One of my favorite pictures of the lovebirds themselves. Happy Valentine’s Day!

A rare, never-before-published photo of Harry Houdini and his wife Bess inhabiting this dimension to visit the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada. May your Valentine’s Day be equally anachronistic.

Photo and Letter from Bess Houdini to E.A. Dearn (click to enlarge)

Magicians the world over have heard of magic historian and author Edwin A. Dawes. But there’s another Edwin A. whose role in the history of magic and Houdini has been either overlooked or simply unknown: Edwin A. Dearn (1892–1980), also known as E.A. Dearn.

A close friend of Max Malini and a member of The Magic Circle in London, Dearn lived in Birmingham, England, and eventually made his way to Shanghai, China, living and performing there for about 25 years. Sometime in the early 1950s, he fled China to escape communist rule, moving to Sydney, Australia, where he remained until his death in 1980.

So what’s the link between Dearn and Houdini?

Dearn was an avid collector of magic memorabilia, books, and ephemera—so much so that a 1926 Shanghai magazine, The Town Traveller, featured his collection. Consequently, he was in contact with many other collectors around the world, including Houdini, who corresponded regularly with Dearn in the 1920s.

According to a recent story in The Daily Telegraph, Dearn’s daughter-in-law—a resident of Roseville, New South Wales—was recently cleaning her garage when she discovered a wooden chest containing many items from her father-in-law’s collection, including signed letters from Houdini to Dearn. Lawsons auction house in New South Wales will offer this incredible collection next Friday, February 22.

There are so many gems in the collection. For instance, in one letter, dated December 16, 1925, Houdini tells Dearn that, while on the road, his lay audiences seem to be more pleased with his performances than his fellow magicians: “I have made an enormous hit,” Houdini writes, “the magicians have stated I am doing a rotten entertainment and they number only about five thousand, however there are millions of the public who are satisfied, so I do not mind.”

But what really caught my attention was a handwritten letter from Houdini’s wife, Bess, to Dearn and his wife—dated December 19, 1926, less than two months after Houdini died. Still filled with sorrow, she confided in the Dearns, describing the incident with McGill University student J. Gordon Whitehead as well as the final moments she spent with Houdini:

My Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dearn

No doubt you will have heard of the passing of my beloved husband. Have just found the photos of you both in wedding dress among his letters, and I wept, thots [sic] of our own wedding 32 years ago swept over me, and I am almost overcome with grief. We were so very happy, and he was taken from me. I cannot understand why – he wasn’t ill long – he had broken a bone in his foot, whilst doing his torture water trick – lying on a couch in his dressing room between acts – a student playfully punched him in the abdomen, causing a ruptured appendix, my darling never complained untill [sic] the following day (Sat) and from that foolish blow, I was a widow, he was the same brilliant glorious mind, untill [sic] 20 minutes before God took him, I held him in my arm [sic] screaming in his ear ‘Harry Harry don’t go’ he raised his dear head, opened wide his eyes, and went – forever – Today it is 7 weeks, my eyes are blind with tears, and cannot believe he will never come back to me. Please do not think I’m morbid, I don’t know if you folks ever met me, I always was a more cheefull [sic] person, I appeared with Houdini on the stage up to his very last show, we were never seperated [sic], in all his adventures I was with him – but this his greatest adventure, he went alone — he spared me all the hardship, he was so tender and loving, and now I am alone, I fear to face the darkness without his guiding hand, but he left me many tasks to perform, and I must do as my darling wished. I like to hear from those whom he loved, and I know he loved you, for he preserved your letters so well. I also would be your friend, so write to me, with much love to you both.
Dec. 19– 26 Beatrice Houdini

For those unfamiliar with the actual cause of Houdini’s death, it’s worth noting here that he died of peritonitis, not a blow to the stomach. In any event, I find Bess’s letter interesting for many reasons, not the least of which is her heartbreaking plea to her dying husband: “Harry Harry don’t go.” If Bess accurately described that moment, those desperate words very well may have been the last Houdini ever heard.

A “brilliant glorious mind,” forever silenced.

The real Houdini for President image. Happy Presidents’ Day from Houdington Washini.

Copyright 2013 Tom Interval

A short film by New York University student David Jalbert, made in 2008 (published on YouTube on Feb. 17, 2013, by user nyunyc archave):

There seems to be a lot of uncertainty about when Carrie Gladys Weiss (Houdini’s sister) died. Until today, even the Wikipedia page about Houdini stated that the year of Gladys’s death is unknown (I changed it). But honestly, I’m not sure what all the mystery is about at this point.

While we still don’t know the precise date of her death (which I’m sure would be on her death certificate, probably available from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene), we do have two reliable sources as to the month and year.

First, as Houdini expert John Cox, creator of the superb website Wild About Harry, has pointed out, Bernard C. Meyer mentions the month and year in his book, Houdini: A Mind in Chains, on page 5: “At the time of Gladys’s final illness in January 1959 her hospital record . . .” Meyer offers no additional information on the illness itself, but it’s clear it was fatal.

Second, Machpelah Cemetery, where Gladys is buried, has her burial record on microfilm. I discovered this after doing just a little bit of digging. I initially went to Gladys’s Find A Grave web page to see how that site listed her death date. At the time, it was marked as 1972. I wrote to the creator of the page—Big Ern—to see where he got the information. Turns out he read it on the Wild About Harry blog post referred to above, in the “UPDATE” mentioning how Houdini expert Patrick Culliton found an entry for a Gladys Weiss on the New York State death index.

After I questioned the date, Big Ern, whose real name is Ernest, did a little digging of his own. He called Machpelah, and someone there looked up Gladys’s burial records for him. Soon thereafter, Ernest dropped me an email, informing me those records indicated Gladys’s ashes (that’s right: ashes!*) were buried on January 21, 1959. That would put the date of her death sometime in January 1959, which is in accordance with Meyer’s research.

Earlier today I also called the cemetery to confirm what Ernest already discovered and to request a copy of the burial record. The employee there—a nice older woman—looked up Gladys’s record and told me exactly what Ernest had found out. What I wasn’t aware of was the name of the Houdini/Weiss plot itself: It’s the Henry Clay plot, Gate No. 1. (The cemetery representative informed me that Henry Clay is a society.) Despite the fast, friendly service the Machpelah employee gave me, she refused to give me her name and said she would not provide me with a copy of the burial record because “We just don’t do that.”

In short, the two sources I cite above convince me Gladys probably died the week of January 12, 1959. If you have any evidence to support or counter this—or have a copy of Gladys’s death certificate—I would love to hear from you. Please comment below or send me an email.

*It’s interesting Gladys was cremated because Jewish law forbids it. Although, apparently this is not a hard-and-fast rule.

Here’s an interactive 360-degree panorama of Houdini’s grave at Machpelah Cemetery in Queens, New York. Okay, actually, it’s more like 270 degrees, but it still shows a lot for a little picture. Technically, it’s a video (.mov) file. I found it on the Web at least a few years ago, but I’m not sure where. If you know, please drop me a line and I’ll credit whoever made this. Simply visit this page and click and drag on the image to move it left, right, up, or down. You can also zoom in and out using the control at the bottom or by using the Shift and Ctrl keys.

(Sorry, WordPress wouldn’t let me embed the image here.)

Robert DaPonte as Harry Houdini (photo by Ian Paul Guzzone)

The last time Harry Houdini was in Philadelphia, he played a three-week engagement at the Chestnut Street Opera House. That was in 1926. Eighty-seven years later and only a mile from where the opera house once stood, Houdini will again make an appearance. Well, sort of.

Philadelphia actor Robert DaPonte is not a legendary magician and escapologist, but he plays one on the stage. In his latest gig, DaPonte stars as the lead character in EgoPo theater company’s The Life (and Death) of Harry Houdini, a play opening this Friday night at Plays and Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place.

“[Houdini] was the most famous stage magician of all time, a man perceived to have super heroic abilities by his scores of fans,” says DaPonte. “But it is Houdini as fallible human being which interests me. His doubts about the prospect of an afterlife mirror our own.”

Created and directed by EgoPo’s Brenna Geffers, Houdini, a 75-minute production previewing this Wednesday and Thursday, “venture[s] behind the curtain of Houdini’s final performance,” according to the play’s web page. “A mysterious magician’s assistant prepares the absinthe, the shackles, and a séance. Houdini gasps for breath as his life flashes before his eyes. An invisible crowd applauds. You are the audience for this magic show of life, death, and the beyond. After a lifetime of death defying escapes, Houdini is ready for his final curtain call. You will be there to distinguish reality from fiction—if you can.”

In addition to DaPonte, the cast includes Lee Minora (Bess, Houdini’s wife), Griffin Stanton-Ameisen (Dash, Houdini’s brother), Maryruth Stine, and Tyler Horn.

Houdini, part of the 2013 Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts (PIFA), runs through April 7. Tickets cost between $25 and $32; however, EgoPo will give a $5 discount to readers of this blog and to other magic or Houdini enthusiasts who present the promotional code “magic” when purchasing tickets online, over the phone (267-273-1414), or at the door.

To learn more about Houdini, its cast and crew, group rates, and more, visit www.egopo.org.

Hope everyone had a great Easter!

(Photoshopped image)

Guy Pearce upside down in the Upside Down in Death Defying Acts (2007)

Ever wonder what happened to the Water Torture Cell in the 2007 feature film Death Defying Acts? Well, wonder no more, Houdini fans. According to an article in the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, Davenport’s Magic Kingdom—an exciting new magic museum to open in Norfolk, England, on May 25—will exhibit the Torture Cell built just for the film starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The museum, which, according to its owners, will house the largest collection of magic and allied arts memorabilia in Europe, will be run by the Davenport family, proprietors of Davenports Magic, opened in 1898 in the East End of London as L. Davenport & Co.

In addition to the Water Torture Cell repro, Davenport’s will apparently feature other information about Houdini. The web page describing the museum’s Timeline Exhibition invites visitors to “Discover the stories of some of the world’s most famous magicians, including the Maskelyne family, David Devant, Robert Harbin, Harry Houdini and Chung Ling Soo.” I sent an email to the museum for more information. I’ll update this blog after they respond.

In the mean time, you can see the Torture Cell in action in the movie trailer embedded below (YouTube link: http://youtu.be/7uBZmziFSIU).

Jim Bentley as Harry Houdini (photo courtesy of Alan London)

It’s the fourth of November, 1926, in Detroit, where Harry Houdini died only four days earlier.

Behind the Garrick Theater, 11-year-old George scrambles to find a hiding place. He’s way too young to be running from a gun-toting thug, but that’s what he gets for conning him with the old three-shell game.

“You can’t hide from me, twerp!” says the thug. “When I get my hands on ya…”

Just then, the backstage entrance door George is leaning on opens up just enough for him to slip into the theater as the door swings closed and locks behind him.

In the dark silence, a voice calls out. George soon discovers it’s the ghost of Houdini, whose final challenge is to inspire the boy to live a more honest life. It’s the only way the great escape artist can be reunited with his beloved mother, Cecelia, who died thirteen years earlier.

To achieve this, Houdini takes George on a journey that spans the escapologist’s life—from his early childhood struggles, to performing in vaudeville, to meeting his wife, Bess, all the way up to his final performance at the Garrick.

Jim Bentley as Harry Houdini

That’s the story line of The Great Houdini, a two-act play that ran at the Stella Adler Theatre in Hollywood from April 22 through May 30, 1999. Alan London, coauthor and executive producer of the play, recently announced he’s selling an e-book of the full script, available for Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook e-book readers.

The story, “comprised of far more fact than fiction,” according to London, is based on more than 12 years of research. And magician and actor Jim Bentley, who played Houdini, really looked the part and apparently did a fantastic job, along with the rest of the cast, including Raphael Goldstein (George), Kim Lores (Bess), Elizabeth Ince (Cecelia), and magician Whit “Pop” Haydn (the thug), among others.

“The entire cast performs with gusto,” wrote reviewer Ed Thomas in the August 1999 issue of M-U-M, the official publication of the Society of American Magicians. “Production values are top notch. Altogether an enjoyable evening of theatre and magic.”

Jim Bentley as Harry Houdini

As for the script itself, an uncredited reviewer in the April 3, 1999, issue of Goodliffe’s Abracadabra wrote that it “made fascinating reading, with a twist in the tail [sic] those seeing the play are asked not to divulge.” And Paul Gross writes in his May 14, 2010, blog that The Great Houdini “was written much like a feature film rather than [a] play . . .”

Even illusionists Siegfried & Roy enjoyed reading the script three years before the play’s opening at the Stella Adler. “We offer Congratulations to you on a very well-written work,” they wrote in 1996 in a personal letter to London. “We feel that because of the manner in which you tell the story, it would have a broad appeal . . .”

To purchase The Great Houdini e-book script, click on the cover thumbnail below or visit one of the following web pages:

• Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Houdini-ebook/dp/B00CLUM4CE
• Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1115237658?ean=9781626757301

To read about some of the show’s props, built at Warner Bros. Studio, and to see pictures of the props and show posters, visit Gross’s blog at http://hocuspoc.wordpress.com/2010/05/14/.

To see a 2009 video of Jim Bentley performing a Houdini-like upside-down straitjacket escape at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, visit the following YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKmQnnEJXfY&feature=youtu.be

Click to buy on Amazon

For anyone interested, here’s the program from EgoPo theater company’s The Life (and Death) of Harry Houdini, a play that ran at the Plays and Players Theatre in Philadelphia from March 27 through April 7, 2013. Thanks to my niece, Robin, for mailing this to me since I was not able to see the production myself.

Houdini EgoPo play program, scan 1 of 4

Houdini EgoPo play program, scan 2 of 4

Houdini EgoPo play program, scan 3 of 4

Houdini EgoPo play program, scan 4 of 4

I just came across this pencil sketch of Houdini by yours truly. Copying a well-known photo, I drew it in my teens, probably as an assignment for art class. When time allows, I plan on producing some more work, and I’m sure it will include the great self-liberator.

Pencil drawing of Harry Houdini by Tom Interval (Copyright 1982 Tom Interval)

Here’s a magnificent photo of Bess Houdini I recently found on an auction website (below). The glittering goodies on the table include some pretty recognizable stuff. such as the original bronze Houdini bust, the legendary Mirror Cuffs, and the Hamilton & Co. silver duplicates of those cuffs.

In her essay, “Recollections of Harry and Bess Houdini,” published in the appendix of Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss, by Kenneth Silverman (p. 423), Marie Blood, Houdini and Bess’s niece, remembers the cuffs and perhaps something else that appears in the photo:

There was a gold-leaf curio cabinet in the bedroom, with a curved glass door. Inside were treasures—the gold Fabergé ladle Houdini received for his performance before royalty in Russia; the famous Mirror Handcuffs; silver engraved rice bowls from China; and a beautiful little ivory baby carriage with a tiny satin pillow and coverlet.

Admittedly, I don’t know what the Fabergé ladle or the rice bowls look like, but do you think they’re in this picture? How about the other stuff? Recognize anything in particular? Where is all of it now? I’d love to hear your thoughts about these “treasures” and where you think the picture was taken.

Bess Houdini with some Houdini treasures, including the original bronze Houdini bust and Mirror Cuffs

The home that now stands where Houdini’s North Stamford home once stood, possibly a replica of the original. Click to enlarge. (Photo: Renée Kahn, 2011)

One of Harry Houdini’s better-known homes was (and is) located at 278 W. 113th St. in Harlem, his permanent residence. However, unless you’re a Houdini geek, you might not know the legendary escapologist and magician also owned a summer home from 1904 to 1905 on a seven-acre farm in North Stamford, Connecticut.

Until today, we knew only the approximate location of the home (about 16 miles southwest of where Houdini’s brother Leopold Weiss once owned a multimillion-dollar estate). However, thanks to Renée Kahn, founder and director of The Historic Neighborhood Preservation Program (HNPP) in Stamford, her research assistant, and some other local folks, we now know the property’s exact location: 286 Webb’s Hill Road. (Note the spelling; the road, popularly spelled “Webbs Hill,” is named after the Webb family, so including the apostrophe is correct, according to Kahn.)

HNPP Newsletter, p. 6. Click to enlarge.

The HNPP actually broke the news on page 6 of its Fall 2011 newsletter, but no one I know of, including me, caught it. It was only after doing some digging this week that I came across the story. While the home’s exact address is not specified in the newsletter, a phone call to Kahn solved that mystery.

“Land records showed that Ehrich and his wife and stage assistant, Wilhelmina, known as Bess, had actually purchased a house, along with a large tract of farmland . . .,” writes Kahn, also the editor of the newsletter. “We could see what attracted him to the property, a hilltop farm that had spectacular views all the way to Long Island Sound.”

Kahn says the house sits on the highest point in Stamford, and the expansive view at the time was all farmland instead of mostly trees, as it is today.

The home that now stands where Houdini’s North Stamford home once stood, possibly a replica of the original. August 2012. Click to enlarge. (Photo: Google Maps Street View)

Unfortunately, the original home, built in 1830—the one Harry and Bess briefly occupied—burned down in the 1960s, leaving nothing more than the chimney, two fireplaces, and the foundation. However, part of that original foundation is the basement in which Houdini certainly walked and possibly worked. According to John L. De Forest in his book Once Upon a Long, Long Ridge: A Memoir of a Connecticut Community, the house now standing on the property (the one shown in the photos on this page) is a replica of the original home. And according to specs on the Zillow website, the newer 4,000 sq. ft. saltbox-style home has four bedrooms and four baths and now occupies a one-acre lot as opposed to the seven acres once owned by Houdini. Those seven acres originally extended behind the house to the left and right, all the way down to Long Ridge Road, which runs parallel to Webb’s Hill Road. If you look at the property on Google Street View, you’ll see three separate buildings: the house, a garage, and a small cottage. The garage and cottage were not there in Houdini’s day, and the room extending from the left (south end) of the house was a later addition.

One of the (possibly) original water wells on the property formerly owned by Harry Houdini. Click to enlarge. (Photo: Google Maps Street View, water well enlarged for clarity)

There are two still-existing structures Kahn and one of the homeowners say might have been there when the Houdinis lived in the home: two water wells; one is on the south end of the property, the other on the north end behind the cottage. The one shown in the accompanying photo is the south well. It’s fun to think Houdini himself might have used those wells.

“Once the property of a man fittingly named Triumphant Lockwood,” writes Kenneth Silverman in his biography, Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss, “it had substantial buildings, with fields, gardens, livestock, and an orchard locally celebrated for its cider.” Silverman goes on to write that Houdini told a reporter he cut down 20 trees to clear a road and moved some 200- to 300-pound boulders, unassisted, onto a wagon and carted them off. Perhaps that road was the back path leading up to the house from Long Ridge Road. The property, which had been called Web Hill, became known as Weiss Hill, according to Silverman.

To directly download a PDF of the original story published in the HNPP newsletter, use the following link:

Historic Neighborhood News, Fall 2011, “Houdini Lived Here?,” by Renée Kahn

# # #

Thanks to the homeowners and to Renée Kahn and her daughter Eve for their time and lively conversations.

Thanks also to Heloise and Melanie, reference librarians at the Ferguson Library in Stamford, for pulling the De Forest book, scanning the relevant pages (163–164), and emailing them to me. There wasn’t much written about Houdini there, but what little there was added to the overall picture:

Another gifted man in the general area was famed magician Harry Houdini who lived for a time on Webb’s Hill Road, about midway to Stamford center from Long Ridge, during the early 1900′s. The house, since destroyed by fire, and replaced with a replica of the original, stood at the crest of the hill behind the tavern which in more recent years has been known as Giovanni’s.

As it turns out, Giovanni’s Steakhouse closed several years ago; however, the building, located at 1297 Long Ridge Road (which runs parallel to Webb’s Hill Road), still stands. It now houses Madonia Restaurant. The building served as a great reference point when I was initially trying to locate Houdini’s home.

Tom Interval

I’ve never seen this variation of the Milk Can escape, performed by French illusionist Luc Langevin (see embedded YouTube video below). It’s done in full view! You can see genuine concern on people’s faces—an uncommon reaction from today’s oft-jaded audiences. Brilliant.

John Cox, Kristen Connolly, and Tom Interval at The Magic Castle in Los Angeles, September 21, 2013 (Photo: Danny B.)

If you’ve seen The Cabin in the Woods or the Netflix series House of Cards, actress Kristen Connolly’s face might be more familiar to you than her name. But make no mistake about it: Because of her talent, intelligence, beauty, and genuine warmth, she’s well on her way to becoming known in every American household.

In her latest role, Kristen will portray Bess Houdini, the wife of legendary escapologist and illusionist Harry Houdini, in History’s upcoming two-part miniseries, Houdini, starring Adrien Brody as the title character.

Kristen contacted me at the end of August after a mutual friend in the entertainment industry (name omitted for privacy) introduced us via email, telling her how much I know about Houdini. She promptly consulted me about Bess because she wants her portrayal to be as accurate as possible. In her words, she wants “to really get her character right”—a testament to how seriously she takes her work and why her portrayal of Bess will likely be one of the best of any Houdini biopics produced so far.

Immediately after our first email conversation, I got to work, creating an 87-page document packed with all things Bess, including any information that sheds light on the actual character of Bess as opposed to including only biographical facts. Kristen is using that information, in addition to other resources, to really hone in on Bessie the person.

After emailing back and forth for a few weeks, Kristen and I arranged to meet at The Magic Castle, the perfect place to discuss Bess. Kristen had never been to the Castle, and she was excited about going. Since she would be in Los Angeles for the Emmys, we met the day before (last Saturday, September 21). She brought her boyfriend Danny, and I invited John Cox, Houdini expert and creator of the magnificent Houdini blog, Wild About Harry. John, who has been a member of the Castle since the mid 1980s, gave all of us a highly informative tour before dinner.

So there we were in the Castle’s plush Victorian-style dining room talking about Houdini, Bess, the upcoming miniseries, and magic in general. During dessert, I taught Kristen a popular playing-card flourish we magicians call the ribbon-spread turnover, in which a deck of cards is spread neatly face down on the table, then gracefully turned over until the spread is face up. Whether or not she performs the flourish in the miniseries, she caught on quickly and seemed to enjoy learning it.

After dinner, we caught a great show featuring sleight-of-hand artist Jon Armstrong, comic juggler Lindsay Benner, and magician Danny Cole. We walked around the Castle for a while longer and even slipped into the Houdini Seance Chamber just before a private party arrived there. Since Kristen and Danny planned to attend a pre-Emmys party later that evening, we wrapped up our post-dinner tour, took a few pictures, and made our way outside. We exchanged some final hugs before the couple’s driver picked them up and drove off. John and I headed back into the Castle and caught a final show before leaving.

The following day, as a bonus to an already wonderful weekend, John let me peruse his Houdini collection, and we hung out for the rest of the day before I headed back down to San Diego. I missed the Emmys that night but read some of the follow-up stories, which included photo galleries of celebrities on the red carpet. One of those pictures showed Kristen, who wore a designer gown that outclassed almost every other female celebrity on the carpet. Seeing her in that environment made it hard for me to fathom that only 24 hours earlier, I was having dinner with her, conversing as if she and I were old friends. That’s how affable, humble, and appreciative she is, despite the success she’s already achieved. While some celebrities might outrank Kristen in terms of sheer fame, few can touch her when it comes to class. And no matter how famous of an actress she becomes, I’ll always remember how great she is as a person.

Tom Interval