Object Title
The Incredible Houdini!! The Man…The Myth…The Magic: Gabe Grayson
Part of
New School Adult Division Event Recordings
Material Category
Digital Audio
Description
On Halloween 1977, on the fifty-first anniversary of the illusionist, Harry Houdini's, death, Gabriel Grayson, instructor of the course the "Amazing Houdini!! The Man . . . The Myth . . . The Magic," stages a séance in the New School auditorium in an attempt to communicate with the spirit of Houdini. In this audio recording comprising the first part of the session, Grayson introduces the program by providing some background on modern spiritualism, indicating that his purpose is to present "freely and fairly" the phenomenon of communication with "some form of consciousness beyond death." Grayson introduces the panelists, some of whom have brought personal items owned by Houdini. The séance begins at 15:57, and after several minutes of silence, medium Ethel Meyers begins uttering words and phrases apparently meant to have been received from Houdini's spirit. The panelists ask questions of Meyers, which she answers as the spirit of Houdini. When asked to recount a message that Houdini left behind with one of the panelists, the medium is unable to do so. Other attempts by panelists to prompt Houdini to prove his identity also fail. The second recording is a continuation of the session. The séance is ended at 7:19, and the floor is opened to questions from panelists and the audience, mainly regarding the process through which the medium channels the spirit of the dead. Participants include Bernard C. Meyer, author of a psychoanalytic portrait of Houdini; Billie Dunninger, widow of the mentalist, The Amazing Dunninger; Henry Muller, president of the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame; Milbourne Christopher, Houdini biographer; Sidney Radner, an "escape specialist"; Louis Rachow, curator and librarian of the Hampden-Booth Theatre Library; and author Morris Young.
Date
October 31 1977
Related people
Gabriel Grayson (moderator)
New School for Social Research (New York, N.Y. : 1919-1997) (host institution)
Billie Dunninger (speaker)
Henry Muller (speaker)
Morris N. Young (speaker)
Sidney H. Radner (speaker)
Ethel Johnson Meyers (speaker)
Bernard C. Meyer (speaker)
Milbourne Christopher (speaker)
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ (copyrighted)
Identifier
NS070212_000065
There’s more! What you see on this site is only what is viewable online. Please visit archives.newschool.edu to find out more about what’s in the archives.
Material Category
Digital AudioDescription
On Halloween 1977, on the fifty-first anniversary of the illusionist, Harry Houdini's, death, Gabriel Grayson, instructor of the course the "Amazing Houdini!! The Man . . . The Myth . . . The Magic," stages a séance in the New School auditorium in an attempt to communicate with the spirit of Houdini. In this audio recording comprising the first part of the session, Grayson introduces the program by providing some background on modern spiritualism, indicating that his purpose is to present "freely and fairly" the phenomenon of communication with "some form of consciousness beyond death." Grayson introduces the panelists, some of whom have brought personal items owned by Houdini. The séance begins at 15:57, and after several minutes of silence, medium Ethel Meyers begins uttering words and phrases apparently meant to have been received from Houdini's spirit. The panelists ask questions of Meyers, which she answers as the spirit of Houdini. When asked to recount a message that Houdini left behind with one of the panelists, the medium is unable to do so. Other attempts by panelists to prompt Houdini to prove his identity also fail. The second recording is a continuation of the session. The séance is ended at 7:19, and the floor is opened to questions from panelists and the audience, mainly regarding the process through which the medium channels the spirit of the dead. Participants include Bernard C. Meyer, author of a psychoanalytic portrait of Houdini; Billie Dunninger, widow of the mentalist, The Amazing Dunninger; Henry Muller, president of the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame; Milbourne Christopher, Houdini biographer; Sidney Radner, an "escape specialist"; Louis Rachow, curator and librarian of the Hampden-Booth Theatre Library; and author Morris Young.Date
October 31 1977Related people
Gabriel Grayson (moderator)New School for Social Research (New York, N.Y. : 1919-1997) (host institution)
Billie Dunninger (speaker)
Henry Muller (speaker)
Morris N. Young (speaker)
Sidney H. Radner (speaker)
Ethel Johnson Meyers (speaker)
Bernard C. Meyer (speaker)
Milbourne Christopher (speaker)
Rights
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ (copyrighted)Identifier
NS070212_000065There’s more! What you see on this site is only what is viewable online. Please visit archives.newschool.edu to find out more about what’s in the archives.