Meet Rose Mackenberg, Harry Houdini's personal ghost buster

I'm a big fan of Harry Houdini, and his exploits to root out fraud in paranormal scenes. His work as a debunker has gained some mainstream attention via movies, but did you know that ol' Harry had his own secret service with some spirited squad goals?

Yup, Houdini had a group of 20 salaried undercover investigators who traveled the country in the early 1900s with the mission of uncovering "ghost racketeers" engaged in "spirit fraud."

Perhaps the most famous was Rose Mackenberg, the "Spook Spy." A New York City resident, Rose was a believer in Spiritualism early on, before she teamed up with the illusionist. Once she did, Houdini was especially impressed by Rose's skills and knowledge of fakery involved in seances and mediumship.

The Spook Spy earned her name by slipping into the confidences of local spiritualist groups. And when she arrived in town, she'd go shopping for new disguises that would allow her to blend into a local area. Disguises included "Credulous Servant Girl," "Believing Semi-Invalid," "Smartly Garbed Widow," "Rustic School Teacher," and "Small Town Matron," among others.

Although Houdini died in 1926, Rose continued with her and her boss' mission through 1951. She also gave lectures, wrote for multiple publications such as Popular Science, assisted insurance companies in sussing out fraudulent claims, and worked with the Chicago Tribune as a guide to the Spiritualist world.

-Aaron Sagers

Read more at Atlas Obscura,  The Magic Detective

Iconic Posters Recreated with Adrien Brody For History's 'Houdini'

One of the Vintage Posters Featuring Adrien Brody

Modern magic has placed Oscar-winner, Adrien Brody in a few of Harry Houdini’s iconic posters that were a key to the legendary magician's fame and success. These four featured vintage posters helped to advertise his different performances and sensational stunts. Why is Brody featured in these posters? He'll be starring in History’s upcoming two-night scripted miniseries, "Houdini." It will be premiering September 1 at 9 p.m. and conclude on September 2. "The event miniseries follows the epic tales of Harry Houdini as he emerges as America’s first bonafide world-renowned superstar."

Here's more info on "Houdini" from the press release and then check out the remaining three posters after the jump.

From humble beginnings at circus sideshows to sold-out concert halls, Eastern European immigrant Ehrich Weiss rose to become a household name across the globe – Houdini. Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) stars as The Great Harry Houdini as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists, and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Arthur Conan Doyle and Rasputin. A thrilling ride throughout Harry’s psyche, HOUDINI delves deep behind the curtain into his life through his stunts, his visions, and his mastery of illusion.

Joining Brody is Kristen Connolly (House of Cards, The Cabin the Woods) as Bess Houdini, the love of Harry’s life and right hand when it came to some of his most amazing feats, and Evan Jones (A Million Ways to Die in the West, The Book of Eli, Gangster Squad) as Jim Collins, Harry’s assistant and confidant.

-Larissa Mrykalo

'Houdini' miniseries to star Adrien Brody

The great illusionist Harry Houdini will be appearing on a TV near you in a new History network miniseries starring Adrien Brody. According to a press release, the network announced today that is has green-lighted production of a four-hour scripted miniseries to start production this fall.

Titled simply Houdini, it will star Academy Award winner Adrien Brody (The Piano, Predators) as Harry aka Erik Weisz with Kristen Connolly (House of Cards, The Cabin in the Woods) as wife Bess. The miniseries will be co-produced by Lionsgate and A+E Studios, and will focus on Houdini's rise from poverty to fame. The movie will also follow the illusionist's engagement with spiritualists and, according to the release, his encounters with the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Grigori Rasputin.

"The Great Harry Houdini is a fascinating man in history and I have no doubt that Adrien Brody will bring the magician’s riveting story to life for our audience," said Dirk Hoogstra, EVP and General Manager, History.

Said Brody, "Since my childhood, when I dreamed of being a great magician, Harry Houdini has been one of my heroes ... His bravery and obsessive determination still fascinate me.

"Houdini mastered the art of escape – not only from physical chains, but from poverty and the social constraints of a humble immigrant origin. His life story appeals to the universal longing for acceptance with which we all can identify. To portray him is beyond an honor."

The release adds that Gerald W. Abrams (Nuremberg, Family of Spies) and Andras Hamori (Sunshine) will serve as executive producers, with Academy Award nominated Nicholas Meyer (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution) writing and Academy Award nominated director Uli Edel (The Baader Meinhof Complex, Hotel Adlon) helming.

How does the project sound to you? Think Brody has the chops to play Houdini? Does this sound like the Houdini movie you've been waiting for?

-Aaron Sagers

Happy Birthday Harry Houdini

Harry Houdini is one of my heroes. He is also a main inspirations which led to me launching the Paranormal Pop Culture movement (which I did just a short time before taking this photo at his grave in Queens, NY, a few years back). Houdini was a showman and celebrity, but also a skeptic and personality within the paranormal field. Some thought Houdini's mastery as an escape artist was due to true "magic," but instead of encouraging those rumors (and being a publicist's dream), the "Handcuff King" instead became known for debunking fraudulent mediums and those who would wish to prey upon susceptible believers. He wanted to believe in the paranormal so desperately, but needed more proof.  His curiosity and exploration led to him becoming "frenemies" with paranormal proponent Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Houdini used his fame as a means to explore and expose the paranormal community. As a result, he is something of a patron saint of ParanormalPopCulture.com. Happy Birthday, Harry.

The Winchester Mansion story get colorful

Chances are good that anyone remotely interested in ghosts and haunted houses has heard of the Winchester Mystery House story. The San Jose, California, house was built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Wirt Winchester (the son of the man who gave the world the Winchester repeating rifle).

Believing her family was cursed and the ghostly victims of the famous gun required appeasement, Sarah began construction on the bizarre house in 1884 and had it continue round-the-clock under her death in 1922. There were no real designs for the building, and as a result, there are stairways that lead nowhere and doors that drop off into nothing.

For paranormal investigators, and fans of paranormal pop culture, this is one of the biggies.

It's exciting, then, that SLG Publishing is releasing a comic book in October that dramatizes the Winchester Mystery House story. Written by SLG founder Dan Vado, the story looks to have elements of truth, but is largely fictional. Also, master magician and paranormal debunker Harry Houdini - who Vado says conducted a seance in the house - will be a bad guy for the book.

Check out the trailer for the upcoming comic below, and pay a visit to our friends over at Newsarama, who have a cool little interview with Vado.

-aaron sagers




Winchester #1 trailer from SLG Publishing on Vimeo.