Skirball Cultural Center
More than 80 years after his death, Harry Houdini and his feats of escape still fascinate even the most casual fans of magic and mystery, so much so that Los Angeles’ Skirball Cultural Center (2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, 310.440.4500) is paying homage to the man with an exhibit that starts April 28 and runs through Sept. 4. “Houdini: Art and Magic” examines the life of a man born Ehrich Weisz in Hungary in 1876 who thrilled scores until his 1926 death. More than 150 objects, including original props such as a straitjacket and trunk as well as posters and film clips, will be featured in an exhibit that will also include testimonies from contemporary artists like Matthew Barney, Jane Hammond, Vik Muniz, Deborah Oropallo and Raymond Pettibon.With the Houdini exhibit in mind, here are a few other places in and around Los Angeles where fans can satiate their sense of wonder by getting a little “magic.”
For magic in Los Angeles, it all starts at Hollywood’s Magic Castle (7001 Franklin Ave., Los Angeles, 323.851.3313). The 1909-built Victorian-style mansion, which was later subdivided into apartments, was converted by former “Truth or Consequences” writer Milt Larsen in the early 1960s into a private club specifically for magicians and their fans. Today, the Castle is an invitation-only event where only club members and their invited guests can enjoy the high-end dining there and catch shows in three different showrooms, which provide a perfect place to try out new material, according to Los Angeles-based magician Eric Buss. “There’s no audience in the world that will support you like that,” said Buss, whose television appearances include “Late Night With David Letterman” in 2007. “You’re always performing for your peers.” In fact, the Castle is also home of the Academy of National Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the craft of magic. The Academy has about 5,000 members.
On a beautiful day, it doesn’t take much of an excuse to visit the idyllic community of Laurel Canyon (Laurel Canyon Blvd. and Lookout Mountain Ave., about a mile and a half north of Sunset Blvd.), and a Houdini-themed pilgrimage may be the one to do the trick. Legends have long abounded about the magician’s time in the Hollywood Hills – he was thought to have owned a mansion there that burned down in the late 1950s – but others say Houdini actually lived in the mansion’s guest house that survived the fire. Either way, it’s generally agreed that Houdini lived near the corner of Laurel Canyon Blvd. and Lookout Mountain Ave. for less than a year around the time he was making films in the late 1910s, and that his widow Bess later lived in the same guest house and conducted séances with her late husband. Either way, Laurel Canyon is worth the short detour from central Hollywood for those looking to soak up the vibe that attracted everyone from silent film stars Tom Mix to the Doors’ Jim Morrison to Houdini himself.
Most may associate Hermosa Beach with surfing and volleyball, but the South Bay city is also home to one of the region’s biggest magic clubs. The Comedy & Magic Club (1018 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach, 310.372.1193) is probably better known for the former – NBC’s “Tonight Show” host Jay Lleno regularly performs there Sunday nights, and the club was featured in the 2009 Judd Apatow film “Funny People,” but the nightclub regularly features magicians as well.
While the Comedy & Magic Club may appeal to those who want to get their magic near the ocean, the truly intrepid can enjoy a different type of optical illusion on the ocean at Long Beach’s Queen Mary (1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, 877.342.0738). The hotel-liner-diner celebrates the 75th anniversary of its maiden voyage with a weekend-long celebration May 26-29. More appropriately, though, the boat’s long been known to be haunted, and the annual Ghost Fest celebrates that tradition every September (dates TBD). Ship ahoy.
Danny King is a freelance reporter whose work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times and Daily Variety. King, who has been a staff reporter for Bloomberg News and the Los Angeles Business Journal, currently writes about subjects ranging from the travel industry to alternative-fueled vehicles. A native Angeleno, King lives with his family in either Los Feliz or Silver Lake – he’s still not sure which.
