A friend has sent me the vintage photographs and illustrations of Houdini shown here. He even used Houdini postage stamps on one of the envelopes!
Tag Archives: escape artists
The Shackles of Curiosity – Part 01
By Peter B. and Art Intelli
Peter had always been a curious man. Not just about the world — though he devoured books on history, science, and myth — but about the more obscure corners of the human experience. Of all his peculiar interests, one obsession stood out above the rest: bondage. Specifically, the cold, metallic click of handcuffs locking into place. There was something elegant in the restraint, a mechanical intimacy he couldn’t quite explain.
When he heard that The Amazing Argento, a legendary escape artist rumored to have broken free from the most impossible traps, was performing in his city, Peter bought front-row seats without hesitation.
The show was mesmerizing. Argento, draped in sleek black, challenged padlocks, chains, straitjackets, and submerged cages — each escape more impossible than the last. But what held Peter’s gaze was not just the spectacle, but the tools. The gleam of cuffs, the clink of chain, the artistry in control.
Houdini posters
Check out these posters featuring the Great One, Harry Houdini. I especially like the illustrations of various kinds of handcuffs depicted in the second one:
Thanks to Metalbond reader Mark for these images! He reports that these are from the book “100 Years of Magic Posters.”
JamesBondageSX and lockedcornelius pay tribute to the great one
Check out the photos below from JamesBondageSX, in which he and his prisoner, lockedcornelius, re-create a famous image of Houdini:
The great one
Beguiled – Part 1
By ty dehner
In the darkness, anxious breathing echoes in the small space. There is certainly a person in his space, helpless. The echo of breathing is broken with the sound of steel sliding on the edge of more metal as a solid, shiny sword slowly enters this container. At first, it proceeds slowly, then settles into place with a strong shove that makes this captive person sigh with relief that they have not been impaled by this sharp weapon. A muffled crowd sound is heard inside the container as the sword sets.
This person adjusts themselves in the tight confines of this container. A sliver of light comes through a different slot on the other side. The eyes of a man turn towards that slot, hoping to catch a view out of his confinement. But he sees very little, as another sword is inserted slowly, sliding close to his chest. The captive draws in his breath to move his chest out of the way.
A hand in a leather gauntlet holds the sword’s handle that has just been inserted, giving it one hard push to set it in place. There is an auditable gasp as the gloved hand releases the sword. The mysterious figure, all in black, lifts his head to his audience with a mischievous grin curling upon his lips.
The actors who played Houdini
There have been a number of theatrical and TV movies about The Great One over the years. This is not a comprehensive list, but I think these are all the major ones. Which is your favorite actor who played the famed escape artist?
The classic 1953 movie, called “Houdini,” stars Tony Curtis:
There was also a 1998 movie called “Houdini” starring Johnathon Schaech:
“The Great Houdinis” (aka “The Great Houdini”) is a made-for-TV movie from 1976 starring Paul Michael Glaser from Starsky and Hutch.
There was also a two-part, four-hour TV miniseries on the History Channel in 2014 called “Houdini” starring Adrien Brody
Somewhere I have a picture collage of all four of these guys, but I can’t find it.
Special thanks to my Fire Island housemate David!
I left a pair of engraved cuffs on Houdini’s grave
Houdini died on this day today (Halloween, Oct. 31) back in 1926, in Detroit, and this afternoon (Halloween day, 2018) I paid a visit to his gravesite in Queens, New York.
Houdini rests amongst his relatives in an elaborate family plot at Machpelah Cemetery in Glendale. From Manhattan, it was an hour-long trip on the subway and then a 20-minute hike.
As a tribute to Houdini, I left a pair of police-issue Smith and Wesson Model 100-1 handcuffs that I had specially engraved with his name. I made sure to double-lock the cuffs before leaving them.
