Our legendary escapolgist correspondent Angus Young reports on a new book about our city and the world famous daredevil.
October 31 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini. So what better way to mark the occasion than a new book documenting the famous escapologist’s visits to Hull? Hull-based Houdini fan Roger K Noble’s ‘The Houdini Research Files’ is not only an extraordinary account of the great man’s appearances in the city but also a fascinating look at an almost forgotten local world of myth, magic, music hall and spirituality. It’s also something of a labour of love.
Roger first started researching the subject just over 30 years ago before putting his files to one side and half-forgetting about them until rediscovering his old notes during a clean-up at his home. “I am not a professional author, nor am I a magical performer, so I hope the reader will bear with me and the Houdini scholars forgive me for any errors but I do hope everyone will find something new and of interest in this small piece of work,” he said. “The aim is to introduce not only Harry Houdini the showman but the man who visited our own city, took Hull into theatrical history and threw down some of his challenges and inventions locally. He was and still is an enigma and was a remarkable man.
“His escapes were mysterious and spectacular and his personality was intriguing and often peculiar. He was also a man who moved with the times, always thinking of something new for his audiences, always pushing the boundaries of stage presentation. He was truly a performer totally dedicated to his craft and one of the very first superstars of the entertainment world.”
Houdini was 29 when he first performed in Hull in 1903 and returned five times over the next 17 years. On each visit he appeared at the Palace Theatre on Anlaby Road, then Hull’s entertainment hotspot with theatres, a circus and cinemas dotted along the street near Paragon Station.
Hull was also one of the first places in England where he performed his most famous escape in his self-made Chinese Water Torture Cell. It involved his feet and ankles being locked in a wooden stock brace before he was suspended upside down in mid-air and then lowered into a glass tank of water. Once submerged, the restraint on his ankles would be locked to the top of the tank but it was never enough to prevent him escaping from apparent death.
Houdini often staged stunts in public to publicise his theatre shows and the book records one in 1914 which saw him jump from a tug boat into the Humber trussed in handcuffs and chains weighing nearly 20 pounds. An 8,000-strong crowd watched from Corporation Pier as he subsequently emerged in the water free from his shackles.
Using contemporary newspaper reports, Roger conjures up a rich picture of a dazzling showman and a city still captivated by live entertainment. His book is a joint project with Hull’s Carnegie History Centre where copies are available to buy. All profits are being donated to Yorkshire Cancer Research.
Roger will also be talking about the book alongside Houdini expert and performer Michael Diamond at a special event being staged by the Hull Magicians Circle on Thursday, October 29, at the Men in Sheds Community Centre, First Lane, Anlaby, starting at 7.45pm. Tickets priced £5 can be bought in advance. Details via email at secretaryhullmc@gmail.com
An exhibition about Houdini in Hull is scheduled to open at the Hull History Centre on December 1.