Has Houdini Ever Been Contacted with a Séance?

Has Houdini ever been contacted with a séance?  Pat and Rebecca are celebrating October with a month of spooky episodes on seances and talking to the dead. Houdini seances have been an annual event on Halloween since his death in 1926. Special Guest Jacob Mayfield, mind reader, mentalist, and psychic entertainer from Chicago, will be recreating this spectacular event this year and he’s here to talk about the history of Harry Houdini and his séance. Pat and Rebecca then debate whether Houdini has ever appeared. What do you think?

Harry Houdini in HandcuffsQuestions Explored in this Episode

Who is Harry Houdini? How did he become a magician? What happened to Houdini? What were his most famous tricks? Who is Bess? What made Houdini a skeptic? Why did he and Bess make a pack to contact each other in the afterlife? What is the Houdini séance? What are some of the most famous Houdini séances? Has a Houdini séance ever worked?

Houdini and his wife, BessVote on the Episode

Done listening? Go vote on what you think at ghostlypodcast.com/polls. #TeamBeliever #TeamSkeptic

Listener Mail and Questions

This week’s listener came in the mail! Have a spooky story or question of your own (or someone you know)? Send your story or question to [email protected] or leave a voicemail at 630-448-2138 and we might read or share it on the podcast. You could be on a future episode of Ghostly!

Houdini Lyceum Theatre PosterHistory of Houdini and Houdini Seances

Pat and Rebecca interview Mentalist Jacob Mayfield about Harry Houdini’s history and the history of his seances.

The Debate

Rebecca and Pat debate several instances where people claim to have heard from Houdini as part of the seances.

Bess Houdini and Eddie Saint as they prepare for the last Official Houdini Seance in 1936 — 10 years after Harry’s deathPoll Results

Find out what listeners said for the Interview with a Medium episode – Are seances real? Still need to listen to our previous episode? Check it out here.

Ghostly Podcast Book ClubGhostly Book Club

Interested in joining our new Ghostly Book Club? If you want to read spooky books and talk about them with fellow Ghostly listeners, sign up at ghostlypodcast.com/book-club. Our first meeting is October 29th.

Ghostly Gear

New merchandise store right on our website at ghostlypodcast.com/store for all your Ghostly Gear! Several new items including Microclimate shirts! Also grab a Ghostly mask.

Done Listening to the Houdini Episode?

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Visit our website, www.ghostlypodcast.com, to learn more about Ghostly, and, of course, give us your opinion on our polls here or on Facebook. 

Support Ghostly

How can you help support Ghostly? Leave us a rating and a review. And now you can also buy us a cup of coffee at buymeacoffee.com/GhostlyPodcast. You can give a one-time coffee, or you can sign up for a membership for $5 a month or $50 a year. Members get early access to future episode topics and get to join a meet and greet with Pat and Rebecca every month.

We want to hear from you! We want your ghost stories! Email us at [email protected].  Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at GhostlyPodcast. NEW! Leave us a voicemail on Ghostly’s new haunt line: 630-448-2138.

Sources for this Week’s Episode

American Hauntings Ink: https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/houdini
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediumship
Detroit Free Press: https://www.freep.com/story/life/2016/11/01/harry-houdini-seance-magic/93103636/
ABC News: https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/WolfFiles/story?id=92253&page=1

Jacob Mayfield

Special Thanks to our guest Jacob Mayfield
Instagram: @MayfieldMagic
Facebook: fb.me/MayfieldMagic
Website: www.MayfieldMagic.com
Youtube Channel: bit.ly/MayfieldYouTube
Halloween Youtube Series: bit.ly/MayfieldHalloweenYT

Book Recommendations from Jacob Mayfield
Spirit Boards
• Ouija: The Most Dangerous Game by Stoker Hunt
• Spirit Boards for Beginners: This History & Mystery of Talking on the Other Side by Alexandra Chauran
Houdini/Magic History
• The Illustrated History of Magic by Milbourne Christopher
• Conjuring by James Randi
Random Books You or Your Listeners May Like:
• Halloween by Silver Ranvewolf (All about folk traditions around Halloween. Spooky, but approachable, and lots of DIY)
• Paranormality: Why We See What Isn’t There by Professor Richard Wiseman (Fun book that goes over science and paranormal investigation that is entertaining and informative in equal measure)
• Wonder Shows: Performing Science, Magic, and Religion in America (Great source of unique content that is on the fringe of what you do. Possible episode ideas or a fun book club)

Music for this episode was performed by Michael Rivers
Intro: “III. Allegro moderato from Gargoyles” by Lowell Liebermann
Outro: “Dream Images (Love-Death Music)” by George Crumb
Bumper: “Ghost Waltz” by Lowell Liebermann