Houdini's Final Appearance? - September 24, 2007

 

While the old showbiz saying is that "the show must go on," not many performers would "go on" with appendicitis and a temperature of 104°, allowing themselves to be suspended upside down (from an ankle he'd broken less than two weeks before) into a small tank of water.  Not many performers are Harry Houdini, though. Legend says that Houdini died of appendicitis brought on by a punch to his stomach.  The truth is that, punch or not, his appendix would have burst anyway. On October 24, 1926, the escapologist gave his final performance kn Detroit before the pain became too great for even the stubborn Houdini to ignore -- and even then, he refused surgery until the next day.  It was too late, though; the damage had been done. Most patients would have died within hours, but Houdini's body and will were so strong that he hung on for four days, dying on Halloween.  In the decades since, numerous attempts have been made to contact Houdini beyond the grave, but so far, even he hasn't been able to pull off the greatest escape. Suggested Sites... Houdini Tribute: Houdini's Death - photos of Houdini's grave, video of his funeral, and much more about his life and death. Wild About Harry - John Cox's blog with daily doses of Houdini news. Harry Houdini and His Unusual Will - information about the magician's final bequests. Snopes.com: Punched Out - debunks the rumors surrounding the escapologist's death. Wikipedia: Harry Houdini - good overview of Houdini's life, with links to the Houdini Museum and other sites dedicated to the magician.

Zorro - October 21, 2005

 

When danger strikes, the citizens of Metropolis can call on Superman. New Yorkers have Spider-Man. 

But when evil threatens the ranchos of Old California, who can the poor and oppressed turn to? Why, to Zorro, of course! 

Though the story of the swashbuckling Mexican avenger seems like a folk legend, he was created by Johnston McCulley for his 1919 novel, The Curse of Capistrano. 

The masked avenger caught on almost immediately, sparking movies starring Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, George Hamilton, and (most recently) Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas. 

From comic books and a television show in the '50s to a novel by Isabel Allende and musicals and ballets, Zorro has conquered the media the same way he overcomes the forces of evil and darkness -- with humor, derring-do, and unmatched swordsmanship.

Suggested Sites...

• Zorro.com - official web site for the masked hero of Spanish California.
• The Legend of Zorro - movie starring Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones. 
• The Zorro Chronology - follow the life and career of Don Diego de la Vega and his descendants.

A Room With a "Boo!" - October 21, 2008

 

When Halloween rolls around, our fancy lightly turns to thoughts of murder, mayhem, and haunted houses.

One of the fun things about this season is distinguishing between the "real" haunted locations, and the "fake" ones. The fake ones are actually easier to spot; they're the ones with a lot of noise, monsters, and ghosts trying to scare the bejeezus out of you (or into you, in some cases). They're found all over the country and are generally more playful than scary -- after all, there are only so many variations on fake blood, plastic fangs and eyeballs, or ways for someone to jump out at you and yell "Boo!" (It makes us wonder why, given people's fears, we don't see more clowns in these places...)

The real haunted locations are much more sedate and quiet than their not-so-evil twins. When "ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night" make themselves known, they don't announce themselves; they're likelier to sneak up and lay a cold dead hand on your shoulder than to erect a neon sign announcing "Scare Alarms."

Given the extensive list of places that are haunted, it's a wonder that we're not running over spectres every time we get in the car. On the other hand, given the proclivity of ghosts to attend the theatre, maybe they're all out seeing plays (every house has its own "ghost light," after all).

For every true believer -- and there are plenty -- there's nearly an equal number of skeptics. One of the most notable of the latter was magician Harry Houdini, who dedicated his life to exposing phony mediums who claimed to be able to speak to the dead -- and who may have ordered a hit on Houdini. He was never able to pull off the ultimate escape, though, which leads to our belief that if Houdini couldn't become one, there's no such thing as spooks.

Suggested Sites...

• Haunted House.com - find one near you.
• Haunted House Association - guarantor for the best in scaring the hell out of you.
• Hell House - official site for the documentary about a Christian haunted house in Texas.
• Variety: Hollywood Hell House - your favorite celebrities use the official "Hell House" script to give an ironic take on it. 
• American Hauntings - who you gonna call?