W.C. Fields and Houdini

Hello,

Simon Louvish's biography of W.C. Fields, Man on the Flying Trapeze, is meticulous, thorough and accurate. Houdini is mentioned variously, as he and fields travelled many of the same vaudeville tours. Fields envied Houdini's showmanship and self-promotion.

On page 124, Louvish relates a story about Houdini. On 19 March 1904, at the London Hippodrome, Houdini escaped from a "fiendish set of manacles procured by the proprietor of a London newspaper from a 'celebrated locksmith in Birmingham'." The handcuffs were five years in the making and had six sets of inner locks inside two outer locks. I assume these were the famous mirror handcuffs. "Houdini had sweated in his tent for over and hour and emerged triumphant, though what really transpired was not revealed until many years after his death. (Houdini was stumped and had to beg the manager to allow him the key, to keep his reputation.)"

As to the parenthetical statement, part of the last quote, Yea? Nay? Maybe? Don't know? I never have heard that before, but am certain many Forum participants know whether Louvish is correct.

Cheers,

Jack
http://www.editing.org.uk/tanis/collectibles.htm

The story of Houdini failing to escape the Mirror cuff and Bessie crying the key out if the representative come from, I believe, Will Goldstone in his 'Sensational Tales of Mystery Men'. Goldstone made up a lot of stuff. The current thinking is that the entire Mirror challenge was created by Houdini in cooperation with the paper. Bill Kalush and Mick Hanzlik have done a lot of work on uncovering the truth of the Mirror challenge.

BTW, you can see a photo of Houdini and W.C. Fields in Doug Henning's book, 'Houdini His Legend and His Magic'.

Hello,

Simon Louvish's biography of W.C. Fields, Man on the Flying Trapeze, is meticulous, thorough and accurate. Houdini is mentioned variously, as he and fields travelled many of the same vaudeville tours. Fields envied Houdini's showmanship and self-promotion.

On page 124, Louvish relates a story about Houdini. On 19 March 1904, at the London Hippodrome, Houdini escaped from a "fiendish set of manacles procured by the proprietor of a London newspaper from a 'celebrated locksmith in Birmingham'." The handcuffs were five years in the making and had six sets of inner locks inside two outer locks. I assume these were the famous mirror handcuffs. "Houdini had sweated in his tent for over and hour and emerged triumphant, though what really transpired was not revealed until many years after his death. (Houdini was stumped and had to beg the manager to allow him the key, to keep his reputation.)"

As to the parenthetical statement, part of the last quote, Yea? Nay? Maybe? Don't know? I never have heard that before, but am certain many Forum participants know whether Louvish is correct.

Cheers,

Jack
http://www.editing.org.uk/tanis/collectibles.htm

Click to expand...

Dear John,

The same biography, Man on the Flying Trapeze, states Houdini and Fields, whilst on the same circuit for so many years, appeared on the same bill only once, Easter of 1904 at the London Hippodrome, just after the mirror handcuff escape.

Of Fields's envy of Houdini, Louvish wrote, "Where Fields aspired, Houdini triumphed. Where Fields desired, Houdini conquered...Where every act advertised itself as being The Greatest Novelty to be Put Before the Public, Houdini's act was it."

Cheers,

Jack
http://www.editing.org.uk/tanis/collectibles.htm

Hello,

Simon Louvish's biography of W.C. Fields, Man on the Flying Trapeze, is meticulous, thorough and accurate. Houdini is mentioned variously, as he and fields travelled many of the same vaudeville tours. Fields envied Houdini's showmanship and self-promotion.

On page 124, Louvish relates a story about Houdini. On 19 March 1904, at the London Hippodrome, Houdini escaped from a "fiendish set of manacles procured by the proprietor of a London newspaper from a 'celebrated locksmith in Birmingham'." The handcuffs were five years in the making and had six sets of inner locks inside two outer locks. I assume these were the famous mirror handcuffs. "Houdini had sweated in his tent for over and hour and emerged triumphant, though what really transpired was not revealed until many years after his death. (Houdini was stumped and had to beg the manager to allow him the key, to keep his reputation.)"

As to the parenthetical statement, part of the last quote, Yea? Nay? Maybe? Don't know? I never have heard that before, but am certain many Forum participants know whether Louvish is correct.

Cheers,

Jack
http://www.editing.org.uk/tanis/collectibles.htm

Click to expand...

Great stuff. Thank you, Jack.

The picture of Fields and Houdini in the Henning book is undated, but it looks to be 1920s.