He first attracted notice in vaudeville in the United States and then as "Harry 'Handcuff' Houdini" on a tour of Europe, where he challenged police forces to keep him locked up. Soon he extended his repertoire to include chains, ropes slung from skyscrapers, straitjackets under water, and having to escape from and hold his breath inside a sealed milk can with water in it.
In 1904, thousands watched as he tried to escape from special handcuffs commissioned by London's Daily Mirror, keeping them in suspense for an hour. Another stunt saw him buried alive and only just able to claw himself to the surface, emerging in a state of near-breakdown. While many suspected that these escapes were faked, Houdini presented himself as the scourge of fake spiritualists. As President of the Society of American Magicians, he was keen to uphold professional standards and expose fraudulent artists. He was also quick to sue anyone who imitated his escape stunts.
Houdini made several movies but quit acting when it failed to bring in money. He was also a keen aviator and aimed to become the first man to fly a powered aircraft in Australia.
This came from the 4000+ piece collection of a 45 yr + second generation collector along with his wife from Cleveland, Ohio with lifetime of collecting and a stellar reputation and who also inherited a large collection of old and rare signatures that spans the early 1900s to current entertainers :)
Shipping is 24 to US/Canada (tracking, signing and/or insurance) and I will ship worldwide and cost depends on location.
Feel free to make offers, worst that will happen is I may counter and we try to find a price that works for us both. :)
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IMPORTANT, PLEASE NOTE:
I
HAVE 1500+ items not listed, including many old, rare, and hard to get
items from early 1900s horror to musical acts from the 50's on.. Please contact me with the artist/entertainer you are looking for and i'll send pics if you are interested..
I am a honest, serious collector and would never knowingly sell someone something i feel is not authentic, PERIOD! I do extensive reviews of anything i buy and have a close friend who is the authenticator for Disney if i need an opinion... I buy from dependable other collectors whom I research first and develop relationships with, or get things myself...
Cheers from Nova Scotia.. and Happy Collecting! Tony :)