Noha Basiony
In a black and white YouTube video dating to 1907 and the very early days of motion picture, a 30-something-year-old man, standing on a bridge and surrounded by a handful of hat-wearing gentlemen, gets undressed and then handcuffed by who turned out to be police personnel. The man then seamlessly crawls to the edge of the bridge, takes a deep breath, and jumps into the water.
Two seconds later, the man bursts out of the water, hands-free, and swims to the river bank, leaving the thousands of people who came to watch his act in both awe and confusion, wondering if what they just saw was true or if they were all hypnotised.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is Harry Houdini, who is considered by many the greatest and most controversial magician of all time, one believed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself to have owned supernatural abilities, and a man whose life was woven with threads of intrigue, daring feats, and boundless imagination, so much so that we could not help but talk about him in today’s story.
For that reason, you might want to grab a large cup of coffee and as many chocolate chip cookies as you wish, and let’s delve right into the life of Harry Houdini and untangle the secrets of his seemingly miraculous feats.
Ready? Let’s hop into it.
Harry Houdini
“My brain is the key that sets me free.”
This is what Harry Houdini used to say apparently when he was asked how he did his acts. He rose to become one of the most legendary figures in magic, with unmatched skills that allowed him to perform daring and death-defying stunts, escaping from handcuffs, straitjackets, and even underwater restraints with astonishing ease and in a fraction of time.
The more Houdini succeeded, the more nuts he seemed to become, for he kept challenging himself, his companions, the crowds, and pretty much the entire police force in whatever city he happened to perform in, raising the bar higher after each success.
As Houdini got older, his acts, too, grew in impossibility, if this would make any sense. Yet, despite everything, he always managed to escape and survived the death traps he designed for himself.
So, how did this all start?
Early Childhood
To trace the life of Harry Houdini, we have to go back to the 19th-century Budapest, Hungary, where Houdini was born on 24 March 1874, originally named Erik Weisz. He was the fourth of seven children born to Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weisz and his wife Cecília Steiner. Houdini’s family was Jewish, and his father served as the rabbi of a synagogue in Budapest.
In 1876, when Houdini was just two years old, his family, just out of the blue, immigrated to the United States and settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. They then changed their last name’s spelling from Weisz to the German spelling and, accordingly, Erik became Ehrich.
Ehrich’s father continued to work as a rabbi and became an American citizen in 1882. Yet, shortly after that, he lost his job, which caused the family to fall into severe poverty. They struggled for five years before Weiss, the father, was able to find a permanent home in New York, and this was when their entire family moved there.
Given his family’s financial struggles, young Ehrich started taking on various odd jobs to help make ends meet. He was so into gymnastics and athletics that he became a trapeze artist, calling himself Ehrich, the Prince of the Air, only at nine years old.
Interest in Magic
It is not known precisely when little Ehrich became interested in magic, but it is often believed that it sparked when he saw the travelling magician Dr. Lynn do a magic trick. Some say the trick was the linking rings, and others insist it involved a vanishing birdcage. Whatever the trick was, Ehrich was fascinated, and a little desire to become a magician himself started to grow.
Driven by his newly-found passion for magic, Houdini began studying and practising various magic tricks and illusions. He was coached by American magician Joseph Rinn and spent countless hours perfecting his sleight of hand and developing his own unique style as a performer. Houdini’s dedication to his craft was evident from an early age, and he quickly gained a reputation for his skill and showmanship.
Ehrich’s transformation was gradual but deliberate. When he finally became a professional magician, he changed his name to Harry Houdini. Harry was derived from Ehri, the name he was known for in his family, and Houdini was after the famous French magician Robert-Houdin, whom Houdini admired very much.
Work as a Magician
Houdini started by working at local talent shows, fairs, and small venues. He performed with his brother, Theodore Hardeen, as The Brothers Houdini. At the time, Hardeen was in a romantic relationship with a fellow performer called Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner—do not try to pronounce it—or Bess for short, who later became his assistant.
Hardeen and Bess were famous for the Metamorphosis act, in which Hardeen’s hands were tied from behind, and then he was put into a large fabric bag tied from above. The bag with Hardeen inside was then bound inside a wooden box that was so tightly locked.
Bess would then cover the box with curtains, and in a second, Hardeen would appear from behind the curtains totally free while Bess was found tied inside the box, whose locks were still intact.
When Bess and Harry met for the first time in 1894, they quickly fell in love and very soon got married. She would then become Houdini’s assistant in all of his acts from then on until his death in 1926. Together, they were known as The Houdinis.
Doorway to Success and Fame
Then came the breakthrough, the turning point that changed everything for Houdini and made him the man he is known now to be.
This happened in 1899 when Houdini met Martin Beck, a theatre manager and booking agent, in Minnesota. Beck was fascinated by Houdini’s handcuff acts and suggested he focused more on escape acts. He then booked him for a vaudeville circuit act performed at the Orpheum Theatre. Vaudeville was a form of variety entertainment that was popular at the time, featuring acts like comedy, music, dance, magic, and acrobatics.
Houdini immediately gained recognition and began to seek out opportunities to perform on a larger scale. Soon enough, and with the help of Beck, he was performing at the top vaudeville theatres across the entire country. With Beck’s guidance and support, Houdini was able to showcase his skills to larger audiences and establish himself as a professional magician.
Then it was time for a bigger hit.
In 1900, Beck arranged a Europe Tour for Houdini. At first, Houdini was unfortunate and did not make it through some interviews in London. But when he managed to give a successful handcuff performance at Scotland Yard and left his formal audience in so much awe, he was granted booking to Alhambra theatre for six whole months.
Houdini would then spend the next 20 years, yes 20, performing in all of Great Britain’s theatres as well as those in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia while he still went back and forth between Europe and the US.
Over time, Houdini’s performances became increasingly daring and elaborate, featuring death-defying escape acts and sensational illusions. He challenged the local police everywhere to tie him with handcuffs, shackles, and straitjackets and lock him in their jails. He was able to free himself and escape every time and within a ridiculously short amount of time, sometimes mere seconds.
Mastering the Art of Escape
As we just mentioned, Harry Houdini’s groundbreaking escape acts were central to his rise to fame and established him as one of the most renowned magicians and escapologists in history. He was driven by a relentless pursuit of new challenges and a constant desire to push the boundaries of what was thought possible in the world of magic and escapology.
So, Houdini was always in search of new and more daring escape acts to showcase his skills and entertain audiences. He tirelessly experimented with different restraints, confinement devices, and performance settings to create innovative and thrilling escape challenges. Besides his ability to escape from handcuffs, which was featured in all of his early performances and later became his trademark, Houdini demonstrated the following daring acts:
Underwater Escapes
Houdini’s underwater escapes were among his most daring and sensational feats. In these performances, he would be shackled and submerged in water-filled tanks, rivers, or even the sea, often with his hands secured in handcuffs or chains.
Despite the extreme danger and the risk of drowning, Houdini always managed to free himself and emerge triumphantly out of the water, thrilling audiences with his bravery and skill.
Straitjacket Escapes
Houdini’s straitjacket escapes were another highlight of his performances. A straitjacket, if you are not familiar with it, is a garment made of strong material, typically canvas, with long sleeves that can be fastened together at the back to restrain the arms, usually used to stop those who may pose a danger to themselves or others, typically in psychiatric or medical settings.
So, Houdini would allow himself to be tightly bound in a straitjacket and then suspended high above the ground from a crane or tall building, sometimes upside down. With the crowd watching in suspense, Houdini would wriggle and contort his body in mid-air until he managed to slip out of the jacket, to the amazement and applause of the crowd below.
The Milk Can Escape
One of Houdini’s most famous escape acts was the Milk Can Escape, which he introduced in 1908. In this dramatic death-defying stunt, Houdini was handcuffed and sealed inside a large milk can filled with, no, not milk, but water. The can would then be locked and secured with chains and padlocks, leaving Houdini seemingly trapped inside.
Despite the impossible conditions, the small size of the can and being handcuffed underwater, Houdini could always escape from the can in a matter of minutes, thrilling audiences with his ability to cheat death.
The Milk Can Escape was a favourite of Houdini’s and remained a staple of his stage show for many years.
The Chinese Water Torture Cell
It was not until 1912 that Houdini took his escape acts to a brand new level when he invented and introduced the Chinese Water Torture Cell, probably his most iconic act and what became the centrepiece of his stage show.
In this spectacular stunt, Houdini would be suspended upside down in a glass-sided tank filled with water, with his feet locked in stocks at the top of the tank. He would then attempt to escape before running out of air, creating a suspenseful and dramatic spectacle that mesmerised audiences worldwide.
The Chinese Water Torture Cell was a sensation wherever Houdini performed it, drawing large crowds and earning him international acclaim as one of the greatest magicians and escapologists of all time. Maybe because it was the most dangerous act of all, many actually thought Houdini died while performing this act, but this is not true.
The Overboard Box Escape
Houdini’s Overboard Box Escape was another dramatic stunt that he first performed on 5 August 1912, in New York City. The escape involved Houdini being handcuffed and placed inside a wooden crate or box, which was then nailed shut. The crate was then wrapped in chains and ropes to further secure it. The crate was then lifted and suspended over the side of a boat.
Once overboard, Houdini had to free himself from the handcuffs, escape from the crate, and swim to the surface before running out of air. The escape was extremely dangerous, as Houdini risked drowning if he failed to free himself in time. However, he never really failed to free himself.
The Buried Alive Stunt
Not dangerous or daring enough? Well, there is still a lot for Houdini to try.
One act that Houdini was fascinated by and wanted so much to perform was the Buried Alive. In this act, he would be restrained in a straitjacket, confined within a casket, and interred beneath “tons of sand” inside a sizable locked vault.
It is reported Houdini tried this act for the first time in California in 1918. He was not in a casket, though, just buried in a grave 1.8 metres deep. Yet, things did not go as the daring man expected and he soon panicked and got exremely exhausted as he struggled to free himself. He then called for help, but no one heard him.
At last, when Houdini managed to free himself, and his hand broke the surface, he fell unconscious and had to be pulled out.
Later on, Houdini wrote in his diary how he ‘nearly’ succeeded in doing this act and admitted it was very dangerous as “the weight of the earth was killing.”
The Daily Mirror Challenge
In 1904, an article published in the Daily Mirror, a newspaper in the United Kingdom, claimed that no jail cell could hold Houdini and that he would escape from any cell within a predetermined amount of time. Apparently, the article sparked outrage, so the newspaper challenged Houdini to escape from the hard-to-escape-from handcuffs that took a locksmith from Birmingham five years to make.
Houdini was confident in his abilities as an escape artist and saw the challenge as an opportunity to showcase his skills and garner publicity, so he accepted it. On 17 March 1907, 4000 people and over a hundred journalists turned up at London’s Hippodrome theatre to see the bewitching act of Houdini.
The attempt to escape the special handcuffs lasted for more than an hour, during which Houdini appeared multiple times from his “ghost house”. This was a small, moveable curtain room that Houdini used to get inside while he freed himself as to hide the method of his escape.
At one instance, Houdini requested to have the handcuffs removed so he could remove his coat, but the newspaper’s representative refused out of fear that Houdini might know how the handcuffs were unlocked. Undeterred, Houdini took out a penknife, held it between his teeth, and cut his coat off.
Houdini then retreated behind the curtains. Finally, after an hour and ten minutes, Houdini emerged free. As the crowd cheered and lifted him onto their shoulders, he broke down in tears. Reflecting on the ordeal, Houdini remarked that it had been one of the most challenging escapes of his career.
Houdini is believed to have done this act twice more in two different variations.
Houdini in Films
It was not strange for a man like Houdini, who so feverishly sought publicity as much as he perfected his acts to get into the film industry. It was a new arena for him for which he utilised his fame and talents as an escape artist to secure roles in movies, primarily as an actor. Acting was not too difficult for Houdini since, after all, he was a genuine showman.
Houdini took this leap of faith in 1906 and is said to have had a few not-very-successful attempts in films. However, his very real foray into this industry occurred in 1918 when he signed a contract with the film producer B.A. Rolfe to star in a 15-part silent film serial titled “The Master Mystery.” In this serial, Houdini played the lead role of Quentin Locke, a government agent who battles against evil forces.
Although B. A. Rolfe faced financial difficulties and ultimately went out of business, the film was a success for Houdini and got him signed by another major motion picture production company for two other films, The Grim Game (1919) and Terror Island (1920).
Houdini continued to act in films, often featuring his escape skills as part of the storyline where his character frequently found himself in perilous situations from which he had to escape, showcasing his real-life abilities in dramatic scenarios.
Houdini then established his very own film production company, which he called Houdini Picture Corporation. With his company, Houdini produced and starred in two movies, The Man from Beyond (1921) and Haldane of the Secret Service (1923). Soon after this final film was released, Houdini gave up his acting career, for it was not as profitable as he once thought.
Death
Although many mistakenly think it was the Chinese Torture Cell that killed Houdini, his cause of death was not too far from being related to his acts.
Houdini had a reputation for his physical toughness and often invited audience members to test his abdominal muscles by delivering blows to his stomach. Unfortunately, on 22 October 1926, while resting in his dressing room after a performance in Montreal, Canada a student named Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead approached Houdini and asked if it was true that he could withstand any blow to the stomach.
Before Houdini had a chance to brace himself, Whitehead punched him several times in the abdomen. The blows caused severe pain, yet Houdini continued with his scheduled performances despite feeling unwell as if nothing had happened.
Afterwards, Houdini’s condition deteriorated rapidly, and he was hospitalised in Detroit, where he underwent surgery for appendicitis. However, by that time, his appendix had already ruptured, leading to a severe infection called peritonitis. Despite efforts to save him, Houdini’s health continued to decline, and he passed away on Halloween, 31 October 1926, at the age of 52.
Legacy and Influence
After Houdini’s passing, his brother Theodore Hardeen, who resumed his own performances, inherited Houdini’s effects and props. According to Houdini’s will, all these items were to be “burned and destroyed” upon Hardeen’s demise. However, Hardeen chose to sell a significant portion of the collection to magician Sidney Hollis Radner during the 1940s, which notably included the iconic water torture cell.
Radner permitted select pieces from the collection to be exhibited at The Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Tragically, a fire ravaged the museum in 1995, though the metal frame of the water torture cell endured, as well as several props, including the mirror handcuffs, Houdini’s original packing crate, a milk can, and a straitjacket. These were subsequently auctioned off in 1999 and 2008.
That said, Radner lent the majority of his collection for archival purposes to the Outagamie Museum in Appleton, Wisconsin. However, he later reclaimed it in 2003 and organised an auction in Las Vegas on 30 October 2004.
Harry Houdini’s enduring legacy in the world of magic and entertainment is profound and far-reaching. It continues to be celebrated in a variety of ways, with numerous books, films, museums, and commemorative events dedicated to honouring his life and achievements.
Speaking of books, there are countless of them, as well as biographies dedicated to chronicling the life and career of Harry Houdini. These books explore his early years, his rise to fame, his groundbreaking escape acts, and his enduring cultural impact. Many authors have also delved into Houdini’s personal life, his relationships, and his contributions to the world of magic and entertainment.
An interesting and rather controversial character such as Houdini could not but be the subject of numerous documentaries and films, ranging from historical documentaries that explore his career and impact on popular culture to fictionalised biopics that dramatise key moments in his life.
One of the most famous productions was the 2014 TV miniseries Houdini, starring Adrien Brody. It runs for a total of 174 minutes and is divided into two episodes. It features Houdini’s life from his childhood in poverty to international popularity and offers a glimpse into the fascinating world of his magic and escapology.
In terms of films, there is Houdini (1953), The Great Houdinis (1976), Houdini (1998), and Death Defying Acts (2007), which did not mainly feature Houdini as the protagonist but was rather about a woman who tried to deceive the great magician.
Conclusion
Harry Houdini remains an iconic figure whose name is synonymous with wonder and intrigue. Through his unparallelled skill, boundless creativity, and fearless determination, he captivated audiences around the world with his influence, which is mostly seen in modern-day magicians, escape artists, and even stunt performers.
As we unravel the mystery of Harry Houdini, we gain not only insight into the life of a remarkable individual but also a deeper appreciation for the power of imagination and the enduring allure of the unknown.