Or maybe someone did! That’s a story for another time.When I was a child I developed a brief but passionate interest in two shamanic figures, Houdini and Rasputin. It should be noted that Bess Houdini never did get a communication from Houdini from beyond the grave through a spirit medium. And because my daughter doesn’t drag me to the Houdini Park anymore, I haven’t passed by Mrs. We call that particular park “The Houdini Park” because it is across the street from Bess Houdini’s place. Now that my daughter is older (nearly 10) she doesn’t like going to the park near Bess’s apartment anymore. Many Years Have Passed Since Houdini’s Wife Has Died “An irony not pointed out here was that Bess died in the town of Needles, CA which was what Houdini always called his East Indian Needle trick - “Needles.” The original Needles train station and the adjoining El Garces Hotel were restored in 2014.” In Closing I learned this from my favorite blog about Houdini, “Wild About Harry (Houdini).” Here’s more from that site: She died while on a train in Needless California in 1943 on her way to her family’s home in New York. Bessie Houdini’s Deathīessie Houdini did not die in Inwood Manhattan. Houdini in a cameo plays herself and talks about trying to communicate with her late husband. The very interesting thing about it is that in the motion picture Mrs. I’ve seen the movie several times and it’s a bit odd but fun. The film sparked controversy among spiritualists, but was praised by magicians” In the film, she expressed her belief that communication with those who have died is impossible. Mystic Circle Murder) directed by Frank O’Conner and produced by Fanchon Royer. “Bess Houdini appeared as herself in the 1938 film Religious Racketeers (a.k.a. He began investigating their methods and claims and later became a self-appointed crusader against them.” The Film that Bess Houdini Appeared in However, he found that the mediums he met were often frauds. Although he eventually focused on proving these people to be fakes, his initial entry into the world of the supernatural began when he attempted to contact his dead mother. “In the 1920s, after the death of his mother, Houdini began focusing his energy on debunking psychics and mediums. Harry Houdini’s interest in the occult began in the 1920s after the death of his mother who was a very important part of his life. It was a code that only Harry and Bessie knew about so if a spirit medium was able to uncover it, Bess would know she was in touch with Houdini from beyond the grave. A Long Time Fan of HoudiniĪs a boy of 8 and reading all the biographies on Houdini that I could get my hands on, I over and over again was transfixed with the part of Houdini’s life where he made a pact with Bess that if he died first he’d attempt to contact her from the spirit world with a code. And apparently it is also the home from which every Sunday at the hour of Houdini’s death, she’d lock herself in a room with her late husband’s photo and try to communicating with him. I was always sure to remind my daughter that the wife of Houdini had lived there. When my daughter was very young we’d go to the park near the “Houdini House” (as my daughter called it), therefore I’d pass the apartment quite frequently. Why is 67 Payson Avenue such an important address? It’s because it is where the widow of Harry Houdini, Bessie Houdini, lived out the last years of her life. Bess Houdini, widow of Harry Houdini, tried to communicate with her late husband from beyond the grave while living in Inwood Manhattan! Magician Makes a Discovery in His Neighborhoodĭue to having a background as a magician (a “semi-pro” from ages 8 to 18) I was very excited when I discovered that where I lived in Inwood Manhattan was just around the corner of 67 Payson Avenue.
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