Magicians from around the world, led by David Copperfield and James Randi, raised the money needed for its restoration. Indeed, Houdini’s grave has been desecrated several times, and was severely damaged in 1993. Machpelah will be closed on Halloween because the operators of the cemetery have sadly discovered through experience that the holiday invites acts of vandalism. I wish I could tell you that the “Ritual of the Broken Wand” will be performed tomorrow as tradition dictates, but alas, that will not happen. His exploits spawned numerous books, movies and plays and inspired countless youngsters to take up the engaging hobby of prestidigitation. They came to pay homage to Harry Houdini, performer extraordinaire, who passed away on Halloween in 1926, but never really left us. Catherine Street West).For many years members of the American Society of Magicians gathered on October 31 at Machpelah Cemetery in New York to break a magic wand over the grave of the man whose name is synonymous with magic. Some say his spirit still haunts the grounds of the now-abandoned old Princess Theatre (476 St. While he didn’t die in Montreal, contrary to popular belief, it is the city where Houdini met his unfortunate fate. Houdini passed away on Halloween, a day many people deemed fitting for the magician and larger-than-life figure. Although Houdini, who had a fever of 104☏, was given hours to live, he held on for about a week until finally succumbing to the infection. As the pain persisted and worsened, Houdini refused a proposed trip to the hospital.ĭays later he collapsed on stage in Detroit and was finally sent to the hospital. Houdini, who was no stranger to discomfort, pushed through the pain and performed in Montreal despite his failing health. Whitehead’s damage to Houdini’s stomach seemed to aggravate a pre-existing (undetected) case of appendicitis. Houdini apparently agreed, but before he was able to prepare himself the student delivered three punches to his stomach. During the meeting, Whitehead wanted to challenge Houdini’s strength and asked if the claims about the magician being able to absorb punches were true. Smilovitz, who decided to sketch Houdini. During his brief stint in town, Houdini visited McGill University to give a presentation on his recent debunking of a Boston medium.Īccording to McGill’s archives, after the presentation, at least two students came to visit him in his dressing room: Jocelyn Gordon Whitehead and Samuel J. In October of 1926, Houdini was in Montreal to perform at the Princess Theatre on Sainte-Catherine Street. It was also common for him to conduct lectures on debunking spiritualism at educational institutions along the way. He co-authored multiple works on the subject and even incorporated them into his new stage show named “Three Shows in One: Magic, Escapes, and Fraud Mediums Exposed.”ĭespite injuries, the magician, now in his early fifties, continues to tour and perform. By the 1920s debunking these spiritualists had become Houdini’s main focus. And as an illusionist himself, he was able to quickly identify a con artist when he saw one. Doyle introduced Houdini to his love of spiritualism and deep belief in the supernatural.īut after attending multiple séances (often in disguise) and meeting with countless spiritualists, Houdini developed a strong disdain for the fraudulent nature of the practice. By then, Houdini has established a friendship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the author behind Sherlock Holmes. He also tried his hand as a movie star and writer. In the mid-1910s Houdini began serving as president of the Society of American Magicians. For the next two decades, he rose up the ranks of magic through death-defying stunts, escapes, and theatre performances. As a teenager, Weisz was already performing stunts and feats under his new stage persona.īy the early 20th century Houdini was touring Europe and quickly becoming a household name around the world. Upon coming to America as a child, Weisz became infatuated with the work of French illusionist Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, so much so that he adopted the name (with an added vowel) as his own. Houdini, was born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874. In order to understand what really killed the illusionist and how Montreal played a pivotal role in his downfall, we must start at the beginning.
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