WORLD’S LARGEST HOUDINI MUSEUM EXHIBIT
Houdini is the biggest household name of his era, and this is his largest public exhibit on earth. Born in 1874, Harry Houdini's legacy boldly lives on.
Shackles, chains, water-filled torture cells … nothing could keep Houdini confined. He was an ingenious inventor but didn’t want anybody to know. More than a magician, Houdini was also an actor, a pioneering aviator, an amateur historian, and a businessman. Houdini was obsessed with magic from a young age and continued performing until his death on Halloween in 1926.
For the first time, this collection focuses on revealing all the dimensions of Houdini’s remarkable life:
Escape Artist
Classic Magician
Big Stage Performer
Psychic Debunker
Entrepreneur
Book Author
Inventor
Aviator
Community Leader
Movie Star
Astonished by the sheer magnitude of Houdini’s genius, Dr. Randall Bell began amassing these treasures in the 1980s as a graduate student at UCLA. This exhibit features:
Houdini’s Milk Can. Houdini’s first big stage escape. There are several milk cans, but this is the first one he ever used and was rediscovered after Houdini’s death in his home.
Metamorphosis Trunk. Invented by Houdini and is one of four in the world. This trick is still widely used by magicians today.
Chinese Water Torture Cell. The original was destroyed in a fire, but this was featured in Francis Ford Coppola’s movie, “The Great Escape.”
Magic Table. Custom-made for Houdini in cast iron, this set a world record as the highest-priced magic memorabilia.
Travel Trunk. Stuffed full of original newspapers headlining King Tut, Houdini used this trunk to ship his most valuable stage props.
Straight Jacket. Houdini performed with the straight jackets used by local police. This one was used in the Houdini scene from David Bowie’s movie “The Linguini Incident.”
Big Stage Props. The gigantic cone Houdini used to turn his wife Bess into a huge bouquet of flowers.
Caveney Handcuff. This is one of only three custom-made handcuffs in the world used by Houdini.
Houdini Memorabilia. This exhibit is packed with rare documents, letters, contracts, postcards, leases, photos, original movie reels, stage props, and much more.
