Houdini: An Elusive Jewish American

I spent most of my teenage years in the company of Harry Houdini, or rather, of his paraphernalia: handcuffs, straightjackets, the Water Torture Cell, and scores of posters advertising his exploits. How did that happen? To borrow a trope from the Ethics of the Fathers: Houdini created his illusions and handed them down to his brother Hardeen, Hardeen sold them to the Amazing Dunninger, and Dunninger sold them to -- my father. My father and his partners then built the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Ontario.