Harry Houdini(bornErik Weisz, laterEhrich WeissorHarry Weiss; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was performer, noted for his sensationalescape acts. He first attracted notice in vaudeville in the US and then as "Harry Handcuff Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from water, and having to escape from andhold his breathinside a sealed milk can.
In 1904, thousands watched as he tried to escape from by London'sDaily Mirror, keeping them in suspense for an hour. Another stunt saw himburied aliveand only just able to claw himself to the surface, emerging in a state of near-breakdown. While many suspected that these escapes were faked, Houdini presented himself as the scourge of fakespiritualists. As President of theSociety of American Magicians, he was keen to uphold professional standards and expose fraudulent artists. He was also quick to sue anyone who pirated his escape stunts.
Houdini made several movies, but quit acting when it failed to bring in money. He was also a keen aviator, and aimed to become the first man to fly a plane in Australia.
3.2Milk can escape
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3.3Chinese water torture cell
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3.4Suspended straitjacket escape
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3.5Overboard box escape
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3.6Buried alive stunt
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4Movie career
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5Aviator
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5.1Falsely reported as pioneer
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5.2After Australia
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6Debunking spiritualists
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7Appearance and voice recordings
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8Death
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9Houdini grave site
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10Artifacts, libraries, and museums
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11Publications
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12Filmography
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13See also
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14Notes
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15References
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16Further reading
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17External links
Early lifeNot yet Houdini, Ehrich Weiss is shown exhibiting his competitive spirit and wearing medals he won as a member of the Pastime Athletic Club track team in New York circa 1890.
Harry Houdini was born asErik on March 24, 1874.[2]His parents wereRabbiMayer Sámuel Weisz (1829–1892), and Cecília Weisz (née Steiner; 1841–1913). Houdini was one of seven children: Herman M. (1863–1885) who was Houdini's half-brother, by Rabbi Weisz's first marriage; Nathan J. (1870–1927); Gottfried William (1872–1925);Theodore D. (1879–1962); and Carrie Gladys (born 1882–1959[4]) who was left almost blind after an accident that occurred during her childhood.[5]
Weisz arrived in the United States on July 3, 1878, on the SSFresiawith his mother (who was pregnant) and his four brothers.[6]The family changed the Hungarian spelling of their German surname toWeiss(the German spelling) and Erik's name was changed toEhrich. Friends called him "Ehrie" or "Harry".
They first lived inAppleton, Wisconsin, where his father served as Rabbi of the Zion Reform Jewish Congregation.
According to the1880 census, the family lived on Appleton Street.[7]On June 6, 1882, Rabbi Weiss became an American citizen. Losing his tenure at Zion in 1887, Rabbi Weiss moved with Ehrich to New York City, where they lived in a boarding house onEast 79th Street. He was joined by the rest of the family once Rabbi Weiss found permanent housing. As a child, Ehrich Weiss took several jobs, making his public début as a 9-year-oldtrapeze artist, calling himself "Ehrich, the Prince of the Air". He was also a championcross countryrunner in his youth. When Weiss became a professionalmagicianhe began calling himself "Harry Houdini" after the French magician,Jean Eugène Robert-Houdinafter reading Houdin's autobiography in 1890. Weiss incorrectly believed that aniat the end of a name meant "like" in French. In later life, Houdini claimed that the first part of his new name, Harry, was an homage toHarry Kellar, whom he also admired.[citation needed]
After much research, in 1908 Houdini publishedThe Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, in which he called his former idol a liar and a fraud for having claimed the invention of automata and effects such asaerial suspensionwhich had been in existence for many years.[8]
Houdini was an activeFreemasonand was a member of St. Cecile Lodge #568 in New York City[9]
In 1918, he registered forselective serviceas Harry Handcuff Houdini.[10]
Magic careerHoudini, circa 1900.
He began his magic career in 1891.[11]He had little success. He performed in dime museums and sideshows, and even doubled as "The Wild Man" at a circus. Houdini focused initially on traditional card tricks. At one point, he billed himself as the "King of Cards". He soon began experimenting withescape acts.
In 1893, while performing with his brother "Dash" (Theodore) atConey Islandas "The Brothers Houdini," Harry met a fellow performer,Wilhelmina Beatrice "Bess" Rahner. Bess was initially courted by Dash, but she and Houdini married in 1894, with Bess replacing Dash in the act, which became known as "The Houdinis." For the rest of Houdini's performing career, Bess worked as his stage assistant.
Houdini's big break came in 1899 when he met managerMartin Beckin ruralWoodstock, Illinois. Impressed by Houdini'shandcuffsact, Beck advised him to concentrate on escape acts and booked him on Within months, he was performing at the top vaudeville houses in the country. In 1900, Beck arranged for Houdini to tour Europe. After some days of unsuccessful interviews in London, Houdini managed to interest Dundas Slater, then manager of theAlhambra Theatre. He gave a demonstration of escape from handcuffs at Scotland Yard, and succeeded in baffling the police so effectively that he was booked at the Alhambra for six months.
"My Two Sweethearts"—Houdini with his mother and wife,c.1907
Houdini became widely known as "The Handcuff King." He toured England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Russia. In each city, Houdini challenged local police to restrain him withshacklesand lock him in their jails. In many of these challenge escapes, Houdini was firststripped nude and searched. In Moscow, Houdini escaped from aSiberian prisontransport van. Houdini claimed that, had he been unable to free himself, he would have had to travel to Siberia, where the only key was kept. InCologne, he sued a police officer, Werner Graff, who alleged that he made his escapes via bribery.[12]Houdini won the case when he opened the judge's safe (he later said the judge had forgotten to lock it). With his new-found wealth, Houdini purchased a dress said to have been made forQueen Victoria. He then arranged a grand reception where he presented his mother in the dress to all their relatives. Houdini said it was the happiest day of his life. In 1904, Houdini returned to the U.S. and purchased a house for $25,000, abrownstoneat 278W. 113th Street inHarlem,New York City.[13]
From 1907 and throughout the 1910s, Houdini performed with great success in the United States. He freed himself from jails, handcuffs, chains, ropes, andstraitjackets, often while hanging from a rope in sight of street audiences. Because of imitators, on January 25, 1908, Houdini put his "handcuff act" behind him and began escaping from a locked, water-filled milk can. The possibility of failure and death thrilled his audiences. Houdini also expanded his repertoire with his escape challenge act, in which he invited the public to devise contraptions to hold him. These included nailed packing crates (sometimes lowered into water), riveted boilers, wet sheets,mailbags,[14]and even the belly of awhalethat had washed ashore in Boston. Brewers inScranton, Pennsylvaniaand other cities challenged Houdini to escape from a barrel after they filled it with beer.[15]
Many of these challenges were arranged with local merchants in one of the first uses of mass tie-in marketing. Rather than promote the idea that he was assisted by spirits, as did theDavenport Brothersand others, Houdini's advertisements showed him making his escapes viadematerializing,[16]although Houdini himself never claimed to have supernatural powers.
Poster promoting Houdini taking up the challenge of escaping an "extra strong and large traveling basket"
In 1913, Houdini introduced perhaps his most famous act, theChinese Water Torture Cell, in which he was suspended upside-down in a locked glass-and-steel cabinet full to overflowing with water. The act required that Houdini hold his breath for more than three minutes. Houdini performed the escape for the rest of his career. During his career, Houdini explained some of his tricks in books written for the magic brotherhood. InHandcuff Secrets(1909), he revealed how many locks and handcuffs could be opened with properly applied force, others with shoestrings. Other times, he carried concealedlockpicksor keys. When tied down in ropes orstraitjackets, he gained wiggle room by enlarging his shoulders and chest, moving his arms slightly away from hisbody.[17]
Houdini in Handcuffs, 1918
His straitjacket escape was originally performed behind curtains, with him popping out free at the end. Houdini's brother, (who was also an escape artist, billing himself asTheodore Hardeen), discovered that audiences were more impressed when the curtains were eliminated so they could watch him struggle to get out. On more than one occasion, they both performed straitjacket escapes while dangling upside-down from the roof of a building in the same city.[17]
For most of his career, Houdini was a headline act invaudeville. For many years, he was the highest-paid performer in American vaudeville. One of Houdini's most notable non-escape stage illusions was performed at New York's Hippodrome Theater, when he vanished a full-grown elephant (with its trainer) from the stage, beneath which was a swimming pool. In 1923, Houdini became president ofMartinka& Co., America's oldest magic company. The business is still in operation today.
He also served as President ofthe Society of American Magicians(aka S.A.M.) from 1917 until his death in 1926. Founded on May 10, 1902 in the back room ofMartinka's magic shop in New York, the Society expanded under the leadership of Harry Houdini during his term as National President from 1917 to 1926. Houdini was magic's greatest visionary. He sought to create a large, unified national network of professional and amateur magicians. Wherever he traveled, Houdini gave a lengthy formal address to the local magic club, made speeches, and usually threw a banquet for the members at his own expense. He said "The Magicians Clubs as a rule are small: they are weak...but if we were amalgamated into one big body the society would be stronger, and it would mean making the small clubs powerful and worth while. Members would find a welcome wherever they happened to be and, conversely, the safeguard of a city-to-city hotline to track exposers and other undesirables."
For most of 1916, while on his vaudeville tour, Houdini, at his own expense, had been recruiting local magic clubs to join the S.A.M. in an effort to revitalize what he felt was a weak organization. Houdini persuaded groups in Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Kansas City to join. As had happened in London, Houdini persuaded magicians to join. The Buffalo club joined as the first branch, (later assembly) of the Society. Chicago Assembly No. 3 was, as the name implies, the third regional club to be established by the S.A.M., whose assemblies now number in the hundreds. In 1917, he signed Assembly Number Three's charter into existence, and that charter and this club continue to provide Chicago magicians with a connection to each other and to their past. Houdini dined with, addressed, and got pledges from similar clubs in Detroit, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Cincinnati and elsewhere. This was the biggest movement ever in the history of magic. In places where no clubs existed, he rounded up individual magicians, introduced them to each other, and urged them into the fold.
By the end of 1916, magicians' clubs in San Francisco and other cities that Houdini had not visited were offering to become assemblies. He had created the richest and longest-surviving organization of magicians in the world. It now embraces almost 6,000 dues-paying members and almost 300 assemblies worldwide. In July, 1926, Houdini was elected for the ninth successive time President of the Society of American Magicians. Every other president has only served for one year. He also was President of the Magicians' Club of London.[18]
In the final years of his life (1925/26), Houdini launched his own full-evening show, which he billed as "Three Shows in One: Magic, Escapes, and Fraud Mediums Exposed".[19]
Notable escapesMirrorchallenge"Handcuff" Harry Houdini, circa 1905.
In 1904, theLondonDaily Mirrornewspaper challenged Houdini to escape from special handcuffs that it claimed had taken Nathaniel Hart, a locksmith fromBirmingham, five years to make. Houdini accepted the challenge for March 17 during a matinée performance at London's Hippodrome theater. It was reported that 4000 people and more than 100 journalists turned out for the much-hyped event. The escape attempt dragged on for over an hour, during which Houdini emerged from his "ghost house" (a small screen used to conceal the method of his escape) several times. On one occasion he asked if the cuffs could be removed so he could take off his coat. TheMirrorrepresentative, Frank Parker, refused, saying Houdini could gain an advantage if he saw how the cuffs were unlocked. Houdini promptly took out a pen-knife and, holding the knife in his teeth, used it to cut his coat from his body. Some 56minutes later, Houdini's wife appeared on stage and gave him a kiss. Many thought that in her mouth was the key to unlock the special handcuffs. However, it has since been suggested that Bess did not in fact enter the stage at all, and that this theory is unlikely due to the size of the 6-inch key[20]Houdini then went back behind the curtain. After an hour and ten minutes, Houdini emerged free. As he was paraded on the shoulders of the cheering crowd, he broke down and wept. Houdini later said it was the most difficult escape of his career.[21]
After Houdini's death, his friend Martin Beck was quoted inWill Goldston's book,Sensational Tales of Mystery Men, as admitting that Houdini was bested that day and had appealed to his wife, Bess, for help. Goldston goes on to claim that Bess begged the key from theMirrorrepresentative, then slipped it to Houdini in a glass of water. It was stated in the bookThe Secret Life of Houdinithat the key required to open the specially designed Mirror handcuffs was 6" long, and could not have been smuggled to Houdini in a glass of water. Goldston offered no proof of his account, and many modern biographers have found evidence (notably in the custom design of the handcuffs) that theMirrorchallenge may have been arranged by Houdini and that his long struggle to escape was pure showmanship.[22]
This escape was discussed in depth on the Travel Channel'sMysteries at the Museumin an interview with Houdini expert, magician and escape artist Dorothy Dietrich of Scranton's Houdini Museum.[23]
A full-sized design of the same Mirror Handcuffs, as well as a replica of theBramah stylekey for it, is on display to the public atthe Houdini Museumin Scranton, Pennsylvania.[24][25]This is the only public display of this style cuff anywhere, as well as several others.
Milk can escape
In 1908, Houdini introduced his own original act, the milk can escape.[26]In this act, Houdini was handcuffed and sealed inside an over-sized milk can filled with water and made his escape behind a curtain. As part of the effect, Houdini invited members of the audience to hold their breath along with him while he was inside the can. Advertised with dramatic posters that proclaimed "Failure Means A Drowning Death," the escape proved to be a sensation.[27]Houdini soon modified the escape to include the milk can being locked inside a wooden chest, being chained or padlocked. Houdini performed the milk can escape as a regular part of his act for only four years, but it has remained one of the acts most associated with him. Houdini's brother,Theodore Hardeen, continued to perform the milk can escape and its wooden chest variant[28]into the 1940s.
TheAmerican Museum of Magichas the milk can and overboard box used by Houdini.[29]
Chinese water torture cellMain article:Chinese Water Torture CellHoudini performing the Chinese Water Torture Cell
Around 1912, the vast number of imitators prompted Houdini to replace his milk can act with the Chinese water torture cell. In this escape, Houdini's feet were locked in stocks, and he was lowered upside down into a tank filled with water. The mahogany and metal cell featured a glass front, through which audiences could clearly see Houdini. The stocks were locked to the top of the cell, and a curtain concealed his escape. In the earliest version of the torture cell, a metal cage was lowered into the cell, and Houdini was enclosed inside that. While making the escape more difficult - the cage prevented Houdini from turning - the cage bars also offered protection should the front glass break. The original cell was built in England, where Houdini first performed the escape for an audience of one person as part of a one-act play he called "Houdini Upside Down." This was so he could copyright the effect and have grounds to sue imitators, which he did. While the escape was advertised as "The Chinese Water Torture Cell" or "The Water Torture Cell," Houdini always referred to it as "the Upside Down" or "USD". The first public performance of the USD was at the Circus Busch in Berlin, on September 21, 1912. Houdini continued to perform the escape until his death in 1926.[17]
Suspended straitjacket escape
One of Houdini's most popular publicity stunts was to have himself strapped into a regulation straitjacket and suspended by his ankles from a tall building or crane. Houdini would then make his escape in full view of the assembled crowd. In many cases, Houdini drew tens of thousands of onlookers who brought city traffic to a halt. Houdini would sometimes ensure press coverage by performing the escape from the office building of a local newspaper. In New York City, Houdini performed the suspended straitjacket escape from a crane being used to build the New York subway. After flinging his body in the air, he escaped from the straitjacket. Starting from when he was hoisted up in the air by the crane, to when the straitjacket was completely off, it took him two minutes and thirty-seven seconds. There is film footage in the Library of Congress of Houdini performing the escape.[30]Films of his escapes are also shown at The Houdini Museum in Scranton, PA. After being battered against a building in high winds during one escape, Houdini performed the escape with a visible safety wire on his ankle so that he could be pulled away from the building if necessary. The idea for the upside-down escape was given to Houdini by a young boy namedRandolph Osborne Douglas(March 31, 1895– December 5, 1956), when the two met at a performance atSheffield's Empire Theatre.[16]
Overboard box escapeHoudini prepares to do the Overboard box escape circa 1912
Another of Houdini's most famous publicity stunts was to escape from a nailed and roped packing crate after it had been lowered into water. Houdini first performed the escape in New York's East River on July 7, 1912. Police forbade him from using one of the piers, so Houdini hired a tugboat and invited press on board. Houdini was locked in handcuffs and leg-irons, then nailed into the crate which was roped and weighed down with two hundred pounds of lead. The crate was then lowered into the water. Houdini escaped in 57 seconds. The crate was pulled to the surface and found still to be intact, with the manacles inside. Houdini performed this escape many times, and even performed a version on stage, first at Hamerstein's Roof Garden where a 5,500-gallon (20,820 litres) tank was specially built, and later at theNew York Hippodrome.[31]
Buried alive stunt
Houdini performed at least three variations on aburied alivestunt during his career. The first was near Santa Ana, California in 1915, and it almost cost Houdini his life. Houdini was buried, without a casket, in a pit of earth six feet deep. He became exhausted and panicked while trying to dig his way to the surface and called for help. When his hand finally broke the surface, he fell unconscious and had to be pulled from the grave by his assistants. Houdini wrote in his diary that the escape was "very dangerous" and that "the weight of the earth is killing."[32][33]
Houdini's second variation on buried alive was an endurance test designed to expose mystical Egyptian performer Rahman Bey, who had claimed to use supernatural powers to remain in a sealed casket for an hour. Houdini bettered Bey on August 5, 1926, by remaining in a sealed casket, or coffin, submerged in the swimming pool of New York's Hotel Shelton for one and a half hours. Houdini claimed he did not use any trickery or supernatural powers to accomplish this feat, just controlled breathing.[34]He repeated the feat at the YMCA in Worcester, Massachusetts on September 28, 1926, this time remaining sealed for one hour and eleven minutes.[35]
Houdini's final buried alive was an elaborate stage escape that featured in his full evening show. Houdini escaped after being strapped in a straitjacket, sealed in a casket, and then buried in a large tank filled with sand. While posters advertising the escape exist (playing off the Bey challenge by boasting "Egyptian Fakirs Outdone!"), it is unclear whether Houdini ever performed buried alive on stage. The stunt was to be the feature escape of his 1927 season, but Houdini died on October 31, 1926. The bronze casket Houdini created for buried alive was used to transport Houdini's body from Detroit back to New York following his death onHallowe'en.[36]
Movie careerThe Houdini Serial, 1919 movie posterThe Grim Game, 1919 movie posterHoudini Movie PostersSilent movieThe Master Mystery(1919). Running time: 09:39. Episode of a serial in fifteen episodes with magician and escape artist Houdini in the lead.
In 1906 Houdini started showing films of his outside escapes as part of his vaudeville act. In Boston he presented a short film calledHoudini Defeats Hackenschmidt.Georg Hackenschmidtwas a famous wrestler of the day, but the nature of their contest is unknown as the film is lost.[37]In 1909 Houdini made a film in Paris for Cinema Lux titledMerveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini à Paris(Marvellous Exploits of the Famous Houdini in Paris).[38]It featured a loose narrative designed to showcase several of Houdini's famous escapes, including his straitjacket and underwater handcuff escapes. That same year Houdini got an offer to star asCaptain Nemoin a silent version of20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, but the project never made it into production.[39]It is often erroneously reported that Houdini served as special-effects consultant on the Wharton/International cliffhanger serial,The Mysteries of Myra, shot in Ithaca, New York, because Harry Grossman, director ofThe Master Mysteryalso filmed a serial in Ithaca at about the same time. The consultants on the serial were pioneeringHereward CarringtonandAleister Crowley.[40]
In 1918 Houdini signed a contract with film producerB.A. Rolfeto star in a 15-partserial,The Master Mystery(released in January 1919). As was common at the time, the film serial was released simultaneously with a novel. Financial difficulties resulted inB.A. Rolfe Productionsgoing out of business, butThe Master Mysteryled to Houdini being signed byFamous Players-Lasky Corporation/Paramount Pictures, for whom he made two pictures,The Grim Game(1919) andTerror Island(1920).[41]
Houdini swims aboveNiagara Fallsin a scene fromThe Man from Beyond, 1922
While filming an aerial stunt forThe Grim Game, two biplanes collided in mid-air with a stuntman doubling Houdini dangling by a rope from one of the planes. Publicity was geared heavily toward promoting this dramatic "caught on film" moment, claiming it was Houdini himself dangling from the plane. While filming these movies in Los Angeles, Houdini rented a home inLaurel Canyon. Following his two-picture stint in Hollywood, Houdini returned to New York and started his own film production company called the "Houdini Picture Corporation". He produced and starred in two films,The Man From Beyond(1921) andHaldane of the Secret Service(1923). He also founded his own film laboratory business called The Film Development Corporation (FDC), gambling on a new process for developing motion picture film. Houdini's brother,Theodore Hardeen, left his own career as a magician and escape artist to run the company. MagicianHarry Kellarwas a major investor.[42]
Neither Houdini's acting career nor FDC found success, and he gave up on the movie business in 1923, complaining that "the profits are too meager". His celebrity was such that, years later, he was given a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame, at 7001 Hollywood Blvd.[citation needed]
In April 2008 Kino International released a DVD box set of Houdini's surviving silent films, includingThe Master Mystery,Terror Island,The Man From Beyond,Haldane of the Secret Service, and five minutes fromThe Grim Game. The set also includes newsreel footage of Houdini's escapes from 1907 to 1923, and a section fromMerveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini à Paris,although it is not identified as such.[43]
Aviator
In 1909, Houdini became fascinated with aviation. He purchased a FrenchVoisin biplanefor $5000 and hired a full-time mechanic, Antonio Brassac. After crashing once, he made his first successful flight on November 26 inHamburg, Germany. The following year, Houdini toured Australia. He brought along his Voisin biplane with the intention to be the first person in Australia to fly.
Falsely reported as pioneer
On March 18, 1910, he made three flights atDiggers Rest, Victoria, near Melbourne. It was reported at the time that this was the first aerial flight in Australia,[44][45][46]and a century later, some major news outlets still credit him with this feat.[47][48]
Wing CommanderHarry Cobbywrote inAircraftin March 1938 that "the first aeroplane flight in the Southern Hemisphere was made on December 9, 1909 by MrColin Defries, a Londoner, atVictoria Park Racecourse, Sydney, in a Wilbur Wright aeroplane".[49]Colin Defries was a trained pilot, having learnt to fly in Cannes, France. By modern standards his flight time was minimal, but in 1909 he had accumulated enough to become an instructor. On his first flight he took off, maintained straight and level flight, albeit briefly, and landed safely. His crash landing on his second flight, when he tried to retrieve his hat which was blown off, demonstrated what a momentary lack of attention could cause while flying aWright Model A.
It is acknowledged by Australian historians[50]and the Aviation Historical Society of Australia that the definition of flight established by the Gorell Committee on behalf of theAero Club of Great Britaindictates the acceptance of a flight or its rejection, giving Colin Defries credit as the first to make an aeroplane flight in Australia, and the Southern Hemisphere.
In 1965 aviation journalistStanley Brogdenformed the view that the first powered flight in Australia took place at Bolivar in South Australia; the aircraft was a Bleriot monoplane with Fred Custance as the pilot. The flight took place on March 17, 1910. The next day when Houdini took to the air, the Herald newspaper reported Custance's flight, stating it had lasted 5minutes 25seconds at a height of between 12 and 15feet.[45]
In 2010Australia Postissued stamps commemorating Colin Defries, Houdini andJohn Robertson Duigan, crediting only Defries and Duigan with historical firsts.[51]Duigan was an Australian pioneer aviator who built and flew thefirst Australian-made aircraft. Australia Post did acknowledge the part Houdini played (Harry Houdini can't escape being part of Australia's history) but did not attribute any record to him.
After Australia
After completing his Australia tour, Houdini put the Voisin into storage in England. He announced he would use it to fly from city to city during his next Music Hall tour, and even promised to leap from it handcuffed, but he never flew again.[52]
Debunking spiritualistsHoudini demonstrates how aphotographercould produce fraudulent "spirit photographs" that documented the apparition and social interaction of the dead[53]
In the 1920s Houdini turned his energies toward a pursuit that inspired and was followed by latter-daystage magicians.[54]Houdini's training in magic allowed him to expose frauds who had successfully fooled many scientists and academics. He was a member of aScientific Americancommittee that offered a cash prize to any medium who could successfully None was able to do so, and the prize was never collected. The first to be tested was medium George Valentine ofWilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. As his fame as a "ghostbuster" grew, Houdini took to attendingséancesin disguise, accompanied by a reporter and police officer. Possibly the most famous medium whom he debunked wasMina Crandon, also known as "Margery".[55]"Houdini exposed numerous phony mediums and inspired other magicians to follow suit. The Amazing Randi, (Dorothy) Dietrich, Penn & Teller and Dick Brookz are magicians that have exposed these unscrupulous mediums."[56]
Houdini chronicled his debunking exploits in his book,A Magician Among the Spirits, co-authored withC. M. Eddy, Jr., who was not credited. These activities cost Houdini the friendship of SirArthur Conan Doyle. Doyle, a firm believer inspiritualismduring his later years, refused to believe any of Houdini's exposés. Doyle came to believe that Houdini was a powerful spiritualist medium, and had performed many of his stunts by means of paranormal abilities and was using these abilities to block those of other mediums that he was "debunking".[57]This disagreement led to the two men becoming public antagonists and led Sir Arthur to view Houdini as a dangerous enemy.[17]
Before Houdini died, he and his wife agreed that if Houdini found it possible to communicate after death, he would communicate the message "Rosabelle believe", a secret code which they agreed to use. Rosabelle was their favorite song. Bess held ten years after Houdini's death. She did claim to have contact throughArthur Fordin 1929 when Ford conveyed the secret code, but Bess later said the incident had been faked.[17]The code seems to have been such that it could be broken by Ford or his associates using existing clues.[58]Evidence to this effect was discovered by Ford's biographer after he died in 1971.[59]In 1936, after a last unsuccessful séance on the roof of theKnickerbocker Hotel, she put out the candle that she had kept burning beside a photograph of Houdini since his death. In 1943, Bess said that "ten years is long enough to wait for any man."
The tradition of holding a séance for Houdini continues, held by magicians throughout the world. The Official Houdini Séance was organized in the 1940s[60]bySidney Hollis Radner, a Houdini aficionado from Holyoke, Massachusetts.[61]Yearly Houdini séances are also conducted in Chicago at theExcaliburnightclub by "necromancer"Neil Tobinon behalf of the Chicago Assembly of theSociety of American Magicians;[62]and at the Houdini Museum in Scranton by magicianDorothy Dietrichwho previously held them at New York'sMagic Towne Housewith such magical notables as Houdini biographersWalter B. GibsonandMilbourne Christopher. Gibson was asked by Bess Houdini to carry on the original seance tradition. After doing them for many years at New York's Magic Towne House, before he died, Walter passed on the tradition of conducting of the Original Seances to[56]Dorothy Dietrich.
In 1926, Harry Houdini hiredH. P. Lovecraftand his friendC. M. Eddy, Jr., to write an entire book about debunking religious miracles, which was to be calledThe Cancer of Superstition.Houdini had earlier asked Lovecraft to write an article about astrology, for which he paid $75. The article does not survive. Lovecraft's detailed synopsis forCancerdoes survive, as do three chapters of the treatise written by Eddy. Houdini's death derailed the plans, as his widow did not wish to pursue the project.[63]
Appearance and voice recordingsHeavyweight boxerJack Dempseymock punching Houdini (held back by lightweight boxerBenny Leonard)
Unlike the image of the classic magician, Houdini was short and stocky and typically appeared on stage in a long frock coat and tie. Most biographers give his height as5ft 5 in, but descriptions vary. Houdini was also said to be slightlybow-legged, which aided in his ability to gain slack during his rope escapes. In the 1997 biographyHoudini!!!: The Career of Ehrich Weiss, authorKenneth Silvermansummarizes how reporters described Houdini's appearance during his early career:
They stressed his smallness—"somewhat undersized"—and angular, vivid features: "He is smooth-shaven with a keen, sharp-chinned, sharp-cheekboned face, bright blue eyes and thick, curly, black hair." Some sensed how much his complexly expressive smile was the outlet of his charismatic stage presence. It communicated to audiences at once warm amiability, pleasure in performing, and, more subtly, imperious self-assurance. Several reporters tried to capture the charming effect, describing him as "happy-looking", "pleasant-faced", "good natured at all times", "the young Hungarian magician with the pleasant smile and easy confidence".[64]
Houdini made the only known recordings of his voice on Edisonwax cylinderson October 29, 1914, inFlatbush, New York. On them, Houdini practices several different introductory speeches for his famousChinese water torture cell. He also invites his sister, Gladys, to recite a poem. Houdini then recites the same poem in German. The six wax cylinders were discovered in the collection of magician John Mulholland after his death in 1970. They are part of theDavid and his wifeBess
Harry Houdini died ofperitonitis, secondary to aruptured appendixat 1:26p.m. on October 31, 1926 in Room 401 at Detroit's Grace Hospital, aged 52. In his final days, he optimistically held to a strong belief that he would recover, but his last words before dying were reportedly, "I'm tired of fighting."[17]Eyewitnesses to an incident at Houdini's dressing room in the Princess Theatre inMontrealgave rise to speculation that Houdini's death was caused by aMcGill Universitystudent, J. Gordon Whitehead, who delivered a surprise attack of multiple blows to Houdini's abdomen.[66]
The eyewitnesses, students named Jacques Price and Sam Smilovitz (sometimes called Jack Price and Sam Smiley), proffered accounts of the incident that generally corroborated one another. Price describes Whitehead asking Houdini "if he believed in the miracles of the Bible" and "whether it was true that punches in the stomach did not hurt him". He then delivered "some very hammer-like blows below the belt". Houdini was reclining on a couch at the time, having broken his ankle while performing several days earlier. Price states that Houdini winced at each blow and stopped Whitehead suddenly in the midst of a punch, gesturing that he had had enough, and adding that he had had no opportunity to prepare himself against the blows, as he did not expect Whitehead to strike him so suddenly and forcefully. Had his ankle not been broken, he would have risen from the couch into a better position to brace himself.[66][67]
Throughout the evening, Houdini performed in great pain. He was unable to sleep and remained in constant pain for the next two days, but did not seek medical help. When he finally saw a doctor, he was found to have a fever of 102°F (39°C) and acute appendicitis, and advised to have immediate surgery. He ignored the advice and decided to go on with the show.[68][69]When Houdini arrived at the Garrick Theater inDetroit, Michigan, on October 24, 1926, for what would be his last performance, he had a fever of 104°F (40°C). Despite the diagnosis, Houdini took the stage. He was reported to have passed out during the show, but was revived and continued. Afterwards, he was hospitalized at Detroit'sGrace Hospital.[66]
It is not entirely clear what relationship the encounter in the dressing room had on Houdini's eventual out, the relationship between blunt trauma and appendicitis is not clear. One theory suggests that Houdini was unaware that he was suffering from appendicitis. If he had not realized that his stomach pains were symptomatic of appendicitis, he would not have appreciated the potentially critical effect of the blows to his abdomen.[66]
After taking statements from Price and Smilovitz, Houdini's insurance company concluded that the death was due to the dressing-room incident and paiddouble indemnity.[68]
Houdini grave site
Houdini's funeral was held on November 4, 1926 in New York City, with more than 2,000 mourners in attendance.[70]He was interred in theMachpelah CemeteryinGlendale, Queens, with the crest of theSociety of American Magiciansinscribed on his grave site. A statuary bust was added to theexedrain 1927, a rarity, because graven images are forofferden in Jewish cemeteries. In 1975 the bust was destroyed by vandals. Temporary busts were placed at the grave until 2011 when a group who came to be called TheHoudini Commandosfrom theHoudini MuseuminScranton, Pennsylvania placed a permanent bust with the permission of Houdini's family and of the cemetery.[71]TheSociety of American Magicianstook responsibility for the upkeep of the site, as Houdini had willed a large sum of money to the organization he had grown from one club to 5,000-6,000 dues-paying membership worldwide. The payment of upkeep was abandoned by the society's dean George Schindler, who said “Houdini paid for perpetual care, but there’s nobody at the cemetery to provide it,” adding that the operator of the cemetery, David Jacobson, “sends us a bill for upkeep every year but we never pay it because he never provides any care.” The Society tidies the grave themselves.[72]
Machpelah Cemetery operator Jacobson said, they "never paid the cemetery for any restoration of the Houdini family plot in my tenure since 1988," claiming that the money came from the cemetery's dwindling funds. The granite monuments of Houdini's sister, Gladys, and brother, Leopold were also destroyed by vandals.[73]For many years, until recently, The Houdini grave site has been only cared for byDorothy DietrichandDick Brookzof theHoudini MuseuminScranton, Pennsylvania.
[74]The Society of American Magicians, at their National Council Meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, in 2013, under the prompting of The Houdini Museum's Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz, voted to assume the financial responsibilities for the care and mai
