name	Harry Kellar
birth name	Heinrich Keller
birth date	July 11, 1849
birth place	Erie, Pennsylvania
death date	March 10, 1922
death place	Los Angeles, California
occupation	Illusionist
resting place	Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery
signature	Kellar signature.svg }}

Harry Kellar (July 11, 1849 – March 10, 1922) was an American magician who presented large stage shows during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Kellar was the predecessor of Harry Houdini and the successor of Robert Heller. He was often referred to as the "Dean of American Magicians" and performed extensively on five continents. One of his most memorable stage illusions was the levitation of a girl advertised as the "Levitation of Princess Karnack" (invented by John Nevil Maskelyne).

He was a longtime customer of the famous Martinka Magic Company, which built many illusions and sets for him, including the "Blue Room".

Early life

Like most magicians, there is little of Kellar’s early life that can be confirmed. His real name was Heinrich Keller and was born to German immigrants in Erie, Pennsylvania. He was sometimes called Henry, but later changed it to Harry. As a child, Kellar loved to play dangerous games and was known to play chicken with passing trains.

Kellar apprenticed under a druggist and was constantly experimenting with different chemical mixtures. On one occasion, Kellar reportedly blew a hole in the floor of his employer's drugstore. Rather than confront the wrath of his parents, Kellar stowed away on a train and became a vagabond. He was only ten years old at the time.

Kellar was befriended by a British-born minister of religion from upstate New York. He offered to adopt Kellar and pay for his education if he would study to also become a minister. One evening Kellar saw the performance of a traveling magician, The Fakir of Ava (the stage name of Isiaiah Harris Hughes), and, after the show, Kellar "immediately got the urge to go on the stage." He later told Houdini that, "I became very restless, bought books on magic and finally left my friend and benefactor." While working on a farm in Buffalo, New York, Kellar answered an ad in the newspaper that was placed by Hughes, who was looking for an assistant. Kellar was hired and, at the age of sixteen, gave his first solo performance in Dunkirk, Michigan. It was a disaster and Kellar went back to work with Hughes. Two years later, Keller tried again with better results, but, as he was always broke, often had to leave town during the intermission to avoid creditors.

Career

In 1869, Kellar took a job with "The Davenport Brothers and Fay". "The Davenport Brothers and Fay" was a group of stage spirtualists made up of Ira Erastus Davenport, William Henry Davenport and William Fay. Kellar spent several years working with them, until 1873, when he left the Davenports accompanied with Fay. They started on a "world tour" through Central and South America.

In Mexico, they were able to make $10,000 ($|0}} in today’s figures). In 1875, the tour ended in Rio de Janeiro and with an appearance before Emperor Dom Pedro II. On their way to a tour in England, the ship Kellar and Fay were sailing on, the ''Boyne'', sank in the Bay of Biscay. Lost in the wreckage was Keller's show, clothes, as well as the ship's cargo of gold, silver and uncut diamonds. After the shipwreck, Keller was left with only the clothes on his back and a diamond ring he was wearing. Even worse, his bankers in New York cabled him telling him that his bank had failed. Desperate for money, Kellar sold his ring, while Fay left to rejoin the Davenports.

After visiting John Nevil Maskelyne's and George Alfred Cooke's theatre, called Egyptian Hall, Keller was inspired and liked the idea of performing in one spot. He loved the illusions Maskelyne and Cook performed and spent his remaining money to buy the trick from them. Kellar borrowed $500 from Junius Spencer Morgan (father of J.P. Morgan) and returned to the United States to try and retrieve his funds from bank transaction from when he was in Brazil. Knowing that mail from Brazil was slow, he was able to recover all of the $3,500. With the money, Kellar started a "troupe" based on Masekylne's and Cooke's in England, even go so far as naming his theater Egyptian Hall.

In 1878, Kellar returned to England and invested $12,000 in new equipment, one of them being a version Maskelyne's whist-playing automaton "Psycho". After a disappointing tour in South America, Kellar cancelled his remaining shows and returned to New York. Shortly before arriving, Kellar was told of the death of magician Robert Heller. ''The New York Sun'' accused Kellar of pirating Heller's name, saying that "Heller is scarcely dead before we read of 'Kellar the Wizard'." The article goes on to say, "Of course 'Kellar' aims to profit by the reputation that Heller left, by adopting a close imitation of Heller's name. This is not an uncommon practice." Kellar attempted to prove that his name was always Keller with an "e" and had changed it years ago, so as to not be confused with Heller. He also pointed out that Heller had changed his name from William Henry Palmer. The public was still unreceptive to him, causing Kellar to eventually cancel his upcoming shows in the United States and head back to Brazil.

After making another world tour in 1882, Kellar was performing again in Melbourne, Australia and met a fan, Eva Lydia Medley, who came backstage to get his autograph. Kellar promised to send postcards and letters on the road. They exchanged letters for the next five years.

Kellar started his version of Egyptian Hall in December 1884, after renting out an old Masonic temple on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After 264 performances, Kellar closed the theater on June 24, 1885. The theater was renamed Temple Theatre and burned down shortly after Kellar left.

While Kellar was performing in America, Medley arrived a few weeks before his next appearance in Erie. She played the cornet in the show and started to learn about the magic business. Kellar and Medley were married on November 1, 1887 at a church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She played an important role in Kellar's shows in the coming years. Not only did she play part in many of his upcoming illusions, but she also provided the music.

Kellar returned to Philadelphia in October 1891 and opened his second Egyptian Hall at Concert Hall, located also on Chestnut Street. On April 30, 1892, Kellar ended a successful seven month run at his second Egyptian Hall. Kellar decided to return to the road.

During the times Kellar was abroad, another magician, Alexander Herrmann, had become famous and came into competition with Kellar when Kellar returned to the United States. Herrmann often criticized Kellar's lack of sleight of hand and claimed he preferred to use mechanical tricks instead. While he lacked sleight of hand, Kellar was so good in using misdirection, that he said a "...brass band playing at full blast can march openly across the stage behind me, followed by a herd of elephants, yet no one will realize that they went by." Herrmann died on December 17, 1896.

Later life

Kellar retired in 1908, and allowed Howard Thurston to be his successor. Kellar had met Thurston, who was doing card tricks, while on vacation in Paris, France. Kellar did his final show at Ford's Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. Kellar eventually moved to his house in Los Angeles, California. Kellar's wife died two years later.

Kellar was often visited by other magicians, most notably was Harry Houdini. On November 11, 1917, Houdini put together a show for the Society of American Magicians, to benefit the families of the first American casualties of World War I, from the sinking of the USS ''Antilles'' by a German U-boat. Houdini got Kellar to come out of retirement to perform one more show.

The show took place on the largest stage at the time, the Hippodrome. After Kellar's performance, Kellar started to leave, but Houdini stopped him, saying that "America’s greatest magician should be carried off in triumph after his final public performance." The members of the Society of American Magicians helped Kellar into the seat of a sedan chair, and lifted it up. The 125-piece Hippodrome orchestra played "Auld Lang Syne" while Kellar was slowly taken away.

Kellar lived in retirement, until he died on March 3, 1922 from a pulmonary hemorrhage brought on by influenza. He was interred in Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Notable illusions

"The Levitation of Princess Karnac"

Kellar supposedly developed this trick by walking on stage during a show by Maskelyne, saw what he wanted, then left. Unable to duplicate it, Kellar hired another magician to help build another, but eventually designed a new trick with the help of the Otis Elevator Company. Another version built by Kellar was purchased by Harry Blackstone, Sr., who used the trick for many years. The Buffalo writer John Northern Hilliard wrote that the levitation was a marvel of the twentieth century and "the crowning achievement of Mr. Kellar's long and brilliant career."

"The Nested Boxes"

Kellar borrows six finger rings from members of audience. He loads them into the barrel of a pistol, aims and fires the pistol at a chest that is hanging on the side of the stage. The chest is opened and inside is another, smaller chest. Inside that, are six boxes nested in each other. As each is opened, they are stacked on top of each other and inside the smallest one are the five rings each tied with ribbon to flowers. The five rings are returned to their owners. The owner of the sixth ring wonders what happened to hers, with Kellar pretending not to notice. He continues with his next trick, which a variation of Robert-Houdin's "Inexhaustible Bottle". Audience members call out different beverages like wine, whiskey, lemonade, or just water. Each one is poured from the same bottle and the audience acknowledges that they are indeed receiving their requested drinks. Once bottle is empty, Kellar takes it and breaks it open. Inside is a guinea pig with a sash around its neck which has the sixth ring attached to it. The ring is eventually handed back to its owner.

A variation of the trick was performed in front of United States President Theodore Roosevelt and his children, Ethel, Archie, Quentin and Kermit. Ethel was the owner of the sixth ring and after Kellar had returned her ring, he asked if she would also like to have the guinea pig as a pet. Then Kellar wrapped the guinea pig in paper and handed it back to Ethel. When it was opened, inside was a bouquet of pink roses.

"The Vanishing Lamp"

A lamp is seen set on top of a glass table. Still lit, Kellar covers the lamp with a thin cloth. Kellar told the audience that each evening, the lamp would be returned to its purported, original owner in India at a specific time. As a bell sounded out the current time of day, Kellar loaded a pistol and aimed it towards the lamp. At the last chime, Kellar fired the pistol. The lamp seemed to melt away, with the cloth falling to the stage. Kellar was known to have a short temper and after an incident where the "Vanishing Lamp" failed to vanish, an assistant had set it up on the stage to try and repair it. Kellar saw the lamp and decided to take an ax to it. Kellar eventually built another one that would continually work and, long after his retirement, the lamp he built still worked perfectly.

Footnotes

References

Further reading

See also

List of people from Erie, Pennsylvania

List of vaudeville performers

External links

Magic Web Channel, Magicians Hall of Fame, Harry Kellar.

Category:1849 births Category:1922 deaths Category:American magicians Category:Vaudeville performers Category:Professional magicians Category:People from Erie, Pennsylvania

de:Harry Kellar fr:Harry Kellar ru:Келлар, Гарри

name	Harry Houdini
birth name	Erik Weisz
birth date	March 24, 1874
birth place	Budapest, Hungary
death date	October 31, 1926
death place	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
occupation	Magician, escapologist, stunt performer, actor, historian, film producer, pilot, debunker
years active	1891–1926
signature	HoudiniSig.svg }}

Harry Houdini (born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts. He was also a skeptic who set out to expose frauds purporting to be supernatural phenomena.

Early life

Harry Houdini was born as Erik Weisz (he later spelled his birth name as Ehrich Weiss) in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24, 1874. From 1907 on, however, Houdini would claim in interviews to have been born in Appleton, Wisconsin, on April 6, 1874.

His parents were Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss (1829–1892) and his wife, Cecelia (née Steiner; 1841–1913). Houdini was one of seven children: Herman M. (1863–1885); Nathan J. (1870–1927); Gottfried William (1872–1925); Theodore "Theo" (1876–1945); Leopold D. (1879–1962); and Gladys Carrie (born 1882 – unknown year of death).

Weiss came to the United States on July 3, 1878, sailing on the SS ''Fresia'' with his mother (who was pregnant) and his four brothers. The family changed the Hungarian spelling of their German surname into Weiss (the German spelling) and the spelling of their son's name into Ehrich. Friends called him "Ehrie" or "Harry".

They first lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father served as Rabbi of the Zion Reform Jewish Congregation. According to the 1880 census, the family lived on Appleton Street. 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. They lived in a boarding house on East 79th Street. They were 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-old trapeze artist, calling himself "Ehrich, the Prince of the Air". He was also a champion cross country runner in his youth. Weiss became a professional magician and began calling himself "Harry Houdini" because he was heavily influenced by the French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, and his friend Jack Hayman told him, erroneously, that in French, adding an "i" to Houdin would mean "like Houdin" the great magician. In later life, Houdini would claim that the first part of his new name, Harry, was a homage to Harry Kellar, whom Houdini admired.

In 1918, he registered for selective service as Harry Handcuff Houdini.

Magic career

Houdini began his magic career in 1891. At the outset, 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". But he soon began experimenting with escape acts.

In 1893, while performing with his brother "Dash" at Coney Island as "The Houdini Brothers", Harry met fellow performer Wilhelmina Beatrice (Bess) Rahner, whom he married. Bess replaced Dash in the act, which became known as "The Houdinis." For the rest of Houdini's performing career, Bess would work as his stage assistant.

Houdini's "big break" came in 1899 when he met manager Martin Beck in rural Woodstock, Illinois. Impressed by Houdini's handcuffs act, Beck advised him to concentrate on escape acts and booked him on the Orpheum vaudeville circuit. 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 the Alhambra 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.

Houdini became widely known as "The Handcuff King." He toured England, Scotland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Russia. In each city, Houdini would challenge local police to restrain him with shackles and lock him in their jails. In many of these challenge escapes, Houdini would first be stripped nude and searched. In Moscow, Houdini escaped from a Siberian prison transport 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. In Cologne, he sued a police officer, Werner Graff, who alleged that he made his escapes via bribery. Houdini won the case when he opened the judge's safe (he would later say the judge had forgotten to lock it). With his new-found wealth and success, Houdini purchased a dress said to have been made for Queen 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, a brownstone at 278 W. 113th Street in Harlem, New York City.

From 1907 and throughout the 1910s, Houdini performed with great success in the United States. He would free himself from jails, handcuffs, chains, ropes, and straitjackets, often while hanging from a rope in plain 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 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, and even the belly of a whale that had washed ashore in Boston. Brewers challenged Houdini to escape from a barrel after they filled it with beer in Scranton, PA and other cities.

Many of these challenges were pre-arranged with local merchants in what is certainly one of the first uses of mass tie-in marketing. Rather than promote the idea that he was assisted by spirits, as did the Davenport Brothers and others, Houdini's advertisements showed him making his escapes via dematerializing, although Houdini himself never claimed to have supernatural powers. In 1912, Houdini introduced perhaps his most famous act, the Chinese 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. Despite two Hollywood movies depicting Houdini dying in the Torture Cell, the act had nothing to do with his death. Throughout his career, Houdini explained some of his tricks in books written for the magic brotherhood. In ''Handcuff Secrets'' (1909), he revealed how many locks and handcuffs could be opened with properly applied force, others with shoestring. Other times, he carried concealed lockpicks or keys, being able to regurgitate small keys at will. When tied down in ropes or straitjackets, he gained wiggle room by enlarging his shoulders and chest, moving his arms slightly away from his body, and then dislocating his shoulders.

His straitjacket escape was originally performed behind curtains, with him popping out free at the end. However, Houdini's brother, (who was also an escape artist, billing himself as Theodore 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 whilst dangling upside-down from the roof of a building for publicity.

For most of his career, Houdini was a headline act in vaudeville. 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 of Martinka & Co., America's oldest magic company. The business is still in operation today. He also served as President of the Society of American Magicians (aka S.A.M.) from 1917 until his death in 1926. In the final years of his life (1925/26), Houdini launched his own full-evening show, which he billed as "3 Shows in One: Magic, Escapes, and Fraud Mediums Exposed".

Notable escapes

''Mirror'' handcuff challenge

In 1904, the London ''Daily Mirror'' newspaper challenged Houdini to escape from a special handcuff that it claimed had taken Nathaniel Hart, a locksmith from Birmingham, seven 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 cuff could be removed so he could take off his coat. The ''Mirror'' representative, Frank Parker, refused, saying Houdini could gain an advantage if he saw how the cuff was 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 56 minutes later, Houdini's wife appeared on stage and gave him a kiss. It is believed that in her mouth was the key to unlock the special handcuff. 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.

After Houdini's death, his friend, Martin Beck was quoted in Will Goldstone's book, ''Sensational Tales of Mystery Men'', in which he said that Houdini was bested that day and had appealed to his wife, Bess, for help. Goldstone goes on to claim that Bess begged the key from the ''Mirror'' representative, then slipped it to Houdini in a glass of water. However, it was stated in the book "The Secret Life of Houdini" that the key required to open the specially designed Mirror handcuffs was 6" long, and thus could not have been smuggled to Houdini in a glass of water. Goldstone offered no proof of his account, and many modern biographers have found evidence (notably in the custom design of the handcuff itself) that the entire ''Mirror'' challenge was prearranged by Houdini and the newspaper, and that his long struggle to escape was pure showmanship. In support of this, it has been reported that the sterling silver replica of the Mirror cuffs presented to Houdini in honor of his escape was actually made the year before the escape actually took place (again from "The Secret Life of Houdini").

A full-sized replica of the Mirror Handcuffs, as well as a replica of the Bramah style key for it, is on display to the public at the Houdini Museum in Scranton, PA. This is the only public display of this style cuff anywhere.

Milk Can Escape

In 1901, Houdini introduced his own original act, the Milk Can Escape. In this act, Houdini would be handcuffed and sealed inside an over-sized milk can filled with water and make his escape behind a curtain. As part of the effect, Houdini would invite 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. Houdini soon modified the escape to include the milk can being locked inside a wooden chest, being chained or padlocked, and even inside another milk can. Houdini only performed the milk can escape as a regular part of his act for four years, but it remains one of the acts most associated with the escape artist. Houdini's brother, Theodore Hardeen, continued to perform the milk can (and the wooden chest variation) into the 1940s.

The American Museum of Magic has the “Milk Can” and "Overboard Box" used by Harry Houdini.

Chinese Water Torture Cell

thumb|Houdini performing the Chinese Water Torture CellIn 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 would be locked in stocks, and he would be 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 would be locked to the top of the cell, and a curtain would conceal 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.

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 would draw thousands of onlookers who would choke the street and bring 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 of Houdini performing the escape in The Library of Congress. 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 named Randolph Osborne Douglas (March 31, 1895 – Dec 5, 1956), when the two met at a performance at Sheffield's Empire Theatre.

Overboard box escape

Another one 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 fifty-seven seconds. The crate was pulled to the surface and found to still be intact with the manacles inside. Houdini would perform this escape many times, and even performed a version on stage, first at Hamerstein's Roof Garden (where a 5,500-gallon tank was specially built), and later at the New York Hippodrome.

Buried Alive stunt

Houdini performed at least three variations on a "Buried Alive" stunt/escape 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 panicky 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."

Houdini's second variation on Buried Alive was an endurance test designed to expose mystical Egyptian performer Rahman Bey, who 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 submerged in the swimming pool of New York's Hotel Shelton for one hour and a half. Houdini claimed he did not use any trickery or supernatural powers to accomplish this feat, just controlled breathing. He repeated the feat at the YMCA in Worcester Massachusetts on September 28, 1926, this time remaining sealed for one hour and eleven minutes.

Houdini's final Buried Alive was an elaborate stage escape that was to feature in his full evening show. The stunt would see Houdini escape after being strapped in a strait-jacket, sealed in a casket, and then buried in a large tank filled with sand. While there are posters advertising the escape (playing off the Bey challenge they boasted "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 on Halloween.

Movie career

In 1906 Houdini started showing films of his outside escapes as part of his vaudeville act. In Boston he presented a short film called ''Houdini Defeats Hackenschmidt''. Georg Hackenschmidt was a famous wrestler of the day, but the nature of their contest is unknown as the film is lost. In 1909 Houdini made a film in Paris for Cinema Lux titled ''Merveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini à Paris'' (Marvellous Exploits of the Famous Houdini in Paris). 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 as Captain Nemo in a silent version of ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', but the project never made it into production. 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 of ''The Master Mystery'' also filmed a serial in Ithaca at about the same time. Houdini had nothing to do with "Myra", which treated spiritualism as real, something he never would have approved of. The actual consultants on the serial were pioneering psychic investigator Hereward Carrington and magician Aleister Crowley.

In 1918 Houdini signed a contract with film producer B.A. Rolfe to star in a 15-part serial, ''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 in B.A. Rolfe Productions going out of business, but ''The Master Mystery'' led to Houdini being signed by Famous Players-Lasky Corporation/Paramount Pictures, for whom he made two pictures, ''The Grim Game'' (1919) and ''Terror Island'' (1920).

While filming an aerial stunt for ''The 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 in Laurel 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) and ''Haldane 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. Magician Harry Kellar was a major investor.

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". But his celebrity was such that, years later, he would be given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 7001 Hollywood Blvd).

In April 2008 Kino International released a DVD box set of Houdini's surviving silent films, including ''The Master Mystery'', ''Terror Island'', ''The Man From Beyond'', ''Haldane of the Secret Service'', and five minutes from ''The Grim Game''. The set also includes newsreel footage of Houdini's escapes from 1907 to 1923, and a section from ''Merveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini à Paris'' (although it is not identified as such).

Pioneer aviator

In 1909, Houdini became fascinated with aviation. He purchased a French Voisin biplane for $5000 and hired a full-time mechanic, Antonio Brassac. Houdini painted his name in bold block letters on the Voisin's sidepanels and tail. After crashing once, he made his first successful flight on November 26 in Hamburg, Germany. The following year (1910), Houdini toured Australia. He brought along his Voisin biplane and made the first powered flight over Australia on March 18 at Diggers Rest, Victoria (near Melton), north of Melbourne. Colin Defries preceded him, but he crashed the plane on landing.

Following 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, although Houdini never in fact flew again (for no documented reason).

A celebration of the centenary of Houdini's first flight was held at Diggers Rest in 2010. The event included the dedication of a new monument, a Houdini-Centenary air-show, magic performances, and the display of a one-third scale model of Houdini's Voisin.

Debunking spiritualists

In the 1920s Houdini turned his energies toward debunking self-proclaimed psychics and mediums, a pursuit that would inspire and be followed by later-day conjurers. Houdini's training in magic allowed him to expose frauds who had successfully fooled many scientists and academics. He was a member of a ''Scientific American'' committee that offered a cash prize to any medium who could successfully demonstrate supernatural abilities. None were able to do so, and the prize was never collected. The first to be tested was medium George Valentine of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. As his fame as a "ghostbuster" grew, Houdini took to attending séances in disguise, accompanied by a reporter and police officer. Possibly the most famous medium whom he debunked was Mina Crandon, also known as "Margery".

Houdini chronicled his debunking exploits in his book, ''A Magician Among the Spirits''. These activities cost Houdini the friendship of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle, a firm believer in Spiritualism during 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' (see Conan Doyle's ''The Edge of The Unknown'', published in 1931). This disagreement led to the two men becoming public antagonists.

Before Houdini died, he and his wife, Bess, agreed that if Houdini's spirit came back to earth, he would utter "Rosabelle believe" as a secret codeword to prove that it was actually him. This was a phrase from a play that Bess performed in when the couple first met. Bess held yearly séances on Halloween for ten years after Houdini's death, but Houdini's spirit never appeared. In 1936, after a last unsuccessful séance on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel, she put out the candle that she had kept burning beside a photograph of Houdini since his death, later saying in 1943 that "ten years is long enough to wait for any man." The tradition of holding a séance for Houdini continues by magicians throughout the world to this day; the Official Houdini Séance is currently organized by Sidney Hollis Radner, a Houdini aficionado from upstate New York. Yearly Houdini Séances are also conducted in Chicago at the Excaliber nightclub by "necromancer" Neil Tobin on behalf of the Chicago Assembly of the Society of American Magicians; and at the Houdini Museum in Scranton by magician Dorothy Dietrich who previously held them at New York's famous Magic Towne House with such magical notables as Houdini biographers Walter B. Gibson and Milbourne Christopher. Gibson was asked by Bess Houdini to carry on the tradition. Before he died, Walter passed on the tradition to Dorothy Dietrich.

In 1926, Harry Houdini hired H. P. Lovecraft and his friend C. M. Eddy, Jr., to write an entire book combating superstition, which was to be called ''The Cancer of Superstition.'' Houdini had earlier asked Lovecraft to write a rush article on astrology, for which he paid $75. The article apparently does not survive. Lovecraft's detailed synopsis for ''Cancer'' does survive, as do three chapters of the treatise written by Eddy. However, Houdini's sudden death derailed the plans, as his widow did not wish to pursue the project.

Appearance and voice

thumb|Heavyweight boxer Jack Dempsey mock punching Houdini (held back by lightweight boxer Benny 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 peg his height as , but descriptions vary. Houdini was also said to be slightly bow-legged, which aided in his ability to gain slack during his rope escapes. In the 1997 biography ''Houdini!!!: The Career of Ehrich Weiss'', author Kenneth Silverman summarizes how reporters described Houdini's appearance during his early career:

'''

Houdini made the only known recordings of his voice on Edison wax cylinders on October 29, 1914, in Flatbush, New York. On them, Houdini practices several different introductory speeches for his famous Chinese 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 the David Copperfield collection.

Artifacts

Houdini's brother, Theodore Hardeen, who returned to performing after Houdini's death, inherited his brother's effects and props. Houdini's will stipulated that all the effects should be "burned and destroyed" upon Hardeen's death. Hardeen sold much of the collection to magician and Houdini enthusiast Sidney Hollis Radner during the 1940s, including the Water Torture Cell. Radner allowed choice pieces of the collection to be displayed at The Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Ontario. In 1995, a fire destroyed the museum. While the Water Torture Cell was reported to have been destroyed, its metal frame remained, and the cell was restored by illusion builder John Gaughan. Many of the props contained in the museum such as the Mirror Handcuffs, Houdini's original packing crate, a Milk Can, and a straitjacket, survived the fire and were auctioned off in 1999 and 2008.

Radner archived the bulk of his collection at the Outagamie Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin, but pulled it in 2003 and auctioned it off in Las Vegas on October 30, 2004.

Houdini was a "formidable collector," He bequeathed his holdings on magic and spiritualism to the Library of Congress, which became the basis for a collection in cyberspace.

Death

Harry Houdini died of peritonitis, secondary to a ruptured appendix. Eyewitnesses to an incident in Montreal gave rise to speculation that Houdini's death was caused by a McGill University student, J. Gordon Whitehead, who delivered multiple blows to Houdini's abdomen to test Houdini's claim that he was able to take any blow to the body above the waist without injury.

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. The following is Price's description of events:'''}}

Houdini reportedly stated that if he had time to prepare himself properly he would have been in a better position to take the blows. He had apparently been suffering from appendicitis for several days prior and yet refused medical treatment. His appendix would likely have burst on its own without the trauma. Although in serious pain, Houdini continued to travel without seeking medical attention.

When Houdini arrived at the Garrick Theater in Detroit, Michigan on October 24, 1926, for what would be his last performance, he had a fever of 104 °F (40 °C). Despite a diagnosis of acute appendicitis, 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's Grace Hospital.

Houdini died of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix at 1:26 p.m. in Room 401 on October 31, aged 52.

After taking statements from Price and Smilovitz, Houdini's insurance company concluded that the death was due to the dressing-room incident and paid double indemnity.

Houdini's funeral was held on November 4, 1926, in New York, with more than 2,000 mourners in attendance. He was interred in the Machpelah Cemetery in Queens, New York, with the crest of the Society of American Magicians inscribed on his gravesite. To this day the Society holds a broken wand ceremony at the grave site in November. Houdini's widow, Bess, died on February 11, 1943, aged 67, in Needles, California. She had expressed a wish to be buried next to him but instead was interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Westchester, New York, as her Catholic family refused to allow her to be buried in a Jewish cemetery.

Proposed exhumation

On March 22, 2007, his great-nephew (the grandson of Houdini's brother Theo) George Hardeen announced that the courts would be asked to allow exhumation of Houdini's body. The purpose was to look for evidence that Houdini was poisoned by Spiritualists, as suggested in ''The Secret Life of Houdini''. In a statement given to the Houdini Museum in Scranton, the family of Bess Houdini opposed the application and suggested it was a publicity ploy for the book. ''The Washington Post'' added to the furor by "revealing" that the press conference was not orchestrated by the family of Houdini, but by ''Secret Life'' authors William Kulash and Larry Sloman, who hired the PR firm Dan Klores Communications to promote the book. In 2008 it was revealed the parties involved never filed legal papers to perform an exhumation.

Legacy

1936: On October 31, 1936, Houdini's widow held the "Final Houdini Séance" atop The Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood, California. A recording of the séance was made and issued as a record album.

1938: Bess Houdini appeared as herself in the film, ''Religious Racketeer'' (a.k.a. ''Mystic Circle Murder''), and expressed her belief that communication with those who have died is impossible. The film sparked controversy among spiritualists, but was praised by magicians.

1953: ''Houdini'', a mostly fictionalized biopic of Houdini's life, was made. This movie, starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has contributed, in part, to several misconceptions about Houdini's life. For example, it portrays the cause of Houdini's death to be the magician's failure to escape from the Chinese Water Torture Cell. (Curtis's Houdini agrees to seek medical attention "when the tour is over.") Houdini actually developed the Chinese Torture Cell trick fourteen years before he died and performed it numerous times.

1968: The Houdini Magical Hall of Fame was opened on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. At its opening, this museum contained the majority of Houdini's personal collection of magic paraphernalia. One of Houdini's death wishes was that his entire collection be given to his brother Theodore (also known as the magician ''Hardeen'') and burned upon Theodore's death. Against his wishes, forty years after Houdini's death, the items were taken from storage and sold. Two entrepreneurs purchased the items and renovated a former meat-packing plant on Clifton Hill, Ontario, Canada, to house the museum. The Hall of Fame was moved in 1972 to its final location on the top of Clifton Hill. Séances were held every year at the museum on October 31, the anniversary of Houdini's death. A fire destroyed the museum on April 30, 1995.

1968: Stuart Damon played Houdini in a lavishly staged London musical, ''Man of Magic''.

1970: Welsh singer-songwriter Meic Stevens song "Y Brawd Houdini" ("The Brother Houdini") was released in his album ''Outlander''.

1975: Canadian magician Doug Henning successfully duplicated Houdini's Chinese Water Torture trick for the first time since its original performance, on an ABC TV special.

1975: Houdini received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located on the northwest corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Orange Drive, just across from the Grauman's Chinese Theater and down the street from The Magic Castle.

1975: Houdini repeatedly appears in E. L. Doctorow's historical novel ''Ragtime''.

1976: Houdini was played by Paul Michael Glaser, of ''Starsky and Hutch'' fame, in a 1976 TV movie called ''The Great Houdinis!'' (aka ''The Great Houdini''), which was also highly fictionalized. The film focused on Houdini's relationship with his wife and mother, who were portrayed as frequently bickering because his wife was a devout Christian and his mother almost fanatical in her Judaism to the point of being anti-Christian (although, in reality, they had cordial relations) and on his fascination with life after death. The cast also included Sally Struthers, Vivian Vance, Bill Bixby, and Ruth Gordon. Peter Cushing appeared as Arthur Conan Doyle; Cushing had previously played Doyle's creation, Sherlock Holmes. Actor/Houdini authority Patrick Culliton played Houdini's assistant Franz Kukol.

1982: English singer/songwriter Kate Bush included a song about Houdini on her album ''The Dreaming''.

1985: The City of Appleton, Wisconsin, constructed the Houdini Plaza on the site of the magician's childhood home.

1985: Wil Wheaton played Houdini in ''Young Harry Houdini,'' a made-for-TV movie that aired on ABC as a "Disney Sunday Movie." The film also featured Jeffrey DeMunn as the adult Houdini. DeMunn first played Houdini in the film version of ''Ragtime.''

1989: Canadian synth pop act Kon Kan released "Harry Houdini," the third single from the ''Move to Move'' album. Also, Cutting Crew's sophomore album ''The Scattering'' contained track number 5 entitled "Handcuffs for Houdini".

1993: The film ''Last Action Hero'' was released, in which a magical movie ticket, which grants the bearer entry to a film's world, allegedly belonged to Houdini, prior to being passed off to the character by the name of Nick.

1997: Actor Harvey Keitel played Houdini and Peter O'Toole Conan Doyle in the film ''FairyTale: A True Story'', set during World War I and portraying the alleged photographing of live fairies by two English schoolgirls. The two are shown as collegial even though they disagree as to the validity of spiritualism; in reality, Conan Doyle's fervent belief and Houdini's avowed skepticism sparked a bitter feud between the two that was never resolved. Keitel hired Patrick Culliton and Stanley Palm as "Houdini advisors."

1998: ''Ragtime'', the Broadway musical version of the movie, premiered on January 18, 1998. It featured Houdini as a character and has a song called "Harry Houdini, Master Escapist." The book was written by Terrence McNally, with music and lyrics by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. The play ran on Broadway until January 16, 2000, and won four Tony Awards. Both the movie and the play are based on E.L. Doctorow's 1975 novel of the same title.

1998: Johnathon Schaech played Houdini in the TNT original movie ''Houdini''. The film co-starred Stacy Edwards as Bess and Mark Ruffalo as his brother, Dash (aka Theo. Hardeen). The TV movie first aired on December 6, 1998.

1999: Six Flags Great Adventure opened a Mad House ride named "Houdini's Great Escape", with the ride and pre-show based on bringing Houdini's spirit back into the world.

2000: In Michael Chabon's novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay the character Josef "Joe" Kavalier is inspired by Houdini and learns magic and escapology. In 1939 he escapes from Europe to America, where as a cartoonist he draws the adventures of The Escapist, a superhero inspired in part by Houdini.

2001: The Houdini Seance was mounted as a theatrical piece in Chicago by Neil Tobin and becomes an annual Halloween event at Excalibur (nightclub). 2002: The United States Postal Service issued a postage stamp with a replica of Houdini's favorite publicity poster on July 3, 2002.

There is a Houdini Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It is the only building in the world entirely dedicated to Houdini and is run by magicians Dick Brooks and Dorothy Dietrich. The museum also holds an annual Houdini séance.

While touring in the United States, Houdini met Joe Keaton and his family vaudeville act. It's said that after Joe's young son fell down a flight of stairs unscathed, Houdini remarked, "Your kid is quite the buster" (buster being a stage name for a fall) and gave a name to comedy legend Buster Keaton (the kid).

2003: ''Penn & Teller: Bullshit!'', a show inspired by Houdini's skepticism and hosted by magicians Penn & Teller, premiered.

2007: The movie, ''Death Defying Acts'', starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones, was based on Houdini's life. August 2007: the Independent Investigative Group (IIG) awarded Houdini posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award. This honor has also been awarded to Carl Sagan and James Randi.

2008: Escape artist Curtis Lovell II dedicated his buried alive stunt to Harry Houdini. It took Lovell 16 minutes to escape and over 2000 people came to witness this Houdini-style stunt in the city of Grand Terrace, California. CBS, KCAL9 and local newspapers covered the event.

2008: Australian rock band Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds released their album ''Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!'' based on Houdini's attempt to discredit spiritualists.

2008: Houdini's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was restored and rededicated in a ceremony attended by Neil Patrick Harris, Penn & Teller, Aron Houdini, Tippi Hedren, Milt Larsen, and other notables from the world of magic and movies.

2009: ''Ragtime'' (music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, and book by Terrence McNally, based on the novel by E. L. Doctorow) was revived on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre. Houdini, played by Jonathan Hammond, wore costumes designed by the legendary Santo Loquasto (Woody Allen's designer of choice). Houdini made a grand entrance hanging upside down on a wire, suspended high above the stage.

2009: Summit Entertainment purchased the film rights to ''The Secret Life of Houdini'' and announced plans to produce a series of films featuring Houdini as an action hero in the vein of Indiana Jones and Sherlock Holmes.'' 2009: The Perth Mint released a limited supply of dollar coins commemorating Houdini's first flight in Australia on March 18, 1910. A commemorative stamp was also issued.

2009: Assassin's Creed II used "Houdini's Chinese Water Torture Cell" picture in a puzzle where you had to find the Apple, a piece of Eden.

2010: A celebration commemorating the centenary of Houdini's first flight in Australia was held at Diggers Rest near Melbourne. The weekend-long event included the dedication of a new monument, a Houdini-Centenary air-show, magic performances, and the display of a one-third scale model of Houdini's Voisin biplane.

2010: The Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps toured with their show titled "Houdini".

2010: The World Premier of ''Houdini—The Man From Beyond'' musical opened in Toowoomba, Australia, at the University of Southern Queensland.

2010: Houdini's death appeared on the Spike TV show ''1000 Ways to Die''.

2010: A major traveling exhibition of Houdini memorabilia, paraphernalia, and art (inspired by him)—titled Houdini: Art and Magic—opened at the Jewish Museum in New York on October 29, 2010. The show will close on March 27, 2011, and then will be displayed in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Madison, Wisconsin. Art & Antiques Magazine Winter 2010–11 issue reported on this exhibition. 2010: Airing November 28, Paris Green (an episode of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire) makes several references to and features an appearance of Houdini's brother Hardeen as performed by actor Remy Auberjonois as an Atlantic City Boardwalk attraction circa 1920/1921. 2011: Google featured a special Houdini "Doodle" logo to commemorate his 137th birthday on March 24. The Harry Houdini "Google doodle" was the first to appear after Google received "a curious new patent up its sleeve". The "Google doodle" is the "'System and Method For Enticing Users To A Web Site'" as approved by the US patent office. 2011: Dorothy Young, who assisted Houdini in his full evening roadshow and was the last living person to have worked with Houdini, died on March 20 at the age of 103. 2011: Houdini and his Milk Can escape are featured in an episode of The Simpsons (“The Great Simpsina” Season 22 Episode 18). 2011: Houdini appears as himself in Eio Books ''Houdini Heart'', a novel of fantasy and horror by Ki Longfellow.

Publications

Houdini published numerous books during his career (some of which were written by his good friend Walter Brown Gibson, the creator of The Shadow): Audio book at Librivox

''Handcuff Secrets'' (1907)

at Internet Archive, a debunking study of Robert-Houdin’s abilities.

''Magical Rope Ties and Escapes'' (1920)

''Houdini's Paper Magic'' (1921)

''A Magician Among the Spirits'' (1924) Arno Press, A New York Times Company, New York, 1972. Original printing, 1924. ISBN 0-405-02801-6

''Under the Pyramids'' (1924) with H. P. Lovecraft.

Filmography

Films starring Houdini:

''Merveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini à Paris''—Cinema Lux (1909)—playing himself

''The Master Mystery''—Octagon Films (1918)—playing Quentin Locke

''The Grim Game''—Famous Players-Lasky/Paramount Pictures (1919)—playing Harvey Handford

''Terror Island''—Famous Players Lasky/Paramount (1920)—playing Harry Harper

''The Man From Beyond''—Houdini Picture Corporation (1922)—playing Howard Hillary

''Haldane of the Secret Service''—Houdini Picture Corporation/FBO (1922)—playing Heath Haldane

Biographical films:

''Houdini'' (1953)—played by Tony Curtis

''The Great Houdini'' aka ''The Great Houdinis'' (1976)—played by Paul Michael Glaser (TV movie)

''Ragtime'' (1981)—played by Jeffrey DeMunn

''Young Harry Houdini'' (1987)—played by Wil Wheaton & Jeffrey DeMunn (TV movie)

''A Night at the Magic Castle'' (1988)—played by Arte Johnson

''FairyTale: A True Story'' (1997)—played by Harvey Keitel

''Houdini'' (1998)—played by Johnathon Schaech (TV movie)

''Cremaster 2'' (1999)—played by Norman Mailer

''Death Defying Acts'' (2007)—played by Guy Pearce

See also

American Museum of Magic

Escapology

Illusionist

List of magicians

List of magic museums

Magic (illusion)

Stunt

Stunt performer

Notes

References

Brandon, Ruth. ''The Life and Many Deaths of Harry Houdini'' (Seeker & Warburg, Ltd. GB, 1993) ISBN 0-8129-7042-X; ISBN 978-0-8129-7042-5 (U.S. edition): ISBN 0-679-42437-7 ISBN 978-0-679-42437-6.

Fleischman, Sid. ''Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini'', (Greenwillow Books, 2006). ISBN 978-0-06-085094-4.

Gresham, William Lindsay ''Houdini: The Man Who Walked Through Walls'' (Henry Holt & Co, NY, 1959).

Henning, Doug with Charles Reynolds. ''Houdini: His Legend and His Magic'' (Times Books, NY, 1978). ISBN 0-446-87328-4; ISBN 978-0-446-87328-4.

Kellock, Harold. ''Houdini: His Life-Story'' ''from the recollections and documents of Beatrice Houdini,'' (Harcourt, Brace Co., June 1928).

Kendall, Lance. ''Houdini: Master of Escape'' (Macrae Smith & Co., NY, 1960). ISBN 0-06-092862-X.

Meyer, M.D., Bernard C.''Houdini: A Mind in Chains'' (E.P. Dutton & Co. NY, 1976). ISBN 0-8415-0448-2.

Randi, James & Bert Randolph Sugar. ''Houdini: His Life and Art'' (Grosset & Dunlap, NY, 1977).ISBN 978-0-448-12546-6; ISBN 0-448-12546-3.

Silverman, Kenneth. ''Houdini!!!: The Career of Ehrich Weiss'' 1997 ISBN 0-06-092862-X.

Williams, Beryl & Samuel Epstein. ''The Great Houdini: Magician Extraordinary'' (Julian Messner, Inc., NY, 1950).

Further reading

''Houdini's Escapes and Magic'' by Walter B. Gibson, ''Prepared from Houdini's private notebooks'' Blue Ribbon Books, Inc., 1930. Reveals some of Houdini's magic and escape methods (also released in two separate volumes: ''Houdini's Magic'' and ''Houdini's Escapes'').

''The Secrets of Houdini'' by J.C. Cannell, Hutchinson & Co., London, 1931. Reveals some of Houdini's escape methods.

''Houdini and Conan Doyle: The Story of a Strange Friendship'' by Bernard M. L. Ernst, Albert & Charles Boni, Inc., NY, 1932.

''Sixty Years of Psychical Research'' by Joseph F. Rinn, Truth Seeker Co., 1950, Rinn was a long time close friend of Houdini. Contains detailed information about the last Houdini message (there are 3) and its disclosure.

''Houdini's Fabulous Magic'' by Walter B. Gibson and Morris N. Young Chilton, NY, 1960. Excellent reference for Houdini's escapes and some methods (includes the Water Torture Cell).

''The Houdini Birth Research Committee's Report'', Magico Magazine (reprint of report by The Society of American Magicians), 1972. Concludes Houdini was born March 24, 1874, in Budapest.

''Mediums, Mystics and the Occult'' by Milbourne Christopher, Thomas T. Crowell Co., 1975, pp. 122–145, ''Arthur Ford-Messages from the Dead,'' contains detailed information about the Houdini messages and their disclosure.

''Arthur Ford: The Man Who Talked with the Dead'' by Allen Spraggett with William V. Rauscher, 1973, pp. 152–165, Chapter 7, ''The Houdini Affair'' contains detailed information about the Houdini messages and their disclosure.

''Houdini: Escape into Legend, The Early Years: 1862–1900'' by Manny Weltman, Finders/Seekers Enterprises, Los Angeles, 1993. Examination of Houdini's childhood and early career.

''Houdini Comes To America'' by Ronald J. Hilgert, The Houdini Historical Center, 1996. Documents the Weiss family's immigration to the United States on July 3, 1878 (when Ehrich was 4).

''Houdini Unlocked'' by Patrick Culliton, Two volume box set: ''The Tao of Houdini'' and ''The Secret Confessions of Houdini'', Kieran Press, 1997.

''The Houdini Code Mystery: A Spirit Secret Solved'' by William V. Rauscher, Magic Words, 2000.

''Final Séance. The Strange Friendship Between Houdini and Conan Doyle'' by Massimo Polidoro, Prometheus Books, 2001.

''The Man Who Killed Houdini'' by Don Bell, Vehicle Press, 2004. Investigates J. Gordon Whitehead and the events surrounding Houdini's death.

''Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century'' by Matthew Solomon, University of Illinois Press, 2010. Contains new information about Houdini's early movie career.

''Houdini Art and Magic'' by Brooke Kamin Rapaport, Jewish Museum, 2010. Essays on Houdini's life and work are accompanied by interviews with novelist E.L. Doctorow, Teller, Kenneth Silverman, and more.

''Houdini The Key'' by Patrick Culliton, Kieran Press, 2010. Reveals the authentic working methods of many of Houdini effects, including the Milk Can and Water Torture Cell. Limited to 278 copies.

External links

Houdini Tribute 400+ Photos, videos, multimedia, and hear Houdini's voice.

in 2010

Harry Houdini: His Life and His Art

Wild About Harry—Website devoted to what's new in the world of Houdini; books, DVDs, auctions, movies, events, and pop culture references.

Timeline of Houdini's life

"No Escaping Houdini"—A documentary on PBS in 2010

The Houdini Museum in Scranton Pennsylvania.

House of Deception article on Houdini's handwriting & signature.

CFI's 10th Annual Houdini Séance – Halloween 2006 — séance held to get in touch with Houdini, Point of Inquiry, October 31, 2006.

Michigan Time Traveler, Lansing State Journal, Harry Houdini and Michigan magic.

MSNBC report on possible murder of Houdini and the attempts to exhume his body.

The History Museum operated by the Local History Museum in Appleton, WI home of the AKA Houdini Exhibit.

Houdini in Russia. (in Russian).

Collection of Houdini's personal equipment

The Final Halloween Houdini Seance—audio documentary.

Festival of Flight Official website for Houdini Centenary celebrations.

"Tricks of Fake Mediums" by Harry Houdini, ''Liberty'', November 25, 1925

Houdini archives in the Harry Price papers

Category:1874 births Category:1926 deaths Category:American aviators Category:American Jews Category:American magicians Category:American people of Hungarian descent Category:American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Category:American performance artists Category:American skeptics Category:Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United States Category:Deaths from peritonitis Category:Disease-related deaths in Michigan Category:Escapologists Category:Hungarian Jews Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States Category:People from Appleton, Wisconsin Category:People from Budapest Category:Professional magicians Category:Vaudeville performers Category:Spiritualism

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name	Norm Nielsen
birth date	February 17, 1934
birth place	Kenosha, Wisconsin
death date
website	Norm Nielsen Website
occupation	Magician, entrepreneur }}

Norm Nielsen, Born February 17, 1934 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, is an American magician and business owner.

Early life and career

Nielsen's interest in magic started at a young age after watching his barber perform a few cigarette tricks. After seeing Neil Foster perform at a magic convention in White Water, Wisconsin, Nielsen enrolled at the Chavez School of Magic in Los Angeles. He graduated in 1953.

Creation of magic tricks

One of his first ideas for a magic trick was to make a trumpet toot as it floated in thin air. He eventually rejected this idea as the audience would not be able to see the keys move. This led to the creation of the floating violin, whose moving bow was more readily seen. The prototype took nearly two years to develop, and the illusion itself took several more. This illusion is still in Nielsen's repertoire as his trademark trick.

Nielsen developed other aspects of his musical act, including a flute that disintegrates into silver dust and coins that are dropped melodically onto a vertical xylophone.

Magic career

Nielsen has worked in London, Helsinki, Istanbul, Tokyo, Caracas, Santiago, Las Vegas, Sydney, and Monte Carlo. He had a regular engagement at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris, where he performed on and off for six years.

He is the owner of Nielsen Magic, founded 1956. In the early years, he learned how to make magic props from Theo Bamberg, also known as Okito. He was given permission by Okito to manufacture all items of his line, including the Okito Checker Cabinet. He is the manufacturer of the Nielsen line of products, which include among others, Vanishing Bottles, Rubber Doves and Manipulation Cards.

Awards

Stage Magician of the Year - Magic Castle (1970)

Magician of the Year - Magic Castle (1978)

Jack Gwynne Award (1977, 1988)

Chavez Award (1991)

Golden Mandrake Award - Paris (1991)

Performing Fellowship - Magic Castle (1994)

Magician's Favorite Magician CBS-TV (1995)

D.R.A.G.O.N Award (2005)

References

Category:American magicians Category:1934 births Category:Living people Category:Magician of the year Award winner

Name	Robert Alexander Little
Birth date	19 July 1895
Death date	May 27, 1918
Birth place	Hawthorn, Victoria
Death place	Nœux, France
Nickname	"Rikki"
Allegiance
Serviceyears	1916–1918
Rank	Captain
Branch	Royal Naval Air ServiceRoyal Air Force
Unit	No. 8 Squadron RNAS (1916–17)No. 203 Squadron RAF (1918)
Battles	World War I Western Front
Awards	Distinguished Service Order & BarDistinguished Service Cross & BarMentioned in DespatchesCroix de Guerre (France)
Laterwork	}}

Robert Alexander Little DSO & Bar, DSC & Bar (19 July 1895 – 27 May 1918) is officially regarded as the most successful Australian flying ace of World War I, with a total of forty-seven aerial victories. Born in Victoria, he travelled to England in 1915 and learnt to fly at his own expense before joining the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Posted to the Western Front in June 1916, he flew Sopwith Pups, Triplanes and Camels with No. 8 Squadron RNAS, achieving thirty-eight victories within a year and earning the Distinguished Service Order and Bar, the Distinguished Service Cross and Bar, and the French Croix de Guerre. Rested in July 1917, he volunteered to return to the front in March 1918 and scored a further nine victories with No. 3 Squadron RNAS (later No. 203 Squadron RAF) before he was killed in action on the night of 27 May, aged twenty-two.

Early life

Little was born on 19 July 1895 at Hawthorn, a suburb of Melbourne, to Canadian James Little, a seller of medical and surgical books, and his Victorian wife Susan. His family heritage was Scottish, and he was educated at Scotch College in Melbourne, where he was a swimming medallist, before entering his father's business as a travelling salesman. He was living with his family at Windsor when World War I broke out in August 1914.

World War I

Long interested in aviation, Little decided to apply for pilot training at the Australian Army's Central Flying School in Point Cook, but with only four vacancies, he was rejected along with hundreds of others. He then decided to sail for England in July 1915 and become a qualified pilot at his own expense. Gaining his flying certificate with the Royal Aero Club at Hendon in October, he joined the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) as a probationary Flight Sub-Lieutenant on 14 January 1916. He suffered badly from air sickness early on, most likely brought on by fumes from castor oil that was employed as an engine lubricant in the aircraft he flew in England.

Little arrived in France in June 1916 for service with No. 1 (Naval) Wing at Dunkirk, where he initially flew Sopwith 1½ Strutters in bombing raids. He married Vera Gertrude Field at the Congregational Church, Dover, on 16 September. The next month he was posted to No. 8 Squadron RNAS ("Naval Eight") flying Sopwith Pups on the Western Front, under fellow Australian Stanley Goble. Little scored his first aerial victory on 23 November, destroying an enemy two-seater north-east of La Bassée. By the following February, he had four "kills" to his credit and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for "conspicuous bravery in successfully attacking and bringing down hostile machines". In one action on 4 December, Little and Goble "fought like mad" against a large formation of German fighters, each claiming a Halberstadt; Little did not return to base with Goble and was thought lost, but had only landed near Allied lines to clear his jammed gun before taking off again to continue the fight.

On 24 April 1917, Little engaged a DFW C.V, forcing it to land. He then followed the German aircraft down to claim it as captured and personally take its crew prisoner at gunpoint. The Australian flipped his own plane in a ditch after touching down, however, prompting the surrendering enemy pilot to suggest: "It looks as if I have brought you down, not you me, doesn't it?" Naval Eight's conversion to the Sopwith Triplane in April saw Little begin to score heavily, eventually registering twenty-four victories on the type to bring his total up to twenty-eight by 10 July, including twin victories in a day on four occasions. He was the squadron's top scorer with the Triplane, mostly in one particular airframe, N5493, that he christened "Blymp", which also became the nickname of his baby son. The unit then began flying Sopwith Camels, in which he scored a further ten kills in July to make fourteen all-up for the month. When he subsequently rotated back to England for rest, he was ranked Flight Lieutenant and credited with a total of thirty-eight victories, including fifteen destroyed or captured. A bar to his DSC had been gazetted on 29 June, for "exceptional daring and skill in aerial fighting on many occasions", and he received the French Croix de Guerre on 11 July, becoming—along with fellow Australian RNAS ace Roderic (Stan) Dallas—one of the first three British Empire pilots to be so decorated. In August, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order "for exceptional skill and daring", followed by a bar to the decoration in September for "remarkable courage and boldness in attacking enemy machines". He was Mentioned in Despatches on 11 December, and promoted to Flight Commander the following month.

Despite Little's prowess in combat, as an aviator he was ordinary at best, enduring a number of crash-landings. What gave him his edge as a fighter pilot was his keen eye, excellent marksmanship, and willingness to single-handedly take on entire enemy formations and close in on his prey—down to twenty-five yards on occasion—before opening fire. Fellow No. 8 Squadron member Reggie Soar recalled, "Although not a polished pilot, he was one of the most aggressive ... an outstanding shot with both revolver and rifle...", while ace Robert Comptson described Little as "not so much a leader as a brilliant lone hand ... Small in stature, with face set grimly, he seemed the epitome of deadliness". His squadron nicknamed him "Rikki", after the mongoose "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi", which outstrikes cobras in the story of the same name by Rudyard Kipling. Many who knew him saw a sensitive side, however, Soar noting that in addition to his skill with guns, Little was "also a collector of wild flowers", and his wife contending that his appearance in photographs belied his sense of humour. Squadron commander Raymond Collishaw, who would finish the war as the RNAS' top-scoring ace, summed up Little as "an outstanding character, bold, aggressive and courageous, yet he was gentle and kindly. A resolute and brave man."

Following a period of rest in England, Little turned down a desk assignment and volunteered to return to action on the Western Front, joining Lieutenant Colonel Collishaw's No. 3 Squadron RNAS in March 1918. The unit evolved into No. 203 Squadron of the new Royal Air Force on 1 April, formed after the merger of the RNAS and the Royal Flying Corps. Now ranked Captain, and again flying Sopwith Camels, Little gained a further nine successes, beginning with a Fokker Triplane on 1 April, and concluding with two kills in one day on 22 May, an Albatros and a DFW. On 27 May, he received reports of German Gotha bombers in the vicinity, and took off on a moonlit evening to intercept the raiders. As he closed with one of the bombers, his plane was caught in a searchlight beam and he was struck by a bullet that passed through both his thighs. He crash-landed in a field near Nœux, and bled to death before he was discovered the following morning by a passing gendarme. Little's skull and ankle had also been fractured in the impact; his body was identified by his friend and fellow ace, Charles Dawson Booker. Collishaw launched an investigation but it was never established whether the single bullet that hit Little had come from a gunner in the Gotha or from the ground.

Legacy

Little was buried in the village cemetery at Nœux, before his body was moved to Wavans British Cemetery in the Pas de Calais. Aged twenty-two, he left a widow and a son; in accordance with her husband's wishes, Vera travelled back to Australia to raise the boy. Of Little's forty-seven confirmed victories, twenty were credited as destroyed, two as captured, and twenty-five as "out of control"; he was believed to be responsible for many others driven down or forced to land, which were not counted in his official total. As well as the eighth most successful Commonwealth ace of World War I, and the ranking RNAS ace, this score made him the most prolific Australian ace of all time, ahead of Stan Dallas with an official score of thirty-nine, although modern research also credits Dallas with a tally numbering in the fifties.

The propeller blade from Little's Sopwith Triplane was fitted with a clock in its hub by his fellow officers, who presented it to his widow; she transported it back to Australia in three pieces and it later went on display at the Australian War Memorial, along with his awards and the wooden cross of his original burial place at Nœux. The Sopwith Pup he flew with No. 8 Squadron RNAS, N5182, was rebuilt to flying standard and in October 1976 led a flypast to commemorate the squadron's Diamond Jubilee, before going on permanent display at the Royal Air Force Museum, Hendon. One of the buildings of the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra, opened in 1986, was named in Little's honour.

Notes

References

Category:1895 births Category:1918 deaths Category:Australian aviators Category:Australian World War I flying aces Category:British military personnel killed in World War I Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France) Category:Royal Navy officers Category:Royal Air Force officers Category:Royal Air Force personnel of World War I Category:Royal Naval Air Service aviators Category:Royal Navy officers of World War I Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order and Bar Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross and Bar (United Kingdom) Category:People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne

pl:Robert Little sl:Robert Alexander Little

Mat Hoffman (born January 9, 1972) is an American BMX rider considered one of the best vert-ramp riders in the history of the sport. He is nicknamed "The Condor" and owns the BMX Freestyle brand Hoffman BMX Bikes, based out of Oklahoma City, OK.

Bio

In 1987, at the age of 15, Mat Hoffman was the youngest rider joining the freestyle BMX circuit. An article in Ride Magazine wrote, “What’s left to say about a guy who ignored all established limits and redefined vert riding - at age 15.”

By 1991, Hoffman had already surpassed amateur rank, seized the pro division and brought the sport to new heights never thought possible, inventing the majority of the Vert tricks today. By this year and the age of 20, Hoffman started both Hoffman Promotions and Hoffman Bikes.

He developed the Bicycle Stunt (BS) Series to give riders a place to compete and showcase their talents. ESPN joined with Hoffman Promotions in 1995 to produce and televise the series each year.

The growth of Hoffman Promotions gave birth to the Hoffman Sports Association (H.S.A.), which is the organizing body for BMX Freestyle events worldwide, such as ESPN’s X Games and all international X Games bicycle stunt events.

Hoffman has produced, directed and hosted several TV series for ESPN including “Kids in the Way,” “HBtv” and “Mat’s World.” In February 2008, Hoffman produced and co-hosted “Mat Hoffman’s Evel Knievel Tribute” with Johnny Knoxville, which aired on MTV and featured record-breaking stunts by Travis Pastrana, Trigger Gunn, Allan Cooke and Davin Halford.

Hoffman partnered with Activision to produce Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX video game and Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX 2 video game – released in August 2002, in conjunction with the release of Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX2 Tour TV show, which aired on ESPN2 and is available on DVD and VHS.

He has been involved in a number of film projects: “Keep Your Eyes Open,” produced by Tamra Davis and starring Spike Jonze; IMAX film “Ultimate X”; “Triple X,” a Rob Cohen film, starring Vin Diesel; “Jackass-The Movie,” “Jackass-Number 2” and "Jackass 3-D".

An ESPN 30 for 30 documentary entitled “The Birth of Big Air,” directed and produced by Jeff Tremaine and additionally produced by Johnny Knoxville, Spike Jonze and Hoffman, himself, was released in July 2010.

Other current projects include two shows produced by Hoffman – Mat Hoffman’s Aggro Circus at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL, and Mat Hoffman’s Danger Defying Daredevils at Six Flags Magic Mountain near Los Angeles, CA.

Achievements

Hoffman is responsible for building the sport for decades, providing support to the biggest names in the industry, including Dave Mirra, Jay Miron, Kevin Robinson, Chad Kagy, Seth Kimbrough, Taj Mahelich, Brad Simms, Anthony Napolitan, Mike Escamilla, Rick Thorne, Kevin Jones, Chase Gouin, Day Smith, Art Thomason and many more.

Hoffman and his team were also selected to take part in the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., in a production called “Sport as Art.” In 1999, H.S.A. developed Mat Hoffman's Crazy Freakin’ Bikers Series (CFB), which provides amateur and professional Freestyle bikers a venue in which they can compete. Not only does the H.S.A. promote, organize and host the series, but it also produces all the television programming for the CFB Series, which is aired on ESPN2.

The H.S.A. organizes BMX Freestyle portions of annual U.S. and international events, including the X Games and all international X Games qualifiers. The year 2005 marked the 14th consecutive year of competition production for Hoffman Promotions.

In 2001, Hoffman competed at the X Games, earning the Bronze Medal. He stunned the industry and fans, alike, when he set another record by successfully completing the first-ever No-handed 900 at the 2002 X Games, resulting in the Silver Medal.

Hoffman was the first person to ride an over-sized ("Big") ramp in 1993 with his first High Air attempt off of a 24-foot quarter pipe, in fact, on one of his runs, he tore his spleen and almost died. When Hoffman achieved 50.6 feet above the ground in March 2001, he had a team of four professional photographers, an elaborate scaffolding system to record the attempt at different angles and had an ABC Wide World Of Sports camera crew on-site, as well.

In 2005, Mat was elected the President of the International BMX Freestyle Federation, the international governing body of BMX Freestyle - a partner with Union Cyclists International (UCI), the bicycle governing body for the International Olympic Committee.

Also in 2005, the Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park opened in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It has since been recognized as one of the ten best such parks in the nation.

Hoffman has had numerous injuries, including the loss of his spleen, and 16 operations.

Video games

Cody worked with Activision to produce the video games ''Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX'' and ''Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2'', the latter released in August 2002 in conjunction with the ''Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX2 Tour'' TV show. Hoffman also appeared in ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4'' and ''Tony Hawk's American Wasteland'', also produced by Activision.

References

External links

Online photo biography

Oklahoma City Parks - Mat Hoffman Action Sports Park

Category:1972 births Category:American cyclists Category:Bicycle motocross riders Category:Living people Category:People from Edmond, Oklahoma

de:Mat Hoffman et:Mat Hoffman es:Mat Hoffman fr:Mat Hoffman nl:Mat Hoffman no:Mat Hoffman fi:Mat Hoffman sv:Mat Hoffman uk:Метт Гоффман