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Oudini
| Oudini | |
 | |
| Born | Francis "Frank" Joseph Rowan March 2 1885 Hartford, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Died | ? |
| Flourished | 1908-1909 |
Oudini (1885-?) was the stage name of Francis "Frank" Joseph Rowan, an escape artist and obvious Houdini imitator based on the name, during the early 1900s in the Boston area.
Biography
Oudini wrote a book called The Great Mysteries in 1909 in which he exposed his escapes and included many photos and press clippings of his performances. On the reverse side of the title page with the copyright date are the names "by Frank J. Rowan and E. T. Stewart".
Some thought that Robert Doidge might have been "Oudini" because he had at one time so many copies available to sell.
John Henry Grossman wrote in his MUM "Ask the Doctor" column that Walter B. Gibson informed him that Doidge told him that it was Frank J. Rowan, who lived near Haverhill, Massachusetts (where many of the press clippings from the book came from).[1]
In the 1910 census, Rowan is listed as a living in Winthrop, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, born in Connecticut about 1885 of Canadian-English parents. He listed his profession as "actor".[2][3]
In the November of 1919 in Ellis Stanyon’s Magic magazine a mention that Stanyon received a copy of Rowan/Oudini’s publication. It appeared S.A.M. member Robert Doige of Somerville, Massachusetts acquired several copies of the booklet. His idea of sending it to Stanyon (unbeknownst to Doige at the time) may have ended up being a method of selling more booklets. Doige sent the booklet to Stanyon to “…keep them out of the hands of those having no genuine interest in Magic.” [4]
Books
- Secrets of The Great Mysteries (1909)