Houdini NEWS

See The Man From Beyond in Appleton

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 11:07:17 -0800

The History Museum in Houdini’s hometown of Appleton Wisconsin will be screening The Man From Beyond this Thursday, March 11, as part of their “Thursday Night Movies at the Castle.”

Released in 1922, The Man From Beyond was Houdini’s first film for his new “Houdini Picture Corporation.” The film finds Houdini as seaman Howard Hillary resurrected after being frozen is an Arctic shipwreck for 100 years. Howard returns to the modern world to find a woman he believes to be the reincarnation of his beloved fiancee in danger.

The series concludes on March 25th with Haldane of the Secret Service. All showings start at 5:30pm and are free.

Click here for more information.

New Houdini commemorative stamp and coin

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 10:10:04 -0800

The Perth Mint in Australia has issued a new stamp and coin commemorating Houdini’s first flight on that continent on March 18, 1910.

Both stamp and coin are issued today. To order visit the Perth Mint website.

Celebrations commemorating Houdini’s historic first flight will be held in Diggers Rest next week. Events will include a special ceremony, a Houdini-Centenary air-show, magic performances, a one-third scale model of Houdini’s Voisin, and more. Details can be found at the Diggers Rest Houdini website as well as the Melton Shire Council website.

Houdini meets the Martians

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 07:56:04 -0800

Here’s a nice bit of colliding Hollywood history. This photo shows Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, in costume as Harry and Bessie Houdini, being shown one of the Martian spaceships from the classic War of the Worlds by producer George Pal.

Pal produced both HOUDINI and War of the Worlds for Paramount in 1953.

This photo recently sold on eBay as part of a set of personal photos belonging to a film director. The set also included rare color pictures from Creature From The Black Lagoon (Universal monster being one of my other passions).

Molly Murphy meets Houdini

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:28:01 -0800

Heads up for some new Houdini fiction (I love this stuff). The Last Illusion by Rhys Bowen is the latest book in the Molly Murphy Mystery series, and this time Molly is working to save the Handcuff King!

Set in New York City in 1903, Bowen's ninth Molly Murphy mystery opens with a magic show at Miner's Theatre on the Bowery, attended by Molly and her fiancé, police captain Daniel Sullivan, who wants her to give up her unconventional profession of private investigator. When the sawing-a-lady-in-half trick goes fatally wrong, this horrible accident brings the evening's entertainment to an early end, preventing Molly and Daniel from seeing the show's main attraction, Harry Houdini. After both Signor Scarpelli, the magician whose stage equipment was apparently sabotaged, and his female assistant's corpse disappear, Houdini's wife, Bess, who worries an enemy of her husband is out to get him, asks Molly for help. Later, an act the handcuff king attempts almost ends in another death, confirming Bess's fears. The gutsy Molly, who's no prim Edwardian miss, will appeal to fans of contemporary female detectives.

The Last Illusion will be released this Tuesday, March 2nd. Amazon currently has a pre-order price of $16.49 (34% off).

Ed Saint and Bessie at the Knickerbocker

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:55:39 -0800

Check out this fantastic AP photo of Bessie Houdini and Ed Saint on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood, preparing for the famous 10th Anniversary Houdini seance held on Halloween 1936.

This photo recently sold on eBay (for a surprisingly low price) and is the only daylight photo I’ve even seen of the rooftop setup. From this pic, it may be possible to pinpoint exactly where the seance table sat. Do you think the Knickerbocker (which is still there and largely unchanged) might let me go up on their roof?

Stay tuned.

Rare Houdini props on display in Houston

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:22:08 -0800

Houdini's Milk Can, a packing crate, and his original East Indian Needles can be seen as a part of Magic! The Science of Wonder at The Houston Museum of Natural Science. The exhibition opens today and runs through Sept 6.

Check out this pretty cool promotional video below. For more information, visit the Magic! at HMNS

See Terror Island in Appleton this Thursday

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 08:45:00 -0800

The History Museum in Houdini’s hometown of Appleton Wisconsin will be screening Terror Island this Thursday, February 25, as part of their “Thursday Night Movies at the Castle.”

Filmed in Los Angeles and Catalina Island in 1919, Terror Island finds Houdini playing philanthropic inventor Harry Harper who sets out to find the missing father of a beautiful heiress (Lila Lee) on a South Seas island populated by cannibals!

The series continues on March 11th with a screening of The Man From Beyond. It will conclude on March 25th with Haldane of the Secret Service.

All showings start at 5:30pm and are free.

Click here for more information.

WIN tickets to the Houdini-Centenary Airshow

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:39:31 -0800

Australian news source The Leader has 20 family passes (two adults, three children) to give away to the Houdini-Centenary air show at Melton Airfield on Saturday, March 20.

The competition is open until 5pm on Wednesday, February 24. Winners will be drawn at Leader’s Blackburn office at 10am on Thursday, February 25, and notified by mail.
Details on how to enter the drawing can be found at the Melton Leader website.

For more information on the Houdini Centenary events, click below.

Houdini’s Melbourne bridge jump remembered

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 08:15:29 -0800

As Australia gears up to commemorate Houdini’s first flight on that continent 100 years ago, the Geelong Advertiser remembers another Houdini feat from that same tour -- his jump into the Yarra river from the Queens Bridge in Melbourne.

Noel Murphy writes about the escape which took place 100 years ago this week. It’s a good, detailed article well worth a read. Interestingly, the article suggests the story of a corpse surfacing beside Houdini is apocryphal.

Read: Houdini, Melbourne’s legendary Jumping Jack Flash

USQ preparing Houdini musical for August

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:45:30 -0800

The Chronicle reports that Russell Bauer, Christian Outreach College director of music and University of Southern Queensland lecturer, is currently writing a new musical, Houdini: The Man From Beyond.

Australian poet Bruce Dawe wrote the lyrics while Mr Bauer worked on the script and music. After five years of research and one year of writing, the musical is almost done.

Houdini: The Man From Beyond will be performed by USQ arts and theatre students in August this year. For more information, visit the USQ website.

Houdini films screening in Appleton

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:09:54 -0800

Apologies for not catching this sooner, but the History Museum in Houdini’s hometown of Appleton Wisconsin is screening all of Houdini’s (available) films as part of their “Thursday Night Movies at the Castle.”

The festival kicked off January 14th with a screening of the 1953 Tony Curtis classic, HOUDINI. On January 28th episodes 1-8 of The Master Mystery were shown.

The series continues tonight, February 11, with The Master Mystery episodes 9-15. Next Thursday, February 25th, sees a screening of Terror Island. On March 11th Houdini returns in The Man From Beyond. The series concludes on March 25th with Haldane of the Secret Service.

All showing start at 5:30pm and are free.

Click here for more information.

Facebook Fan Pages for Bessie, Dash, and TGH

Mon, 8 Feb 2010 12:35:46 -0800

Why should Harry get all the glory? Along with our popular Harry Houdini Fan Page on Facebook (327 fans and growing), I’ve created new Fan Pages for Bessie Houdini, Hardeen, and also a page devoted to my favorite Houdini biopic, The Great Houdinis.

The pages are packed with photos, posters, and curiosities snatched from all over the web, as well as links to specific stories back here at Houdini Lives.

Show your support for the entire Houdini clan!

Harry Houdini Fan Page
Bess Houdini Fan Page
Theo. Hardeen Fan Page
The Great Houdinis Fan Page

Disappearing Tricks hardcover now in stock

Sun, 7 Feb 2010 10:53:19 -0800

The hardcover edition of Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century by Matthew Solomon, is now available to purchase on Amazon.com. A paperback edition was released last month.

In Disappearing Tricks Matthew Solomon revisits the golden age of theatrical magic and silent film to reveal how professional magicians shaped the early history of cinema between 1895 and 1929. The book includes two chapters devoted to Houdini’s film work which contain new revelations.

Houdini in death?

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 16:36:34 -0800

Houdini expert Patrick Culliton has posted on his website a photo said to be of Houdini in death.

Says Patrick, “The photo is of the dead Houdini in the coffin he used in Worcester, the one that didn't go back to New Jersey with the rest of the props.

In the photo [...] Houdini is dead. You can clearly see his hands, and I recognize them. You can also just make out his nostrils. It must have been taken either before the body was shipped from Detroit or after it arrived in NY and was placed in the bronze coffin.

Patrick says he received the photo from Jon Oliver.

“Jon Oliver is a Michigan magician/escape artist who is very knowledgeable about Houdini. He persisted in trying to get to know Houdini relatives like Ruth Kavanaugh and Harry Hardeen, and, eventually, they talked to him.

One of Bessie's relatives, I think it was her niece, Ruth, gave Jon that photo of Houdini's body in the coffin he had made for the underwater tests.”

Quite an eerie, and grisly, discovery.

Hardeen Jr.

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 08:34:41 -0800

Ebay has been awash lately with photos, programs, and news clippings related to Hardeen Jr. Who?

Despite the name, Hardeen Jr. was not the son of Houdini’s brother or even a relation. His name was Douglas Geoffrey and has was chosen by Dash to carry on the “Houdini-Hardeen Show” as “Hardeen Jr.”

I don’t know much about the life and career of Hardeen Jr., but these eBay offerings have been revealing some intriguing nuggets of info. My favorite item has to be the window card (below) which highlights some of the Houdini-Hardeen effects featured in the escape-free show. It also appears Hardeen Jr. found his greatest success touring with the USO.

The sellers of these items identifies himself nephew of Douglas Geoffrey.

Houdini on Channel 4

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 19:40:49 -0800

Check out this fairly entertaining episode of Alfred Hitchcock presents called: Houdini on Channel 4. It first aired on March 5, 1988, and stars Nick Lewin, Carolyn Dunn, and Jan Filips as, yes, Houdini! (He shows up in part 3). Enjoy.

Houdini Defeats Hackenschmidt and other revelations from Disappearing Tricks

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:38:18 -0800

In his new book, Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century, Matthew Solomon shines a spotlight on Houdini’s film work as never before. In doing so, Solomon has made several discoveries that rewrite Houdini film history.

First and foremost is the discovery that Houdini’s first stab at narrative film was not the 1909 short The Adventures of Houdini in Paris (more on this later), but a lost film from 1906 entitled Houdini Defeats Hackenschmidt.

The title refers to George Hackenschmidt aka “the Russian Lion,” a popular wrestler whom Houdini befriended in the UK. The Houdinis and Hackenschmidt became great friends, and Houdini even proposed bringing the wrester to the U.S. under his management.

Houdini Defeats Hackenschmidt was shown during Houdini’s engagement at Keith’s Theater in Boston in March 1906. While nothing is known about the content of the film, Soloman suggests in his footnotes that Houdini’s “defeat” of the famous fighter could have been financial instead of physical. Houdini took pride in the fact that his box office receipts of £300 eclipsed the £210 record set by Hackenschmidt in Sheffield. If this were the case, it could explain Keith’s management's private assessment of this latest Houdini attraction as merely “fair.”

Next up is major clarification regarding what had been considered Houdini’s first narrative film, Merveilleux Exploits du Célébre Houdini à Paris aka The Adventures of Houdini in Paris. This film has long been attributed as being produced by Pathe -- an attribution that can be traced back to Houdini himself who noted this on a still production photo (below). But it turns out this is not the case.

The Adventures of Houdini in Paris was actually made by Cinema Lux, a rival to Pathe. While it could be argued that maybe Houdini made an earlier film for Pathe in 1901 (as noted on the photograph), Solomon’s search of the Pathe archives turns up no work with Houdini.

But why would Houdini attribute this film to Pathe when it was actually made by a rival company? My own speculation is either Houdini made a mistake when he annotated this photo years later (as he did with the date), or Houdini was engaging in his famous habit of rewriting his own history. Pathe clearly emerged as the more successful French production company, even setting up shop in Edendale, California, the first film colony in Los Angeles. It’s likely that Houdini preferred history to record him as working for the more famous company. If this were the case, the ploy worked...until now. Sorry Harry.

(A significant portion of The Adventures of Houdini in Paris is included on the 3-disc DVD set Houdini The Movie Star, although it is not identified as the Pathe...whoops!, I mean Cinema Lux, short.)

Finally, Soloman clears up what has been an intriguing mystery for many years; did Houdini star in a lost film called, The Soul of Bronze?

The U.S. film copyright record lists this film title among Houdinis other work, as do several other sources, including some encyclopedias. Of course, it’s highly unlikely that an entire film, and all the publicity that would have accompanied it, could completely vanish. So what’s the story with The Soul of Bronze?

Turns out that in 1921 Houdini purchased two cases of films from the U.S. customs office in an auction of unclaimed goods. Ken Silverman first discussed this purchase in his excellent biography, Houdini!!! The Career of Ehrich Weiss, noting that Houdini would re-edit and attempt to distribute one of those films, The Mystery of the Jewell, through his Mystery Pictures Corporation.

But Soloman reveals that there was another film in this acquisition -- a 1917 french film entitled L’ame du bronze. Yep, The Soul of Bronze. Houdini copyrighted both these films as his own, hence, the unreleased The Soul of Bronze appears as a “Houdini film” in the official record. Mystery solved.

Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century by Matthew Solomon is available now in paperback from Amazon.com. A hardcover will be released on February 15.

The Truth About Houdini on DVD

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:30:18 -0800

So Act Network is selling a DVD of the 1971 BBC-Patria Pictures documentary, The Truth About Houdini, on Amazon.

The Truth About Houdini contains interviews with James Randi, Milbourne Christopher, Walter B. Gibson, and includes a great deal of unedited Houdini footage credited as coming from the collection of Larry Weeks. In fact, much of the footage “missing” from Kino’s Houdini The Movie Star can be found here, including Houdini’s underwater box escape from The Master Mystery and key missing shots from his Pathe Paris movie.

This So Act Network copy is a no frills home-made type of thing (listed on Amazon under the title The Magic of Houdini), but the quality is decent and the documentary is complete, containing Sid Radner’s punishing punishment suit escape that was cut when the documentary aired on American TV in 1976.

Purchase The Truth About Houdini (aka The Magic of Houdini) at Amazon.com.

Uncovering Houdini’s second underwater test

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:25:11 -0800

We all know about Houdini’s famous underwater test in the pool of Hotel Shelton in New York on August 5, 1926, in which he remained sealed in an airtight casket containing only five minutes of air for an hour and a half. This is generally considered to be Houdini’s last major public stunt.

However, did you know Houdini repeated the underwater test in the pool of the Worcester YMCA in Massachusetts on September 28, 1926?

This forgotten test was first alluded to in William Lindsey Gresham’s Houdini The Man Who Walked Through Walls. On page 280 Gresham says Houdini carried a new bronze casket to Worcester and “used it in a publicity stunt.” The precise nature of this “stunt” was first revealed (as far as I know) in the addendum book The Secret Life of Houdini Laid Bare. On page 301 there is a photo of an invitation to the event from the collection of Joe Holland, but there are no details about the test in the book itself.

But now Houdini expert Patrick Culliton has uncovered a newspaper clipping of this forgotten second test, complete with photograph!

According to the article, Houdini performed this test for an audience consisting “largely of physicians and scientific men” and that Houdini remained submerged for one hour and eleven minutes.

It should be noted that the casket used in this test was a new one. According to James Randi (Houdini His Life and Art) the Shelton casket, after being hacked open, remained poolside for some 20 years advertised as “the casket Houdini was buried alive in.”

With the discovery of this article it appears likely that Houdini was going to use the underwater test as a regular publicity stunt, much as he performed the overboard box escape and suspended straight jacket in his younger days. However, a mere five weeks after this test Houdini would be dead, and the casket used on this day would be used to ship Houdini’s body back to New York.

Click below to view the article from the Worcester Daily Telegram:

With thanks to Patrick Culliton aka Houdini’s Ghost.

Houdini re-released in Classic Cinema DVD set

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:20:21 -0800

The classic 1953 Paramount film HOUDINI, starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, has been re-released as part of a new 3 DVD set from Legend Films.

The “Classic Cinema Collection” includes HOUDINI, the Dead Martin and Jerry Lewis film Money From Home (1953), and Papas Delicate Condition (1963) starring Jackie Gleason. What is the common link here? All three films were directed by George Marshall.

The set retails for $24.95 and can be purchased now from Amazon.com.

Now meet James Vickery

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 08:28:59 -0800

Having recently uncovered the mystery of Franz Kukol, Houdini expert Patrick Culliton is turning his attention to another elusive Houdini assistant: James Vickery.

Patrick has posted several previously unpublished photos of Vickery on his website here and here. These rare photos (including the photo above) were sent to Patrick by James Vickery’s granddaughter, Janice Sauer. Patrick promises to “keep at this page until I somehow make it as good as the subject.”

As always, thank you Patrick aka Houdini’s Ghost.

New website: Houdini Himself.com

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:44:29 -0800

Noted Houdini collector (and friend of our site) Kevin Connolly has launched his own Houdini website: Houdini Himself.com.

Kevin promises to post pictures of some of the rare items from his collection, as well as share new information. Houdini contemplating a monkey gland grafting to reverse the damage on his body? Stay tuned!

Kevin also has a secure store that carries duplicates from his collection.

This is one to bookmark and visit regularly. I know I will!

Houdini artifacts on display in Buxton

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:50:06 -0800

PRESS RELEASE: Locks and handcuffs used by famous escapologist Harry Houdini are about to go on display at Buxton Museum and Art Gallery in Derbyshire, England.

The amazing artifacts are on show as part of the BBC’s History of the World in 100 Objects project.

They were once owned by Sheffield-born Randolph Douglas (right), an expert lock picker and magician who performed in the early 1900s as Randini .

Douglas was a friend and adviser to Houdini and helped devise one of his most famous escapes – from a straitjacket while hung upside down.

The locks, manacles and keys were displayed in Douglas’s House of Wonders museum in Castleton before becoming part of Derbyshire County Council's Buxton Museum and Art Gallery’s permanent collection in the early 1980s.

Other items in the collection include old photographs of Randini the “self liberater” (sic), shackles and a key from a castle where Mary Queen of Scots was held.

They are on display at the Terrace Road museum and art gallery from Saturday 16 January to Monday 5 April.

Once the exhibition is finished, a case of patent locks will remain on display for the rest of the year as part of the BBC's national project which will see a total of 600 man-made objects – including 10 from Derbyshire – on display across the country for 12 months.

From January 18, Radio 4 is broadcasting the series a History of the World in 100 Objects using man-made objects from the British Museum, including a helmet from the Sutton Hoo treasures found in Suffolk in 1939 and the Rosetta Stone, the key to translating Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Derbyshire County Council leader and cabinet member for culture Councillor Andrew Lewer said he was pleased to be taking part in such an interesting project and is urging people to take the opportunity to see the Houdini artifacts for themselves.

He said: “The last time we put the Douglas Collection on display, people came from far and wide to see it, including from abroad.

“This time our exhibition is part of a major project and I invite people to come and see the items created by a local man for Houdini – the most famous escapologist in the world.”

He added: “These items are not on display all the time, so come and make the most of this opportunity.”

Douglas was an early admirer – and life-long friend - of Houdini. They met at The Empire in Sheffield and worked together on a number of tricks.

Although not as famous as his friend, Douglas was also a skilful magician and worked in his younger years as an escapologist under the stage name Randini.

He devised one of Houdini's greatest escapes – from a straitjacket while hanging upside down.

After leaving the stage due to ill health, Douglas began creating amazing miniatures.

The other nine objects chosen by the BBC for the Derbyshire selection include a Rolls Royce Merlin engine, a painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, a 40,000 year-old Palaeolithic axe from Creswell Crags and a lead pig from the Peak District mining museum.

Disappearing Tricks now set for Feb 15 release

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:32:41 -0800

Wondering why Disappearing Tricks: Silent Film, Houdini, and the New Magic of the Twentieth Century by Matthew Solomon didn’t ship from Amazon.com on January 15? Well, so were we.

So we contacted the University of Illinois Press and the very helpful Publicity Manager told us the book has only just now come in from the printers and they have assigned a February 15 publication date (although it’s possible Amazon will ship as soon at it receives its stock).

In Disappearing Tricks Matthew Solomon revisits the golden age of theatrical magic and silent film to reveal how professional magicians shaped the early history of cinema between 1895 and 1929. The book will be released as a hardcover ($65) and paperback ($22).

UPDATE: Amazon shows the paperback in stock and shipping.

Houdini’s Caged Torture Cell recreated

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:28:50 -0800

Illusion builder Richard Sherry of Sherry and Krall Magic has recreated a full size version of Houdini’s “Caged Water Torture Cell.” The cell is not based on the actual cell, but on an exaggerated version used on one of Houdini’s promotional posters (left). Sherry calls it his “crowning achievement.”

Sherry has also created several different working Torture Cells for the escape artist. There is a relatively faithful wood finish cell (although much larger than Houdini’s original), and an assortment of “modern versions” with different finishes. All can be seen and purchased, along with many other inventive escapes and illusions, at Sherry and Krall Magic.

Strongman friend of Houdini dies at 104

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:51:10 -0800

Joe Rollino - who is said to have been friends with Harry Houdini - died Monday after being hit by a car near his home in Brooklyn. He was 104.

During his storied life, Rollino not only hobnobbed with Houdini, but also watched Jack Dempsey knock out Jess Willard and was friendly with Mario Lanza. He even had a bit part in On the Waterfront.

A decorated World War II veteran, Rollino got his start as a strongman in the 1920s during the high point of the Coney Island carnival, and he billed himself as the "Strongest Man in the World." At one point, he could lift 3200 pounds.

He later made a living as a traveling boxer under the name Kid Dundee and fought in armories in cities around the country where boxing was forbidden.

Rollino would have been 105 on March 19, and was the model of health, according to friends. A vegetarian for life, he didn't drink or smoke, his friends said, and he exercised every day. He was a lifetime boxer and was part of the Oldetime Barbell and Strongmen, an organization of men who can still rip book binders at the seam.

A “Houdini market”

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 13:14:13 -0800

Houdini’s name is often evoked in sporting news (case in point), but Houdini as a metaphor for the stock market?

That’s what David Rosenberg, chief economist of Gluskin Sheff + Associates said in a note to investors. He calls the current market a “Houdini market” because it is one that rises on any news, be it good or bad. “The good news is evident; the bad news is always rationalized.” I guess the idea is this is a market that can wiggle out of anything.

Actually, this isn’t the first time this analogy has been used. The Economist refereed to Europe's Stock Market as a “Houdini market” in a May 1989 cover story (above). Sorry Rosenberg.

I call it a “Houdini market” because it made all my savings vanish.

Houdini’s letterhead

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:30:35 -0800

Flavorwire.com has an article showcasing celebrity letterheads. Among Adolph Hitler, Jim Morrison, and Johnny Cash is this clean example of Houdini’s letterhead.

Houdini used an assortment of letterhead in his time. Some quite flamboyant (full poster art down one side), some extremely muted (a simple “Houdini” in the corner with no address).

However, Houdini’s most notable letterhead was probably the stationary he had made after his mother’s death. It was boarded in black.

Houdini’s grieving stationary and most flamboyant letterhead

Another weekend with Tony Curtis - details

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 14:59:52 -0800

The Magic Castle in Hollywood will host another weekend with Hollywood legend and star of HOUDINI, Tony Curtis.

Saturday, January 30th, will see a special dinner with Mr. Curtis designed by Magic Castle Executive Chef Mark Diamond. Price is $85 and the proceeds benefit Shiloh Horse Rescue. Dinner will be followed by a book signing in the Inner Circle.

Sunday, January 31st, will see a screening of Some Like It Hot in the Palace of Mystery with a Q&A to follow. A book signing follows in the Inner Circle. Price is $10 for members, $20 for guests.

Tickets can be purchased at The Magic Castle website.

CLICK HERE for a look back at the Magic Castle’s first weekend with Tony Curtis held earlier this year

Patrick Culliton updates on Houdini The Key

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 11:27:13 -0800

On the Genii forums (in a fascinating thread all Houdini buffs should be following), Patrick Culliton has given an update on his new book, Houdini The Key.

Originally set for publication in October 2009, Patrick explains that some vision problems, and now two scheduled cataract operations, has delayed the book until Spring. (Patrick points out his opthalmologist is a member of the Magic Castle -- “a sleigh of hand man.”)

Patrick remains excited about this latest Houdini volume. “It is getting to be what I want it to be. It will open a thousand doors to new research” he says.

Click here to read Patrick’s description of Houdini The Key.