Update: Thomas Poole’s drive-in magic show has been rescheduled to Friday, Sept.

Houdini went on to perform this particular feat multiple times over the years, and his acts have inspired and challenged escape artists for generations now.View Gallery: A metro Phoenix drive-in movie theater remains open during COVID-19 In this act, Houdini had to escape a locked tank of water, in which he was hung upside down, and his feet were weighed down with heavy stocks. Houdini’s mastery of breaking out of restraints manifested itself in world-famous acts like Metamorphosis and the Chinese Water Torture Cell, the latter of which inspired celebrations for Escapology Day. He quickly became a breakout escape artist, performing his acts at major entertainment houses around the world.

When Houdini began experimenting with escape acts after a not-as-glittering career as a magician, little did he know that it would catapult him into instant stardom. When Harry Houdini began his career, he initially only focused on sleight-of-hands tricks and magic. However, these recreations were still not the elaborate and awe-inducing escape acts of today, but merely replicated the magicians’ tricks.Īnd then, out of the woodwork came a performer like no other, one who would make escaping into an art form that is still celebrated today. This claim was later debunked by other illusionists, who not only worked out how the Davenports performed their acts but also re-created them for the audience. A sibling pair of American magicians, publicly called the Davenport brothers, was so skilled at getting out of rope ties that they managed to convince people they had supernatural powers. Instead, performers used it as a part of their original act to sneakily create illusions, disappear and reappear in another place, and convince people they had magical powers. In the early days of performing arts, escapology was not an act in itself. Street performers, magicians, and others have been using this skill for many years. Escaping from restraints and confined spaces is a handy tool many performers have in their arsenal, which they use to utterly captivate their audience.

Harry houdini water torture cell escape