Houdini and the Bean Giant

Hello fellow collectors,

I've a question concerning a (IMHO) anachronism. The world famous Harry Houdini is known for escaping the also famous Bean Giant handcuff. That's beyond controversy. But when searching for "Houdini and Bean Giant" I found the following anecdote:

"Their interesting history began in 1887 when Captain Bean, of the Boston police force, offered a reward of $500 to anyone who could escape from Bean-Giant cuffs with or without the key. He, of course, was to personally lock the cuffs on the wrists of the challenger. The challenger’s hands behind him and with the keyhole facing upwards towards the body. Once the challenge was accepted and the money won by Houdini.

Harry Houdini was born 04/06/1874. He became famous as an escape artist since about 1900. This concludes that Houdini either was about 13 years old (and not famous, yet) when he accepted Mr. Beans challenge or nobody managed to escape the Bean Giant for at least 13 years. I myself think that there are two stories mixed together and that it was not Houdini, but another escape artist who managed to succeed Mr. Bean's challenge. Am I right or wrong?

Regards
Atame

Dear Atame,

The patent for the Bean Giant handcuffs was issued 1 November 1887, making Bean's $500.00 escape challenge a marketing tactic to promote his new handcuff. I do not know when Houdini accepted the challenge and succeeded in escaping from the handcuffs, yet I doubt it was during the last two months of 1887.

I am certain this response will be followed by many from the online escapology chorus. I just wanted to be first.

Cheers,

Jack

Hello fellow collectors,

I've a question concerning a (IMHO) anachronism. The world famous Harry Houdini is known for escaping the also famous Bean Giant handcuff. That's beyond controversy. But when searching for "Houdini and Bean Giant" I found the following anecdote:

"Their interesting history began in 1887 when Captain Bean, of the Boston police force, offered a reward of $500 to anyone who could escape from Bean-Giant cuffs with or without the key. He, of course, was to personally lock the cuffs on the wrists of the challenger. The challenger’s hands behind him and with the keyhole facing upwards towards the body. Once the challenge was accepted and the money won by Houdini.

Harry Houdini was born 04/06/1874. He became famous as an escape artist since about 1900. This concludes that Houdini either was about 13 years old (and not famous, yet) when he accepted Mr. Beans challenge or nobody managed to escape the Bean Giant for at least 13 years. I myself think that there are two stories mixed together and that it was not Houdini, but another escape artist who managed to succeed Mr. Bean's challenge. Am I right or wrong?

Regards
Atame

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Atame - Jack's response seems logical to me.

As a further note of historical interest & accuracy - Edward Bean was never a "Captain" in the Boston Police Dept, because he was never in the Boston Police Department. He did however, achieve the rank of an officer in the Chelsea, Mass. Police Department(1873-79). Mr. Bean earned his "Captain" status strictly from his enlistment in the Civil War.

Hello fellow collectors,

I've a question concerning a (IMHO) anachronism. The world famous Harry Houdini is known for escaping the also famous Bean Giant handcuff. That's beyond controversy. But when searching for "Houdini and Bean Giant" I found the following anecdote:

"Their interesting history began in 1887 when Captain Bean, of the Boston police force, offered a reward of $500 to anyone who could escape from Bean-Giant cuffs with or without the key. He, of course, was to personally lock the cuffs on the wrists of the challenger. The challenger’s hands behind him and with the keyhole facing upwards towards the body. Once the challenge was accepted and the money won by Houdini.

Harry Houdini was born 04/06/1874. He became famous as an escape artist since about 1900. This concludes that Houdini either was about 13 years old (and not famous, yet) when he accepted Mr. Beans challenge or nobody managed to escape the Bean Giant for at least 13 years. I myself think that there are two stories mixed together and that it was not Houdini, but another escape artist who managed to succeed Mr. Bean's challenge. Am I right or wrong?

Regards
Atame

Click to expand...

Hi Atame , according to Ruth Brandon's book page 84 " It's inventor, Captain Bean of Boston, had offered five hundred dollars to anyone who could release himself from it. Houdini had won but forfieted the cash,as he would not reveal his method"

Maybe the two people, Bean and Houdini never met.
The above story would cover the fact Houdini had nothing to show for the event.

Ian

Hello fellow collectors,

I've a question concerning a (IMHO) anachronism. The world famous Harry Houdini is known for escaping the also famous Bean Giant handcuff. That's beyond controversy. But when searching for "Houdini and Bean Giant" I found the following anecdote:

"Their interesting history began in 1887 when Captain Bean, of the Boston police force, offered a reward of $500 to anyone who could escape from Bean-Giant cuffs with or without the key. He, of course, was to personally lock the cuffs on the wrists of the challenger. The challenger’s hands behind him and with the keyhole facing upwards towards the body. Once the challenge was accepted and the money won by Houdini.

Harry Houdini was born 04/06/1874. He became famous as an escape artist since about 1900. This concludes that Houdini either was about 13 years old (and not famous, yet) when he accepted Mr. Beans challenge or nobody managed to escape the Bean Giant for at least 13 years. I myself think that there are two stories mixed together and that it was not Houdini, but another escape artist who managed to succeed Mr. Bean's challenge. Am I right or wrong?

Regards
Atame

Click to expand...

Yes,

I agree it is very interesting Houdini had nothing to show for his purported award winning encounter with the Giants and I have always wondered if in fact there really was any "reward" or if any of it was true.

One also has to wonder if in fact Houdini was, as he claimed, the first escapologist to escape from the cuffs.

In our museum collection at The Escaporium we have MANY original photographs of vintage escapists wearing manacles. Almost without exception nearly ALL are seen wearing the Bean Giant cuffs.

So, obviously the cuff was very popular with escape artists and certainly was not looked upon by them as being all that difficult to get out of or they would not be using it at all!

I would give a lot to know the exact date that Houdini allegedly "beat" the Giant and collected the reward (with documentation of course). If we knew this for certain, I would cross reference this date against some of the dates we do know for some of the photos in our collection. If we could do this I would not be one bit suprised to find out that some other escapists was in fact working with the cuff before Harry.

One final "fishy" fact regarding Houdini's original reward winning escape from the Giants: In the Feb 15th, 1907 issue of The Conjuror's Monthly Magazine Houdini mentions Bean, and his encounter with the cuff and then goes on to state that the reward to anyone escaping from the cuffs has now been "reduced to $50.00".

This is not logical at all. Why, if there was an original reward to anyone escaping the cuffs and someone actually did get out and collected it, would anyone in thier right mind bother to offer ADDITIONAL reward money no matter how reduced in sum?

I mean, obviously the cuffs were defeated once to claim the original $500.00
so why keep giving money away when they had been proved to be obviously not escape proof.

If one person could do it, certainly so could, and did, others.

Perhaps the entire Bean Giant reward episode was just another example of Harry's fabled showmanship.

Regards, Steve Santini

P.S. I remember reading somewhere that Houdini had in fact claimed he and Bean actually became good friends but I do not right now remember the source of this claim. Knowing Houdini, this could be bogus as well!

Hello fellow collectors,

I've a question concerning a (IMHO) anachronism. The world famous Harry Houdini is known for escaping the also famous Bean Giant handcuff. That's beyond controversy. But when searching for "Houdini and Bean Giant" I found the following anecdote:

"Their interesting history began in 1887 when Captain Bean, of the Boston police force, offered a reward of $500 to anyone who could escape from Bean-Giant cuffs with or without the key. He, of course, was to personally lock the cuffs on the wrists of the challenger. The challenger’s hands behind him and with the keyhole facing upwards towards the body. Once the challenge was accepted and the money won by Houdini.

Harry Houdini was born 04/06/1874. He became famous as an escape artist since about 1900. This concludes that Houdini either was about 13 years old (and not famous, yet) when he accepted Mr. Beans challenge or nobody managed to escape the Bean Giant for at least 13 years. I myself think that there are two stories mixed together and that it was not Houdini, but another escape artist who managed to succeed Mr. Bean's challenge. Am I right or wrong?

Regards
Atame

Click to expand...

Hello all,

first of all thank you very much for the answers. Concerning the US$ 50.00 reward, Steve mentioned: at handcuffs.org’s Bean-site you can see that Mr. Houdini himself offered this reward for any one who could do what he had done – escape the Bean Giant.

Regards,
Atame

Hello fellow collectors,

I've a question concerning a (IMHO) anachronism. The world famous Harry Houdini is known for escaping the also famous Bean Giant handcuff. That's beyond controversy. But when searching for "Houdini and Bean Giant" I found the following anecdote:

"Their interesting history began in 1887 when Captain Bean, of the Boston police force, offered a reward of $500 to anyone who could escape from Bean-Giant cuffs with or without the key. He, of course, was to personally lock the cuffs on the wrists of the challenger. The challenger’s hands behind him and with the keyhole facing upwards towards the body. Once the challenge was accepted and the money won by Houdini.

Harry Houdini was born 04/06/1874. He became famous as an escape artist since about 1900. This concludes that Houdini either was about 13 years old (and not famous, yet) when he accepted Mr. Beans challenge or nobody managed to escape the Bean Giant for at least 13 years. I myself think that there are two stories mixed together and that it was not Houdini, but another escape artist who managed to succeed Mr. Bean's challenge. Am I right or wrong?

Regards
Atame

Click to expand...

Hi Atame.

Yes, Houdini did offer such a reward ($50.00)

That being said, I am left wondering why in The Conjurer's Monthly Magazine he does not state that the new $50.00 reward is of his own offering.

If you read the article, (which he himself authored), it sounds like someone else reduced and revised the original reward after he had claimed it.

That Harry... so tricky!

Regards, Steve Santini

I know I am dredging up a long dead thread (21 years, yikes) but has anyone published any further documentation on the actual challenge?
From the image posted by Atame, was the original $50 reward exaggerated over the years to $500 and Houdini simply countered with the $100 to call out all escapists not doing it behind their back?
There was never any roll back of money offered, but an increase by Houdini?

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