Harry Houdini's Appearances and magic tricks in the Scranton Wilkes Barre Pocono region


Ad for a Harry Houdini appearance in Scranton.

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Harry Houdini and his brother Hardeen appeared many times in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. They did quite well in the area, and in the rest of Pennsylvania. (Harry Houdini established his brother in the escape business allowing him to do his escapes and magic tricks, a sign of true family loyalty.) Two of Harry Houdini's early years in show business were with the Welch Brothers Circus out of Lancaster, Pennsylvania that traveled throughout the area. As a star Harry Houdini traveled to the area as well. Scranton was one of the leading vaudeville stops, and hardly a movie about show business of that era fails to mention the city. Harry Houdini lived in New York, rather than Hollywood, so Harry Houdini worked quite often in northeast Pennsylvania. Harry Houdini appeared at the Poli Theaters. His brother appeared at the New Academy and the Poli in both cities with his escapes and magic tricks.

$1,000 Challenge offered by Harry Houdini when he did the Chinese Water Torture Cell in Scranton

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Harry Houdini performed The Chinese Water Torture Cell escape as well as "the masterpiece of the Yogis," the East Indian Needle magic trick. By this time Harry Houdini had dropped his billing as the Handcuff King due the countless imitators who tried to copy that Harry Houdini act. At one of Harry Houdini's engagements in Scranton, the police chief placed Harry Houdini in handcuffs. Harry Houdini escaped and explained that he did the magic trick by contracting his wrist bones so small that the cuffs could be slid off. Harry Houdini also told him that he could swallow keys and lock picks the way he swallowed the needles in the needle threading in the mouth trick. Neither of these were in fact Harry Houdini;s method. The United States was soon to go to war during one of Harry Houdini's appearances here! This headline in The Scranton Times during one of the appearances of Harry Houdini in Scranton. Germany was torpedoing ships of all nations and The United States was soon to enter World War I. When the United States went to war with Germany Harry Houdini took a year off from work to sell bonds for the war effort. He also had a program to teach American soldiers how to escape from German handcuffs giving away some of his magic trick secrts

Another ad for Harry Houdini in Scranton

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Program for a magic show with the tricks Harry Houdini brought to Scranton.

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Go to magic tricksScranton's Harry Houdini Museum
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This web site includes Harry Houdini MUSEUM biography, Harry Houdini MUSEUM tricks, Harry Houdini MUSEUM death, Harry Houdini MUSEUM quotes, the Harry Houdini MUSEUM movies or Harry Houdini MUSEUM movies, our Houdini Inc., Harry Houdini MUSEUM real last name, and Houdini's magic tricks.


Website of Scranton Magician Dick Brookz

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Address: 1433 N. Main Ave., Scranton, Pennsylvania (PA), 18508

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