The Magic Man: All About Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was one of the most famous magicians who ever lived. Despite the fact that he died about 100 years ago, whenever people talk about the greatest magician of all time, his name would always be mentioned. Other than a magician and escape artist, Houdini was also an actor, film producer, and stunt performer.
Though he always claimed that he was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, Houdini was actually born Elrich Weisz in Hungary on March 24, 1874 to Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss and Cecilia Steiner. When he was just four years old, his family immigrated to the United States on the SS Fresia. Initially, the family lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, but they moved to New York City around 1887. Young Houdini showed tremendous physical prowess in the sport of cross country running as well as a penchant for the dramatic. When he became a trapeze artist at the age of 9, he introduced himself as Ehrich, the Prince of the Air. Later, he would call himself Harry Houdini as he aspired to be like Houdin, the great French magician known as Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin.
Early in his career, Houdini had little success in his magic career. Making his rounds in dime museums and sideshows, he even had a stint as The Wild Man. Concentrating on card tricks, he also began to refer to himself as the King of Cards. However, it wasn't until he dabbled into escape acts that he found some form of success with his brother Dash and they became known as The Houdini Brothers. During a performance in Coney Island, Houdini met his wife Bess Rahner and she would become his stage assistant through the rest of his career. Replacing Bess, the husband-and-wife team was known as The Houdinis.
In 1899, Houdini met Martin Beck, which was a turning point in his life. Beck encouraged Houdini to focus more on escape acts rather than performing traditional magic. Soon, Houdini became a sensation in the top vaudeville houses in the United States and Beck saw the perfect chance to break into Europe. Billed as The Handcuff King, Houdini became a top act in Europe, touring England, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Scotland, and Russia.
Part of Harry Houdini's act was to challenge the local police in every city to restrain him with the strongest shackles and then, put him in jail. A master showman, Houdini would also allow the police to strip-search him before he performed his escapes. Soon, Houdini became a great success and he even bought his mother an expensive dress that was originally designed for Queen Victoria, saying that it was the happiest day of his life to present her in that dress to all their relatives and friends.
After purchasing his New York home in 1904, Houdini began to refine his escape acts because a lot of his earlier acts were being imitated. He came up with new escape routines like the water-filled milk can, nailed craters, wet-sheets, and others. As a result of his remarkable ingenuity and imagination, Houdini would always be several steps ahead of his rivals. It culminated in his most breathtaking escape act known as the Chinese Water Torture Cell where he would be locked and lowered into a water-filled glass-and-steel chamber upside down so the audience could actually see how Houdini escaped. Some of his other famous acts included Buried Alive, The Overboard Box Escape, The Mirror Handcuff Challenge, and The Suspended Straitjacket Escape.
Before his death, Houdini revealed some of his tricks to the public. A master lock picker, he knew all about locks, explaining that there are some locks which could be opened rather easily. During his acts, he often had some picks and small keys to facilitate his escapes. To gain wriggle room when he was put into straitjackets or tied up in ropes, Houdini would puff out his chest to the point where he could dislocate his shoulder. In the 1920s, Houdini also went on a spree of debunking spiritualists, whom he felt were preying on the emotions of desperate people.
On October 24, 1926, Houdini performed his last act at the Garrick Theater in Detroit, Michigan. A week later, on Halloween, Houdini died of peritonitis when his appendix ruptured. It was believed that the ruptured appendix was the result of a stunt gone wrong whereby Houdini was to take several punches to his abdomen from a McGill University student.
