The eightieth year of his death, October 31, 1926, was made into a book entitled "The Secret Life of Harry Houdini, The Making of America's First Superhero," by William Kalush and Larry Slomann. Ever the illusionist, Houdini made everyone believe in his professional years that he was born in Appleton on April 6, 1874, but in reality he was born on March 24, 1874 in Budapest, Hungary, and became a U.S. citizen. His father was then a lawyer before they moved and he became a teacher when they came to America. Harry Houdini was a famous movie star. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay She played Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. For nearly 20 years, Houdini frequently appeared in newspapers with incredible escapes from being chained to being confined in a box to being placed in water. He also surprised people by walking through walls and making an elephant disappear. “Houdini initially succeeded as a fraudulent spiritualist,” Kalush said. "But he realized that he was not honoring the oath made to his (deceased) father. He was taking care of his mother with his money, but he was not feeling well. He gave up, he would rather fail than take the money." William Kalush, himself a magician, said it took him and Sloman, an author, two years to research and write the book. They were able to find "circumstantial evidence" that Houdini had spied for the United States and England in the early 20th century. Houdini's father had a first cousin who was a famous magician in Europe, so he took up magic early. He realized that his name, Erik Weisz at birth, had changed to Ehrich Weiss due to immigration to the United States. He also lacked acting skills. He became Harry Houdini, changing his last name to Houdini in honor of Robert Houdin, the pioneer French magician. His first film was shot in France in 1902. He photographed his own stunts, but only began writing film scripts in 1916. Between 1919 and 1923, Houdini appeared in films and shows such as "The Master Mystery", "The Grim Game ", "Mystery Island" and "The Man from Beyond." “The movies expanded his fame,” Kalush said, “but when his first movie came out, his fame transcended that of an ordinary formal entertainer in the culture. When traveling with a circus, Houdini thought of a way to Ha attracted people.He visited police stations challenging them to take off their handcuffs.He disappeared from a metal box which emerged in the water a few minutes later without handcuffs they would fall in love with him since he's so famous. "He had what women wanted." He had what women wanted: He had power and didn't have to obey everyone else's rules," Kalush said. "He was an attractive man." He also had a "strange relationship" with his wife, Bess. They married at a young age, and Bess wanted to not only marry but be partners, so she became his assistant. She assisted him on stage and helped him with his stunts. As he got more popular and made a lot of money, he often went on tour often and that could have been his chance to meet as many women as he wanted. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay In 1916, Houdini became interested in Charmian London, the widow of author Jack London. They created secret meeting places to talk on the phone, and she called him in her diary "Magic Lover." when he stopped writing while in Montreal, a mysterious young man punched him in the stomach 4:5 times, he was unprepared and.