Comments on: Harry Houdini’s Mythic Haunt

By: Ricky costas

Ricky costas — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 21:34:45 +0000

http://www.sandiegohaunted.com

also lots of haunts

By: Steve R

Steve R — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:41:01 +0000

Mrs Houdini did invite Hereward Carrington to participate in the Final Houdini Seance in 1936 at the hotel.

By: Patrick Culliton

Patrick Culliton — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:57:42 +0000

I misstated something which will really confuse things and make matters worse. I wrote that when Houdini was in Hollywood, Ralf Walker considered 2398 Laurel Canyon Houdini’s.
WRONG!!!
I MEANT to say: when Houdini was in Hollywood, Ralf M. Walker considered 2435 Laurel Canyon Houdini’s.
This is what I get for saying that everything on this page other than my post was “a mess of wrong information.”
So, to reiterate, Houdini never lived at 2400 (2398) Laurel Canyon.
He did live on the estate, in the guesthouse, which was on the opposite side of Laurel Canyon.
Houdini lived at 2435 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
One last thing, at the time Houdini lived there, Laurel Canyon was considered part of Beverly Hills.

By: Patrick Culliton

Patrick Culliton — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:44:53 +0000

2398 Laurel Canyon Blvd. (or as it is now known 2400) was built and owned by Ralf M. Walker, the owner of Walker’s Fifth Street Store–a department store that eventually evolved into the Broadway Dept. stores. The guest house was directly across Laurel Canyon, up on a bluff that jutted into Laurel Canyon, creating one of its most dangerous hairpin curves. The address of Walker’s guesthouse was 2435 Laurel Canyon Blvd. The guesthouse was a big four bedroom with a separate garage and maid’s quarters. It had an elevator which was cut through solid granite to a tunnel which led to the gatehouse of 2398 (2400).
Houdini lived at 2435 Laurel Canyon for most of 1919, when he lived in Hollywood while starring in two feature films for Lasky Famous Players, one of Paramount’s production companies. The studio was located on Vine St. between Prospect–now Hollywood–Blvd. and Sunset. Walker named the guesthouse Houdini House.
After Houdini died in 1926, his widow referred several times to her “home in Hollywood” and finally returned to it in 1934. In 1935, Beatrice Houdini hosted a cocktail party for 500 magicians and their wives who were in Hollywood for a convention. This took place in the gardens of 2398 and that is when the confusion began.
Ralf M. Walker died in 1935 and the entire estate was sold. Beatrice Houdini lived at various addresses in Hollywood over the next few years and also spent time in Florida and New York. She was returning to New York when she died on the train near Needles, California in 1943.
Houdini never owned 2398 (or 2400) Laurel Canyon. A 1928 biography of Houdini, written “from the recollections and documents of Beatrice Houdini” states Houdini rented the guesthouse. One thing seems clear: from Ralf Walker’s standpoint, when Houdini was in Hollywood, 2398 Laurel Canyon was Houdini’s.
Houdini never owned 2435 Laurel Canyon Blvd.
1959, when the huge mansion at 2400 Laurel Canyon Blvd. burned down in the disastrous Laurel Canyon fire, all three of L.A.’s daily papers reported that the “old Houdini mansion” had burned down. One of the papers even noted it had been called “Houdini House” by its owner.
2345 Laurel Canyon, the real “Houdini House,” had burned down at the same time. Even old-timers who had known Houdini when he’d lived in the house forty years before didn’t realize the newspapers were talking about the wrong house.
Did Houdini walk in the gardens and swim in the indoor pool at his friend Ralf Walker’s mansion? Of course.
Houdini stated in an interview that Hollywood, California was his favorite place on earth.
There is one building still standing on the estate at 2400 Laurel Canyon. That was a garage and maid’s quarters. It has been dressed up into an apartment, but, it was a servant’s quarters and the story that Mrs. Houdini and her manager, Dr. Edward Saint lived there is completely false.
In the 90s, the estate (2400) was owned for a time by a colorful antique dealer from Georgia who manufactured fake Houdini memorabilia and false historical facts at a relentless pace. This served to further cloud the already clouded true story as to where Houdini and later his widow lived in Hollywood.
For more on the true facts go to:
http://www.houdinisghost.com/laurelcanyon.html
and
http://www.houdinisghost.com/wrongruins.html
What I have stated in this post is the truth. Everything else on this web page is just a mess of completely wrong information.

By: Steve R

Steve R — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:08:39 +0000

Hereward Carrington, the psychic investigator and Houdini were friends till 1924 when they had a falling out. If Houdini had lived perhaps they would have eventually patched things up.

By: micheline Guerin

micheline Guerin — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:14:48 +0000

I investigated at the Downtown Library and found the following:

14082. 2398 Laurel (same as 2400)Walker, R.J. (earlyLaurel Canyon Resident; pre-1920 Friend of Houdini, left the estate to Houdini when he died in 1925;

14983. 2435 Laurel Canyon, Mrs. H. (Beatrice) moved here in 1930’s.

To me it makes sense that Besse would have lived at 2400 before 1930.

By: Haunted San Diego » Blog Archive » Spooky music news!

Haunted San Diego » Blog Archive » Spooky music news! — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:25:45 +0000

[...] can read more about Houdini’s mansion at Dateline: City of Angels or at [...]

By: Marla

Marla — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:17:31 +0000

My Grandfather, Knute Napoleon Ericson constructed the brickwork, flowerpots and lamp posts at the bottom of the high cement stairways on the Laurel Canyon-Walker Estate where he worked for several years building a 25 room home.

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:44:27 +0000

Houdini neither owned nor leased this property. His wife, Bess, is said to have leased a bungalow on the grounds, but did not reside in the house itself.

By: Korso

Korso — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:04:11 +0000

btw it was 1:00 am not pm

By: Korso

Korso — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:03:02 +0000

“”Of course, Halloween is an especially popular time for Houdini drive-bys, since he met the Grim Reaper on this night in 1926.”"

okay, now it’s interesting to me that you would say ‘drive-by’s’… ill explain why. im 20 years old and a born angelino. i lived on wonderland ave. which is right down the block from the houdini house. one night with my aunt at about 1:00 we were on our way home from her bowling game and we were at the junction of laurel canyon and hollywood blvd… (where it splits off at the bottom on the city side right before laurel canyon turns into crescent hights) and a 1920-2950ish car came barreling down the hill (headed southbound) at about 60 mph and dissapeared with a bright flash of light. almost like a transformer on a pole exploded. and it appeared that the car had crashed but on second look, the car had actually dissapeared as fast as it showed up. still cant really understand what happened to this day, dont know if it was apparition of houdini, but i know it was a once in a lifetime thing and the other witnesses were also very shooken up. if you want you can ask me more or we can chat about hauntings in the city of Los Angeles at myspace.com/K0rso

By: Administrator

Administrator — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:16:53 +0000

Thanks for that info, David. How did you stumble across it? Can you point me toward a source? I’d like to explore this connection further. –MI

By: David Abbott

David Abbott — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 19:57:34 +0000

I believe the residence across the street belonged to, or was occupied by a Mr. Hereward Carrington who was the Author of many books on out-of-body experiences, and psychic manifestations. He was also the president of the “American Psychical Institute.” The head honcho in a field Harry was very interested in. Harry and Hereward are alleged to of been very good friends. So, it makes perfect sense that The Houdini’s may of been house guests (or vice versa) at the 2435 address across the street, or even rented the Villa across the street (with or without documentation).

By: Dateline>City of Angels » Talk About Ghosts in the Mirror…

Dateline>City of Angels » Talk About Ghosts in the Mirror… — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 21:36:46 +0000

[...] Drawing from personal investigations and interviews, I hope to reveal L.A.’s “shadowy side” while sifting through the fact and fiction surrounding a number of legendary and obscure haunts, including City Hall, the Bradbury Building, Houdini Mansion, Hollywood Sign, and of course, Griffith Park. [...]

By: The Truth About the Houdini Mansion « Ghosts Wanted

The Truth About the Houdini Mansion « Ghosts Wanted — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:53:35 +0000

[...] Ghosts Wanted returns to Laurel Canyon to investigate the ruins of the real Houdini mansion. Contrary to standard Houdini mansion investigations, Lee Barron stations his investigation across the street where Houdini lived as his mansion was being constructed. The Laurel Canyon Association reports as much in their historical record: [...]

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 09:34:19 +0000

I was there tonight… it’s pretty cool… I don’t think it’s haunted… but it’s damn creepy. It’s got stairwells that lead to nowhere! I found that entertaining. :P