I fell in love with Houdini when I saw Tony Curtis portray him in the 1953 film “Houdini.” I don’t know if it was young, handsome Tony Curtis that attracted me or the story itself, but from that moment on, I have been in love with Harry Houdini. When my husband and I went to Vegas for the first time, I made him walk down the Strip in 100 degree plus weather to see the Houdini Museum. When we got there, it was a small room, but I was not disappointed. Just seeing Houdini items was an incredible thrill.
Houdini was born Ehrich Weiss in in Budapest, Hungary in 1874. He loved magic at an early age and took on the name Houdini from the French magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. He added the “I” at the end of the name to mean “like Houdin.” He married his wife, Bess, in 1893 and she became his stage assistant. His early magician career stalled until Martin Beck suggested he concentrate on his escape acts. Within a few years, Houdini was a great sensation all over America and Europe.
Houdini could escape from anything – handcuffs, chains, ropes, and straitjackets. He would have the local police put him in a jail cell, usually nude so they could be assured he was free of any tools, but he always managed to escape. Sometimes, he would suspend himself over water from a building then free himself to the delight of the cheering crowd. One of his most famous acts was the Chinese Water Torture Cell. In this act, Houdini was suspended upside down in a locked cabinet full of water. Houdini, always the master showman, told the audience to hold their breath with him as he struggled to get out. Of course, they would give up, gasping for air, which only made the act more intense. He also often placed a large clock on the stage so the audience could see just how long he had been “under.”
Read more about Houdini in Harry Houdini’s Life – Part II.