![]() ![]() ![]() He moved up to water-filled tanks and nailed-shut packing crates, reasoning: “The easiest way to attract a crowd is to let it be known that at a given time and a given place someone is going to attempt something that in the event of failure will mean sudden death.” He also started both magic and film companies.Ī master of escaping from handcuffs-he was dubbed the “ King of Handcuffs“-Houdini continued to increase the complexity of his act. By 1909, Houdini’s success was such he bought his own plane. ![]() To this day, “escape artist” summons to mind one word: “Houdini.” By 1899, he was touring leading vaudeville venues, first in the United States and then in Europe. Even today, a museum dubbed the House of Magic salutes the Robert-Houdin legacy in Blois, France.įinding limited success as a magician, Houdini drew attention when he embraced stunts over tricks. “Houdini” came from Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin, a French illusionist known as the “father of modern magic.” Robert-Houdin achieved a level of fame comparable to what Harry would later attain-after all, he died nearly three years before Harry was even born yet his name still held strong. Harry Houdini apparently did not look back on the years spent there fondly, quipping, “The greatest escape I ever made was when I left Appleton, Wisconsin.”īy age 20, Erich had moved to New York, married the woman who would be his wife/assistant for the rest of his life (Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner, who went by “Bess”), and dubbed himself “Harry Houdini.” (The family had a total of seven children.) Their father was a rabbi who brought the family to Appleton, Wisconsin. The Weisz/Houdini brothers were born in Budapest, Hungary: Erich (Harry) on Maand younger brother Ferenc Dezso on March 4, 1876. Yet Hardeen helped ensure his brother’s name stayed alive, long after Harry passed on, long after Hardeen himself faded from prominence.Īs Harry’s birthday - March 24 - approaches, this is a prime time to see how his little brother kept a family business going (and kept the Houdini name in the headlines) for nearly two decades after Harry made his final escape. It is impossible to relate the story of Hardeen without Houdini-his brother is his great claim to fame. (After all, Sir Arthur also pops up in 1998’s Houdini and 1976’s The Great Houdini.) If you knew Houdini purely through television, you might conclude his closest male companion was Doyle. (Even if you are a Boardwalk obsessive, you may have forgotten-Hardeen appears in the episode “Paris Green.”) Hardeen is sometimes a minor character in works about Houdini, though often he gets left out entirely. Unless you’re a Boardwalk Empire fanatic, you probably don’t know that name. Then there’s Houdini’s little brother, Hardeen. (Pitchfork named it one of the 200 Best of the ’80s.) Not to mention the New York rap group Whodini put out an album in 1984 titled Escape. Harry has inspired songs including Walter Brennan’s “ Houdini” in 1962, Kate Bush’s “ Houdini” in 1982, Foster the People’s “ Houdini” in 2012, and Travis Scott’s “ Houdini” in 2018. He has been portrayed by an Oscar winner (Adrien Brody in 2014’s TV series Houdini) and a Reservoir Dog (Harvey Keitel in 1997’s FairyTale: A True Story-Doyle also appears in this one, played by Peter O’Toole).īut to feel Houdini’s full impact, attempt to track how often he gets invoked in pop culture in general. ![]()
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