I've seen effusive Houdini advertising before, but this ad for the independently run Columbia Theatre in Cincinnati, Ohio, takes the cake. This was for Houdini's two-week run in January 1908. I love how it adds "And Houdini" after every other name on the bill.Cincinnati Post, Jan. 6, 1908I would love to know what exactly was displayed in Max Joseph's cigar store window. This was ..read more

The Last Action Hero is an awful movie—famously awful. It was the first bomb after a string of successes for star Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, The Last Action Hero has a Houdini reference that's integral to the plot. Luckily, you don't need to watch the movie to see it. The entire "Houdini's Magic Ticket" scene is below.If you're curious, the theater we see here is the 1927 Orpheum in downtown ..read more

What better way to kick off October 2024 than with news of a Halloween Houdini seance. This sounds like a must if you live near Alton, Illinois. Details below.Join author and host Troy Taylor at the American Oddities Museum in the Mineral Springs Hotel in Alton for this special Halloween event as we continue the tradition of attempting to contact the spirit of one of the great magicians and ..read more

The great Bill Kalush will give a Houdini presentation as part of The American Museum of Magic's Magic Speaker Series on Thursday, October 24, at 7:00 PM ET. The talk is free for museum members and $15 for non-members. This online event will fill up, so I would act fast. To register, click the image below. Related: Bill Kalush has been to the mountaintop Bill Kalush to receive 2016 Milbourne ..read more

I'm hearing great things about Spirit Sleuths: How Magicians and Detectives Exposed the Ghost Hoaxes by Gail Jarrow. Aimed at young adult readers, the book contains a generous amount of Houdini content and a wealth of terrific images from the entire history of spiritualism. Here's a description:The latest from acclaimed author Gail Jarrow reveals how magicians—including Harry Houdini and his team ..read more

A good article by JC Reindel in the Detroit Free Press about the current efforts to save the building that once housed the funeral parlor where Houdini was embalmed. The property had quite a history, as you can read by clicking the headline above.Related:Funeral home where Houdini was embalmedLINK: Detroit funeral home where Houdini was embalmed is neglectedAUDIO: Jack Gibbons, Houdini's embalmer ..read more

A remarkable collection of original Houdini glass negatives still contained in their original boxes sold at an auction in Newark, Ohio, last Friday. Apple Tree Auction Center offered the slides in two lots. One lot sold for $12,500 and the other for $8,000. Along with the unpublished images, what I really love here are the notes on the boxes explaining their contents. I have seen one other box ..read more

The American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, has restored its iconic central Houdini display to its once-former glory. The museum had erected a small stage for children's magic shows on the spot and placed Houdini behind that. But now the Handcuff King is back in his proper place, greeting visitors as they enter the museum just as in Bob Lund's day.The museum shared the above photo on ..read more

It's rare these days that I find a suspended straitjacket escape that I didn't already have on my list, but that's precisely what happened last week. A recent upload of the South Bend News-Times online revealed that Houdini hung from the News-Times building in South Bend, Indiana, on January 29, 1924.South Bend News-Times, Jan. 30, 1924Why was this so hard to find? I've discovered many newspapers ..read more

Here's one I almost missed! A new immersive Houdini play, The Spirits Speakeasy, will have its first preview tonight at Sincerely, Ophelia in New York City. It then opens tomorrow, September 19, and plays through November 3, 2024. Below are details: The Spirits Speakeasy summons you to step through the secret speakeasy door as a personal guest of the renowned Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Prepare to ..read more