It was a few weeks or maybe months back we told you Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brooks were consulted by The Times of London about an upcoming "expose" of Harry Houdini.
The Times wanted Ms. Dietrich and Mr. Brooks' thoughts on the book's premise: was Harry Houdini actually a spy? Was he murdered for his spying?
You can read our earlier article featuring the proprietors of the
Eighty years after his death, the name Harry Houdini remains synonymous with escape under the most dire circumstances. But Houdini, the immigrants’ son whose death-defying career made him one of the world’s biggest stars, was more than a mere entertainer.
A new biography suggests the legendary performer worked as a spy for Scotland Yard, monitored Russian anarchists and chased counterfeiters for the U.S. Secret Service — all before he was possibly murdered.
The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero will be released on Halloween — the anniversary of his death at age 52.
Authors William Kalush and Larry Sloman made the link after reviewing a journal of William Melville, a British spy master.
Teller, of Penn & Teller, doesn't dismiss the theory. He believes it goes a long way to explaining why or how Houdini could be permitted to escape in spite of law enforcement's best efforts.
Law enforcement is about bureaucracy and cronyism. So they’re going to let some entertainer walk in and escape from their jail cells? That suggests to me that (the authors) are on the right track.
We think it is great Houdini's name and legend continues to grow but worry a bit. Somewhere beneath all of the legends and heroics was a real man who succeeded because of his skill and desire against incredible odds.
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