After his mother’s death, Houdini rented out the old Harlem brownstone and stayed with his brother Dash (Hardeen) and Dash’s wife Elsie. Houdini had always maintained a close relationship with Dash, who seemed content to give him center stage. Dash suffered from ulcers and other stomach problems. He and his wife had two children. Houdini also had a loving if distant relationship with his younger sister Gladys, who suffered from health problems that left her at least partially blind. Originally proud of his brother Leo, a young doctor who had a reputation for womanizing, Houdini turned against his brother when Leo married the ex-wife of their other brother Nat, strongly suggesting that there had been an affair during the marriage. Houdini considered this a huge scandal.
Houdini’s letters also reflect some tension between himself and Dash and his wife while the families cohabitated. In February of 1918, Houdini and Bess moved back into the Harlem brownstone where his mother had spent her last days. In his early fifties, Houdini wrote his will, going to great lengths to make sure that the sister-in-law who had divorced one brother and married another would not get any share of his riches, nor would the second brother she had married. Houdini’s brother Bill died in 1925 of tuberculosis, an illness he had fought most of his life.
In 1905 Bess, recovering from a serious illness, told Houdini she wanted her mother. Bess’s mother, a Catholic, had disowned her eighteen-year-old daughter twelve years earlier when she married the Jewish Houdini. Houdini went to his mother-in-law’s apartment and reportedly refused to leave until Mrs. Rahner came with him to 278 to see Bess. Apparently Bess’s mother accepted, and she and Bess immediately began crying upon seeing each other. Bess was then thirty years old. The two reconciled, and Mrs. Rahner resolved to accept Houdini as her son-in-law. She seemed to do so with some success, although some reports maintained that she sprinkled holy water about the house after Houdini’s visits. Later on in life she moved into 278 and accepted Houdini’s financial support.
VIII. Houdini, the Writer
Read It and Know It
After reading this chapter, you will know more about
An educational insecurity: An impoverished background deprived Houdini of a formal education, and he strived to make up for the lack.
The first popular book: Houdini’s first major book caused controversy in the world of magicians.
More controversy: Additional books made both law enforcement and the public unhappy with Houdini.
Houdini’s ghostwriters: Many of the magician’s books were not his own words.
While touring in Europe, Houdini attempted to join the literary world, writing articles for magic and theatrical publications. His biographers suggest that editors really did most of the work on these journalistic pieces, as Houdini in truth had poor grammar and did not type very clearly due to his lack of formal education. Houdini nevertheless set his sights on writing a book documenting the history of magicians. He was determined to gain a reputation an educated, intelligent man and not be known merely as an entertainer.
After his return to the United States, Houdini published some short stories and a ninety-six page book exposing fraudulent magicians and conmen, called The Right Way to Do Wrong. Biographers strongly suggest that another writer largely wrote this piece as well. Houdini also published a monthly magazine known as Conjurers’ Monthly. In Conjurers’ Monthly, he fought openly and publically with other magicians and writers, especially competing and sparring with another magic magazine, the Sphinx, published by a Dr. Wilson. The refusal of the Society of Magicians (or SAM) to adopt Conjurers’ Monthly as its official magazine led to Houdini’s resignation from that organization, although he later rejoined and became president.
In his first major book, The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, Houdini attempted to discredit every claim to fame made by his former hero, Robert-Houdin, explaining how each contribution attributed to Robert-Houdin could be traced back to earlier artists. The passion with which he attacked Robert-Houdin caused controversy in the magicians’ community, as Houdini allowed Robert-Houdin almost no credit for any work. His contempt for all imitators seemed to be focused on his former idol, and Houdini’s own obsession with being the first and the best seemed to blind him to some historical realities. For his part, Houdini believed the book provided a service to all who had been robbed by Robert-Houdin of the fame that they deserved.
Around 1910, after Houdini announced that he would no longer do handcuff tricks, he wrote a book called Handcuff Secrets. This book worried law enforcement officials around the world, who thought of it as a guide for criminals on how to open locks and escape cells.