20,000 views

When I announced last month that we had hit 10,000 views since our debut on Nov. 10, 2010, I said my new goal was to hit 20,000 by Houdini's birthday (March 24). Well, today we've blasted past the 20,000 mark. In fact, this past week we had our first 500+ views day. Houdini lives indeed!

Photo: Houdini Art and Magic

Our stats have changed a bit since our 10,000 view milestone. Our NEW all-time most viewed story is Experts appraise Pawn Stars. Looks like controversy trumps sex. But sex comes next with The illicit loves of Harry Houdini. That's followed by A Houdini photo you've never seen and my trip to 278: The Home of Houdini.

The vast amount of our viewers are still in the United States, followed by Australia, Canada, UK, Chile Germany, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Denmark. Most of our users still connect via Windows (74%), although Mac is gaining (19%), followed by iPhone (2%), Other Unix (1%), and iPod (1%).

Thanks again to everyone for the hits. Our new goal is to reach 100,000 by Halloween. See you then.

Sunday exclusive...

Just a head-ups that I'll have an exciting Sunday Exclusive -- an unpublished photo from the mighty Arthur Moses collection that will be of equal interest to Houdini fans and silent movie buffs alike. Houdini meets the competition...

Tomorrow.

Houdini, Lovecraft, and The Cancer of Superstition

Houdini collector extraordinaire, Arthur Moses, alerts us to a proposed collaboration between Houdini and horror master H.P. Lovecraft that has only recently come to light. In the book The 13 Gates of the Necronomican: A Workbook of Magic author Donald Tyson revealed the existence and curious fate this Houdini-Lovecraft project:

At the time of his death, Houdini had been corresponding with Lovecraft regarding a book on which they intended to collaborate, along with writer C.M. Eddy Jr., which was to be entitled 'The Cancer of Superstition.' Lovecraft prepared a detailed outline of the work, which is extant, and Barlow actually began the writing and completed three chapters, but Houdini's widow cancelled the project - perhaps because she was herself more inclined to believe in the reality of spiritualists phenomena than her skeptical late husband.

It's odd why Bess would cancel this project, especially as it would have presumably brought her money at a time when she most needed it. I don't buy Tyson's explanation that she was "more inclined to believe in the reality" of spiritualism. We know that isn't true. But is it possible she did this while under the spell of Arthur Ford?

Houdini and Lovecraft collaborated on several projects during his lifetime, including the well regarded short story, Imprisoned With The Pharaohs. Lovecraft has also starred alongside Houdini in several fictional adventures, including Necronauts and the recent Edge of the Unknown.

By the way, Arthur has also sent over some amazing unpublished images from his formidable collection that I will share this week.

UPDATE: The Cancer of Superstition is FOUND!

Syfy closes deal for Houdini/Conan Doyle TV series

Well, this is interesting. Hot on the news that DreamWorks had acquired the Houdini/Conan Doyle mash-up, Voices from the Dead, comes word that the Syfy network has made a deal to produce a TV series with the exact same premise.

Deadline Hollywood reports that Syfy will produce Among the Spirits, a dramatic series about Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle solving mysteries in the 1920s. "I guess there is something in the air about that whole time period and that very interesting relationship between Houdini and Doyle," said Syfy's president of original programming Mark Stern.

Among the Spirits is based on self-published graphic novel of the same name by writers Steve Valentine and Paul Chart. Deadline reports that the series will be in the vein of steampunk TV classic The Wild Wild West and Guy Ritchie's 2009 movie Sherlock Homes. It will center on Houdini and Doyle who, with the help of a female cop, try to solve bizarre murders and strange occurrences that look like hauntings and other supernatural events using steampunk technology.

Says Stern, "We have Houdini, who was the ultimate illusionist and was all about creating illusions, and Dolyle, who was all about getting to the truth underneath - the dreamer and the pragmatist - set against that 1920s world of America where technology is just starting to grow."

E1 Entertainment will produce Among the Spirits with Chart and Valentine writing as well as producing with Daniel J. Frey.

Hardeen movie coming into focas...

I'm off to the USC Warner Bros. Archives this morning to examine the file on a long lost Hardeen movie. They tell me they don't have much, but I'm just thrilled they have something. I may also swing by the mighty Academy Library and see what I can turn up there. Just letting you know I'm hot on the trail of Hardeen's forgotten film career, and unless today sends me down a rabbit hole of new research, I'll report my discoveries on Monday.

Lost Houdini posters FOUND!

This is why I love having a Houdini blog. Yesterday I did a story about The lost posters of Harry Houdini, talking about posters long gone, and others that have never been reproduced in color. Among the latter examples were these two posters that only ever appeared in black and white in the book, Houdini His Art and Magic.

Now, 24 hours later, thanks to the detective skills and generosity of my readers, fellow bloggers, and conservationists, I can show you BOTH these posters in full color!

First, Magician and historian Chuck Romano (chuckromanomagic.com) alerted me to the blog Refried Bean run by Renée Wolcott, a third-year master's student in book and paper conservation from the Winterthur-University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation.

Renée is currently working under the direction of Grace Owen, the conservator for the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, conserving 84 magic posters and three window cards that were glued into a scrapbook from the American Society of Magicians. Among these posters is our "lost" American's Sensation poster, and Renée has graciously allowed me to share this terrific photo taken by Denise Stockman.

Renée Wolcott with the Houdini poster. Photo by Denise Stockman

Says Renée, "I had no idea that the Houdini poster -- which I worked on all day today and yesterday, as it happens -- was so unusual. It has now been washed and lined, the losses and tears have been filled, and the fills have been inpainted. The lost corners are no longer obvious."

Renée says she may do a follow-up blog on the finished poster -- which belongs to the Billy Rose Theater Division of the NYPL -- showing before and after shots (yes, please!), so make sure you watch Refried Bean for the update. Renée has also posted more information about the poster scrapbook conservation project at the University of Delaware website. Thank you Renée.

Next, Chuck Romano also tells us the "Overboard Box" poster is now in the amazing magic collection of Norm Nielsen. Says Chuck, "It is a huge poster and the colors are beautiful. It was done by Howard K. Elcock, the artist who did many illustrations for Will Goldston."

Dean Carnegie (Carnegie: Magic Detective) alerted me to the Facebook profile of talented French photographer Zakary Belamy (zakarybelamy.com), who photographed Mr. Nielsen in front of the Houdini poster in Las Vegas. Zakary has generously allowed us to share that photo here. I've waited 33 years to see this poster in color, and it was worth the wait. This is truly one of the most beautiful Houdini posters in existence. Thank you Zakary and Norm!

Norm Nielsen with his Houdini poster. Photo by Zakary Belamy

UPDATE: Latest on the "lost" posters of Houdini

DreamWorks buys Houdini/Conan Doyle thriller, Voices from the Dead

The Hollywood Reporter reports that DreamWorks has purchased the original screenplay Voices from the Dead from screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski. The thriller finds Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle teaming up with a psychic to solve a set of murders in 1920's New York.

Straczynski wrote the 2008 Angelina Jolie drama Changeling. He also co-wrote the 2009 action thriller Ninja Assassin and was a writer-producer for Babylon 5 and Murder, She Wrote.

It's a little hard for me to get all that excited about this because, 1.) there have been a bazillion Houdini movie projects announced that never amounted to anything and, 2.) there have been a bazillion Houdini/Conan Doyle mash-ups with exactly this same premise. Remember The Arcanum?

It's a wait and see for me.

UPDATE: Spinoff Online reached out to the writer shortly after the announcement and scored the first details on how the story and deal came together. Straczynski tells the website:

“I was doing some research into Houdini when I discovered that he and Doyle were friends. I hadn’t previously been aware of this, and was fascinated by their relationship. I managed to get a lot online about them, and I ordered Houdini’s book where he talks about Doyle, and Doyle’s book where he talks about Houdini … the more I dug the more interesting it became.

I didn’t want to do a story about magic, per se, because that’s been done so many times. Instead I wrapped the story around a murder mystery with supernatural overtones — is it real or isn’t it? — and set them on the path to find out, accompanied by someone who may or may not be a real medium. It’s an action story, a character story, there’s humor and some really scary stuff … I think it’s going to do really well, and I know that the folks involved want to get this made as quickly as possible.”

The lost posters of Harry Houdini

Houdini and "Bobby" in
front of a lost poster

One of the highlights of the Houdini Art and Magic exhibition is the sudden appearance of largely unknown Houdini poster. But this isn't a surprise. I believe we've seen only a fraction of the posters Houdini used in his lifetime.

Look at this picture from Houdini His Life Story of Houdini with his dog, "Bobby The Handcuff King." In the background is a large poster showing Houdini gazing through the bars of a jail cell window that has never been published. This poster can also be spotted in the background of at least one other candid shot, so it appears to have been one he used often. But does a copy of the actual poster exist in any collection?

Furthermore, check out this photo of a Houdini theater display in Salem, Massachusetts. Three of the four Houdini posters shown here are completely unknown, and the fourth (back left) is extremely uncommon. I'm especially intrigued by the poster on the right behind the packing crate. It appears to show Houdini floating in a semi-disembodied state inside a jail cell, similar to the well-known Prison Cell and Barrel Mystery poster. Is it another poster for this effect, or something else entirely?

Three of the four posters in this shot are unknown

Then there are posters that are hiding in plain sight. Chief among these are two rare gems from the book, Houdini His Life and Art by James Randi. As far as know, these two posters appear nowhere except this book, and here only in black and white (a portion of one appears in color on the cover). What I especially love about the "America's Sensation!" poster is that it spells out Houdini's name as "Harry Handcuff Houdini." I've never seen this on any other poster. The poster for the overboard box is also unique in that it advertises an outside escape. Could he have ever produced a poster like this for the suspended straightjacket, I wonder?

These two rare posters have never been reproduced in color

Both these posters are credited as coming from the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Canada, so they belonged at one time to either Sid Radner, Henry Muller, or the Dunninger collection. But where are they today and why have these stunners never been reproduced in color?

Houdini isn't alone in having some tantalizing lost posters. His brother Hardeen used some spectacular posters in his day, but very few have survived. Also, as far as I know, no posters from his career before Houdini's death have been reproduced in color. Among the long lost Hardeen sheets is one that can be seen as part of an Oakland billboard. Oh to get a better look at this.

A Hardeen billboard provides a peek at a lost poster

Enjoy these image and join me in wondering just how many beautiful Houdini (and Hardeen) posters are out there just waiting to be discovered.

UPDATE: Lost Houdini posters FOUND!

UPDATE: NYPL shows us "America's Sensation" in color.

Scranton Houdini Museum artifacts on show in Florida

The Houdini Museum in Scranton

Items from the popular Houdini Museum in Scranton, PA, are going on tour, with the first stop being the Coconut Creek Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida, as a part of the casino's month long "Stars of Magic" celebration.

The free museum exhibit is under the direction of Houdini experts and magic consultants, Dorothy Dietrich and John Bravo (aka Dick Brookz), and displays over 150 original Houdini artifacts dating from 1883 to the present. Items include newspaper stories, autographed books, original photographs, handcuffs, magazines, advertisements, patent papers, a printing block, keys and locks, film clips, a Houdini vest, and more.

The press release (which includes a full list of the items displayed) calls the exhibit "the largest traveling display ever put together about the life of the legendary escape artist and magician Harry Houdini."

The Houdini exhibit will be on display at the Coconut Creek Casino until February 27. No word yet on the next stop of the tour.

Jim Steinmeyer at The Magic Castle

I've just received notice that Jim Steinmeyer will be at The Magic Castle tonight at 8PM for a talk and signing of his new book, The Last Greatest Magician in the World: Howard Thurston versus Houdini and the Battles of the American Wizards. This is a "Castle Perk" open to all AMA Members. It's pretty last minute notice, but you can bet I'll be there!

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The Master Mystery starring...Theo Hardeen?

I've just subscribed to The Conjuring Arts Research Center's amazing Ask Alexander search engine, and I've already made the first of what I expect will be many more mind-blowing discoveries in their incredible archive of old magic magazines.

A small item in the "Editriva" column of a 1934 issue of The Jinx reveals the news that Houdini's brother, Theo. Hardeen, "is negotiating with Paramount for a redoing of The Master Mystery." (!) Presumably, the idea here was to remake the silent Houdini serial as a sound film with Hardeen in the starring role of Quentin Locke.

There is no mention of this project again, but the mind boggles at the possibility. I actually think it was a pretty shrewd idea for Dash to pitch a remake of his brother's movie. But why The Mastery Mystery? Wouldn't one of Paramount's own Houdini films -- The Grim Game or Terror Island -- be the more obvious candidate? Unless the idea here was specifically to make a new serial.

It's too bad Hardeen never made a movie... Oh, wait, he DID! Maybe even several.

Ask Alexander has opened the door and I'm on the case of Theo. Hardeen's lost movie career. As they say in the serials...

TO BE CONTINUED...

UPDATE: Our friend Joe Notaro has gotten to the bottom of this on his terrific blog, Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence. It appears this was not to be a remake starring Hardeen, but a reissue of the original with new narration and musical score. Check out Joe's full post below:

“The Master Mystery” Reissued By Hardeen?

Houdini's Skeptical Advice in February Scientific American

Arthur Moses alerts us to an article in the February 2011 issue of Scientific American, "Houdini's Skeptical Advice: Just Because Something's Unexplained Doesn't Mean It's Supernatural" by Michael Shermer.

The article talks about the time Sir Arthur Conan Doyle visited Houdini in his New York City home and Houdini gave him a demonstration of slate writing.

You can read the article online, or pick up the issue from your local newsstand or bookstore.

Also know the current The New York Review of Books (February 10, 2011 issue) has a nice article by Robert Gottlieb about the Houdini Art and Magic exhibition called The Secrets of Houdini. And the February issue of American History has an article called, "Houdini Unbound."

Houdini makes The Director's Cut

Get ready for a meeting of The Handcuff King and The Vamp. Looks like Houdini makes a guest appearance in the newly released The Director's Cut: A Theda Bara Mystery by Christopher DiGrazia.

When makeup artist Toby Swanson joined the Fox Film Corporation in 1914, he hoped to sneak a kiss from the studio's newest star, the seductive vamp Theda Bara. But when a scene goes horribly wrong, Bara's film is cancelled and her dreams of stardom crushed. Unless she can prove what looked like an accident was really murder.

So together, Theda and Toby dive into showbiz New York, from dancing with a young Rudolph Valentino to sharing the vaudeville stage with Sophie Tucker and learning lockpicking secrets from Harry Houdini, all leading to a long-forgotten church crypt holding a desperate secret.

It's New York at the dawn of the twentieth century, a time of big bridges, big skyscrapers and big money. And it's a time when movies - the biggest new business of them all - joins hands with the oldest. The Director's Cut is the first of the Theda Bara Mysteries.

Purchase on Amazon.com.

Houdinii

Continuing our weekend parade of performers who have used Houdini's name, here's one from the June 1976 issue of The Magic Magazine. Hey, adding an "i" worked for Houdini, so...

I don't know anything about "Houdinii" beyond what is here in this article, so I'll let it speak for itself. Click to enlarge and enjoy.