![]() ![]() Then, in 1946, a group of thirteen magicians, headed by Karrell Fox, held a seance in Detroit for the 20th anniversary of Houdini's death. ![]() The '40s also saw publication of The Great Balsamo by Maurice Zolotow, which professed to be a tell-all tale of Houdini's life. Genii Magazine continued to release an annual "Houdini Memorial Issue" ever October. ![]() In 1941, Walter Winchell shared "A Few Untold Facts about Harry Houdini" in his popular national column. In 1939 it was widely reported that a plumber trapped for 10 hours in a cave-in credited his survival to remembering Houdini's writings about the Shelton Pool Test. But even without Bess and Ed, Houdini's name never left the news. Two years later Bess appeared as herself in the film Religious Racketeers. ![]() This was Bess Houdini and Edward Saint's greatest tribute and most successful publicity getter. Houdini was again in the headlines in 1936 with The Final Houdini Séance in Hollywood. The first news of a Hollywood biopic also surfaced in the '30s, with papers reporting that both RKO and Columbia were developing movies based on the life of the great magician. Houdini and Conan Doyle: The Story of a Strange Friendship by Bernard Ernst and Hereward Carrington became the first specialized Houdini study in 1932. Cannell traded on the continued fascination with Houdini's secrets, as did Houdini's Escapes and Houdini's Magic by Walter B. With its mix of fact and fiction, the Kellock book established how the Houdini story would be told for decades. Houdini's act also lived on with Hardeen coming out of retirement and touring as "Brother and Legal Successor of Houdini." And, of course, there was the infamous Arthur Ford séances which caused a sensation in 1929.īut perhaps the most important first step in cementing Houdini's legend was the serialization and publication of Houdini His Life Story by Harold Kellock, the first major Houdini biography. Houdini continued to make headlines even after his death, with news of his collection being donated to the Library of Congress and Bess's battles with insurance companies. ![]()
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