Growing Up with Houdini

Chapter Six: Séances

As is commonly known, when Houdini’s mother died in 1913, he was beyond grief. At that time, spirit mediums claimed to be able to make contact with “the other side” and many approached Houdini and asked him if he wanted their services. Seeing them for the tricksters they were, Houdini spent much of his later years debunking such so-called mediums. Houdini himself died on Halloween, October 31, 1926.

I mention this because as a publicity stunt, the museum organized a séance every year on Halloween to try to “reach” the spirit of Houdini. About a ninety-minute drive from the museum, in Upstate New York, is Lily Dale, an enclave for spiritualism. Many mediums live there full time. Each year, on a Sunday in the early fall, Henry would pack us up in his station wagon and we would drive to Lily Dale for a day of fun and amusement. Henry would hire a medium from Lily Dale each year to preside over the séance.

Many luminaries in the field of magic history were invited, as was the press. Entrance to the séances was by invitation only, but they were well attended and a source of a lot of fun for my father and for our family. Needless to say, the mediums were always debunked, especially by Randi, who for decades made a career out of doing so.

One of the best séances was the one in 1969. The medium that year was Estelle Mark. She put on a great show and the press coverage was enormous and world-wide.

The séances were attended throughout the years by famous magicians, including Penn & Teller, as well as historians of magic such as Jay Marshall, Tom Boldt, Sidney Radner, Fred Pittella, Larry Weeks, Dorothy Young and the Bonnanos, who lived in Houdini’s house in Manhattan. The séances added to the museum’s mystique and fame. They also created an aura around the museum, even during the rest of the year, as an intriguing and mystifying place, an aura that the management did not play down, especially as it added to the number of visitors!

1974 was the final séance attended by Dunninger and his wife Billie. He was frail and passed away the next year. It was also a highlight because Randi escaped from Houdini’s Milk Can.