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Given yesterday’s anecdote by Groucho concerning Houdini, I thought it would be fun to hear from Houdini himself. In 1914, magician Harry Houdini recorded the introductory patter for his Water Torture Cell effect onto the cylindrical records of Thomas Edison. The six cylinders are the only known examples of Houdini’s voice extant. The voice begins at 2:00, but watch all of it for the history.
Thanks to YouTuber houdinimuseum
Have you seen any of Houdini’s old silent movies?
Yes. His broad theatrical acting style comes off as pretty laughable on film.
Magicians don’t translate well to celluloid…