Theodore Hardeen
Encyclopedia
Theodore Hardeen known simply as Hardeen, was a Hungarian magician and escape artist, best known as Harry Houdini
's brother. Hardeen usually introduced himself as the "brother of Houdini." He was the founder of the Magician's Guild.
, Hungary
, and went by the name of Theodore Weiss when the family was living in Appleton, Wisconsin
. He was known as "Deshi" and later "Dash" by his parents.
It was Hardeen who first conceived of escaping from a straitjacket
in full view of the audience—a concept fully used by Houdini and generations of performers since.
In 1893, Hardeen performed with Houdini at Coney Island
as "The Brothers Houdini". While there, Harry met and married Wilhelmina Beatrice (Bess) Rahner.
, English stage magician and editor of the Magician Annual, wrote that:
After his brother's death in 1926 Hardeen played the vaudeville
circuit, doing many of Houdini's routines. From 1938 to 1941, Hardeen was featured in Olsen and Johnson
's Broadway
revue, Hellzapoppin, and during World War II
he performed for the troops (as his brother had done during World War I
).
In 1936 Hardeen starred in Vitaphone
short film for Warner Bros.
called Medium Well Done. In it, Hardeen played a "hardboiled detective" on the case of a bogus medium. The film was directed by Lloyd French, who directed many of the early Laurel and Hardy
shorts.
Planning on writing a book about his brother, in 1945 Hardeen went to New York's Doctor's Hospital
for a simple operation. He unexpectedly died of complications while recovering from the procedure. He was 69 years old.
The HBO Series Boardwalk Empire featured a performance by Hardeen, played by Remy Auberjonois (son of actor René Auberjonois) as a subplot of Episode 11 "Paris Green" which first aired on November 28, 2010.
Richard Valentine Pitchford (1895–1973) took over the Magicians' Guild after Hardeen's death. Sidney Hollis Radner
received the Houdini collection from Hardeen.
Harry Houdini
Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-born American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer noted for his sensational escape acts...
's brother. Hardeen usually introduced himself as the "brother of Houdini." He was the founder of the Magician's Guild.
Early life
Hardeen was born as Ferencz Dezso Weisz or Weisz Ferenc Dezső in BudapestBudapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, and went by the name of Theodore Weiss when the family was living in Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
. He was known as "Deshi" and later "Dash" by his parents.
It was Hardeen who first conceived of escaping from a straitjacket
Straitjacket
A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with overlong sleeves and is typically used to restrain a person who may otherwise cause harm to themselves or others. Once the arms are inserted into the straitjacket's sleeves, they are then crossed across the chest...
in full view of the audience—a concept fully used by Houdini and generations of performers since.
In 1893, Hardeen performed with Houdini at Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
as "The Brothers Houdini". While there, Harry met and married Wilhelmina Beatrice (Bess) Rahner.
Magic work
Will GoldstonWill Goldston
Will Goldston, , was a popular English stage magician in the first half of the 20th century.He was born in the city of Liverpool and became interested in the subject at the age of eleven. As well as being a performer he was involved in the merchandising of "magic tricks" and was employed by the...
, English stage magician and editor of the Magician Annual, wrote that:
After his brother's death in 1926 Hardeen played the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
circuit, doing many of Houdini's routines. From 1938 to 1941, Hardeen was featured in Olsen and Johnson
Olsen and Johnson
John Sigvard "Ole" Olsen and Harold Ogden "Chic" Johnson were zany American comedians of vaudeville, radio, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. Their shows were noted for their crazy blackout gags and orchestrated mayhem...
's Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
revue, Hellzapoppin, and during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he performed for the troops (as his brother had done during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
).
In 1936 Hardeen starred in Vitaphone
Vitaphone
Vitaphone was a sound film process used on feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects produced by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1930. Vitaphone was the last, but most successful, of the sound-on-disc processes...
short film for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
called Medium Well Done. In it, Hardeen played a "hardboiled detective" on the case of a bogus medium. The film was directed by Lloyd French, who directed many of the early Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
shorts.
Planning on writing a book about his brother, in 1945 Hardeen went to New York's Doctor's Hospital
Doctors Hospital (Manhattan, New York)
Doctors Hospital was a hospital located at 170 East End Ave, between 87th and 88th Streets opposite Gracie Mansion in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan. The 14 floor Hospital founded in 1929 as Doctor's Hospital was acquired by Beth Israel Medical Center in 1987. In 2001, the medical...
for a simple operation. He unexpectedly died of complications while recovering from the procedure. He was 69 years old.
Legacy
During his final show on May 29, 1945 in Ridgeway, Queens, Hardeen named his chief assistant, Douglas Geoffrey, his official successor. Geoffrey went on to perform as "Hardeen, Jr." for many years. He died on January 14, 1990 at age 82.The HBO Series Boardwalk Empire featured a performance by Hardeen, played by Remy Auberjonois (son of actor René Auberjonois) as a subplot of Episode 11 "Paris Green" which first aired on November 28, 2010.
Richard Valentine Pitchford (1895–1973) took over the Magicians' Guild after Hardeen's death. Sidney Hollis Radner
Sidney Hollis Radner
Sidney Hollis Radner was a retired rug salesman from Holyoke, Massachusetts, who owned one of the world's largest and most valuable collections of Harry Houdini artifacts...
received the Houdini collection from Hardeen.