Velma Queen of Illusion

 

Episode 110 of the Magic Detective Podcast features the lady above, Velma Nahum. What a charming story she has. And what a wonderful career she had. She was a fearless innovator. The only female magician in her area (NYC) at the time. And she made the most of it. She was on To Tell the Truth, What's My Line, The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show, Conan' Obrien, David Letterman and many other talk shows in the United States and in Canada.

I encourage you to listen to the podcast, because you can hear Velma tell many of the stories herself. She had quite a few stories, some of which I couldn't repeat, lol. Not because they were bad, but just, well, might ruffle some feathers. One I did let slip through was her opinion of Kuda Bux, who she thought was full of it. What a faker! lol. Clearly she was not fooled by him in any way shape or form. 

She was doing trade show work in the late 1960s and 70s. And she was very popular. Plus, as she said, she was the only one. I don't want to give away here whole story here. I just wanted you to see some photos of her in action.

She's a good example of adapting to the times. She developed several acts in order to stay busy. And she was in demand during her time. She certainly deserves a place among the pioneering females in magic!

Newest Houdini Bust by Spectral Motion

 

I just love the work that Spectral Motion does. I love their movie work. But especially, love their magic work. They have a collection of very high end busts of various magicians. Kellar, Thurston, Houdini, Houdin, Dante and more. But now they are offering a smaller bust of Houdini, at a price that is a bit more affordable in these tough times.

He is a 6.4 inch resin 3-D printed HOUDINI. He looks exactly like the larger version. It's a young Houdini, ready to burst forth on the show biz scene. You can get them from the Spectral Motions Etsy site. Here is the link...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1877602279/harry-houdini-mini-bust-by-spectral?ref=shop_home_active_2&logging_key=4c2b96730f6054995b17a34dbe5d960a7cfe5705%3A1877602279

A REAL Houdini Secret Revealed and Going To Auction

 

Magicians want to pride themselves on knowing 'all' of Houdini's secrets. Frankly, that's a delusional approach. Houdini had so many secrets and methods to his various effects, it's impossible to nail them all down. I love however, when a secret comes along that wasn't known or at least wasn't well known. And normally, I would never reveal a secret, but in this case, it is NOT a secret that has anything to do with methods.

This secret involved his upside down straitjacket escape. The device in question, two ankle/leg straps, which were hidden underneath the pant legs which  protected his legs and ankles.  In early photos Houdini might have cloth around his ankles to protect them, but this leather brace device was far more safe and secure.

On first glance, they look to be in great condition. But upon closer inspection you can see the corrosion on all the metal buckle parts. And the leather straps look quite brittle. The ends of the straps look to be dry rotted, so I wouldn't unbuckle them just out of precaution. 

I first saw these in 2011, when I visited Ken Klosterman. I was beyond thrilled to see such a thing. And now, this unique piece of Houdini's life can be yours, because they are listed next Potter and Potter Auction. This is lot #176 and has a starting bid of $1000.  If the Houdini Trunk from the last Potter Auction is any indication, these leather leg braces could go quite high. 

Here is a link to the actual item. https://auctions.potterauctions.com/__HOUDINI___Houdini_s_Leather_Upside_Down_Straitja-LOT94103.aspx