Creepy and Weird Facts About Harry Houdini

As we prepare for next year's theatre season at Blinn College-Brenham, I am currently researching our first show, Houdini by Muriel Rukeyser. In doing so, I found a few creepy and weird facts about the famous magician I thought I'd share on my creepy and weird blog!

*HOUDININ TRIED TO REACH HIS MOTHER THROUGH SPIRITUALISM: Obsessed with the death of his mother, Houdini sought out spiritualists to help him make contact with her. After being scammed by a number of self-proclaimed psychics, Houdini, in his later years, vowed to expose them for the "human leeches" they were.

*HOUDINI WAS BURIED WITH LETTERS FROM HIS MOTHER: Upon his death, Houdini's will stipulated his head by laid upon a pillow made of letters from his mother. Only one letter from his wife was included in the stack that was buried with the illusionist.

*HOUDINI WAS BUIRED IN A COFFIN MADE FOR ONE OF HIS MAGIC TRICKS: Houdini was buried in an airtight coffin made for a trick in which he tried to prove that anyone could live without air for an hour if they did not let fear overtake them.

*AFTER HIS DEATH, HOUDINI'S WIFE TRIED TO CONTACT HIM DURING A SEANCE: Bess Houdini attempted to channel her husband for 10 years after the magician's death. The seances always took place on the anniversary of his death, October 31, 1926.

*HOUDINI MADE AN ELEPHANT DISAPPEAR: In 1918, Houdini made a 10,000-pound elephant named Jenny disappear in New York City's Hippodrome. After coaxing the pachyderm into a large box, Houdini sealed the box and made a sensation when he reopened it to reveal that Jenny was nowhere to be found.

*HOUDINI STAGED AN ESCAPE FROM INSIDE A SEA MONSTER: In 1911, a group of Boston businessmen challenged Houdini to escape from the belly of a 1,500-pound "sea monster." The "monster" was actually a whale that had washed up in the city's harbor, but Houdini was handcuffed and wedged into the animal's carcass. After 15 minutes, Houdini emerged from the carcass triumphant.

*HOUDINI MAY HAVE BEEN MURDERED: Houdini's cause of death was formally dubbed as peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix. However, many believe that the magician was poisoned by the spiritualists who had issued death threats in response to Houdini exposing them as frauds.

Sources

Internet Source, www.grunge.com, "The Weird Request Houdini Made for the Pillow in His Coffin."

Internet Source, www.history.com, "10 Things You May Not Know About Harry Houdini."

Internet Source, www.sheknows.com, "Interesting and Creepy Facts About Harry Houdini and His Wife, Bess."

Comments

Murder on Old Topanga Canyon Road

I haven't shared my good news on social media yet, so hear goes! One of my plays, Historical Mutilations, will be produced this summer by Theatre Off the Square in Weatherford, Texas. Along with Mike Byham's play, Arti Doll, my play will be produced on June 7-9, 2024. Both plays were winners of the 2023 New Works Contest, and I am thrilled that such a prestigious venue as Theatre Off the Square will be taking on this project! Historical Mutilations tells the story of the murder of Gary Hinman. A hippie renaissance figure in the 1960s, as well as the Manson Family's "forgotten victim," Hinman was found dead in his home on Old Topanga Canyon Road on July 31, 1969. This was eight days before Sharon Tate and four others were found murdered at Tate's Cielo Drive residence. My play, a biodrama, depicts a possible conversation that Hinman and cult-leader Charles Manson may have had prior to Hinman's murder. In doing so, Manson compares what is happening t

Historical Mutilations/Arti Doll

I'm thrilled to announce that one of my plays, Historical Mutilations, will be produced this summer by Theatre Off the Square in Weatherford, Texas. Along with Mike Byham's play, Arti Doll, my play will be produced on June 7-9, 2024, as both plays were winners of the 2023 New Works Contest. I am so excited that such a prestigious venue as Theatre Off the Square will be producing one of my shows! Historical Mutilations is about the murder of Gary Hinman. A hippie renaissance figure in the 1960s, as well as the Manson Family's "forgotten victim," Hinman was found dead in his home on Old Topanga Canyon Road eight days before Sharon Tate and four others were found murdered at Tate's Cielo Drive residence. My play, a biodrama, depicts a possible conversation that Hinman and cult-leader Charles Manson may have had prior to Hinman's murder. In doing so, Manson compares what is happening to Hinman to famous mutilations of the past, specifically the self-mutil

Stage Plays for Super Bowl Sunday!

With the Super Bowl being played tonight, I thought it'd be cool to look up some plays and musicals that focus on one of American's greatest pastimes. *All American: Written by Mel Brooks, with music by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse, this musical-farce is set on the campus of a fictional Southern Baptist university. When the techniques of an engineering instructor result in a winning football team, the professor finds him-self surrounded by people that want to exploit his fame. The show opened on March 19, 1962, at the Winter Garden Theatre, and it starred Ray Bolger of Wizard of Oz fame. *Colossal: Written by Andrew Hinderaker and set on a college football field in Texas, this poignant work is about a star football player that finds it difficult to move on from a crippling spinal cord injury. In doing so, the play celebrates and attacks football; our nation's most popular form of theatre. The show opened at the Olney Theater in Olney, Maryland in September of 20

Bradley Nies, Playwright

Search This Blog