It has been exactly a year when the Radner/Great Houdini auction was held in Las Vegas. Those of us who attended this magical event were told that the entire event was being videotaped. I had the chance to talk with Lance Burton and he told me that highlights from the auction would appear on a documentary that he was hosting for the History Channel. He mentioned that the show would air in February 05. I had not heard anything about this show until recently. Finally, after a lengthy delay, the show, Houdini: Unlocking the Mystery is going to air this Monday at 6:00 pm and again at 10:00 pm. If you miss this date, another airing will appear on Saturday the 5th at 3:00 pm. The press release described the show as " an examination of a rare collection of Houdini's personal artifacts, many of which were used in some of his most famous tricks. Included: the famous water-torture cell: a milk can used in an escape trick; straitjackets; lock picks; handcuffs."

Just about every documentary that I have ever seen on Houdini has been about his life and times. This one should be unique as this appears to be more about his tools of his trade. This should appeal to those that frequent these pages. I wrote a little story about this auction a year ago and it can be found on the home page of http://www.handcuffs.org. Hopefully, there will be some familiar faces when this documentary is aired. Please check air times in your area, as there seems to be discrepancies between TV Guide and the History Channel web-site.

The History Channel web-site provided this synopsis:
In one of magic history's rarest events, a private collector auctioned off the largest collection of personally-owned Harry Houdini artifacts and memorabilia, providing an unprecedented peek behind the curtain at the world's great showman and magician. In a 2-hour special, hosted by renowned magician Lance Burton, we explore the life and magic of the great escape artist through his most prized possessions: the Chinese Water Torture Cell, the Milkcan, his straitjackets and handcuffs, and lockpicks that were "key" to his handcuff escapes, revealed to the public for the first time. We also unlock secrets of the man--brash showman, fierce competitor, loyal son and husband. With expert commentary, including a great-nephew and the last surviving member of his magic troop.

I believe the last member of the troop that they are referring to was a lady named Dorothy Young. She was at the auction and even wrote a small booklet titled; Touring with Houdini, in 2003. It told of her times that she worked the Vaudeville circuit and other shows as an assistant for Houdini.

One can purchase a DVD directly from the History Channel , but they will not ship any copies until 12-12-05. Ian is sure that a U.S. DVD will work in Australia, but I am not so sure about Europe and elsewhere. If not, perhaps the History Channel sells the product in other formats.

The original event lasted about 4 hours, so this 2 hour documentary should do this some justice. I expect this to very well produced and can hardly wait til Monday!
Hope you enjoy this show

mark
O--O

When will this be on the history channel. as for DVDs the US is in a Region one code and Austrailia is a region 4 code. but there are region free dvd players and ways to Hack the DVD players. Don,

I called my brother in law to tape it for me as I don't have the History channel. He loaded it into his computor and burnt a dvd. What a bonus. Now I have to find time to watch it.

Richard