What took the life of Harry Houdini. Biography

Font size:

Already in 1878, the Weiss family successfully immigrated to the United States. It was there that Eric began to introduce himself to others by the American name Harry. And the future magician adopted his new surname on the advice of his partner Jake Hyman, a big fan of the illusionist Robert-Houdin. During his life, Houdini also used other pseudonyms: Eric the Great, King of the Cards and Eric the Prince of Air.

WITH early childhood Houdini admired and carefully watched the work of magicians and magicians, and he performed his first independent act at the age of 9. The boy hung upside down on the rope and pulled pins out of his eyelashes. One wrong move and he would lose an eye. Houdini received 35 cents for his act that evening. Then he performed on the trapeze, and once performed the number “Savage”. He was locked in a cage, where he, wearing the skin of a lion, gnawed raw meat with his teeth.

Houdini was not capricious and worked hard in any role. But then he seriously took up the craft of a mechanic. For what? To comprehend all the intricacies of constructing any types of locks. It was these skills that allowed Houdini to become the world's most famous escape artist ( circus artist demonstrating the ability to free oneself from chains, ropes, etc.). There is evidence that Houdini once managed to escape from the stomach of a whale.

It's no secret that early stage During his career, Houdini became interested in all aspects of death, as it attracted the attention of the public. Harry bought one of the first electric chairs in the United States designed for executing criminals, using it in his shows. And after the death of his beloved mother, Harry became seriously involved in spiritualism, although he himself often exposed spiritualists as swindlers and swindlers, making money from the feelings and grief of people.

Houdini never tired of revealing the cheap tricks of spiritualists, proving to the public their commercialism and deceit. Although we note that the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, firmly believed that Houdini himself could maintain a living connection with the world of the dead and communicate with their souls.

One day Houdini met the beautiful Mademoiselle Bess Razner. The affair lasted only two weeks. Then it happened modest wedding, and the couple never separated for more than a day. It is interesting that throughout their lives the couple addressed each other only as “Mrs. Houdini” and “Mr. Houdini.” It is worth recognizing that their feelings were sincere and deep. Harry wrote letters to his Bess while she was in the next room. Bess became the maestro's permanent assistant on stage. The couple often argued, then Houdini left the house and walked along the street. Upon his return, he would throw his hat into Bess's room; if the hat flew back into the hallway, it meant that Bess was still angry. After Houdini's death, Bess fell into a deep depression and visited spiritualists weekly, hoping to hear from Harry.

Unfortunately, this loving and devoted couple never had any children. There are many different rumors about this. Most likely, the reason lies in Harry's brother Leopold Weiss, who was considered one of the first and foremost radiologists in New York. The fact is that Harry often and voluntarily acted as a guinea pig in Leopold's experiments. Apparently, these experiments made the maestro infertile. However, the couple’s desire to have children of their own was so great that the couple came up with an imaginary son, who was named Meer Samuel. According to the Houdini spouses, he should have become the future president of the United States.

In 1909, Harry Houdini became seriously interested in aviation. He studied flying in Germany and, having received a pilot’s certificate, began teaching piloting to German cadets. When did the first one begin? World War, Houdini bitterly regretted that he himself taught enemy pilots to fly. By the way, he became one of the first pilots to cross the whole of Australia in an airplane alone.

Now let's return to the American claim that Harry Houdini was born in the USA. This “duck” was noticed by Houdini himself at one time. He truly loved the States and was a passionate patriot of his new homeland. In his biography, he indicated the city of Appleton (Wisconsin) as his place of birth. In 1917, Houdini applied to enlist in a volunteer detachment for the war in Europe.

Fortunately, he was not taken due to his age. Then he went to Europe at his own expense, where he performed for free in front of American soldiers. His signature number on that tour was “Money from Nowhere.” Harry caught dollars in the air and distributed them to the soldiers. It later turned out that Houdini distributed 7 thousand dollars from his own pocket to the American soldiers, deciding to sweeten the lives of the military at least in this way. But this is not leavened patriotism, but sincere.

At the same time, Houdini was an extremely demanding boss towards his assistants and long-legged assistants. One of the duties of the assistants was to put extremely curious spectators to sleep with chloroform, who managed to get behind the scenes and find out the secrets of Houdini's tricks. For loyalty and reliability, Houdini forced his workers to write an oath of loyalty and concealment of the secrets of all the maestro’s tricks.

Some of Houdini's performances were extremely dangerous for his life. Therefore, he had to keep himself in amazing physical shape and complete spiritual balance. Houdini's house had a special deep bathtub where Harry practiced holding his breath. In addition, on all his voyages the maestro took the vat in which he trained. Houdini held his breath underwater for three minutes even at 45 years old!

In every free minute, Houdini repeated and perfected tricks with playing cards and every day he untied at least a hundred rope knots with his toes. Everyone who personally knew Harry Houdini agreed that he was the clearest example of a perfectionist (a person striving for perfection in everything). Even in his youth, he learned to use his left arm and leg no worse than his right. And this can only be achieved through tireless work and training.

Contemporaries considered Harry Houdini a superman, although in those days this word (superman) was used extremely rarely and cautiously. But all the new tricks and unprecedented performances of the magician and sorcerer did not allow us to treat him differently. No one could believe that Mr. Houdini would ever die. But on Halloween night 1926 (October 31), Harry Houdini passed away. It was impossible to come up with a more mysterious date of death.

Mr. Houdini died of peritonitis, which was the consequence of an acute attack of appendicitis. More than two thousand people and about two hundred circus performers and magicians came to the funeral of the world's best magician and magician. They broke a symbolic magic wand over Houdini's grave, which then became a tradition at the funerals of magicians and circus performers.

Houdini was buried next to his parents. Letters from his mother were placed under the pillow in the maestro’s coffin. Harry bequeathed almost all of his belongings and property to his brother Theo, but demanded that after his brother’s death, all paraphernalia of his circus activities be destroyed. Houdini left five thousand valuable and rare books for the public library of the US Congress.

Modern magicians are impressed when people call them magicians, and the viewer has been puzzling over the answers to their favorite puzzles for years. Thus, the audience seems to pay tribute to their talent. However, the eminent illusionist Harry Houdini, whose statements people quote to this day, was against such comparisons and himself often exposed charlatans.

Childhood and youth

Eric Weiss (the artist's real name) was born on March 24, 1874 in the capital of Hungary, Budapest, as evidenced by the illusionist's biography, into a devout Jewish family. In July 1878, when the boy was 4 years old, the Weisses immigrated to the United States.

In Appleton (Wisconsin), the head of the family received the post of rabbi. A traveling circus often came to Appleton, and if the clowns and animals made Eric laugh and wonder, the magicians delighted him.

When Jack Hefler's troupe arrived in a provincial town, friends persuaded Eric to show him his skills. Hefler watched with interest, but perked up only after a trick that the child came up with himself.

During the performance of the number, Eric, suspended by his legs, collected needles on the floor with his eyebrows and eyelids. Although the talented boy was not invited to the troupe, the circus performer’s words of approval determined his future path.

At the age of 13, Eric and his family moved to New York. Big city opened up many prospects for him, but he preferred magic tricks. Weiss sat for hours with cards, ribbons, hats and ropes - studying, inventing, practicing.

With his brother Theodore, he began performing at fairs, charity events and small shows. At first, the teenagers' tricks were primitive, but each time they became more complex and caused surprise and applause among the audience.

Eric saw with what interest the audience looked at the illusionist freeing himself from fetters or locks. To study the principle of operation of locks, he even got a job as an apprentice in a locksmith shop. When the young man made a master key out of wire to open the locks, he decided that he had nothing more to do there.

It is also worth noting that in those years the future illusionist paid attention not only to technical side. With the help of exercises, the guy developed muscles, joint flexibility, endurance and the ability to hold his breath.

Tricks

At the age of 16, in a bookstore, Eric bought the book “Memoirs of Robert Goodin, Ambassador, Writer and Magician, Written by Himself,” after reading which the guy took a pseudonym in honor of the author.

Despite his talent and hard work, the guy’s earnings left much to be desired. Having gained a little fame, he came to the editorial office of a Chicago newspaper and offered to reveal the secret of any trick for $20. The editor shrugged his shoulders and refused. This was repeated in other newspapers. Realizing that the newspapers needed sensation rather than explanation, Houdini changed his approach.

A month later, Houdini came to prison with journalists to show them a new trick. The handcuffed illusionist was put in a punishment cell, but after a couple of minutes he emerged from the punishment cell as if nothing had happened under the sound of photo flashes.

Later, media representatives learned that the magician had previously visited the prison. The impression was blurred, and Harry suggested that the reporters do the same in any other cell. The second time, Houdini was stripped, his mouth was covered with a plaster cast (in case he had hidden a master key in his mouth), he was handcuffed and locked in another cell. Minutes later he was free.

In 1894, Harry quarreled with the editor of a newspaper that published articles about him. At that time, he had just come up with the Metamorphosis trick. Harry's hands were tied behind his back, a bag was thrown over the top, he was tied with rope and placed in a wooden box with locks.

After the box was hidden behind the curtain, the illusionist’s assistant also went behind it. After the girl claps, the curtain opened, and Harry appeared in front of the audience, and the girl lay in a box under locks.

In 1899, Harry and his wife went on a tour of Europe. The foreign public was not spoiled by tricks, and Houdini immediately became a star. In London, he amazed the audience with the number “Disappearance of the Elephant”, when the animal, covered with velvet, disappeared as soon as the cloth was torn from it. There, in the presence of thousands of onlookers, the artist, shackled with locks and a cast-iron ball, was thrown into the Thames.

Houdini visited Russia twice - in 1903 and 1908. In the Moscow Butyrka prison, he repeated the trick of being released from the cell - as in the cell of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

There were rumors in society about the “diabolical” nature of the magician. Meanwhile, Houdini was categorically against identifying his tricks with magic and spiritualism. Moreover, it is known that the magician, dressed in civilian clothes, often attended spiritualistic séances and exposed fraudsters.

Personal life

There have always been legends about the personal life of the famous illusionist. It was rumored that Houdini and his wife Bess during their entire married life never seriously quarreled and never held a grudge against each other. In fact, the phenomenal magician has developed an interesting system for his relationships, allowing him to reduce scandals to zero.

Harry met Bess after another performance. The romance lasted only two weeks, and then the wedding took place, and the couple never separated for more than a day. Throughout their lives, the couple addressed each other only as “Mrs. Houdini” and “Mr. Houdini.”

It is worth noting that their feelings were sincere and deep. It is known that the magician often wrote letters to his wife when she was in the next room.

It is known that the illusionist’s wife professed a different religion, which complicated family life couples. To save the marriage, Harry came up with a couple of rules, adhering to which, he not only managed to save the family, but also strengthen the relationship.

The secret turned out to be simple - avoid family quarrels. If the spouses did not find a consensus, and Houdini’s patience was already at its limit, he raised three times right eyebrow. This gesture signaled that Bess was to immediately shut up. After both spouses came to their senses, they solved the simmering problems in a calm atmosphere.

Bess also had her own gesture, symbolizing that she was overly evil. The magician left the house, walked around it four times, after which he threw his hat into the open doors or window. If the hat was not thrown back, it means that the wife has already calmed down and you can go back.

After Houdini's death, Bess fell into a deep depression and visited spiritualists and psychics weekly, hoping to hear from Harry.

Death

Houdini's tricks came at a high price. The magician often consulted doctors after the show, although he was prepared. This preparation ruined him.

In Canada, where he was demonstrating the Iron Press routine, three students came into his dressing room and asked if he could take any blows. Houdini, lost in thought, nodded. And then one of the guests, a college boxing champion, punched him three times in the stomach.

The magician hastily stopped the guy, saying that he needed to get ready. After which the blows were repeated, but now the athlete felt that his stomach really resembled steel.

However, for the sorcerer these first blows became fatal. The magician's appendix burst, peritonitis and gangrenous appendicitis developed. Doctors gave Harry 12 hours to live, but he lived another week, dying on October 31, 1926.

Memory

The great illusionist managed to write his name in history. After his death, dozens of films and books were released in his honor, and an award was organized with a fund of ք 1 million.

1953 – film “Houdini”
1976 – film “The Great Houdini”
1987 – film “Young Harry Houdini”
1998 – film “Houdini”
2007 – film “Deadly Number”
2008 – film “The Miracles of Houdini”
2014 – film “Houdini”
2015 – Harry Houdini Award
2016 – film “Houdini and Doyle”

For more than 80 years, American mediums have been summoning the spirit of this greatest illusionist of all time to learn his secrets, but so far without success. The wizard Harry Houdini, who became a legend during his lifetime, does not communicate and fools his fans, who sincerely believe that the king of magicians had supernatural powers.

The fame of the magician was so loud that Americans even coined the word “houdinise”, which means a person’s ability to get out of the most difficult situations. The illusionist shone on stage for several decades, captivating the imagination of admiring spectators, and many thought that he could do anything. And the death of the famous genius, who became part of American history, shocked the world.

Young talent

In 1874, Erich Weiss was born in Budapest - this is the real name of Harry Houdini, who began to amaze the public from early childhood. A devout Jewish family emigrated to America four years later, where the boy’s father received the post of rabbi.

A traveling circus often comes to the provincial town of Appleton, which becomes an important event for all its residents. Little Erich, truly delighted with the tricks he saw, tries to repeat them at home. When something begins to work out for him, he shows his talent to an authoritative circus performer, who encouraged the child and expressed a desire to further develop his remarkable abilities. Words of support determined the future path of Weiss, who moved to New York.

Obsessed with magic tricks

The metropolis opened up many prospects for him, but the young man, keen on magic tricks, chose to do what he loves most in life. For hours he repeats various tricks with tapes and cards and comes up with new ones. In addition to natural intelligence, he is distinguished by patience and perseverance. A young magician, obsessed with the desire to become famous, understands that fame can only be achieved through perseverance, and improves his skills, working every day until exhaustion.

At Sunday fairs, the future magician Harry Houdini, whose biography is the subject of people's gossip, performs in front of surprised visitors, and his tricks cause a storm of applause. To understand the principle of operation of complex locks, Weiss even gets a job as an apprentice in a locksmith's workshop, where he makes a universal master key that unlocks all devices. The young man pays attention to good physical shape, develops joint flexibility, and holds his breath for a long time.

Dreams of fame and fame

At the age of 16, Erich came across a book about Robert Houdin, a magician and writer, and the novel about the life of an illusionist captivated him so much that the young man decided to take a pseudonym in honor of the French magician. A talented young man, upset by his small earnings, is looking for various ways tell the public about yourself. For advertising purposes, he participates in spectacular stunts that are watched by hundreds of onlookers: he walks through a brick wall, frees himself from shackles in a barrel filled with water, and opens powerful safes. He understands that audiences want sensation, not revelations of amazing tricks.

Goal achieved!

One fine morning, the headlines of local newspapers explode with reports that a certain Harry Houdini, handcuffed and locked in a prison cell, demonstrated a unique trick - in a few minutes he freed himself and walked out of the punishment cell under the flashbulbs of correspondents. The goal was achieved, and viewers of large cities will learn about the illusionist, for whom there were no barriers.

At this time, the young man, already married, goes on tour so that his name will thunder in seedy provincial towns. It must be said that Europeans were not at all spoiled by the attention of magicians, and Houdini instantly became popular. The star's illusions always cause a stir among the public, and his act, when an elephant covered with velvet disappears as soon as the fabric is torn off, breaks all records of visits to the circus.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the illusionist visited Russia twice, and in the famous Butyrka prison he demonstrated his favorite trick of getting free from a closed cell.

People's love

Having achieved worldwide popularity, Harry Houdini does not stop there, but improves his performances. In the presence of hundreds of onlookers, he is shackled, a cast-iron ball is tied to his feet and thrown into the icy waters of the Thames, and just a few minutes later, the magician, freed from his bonds, floats up, to the delight of the delighted inhabitants. The illusionist constantly complicates this trick: he is handcuffed, placed in a heavy box and the lid is nailed down. However, the clever Houdini successfully gets out of all situations, and people's love only grows.

There is a known case that could have ended tragically, and only thanks to the fact that the illusionist knew how to hold his breath for a long time, everything worked out. Harry, wrapped in chains and carried away from the ice hole by the current, spent eight minutes under the ice until help arrived. This terrible incident convinces admiring spectators that the illusionist has truly inhuman abilities. And rumors begin to circulate in society about the devilish origin of Harry Houdini.

Man or Devil?

Many believe in the supernatural powers of the wizard, who performed real miracles on stage. Some consider his unique numbers a clever hoax, while others are confident that this is how a person demonstrates his inexhaustible capabilities. Of course, the guesses were endless, and the king of illusions himself denied the connection of his tricks with magic. The magician even went to spiritualistic seances, at which he exposed charlatans profiting from people’s grief.

In the last decades of his life, he published books in which he revealed the secrets of his craft. The author of works that have become bestsellers is concerned that many of his colleagues cover up their tricks with mysticism and claim to communicate with otherworldly forces. At this time, Houdini had a conflict with his old friend A. Conan Doyle, who believed in the afterlife and revered his friend as a powerful medium.

Secrets of tragic death

With age, dangerous tricks become more and more difficult for an illusionist. His health fails him, and even after successful experiments on his body, he often ends up in the hospital. How Harry Houdini died is still debated by his fans to this day. While on tour in Montreal, a student approached the magician backstage, who turned out to be a boxing master. He wanted to make sure that the magician was not experiencing physical pain, and unexpectedly struck the illusionist in the stomach, who did not have time to tense his abdominal muscles.

For several days, the master of magic was bothered by severe pain, but he did not pay attention to it. special attention. The artist got up heat, and during the performance he fainted. After doctors examined him, it was determined that Houdini had developed peritonitis, and Harry died on October 31, 1926.

There is another version that says that the illusionist was poisoned. These rumors appeared after his death, and since the body was not opened, they were not refuted or confirmed.

His loyal fans don't believe in official reason the death of their idol and declare that the magician learned too much, and he paid for it. The evil spirit that celebrates the victory of evil over good on the last day of October has taken away the one who has been playing with death all his life.

The Great Deceiver

His death has the effect of a bomb exploding. The illusionist’s colleagues, who were members of the society of American magicians, are crying from injustice, and newspapers, full of mournful headlines, vying with each other to print the artist’s will, where he allegedly promises to reveal all the secrets on the day of his centenary. The public is looking forward to sensational revelations, the excitement is growing, and when this moment comes, the notary office opens the envelope left by Houdini, which turns out to be empty. Great illusionist deceived everyone, even after death he continued to fool the audience.

Magic and hard training

Experienced experts in the field of magic tricks have been trying for many years to figure out what it is main secret a wizard who took his secrets to the grave. The illusionist Harry Houdini knew perfectly all the existing lock designs, and he also invented a miniature master key, which he hid from prying eyes. He had excellent control of his body, knew how to compress or increase the volume of muscles, and shifted bones in the joints. And behind the seemingly easy-to-perform tricks there was skill and tedious training. For uninitiated viewers, the magician's unique performances truly bordered on magic.

Victory over fear

Harry Houdini himself, whose tricks confused the public, admitted that the main thing in his profession was to overcome fear. The illusionist must remain calm and self-controlled, and giving in to panic means certain death. The author of deadly dangerous tricks himself was repeatedly on the verge of death, and was saved only because he retained a sober mind and did not lose his presence of mind.

Secrets revealed

Twelve years ago, in Appleton, an exhibition was held where visitors were able to learn the secrets of the tricks of the famous Harry Houdini, whose photos were posted everywhere. Illusionists around the world, who protested against revealing secrets to spectators, called it a violation of “magical protocol.” The event caused a huge resonance, but it has long been known that only a year after the death of the king of illusions, his team began to sell the secrets of their master. For example, liberation from a straitjacket occurred due to the fact that Harry folded his hands in a special way, preventing the sleeves from being pulled tight.

The secret of getting the magician through a brick wall erected by workers in front of admiring spectators turned out to be simple. There was a small hole under the carpet on which the builders were working, and when the assistants covered Houdini with a screen for a few seconds, he jumped down and found himself on the other side of the wall.

And the mystery of the elephant’s disappearance lay in the unusual box in which the animal was located. Hidden in the front of the cage was a roll of the same fabric as the stage curtain. The magician instantly lowered the cloth that disguised the elephant, and the audience thought that it had disappeared literally before their eyes.

Film adaptation of a magician's life

The life of the popular illusionist inspired the creators of the mini-series in which Oscar winner E. Brody played the great magician Harry Houdini. The film, released in 2014, was liked by the public, who noted the excellent cast and excellent direction. The exciting story tells about the long path to glory of one of the most mystical characters of past eras. The series, in which Brody perfectly conveyed the image of a man obsessed with illusions, revealed the secrets of the magician himself, who was trying to cheat death.

It must be said that this is not the first time that filmmakers have turned to a global legend. In 1998, the work of director P. Densham “Houdini” appeared, the plot of which is based on the biography of the famous Harry Houdini. The film with an unusual ending, where the magician seems to be resurrected from the dead, was the second work of Pena, who 20 years ago made a documentary about his favorite illusionist. This beautiful dramatic film, worthy of the viewer’s attention, examines well-known and not so famous events in the artist’s life, and also tells the story of the relationship between Harry and his wife.

Harry Houdini Award

In 2015, a prize was established in Russia with a prize fund of one million rubles, which no one has received yet. The award, named after the greatest magician, will go to those who show their paranormal abilities, amenable to experimental verification.

The first person to successfully pass the test will not only prove to the whole world that psychics exist, but will also receive a good monetary reward. Unfortunately, within the framework of a correctly conducted experiment, the ability of magicians and sorcerers to show real miracles suddenly disappears, and while the Russian Prize, which is the prototype of the American D. Randi Foundation, is waiting for its heroes.

Harry Houdini is a great mystifier who left behind many unsolved mysteries. He repeatedly challenged death and became the winner. And to this day, his fans believe that the spirit of the legendary illusionist will one day materialize.

Biography

According to documents, the future magician was born in Budapest into the family of a rabbi, although Houdini himself claimed that his place of birth was American state Wisconsin. His parents immigrated to the United States on July 3, 1878, when Eric was four years old. The family initially settled in the town of Appleton (Wisconsin), where his father, Meer Samuel (Shamuel) Weiss (1829-1892), received the post of rabbi of the Reform synagogue Zion Reform Jewish Congregation ( Reform Jewish Community of Zion). In 1887, Houdini and his father moved to New York, where they were soon joined by the artist's mother Cecilia (Cecilia) Steiner (1841-1913) and six of his brothers and sisters. The family spoke Yiddish, German and Hungarian.

Harry performed card tricks publicly in entertainment venues from the age of 10. In 1892 he adopted the pseudonym Houdini, in honor of the French magician Robert-Houdin (whose surname he mistakenly read in accordance with the rules of English, not French). Later, the name Harry was added to the surname in honor of Harry Kellar, although according to the testimony of relatives, already in childhood, friends called him Eri ( Ehrie) or Harry ( Harry). Initially he toured the USA with his brother. IN early career Houdini's performances were dominated by self-release from handcuffs and from water tanks. For advertising purposes, he practiced spectacular stunts that could be witnessed by entire crowds of onlookers. So, one day he was suspended in a bag from the cornice of a skyscraper, but successfully freed himself. Another time he walked through a brick wall in front of many spectators. In 1903, he was thrown from a bridge into the Thames, handcuffed and shackled with a 30-pound ball, but surfaced a few minutes later, waving the handcuffs.

During a tour of Europe in 1900, Houdini amazed London with “The Disappearance of the Living Elephant,” which he performed at the New York Hippodrome in 1918. He toured Russia again in 1908, demonstrating self-liberation from death row in Butyrka prison and Peter and Paul Fortress. The magician also performed in Washington prisons. This is how the authors of the book “From Ancient Magicians to Modern Illusionists” describe this trick: “Locked in a prison cell, dressed in prison clothes, he came out two minutes later, opened the doors of neighboring cells and, for fun, switched places of prisoners. Then he entered the dressing room and, fifteen minutes after being locked, appeared in the guardroom dressed in his suit.”

As he grew older, Houdini's stunts became more and more difficult. Even after successful performances, he ended up in the hospital more than once. Since 1910, he began acting in films. In the same year, he staged a number to free himself from the muzzle of a cannon just seconds before the fuse went off. Interested in aviation, he purchased a biplane and made the first ever flight over Australia. He also became close to former president Theodore Roosevelt. Rumors appeared that Houdini was connected with American intelligence services and Scotland Yard.

At the height of his fame, Houdini earned a lot of money. In the 1920s, newspapers reported that his salary was almost twice that of the President of the United States. The fear of ending his life in poverty, as was the case with his father, did not leave him. Houdini did not know how to handle money at all: he trembled over every cent and at the same time spent huge sums on paintings and books. Sent checks to the elderly, gave gold coins to the poor, gave charity concerts in hospitals, orphanages and even in prisons for prisoners.

Houdini was seriously concerned that, under the influence of spiritualism, which was popular in those years, many illusionists began to disguise their tricks with the appearance of communication with otherworldly forces. Accompanied by a constable dressed in civilian clothes, Houdini began to attend seances incognito in order to expose charlatans, and was noticeably successful in this. The consequence was a break with an old comrade, Arthur Conan Doyle, who was a staunch supporter of spiritualism and revered Houdini as a very powerful medium.

Death of an Illusionist

While on tour in Montreal, he was relaxing in his dressing room when three students walked in, one of whom was a college boxing champion. He asked Mr. Houdini if he could really take several hard blows to the stomach without feeling anything. Houdini, lost in thought, nodded, and the student unexpectedly dealt the artist two or three blows. Houdini barely stopped him: “Wait, I need to get ready,” after which he tensed his abs - “Here, now you can hit.” The student hit him a couple of times and felt Houdini’s iron abdominal press on himself. For several days Houdini did not pay attention to the pain, but these blows provoked a rupture of the appendix, as a result of which peritonitis developed. In 1926, antibiotics did not exist, and on October 31, 1926, Harry Houdini died in Detroit.

Houdini left his wife a secret code, without which his “true” spirit would not have been able to contact the living during table-turning sessions. This was done so that charlatans would not arrange sessions of communication with the spirit of Houdini - “the thunderstorm of spiritualists.”

Weiss with mother and wife.jpg

Houdini with his mother Cecilia Steiner and wife Bass (Elizabeth) in 1907

HarryHoudini-1899.jpg

Harry Houdini before performing the self-release trick, 1899

Mastermystery-1919poster.jpg

A 1919 poster announcing a film starring Houdini in leading role

Houdini Gravesite 1024.jpg

Harry Houdini's grave

Harry Houdini Award

In 2015, the Harry Houdini Prize was established in Russia, designed to draw public attention to the problem of uncritical acceptance of claims about the existence of paranormal phenomena and superpowers.

In art

Houdini is one of the heroes of E. L. Doctorow's bestseller "Ragtime", translated into Russian in 1975 by Vasily Aksyonov. In 1998, a musical based on the novel was staged, in which Houdini is a minor character.

Cinema

1953 - “Houdini” (as Houdini: Tony Curtis)
1976 - “The Great Houdini” (as Houdini: Paul Michael Glaser)
1987 - “Young Harry Houdini” (as Houdini: Wil Wheaton)
1998 - “Houdini” (as Houdini: Jonathon Shack)
2007 - “Deadly Number” (as Houdini: Guy Pearce)
2008 - “The Miracles of Houdini” (as Houdini: Ernest Borgnine)
2014 - “Houdini” (as Houdini: Adrien Brody)
2016 - “Houdini and Doyle” (as Houdini: Michael Weston)

Write a review about the article "Harry Houdini"

Notes

Excerpt describing Harry Houdini

Andrei was silent: he was both pleased and unpleasant that his father understood him. The old man stood up and handed the letter to his son.
“Listen,” he said, “don’t worry about your wife: what can be done will be done.” Now listen: give the letter to Mikhail Ilarionovich. I am writing to tell you to good places used it and did not hold it as an adjutant for a long time: a nasty position! Tell him that I remember him and love him. Yes, write how he will receive you. If you are good, serve. Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky’s son will not serve anyone out of mercy. Well, now come here.
He spoke in such a rapid-fire manner that he did not finish half the words, but his son got used to understanding him. He led his son to the bureau, threw back the lid, pulled out the drawer and took out a notebook covered in his large, long and condensed handwriting.
“I must die before you.” Know that my notes are here, to be handed over to the Emperor after my death. Now here is a pawn ticket and a letter: this is a prize for the one who writes the history of Suvorov’s wars. Send to the academy. Here are my remarks, after me read for yourself, you will find benefit.
Andrei did not tell his father that he would probably live for a long time. He understood that there was no need to say this.
“I will do everything, father,” he said.
- Well, now goodbye! “He let his son kiss his hand and hugged him. “Remember one thing, Prince Andrei: if they kill you, it will hurt my old man...” He suddenly fell silent and suddenly continued in a loud voice: “and if I find out that you did not behave like the son of Nikolai Bolkonsky, I will be ... ashamed!” – he squealed.
“You don’t have to tell me this, father,” the son said, smiling.
The old man fell silent.
“I also wanted to ask you,” continued Prince Andrei, “if they kill me and if I have a son, do not let him go from you, as I told you yesterday, so that he can grow up with you... please.”
- Shouldn’t I give it to my wife? - said the old man and laughed.
They stood silently opposite each other. The old man's quick eyes were directly fixed on his son's eyes. Something trembled in the lower part of the old prince’s face.
- Goodbye... go! - he suddenly said. - Go! - he shouted angry and in a loud voice, opening the office door.
- What is it, what? - asked the princess and princess, seeing Prince Andrei and for a moment the figure of an old man in a white robe, without a wig and wearing old man’s glasses, leaning out for a moment, shouting in an angry voice.
Prince Andrei sighed and did not answer.
“Well,” he said, turning to his wife.
And this “well” sounded like a cold mockery, as if he was saying: “Now do your tricks.”
– Andre, deja! [Andrey, already!] - said the little princess, turning pale and looking at her husband with fear.
He hugged her. She screamed and fell unconscious on his shoulder.
He carefully moved away the shoulder on which she was lying, looked into her face and carefully sat her down on a chair.
“Adieu, Marieie, [Goodbye, Masha,”] he said quietly to his sister, kissed her hand in hand and quickly walked out of the room.
The princess was lying in a chair, M lle Burien was rubbing her temples. Princess Marya, supporting her daughter-in-law, with tear-stained beautiful eyes, still looked at the door through which Prince Andrei came out, and baptized him. From the office one could hear, like gunshots, the often repeated angry sounds of an old man blowing his nose. As soon as Prince Andrei left, the office door quickly opened and the stern figure of an old man in a white robe looked out.
- Left? Well, good! - he said, looking angrily at the emotionless little princess, shook his head reproachfully and slammed the door.

In October 1805, Russian troops occupied the villages and towns of the Archduchy of Austria, and more new regiments came from Russia and, burdening the residents with billeting, were stationed at the Braunau fortress. The main apartment of Commander-in-Chief Kutuzov was in Braunau.
On October 11, 1805, one of the infantry regiments that had just arrived at Braunau, awaiting inspection by the commander-in-chief, stood half a mile from the city. Despite the non-Russian terrain and situation ( orchards, stone fences, tiled roofs, mountains visible in the distance), to the non-Russian people, looking at the soldiers with curiosity, the regiment had exactly the same appearance as any Russian regiment had, preparing for a review somewhere in the middle of Russia.
In the evening, on the last march, an order was received that the commander-in-chief would inspect the regiment on the march. Although the words of the order seemed unclear to the regimental commander, and the question arose how to understand the words of the order: in marching uniform or not? in the council of battalion commanders it was decided to present the regiment in full dress uniform on the grounds that it is always better to bow than not to bow. And the soldiers, after a thirty-mile march, did not sleep a wink, they repaired and cleaned themselves all night; adjutants and company commanders counted and expelled; and by morning the regiment, instead of the sprawling, disorderly crowd that it had been the day before during the last march, represented an orderly mass of 2,000 people, each of whom knew his place, his job, and of whom, on each of them, every button and strap was in its place and sparkled with cleanliness . Not only was the outside in good order, but if the commander-in-chief had wanted to look under the uniforms, he would have seen an equally clean shirt on each one and in each knapsack he would have found the legal number of things, “sweat and soap,” as the soldiers say. There was only one circumstance about which no one could be calm. It was shoes. More than half the people's boots were broken. But this deficiency was not due to the fault of the regimental commander, since, despite repeated demands, the goods were not released to him from the Austrian department, and the regiment traveled a thousand miles.
The regimental commander was an elderly, sanguine general with graying eyebrows and sideburns, thick-set and wider from chest to back than from one shoulder to the other. He was wearing a new, brand new uniform with wrinkled folds and thick golden epaulettes, which seemed to lift his fat shoulders upward rather than downwards. The regimental commander had the appearance of a man happily performing one of the most solemn affairs of life. He walked in front of the front and, as he walked, trembled at every step, slightly arching his back. It was clear that the regimental commander was admiring his regiment, happy with it, that all his mental strength was occupied only with the regiment; but, despite the fact that his trembling gait seemed to say that, in addition to military interests, the interests of social life and the female sex occupied a significant place in his soul.
“Well, Father Mikhailo Mitrich,” he turned to one battalion commander (the battalion commander leaned forward smiling; it was clear that they were happy), “it was a lot of trouble this night.” However, it seems that nothing is wrong, the regiment is not bad... Eh?
The battalion commander understood the funny irony and laughed.
- And in Tsaritsyn Meadow they wouldn’t have driven you away from the field.
- What? - said the commander.
At this time, along the road from the city, along which the makhalnye were placed, two horsemen appeared. These were the adjutant and the Cossack riding behind.
The adjutant was sent from the main headquarters to confirm to the regimental commander what was said unclearly in yesterday's order, namely, that the commander-in-chief wanted to see the regiment exactly in the position in which it was marching - in overcoats, in covers and without any preparations.
A member of the Gofkriegsrat from Vienna arrived to Kutuzov the day before, with proposals and demands to join the army of Archduke Ferdinand and Mack as soon as possible, and Kutuzov, not considering this connection beneficial, among other evidence in favor of his opinion, intended to show the Austrian general that sad situation , in which troops came from Russia. For this purpose, he wanted to go out to meet the regiment, so the worse the situation of the regiment, the more pleasant it would be for the commander-in-chief. Although the adjutant did not know these details, he conveyed to the regimental commander the commander-in-chief’s indispensable requirement that the people wear overcoats and covers, and that otherwise the commander-in-chief would be dissatisfied. Having heard these words, the regimental commander lowered his head, silently raised his shoulders and spread his hands with a sanguine gesture.

The whole world knows the name of Harry Houdini, this great magician risked his life, he amazed everyone with his unthinkable deeds. After his tricks, Houdini more than once found himself in a hospital bed. The illusionist's tricks were not just a job or a hobby, for Harry it was life. And its end also found Houdini at work - then he traveled around the world giving performances. Houdini was 52 years old when death came for his fearless soul. There is a version that trouble came right on stage, during the act with the aquarium. It is believed that Houdini drowned because he failed to solve his own puzzle.

There is another - more truthful version. The life of such a great man was cut short in a very absurd way; it happened in Montreal. On October 22 (perhaps a day apart) 1926, Harry had already performed his show on stage, it was called “Three-in-One: Magic, Liberation and Illusion with Impact.” This program consisted of very complex manipulations, Harry played everything properly and relaxed in his dressing room. At that moment, two students were in the room with the magician, they were drawing a portrait of Houdini. The magician was lying on the sofa, students Jack Price and Sam Smiley were drawing, the door opened and a certain Gordon Whitehead entered the room. The man introduced himself as a student at McGill University. The uninvited guest did not surprise Houdini, since the latter thought that the young man was a friend of two young artists. However, the guest asked the magician a question:

Mr. Houdini, is it true that you can withstand any blow to the stomach? They say you have iron abs... May I try it?

After this question, the guy approached the sofa, the sleepy Houdini stood up and received three quick and short blows to the stomach. The magician grabbed his torso and began to moan; later it became known that McGill was an amateur boxer and he really wanted to master the same impenetrable abs that Harry had. As the boxer landed his punches, the illusionist doubled over in pain as his appendix burst. It turned out that the inflammation had already been present for several days, and Houdini simply did not pay attention to the pain in the lower right side of his abdomen. But the magician was used to not giving up halfway, and he pulled himself together and straightened up, then Houdini said:

Now strike.

After that, the student dealt several more blows, and his arm even hurt, because the illusionist’s abs really were steel. Houdini knew nothing about the ruptured appendicitis; he calmly completed his business in Montreal and boarded the train. The magician and his wife Bess were traveling to Detroit, where Houdini was scheduled to give a concert at the Garrick Theater. For several days the illusionist suffered in terrible pain, but he did not dare to interrupt his show, the magician endured. Bess became nervous, she noticed that the muea was tormenting something. Suddenly Houdini's temperature soared and he arrived in Detroit already in a fever. When the illusionist started the show - playing the role of a magician-magician, he became ill, Harry collapsed on stage during the number with release from a straitjacket. Bess jumped onto the stage, Harry opened his eyes and smiled at her. The show ended and Houdini was taken to the hospital, doctors conducted an examination, at that time the showman’s body temperature reached 40 degrees. Doctors made a terrible diagnosis - peritonitis. Now nothing could be done - Houdini was put in ward number 401. Over the course of several days, he slowly died, but he still managed to write a will for Bess. Houdini partially lost consciousness on October 30, 1926, it was on the eve of Halloween, since then Harry did not recognize anyone and did not remember anything.

Houdini's funeral took place on November 4. And the body of the genius was enclosed in a bronze chest, his master prepared it for the future issue with liberation from sand captivity.

$mob_info$