The Man Who Killed Houdini [Paperback]

Don Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 2005

More than two decades of research provide the basis for this true-life detective story of the mysterious man who stepped into Harry Houdini's dressing room on an October night in 1926, delivered one fatal sucker punch, and then vanished from the public eye completely. Nine days after the incident, Houdini was dead, the victim of a ruptured appendix, and his killer, a Montreal student named J. Gordon Whitehead, was nowhere to be found. Up to now, this tale of a mistimed punch and an untimely death had become myth, with many questions still unanswered: What happened to the man who threw the fatal punch? Who were the two witnesses and how much did they know? Was Houdini's death truly an accident? Interviews, affidavits, eyewitness reports of the night, and the only known photograph of Whitehead ever published all shed new light on an enduring mystery. Written with flair and wit, this tale of true crime gradually builds a riveting profile of the life of this intriguing but unknown historical figure, finding and then following Houdini's killer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The late Don Bell's gripping examination of Houdini's mysterious death dismisses popular theories and possible perpetrators, eventually zeroing in on a reclusive divinity student who all but disappeared after he sucker punched Houdini and caused the ruptured appendix that would soon kill the vaudevillian escape artist. In the wake of Houdini's death, innumerable potential culprits surfaced, not least among them the spirit mediums Houdini frequently ridiculed. Bell, however, identifies J. Gordon Whitehead, a self-described divinity student, as the punch thrower. The book documents Bell's search for witnesses and corroborators in an alternately dry and creepy fashion. A visit to Whitehead's grave in Montreal maintains an air of expectancy, and Bell's visit to Whitehead's hometown seems to suggest the intrepid reporter was being shadowed, either by his own paranoia or Houdini himself. The eeriness mounts as Bell gets closer to Whitehead, a man who seemed to want to give the impression he was hiding something. While scrupulously researched, the book will appeal mostly to Houdini enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists. Photos.
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About the Author

Don Bell was a writer and antiquarian book dealer in Montreal, Quebec. A recipient of a National Magazine Award, he also received the Stephen Leacock Award for humor in 1973 for Saturday Night at the Bagel Factory. His column, Founde Bookes, was featured in Books in Canada until his death in 2003.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Vehicule Press (September 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550651870
• ISBN-13: 978-1550651874
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST for the serious Houdini scholar, May 15, 2005

By 

John Cox (Studio City, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Killed Houdini (Paperback)

This is a definitive investigation into the events that occurred in Harry Houdini's dressing room on Oct 22, 1926, and the man at the center of the fatal "attack," J. Gordon Whitehead. It's a remarkable work that will blow the minds of Houdini scholars.

Within the first few chapters, author Bell rewrites Houdini history by discovering that the magician was attacked (or at least "tested") three separate times during that fateful week in Montr?al. A native of Montr?al, Bell finds independent eyewitnesses to each of these other, non-lethal "punches" who readily corroborate the facts. It's a stunning discovery.

Unfortunately, Bell doesn't investigate these other incidents in detail, but remains focusing in the final and most infamous dressing room attack by J. Gordon Whitehead. Bell's hypothesis is that Whitehead may have been acting as an agent for spiritualists. Considering Houdini's vehement anti-spiritualist crusade, this is not a far-fetched theory. Trouble is, absolutely nothing is known about J. Gordan Whitehead (and some have even questioned whether or not he even existed).

It's Bell's search for the phantom Whitehead (which takes up a good middle of the book) that presents my only criticism with the book. Bell describes in detail every step of his 20 year investigation, including his many false leads. Okay, dramatizing a few false lead is entertaining and adds to the detective story (not to mention makes the eventual discoveries all that more exciting), but Bell relates EVERY false lead, devoting whole chapters to lines of inquiry that never pan out. This does becomes a bit tiresome after a while.

However, when Bell finally gets on the right scent and starts uncovering the life and death of "the man who killed Houdini", the book again becomes fascinating. I won't spoil it, but somehow J. Gordon Whitehead turns out to be both a complete surprise and exactly what we would expect. Bell also tracks down the elusive witnesses to the dressing room incident, Jack Price and Sam Smiley. Thanks goodness Bell did this investigation when he did, as most of these key players are now deceased (including the author himself).

In the end, Bell is never able to pin a conspiracy on spiritualists, nor link Whitehead to the movement. There is also a nagging feeling that there is still something untold in all this. But in this age of sensationalized conspiracy theories as entertainment, it's refreshing to finally get book that admits the truth of its own findings (even though this tends to relegate them to smaller publishers, as is the case here). But this honesty also legitimizes this book as a real investigation by a real investigator. And what Bell delivers in The Man Who Killed Houdini is far more interesting than any conspiracy, and of much greater value to the serious scholar of Houdini and magic history. This book is a must.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A personal look into the past., October 31, 2004

By 

Doreen Turner (St-Hubert, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Killed Houdini (Paperback)

This was a detective story with real people and events involvled. A true story. Well written and well researched.The author was dedicated, and it is sad that he did not see the fruit of his labor.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It shows how time can make things more glorious than they actually appear, September 11, 2010

By 

Mario Gomes (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Man Who Killed Houdini (Paperback)

I recieved this as a gift from my friend in the U.S. He knew I was a Houdini fan and lived in Montreal, the city that somehow brought Houdini's downfall. I enjoyed Bell's tenacious trial and tribulations trying to get survivors to regurgitate any worthy evidence that would shed light on this world reknowned famous incident. He had his work cut out for him, as time had erased most of the evidence and many of it's players had one foot in the grave. People who diss this work, do not, or cannot fathom what actual research entails. It's a thankless and tiresome job that sometimes does not get us a smoking gun, but at least shows us that there are real versions of events that put into question the holier than thou image of the befallen escape artist, that was Houdini. Houdini was an intelligent man, the supremo amazing escape artist, but his lack of care for his own health and well being was totally mind blowing. He totally cared for his fans by not missing a show, even with a broken ankle, but these selfless actions are revealed in Bell's book as part of the reason Houdini died so tragically and needlessly. Sure, Mr. Whitehead did a very stupid thing and is partly responsible for Houdini dying. Houdini had his part in his attitude that "the show must go on even if I don't feel so well". It was only a matter of time before his speeding train would run out of steam.

I thank Mr. Bell in spirit for doing this work.

I got a kick out of visiting Whitehead's grave and seeing his old street where he used to live. I found out that I had lived across there 15 years after his death. Certainly a small world.