel

UPDATE: Unfortunately, this video has been removed.

Here is the full 30 minute episode of E! Channel's Mystery's & Scandals about the famous Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel. Of course, the Knickerbocker was the site of the Final Houdini Seance in 1936, and that is featured right up front starting at 5:34. The segment includes sound footage of Bess from Religious Racketeers, and also a photo of her holding a crystal ball that I've never seen (hey, could that be this ball?).

Bessie's crystal ball?

Mysteries & Scandals also did a full episode on Houdini himself, which aired on October 26, 1998.

Thanks to the Vintage Los Angeles on Facebook for the link alert.