Dorothy Dietrich Dorothy Dietrich is an American stage magician and mance style, took her under their wing. Walter Gibson, escapologist, and the first and only woman to have per- who was a confidant and biographer of Houdini’s said[10] formed the bullet catch in her mouth.[1][2] She was also “What you have is very reminiscent of Houdini, when the first woman to perform a straitjacket escape while sus- Houdini come out on stage, the audience automatically pended hundreds of feet in the air from a burning rope fell in love with him. In my long years I've never seen any- (as shown on a Home Box Office Special). She is the one who had that.” Dietrich also studied with “Coney Is- first woman to gain prominence as a female escape artist land Fakir” Al Flosso, a regular performer on the Ed Sul- since the days of Houdini, breaking the glass ceiling for livan television show, Jack London (for the bullet catch) women in the field of escapes and magic. She has been and Lou Lancaster with the Milk Can and the Straitjacket named as one of the top four escape artists in history.[3] escape, as well as slight of hand magic. “The recognition The 2006 Columbia Encyclopedia [4] included Dietrich gradually put Dorothy Dietrich and her magic into resort among their “eight most noted magicians of the late 20th hotels, nightclubs, school and college auditoriums, trade century”, and entertainment writer Samantha Hart in her shows.”[7] She became a favorite of several New York definitive book “The Hollywood Walk of Fame” called booking agents. her a “world-class magician” and “one of the world’s lead- ing female magicians”. Early on as a teenager she already was dubbed as “The First Lady of Magic.” [5] Dietrich, 2 Innovative routines often called the female Houdini, has duplicated many of Houdini’s original escapes, and has gone one step further by doing the Jinxed Bullet Catch Stunt — the one that Houdini backed away from.[6] 1 Early career Dorothy Dietrich is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania.[7] In a six-page article about the history of women in magic in the women’s magazine, Bust,[8] which contained only two full-page pictures, one of Adelaide Herrmann and the other of Dietrich, Nichole Summer writes: Among the books that inspired her as a child was a bi- ography of Houdini, who became a childhood idol, a fact that later influenced her desire to perform magic and Dorothy Dietrich sawing celebrity comedian Robert Klein in half escapes.[11] on TV Early on, she learned her craft mostly from books. In New York, she auditioned for Westchester Department of She developed what is known as a flash act that included Parks from an ad in a show business newspaper and was doves, a rabbit, a duck and two poodles. Early on she booked on the spot for a full summer of work,[7] was rec- was considered a “leading dove worker”.[12] She also de- ommended to the school district for the winter months, veloped several routines few women had ever attempted. and re-booked the following summer for an increase in Sawing men in half, escaping from a straitjacket,[13] dates and price. Around this same time she earned her sleight of hand with coins via the Misers Dream, The Bul- performing chops working a dime museum “grind show” let Catch, and levitating audience members. It was her Ten-in-One operation in hectic Times Square run by leg- goal to level the playing field between men and women endary mouse pitchman Tommy Laird with such per- in the field of magic, and to innovate and break barriers formers as Earl “Presto” Johnson, Lou Lancaster, Chris where no women, and in some cases no men have gone. Capehart, Dick Brooks and others. Showcasing for the Until she broke many of these barriers women were not Parent Assembly of the Society of American Magicians allowed full membership in such organizations as The So- at about the same time, well-known magicians Russell ciety of American Magicians and London’s Magic Circle, Swann and Walter B. Gibson, captivated by her perfor- which early on she tried to join. She has pioneered and 1 2 7 THE HOUDINI SEANCES paved the way for women in the field today. son, Lou Lancaster, Jack London, Bill McQueen, Max Dietrich has created special shows for such companies as Maven (Phil Goldstein), Ben Robinson, James Randi, Maidenform, Pooltrol, Yago Sangria, Manhattan Shirts, David Roth, George Schindler, Slydini and others. as well as fashion and cosmetic companies. She is a reg- Imam would, after several years, break away and form ular performer for trade and industrial events. his own competing club downtown in Greenwich Village. Brooks and Dietrich searched out Brother Theodore, whose career had waned, and helped to bring him back 3 Television to prominence that led to his appearing on The Tom Sny- der Tomorrow Show and a series of TV and movie ap- pearances. Upon the closing of the Magic Towne House, On television, Dorothy Dietrich won attention as a Michael Chaut and Peter Samuelson would later develop woman who, instead of allowing herself to be sawed in “Monday Night Magic” along with Frank Brents, Todd half, reversed the traditional illusion and severed into two Robbins, and Jamy Ian Swiss, which still runs success- [7] parts the male hosts of talk shows and network specials. fully in New York City.[17] As word got around she was called to do a Bill Cosby[14] special while still in her early teens, but with the help of her sophisticated style and makeup she passed as an adult and was able to work night clubs and banquets in leading 5 The Bullet Catch hotels and venues. Cosby was so impressed that he rec- ommended her to several agents. At this same time she In 2008, Bust Magazine reported[18] about Dietrich’s 1988 performed with Loretta Lynn, Dick Van Patten and Tony attempt to catch a bullet in a metal cup in her mouth. She Randall. performed it at Donald Trump's Resorts International’s Dietrich was co-editor, contributor and publisher of 10th anniversary in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was tele- Hocus Pocus Magazine along with magician/mentalist vised on a special called, Just For The Record, The Best Of Dick Brooks. In addition to escapes and large scale stunts Everything. This came about after catching a .22 caliber Dietrich has performs illusions with live animals such as bullet for the yearly convention of the International Broth- [19] doves, rabbits, poodles and ducks. She is also known for erhood of Magicians in Pittsburgh. It was shown on sawing men in half. She also does an updated version Network TV’s Evening Magazine, and on The New You of the classic Miser’s Dream, plucking coins from the Asked For It with Rich Little as host. She performed it air, nose, ears and pockets of a youngster from the au- again in Canada on a TV show called Autobus du Canada dience. She is also known for levitating volunteers from for the highest amount ever paid a magician on Canadian [20] the audience.[15] television. She is the first and only female to success- fully complete the bullet catch in the mouth. It was done under test conditions with the bullets bought by a commit- tee. Brought in under guard, an independent marksman 4 The Magic Towne House picked and fired the bullet. One of two chosen bullets was fired into a concrete backstop and the second was Dietrich was a founder along with Dick Brooks of New fired at Dorothy. Dietrich challenged anyone who could York’s Magic Towne House[16] a popular magic show spot prove that the bullet did not leave from the gun by of- in New York City, which was the longest running magic fering a $10,000 reward.[21] Feature stories and articles show in New York City history. Always interested in about her have appeared in major publications such as magic history and innovation, Dorothy Dietrich learned the New York Times and TV Guide.[10] that opening a magic show spot in New York City was a dream of legendary magicians Houdini, Thurston, David Copperfield and Doug Henning. 6 Houdini Magical Hall of Fame At the same time she wanted a place where well-known performers could be seen, as well as to help to develop On exhibit for many years at the Houdini Magical Hall of future generations of magicians. Along with partner Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada, until it burned down, was Dick Brooks she accomplished this goal with The Magic a large two-panel display[22] of Dorothy Dietrich and her Towne House. Some of the magicians who got their accomplishments as “The Female Houdini”. A similar early start at The Magic Towne House include Eric De- display is now shown at Scranton’s Houdini Museum. Camps, Imam, Jeff McBride, Otto and George, Johnny Ace Palmer, Joseph Pepitone, Joe Raven, David Re- gal, Rocco Silano, Peter Samelson, Meir Yedid and oth- ers. Established performers of the era also performed 7 The Houdini Seances with them, including Bobby Baxter, Harry Blackstone, Jr., Milbourne Christopher, Daryl, Fantasio, Frank Gar- For many years she held the Houdini Seances in New cia, Walter B. Gibson, Wesley James, Presto Earl John- York as a tribute to the legendary magician, continuing 3 a tradition started by Houdini’s wife and passed on to of “psychics” Sylvia Brown, Lisa Williams and John Ed- Walter B.