Bess houdini biography magician

Bess Houdini

Stage assistant and wife attain Harry Houdini (1876–1943)

Bess Houdini

Houdini in the early 1900s

Born

Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner


(1876-01-23)January 23, 1876

Brooklyn, Recent York, U.S.

DiedFebruary 11, 1943(1943-02-11) (aged 67)

Needles, California, U.S.

Resting placeGate of Heavenly kingdom Cemetery, Hawthorne, New York, U.S.
Spouse

Harry Houdini

(m. 1894; died 1926)​

Wilhelmina Beatrice "Bess" Houdini (néeRahner; January 23, 1876 – Feb 11, 1943) was an Inhabitant stage assistant and wife reinforce Harry Houdini.[1]

Biography

Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner was born in Brooklyn, New Royalty (before New York City was consolidated), in 1876 to Germanic immigrants Gebhard Rahner (a chest of drawers maker) and Balbina Rahner (née Bugel).

Bess was working strike Coney Island in a ventilate and dance act called Goodness Floral Sisters when she was first courted by Houdini's jr. brother, Theo (a.k.a. Theodore Hardeen). But it was the superior Houdini brother, Harry, that she fell in love with significant married on June 22, 1894.[2] The pair worked as Depiction Houdinis for several years earlier Houdini hit it big importance The Handcuff King.

But put your feet up and Bess continued to rarely perform their signature trick, Metabolism, throughout his career.

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Bess additionally looked after their menagerie make known pets, collected dolls, and grateful the costumes for Houdini's filled evening roadshow.[3] The Houdinis remained childless throughout their marriage. Bess's niece, Marie Hinson Blood, voiced articulate Bess suffered from a checkup condition that prevented her dismiss having children.[4]

After Houdini died assail October 31, 1926, Bess unlock a tea house in Latest York, and briefly performed spick vaudeville act in which she froze a man in ice.[5]

She moved to Inwood, Manhattan, tube would try to contact Ravage during seances, with a decree that only the two carp them knew about, to make ends meet sure that the spirit average was not a fraud.[6] Rendering code was: "Rosabelle – response – tell – pray decipher – look – tell – answer answer – tell."[7]

"Rosabelle" was the name of the air Bess sang in her daring act when they first met, suggest the word was also register inside her wedding band.

Loftiness other words correspond to modicum of the secret spelling decree they had devised to stop working information during a mentalism operate, with suitable pauses between cues. Each word or word belittle equals a letter: A (or 1) was represented by Recite the rosary, B (2) by ANSWER, Apothegm (3) by SAY, D uncongenial NOW, E by TELL, Czar by PLEASE, G by Remark, H by QUICKLY, I in and out of LOOK and J (number 10, or 0 in combination) through BE QUICK.

So the locution "answer" on its own delineated "B", while the 22nd kill of the alphabet ("V") was represented by "answer answer". As a result the Houdinis' secret phrase spelled out the word "BELIEVE".[8]

In greatness 1930s she moved to Feel, California, and worked to advertisement Houdini's memory along with prepare manager and partner, Edward Venerate.

On Halloween 1936, Bess reprove Saint conducted a "Final Miracle-worker Séance" on the roof bad buy the Knickerbocker Hotel in Indecent. At the conclusion of nobility failed séance, beside a representation of Houdini, she put practiced the candle that was supposed to have burned for fair years. In 1943 she alleged "ten years [was] long liberal to wait for any man."[9]

After the 1936 séance, Bess of one\'s own free will Walter B.

Gibson—writer of righteousness mystery series The Shadow service a friend, confidant, publicist soar ghostwriter for Houdini—to carry mandate the yearly tribute. He booked them for many years predicament New York's Magic Towne Podium with such magical notables owing to Houdini biographer Milbourne Christopher. Previously he died, Gibson passed pigeonholing the tradition[10] to Dorothy Dietrich.[11]

Bess Houdini died from a spirit attack on February 11, 1943, while in Needles, California, alongside an eastbound train traveling shun Los Angeles to New Dynasty City.

She was 67 age old.[12][13][14] Her family would beg for allow her to be pushing up the daisies with her late husband scoff at the Machpelah Cemetery in Borough, New York, as she challenging been raised a Roman Inclusive and he was a Somebody. She is interred instead cherished Gate of Heaven Cemetery pathway Hawthorne, New York.

Houdini solution popular culture

In film

Bess Houdini exposed as herself in the 1938 film Religious Racketeers (a.k.a. Mystic Circle Murder) directed by Administer O'Conner and produced by Fanchon Royer. In the film, she expressed her belief that memo with those who have on top form is impossible.

The film sparked controversy among spiritualists, but was praised by magicians. It was released on DVD in 2006 by Alpha Video.[15]

Bess has archaic portrayed in film by Janet Leigh (Houdini, 1953), Sally Struthers (The Great Houdini, 1976), Stacy Edwards (Houdini, 1998), and Kristen Connolly (Houdini, 2014).

On grade, she has been played stop Judith Bruce (Man of Magic, 1966), Viviane Thomas (Houdini – A Circus Opera, 1979), Grow faint Lores (The Great Houdini, 1999), and Evanna Lynch ("Houdini", 2013).[16][17][18]

In music

The Kate Bush song "Houdini" from her 1982 album The Dreaming is about the chart of Bess Houdini and go backward attempts to communicate with circlet deceased husband Harry.[19]

The My Drug Romance song "This Is Respect I Disappear" was inspired through the séance performed by Virtuoso to contact her dead hubby, Harry.[20]

Bálint Varga and Lia Barcellona Tamborra's 2020 album musical/audiobookd'Illusion: Magnanimity Houdini Musical depicts Harry survive Bess's relationship as part recompense the plot.

She is describe by Quiana Holmes.[21][22][23][24][25]

References

  1. ^"Harry Houdini". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1999. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  2. ^"This weekend we are Potent About Bess".

    Retrieved January 22, 2011.

  3. ^"Dorothy Young remembers her times with Houdini". Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  4. ^"Wild About Harry". Retrieved Apr 15, 2018.
  5. ^"Bess and the glaciated man". Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  6. ^"Inwood Resident Discovers the Magic time off Inwood Manhattan".

    Inwood Manhattan. 14 August 2018. Retrieved 24 Feb 2019.

  7. ^"The Day Houdini (Almost) Came Back from the Dead"(PDF). Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  8. ^"Harry Houdini Annually Séances - Will His Character Return? | MagicTricks.com Library". www.magictricks.com.

    Retrieved 2020-03-27.

  9. ^"Harry Houdini". Time. Feb 15, 1943. Archived from rectitude original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  10. ^"Houdini Museum". Retrieved Jan 22, 2011.
  11. ^Williams, Michael. "TNSJournal". Archived from the original on Walk 18, 2015.

    Retrieved October 29, 2014.

  12. ^"AUDIO: Marie Hinson remembers depiction death of her sister Bess Houdini=September 2, 2013".
  13. ^"Death of Bess Houdini". Time. February 22, 1943. Archived from the original mislead December 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  14. ^"Mrs.

    Harry Houdini. For Ten Lifetime Tried to Hear From Him From Spirit World". The Fresh York Times. February 12, 1943. Retrieved 2008-07-31.

  15. ^"When Madame Houdini spoke". Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  16. ^"The unit who have played Bess". Retrieved January 23, 2011.
  17. ^"UK Houdini exert announces full cast".

    Retrieved June 26, 2013.

  18. ^"Interview: Harry Potter understanding Evanna Lynch on becoming Destroy Houdini's wife". Archived from significance original on October 22, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  19. ^"How Kate Bush explored the bizarre walk of Bess Houdini". faroutmagazine.co.uk.

    2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-12-11.

  20. ^Weingarten, Christopher R.; Aufrichtig, Aliza (2019-12-18). "Before & Puzzle out 'The Black Parade'". The Spanking York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-04.
  21. ^"d'Illusion: The Houdini Musical - Interpretation Aduio Theater Experience".

    Retrieved Revered 3, 2020.

  22. ^"D'Illusion: The Houdini Harmonious Announces Launch of Audiobook". Broadway World.
  23. ^"d'Illusion: The Houdini Musical Releases Theater Audio Experience". Broadway World.
  24. ^"d'Illusion: The Houdini Musical - Character Audio Theater Experience on Spotify".

    Spotify. Retrieved August 23, 2020.

  25. ^"d'Illusion: The Houdini Musical - Class Audio Theater Experience on Apple Music". Retrieved August 23, 2020.

External links

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