“He really died a little bit when she died.” “I think his devotion to his mother is as defining a characteristic as we can actually nail - as far as we can point out that it was actually true,” Posnanski said. Of course, he may have also agreed in the hopes of getting a message through. Houdini’s beloved mother, Cecilia, had recently died, and while the escapist was skeptical and even repelled by spiritualism, he obliged his friends by having them try to reach her. Once, while on vacation in Atlantic City with the Houdinis, Doyle and his wife, Lady Doyle, led a seance.

While Arthur Conan Doyle’s signature creation, Sherlock Holmes, was not much for the occult, the author was a true believer. He was friends with Arthur Conan Doyle – until Doyle’s wife tried spiritualism out on him “But the Sarah Bernhardt thing really happened.”ģ.

“With Houdini, every time you see something you have to find five other sources to make sure it really happened,” Posnanski said. Houdini, at a loss, said it was impossible, and admitted his magic wasn’t real. After his tricks, Bernhardt, whose leg was amputated in 1905 due to trauma from a knee injury, is reported to have said, “Houdini won’t you use your power to restore my limb?” On their first meeting he performed some magic, including his elevated strait jacket escape, which Bernhardt watched from his car. Sensing an opportunity for good press, Houdini bought the statue for her, and later met her. The catch: They expected her to pay for it. Houdini first met the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt in 1917, after a New York-based company of actors presented the actress with a bronze statue made in her image. Sarah Bernhardt asked him to regrow her amputated leg

The Secretary or any other officers will be glad to furnish information on sons of rabbis who want to join.” The secretary was Berlin. “It is surprising how many sons of Jewish clergymen there are on the stage. “Our purpose is to get all the sons of rabbis who are in the show business together in this organization,” Houdini told The New York Times.

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