The Lost Episode - Houdini in Congress Part 2....still missing.

 

While reading Brad Riccas new book,  Lincolns Ghost, I had a strange feeling that I had read it before. In fact, the further I delved into the book, the more it all was coming back. It wasnt that I had read it before, its that I had been down this same research road before. It was similar to Part 2 of my  Houdini In Congress Episode from way back in Season 1. I had forgotten about it completely. In the first episode, I only covered the first meetings with Houdini in Congress, not the later incident. Part 2 was to cover the later testimonies, as well as a bit more information on the various mediums that Houdini encountered.

Try as I might, I cant locate it. I wrote the script. I thought I recorded it but I may not have. But I did write the script. So, Ive been going through countless files trying to locate it. I still have not come across it. 

But here is a a twist to the story. Fellow magic historian, Chuck Romano has written a book on Houdinis time before Congress. Apparently, also covered the mediums as well. The book comes out tomorrow. Here is a link to where you can purchase his book: Houdini vs. The Spiritualists. 

I will put up my episode at some point in 2026, once I locate the script. But I encourage you to get Chucks book, as he always does a fantastic job in his research. He also recently put out books on Bert Allerton, and a second book on Paul Rosini called Reworking Rosini. I have his first book, The House of Cards on the life of Paul Rosini. He also has a book, now in its third version, The Art of Deception. This is my favorite book by Chuck Romano, because Im in it, lol!!! I forget if one or two of my paintings are featured in there, I know its at least one. 

At any rate, I shall be exploring Houdini and the Congress and the Spiritualists more in 2026. If you'd like a bit of a preview, you can check out Episode 83 of the podcast, where I talk about the strange friendship between Houdini and Ira Davenport. http://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-83-the-strange-friendship-of-houdini-ira-davenport/ And then Episode 84 goes into Houdini and the Spiritualists to a small degree. http://magicdetectivepodcast.com/e/ep-84-a-magician-among-the-spiritualists/

Rob Lake and the Muppets Closing...and fast!

 

I just heard that Rob Lake and the Muppets was closing on November 16th. What? They just opened on Oct 28th. How can this be? Then I read a review of the show and it points out two glaring problems. One, there was no director for this production. Two, there was no real story or through line for this production. Im sure there was more to pan than that. Ok, I'll do it. How do you go to Broadway with run of the mill illusions? Now, granted, I didn't see the show but the reviewer points out the standard illusions that have everyone has been doing since the days of Thurston. 

I LOVE illusions! I even think you can get by with a few standards. I mean look what the Pendragons did with standard illusions. You can breath new life into them. But that said, Johnathan and his wife Charlotte were more than their props. David Copperfield was more than his props. Doug Henning was more than his props. They all had charisma. 

Let's look at the last time Muppets were in a magic show? That was Doug Henning's last tour. He had a couple illusions with a Muppet like character, one used a mis-made lady illusion. The other was a big illusion that I saw at the Warner Theater in DC but I honestly do not recall the effect, only that it was big and used life sized muppets. Did Rob have something like that in the show? I don't know.

Also, no offense, Rob Lake is not a household name. Doug Henning wasn't a household name either when he first went to Broadway. He also couldn't act, sing, or dance. But he could MAGIC better than anyone. And it was THAT quality that stole the show. Plus his show was called THE MAGIC SHOW and it didn't rely upon star power. It relied upon a story. 

When David Copperfield went to Broadway his show was called Dreams and Nightmares and he brought in Francis Ford Coppola to direct the show. I never say that show and Im honestly not sure if that show really had a story either. BUT it had star power, because at the time David was the most popular magician on the planet.

This production sounded like a good idea, but it appears they botched it. Im not sure the Muppets are the draw they once were either. Maybe the show could have been called KERMIT & His Magical Friends. And Rob Lake could have been THE guy to bring the magic. And then the other Muppets could make appearances. I mean, Andy Griffiths character of the sheriff began as a skit on the Danny Thomas Show. THEN it became its own show. 

I don't know. I wasn't there. Im only going by what Ive read. But its gotta hurt. I know if the show is closing this fast, they weren't selling tickets and they didnt have enough faith in the production to keep it running over the holidays. All I can say is, my best to Rob Lake on his future projects. He's a nice guy. 

Book Review: Lincoln's Ghost by Brad Ricca

 

Lincoln's Ghost -A Book Review

There is a new book out this October on Houdini, it's called Lincoln's Ghost by Brad Ricca. It has a picture of Houdini shaking hands with a shadowed figure, presumably Abe Lincoln. In truth, the photo was originally Houdini and Conan Doyle shaking hands. But I digress. One thing I noticed about this book was it was awfully familiar. Almost as if I had read it before. And the truth is, I did. I've gone down those paths that the author did to write the book. He did a lot of research I shall say. Sorry he didnt' choose this blog among his sources, but oh well.

Let's get to the book. I really enjoyed the book. I enjoyed reliving the interactions of Houdini and members of Congress. My initial research on this gave me the distinct impression that most of the Congressmen had no idea who Houdini was. And many took what he had to say rather lightly. Ricca does a fine job of sharing this story with the reader. 

I will admit for many years, the Spiritualism or Anti-Spiritualist part of Houdini's life was the least interesting to me. But now that I have lost friends and family members, it seems that this part of his life is actually incredibly fascinating. I like how Brad weaves the various stories together into one cohesive narrative. 

The introduction of Houdini's boyhood idol LINCOLN is quite good. We forget that Lincoln died only 9 years before Houdini was born, so it makes perfect sense that such a man would be an inspiration for the great magician. 

I did have my qualms with the book, in one part the author refers to the mediums as right-wingers. Though they were religious in nature, it's not an accurate description. Most main stream religions did not agree with Spiritualism, it was very much a fringe belief. And there clearly were Democrats and Republicans in this time period, but it's  hard to say there were left wing and right wing groups. There were certainly anarchists and progressives, but those affiliations were not the same as today. I wouldn't' label the mediums by today's political standards, other than to say they were mostly crooks, which was Houdini's belief as well.

An interesting point is the contention that there were mediums alive in Houdini's day who actually performed Seances at the White House during Lincoln's term in office. A book by Nettie Maynard is referenced as the source for this information. Ms. Maynard allegedly being the medium for the Lincoln's. This is highly interesting to me and something I wish to look into further. I do not know if Lincoln himself was into such things, but there is no question that Mrs. Lincoln was a firm believer in seances and mediums. 

As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the book. I won't nitpick it apart because overall the story is quite fascinating. As a Houdini historian, it's much easier for me to point out what I think are errors or misinterpretations. But the average reader is not interested in this, rather they want a good story and this comes across as a well researched and fascinating story about two of histories most iconic individuals.

The book is published by St. Martin's Press. It is available through Amazon.com, BooksAMillion and all the places fine books are sold. Get your copy today!!!!