Martinka were visited last Saturday afternoon at their home along the boardwalk, New Point Comfort, by Harry Howdin, the world-renowned magician, and about fifty friends from New York. He performed at Reade theaters in Monmouth County in Red Bank, Long Branch and Asbury Park over the years. Le Roy is credited with originating the “levitation illusion” still performed by magicians today. One of the participants on this one-day excursion was the Belgian magician Servais Le Roy, who during this visit fell in love with Keansburg, and moved there in 1918, where he resided in a mansion on Carr Avenue for 30 years until his death in 1953. Note that some names are repeated or misspelled in these two accounts. We have two accounts of Houdini’s visit to Keansburg, one courtesy of the Keyport Weekly newspaper, and the other from the official magazine of the SAM, called “M-U-M,” which stood for the group’s motto, “Magic-Unity-Might.” Houdini was SAM president when this article appeared in the group’s magazine. Photo credit: John Cox, Wild About Harry,, used with permission.įrank Martinka and his wife had a home called “New Comfort Point” in Keansburg located not far from where the ferry docked at the end of the fishing pier that still exists. “Hardeen,”is seen in the back row to the right of the porch column on the left. Harry Houdini and his SAM well-wishers in Keansburg. After changing hands several times, the Martinka magic store finally closed in 2000. Harry’s brother Theo, a celebrity entertainer in his own right, was SAM president from 1926-1930. Harry Houdini served as the group’s eleventh president, from 1917 until his death in 1926. The Society of American Magicians (SAM), “the oldest and most prestigious magical society in the world,” was formed there on May 10, 1902. They called it the “Oldest Magic Supply House in America,” and it was surely the oldest magic shop in New York City. “Frank” Martinka (1842–1924) and his brother Antonio (1833-1915) founded the magic shop, Martinka & Company, in 1877. But on this occasion in 1917, he brought a whole host of magicians to our shores.įrancis J. Other than this, there is no evidence that the great Houdini ever performed his act here, despite the many vaudeville theaters in our region at the time. There is evidence that he once appeared at a fundraising event for a local hospital, but the one and only document that supports this is not verified, and there is nothing to confirm that the event occurred. This and the Keansburg visit are the only known occasions when Harry Houdini came to Monmouth County for certain. This trip occurred about three years after Houdini had come to Asbury Park with his brothers to visit the hotel room where their mother had died in 1913, while Harry was touring in Europe. They live in Minneapolis, Minnesota.On Saturday, July 21, 1917, legendary escape artist and entertainer Harry Houdini returned to Monmouth County, accompanied by his wife, Bess, his brother Theodore “Hardeen” Weiss, and a group of fellow magicians from New York City, to visit a colleague who was living in Keansburg. He appeared in Law & Order Episode 435, that aired on October 2, 2009.Īuberjonois is the son of René Auberjonois and Judith Mihalyi. He appeared as Hardeen (the brother of Harry Houdini) in HBO's Boardwalk Empire. He appeared in " Believe in the Stars", Episode 2, Season 3 of 30 Rock, playing Tyler Brody, a fake Olympian. Emerson on the television series Mad Men.Īuberjonois played Walter Elkins in the " We'll Always Have Paris" episode in the ABC Television series, Pan Am. Albin in the television series Weeds and as Dr. He is best known for his recurring role as Mr. Rémy-Luc Julian Michel Auberjonois ( / oʊ ˌ b ɛər ʒ ə n ˈ w ɑː/ born January 21, 1974) is an American actor.
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