Hardeen – Escape Artist and Brother of Houdini

Everyone knows who Houdini was. But many people don’t know that there were two escape artists and magicians in Houdini’s family. His younger brother Theo Weiss, nicknamed “Dash” made a name for himself as Hardeen “The Monarch of Manacles”.

Theodore Hardeen was born on March 4th, 1876 (though he always claimed it was February 29th) in Budapest Hungary as Ferenc Dezső  Weisz (or Weiss). He was a couple of years younger than his brother Ehrich Weiss, who the world knows to this day as Harry Houdini. His family immigrated to America when both boys were young.

Houdini on left, Hardeen on right.  Photo image from "Wikimedia Commons"

In 1893 Dash was working with his brother, calling themselves “The Brothers Houdini”. It was about

The Great Raymond

Maurice Raymond Sauders was born on May 30, 1877 in Akron, Ohio. At nine years old, he joined his uncle and traveled with the show. At the age of thirteen, he traveled the Chautauqua, the Kohl, and Castle circuits while still in his teens. During this part of his life, his grandfather took him to Europe. He met Alexander Herrmann. Seeing the master perform changed his life's work. He adopted a part of the consummate performer's title (“The Great”) and placed it with his own middle name.

Now, The Great Raymond would go on and modify his work as a performer keeping in mind all that his idol did. Before his career was complete, he toured parts of the world that had never seen magic before. His stage presence, his performance, the advertising, and the man were everything magic was supposed to be and more on stage.

Rauscher the Magician

It is my extreme pleasure to count among my dearest friends, Bill Rauscher, who is not only a talented magician, but is also a prolific writer and magic historian of the first order. I have known Bill for years and have watched in admiration as he has turned out wonderful books on subjects like Bill Neff, Silent Mora, The Great Raymond, Servais LeRoy, Houdini and many, many others.