Lifestyle FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2016

A New York-based singer-songwriter Tara O’Grady shows the famed Hungarian-born escape artist Harry Houdini’s bible in the ‘House of Houdini’ museum.

The museum’s founder, Italian-Hungarian escape-artist David Merlini (left) and New York-based singer-songwriter Tara O’Ingredients Grady (right) show the famed Hungarian-born escape artist Harry Houdini’s bible in the ‘House of Houdini’ museum in Budapest, Hungary. — AFP photos

Tara O'Grady shows the famed Hungarian-born escape artist 'Handcuff king' Houdini's Harry Houdini's bible. secrets unlocked in Hungary inety years after his death, the secrets of the world's water for a world record of around 21 minutes and coached greatest escape artist, Harry Houdini, have been Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody on the 2014 "Houdini" tele- Nunlocked in a recently opened Hungarian museum vision miniseries that was filmed in Budapest. Merlini says he devoted to the Budapest-born illusionist. Set high in the capi- shares Houdini's "fetish of locks, safes, and the art of escape". tal's lofty Castle district, the House of Houdini lifts the veil on Instead of playing with Lego, he collected padlocks as a child. the box of tricks used by the famous magician, who lived most "Escapism is not just about unlocking padlocks. It's the of his life in the United States. Amid gleaming chandeliers and desire to get rid of things that are binding our freedom in a old Chesterfield seats, the red-painted rooms showcase hand- world with so many rules and regulations," observed Merlini, cuffs and padlocks used by Houdini in performances. who was born on October 31, the same day as Houdini died. Visitors can also see props from a recent television produc- He said it bothered him that Houdini, despite his Hungarian tion on him such as a box from an illusion where a woman roots, was not publicly acknowledged in his home country. "I The main entrance of the ‘House of Houdini’ museum is seen appears to be cut in half. There's even a stage where budding couldn't understand why, for such an enormous artist of such at the 1st district of Budapest in Buda Palace quarter. magicians charm visitors with card tricks. "I had an urge to pay calibre, there was not even a sign on the street where he was tribute to Houdini," said museum owner and fellow escapolo- born," Merlini added. To rectify the situation, he decided to gist David Merlini who has dedicated his life to collecting the open his private collection to the public earlier this year. items on display. "We are all Houdinis. Everyone has a secret Beyond its entertainment value, the museum also employs a desire sometimes to get out of a certain situation, to be some- researcher who delves into Houdini's mostly unknown early where else, in a different pair of shoes, that is his enduring uni- life and family history in Budapest. versal appeal," he told AFP. At the start of December, the museum pulled a new rarity out of its hat-a bible once owned 'Dark side' by Houdini. Born Erik Weisz in Budapest in 1874, Houdini and his family The book, which he signed as a 19-year-old, was delivered left for Appleton, Wisconsin, when he was just four years old. to the museum by its previous owner, New York-based jazz- By his late teens, he was performing stunts and using the stage- blues singer Tara O'Grady. "I feel like it has come home," name "Houdini", a nod to the French magician Jean Eugene O'Grady, whose family had owned the book since the late Robert-Houdin. Fame arrived thanks to his feats with handcuffs 1970s, told AFP after the artefact's handover. The bible had and straitjackets, and sensational escapes from sealed water- been gifted by Houdini's brother to a nurse in the 1960s who filled milk urns, and caskets buried underground. "The world's then gave it to her Irish immigrant neighbour, Tara's mother. handcuff king, nothing on earth can hold Houdini a prisoner!" The "House of Houdini" museum is pictured in Budapest. Little attention was paid to the book, until a friend's recent read a contemporary publicity poster. Although Houdini exten- interest alerted O'Grady to its potential value. sively toured Europe, he never put on a show in Budapest. Hungary represented a "dark side" for Houdini, says Merlini. "He 'Wild about Harry' was not proud of his Hungarian background because he was a When Merlini first heard about the bible's reemergence poor Jewish immigrant from Europe (in the US)," he noted. "But on a Houdini historian's website, "Wild about Harry", he we are trying to keep the legend alive." — AFP knew he had to have "this special collector's item". "My friends tell me I spend too much on these artefacts but what is of real value today? Real estate? A diamond ring or a nice car? I believe it is what makes you happy," he said. Like his hero, Merlini has made an art of getting himself first into and then out of trouble. A wax figure of Harry Houdini, The Hungarian-Italian daredevil has performed stunts the famed Hungarian-born around the world, escaping from inside blocks of ice, quick- escape is seen in the ‘House of setting concrete or blazing cars. He has held his breath under- Houdini’ museum.