I read that if you ask ten people to name a magician, nine will reply "Harry Houdini." Well, only half of my friends and family named Houdini, but considering he died seventy-two years ago this Halloween, that's an awesome amount of fame. Houdini was a legendary magician, escape artist, contortionist and showman. Here's where his spirit is still haunting.
This online Harry Houdini exhibit is presented by the Library of Congress. It includes 143 photographs and twenty-nine personal items dating from 1886 to Houdini's death in 1926. The exhibit is organized as a hyperlinked biography — to see the photos and memorabilia, just click on the underlined links. Treasures to be discovered include Houdini's personal letterhead which quotes the 1920 Funk & Wagnalls definition of "houdinize, vt. To release or extricate oneself from confinement, bonds, or the like, as by wiggling out."
"October 28, 1883, was the date of my first appearance before an audience. I appeared as a contortionist and trapeze performer, being advertised by the manager, Jack Hoeffler . . . as 'Ehrich, The Prince of the Air.'" This stylish collection of reprints from newspapers, personal letters, and other published sources is a pleasure to peruse. It starts with newspaper coverage of Houdini's thrilling 1916 escape from bondage, while hanging upside down, fifty feet above Pittsburgh. It ends with a report of the Houdini Memorial held in November 1926 by the Magician's Club of New York.
The most common misconception about Houdini's death on October 31, 1926 began with a 1957 Tony Curtis movie in which Houdini is portrayed as dying during an underwater escape. In fact, Houdini died at Grace Hospital in Detroit, Michigan from peritonitis caused by a ruptured infected appendix. "Before he died, Houdini instructed his brother Theo to burn his magic apparatus and collection of papers and other materials. . . . Instead, Theo kept them, and passed them onto his protégée, Sidney Radner." This material eventually was placed in the care of the Houdini Historical Center. http://www.foxvalleyhistory.org/houdini/facts.html
I liked everything about this site except the Phantom of the Opera background music. Come here to hear Houdini's voice (look under Multimedia), view wads of photos, read many anecdotes, and keep up with current Houdini news. For example, a two-hour made-for-television movie Houdini-Believe will air on TNT in December. And there are rumors of a new Houdini movie for the big screen starring Tom Cruise. Best clicks are the movie of Houdini doing a card trick (found under Multimedia) and the still photos of his escapes and illusions (found under, you guessed it, Escapes & Illusions.)
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
American Experience: HoudiniHarryHoudini.com | Interesting Facts from Houdini Museum |
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