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THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY SEANCE 1946

This is a perfect example of a simple Houdini seance as all the effort (as it should) went into promoting the event. They used simple props and at the designated time asked Houdini to move any of them. This seance was done in one of Abbott's branch stores in Detroit, the city where he died, so that was the hook to get the people in.

The article below was written by Abbott's staff and published by Abbott's in their Tops Magazine.

Newspapers all over the country carried the story of the seance staged by a group of 13 Detroit Magicians on Hallowe'en in an attempt to induce Harry Houdini to indicate in some way that he was trying to communicate with them from the spirit world. His own autographed book, "Miracle Mongers and Their Methods" was placed on a great carved chair between two tall candles; his autographed photograph was placed behind it; a pair of his own handcuffs were placed locked in the foreground.

All Houdini had to do was move one of these hallowed objects and the 13 would have been satisfied. But apparently Houdini wasn't moving any - for the objects remained unmoved.

Karrell Fox, Abbott's Detroit manager and Rex Billings, Jr., thought they saw a slight vibration of the book cover, but both agreed with Milton Kort that it was an illusion caused by heat waves from the candle flames. Bob Ungewitter saw nothing and Frank Amand, an escape artist himself, was puzzled that Houdini hadn't come back to him.

Magicians' groups in other cities held similar vigils, but with no result, either. Said Detective Sergt. Del Raymond, who had checked the cuffs and the locks, "How would poor Houdini know where to go with everybody trying to drag him all over the country?"

Anyway, the seances are a fitting memorial to the memory of this great Magician.

This was one of the first Houdini seances done after World War 2. It was significant because spiritualism had a brief revival during the war - so many families lost loved ones that they turned to spiritualism as a last resort - and magicians needed to continue the campaign against the fraud being perpetrated on familes in mourning.

Thirteen Magicians Schedule Seance With Houdini In Detroit On Halloween Midnight
Article from Oct 30, 1946 The Paducah Sun (Paducah, Kentucky) Houdini and spiritualism