endangered elephant
Harry Houdini during his disappearing elephant trick
wildabouthoudini.com
Houdini performed this show only once – on January 7, 1918, at the Hippodrome Theater in New York. The magician led the elephant around the circle and drove it into a special cage. The assistants threw a white blanket over him, Houdini fired the gun, the blanket was removed, the cage doors opened and the elephant was no longer there.
This illusion was difficult to explain because it was only shown once and the cage had disappeared. The mystery of the lost elephant could not be solved for many years.
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on site The great Harry Houdini It is stated that the Hippodrome Theater has not existed for a long time, but the photographs show a giant hall with 5 thousand 697 seats. The seats were arranged in three semicircles. None of the audience could clearly see the elephant cage, which was located far from the edge of the stage.
The appearance of the cell is also controversial. Stage engineer R.D. Adams claimed that a piece of fabric was hidden in the underside of its frame, resembling curtains hanging behind the trellis. The fabric was attached to the roller by a spring so strong that it had to be wound by two people. Houdini fired his gun at just the right moment, causing the audience to blink. As they blinked, the roll of cloth suddenly opened in front of the elephant, making the elephant appear to disappear instantly.
chinese water torture chamber
Harry Houdini Show Promotional Poster: Chinese Water Torture Chamber
Buyenlarge/Getty Images
In 1911, Houdini invented the Chinese water torture chamber, which he used in his performance. Unlike the vanished elephant cage, a trick with a similar camera still exists and its working principle is known for certain.
The illusionist bought a custom-made cage for 10 thousand dollars and patented it. It looked like a rectangular aquarium turned on its side, with a mahogany and nickel-plated steel frame and brass plumbing fixtures. Its width was 67 cm, its height was 150 cm and its weight was three tons. The front glass plate is 1.5 cm thick and tempered.
At the beginning of the show, Houdini asked the audience to name any part of the scene and moved the camera there, proving that no cover was used in the trick. The illusionist allowed the spectator to examine the room and offered $1000 if he could prove there was access to oxygen inside.
Houdini then lay on his back and assistants chained his legs to a mahogany lid with leg shackles in the middle. The magician was lifted upside down into the air, lowered into a water tank, the lid was locked and the structure was hidden behind a curtain. An assistant stood nearby, ax in hand, ready to break the window if something went wrong. The orchestra played “Asleep in the Deep” and two minutes later Houdini emerged from behind the curtain. The lid and pads were still on the tank with the locks.
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Two points were decisive in this focus. First, when the Houdini was submerged in the tank, some of the water in the chamber overflowed the top edge, creating a small air pocket between the water surface and the padded lid.
Secondly, the mahogany planks that formed the two sides of the ankle shackles were slightly pulled apart when the buckles were locked. When the curtain was drawn, Houdini used the sides of the tank to push his legs up, turned to the side, and pulled his legs through the enlarged holes in the shackles. Then he lifted his chest up and inhaled the air above the surface of the water.
The two boards that formed the shackles were on hidden hinges; Houdini opened them, went out, closed them and introduced himself to the public.
unboxing
Promotional poster for The Harry Houdini Show: Freedom from the Tin Can
Bettmann/Bettmann Archive
Houdini began playing one of his simplest and most popular numbers in 1901. He advised the audience to examine the meter-long milk carton and even kick it to make sure it was solid. The lid had six buckles that went through six rings attached to the rim of the box. The container was filled with water, and at this time Houdini changed into a bathing suit. When he returned, he asked the audience to count how long they could hold their breath. Very few can exceed 60 seconds. Smiling, Houdini climbed into the box, spilling out excess water.
When the box was closed with a lid, Houdini was completely submerged in water. The cap was secured with six buckles and several locks (sometimes provided by spectators). By this time Houdini had been underwater for at least a minute. A screen was placed around the box. Two minutes later, Houdini emerged from behind the screen, wet and out of breath. The locks on the box lid remained in place.
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A few years after Houdini’s death, a friend revealed a secret: The neck of the box was actually removable and could be opened from the inside. No one who examined the box could remove or even dislodge its neck. However, once inside, it was easy to lift the structure and get out.
Escape from the Underwater Box
Harry Houdini holding a box before diving into the East River in New York, 1912
FPG/Getty Images
In 1912, Houdini invented escape from a closed box at the bottom of the river and made the first dive from a barge on the East River in New York. The magician put on handcuffs and climbed into a wooden box, which was nailed, tied, chained and lowered into the river. The box sank and 150 seconds later Houdini surfaced. Scientific American magazine called it “one of the most remarkable demonstrations ever performed.”
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The secret, of course, lay in the design of the box. First, it had small holes in it so Houdini could breathe while waiting to dive. The holes also caused the box to sink. Second, the box was cubic with four boards on each side – but the two boards were not nailed to one side. Only nail heads were attached to them for external persuasion. The boards were a hinged trap closed with a latch. According to Adams, Houdini removed the handcuffs as the box was clamped. Then the magician waited for the box to enter the water, opened the trap and swam to the surface.
This trick almost ended badly: Houdini decided to open a box at the bottom of the river, but the box door fell down – and the magician only managed to save himself by desperately hitting the edge of the box, turning it over. . From now on he would always open the box before it reached the bottom.
East Indian needle trick
Harry Houdini does the needle trick
wildabouthoudini.com
The first known magician to perform this trick was a native of India named Ramo Sami. It is believed that Houdini suggested Sami collaboration in his demonstrations in 1899 and later began using the trick himself.
The magician asked the audience to examine 50-100 needles and 18 meters of thread. The same audience member examined Houdini’s mouth. Then the illusionist swallowed all the needles and threads and washed them with water. A minute later, Houdini vomited them up and a thread with all the needles attached came out of his mouth.
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Three years after Houdini’s death, Adams explained how the trick was performed. The magician placed a packet of thread, pre-needled, between his cheek and his teeth. The knots on the thread are positioned so that the needles can move freely. The thread was then wrapped in a flat bag and placed in the magician’s mouth.
When Houdini allowed the viewer to examine his mouth, he used his fingers to move his upper and lower lips away from his gums and teeth. The fingers naturally wrapped around the lips and moved towards the cheek area. Houdini hid the package under one of his fingers. If a viewer insisted that he move his fingers, Houdini would deftly move the packet under his tongue.
Houdini then pretended to swallow the needles and thread while drinking water. He actually spat them into a glass of water, leaving just enough water in the glass for the reflection to hide them. If the audience remained nearby, Houdini would push the fallen needles under his tongue and keep them there until the end of the trick. When he finished, he would take another sip of water, spit out the needles, and quickly pass the glass to an assistant.
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Source: Gazeta
Brandon Hall is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a cultural aficionado who writes about the latest news and developments in the world of art, literature, music, and more. With a passion for the arts and a deep understanding of cultural trends, Brandon provides engaging and thought-provoking articles that keep his readers informed and up-to-date on the latest happenings in the cultural world.