Michael Ammar Addresses Houdini Museum’s Plans to ExposeInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

Dear Appleton Museum:

Do you have the right to expose trade secrets?

Sure you do.

Dear Appleton Museum:

Do you have the right to expose trade secrets?

Sure you do.

And I can burn the American Flag on the Fourth of July or publish a booklet of “Hot Tips for Terrorists!” revealing information on airport security.

Any intelligent person can twist freedom around like an animal balloon, until it seems as if anything that we have a right to do will seem like the right THING to do.

So intelligent people must also use common sense to make sure that having the right to do something isn’t used as an excuse to defend hurtful, harmful, and inappropriate actions. Revealing the secret to Metamorphosis would be in sharp contrast to the intentions of the artist and creator, and would harm the ability of current entertainers who have worked to purchase the trade secrets for which they earn their livelihood.

Just like the ignorant farmer who killed the goose to quickly profit from its golden eggs, someone in Appleton wants to make a quick buck on a Houdini connection right away, with little regard for the long term implications.

It is as if they’ve said,”Hey! We’ve got a great idea! Why don’t we take this famous magicians most prized secret and sell out! Sure it’ll alienate anyone who gives a moments thought about what we’re actually doing, but it’ll probably increase attendance to the museum for a few months…”

I don’t know which genius laid this egg of an idea, but I suspect he must be impulsive. His knee-jerk decision to try to lure customers by exposing a magic secret is totally off-base. Every day people pay to tour the White House, Pentagon, and NASA – with no expectation of acquiring sensitive, top secret information.

The fact is, people tour museums because they love history. It is demeaning to magic to imply the only interesting thing about it is its secrets. This is a shallow, totally superficial point of view, and history has shown time and again that the secret to how a trick is done is the smallest part of what creates the astonishment. The history of magic, in and of itself, is a rich and fascinating story, and any museum curator worth his salt should know that.

Can you imagine? The roots of magic formed right along with our DNA, and Houdini is probably its grandest master — having achieved a level of fame in his field that is unsurpassed by anyone! He is like Rembrandt is to Art or Beethoven to music. Shouldn’t that, all by itself, give a museum something to attract viewers?

When the museum tries to appeal to the lowest intellectual level, magicians then feel obligated to ‘expose’ the fact that Houdini was NOT born in Appleton. We have a right to publicize how Houdini always claimed that his greatest escape was the day he LEFT Appleton, a community which is now trying to leech the life-force of this loosely connected past resident.

By abusing your right to expose his greatest secret, you’ve just given 25,000 – 50,000 amateur magicians the right to make sure that history realizes the true role Appleton played in the life of this famous magician. And BOY do we have a LONG memory!

Do you like 20-20 vision? Here’s a 20-20 vision for you. In the year 2020 magicians will STILL make it their mission to tell anyone who listens about the horrible fraud Appleton tried to perpetrate by claiming any right to the Houdini legacy.

When it’s all said and done, is that what you really want? An eternity of tarnished association? Gaining a few curious museum attendees seems like a horribly poor trade off, and a disservice to the public.

Earlier this year I made suggestions for an interactive Houdini display based on the escapes he made famous. If, instead, you decide to reveal the secrets to his magic, you will simply put into motion a publicity boomerang that will inevitably return to its source with unexpected consequences.

Sincerely,
Michael Ammar
World Champion Magician
Past Chairman of The Ethics Committee for the S.A.M.