Houdini: A Life Worth Reading

by Higher Read

  Houdini finally reached Broadway in 1925, while in his early fifties. His show HOUDINI was a three-act, two and a half hour show, featuring a whole hour of new illusions. The show toured at highbrow theaters around the country, and featured young, sexily clad female assistants, as well as Bess, her niece, and her niece’s mother. Even after breaking a bone in his foot, Houdini continued to perform in HOUDINI, although unable to do the Chinese Water Torture Cell, as it involved hanging upside-down from his ankles.

  Although by the mid-1920s Houdini had begun branching away from his more physically strenuous tricks, he returned to the arena when a young magician named Rahman Bey began performing a much-acclaimed show involving animal hypnotism and piercing himself with steel pins, tricks that Houdini had already revealed the methods of in his books (see Chapter VIII). Houdini resented the competition from Bey and that Bey claimed to go into a “cataleptic trance” that allowed him to perform these tricks. Another strike against Bey was that Houdini’s enemy from his battle against fraudulent Spiritualist mediums, a man named Carrington (see Chapter XI), was the announcer of Bey’s show.

  But worst of all was Bey’s claim to be able to remain in a casket underwater, without air, for long periods of time. Houdini publically announced that he could beat any record that Bey set for staying in a casket underwater. Although Bey had failed to stay underwater for more than twenty minutes during an attempt in which he was lowered into the Hudson River in a casket, Bey soon managed to remain in his underwater box for an hour in a pool in New York City. Houdini immediately began training to beat this record, obtaining a casket from the same company that made Bey’s. After three weeks of training, Houdini beat Bey’s record by staying submerged in his casket at New York’s Sheldon Hotel’s pool for an hour and a half, despite the temperature in the casket rising to heights not anticipated during Houdini’s test runs. Houdini insisted that he did not use any special equipment or go into any trance to perform this feat, but rather that he had merely trained himself to breathe slowly.

  VII. Houdini, the Man

  Read It and Know It

  After reading this chapter, you will know more about

  Houdini’s ego: The magician’s need to be on top often brought him trouble.

  The marriage: Houdini and Bess were private about their relationship, but most agree they had a loving, supportive marriage despite a likely affair.

  The fulfilled promise: The deathbed promise Houdini made to his father to care for Cecilia was one that Houdini took pleasure in fulfilling.

  The Catholic mother-in-law: Bess was reunited with her estranged mother after an illness.

  Houdini’s Inner Self

  Houdini’s obsession with self-promotion seemed to have started a young age. Pictures of him as a child and teenager show him posing for the camera, showing off his medals (some real, some fake) and his messenger uniform. He billed himself as “Eric, Prince of Air” at the young age of seven. By the time he died, Ehrich had turned himself into the all-powerful persona Houdini, attempting to leave behind even the first name “Harry” because he thought “Houdini” sounded more regal than “Harry Houdini.” Even when not in the public eye, this character seemed important to him; his wife and family called him Houdini, and he had his initials HH embroidered on his pajamas and other personal items. His diary entries as well as his public statements reflect a strong propensity to twist the truth to flatter his ego and sense of importance.

  Biographers attribute Houdini’s desire to transform himself into an all-powerful, world-known figure as stemming from a need to escape his childhood of deprivation and insecurity. Other psychoanalysts have gone further to explain Houdini’s obsession with escaping restraints and defying death as a reaction to an extreme Oedipal complex. Some also point out to the novelty of Houdini’s nude jail cell escapes and speculate that Houdini’s willingness to bare his body might point to an element of eroticism in Houdini’s appeal.

  Whatever the case, Houdini’s personal writings reflect his anxiety to stay forever famous, his fears that his success would just be fleeting, and his desperation to stay on top. Despite his huge ego, he clearly always felt like he was about to become irrelevant, that he must crush all who threatened or opposed him before he himself got crushed, and that he might become poor again. Although rich, he carefully saved money in case of future poverty and scrimped money wherever he could, except for his extravagant spending on his collections and other passions. Although famous, he went out of his way to crush imitators and to sue any who tried to use his name. Although renowned throughout the world at a relatively early age, he continued seeking more dangerous and breathtaking stunts, often performing when injured and in pain.

  Even though many could and did criticize Houdini’s self-obsession, no one could attack his work ethic. Houdini trained for hours each day and stayed up into the night reading and researching to improve his performances and collections. It is rumored that he was an insomniac who used his long waking hours to further his professional goals. Even when Houdini took time off, he juggled several projects and was constantly on the go. He didn’t seem to know any other pace besides flat out.

  Ethnically Jewish, Houdini was proud of his educated rabbi father and raised money for Jewish organizations. He did not approve of indulging in alcohol or drugs, and also looked with contempt on men going to lewd shows and otherwise womanizing. He seemed apathetic towards politics and issues of social justice, although he did approve of steps towards racial equality that he witnessed in England. Having first come into fame in England, he considered himself as having more in common with the British and other European nations than with Americans. He proudly presented his shows in Germany and Russia in what he knew of those countries’ languages. However, he made himself into an American citizen by falsifying his place of birth on his passport, changing it from Budapest, Hungary to Appleton, Wisconsin. He also claimed his birthdate was slightly different than the real date (April 6, 1874 instead of March 24, 1874). Further, when war broke out, he dove into patriotic efforts to raise money for the United States effort and to contribute his skills to raising the morale of the troops and the public.

  Clearly an intelligent man, Houdini was keenly aware that his lack of formal education put him at a disadvantage. Coming from a house filled with his father’s books and love of learning, he yearned to be considered worthy of joining the ranks of academia and to be regarded as more than just a magician. This desire likely fed his passions for collecting books and for writing, as well as for making connections with famous authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Jack London, as well as other academics such as Robert Gould Shaw. Despite his drive to be considered equal to those in the academic, elite world, Houdini reportedly cared very little about his appearance when off-stage, frequently appearing in rumpled and dirty clothes. He also maintained friendships with the usually lower-class circus and beer hall performers that he had worked with in his early career, and went out of his way to send flowers and gifts to the working-class people that had helped him and his family while he was growing up.

  In his forties Houdini became known as a generous charity figure. He called his works of charity “Good Works” and received no payment for them. He had a particular reputation for handing out money to older people who were down on their luck, perhaps because they reminded him of his impoverished father. He performed shows at charity hospitals, orphanages, and prisons. Most famously, he put on a three-hour show at Sing Sing prison, much longer than his or any other magicians’ of the times shows. Houdini interestingly commented that he thought that given a different set of circumstances, he himself might have found himself leading a criminal life.

  Houdini and Bess

  Despite Houdini’s passion for publicity, his relationship with his wife Bess was kept private from the press. Observers frequently said that Houdini appeared to act very lovingly towards Bess, and after his death his property was found to contain many love notes written to her, describing her as his
sunshine and using many other romantic metaphors. Bess, like Houdini, was very private. She liked to make clothes and fine food, and to shop. The couple did not have any children, despite their attempts to conceive. Their letters to friends reflect sadness that they were not able to have children. They parented instead their pets, which included a small dog named Charlie and a parrot named Polly.

  Houdini and Bess continued to enjoy each other’s company, although some of Houdini’s diary entries reflect that he treated her at times more like a griping mother than like a wife. He also made it clear to her that his devotion would have to be shared with his mother, and then the memory of his mother when Cecilia passed away. Houdini obsessed about another man benefiting from his hard work and savings. He repeatedly made Bess promise that if she should remarry after he died, that she insist that her second husband sign a prenuptial agreement agreeing to not pursue any part of Bess’s estate that came out of her marriage to Houdini. Houdini took out a large life insurance policy naming Bess as his beneficiary and put the Harlem brownstone in her name.

  As many opportunities as Houdini must have had to cheat on Bess, there is only evidence of one affair: with the widow of his famous friend Jack London, Charmian London. In 1918, after Jack had passed away, Charmian spent a winter in New York City. Houdini invited her to come see his show “Cheer Up” in January, and diary entries on her part reflect that soon thereafter he and she started a love affair. Houdini’s own records reflect that he felt troubled by his infidelity, and the physical aspect of their affair seems to have died out relatively quickly, even before Charmian returned to California. Houdini and Charmian continued to exchange amorous letters, however. It is unclear if Bess ever knew of the affair; she did speak of discovering love letters from several women to her husband after Houdini’s death, one of which she said came from a widow whom she had trusted, possibly Charmian. Bess also complained when Houdini played the lover of younger female actresses during his film career. Charmian and Houdini met up again in 1924 when Houdini was performing in California, but there is no evidence that their love affair continued at that time.

  Normally Houdini and Bess made an event out of their anniversary; for several years they took trips out to Coney Island in New York City, the site of their honeymoon. For their twenty-fifth anniversary, in June of 1919, Houdini threw an elaborate banquet at a Los Angeles hotel (the pair was living in Los Angeles at the time in order to accommodate Houdini’s acting career, see Chapter VIX). Two hundred guests attended and gourmet food was served. The couple made an entrance and Bess reportedly nearly fainted. A letter from Houdini from that night reflects his genuine affection for Bess and for the life they had built together. From their thirtieth anniversary, in 1924, there remains a photo of them tied together, kissing.

  Family Life

  Houdini’s devotion to his mother Cecilia is extensively documented; he regarded her as a saint and took great pride in providing for her as his father had asked him to do on his deathbed. Houdini lavished gifts on Cecilia and moved her into 278. Biographers speculate that Houdini viewed Cecilia as one of the only people in his life that was entirely loyal to him, and with whom he did not have to compete with anyone to earn love and acceptance. In return, he worshipped her and craved her happiness. A famous picture of Houdini shows him posing between Cecilia and his wife Bess, eyebrows raised, very content with position between what he called the two women in his life.

  In July of 1913, Houdini set sail for a tour in Europe. His mother and some other family members came to the dock as usual to see him off, and Houdini made a big show of running off the boat several times to give his mother another last kiss. His mother said to him, as she always did before he left on a big trip, that perhaps she wouldn’t be there when he got back. Houdini tried to cheer her up, and she told him to get her some slippers. Shortly thereafter, Cecilia suffered a stroke from which she would not recover. Houdini received the news that she was gravely ill and hurried back to the States, but too late: Cecilia died on July 17, 1913. Houdini begged the family to postpone the funeral, which they defied Jewish tradition to do. Houdini finally arrived in New York and sat with his mother’s body all night.

  At the age of thirty-nine, Houdini suffered the loss of his mother with great despair. He returned to performing but continued to have spells of loneliness and grief over Cecilia’s death. Houdini also missed his father, attending rabbinical services every year on the anniversary of Meyer’s death. He visited his mother Cecilia’s grave often and on all anniversaries of her death and his birthday. He even had Cecilia’s mother unburied from her grave and buried next to Cecilia. He arranged for a huge monument known as an exedra to be placed on his family plot, which he dedicated on October 1, 1916, even though large gravesite monuments are frowned upon in the Jewish cultural tradition.

  After his mother’s death, Houdini rented out the old Harlem brownstone and stayed with his brother Dash (Hardeen) and Dash’s wife Elsie. Houdini had always maintained a close relationship with Dash, who seemed content to give him center stage. Dash suffered from ulcers and other stomach problems. He and his wife had two children. Houdini also had a loving if distant relationship with his younger sister Gladys, who suffered from health problems that left her at least partially blind. Originally proud of his brother Leo, a young doctor who had a reputation for womanizing, Houdini turned against his brother when Leo married the ex-wife of their other brother Nat, strongly suggesting that there had been an affair during the marriage. Houdini considered this a huge scandal.

  Houdini’s letters also reflect some tension between himself and Dash and his wife while the families cohabitated. In February of 1918, Houdini and Bess moved back into the Harlem brownstone where his mother had spent her last days. In his early fifties, Houdini wrote his will, going to great lengths to make sure that the sister-in-law who had divorced one brother and married another would not get any share of his riches, nor would the second brother she had married. Houdini’s brother Bill died in 1925 of tuberculosis, an illness he had fought most of his life.

  In 1905 Bess, recovering from a serious illness, told Houdini she wanted her mother. Bess’s mother, a Catholic, had disowned her eighteen-year-old daughter twelve years earlier when she married the Jewish Houdini. Houdini went to his mother-in-law’s apartment and reportedly refused to leave until Mrs. Rahner came with him to 278 to see Bess. Apparently Bess’s mother accepted, and she and Bess immediately began crying upon seeing each other. Bess was then thirty years old. The two reconciled, and Mrs. Rahner resolved to accept Houdini as her son-in-law. She seemed to do so with some success, although some reports maintained that she sprinkled holy water about the house after Houdini’s visits. Later on in life she moved into 278 and accepted Houdini’s financial support.

  VIII. Houdini, the Writer

  Read It and Know It

  After reading this chapter, you will know more about

  An educational insecurity: An impoverished background deprived Houdini of a formal education, and he strived to make up for the lack.

  The first popular book: Houdini’s first major book caused controversy in the world of magicians.

  More controversy: Additional books made both law enforcement and the public unhappy with Houdini.

  Houdini’s ghostwriters: Many of the magician’s books were not his own words.

  While touring in Europe, Houdini attempted to join the literary world, writing articles for magic and theatrical publications. His biographers suggest that editors really did most of the work on these journalistic pieces, as Houdini in truth had poor grammar and did not type very clearly due to his lack of formal education. Houdini nevertheless set his sights on writing a book documenting the history of magicians. He was determined to gain a reputation an educated, intelligent man and not be known merely as an entertainer.

  After his return to the United States, Houdini published some short stories and a ninety-six page book exposing fraudulent magicians and conmen, called The Right Way to Do
Wrong. Biographers strongly suggest that another writer largely wrote this piece as well. Houdini also published a monthly magazine known as Conjurers’ Monthly. In Conjurers’ Monthly, he fought openly and publically with other magicians and writers, especially competing and sparring with another magic magazine, the Sphinx, published by a Dr. Wilson. The refusal of the Society of Magicians (or SAM) to adopt Conjurers’ Monthly as its official magazine led to Houdini’s resignation from that organization, although he later rejoined and became president.

  In his first major book, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, Houdini attempted to discredit every claim to fame made by his former hero, Robert-Houdin, explaining how each contribution attributed to Robert-Houdin could be traced back to earlier artists. The passion with which he attacked Robert-Houdin caused controversy in the magicians’ community, as Houdini allowed Robert-Houdin almost no credit for any work. His contempt for all imitators seemed to be focused on his former idol, and Houdini’s own obsession with being the first and the best seemed to blind him to some historical realities. For his part, Houdini believed the book provided a service to all who had been robbed by Robert-Houdin of the fame that they deserved.