WILD ABOUT HARRY: Where Houdini wasn’t
My Houdini mania has taken a strange new turn. I'm now getting excited about finding a city Houdini DIDN'T play. Because he almost did! Let me explain.Recently, four unusually nice Houdini ...
[History]
WILD ABOUT HARRY: Going ape over Houdini
Here's a fun clipping from the May 7, 1977, The Observer, about the growing popularity of magic. This was during the second year of my Houdini obsession, so I can attest to its accuracy. I even ...
No love for The Truth
For me, the documentary The Truth About Houdini was as important as the Tony Curtis film in fueling my excitement for Houdini. It certainly helped shape my understanding of Houdini and introduced ...
WILD ABOUT HARRY: Deconstructing Houdini ’53: Come in, spirits
Continuing my scene-by-scene dissection of Houdini (1953). Last time, we discovered what Houdini had been doing in seclusion for two whole years. Now, we join him in his strange quest to reach ...
WILD ABOUT HARRY: Hardeen’s last bow
We all know the details of Houdini's last performance at the Garrick Theater in Detroit. But what about Hardeen's last show? On what stage did he take his final bow? Until now, I only knew that ...
The tragic death of Lyda Hyman
Here's an account of the tragic death of silent movie actress Dorothy Dale, whose real name was Lyda Hyman. Lyda was the wife of Jacob Hyman, Houdini's long-time friend and first performing ...
Dean Robbins chronicles 100 Wisconsin Idols
The new book, Wisconsin Idols: 100 Heroes Who Changed the State, the World, and Me, begins with author Dean Robbins talking about the hero who started it all."I've been collecting personal heroes ...
Henry Marcus does the Overboard Box in 1907
Today, we have a new contender for who first did the Overboard Box.On Aug. 6, 1907, the Cleveland Plain Dealer advertised that Henry Marcus would be nailed into a packing case and "thrown" into ...
WILD ABOUT HARRY: Houdini in Paris
In 1920, Houdini shot footage on the streets of Paris for a film he was planning about counterfeiting. Some of that footage appeared in Haldane of the Secret Service (1923), but a lot never made ...
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