Houdini: The Man behind the Myth, the Magic, and the Media
Taught by Christine Degenaars
Christine Degenaars studied Marketing and English at Boston College. She currently lives in New York where she works in advertising. As a relatively recent graduate, she hasn't quite been able to let go of one of her biggest passions: learning new things. This led her to Brooklyn Brainery. After attending several talks, she decided to offer her expertise in her newest fascination: Harry Houdini. When she first began her exploration of 19th and 20th century performance magic, she didn't know where it would lead. But page after page, the story of Houdini's life became something of an obsession. Now she is armed with an arsenal of facts and stories about one of the most intriguing people of the early 20th century: the one and only Harry Houdini.
“The secret of showmanship consists not of what you really do but what the mystery-loving public thinks you do.” –Harry Houdini
Leap into the mysterious life of Harry Houdini as he went from the freak show circuit to Vaudeville, taking audiences and the media along with him. Learn some of the secrets behind his most famous escapes and illusions, including the Vanishing Elephant and the Chinese Water Torture Cell, and see whether Houdini really did die from a sucker punch.
In this talk, we’ll discuss how he was able to harness the power of the budding advertising industry to catapult himself and his art to national acclaim. We’ll also touch on the early 20th century’s obsession with séances, spiritualism, and performance magic, taking a particular look at how one man captivated the world and why he still remains one of the most recognizable names in the English language today.
