Here's another selection of rare music from the 1966 London stage musical, Man of Magic, starring Stuart Damon as Houdini, Judith Bruce as Bess, with a book and lyrics by John Morley and Aubrey Cash, and music by Wilfred Wylam. This early song and dance number showcases the "Floral Sisters."
In the play, the Floral Sisters are made up of Bess and Maggie (Gaye Brown) and are managed by Stubby Kaye's character, Toby Kester. It's while performing as a Floral Sister that Harry first sees Bess. Toby later manages Houdini himself.
What I love about this is The Floral Sisters were, in fact, real. Bessie joined the troop in Coney Island and it was there she met Houdini who was performing with Theo as The Brothers Houdini in 1894. It's wild to think that this obscure sideshow act would one day be portrayed on the London stage in an lavish musical. I wonder if any of the real Floral Sisters (or their children) lived to hear this musical number or see the play?
Anyway, enjoy the gals from the Bowery by way of Piccadilly. Ladies and gentleman, The Floral Sisters!
Tomorrow we conclude our musical adventure as Harry and Bess Conquer the World!
Thanks to Ron South for digitalizing my Man of Magic LP. Check out Ron's blog devoted to the rock band Journey, Wheel In The Sky.
Upset that we won't be getting the Houdini Broadway musical this year? Never fear! I've got your Houdini musical right here! Man of Magic was produced by Harold Fielding and opened at London's Piccadilly Theater on November 16, 1966. The production starred Stuart Damon as Houdini, Judith Bruce as Bess, and Stubby Kaye as Houdini's (fictional) manager, Toby Kester. The book and lyrics were by John Morley and Aubrey Cash, with music by Wilfred Wylam. The show closed after only 126 performances. Most critics felt that the production values were strong, but the music was weak.
Now I can bring you a selection of music from this long forgotten musical and you can judge for yourself. Below is the opening musical number, Man of Magic.
Tomorrow our Houdini musical adventure continues with a little song and dance from those gregarious gals from Coney Island -- The Floral Sisters!
Thanks to Ron South for digitalizing my Man of Magic LP. Check out Ron's blog devoted to the rock band Journey, Wheel In The Sky.
Here are a few terrific photos of Stuart Damon and Judith Bruce as Harry and Bess Houdini in the London stage musical, Man of Magic. The lavish production was produced by Harold Fielding and opened at London's Piccadilly Theater on November 16, 1966.
Over the next few days I will share some of the original music from this long forgotten show exclusively here on WILD ABOUT HARRY. So check back tomorrow to enjoy The music of Man of Magic.
Photos taken by Tom Hustler and featured in the souvenir Man of Magic Picture Book.
Recently this photo cycled unsold on eBay. It is said to be of Houdini's half-brother Herman who died when Houdini was still a boy. On the back is written "Herman M. Weiss, Appleton 1882." If legit, it would be only the second known photograph of Houdini's oldest sibling.
Photo said to be Herman Weiss in 1882.
Below is the one known photograph of Herman Weiss. This was discovered by Ken Silverman in the Library of Congress and comes from Houdini's Strange Tales by Patrick Culliton. Herman might be a few years older or younger in the below photo. Is there a resemblance?
Photo of Herman from Houdini's Strange Tales.
I was considering pulling the trigger on this -- the seller had a $79.00 Buy It Now -- until I remembered that back in May a cabinet photo appeared on eBay that was said to be Houdini's brother Nathan (this was also written on the back). That photo did not resemble Nathan and also went unsold. Now looking back, the man in that "Nathan" photo very much resembles the man in the photo of what is now said to be "Herman"!
Photo listed as being Nathan Weiss in 1904.
The name of the seller of the Nathan pic (jerry_storia) is different from the Herman shot (ritamoio). However, both are from Italy with almost identical profile pages, and the layouts of the listings are strikingly similar. Also, while writing on the back is key to identifying both these photos, it both cases the seller doesn't include a photo of the writing in the listing.
Similarities in "jerry_storia" and "ritamoio" listings.
So what's going on here? It would be very exciting to confirm that this is a photo of Herman Weiss. But the dubious "Nathan" pic and the similarities between these two sellers makes me a little suspicious.
There are multiple versions of how Houdini and Bess met. Bess told her version in the book Houdini His Life Story (1928). According to Bess, Harry was performing at her school and accidentally spilled acid on her dress during a magic trick. He had his mother make her a new dress, and then took her on a date to Coney Island. But when he kept her out too late, Bess became panicky that she would get in trouble. Houdini then gallantly proposed. This version is now considered to be pure fiction, but it does make for a cute short film (below).
The second version was told by Houdini's brother, Hardeen, and first appeared in the 1959 biography Houdini The Man Who Walked Through Walls by William Lindsay Gresham. In Dash's version, Bess was working as a fellow performer in Coney Island with The Floral Sisters when he and Harry were performing as The Brothers Houdini. Dash dated Bess first; but then made the mistake of introducing her to his charismatic older brother. A quick courtship and proposal followed. This version is generally accepted to be the truth, and has evidence in the form of two newspaper articles from the 1894 Coney Island Clipper which mention Harry and "Bessie Raymond" (her stage name).
But now here's a third version, this one from Houdini himself! The Handcuff King related this in his own words to the The San Francisco Call on Sunday, Sept. 1, 1907, in a lengthy biographical article by Arthur L. Price. Under the subheading, "Willing Wilhelmina", Houdini says:
I eloped with my wife from her school books: that was 14 years ago, and she was then just 16 years old. I was only about 20 and was working in a little Brooklyn theater, which she used to pass every day coming from school. Her name was Wilhelmina Rahner and she came about No. 9 in a family of 14 girls.
I saw her passing the place one day and I said, "Hello."
"Howdy do?" said she.
"I do as I please," I said.
I asked if I might take her home after school. "Yes; but don't let mother see you," replied the girl, smiling a bit.
She thought I was a real actor, a sort of Booth of Sir Henry Irving, and I didn't put her wise.
"How'd you like to be an actress?" I asked her one day, knowing that most girls were crazy about the stage.
She said she would like it.
"Would you marry me?" I asked quickly.
"I would if you'd ask me."
"Well, I ask you."
That was on Thursday; Saturday night she met me and we went over to New York City and were married in the city hall!
Like Bess' acid on the dress tale, this is almost certainly fiction. But it is a fun story and I love their banter. Now, why Harry felt compelled to make Bess only 16 is a mystery. Bess was actually 18 when they met and married. But the idea of a "child bride" was not unheard of at this time.
Of course, I've always been intrigued by what we might consider a fourth version that Bess told to Dorothy Young, possibly while under the influence of her favorite champagne. Bess confessed to Dorothy that she, "sold her virginity to Houdini for an orange."
Forbidden fruit?
Thanks to Tom Interval for finding and providing The San Francisco Call interview. Unpublished photo of Houdini and Bess made possible via our Hinson Endowment.
Recently I landed this October 26, 1926 Boston Advertiser on eBay. A very dramatic headline and an uncommon shot of Houdini. Thought this was one worth sharing on Instagram. #Houdini Enjoy.
A new novel featuring Houdini and a fictional take on his "murder" is headed our way in May. The Confabulist by Steven Galloway will be published by Riverhead in the U.S. and by Knopf in Canada. Here's the description:
From the beloved, award-winning, bestselling author of The Cellist of Sarajevo, a beautiful, suspense-filled novel that uses the life and sudden death of Harry Houdini to weave a magical tale of intrigue, love and illusion.
The Confabulist weaves together the life, loves and murder of the world's greatest magician, Harry Houdini, with the story of the man who killed him (twice): Martin Strauss, an everyday man whose fate was tied to the magician's in unforeseen ways. A cast of memorable characters spins around Houdini's celebrity-driven life, as they did in his time: from the Romanov family soon to be assassinated, to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the powerful heads of Scotland Yard, and the Spiritualists who would use whoever they could to establish their religion. A brilliant novel about fame and ambition, reality and illusion, and the ways that love, grief and imagination can alter what we perceive and believe.
U.S. edition (left) and the Knopf International Edition (right).
As you can see, the Canadian or "International Edition" from Knopf has what I think is much better cover art than the U.S. hardcover. You can pre-order the U.S. edition at Amazon. There is also a listing for the Knopf edition, but it currently shows as unavailable. You can, however, pre-order the Knopf edition direct from the Canadian Amazon.ca.
This is basically Houdini's 1924 book, A Magician Among The Spirits, with reprints of several articles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle included as a rebuttal. It also contains an essay on the Houdini-Doyle relationship by Timothy Beckley, and is illustrated with many photos and some rare newspaper clippings (a few that I've never seen).
While the cover says "Updated", it's unclear what, if anything, is new in this edition besides the cover art. The page count is the same as the 2010 edition (240 pages). Also, the 2010 edition included a bonus CD containing the recording of the Final Houdini Seance. This edition doesn't appear to have the CD.
If you didn't get this this first time, it's well worth having. Hopefully we can get some details on what might be new (or not) in this latest edition.
Author Michelle Ann Kratts was very kind in gifting me her new book, The Missed: Tales of Spirit and Tragic End at Niagara Falls, a "collection of strange and mystical stories conceived by the river herself."
The book contains a section on Houdini and Mina Crandon's connections to Niagara Falls. Of course, Houdini filmed The Man From Beyond on location there in 1921, and Michelle has unearthed an interesting local newspaper clipping in which Houdini -- who was staying at the Prospect House Hotel -- told reporters that police had warned him he would be promptly arrested if he perform any stunts on the falls. (One little mistake is saying that Houdini saved Nita Naldi from the rapids -- it was actually Jane Connelly.)
The Margery information is also interesting (local physician and psychologist, Dr. Henry Hardwicke, was a Margery supporter), although Houdini buffs might be surprised to read that Houdini "found himself completely stumped" by Margery's manifestations, and the dubious "quote" from Jim Collins is used to explain the ruler in the Margie Box episode. Hmmm...
Nevertheless, this is still a very nicely done and heartfelt book with beautiful photos my Michelle Petrazzoulo, and certainly one I'd recommend to Houdini and Margery completists.
Click the headline for a nice look at the Houdini collection of our good friend, John Bushey, at the blog, Ennyman's Territory.
One of John's specialties is original pitchbooks. John has taken on the task of collecting and documenting every edition and variation of every Houdini pitchbook. He also shares my passion for books in original dust jackets. You're gonna like what you see here!
October 31, 2013 was not only the 87th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini, it was also the 14th day of shooting on HISTORY's Houdini miniseries. To mark the occasion, the cast and crew of the production held a minute of silence before starting on that day's shooting in Budapest, Hungary.
The idea of having a minute of silence in memory of Houdini was proposed by technical advisor David Merlini and embraced by director Uli Edel. Members of the cast that day included Adrien Brody as Houdini, Kristen Connolly as Bess, and Evan Jones as Jim Collins.
What a great idea and what a fitting tribute. The spirit of Houdini certainly seems to be alive with this production!
Interestingly, Houdini's actual death scene was shot just a few days later.
Houdini stars Adrien Brody as Houdini and Kristen Connolly as Bess. The 4-hour miniseries is directed by Uli Edel from a script by Nicholas Meyer. It will air over the course of two nights on HISTORY later this year.
One of the many mysteries of the famous Mirror Handcuff Challenge is the identity of the "Mirror representative" who challenged Houdini with the cuff and is seen in the famous photograph of the event (right). Now Joe Notaro at Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence has not only uncovered his name, Will. A. Bennet, but has posted a full account of the challenge as told by Bennet himself!
Some curious things here, including the suggestion that there was "a peculiar physical defect that enabled Houdini to defeat his beautiful mechanism". Of course, if this article is on the level, it means the Mirror Challenge was as well. But it is a little convenient that this article appeared in an Australian newspaper when Houdini was making his one and only tour of that continent. Hmmm...
CLICK HERE or on the headline to read this latest wrinkle in the Mirror Handcuff story.
Let's kick off the New Year with a fresh Houdini mystery. Over the holidays I was contacted by a gentleman who believes he might have inherited an authentic and hitherto unknown piece of Houdini escape apparatus. Here's what he wrote:
My name is Michael Kahle. My father was Brian Kahle of AM Buffalo fame as well as established and respected local magician. He recently passed but before he died, he mentioned that he had an old Harry Houdini escape illusion in storage with his other magic illusions. He said he had seen its sister prop sold at auction for over $40,000 and that there were only two known to be in existence, his apparently being the other.
After his passing I found the item as he mentioned along with his props. The problem is, I can't verify the item and cant find any other information on it. All I know is that he acquired the item to be used as a display item in his magic themed restaurant, The Magic Parlor, in Jamestown which is now closed.
I wondered if you could take a look at the photos and let me know what you think or if you have seen anything like it in your travels.
Below are a selection of photos that Michael sent me. To my eye, this appears to be a gibbet that only encompasses the head and outstretched arms (crucifixion style). A "sister" Houdini gibbet did indeed sell in The Great Houdini Auction of 2004 for $65,000 and now resides in David Copperfield's International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts in Las Vegas. However, that gibbet has the benefit of a photo of Houdini with the device to authenticate it.
So what do we think? Is this a long lost Houdini prop? I admit I've never heard of a second gibbet, and neither had a handful of Houdini experts that I shared this with. Perhaps the welds and rivets could be compared to the device in the Copperfield collection?
If you have any insight into this, please share in the comments below. Or if you'd like to discuss this with the owner himself, you can contact Michael Kahle via email HERE.
UPDATE: Steve M. in the comments reminded me of "The Cylindrical Cross Escape" which appears on page 287 of Houdini's Escapes and Magic by Walter B. Gibson. There are some striking similarities in appearance and in the description of that escape to what we have here. Interesting.
Happy New Year and welcome to another year of WILD ABOUT HARRY! This is going to be a huge year for Houdini with the major event being HISTORY's Houdini miniseries starring Adrien Brody and Kristen Connolly. The network has not yet announced an air-date for the two-part television biopic, but I expect it will be mid-year sometime. Below is the title logo used during last year's shoot in Budapest. I'm not sure if this will be the logo HISTORY will use on the miniseries itself; but if so, it's going to be everywhere! HISTORY has done an amazing job promoting their past miniseries (the most recent was Bonnie & Clyde) and I expect them to pull out all the stops for Houdini. And we will cover it all!
But HISTORY's Houdini isn't the only thing we have to look forward to this year. A new play, Nothing on Earth, will be put on by the Axis Theatre in New York in February. ITV in the UK is preparing a new Houdini documentary. Already we have four new books confirmed: The Confabulist (May), Young Houdini: The Magician's Fire (November), The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles: Infinity Coil (Fall), and our friend David Saltman's eagerly awaited novel, THE ESCAPE ARTIST: Harry Houdini in Russia. There will also be updates of at least two popular Houdini publications.
Unfortunately, David Jahr's much delayed study of Houdini and Margery, The Witch of Lime Street, appears to be delayed again. The publisher tells me it's now more likely to be published in 2015.
I'm also (still) toying with the idea of publishing a WILD ABOUT HARRY: BEST OF BLOG book -- a collection of the 200 or so best blog posts in a printed book book format. And, as always, I will keep you up-to-date with the latest book and DVD releases and all the Houdini news from around the world.
So let's raise the curtain and get the show started on 2014 -- a year in which you won't be able to escape HOUDINI!
by Timothy Green Beckley.
, with reprints of several articles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle included as a rebuttal. It also contains an essay on the Houdini-Doyle relationship by Timothy Beckley, and is illustrated with many photos and some rare newspaper clippings (a few that I've never seen).
