Category Archives: Collecting

Blogcast #7: Dynamite Magazine Harry Houdini Punch-Out

Posted on March 30, 2019 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in animation, Art, Chains, Collecting, Drawings, Dynamite, Ephemera, Escapes, Handcuffs, Literature, Multimedia, Optical Illusions, Patreon, Periodicals, Videos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Houdini Room at Copperfield’s Musha Cay

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Art, Bust, Collecting, Collections, David Copperfield, Ephemera, Handcuffs, Museums, Physical, Playbills, Posters, Posters, Scrapbooks, Sculptures, Water Torture Cell | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Unpublished 1992 Houdini Seance Photos

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Collecting, Death, Dorothy Young, Ephemera, Experts, Handcuffs, Handcuffs, Henry Muller, Houdini Magical Hall of Fame, Museums, Seances, Sidney Radner | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

NPR Story: Unpublished Houdini Straitjacket Photo

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Buildings, Collecting, Ephemera, Escapes, Photoshop Art, Straitjacket | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Handcuff Invite Poster Digital Restoration

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Art, Collecting, Collections, Digital, Escapes, Handcuffs, New York Public Library, New York Public Library Digital Collections, Photoshop Art, Posters, Posters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Houdini Auction: Potter & Potter, Aug. 23, 2014

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Art, Auctions, Collecting, Collections, Ephemera, Handcuffs, Letters, Playbills, Posters, Posters, Potter & Potter, Scrapbooks | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

John Cox: Wild About Harry Since 1975

Posted on November 27, 2013 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Bess, Collecting, Collections, Ephemera, Experts, John Cox, John Cox, Letters, Multimedia, Other Escapologists, Physical, Playbills, Portrayals, Posters, Posters, Scrapbooks, Sculptures, Websites, Wild About Harry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin Launches Free Houdini and Magic Digital Collections

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Art, Collecting, Collections, Digital, Ephemera, Harry Ransom Center, Harry Ransom Center, Letters, Playbills, Posters, Posters, Scrapbooks, UT Austin, UT Austin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bess Houdini with Mirror Cuffs and Houdini Bust

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Auctions, Bess, Bust, Collecting, Handcuffs, Mirror Cuffs | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Houdini Alphabet

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Houdini

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 →

Posted in Books, Collecting, Death, Estate, Library of Congress, Literature, Scrapbooks | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments