Houdini also possessed a “masterful understanding of the interior of locks,” a biographer notes, as well as a lock-pick collection that doubtless contributed to his title “King of Handcuffs,” though to this day no one knows precisely how he employed them.
This included the ability to hold his breath for several minutes, allowing him to execute his escapes from a water-filled milk can and a chamber he called the “Chinese Water Torture” trick. Unlike many of today’s illusionists (some of whom, including host Lance Burton and David Copperfield, participate), Houdini’s act hinged largely on his prodigious physical skills. (A fascinating tidbit involves Houdini’s friendship with Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, who believed a medium had communicated with his dead son.)įor anyone whose Houdini knowledge rests on the heavily Hollywoodized movie starring Tony Curtis, this is a particularly well-fleshed-out endeavor, showcasing a generous array of archival footage featuring the magician at work - hanging upside down, say, as he wriggles out of a straitjacket. Halloween has always been a noteworthy time for fans of Harry Houdini, who died that night, after spending the latter part of his career debunking psychics who claimed they could contact the dead.
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