The Science Channel is set to carry a docuseries titled Houdini’s Last Secrets. The series purports to be an expose of Houdini’s effects by looking at the scientific and engineering allegedly utilized in the effects performed by the great magician.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will feature not only engineers and scientists but illusionists to “unravel the mystery around the man who caught a speeding bullet, survived live burial and imprisoned himself inside a water tank, spurring celebrity and conspiracy theories. The show will also look into the late magician’s personal life, through authentic scrapbooks, letters and pictures, to piece together his legacy.”
Each of the episodes will seek to discover the secret behind one of Houdini’s effects.
Said Science Channel General Manager “Harry Houdini is the definition of mind-blowing. He was clearly ahead of his time when it came to using engineering to accomplish his stunts, so much so that his methods continue to be debated by today’s master magicians. It’s no wonder that just the name Houdini still stirs the imagination of people, nearly a century after his death.”
Variety reports that the first effect to be explored / exposed will be the Water Torture Cell escape and the other shows will include stunts that we don’t believe Houdini actually performed such as “burning alive” and “catching a bullet.” In fact, we are rather sure Houdini did not perform the bullet catch after receiving advice from Kellar. We defer to John Cox, the Houdini expert, for his recollection.
The best scenario would be that the scientists, illusionists and engineers on the show fail to solve the mysteries and keep the secrets safe but unfortunately, we fear that won’t happen.
The show is set to premiere on the Science Channel on January 6 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Read The Hollywood Reporter’s exclusive on the show here.
Check out John Cox’ Wild About Harry website here.
Related Posts
Inside Magic Review: David Copperfield’s History of Magic

We have been a fan of David Copperfield since his early days. We anticipated his television specials with the same…
Zoom Magic Sought by Inside Magic

We have seen some wonderful Zoom magic shows recently. We realized we only knew about them because friends (we’re not…