Category Archives: Bess

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Houdini

By Tom Interval This man claimed to be Harry Houdini’s assistant and stand-in for 33 years. It just ain’t so. Read more at the Interval Magic blog: https://intervalmagic.wordpress.com/2019/06/25/when-harry-met-larry/ # # #

Posted in Bess, Escapes, Gladys, Imitators, Larry Lewis, Leopold, Myths, Nathan, Other Escapologists, Patrick Culliton, Straitjacket, Theodore (Hardeen) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blogcast #3: The Final Moments of Houdini’s Life

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Houdini

By Tom Interval Blogcast #3: The The Final Moments of Houdini’s Life is now live on YouTube. About two months after Harry Houdini died, Bess, his wife, wrote a heartfelt letter to magic collector Edwin A. Dearn and his wife, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bess, Death, Letters, Podcasts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blogcast #2: The Houdini Grave

Posted on February 23, 2019 by Houdini

By Tom Interval Blogcast #2: The Houdini Grave is now live on YouTube. I discuss my 1990 visit to Houdini’s gravesite in Machpelah Cemetery in Queens, New York.

Posted in Bess, Cecilia, Death, Dick Brookz, Dorothy Dietrich, Family, Gladys, Grandparents, Grave, Herman, Leopold, Machpelah Cemetery, Mayer, Nathan, Parents, Podcasts, Siblings, Theodore (Hardeen), Videos, William | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blogcast #1: Harry Houdini’s Dad Fired for Not Speaking English?

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Houdini

By Tom Interval Last June I wrote an article asserting that Harry Houdini’s father, Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss, was not fired by his congregation simply because he couldn’t speak English. I’ve decided to make that blog the first in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Bernard C. Meyer, Bess, Biographies, Books, Cecilia, Family, Gladys, Herman, kenneth silverman, Leopold, Letters, Life Phases, Mayer, Nathan, Parents, Podcasts, Siblings, Theodore (Hardeen), William, Youth, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mademoiselle Houdini

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Houdini

By Tom Interval From the time Harry Houdini graced the stage in the early 1890s as one of the two Brothers Houdini, to the day he died in 1926, he earned a superabundant paper-flood of press coverage. Whether he was mentioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Bess, Popular Science Monthly | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Rabbi Weiss’s Farewell Sermon

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Houdini

By Tom Interval Listen to/watch this blog entry in video format → When Rev. Dr. Mayer Samuel Weiss arrived in the United States in 1876, doubt likely plagued his mind. At 47, he wasn’t a young man anymore, but he … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Bernard C. Meyer, Bess, Biographies, Birth, Books, Cecilia, Collections, Digital, Family, Gladys, Herman, Homes, kenneth silverman, Leopold, Literature, Mayer, Nathan, Parents, Siblings, Theodore (Hardeen), William | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Mrs. Houdini: A Novel

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Houdini

By Tom Interval Mr. and Mrs. H would be pleased to know there’s a novel centered around their love life about to be published: Mrs. Houdini, by Victoria Kelly. According to the publisher, Simon & Schuster (Atria Books), the book is a “captivating debut novel, meticulously researched … Continue reading →

Posted in Bess, Books, fiction, Literature | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Listen to Houdini’s Final Seance (1936)

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Houdini

By Tom Interval Long before Harry Houdini died on Halloween (89 years ago this Saturday), he and his wife, Bess, purportedly made a pact that the first to die would try to contact the survivor from “the great beyond,” as … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Bess, Death, Halloween, Holidays, Multimedia, Photoshop Art, Seances, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Legends and Lore Persist in Houdini Miniseries

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Houdini

By Tom Interval It’s the dead of winter. Thousands of gawking spectators flood a bridge spanning the frozen river below. The crowd braves the bone-splitting cold for only one reason: to see a man die. Of course, they might not … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Bernard C. Meyer, Bess, Cannon, Cecilia, Death, Escapes, Literature, Mayer, Milk Can, Movies, Parents, Portrayals, Siblings, Straitjacket, Television, Theodore (Hardeen), Water Torture Cell | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Houdini Miniseries Coverage

Posted on August 30, 2014 by Houdini

By Tom Interval If you read this blog from time to time, you might recall that last year Houdini expert John Cox (Wild About Harry) and I were fortunate enough to have dinner at the Magic Castle with actress Kristen … Continue reading →

Posted in Bess, Experts, John Cox, Magic Castle, Portrayals, Television, Wild About Harry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment