Houdini’s inability to convince Doyle that he possessed no magical powers caused a fracture in the relationship, exacerbated by their disagreement over a number of other cases. Ironically, Houdini was on a crusade to show that spiritualism and various other forms of “magic” were based on skilled trickery, so to be thought a magician himself was extremely vexing, especially by someone like Doyle, whom he initially respected. The creator of Sherlock Holmes, that most rational and empirical detective, was convinced by many spiritual phenomena, while the greatest illusionist of the age was determined to demonstrate that spiritualism was trickery.Ĭonan Doyle believed that Houdini was not just a supremely skilled escapologist but also someone who actually possessed magical powers, and in this belief he was not alone. There were ironies in their relationship from the start. Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini first met in 1920, brought together by a mutual interest: spiritualism.
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