Life and History of Hardeen

Published Various Dates (see below) 1903, 33 Pages

Digital Download Version

Theodore “Dash” Hardeen (1876–1945) was a Hungarian-American magician and escape artist, best known as the younger brother of the legendary Harry Houdini. Hardeen toured as a successful performer in his own right, and after his brother’s death, he became the official heir to Houdini’s stage secrets and apparatus.

Early life and career

Born Ferencz Dezső Weisz, Hardeen was born in Budapest, Hungary, on March 4, 1876. His family emigrated to the United States and settled in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he became known as Theodore Weiss.

The Brothers Houdini: In 1893, he and his older brother, Harry (born Erik Weisz), began performing together as “The Brothers Houdini” at Coney Island. Their act included standard magic tricks and an escape.
Launching a solo career: When Harry married Bess Rahner in 1894 and made her his performing partner, Hardeen launched his own career. He adopted the stage name Hardeen (chosen by his brother) and modified it from “Harden” later that year.
Toured Europe: From approximately 1900 to 1907, Hardeen toured Europe as a professional escape artist. In 1907, he returned to America to tour on the vaudeville circuit. For publicity, he and his brother, who had also become famous, would pretend to have a public rivalry while remaining close friends privately.

Hardeen’s notable escapes and tricks

While never reaching his brother’s level of stardom, Hardeen was a celebrated performer known for his own death-defying acts.

Full-view straitjacket escape: Hardeen is credited as the first magician to escape a straitjacket in full view of the audience instead of behind a curtain.
Underwater stunts: His feats included jumping into the Ohio River while heavily manacled and escaping while submerged. He also performed the underwater box escape.
Inherited illusions: After Houdini’s death, Hardeen performed many of his brother’s signature illusions, including the Milk Can Escape and Walking Through a Brick Wall. One attempt at the Milk Can Escape nearly killed him when the can was filled with whiskey, and the fumes caused him to pass out.

Life after Houdini

Inheritor of Houdini’s legacy: When Harry Houdini died on Halloween in 1926, he left his stage apparatus and secrets to Hardeen. As per Houdini’s will, Hardeen later destroyed his brother’s personal files. For the rest of his career, Hardeen was positioned as Houdini’s official successor.

Crusader against fraudulent mediums: Like his brother, Hardeen was a skeptic who exposed the tricks of fraudulent spiritualist mediums. In 1944, he co-founded the Magician’s Guild.
Broadway and film: Hardeen performed in the Broadway revue Hellzapoppin’ from 1938 to 1941 and starred in the 1936 Vitaphone short film Medium Well Done.
Death and succession: Hardeen died on June 12, 1945, from complications following an operation for ulcers. He passed his magic secrets to his assistant, Douglas Geoffrey, who subsequently performed as “Hardeen, Jr.”

The publication date of Hardeen’s pamphlet, The Life and History of Hardeen, is debated, but it was likely released sometime between 1903 and the mid-1920s.

1903: Wikimedia Commons cites a 1903 self-published edition.
c. 1930s: The magic website “Quicker than the Eye” dates a copy to around the 1930s.
c. 1926: The magic book marketplace Lybrary.com lists a first edition published around 1926, titled The Life and History of Hardeen: 20 Years of an Eventful Career on the Stage.

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Steven Warburton

Previously practicing magician and escape artist, transitioned to Magic Collector for the last 40+ years. In applying an extended hobby of web design and online marketing, Steven Warburton has developed many business related sites and eCommerce sites. Core profession for the last 40 years has been in the Telecommunications / Broadband arena actively working as an executive for a well known Internet/Broadband providers for the United States.