But he soon began experimenting with escape acts. At one point, he billed himself as the “King of Cards”. Houdini focused initially on traditional card tricks. He performed in dime museums and sideshows, and even doubled as “The Wild Man” at a circus. In 1918, he registered for selective service as Harry Handcuff Houdini. In later life, Houdini would claim that the first part of his new name, Harry, was a homage to Harry Kellar, whom Houdini admired. Weiss became a professional magician and began calling himself “Harry Houdini” because he was heavily influenced by the French magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, and his friend Jack Hayman told him, erroneously, that in French, adding an “i” to Houdin would mean “like Houdin” the great magician. He was also a champion cross country runner in his youth. As a child, Ehrich Weiss took several jobs, making his public début as a 9-year-old trapeze artist, calling himself “Ehrich, the Prince of the Air”. They were joined by the rest of the family once Rabbi Weiss found permanent housing. They lived in a boarding house on East 79th Street. Losing his tenure at Zion in 1887, Rabbi Weiss moved with Ehrich to New York City. On June 6, 1882, Rabbi Weiss became an American citizen. According to the 1880 census, the family lived on Appleton Street. They first lived in Appleton, Wisconsin, where his father served as Rabbi of the Zion Reform Jewish Congregation. ![]() The family changed the Hungarian spelling of their German surname into Weiss (the German spelling) and the spelling of their son’s name into Ehrich. Weiss came to the United States on July 3, 1878, sailing on the SS Fresia with his mother (who was pregnant) and his four brothers. (1879–1962) and Gladys Carrie (born 1882–unknown year of death). Houdini was one of seven children: Herman M. His parents were Rabbi Mayer Samuel Weiss (1829–1892) and his wife, Cecelia (née Steiner 1841–1913). From 1907 on, however, Houdini would claim in interviews to have been born in Appleton, Wisconsin, on April 6, 1874. Houdini spoke very highly of his father and honored him his entire life.Harry Houdini was born as Erik Weisz (he later spelled his birth name as Ehrich Weiss) in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24, 1874. Any suggestion of "daddy issues" is purely speculative. It is true that Rabbi Weiss lost his job in Appleton for being too "old world" (he didn't speak English), and this plunged the family into poverty. ![]() The story of him having to flee Budapest after killing a man in a duel was told by all the Weiss children. (Read: Who was Houdini's father? New insights.)ĭid Houdini run away from home and work with a traveling magician? Some biographers doubt it as being too far fetched, but duels in Hungary were not unusual in the 1870s. While it's true that Ehrich Weiss (the miniseries misspells it as Erich - grrrr) ran away from home when he was 12, he did not work with a traveling magician. This is a fiction seemingly lifted from a 1987 Disney movie called Young Harry Houdini. (Read: Homeless Houdini.)ĭid Houdini create the challenge handcuff escape act in a brothel? However, it is true that his interest in magic was inspired by the autobiography of Robert-Houdin, and that he took his name from the famous French conjurer. Houdini worked to perfect his challenge handcuff act over several years, and may have gotten the idea from an Australian magician named Lewis Paul. Besides, aren't brothels their own entertainment? (Read: Memories of "Dime Museum Harry".)ĭid Houdini perform escapes as The Wild Man from Borneo? While Harry and Bess performed in Dime Museums, Beer Halls, Circuses, and traveling Burlesque shows, there is no record of them ever performing in a brothel. While Houdini did briefly appear as "Projea The Wild Man of Mexico" in the Welsh Bros. circus, it had nothing whatsoever to do with his magic or escape act. Harry and Bess took on many side jobs during their travels with the circus. Houdini quit the Wild Man when he got hit in the eye with a piece of meat thrown into his cage by Clint Newton, ringmaster of the Welsh Bros.
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