Category Archives: Collecting
Blogcast #7: Dynamite Magazine Harry Houdini Punch-Out
By Tom Interval Dynamite magazine, issue #79, December 1980, features an article about Harry Houdini titled “HOUDINI: The Magic Man Who Knew Whodunit!” As part of that theme, the mag includes a companion two-piece punch-out that, when constructed, becomes a mechanical toy showing … Continue reading
Houdini Room at Copperfield’s Musha Cay
By Tom Interval I was browsing YouTube tonight and came across a promotional video for Musha Cay, an island in the southern Bahamas owned by illusionist David Copperfield. During the video, I was surprised and pleased to see that one of the … Continue reading
Unpublished 1992 Houdini Seance Photos
By Tom Interval Doug Johnson, a photographer living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, attended and photographed the 66th official Houdini seance, held on October 31, 1992, at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada. Almost 23 years later, … Continue reading
NPR Story: Unpublished Houdini Straitjacket Photo
By Tom Interval This morning, NPR’s Pam Fessler interviewed a gentleman by the name of Chris Shweie, coauthor of The Voice of the City: Vaudeville and Popular Culture in New York and collector of all things vaudeville. Shweie said he recently … Continue reading
Handcuff Invite Poster Digital Restoration
By Tom Interval John Cox of Wild About Harry today posted a beautiful Houdini poster that, to my knowledge, has never been published before. It’s from the New York Public Library Digital Collections. While some historians might cringe at the notion … Continue reading
Houdini Auction: Potter & Potter, Aug. 23, 2014
By Tom Interval In case you don’t already know, Potter & Potter is having a Houdini auction on Sat., Aug. 23, 10 a.m., in its Chicago gallery. If you live in Chicago, you can preview some of the items in the days … Continue reading
John Cox: Wild About Harry Since 1975
By Tom Interval Listen to/watch this blog entry in video format → In 1980, 15-year-old John Cox told a Los Angeles Times reporter he was the third disciple of Harry Houdini. The first two, he said, were carnival worker Edward … Continue reading
Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin Launches Free Houdini and Magic Digital Collections
By Tom Interval The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin has launched a new website featuring several free digital collections, including two that will interest Houdini buffs, magic fans, historians, and researchers: The Harry Houdini Scrapbook Collection and … Continue reading
Bess Houdini with Mirror Cuffs and Houdini Bust
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 & … Continue reading
The Houdini Alphabet
By Tom Interval About six months after Harry Houdini died, more than 5,000 of his books, personal scrapbooks, pamphlets, and periodicals were shipped to the Library of Congress at his bequest. The collection, comprised of materials relating to magic, spiritualism, … Continue reading
Houdini Museum 