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THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY SEANCE 1936

The final official Houdini seance took place at 8pm in Hollywood California atop the Knickerbocker hotel. It was an invitation only event and had about 300 invited guests in attendance. Edward Saint (Bess' business manager) was the seance moderator. If we are going to look at how to do a legit seance one would think that these people had to learn something with this being the 17th official seance.

Anticipation was the key ingredient this cold night in Hollywood California for it was well publicized that this would be the final seance of the ten year period agreed upon by Harry and Bess. In addition, if Houdini does not show, the next major seance date would be 90 years later, the 100th anniversary of Harry Houdini's death so they were throwing caution to the wind and sparing no expense. If Houdini was going to show, this would be the venue he would want in Hollywood with plenty of press and celebrities in attendance. How could he refuse not to show.

Below is how the seance went.

seance Moderator - "Let us bow our heads in meditation and prayers. Oh thou mastermind of the universe, please let the spirit of understanding descend upon us who are gathered in the inner circle tonight. We are each in our own way seekers after truth. Please let thy spirit of understanding guide us and bring the light of truth to the many friends that have earnestly formed psychic circles and gatherings throughout the entire world. Aid us, guide us on this most important question to mankind, spirit communication from across the grave. We ask this universal understanding in all humbleness, and we offer our grateful thanks to thee. Guide us please, Amen "

seance Moderator - "Oh though disembodied spirits. Those of you that have grown old in the mysterious laws of spirit land, we greet thee. We have gathered here at the appointed time, we have complied with all the requirements to enable all of you to make your presence known Members of the spirit world have long known of the intention of this important gathering tonight. All is in readiness, please now, the time is at hand, make yourself known to us. Any of you Please. Manifest yourself in any way possible, please let your united strength and knowledge aid Houdini in coming through. It is the spirit of Houdini we wish to contact, Houdini are you here, are you here Houdini. Please manifest yourself in any way possible. Take from this earnest gathering any strength that may be necessary for you to use. Take any vital thing from us that you may need to enable you to carry out your promise of years ago, we have waited, Houdini, oh so long, never have you been able to present the evidence you promised, and now, this is a night of nights, the world is listening. Harry, your world, your audience, and Bessie is here. Your Bessie, who was part of you for 33 years. She is here Harry, pleading in her heart for a prearranged sign from you. It means so much to her, to all of us, to the world. Harry we are all seekers at the truth, please manifest yourself by speaking through the trumpet, lift it, lift it. Speak through it, speak - speak Harry, we are watching and waiting. Levitate the table, move it, lift the table, move it, rap on it, spell out a code Harry, please. Ring the bell, let its tinkle be heard around the world. Do it Harry, please, please Houdini, we are waiting. Bessie is waiting."

seance Moderator - "For all thou spirits, your religion is based on love, and by that very token a love of 33 years that have even entered into eternity, by that love I ask that you come through with that evidence. By the love of the little silver haired widow, by the love and esteem of countless friends. The evidence Harry, and Houdini, Houdini, Hardeen your brother has joined us with a circle he has formed in New York City 3,000 miles away. He has joined with us to seek a truth, and a circle in Baltimore, Philadelphia is listening in, In providence, in Chicago Leonard, who was once a protege of yours, a circle in Portland Maine, and in the faithful city of Detroit, in Victoria Canada, Tacoma, Rockford, Oakland, and San Francisco, all over the world all joining in, come through Harry. And Houdini, Colonel Harry Day, member of the British Parliament, has formed a circle in London England. Colonel Day was your closest boyhood friend Houdini, you must come through, and at the bottom of the world, Australia, the country where you made history has joined in. We are crying to high heaven, to the powers that be. We are crying in one mighty magnetic voice from every corner of the earth, and the hearts and minds of the multitudes are seated here tonight. We want the evidence, the truth, in the name of humanity and love. if there is communication from the great beyond, come through with the evidence."

A moment of calm, meditation and silence is observed

seance Moderator - "Mrs. Houdini, the zero hour has past, the ten years are up, have you reached a decision?"

Mrs. Houdini – "Yes. Houdini did not come through, my last hope is gone. I do not believe that Houdini can come back to me or to anyone. After faithfully following through the ten year Houdini compact, using every type medium and seance, it is now my personal and positive belief, that spirit communication in any form is impossible. I do not believe that ghosts or spirts exist. The Houdini shrine has burned for ten years, I now reverently turn out the light. It is finished, good night Harry."

The next day headlines went out across the world as shown below.

Houdini seances Futile

seances held simultaneously in various parts of the country on October 31st were all to no avail. Harry Houdini did not speak. Theo Hardeen, brother of Houdini, at New York, Harry Cecil at Detroit, and the patient widow, herself, at Los Angeles, conducted large seances. Houdini's admirers and friends over the nation joined their pleas with those of the leaders of the major seances. But no voice came from the Great Beyond.

Since Harry Houdini's death ten years ago, Mrs. Houdini has kept a light burning continuously over a picture of her husband. At the close of the seance on this Halloween night, exactly ten years after his death, Mrs. Houdini, in despair, turned out the light.

Of course, Houdini lives on, in the minds and hearts of all lovers of magic and of all laymen who ever were fortunate enough to come into contact with his vibrant and dynamic personality. But that is small consolation for the hopeful woman who has for so long anticipated some word from him. The ten years have passed - those ten years during which Mrs. Houdini felt certain that her husband would communicate with her. And Mrs. Houdini has turned out the light - the light over his picture and the light of her hope.

While the seance failed to contact Houdini, it was a success in every other way. The Houdini seance was becoming a major social event not only in Hollywood, but across the globe in other nations. Many people realized, especially magicians, that a Houdini seance was an event and it did not have to succeed. The Houdini seance was a celebration - served with champagne - and a publicity stunt that the press could not resist. The Houdini seance was an excuse for groups of people and friends to get together, and under the premise of spending twenty or thirty minutes trying to contact Houdini, would spend the rest of the day celebrating their failure. Spiritualism was not happy with these events.

Houdini's crusade in his lifetime paled to the damaged caused by these legit Houdini seances. To make matters worse for the spiritualist, magicians were now doing seances and telling their audience that everything they see is a trick. Essentially these magicians were continuing what Houdini began and it was happening everywhere across the U.S.A. The religion of Spiritualism, which was the fastest growing religion in the country just a few decades past, was now regressing.

Houdini Seance To Be Broadcasted
Article from Apr 24, 1936 The Columbia Record (Columbia, South Carolina) Houdini and spiritualism