Houdini(5)
Know More About: Vaudeville
Vaudeville began in the last decades of the nineteenth century. It grew out of other types of variety shows such as medicine shows, burlesque acts, and minstrel shows, among others. It was short-lived, lasting only into the early part of the twentieth century.
Vaudeville was characterized by its diversity. Each “show” held a variety of acts. It had dialogues (short, often comical, plays), juggling, pantomime, singing, jokes, dancing, contortion acts, and many other performances.
Houdini’s magic act, especially in its early stages, fit in as well as anything in the hodgepodge environment of vaudeville. His later tricks, which required more time to complete and strange settings (such as a bridge or boiler) would not have fit in. Neither would Houdini’s ego have worked well in vaudeville had it survived as a popular form of entertainment. As he grew more famous, he became more interested in being the star of the show. But, for a start, vaudeville allowed him to hone his talents and become familiar with performing for an audience. It also allowed him access to professional performers.
III. Houdini, the King of Handcuffs
Read It and Know It
After reading this chapter, you will know more about
The Nude Cell Escape: Part magic, part scandalous nudity, this trick performed in police stations helped Houdini drum up publicity.
Early lawsuits: When Houdini sued a newspaper for slander, a lucky break might have ensured his victory.
Houdini’s disdain for imitators: Not satisfied with being the best, Houdini often humiliated magicians who claimed his prowess with handcuffs for themselves.
The international view of Houdini: Germany loved him, Paris was ambivalent, and Russia allowed him despite strong anti-Semitic sentiments.
Houdini arrived in London believing that bookings were waiting for him. He was enraged to find out that the international agent that Beck referred him to had failed to have anything ready. Houdini set out to drum up publicity by challenging the Scotland Yard police to confine him. He managed to get himself booked at the famous London theatre the Alhambra. London audiences loved his act, and Houdini quickly became famous there. However, he had to work harder to spread his fame into the English countryside, as the managers of theaters at various villages felt that his magic act did not fit what the family audiences of the time wanted. Houdini doggedly performed auditions for managers, until word of his unique tricks spread and he became a headliner in the country villages as well. He also advertised himself by performing the Nude Cell Escape at police stations in the small villages of the countryside. In one particularly famous performance in Sheffield, Houdini escaped from the high security unit where one of London’s most famous murderers, Charles Pace, had been imprisoned.
For Houdini’s onstage performances, he wore the formal dress of the time: a stiff, high collar, a white dickey, and a black dress coat. Bess frequently assisted him, wearing black knickerbockers. Houdini’s brother Dash sometimes assisted as well or instead. Frequently there was a physician contracted to be backstage or onstage in case of emergency. Houdini performed his handcuff escapes behind a curtain, over which the audience could sometimes see his head, or else in a “cabinet” or “ghost house,” a construction made to conceal Houdini’s techniques from the audience.
Houdini’s stage manner was something he studied and practiced almost as much as his magic. He worked hard to engage the audience and win them over to his side, presenting tricks with careful showmanship. He frequently made jokes that seemed self-deprecating, while also carefully building the tension in his audience members to keep them spellbound. He involved the audience in every way possible, an original tactic at the time.
In 1901 Houdini arranged with Beck to be let out of his contract. He became his own manager. In 1902, he introduced a new trick: the Packing Case Escape. A packing case was essentially a large crate that merchants of the time used for shipping. This act was a twist on the Metamorphosis trick. Houdini would arrange for a local store to provide the crate, and then would have assistants nail him into the crate onstage. Inspectors selected from the audience would verify its complete closing. The secret to Houdini’s escape involved his ability to noiselessly disassemble the crate from the inside; Bess or another ally would direct the nailing shut of the crate such that one wall of the crate was less enforced. Many nails would be hammered into the top of the crate, creating the impression that it was sealed very tight all around. But, since Houdini did not come out of the top of the crate, this did not affect his ability to escape. Audiences loved this trick, and in one particular performance in Glasgow, Scotland at the Zoo-Hippodrome theatre, the crowd filled the theater and the streets outside to see it.