USPS News: Philatelic Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 31, 2001
Stamp Release No. 01-074
HARRY HOUDINI RETURNS TO WORLD STAGE
Film 'Houdini' Tony Curtis Joins Master Magician Lance Burton in Unveiling of Harry Houdini Postage Stamp
LAS VEGAS - Harry Houdini, America's most famous escape artist and magician, returned to the spotlight this week when the U.S. Postal Service, Master Magician Lance Burton and actor Tony Curtis unveiled a new commemorative postage stamp.
Introduced in conjunction with a free show held Oct. 29 in Houdini's honor in The Lance Burton Theatre at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, the Harry Houdini stamp will be issued in July 2002.
The 2002 issuance of the stamp coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Society of American Magicians. Houdini served as president of the society from 1917 until his death on Halloween, Oct. 31, 1926.
"The Harry Houdini stamp will serve as a reminder of how important it is to recognize, appreciate and encourage creativity and imagination," said Thomas L. Peterson, Las Vegas Postmaster.
"Today more than ever, the educational hobby of stamp collecting and the world of magic and illusion can bring all of us a welcome dose of youthful wonder and joy, which is so important to our well-being both as individuals and as a nation," said Peterson.
"As a boy I was inspired by Tony Curtis playing Harry Houdini in the movie 'Houdini,'" said Burton. "I enjoyed the film about the famous magician so much that it inspired me to follow in his footsteps and perform his escape tricks."
"Harry Houdini is considered one of the great magicians of our time," said Curtis. "I was privileged to play him on the screen and tried, when I made the movie, to instill all the subtleties and genius of the man."
"Magic is a fine art, and Lance Burton has carried it, and the legend of Harry Houdini to its highest level," added Curtis. "With the torch of magic carried forth in Lance's gifted hands, we see the best of our magical era. I'm delighted to be associated with these two men."
Harry Houdini was born in Budapest, Hungary, on March 24, 1874. His family immigrated to the U.S. when he was four and settled first in Appleton, Wis. His "professional debut" occurred at the age of nine, when he appeared as a contortionist and trapeze performer at a five-cent circus staged by a friend. He went on to perform magic and escape tricks in dime museums (exhibitions that featured human oddities and curiosities for a low price), medicine shows, circuses and other small performance venues.
Houdini's name was Ehrich Weiss until he changed it in the early 1890s as a tribute to the famous French illusionist, Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin. He began performing escape tricks on vaudeville stages in the spring of 1899, and by the following spring he had become a star known as the King of Handcuffs. Houdini astonished audiences with his daring escapes, not only from handcuffs but from straitjackets, ropes, chains, jail cells, and trunks submerged in water.
Beginning in 1915, Houdini thrilled huge crowds with his suspended straitjacket escape. In this "outside stunt" Houdini was bound in a straitjacket and a rope was tied around his ankles. He was then hoisted high above the crowd and suspended from a beam that projected from a window in a tall building. In a 1916 performance in Washington, D.C., an estimated 15,000 spectators watched Houdini free himself from this terrifying predicament.
In his later years Houdini crusaded against spiritualism and worked to expose fraudulent mediums who claimed to be able to contact the spirit world. Houdini, who believed that these people preyed on grieving families, used his knowledge as an illusionist to reveal their methods. Ironically, Houdini died on Halloween, Oct. 31, 1926. He was one of the best known performers of the early 20th century, and his name remains synonymous with magic and escape today.
The portrait on the Harry Houdini stamp, which depicts a confident, self-assured man at the height of his career, was taken from a 1911 lithographed poster in the collection of Gary H. Mandelblatt. The stamp will be issued in July 2002, in conjunction with the Society of American Magicians convention in New York, N.Y.
To see the Harry Houdini stamp, visit the Postal Service Web site at www.usps.com and locate the online version of this press release by clicking on "News and Events" then "Philatelic News."
Current U.S. stamps, as well as a free comprehensive catalog, are available toll free by calling 1 800 STAMP-24. In addition, a selection of stamps and other philatelic items are available in the Postal Store at www.usps.com.
For more information on Lance Burton and The Lance Burton Theatre, visit www.lanceburton.com.
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