• The Magic Word
  • Become a Friend of The Magic Word
  • Subscribe to The Magic Word
  • At The Table Lectures
  • Scott Wells Lecture Items
  • The Magic Word Podcast T-Shirt
  • Amazon.com Store to Support The Magic Word
  • The Magic Word Merchandise
  • Magic Convention Guide
  • Magic Theaters
  • Archives
  • About
  • Contact

The Magic Word The Magic Word

  • The Magic Word
  • Become a Friend of The Magic Word
  • Subscribe to The Magic Word
  • At The Table Lectures
  • Scott Wells Lecture Items
  • The Magic Word Podcast T-Shirt
  • Amazon.com Store to Support The Magic Word
  • The Magic Word Merchandise
  • Magic Convention Guide
  • Magic Theaters
  • Archives
  • About
  • Contact

940: John Cox - Houdini Master

It’s National Magic Week, as designated by the Society of American Magicians. It also means it’s that time of the year to chat with the Houdini expert, John Cox. He has been blogging daily for years about all things Houdini. So, on the eve of the 99th anniversary of Houdini’s death, it seems appropriate to check in with John to see what’s new with Houdini. During our chat, he surprises us with several revelations that I didn’t know, and perhaps might be new to you, too.

View fullsize ball and chain.jpg
View fullsize Escaping Reality.jpg
View fullsize John handcuffed.jpeg
View fullsize John Linked In.jpg
View fullsize laptop.jpg
View fullsize with books.jpg

John’s biggest and his proudest accomplishment over this past year has been the publication of his book, “Escaping Obscurity” available from Mike Caveney’s “Magic Words” website. He talks about this book in our chat this week, plus he also reveals that the ending to the Tony Curtis movie of “Houdini” did not end with him dying in the water torture cell! This and other revelations are discussed in this week’s episode.

Download this podcast in an MP3 file by Clicking Here and then right click to save the file. You can also subscribe to the RSS feed by Clicking Here. You can download or listen to the podcast through Pandora and SiriusXM (formerly Stitcher) by Clicking Here or through FeedPress by Clicking Here or through Tunein.com by Clicking Here or through iHeart Radio by Clicking Here. If you have a Spotify account, then you can also hear us through that app, too. You can also listen through your Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices. Remember, you can download it through the iTunes store, too. See the preview page by Clicking Here.

Thank everyone who entered the contest. We could only have one winner each week, but anyone who is genuinely interested in procuring a deck, you should visit their website at https://houdinicards.com while supplies are available.

Although this book is long out of print, I do have a source who can probably hook you up with a copy. Please contact Kent Cummiins at Kent@kentcummins.com and ask if he has an extra, shrink-wrapped copy to sell you.

Tagged with John Cox, Houdini, Wild About Houdini, blog, Escaping Obscurity.

October 30, 2025 by Scott Wells.
  • October 30, 2025
  • Scott Wells
  • John Cox
  • Houdini
  • Wild About Houdini
  • blog
  • Escaping Obscurity
  • Post a comment
Comment

The Magic Word The Magic Word

A Podcast for Magicians, About Magicians, Hosted by a Full Time Professional Magician, Scott Wells

This podcast is totally free for everyone to enjoy. This is provided to you out of love and respect for our art of magic. If you enjoy the podcasts and other material on The Magic Word, then your financial support will be greatly appreciated and help offset the monthly hosting service fee as well as the hardware and software to produce this podcast. Just click on the "Donate " button at the top of this page to make a one time donation through PayPal.

You can become a sustaining member by pledging a monthly donation of any amount through "Patreon" and receive some pretty cool perks for membershiip, too. Just Click Here for more information on how you can help.

By donating to The Magic Word, you will become a "Friend of The Magic Word" and receive a certificate (suitable for framing) indicating your membership plus your name will join your other friends and be posted on our "Wall of Fame". If you prefer to order something from the Store, then that will help support The Magic Word, too. Thank you.

  • The Magic Word
  • Become a Friend of The Magic Word
  • Subscribe to The Magic Word
  • At The Table Lectures
  • Scott Wells Lecture Items
  • The Magic Word Podcast T-Shirt
  • Amazon.com Store to Support The Magic Word
  • The Magic Word Merchandise
  • Magic Convention Guide
  • Magic Theaters
  • Archives
  • About
  • Contact

In May 2024, Scott Wells had the distinguished honor of receiving a “Special Fellowship” from the Academy of Magical Arts (The Magic Castle) for the Magic Word Podcast which promotes “not only personal stories of fascinating individuals, but also fellowship amongst our extended family of artists and entertainers everywhere.”

Do you have a comment or suggestion for The Magic Word Podcast? Click on the SpeakPipe logo and leave a short audio message for Scott. It’s fast, easy and fun. Send a “shout out” today and who knows? Your message may be heard on an upcoming podcast!

Jeff McBride - Grand Master - Creator of the Mystery School, and multi-award winning magician are but a few of the many international accolades for our 950th episode milestone guest: Jeff McBride #lasvegasmagic #magicandmysteryschool #vegasbaby #kabu
Rachel Wax - Magic and the City - Originally a fashion designer in NYC, Rachel Wax found her true calling as a comedy stand-up and close-up magician performing in high society venues in New York City. #fashion #NYC #newyorkcity  #speakeasymagik #come
Derek Hughes - Family Guy - Comedy magician, Derek Hughes, was a finalist in the 10th season of AGT and was also on Penn & Teller Fool Us. He was a consultant on the Carbonaro Effect for several years, too. This is one conversation you will reall
Antony Gerard - Enigma - Tony talks about his many books, lecture tours, magic shop, remote control creations for Hollywood, archeology, martial arts, and...well, lots more, too. #enigma #archeology #martialarts #podcast #magicbooks #magicdealer
Trigg Watson - Staying Ahead of the Tech Curve - Technology is ever changing so Trigg Watson has to stay ahead of that leading edge to mystify and entertain his audiences. #technology #hightech #hightechmagic #triggwatson #mastersofillusion
Three professionals, three paths, one love for magic. Enjoy this week's episode with Bizzaro Cosy Fisher and Joan DuKore @smappdooda @codysfisher @joandukore
The season has begun. Merry Christmas, y'all.
Happy Thanksgiving from The Magic Word Podcast There will not be a podcast episode today as we take time to give thanks and enjoy conversations with our families. Enjoy your day and have safe travels. #thanksgiving #magicwordpod #magicpodcast #podcas
Jeff McBride - Grand Master - Creator of the Mystery School, and multi-award winning magician are but a few of the many international accolades for our 950th episode milestone guest: Jeff McBride #lasvegasmagic #magicandmysteryschool #vegasbaby #kabu Rachel Wax - Magic and the City - Originally a fashion designer in NYC, Rachel Wax found her true calling as a comedy stand-up and close-up magician performing in high society venues in New York City. #fashion #NYC #newyorkcity  #speakeasymagik #come Derek Hughes - Family Guy - Comedy magician, Derek Hughes, was a finalist in the 10th season of AGT and was also on Penn & Teller Fool Us. He was a consultant on the Carbonaro Effect for several years, too. This is one conversation you will reall Antony Gerard - Enigma - Tony talks about his many books, lecture tours, magic shop, remote control creations for Hollywood, archeology, martial arts, and...well, lots more, too. #enigma #archeology #martialarts #podcast #magicbooks #magicdealer Trigg Watson - Staying Ahead of the Tech Curve - Technology is ever changing so Trigg Watson has to stay ahead of that leading edge to mystify and entertain his audiences. #technology #hightech #hightechmagic #triggwatson #mastersofillusion Three professionals, three paths, one love for magic. Enjoy this week's episode with Bizzaro Cosy Fisher and Joan DuKore @smappdooda @codysfisher @joandukore The season has begun. Merry Christmas, y'all. Happy Thanksgiving from The Magic Word Podcast There will not be a podcast episode today as we take time to give thanks and enjoy conversations with our families. Enjoy your day and have safe travels. #thanksgiving #magicwordpod #magicpodcast #podcas

The Magic Word Has been recognized by FeedSpot as the # 1 magician podcast in the world. Thank you all for your support and for listening throughout the years.

The Magic Word Podcast was selected by MillionPodcasts as one of the Top 25 Magician Podcasts on the web. In fact, it is currently listed as the Number 2 magician podcast!

The Magic Word Podcast was nominated for TWO categories in the new ONLINE MAGIC competition at the 2025 World Championship of Magic (FISM) in Turin, Italy. One was for the Best Magic Podcaster and the second for the Best Magic Newsletter. You may already listen, but you are missing out on the other half if you haven’t yet subscribed to our weekly podletter!

tumblr
linkedin
twitter-unauth
facebook-unauth
instagram-unauth
x-formerly-twitter-unauth
pinterest-unauth
facebook-unauth
Amazon Affiliate 2020 graphic.jpg