Dorothy Dietrich
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Dietrich is an American stage magician and escapologist, and the first and only woman to have performed the bullet catch
in mouth. She was also the first woman to perform a straitjacket
escape while suspended hundreds of feet in the air from a burning rope (as shown on a Home Box Office
Special. She is the first woman to gain prominence as a female escape artist since the days of Houdini, breaking the glass ceiling for women in the field of escapes. She has been named as one of the top 4 escape artists in history. The 2006 Columbia Encyclopedia
included Dietrich among their "8 most noted magicians of the late 20th century", and entertainment writer Samantha Hart in her definitive book "The Hollywood Walk of Fame" called her a "world-class magician" and "one of the world's leading female magicians". Early on as a teenager she already was dubbed as "The First Lady of Magic." Dietrich, often called the Female Houdini ™, has duplicated many of Houdini's original escapes, and has gone one step further by doing the Jinxed Bullet Catch Stunt — the one that Houdini backed away from.
. In a six-page article about the history of women in magic in the women's magazine, Bust, which contained only two full-page pictures, one of Adelaide Herrmann
and the other of Dietrich, Nichole Summer writes: Among the books she read was a biography of Houdini, who became a childhood idol, a fact that later influenced her desire to perform straitjacket escapes.
Early on, she learned her craft mostly from books. In New York, she auditioned for Westchester Department of Parks from an ad in a show business newspaper and was booked on the spot for a full summer of work, was recommended to the school district for the winter months, and re-booked the following summer for an increase in dates and price. Around this same time she earned her performing chops working a dime museum
"grind show" Ten-in-One operation in hectic Times Square run by legendary mouse pitchman Tommy Laird with such performers as Earl "Presto" Johnson, Lou Lancaster
, Chris Capehart, Dick Brooks and others. Showcasing for the Parent Assembly of the Society of American Magicians at about the same time, well-known magicians Russell Swann and Walter B. Gibson
, captivated by her performance style, took her under their wing. Walter Gibson, who was a confidant and biographer of Houdini's said "What you have is very reminiscent of Houdini, when Houdini come out on stage, the audience automatically fell in love with him. In my long years I've never seen anyone who had that." Dietrich also studied with "Coney Island Fakir" Al Flosso, a regular performer on the Ed Sullivan
television show, Jack London (for the bullet catch) and Lou Lancaster
with the Straitjacket escape. "The recognition gradually put Dorothy Dietrich and her magic into resort hotels, nightclubs, school and college auditoriums, trade shows." She became a favorite of several New York booking agents.
She developed what is known as a flash act that included doves, a rabbit, a duck and two poodles. Early on she was considered a "leading dove worker". She also developed several routines few women had ever attempted. Sawing men in half, escaping from a straitjacket, sleight of hand with coins via the Misers Dream, The Bullet Catch, and levitating audience members. It was her goal to level the playing field between men and woman in the field of magic. Until she broke these barriers women were not allowed full membership in such organizations as The Society of American Magicians and London's Magic Circle, which early on she tried to join. She has pioneered and paved the way for women in the field today.
Dietrich has created special shows for such companies as Maidenform, Pooltrol, Yago Sangria, Manhattan Shirts, as well as fashion and cosmetic companies. She is a regular performer for trade and industrial events.
, Dick Van Patten
and Tony Randall
.
Dick Brookz of New York's Magic Towne House
a popular magic show spot in New York City, which was the longest running magic show in New York City history. Always interested in magic history and innovation, Dorothy Dietrich learned that opening a magic show spot in New York City was a dream of legendary magicians Houdini, Thurston, David Copperfield and Doug Henning
.
At the same time she wanted a place where well known performers could be seen, as well as to help to develop future generations of magicians. Along with partner Dick Brooks
Dick Brookz she accomplished this goal with The Magic Towne House
. Some of the magicians who got their early start at The Magic Towne House include Eric DeCamps, Imam, Jeff McBride
, Otto and George, Johnny Ace Palmer
, Joseph Pepitone, Joe Raven, David Regal, Rocco Silano
, Peter Samelson, Meir Yedid and others. Established performers of the era also performed with them, including Bobby Baxter
, Harry Blackstone, Jr.
, Milbourne Christopher
, Daryl, Fantasio
, Frank Garcia
, Walter B. Gibson
, Wesley James, Presto Earl Johnson, Lou Lancaster
, Jack London
, Bill McQueen, Max Maven
(Phil Goldstein), Ben Robinson, James Randi
, David Roth
, George Schindler, Slydini and others.
Imam would, after several years, break away and form his own competing club downtown in Greenwich Village. Brooks and Dietrich searched out Brother Theodore
, whose career had waned, and helped to bring him back to prominence that led to his appearing on The Tom Snyder Tomorrow Show and a series of TV and movie appearances. Upon the closing of the Magic Towne House, Michael Chaut and Peter Samuelson would later develop "Monday Night Magic" along with Frank Brents, Todd Robbins
, and Jamy Ian Swiss
, which still runs successfully in New York City
.
's Resorts International's 10th anniversary in Atlantic City, New Jersey
. It was televised on a special called, Just For The Record, The Best Of Everything. This came about after catching a .22 caliber bullet for the yearly convention of the International Brotherhood of Magicians
in Pittsburgh. It was shown on Network TV's Evening Magazine
, and on The New You Asked For It with Rich Little
as host. She performed the trick again in Canada
on a TV show called Autobus du Canada for the highest amount ever paid a magician on Canadian television. She was the first female to successfully complete the trick. It was done under test conditions with the bullets bought by a committee, brought in under guard, an independent marksman picked and fired the bullet. One of two chosen bullets was fired into a concrete backstop and the second was fired at Dorothy. Dietrich challenged anyone who could prove that the bullet
did not leave from the gun by giving a $10, 000 reward
.
Feature stories and articles about her have appeared in major publications such as the New York Times and TV Guide
.
On exhibit for many years at the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada, until it burned down, was a large two panel display of Dorothy Dietrich and her accomplishments as "The Female Houdini" ™. A similar display is now shown at Scranton's Houdini Museum.
. Even though Bess gave up the séances herself, she asked magician Walter B. Gibson
to carry on the October 31 tradition. For many years, Gibson, along with several other magicians, held the séances at the Magic Towne House
in New York City. Before Gibson died he asked Dietrich to carry on the tradition. Walter was a confidant and biographer of Houdini and also wrote the famous Shadow Series. Dietrich currently continues the seances at The Houdini Museum
in Scranton, Pennsylvania, each Halloween, the day Houdini died. The seances have been shown on such shows as TV Lands Myths and Legends, Biography's Dead Famous-Houdini and Exploring the Unknown. The seances at the Houdini Museum in Scranton are often attended by The Houdini Family who are the closest living relatives of Bess Houdini making this the closest event connected back to the original seances that Bess Houdini held.
where she performs on a regular basis when in town. She has been featured on many television shows and channels including CBC, BBC, CBC, NBC, ABC, Travel Channel, Biography Channel, TV Land, etc. She is also a featured performer at the museum's hit show seven years running Psychic Theater's "Haunted! Mysteries & THE Beyond!" along with Paranormalist Dick Brooks
Dick Brookz. It is the longest running seance presentation in history.
Dietrich was co-editor, contributor and publisher of Hocus Pocus Magazine along with magician/mentalist Dick Brooks
Dick Brookz. In addition to escapes and large scale stunts Dietrich has performs illusions with live animals such as doves
, rabbits, poodles and ducks. She is also known for sawing men in half. She also does an updated version of the classic Miser's Dream, plucking coins from the air, nose, ears and pockets of a youngster from the audience. She is also known for levitating volunteers from the audience.
Bullet catch
The bullet catch is a conjuring illusion in which a magician appears to catch a bullet fired directly at him—often in his mouth, sometimes in his hand or caught with other items such as a dinner plate...
in mouth. She was also the first woman to perform a straitjacket
Straitjacket
A straitjacket is a garment shaped like a jacket with overlong sleeves and is typically used to restrain a person who may otherwise cause harm to themselves or others. Once the arms are inserted into the straitjacket's sleeves, they are then crossed across the chest...
escape while suspended hundreds of feet in the air from a burning rope (as shown on a Home Box Office
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
Special. She is the first woman to gain prominence as a female escape artist since the days of Houdini, breaking the glass ceiling for women in the field of escapes. She has been named as one of the top 4 escape artists in history. The 2006 Columbia Encyclopedia
Columbia Encyclopedia
The Columbia Encyclopedia is a one-volume encyclopedia produced by Columbia University Press and sold by the Gale Group. First published in 1935, and continuing its important relationship with Columbia University, the encyclopedia underwent major revisions in 1950 and 1963; the current edition is...
included Dietrich among their "8 most noted magicians of the late 20th century", and entertainment writer Samantha Hart in her definitive book "The Hollywood Walk of Fame" called her a "world-class magician" and "one of the world's leading female magicians". Early on as a teenager she already was dubbed as "The First Lady of Magic." Dietrich, often called the Female Houdini ™, has duplicated many of Houdini's original escapes, and has gone one step further by doing the Jinxed Bullet Catch Stunt — the one that Houdini backed away from.
Early career
Dorothy Dietrich is a native of Erie, PennsylvaniaErie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
. In a six-page article about the history of women in magic in the women's magazine, Bust, which contained only two full-page pictures, one of Adelaide Herrmann
Adelaide Herrmann
Adelaide Herrmann was a noted female magician and vaudeville performer. She began her magic career as assistant to her husband, magician Alexander Herrmann...
and the other of Dietrich, Nichole Summer writes: Among the books she read was a biography of Houdini, who became a childhood idol, a fact that later influenced her desire to perform straitjacket escapes.
Early on, she learned her craft mostly from books. In New York, she auditioned for Westchester Department of Parks from an ad in a show business newspaper and was booked on the spot for a full summer of work, was recommended to the school district for the winter months, and re-booked the following summer for an increase in dates and price. Around this same time she earned her performing chops working a dime museum
Dime museum
Dime museums were institutions that were briefly popular at the end of the 19th century in the United States. Designed as centers for entertainment and moral education for the working class , the museums were distinctly different from upper-middle class' cultural events...
"grind show" Ten-in-One operation in hectic Times Square run by legendary mouse pitchman Tommy Laird with such performers as Earl "Presto" Johnson, Lou Lancaster
Lou Lancaster
Lou Lancaster was an American magician and author.His 1984 book Tricks Of The Trade: A Professional Looks at Commercial Closeup Magic OCLC 12995877 [edited by Phyllis Guggenheim; photos by Lancaster & Guggenheim] explained many techniques of close-up magic, and he appeared in several instructional...
, Chris Capehart, Dick Brooks and others. Showcasing for the Parent Assembly of the Society of American Magicians at about the same time, well-known magicians Russell Swann and Walter B. Gibson
Walter B. Gibson
Walter Brown Gibson was an American author and professional magician, best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow...
, captivated by her performance style, took her under their wing. Walter Gibson, who was a confidant and biographer of Houdini's said "What you have is very reminiscent of Houdini, when Houdini come out on stage, the audience automatically fell in love with him. In my long years I've never seen anyone who had that." Dietrich also studied with "Coney Island Fakir" Al Flosso, a regular performer on the Ed Sullivan
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan was an American entertainment writer and television host, best known as the presenter of the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The show was broadcast from 1948 to 1971 , which made it one of the longest-running variety shows in U.S...
television show, Jack London (for the bullet catch) and Lou Lancaster
Lou Lancaster
Lou Lancaster was an American magician and author.His 1984 book Tricks Of The Trade: A Professional Looks at Commercial Closeup Magic OCLC 12995877 [edited by Phyllis Guggenheim; photos by Lancaster & Guggenheim] explained many techniques of close-up magic, and he appeared in several instructional...
with the Straitjacket escape. "The recognition gradually put Dorothy Dietrich and her magic into resort hotels, nightclubs, school and college auditoriums, trade shows." She became a favorite of several New York booking agents.
Innovative routines
Television
On television, Dorothy Dietrich won attention as a woman who, instead of allowing herself to be sawed in half, reversed the traditional illusion and severed into two parts the male hosts of talk shows and network specials. As word got around she was called to do a Bill Cosby special while still in her early teens, but with the help of her sophisticated style and makeup she passed as an adult and was able to work night clubs and banquets in leading hotels and venues. Cosby was so impressed that he recommended her to several agents. At this same time she performed with Loretta LynnLoretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
, Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
and Tony Randall
Tony Randall
Tony Randall was a U.S. actor, comic, producer and director.-Early years:Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Julia and Mogscha Rosenberg, an art and antiques dealer...
.
The Magic Towne House
Dietrich was a founder along with Dick BrooksDick Brooks (entertainer)
Dick Brooks, considered a magician of renown has been a professional performer since leaving school, was born in New York City. As a teenager he joined a Department of Parks magic club headed up by the official magician of New York City, Abe Hurwitz , who was also the father of the soon to be...
Dick Brookz of New York's Magic Towne House
Magic Towne House
The Magic Towne House was a well known magic show spot on three floors at 1026 Third Avenue, north of 60th Street, New York City, in the 1970s and 1980s. It was in the posh area of the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Third Avenue and 61st Street next to Bloomingdale's Department Store...
a popular magic show spot in New York City, which was the longest running magic show in New York City history. Always interested in magic history and innovation, Dorothy Dietrich learned that opening a magic show spot in New York City was a dream of legendary magicians Houdini, Thurston, David Copperfield and Doug Henning
Doug Henning
Douglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.-Early life:...
.
Dick Brooks (entertainer)
Dick Brooks, considered a magician of renown has been a professional performer since leaving school, was born in New York City. As a teenager he joined a Department of Parks magic club headed up by the official magician of New York City, Abe Hurwitz , who was also the father of the soon to be...
Dick Brookz she accomplished this goal with The Magic Towne House
Magic Towne House
The Magic Towne House was a well known magic show spot on three floors at 1026 Third Avenue, north of 60th Street, New York City, in the 1970s and 1980s. It was in the posh area of the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Third Avenue and 61st Street next to Bloomingdale's Department Store...
. Some of the magicians who got their early start at The Magic Towne House include Eric DeCamps, Imam, Jeff McBride
Jeff McBride
Jeff McBride is an American magician from Monticello New York. He is known for his sleight of hand skills and specializes in the manipulation of playing cards, coins, and other small objects. His stage performances blend elements of kabuki, a Japanese theater form, with traditional conjuring...
, Otto and George, Johnny Ace Palmer
Johnny Ace Palmer
Johnny Ace Palmer is an award-winning American close-up magician. He is famous within the worldwide magical community for his prodigious sleight-of-hand abilities.-Early life:...
, Joseph Pepitone, Joe Raven, David Regal, Rocco Silano
Rocco Silano
- Biography :Silano was born June 12, 1962, in Paterson, New Jersey. Early on in his career, Rocco studied with and was managed by sleight-of-hand expert and Tony Slydini protege Bill Wisch. Later, Rocco was introduced to Slydini by Bill and Rocco took lessons with Slydini as well...
, Peter Samelson, Meir Yedid and others. Established performers of the era also performed with them, including Bobby Baxter
Bobby Baxter
Robert Denholm "Bobby" Baxter is an English former professional footballer born in Redcar, Yorkshire, who played in the Football League for Darlington, Brighton & Hove Albion and Torquay United...
, Harry Blackstone, Jr.
Harry Blackstone, Jr.
Harry Blackstone, Jr. was an American stage magician, author, and television performer.-Career and life:Blackstone was born in Three Rivers, Michigan, the son of noted stage magician Harry Blackstone, Sr. .As an infant, he was used as a prop in his father's act...
, Milbourne Christopher
Milbourne Christopher
Milbourne Christopher was an American illusionist.President of the Society of American Magicians, an honorary vice-president to the Magic Circle, and one of the founding members of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, Christopher authored several books, including a biography of Harry Houdini, and...
, Daryl, Fantasio
Fantasio
Fantasio is a fictional character from the Spirou et Fantasio comic strip. He was introduced in 1944 by Jijé, who was then drawing Spirou's adventures. Fantasio is Spirou's best friend and co-adventurer, a graphic reporter with an uncontrolled imagination and a mop of blond hair...
, Frank Garcia
Frank Garcia
Frank Garcia is a former American football player in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL Draft. He has also played for the St. Louis Rams and the Arizona Cardinals...
, Walter B. Gibson
Walter B. Gibson
Walter Brown Gibson was an American author and professional magician, best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow...
, Wesley James, Presto Earl Johnson, Lou Lancaster
Lou Lancaster
Lou Lancaster was an American magician and author.His 1984 book Tricks Of The Trade: A Professional Looks at Commercial Closeup Magic OCLC 12995877 [edited by Phyllis Guggenheim; photos by Lancaster & Guggenheim] explained many techniques of close-up magic, and he appeared in several instructional...
, Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
, Bill McQueen, Max Maven
Max Maven
Max Maven is an American magician and mentalist. He often appears on television magic shows to perform "interactive" mind reading tricks that work for the television audience....
(Phil Goldstein), Ben Robinson, James Randi
James Randi
James Randi is a Canadian-American stage magician and scientific skeptic best known as a challenger of paranormal claims and pseudoscience. Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation...
, David Roth
David Roth
David Roth is an American magician.Roth is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest living coin magicians. Roth is known both for tremendous technical mastery and for playful and surrealistic formal performance pieces...
, George Schindler, Slydini and others.
Imam would, after several years, break away and form his own competing club downtown in Greenwich Village. Brooks and Dietrich searched out Brother Theodore
Brother Theodore
Brother Theodore , born Theodore Gottlieb, was a German-American monologuist and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness dialogues which he called "stand-up tragedy".-Early years:...
, whose career had waned, and helped to bring him back to prominence that led to his appearing on The Tom Snyder Tomorrow Show and a series of TV and movie appearances. Upon the closing of the Magic Towne House, Michael Chaut and Peter Samuelson would later develop "Monday Night Magic" along with Frank Brents, Todd Robbins
Todd Robbins
Todd Robbins is an American magician, lecturer, actor, and author.-Biography:He was born in Long Beach, California, the son of soap executive and a schoolteacher. In 1980 he moved to New York City to pursue a career in theater...
, and Jamy Ian Swiss
Jamy Ian Swiss
Jamy Ian Swiss is an American close-up magician who works primarily with cards.-Career as a Magician:Jamy Ian Swiss is world renowned as a sleight of hand performer specializing in close-up card magic....
, which still runs successfully in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
The Bullet Catch
In 2008, Bust Magazine reported about Dietrich's 1988 attempt to catch a bullet in a metal cup in her mouth. She performed the trick at Donald TrumpDonald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
's Resorts International's 10th anniversary in Atlantic City, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. It was televised on a special called, Just For The Record, The Best Of Everything. This came about after catching a .22 caliber bullet for the yearly convention of the International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians is the world's largest organization for professional and amateur magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St...
in Pittsburgh. It was shown on Network TV's Evening Magazine
PM Magazine
PM/Evening Magazine was a television series with a news and entertainment format. It was syndicated to stations throughout the United States...
, and on The New You Asked For It with Rich Little
Rich Little
Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little is a Canadian-American impressionist and voice actor. He has long been known throughout the world as a top impersonator of famous people, resulting in his nickname, "The Man of a Thousand Voices"....
as host. She performed the trick again in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on a TV show called Autobus du Canada for the highest amount ever paid a magician on Canadian television. She was the first female to successfully complete the trick. It was done under test conditions with the bullets bought by a committee, brought in under guard, an independent marksman picked and fired the bullet. One of two chosen bullets was fired into a concrete backstop and the second was fired at Dorothy. Dietrich challenged anyone who could prove that the bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
did not leave from the gun by giving a $10, 000 reward
Bounty (reward)
A bounty is a payment or reward often offered by a group as an incentive for the accomplishment of a task by someone usually not associated with the group. Bounties are most commonly issued for the capture or retrieval of a person or object. They are typically in the form of money...
.
Feature stories and articles about her have appeared in major publications such as the New York Times and TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
.
Houdini Magical Hall of Fame
The Houdini Seances
For many years she held the Houdini Seances in New York as a tribute to the legendary magician, continuing a tradition started by Houdini's wife and perpetuated by Walter B. GibsonWalter B. Gibson
Walter Brown Gibson was an American author and professional magician, best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow...
. Even though Bess gave up the séances herself, she asked magician Walter B. Gibson
Walter B. Gibson
Walter Brown Gibson was an American author and professional magician, best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow...
to carry on the October 31 tradition. For many years, Gibson, along with several other magicians, held the séances at the Magic Towne House
Magic Towne House
The Magic Towne House was a well known magic show spot on three floors at 1026 Third Avenue, north of 60th Street, New York City, in the 1970s and 1980s. It was in the posh area of the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Third Avenue and 61st Street next to Bloomingdale's Department Store...
in New York City. Before Gibson died he asked Dietrich to carry on the tradition. Walter was a confidant and biographer of Houdini and also wrote the famous Shadow Series. Dietrich currently continues the seances at The Houdini Museum
Houdini Museum
The Houdini Museum was established in 1988 at 1433 N. Main Avenue in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. It is in a turn-of-the-20th-century building that has been entirely renovated. Houdini performed in Scranton and did several special challenges there. His brother, Hardeen, also appeared in Scranton...
in Scranton, Pennsylvania, each Halloween, the day Houdini died. The seances have been shown on such shows as TV Lands Myths and Legends, Biography's Dead Famous-Houdini and Exploring the Unknown. The seances at the Houdini Museum in Scranton are often attended by The Houdini Family who are the closest living relatives of Bess Houdini making this the closest event connected back to the original seances that Bess Houdini held.
The Houdini Museum
When not traveling, Dietrich heads up to The Houdini MuseumHoudini Museum
The Houdini Museum was established in 1988 at 1433 N. Main Avenue in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA. It is in a turn-of-the-20th-century building that has been entirely renovated. Houdini performed in Scranton and did several special challenges there. His brother, Hardeen, also appeared in Scranton...
where she performs on a regular basis when in town. She has been featured on many television shows and channels including CBC, BBC, CBC, NBC, ABC, Travel Channel, Biography Channel, TV Land, etc. She is also a featured performer at the museum's hit show seven years running Psychic Theater's "Haunted! Mysteries & THE Beyond!" along with Paranormalist Dick Brooks
Dick Brooks (entertainer)
Dick Brooks, considered a magician of renown has been a professional performer since leaving school, was born in New York City. As a teenager he joined a Department of Parks magic club headed up by the official magician of New York City, Abe Hurwitz , who was also the father of the soon to be...
Dick Brookz. It is the longest running seance presentation in history.
Dietrich was co-editor, contributor and publisher of Hocus Pocus Magazine along with magician/mentalist Dick Brooks
Dick Brooks (entertainer)
Dick Brooks, considered a magician of renown has been a professional performer since leaving school, was born in New York City. As a teenager he joined a Department of Parks magic club headed up by the official magician of New York City, Abe Hurwitz , who was also the father of the soon to be...
Dick Brookz. In addition to escapes and large scale stunts Dietrich has performs illusions with live animals such as doves
Doves
Doves are an English alternative indie rock band, originating from Wilmslow, Cheshire. The band comprises brothers Jez Williams and Andy Williams , and Jimi Goodwin . The members started working seriously together after meeting at The Haçienda in Manchester. Doves' unofficial fourth member is...
, rabbits, poodles and ducks. She is also known for sawing men in half. She also does an updated version of the classic Miser's Dream, plucking coins from the air, nose, ears and pockets of a youngster from the audience. She is also known for levitating volunteers from the audience.
Debunker
Dietrich also crusades against those who falsely claim to speak to dead relatives of vulnerable grieving citizens. Early on, Dorothy Dietrich realized that there were those who would use magic and various deceptive arts to manipulate and even cheat people out of money. So following in the footsteps of famous debunkers who came before her such as Houdini, Milbourne Christoper and James Randi, she takes on such a role where possible. She has a $10,000.00 reward for anyone who says they can contact the spirit of Houdini. One who tried recently was Canadian television "medium" Kim Dennis who had contacted the Houdini family claiming she was getting messages from Houdini.Restoration and upkeep of The Houdini Grave Site
On September 27, 2011 a group she formed, that came to be known in the media as The Houdini Commandos, secretly replaced the statuary bust at Houdini's grave site that has been missing due to vandalism for 36 years. This was reported in a half page story worldwide in the New York Times on October 24, 2011. Her world famous attraction Scranton's Houdini Musuem that she runs with mystery entertainer Dick Brookz, has been asked by both the family of Houdini and the management of the cemetery to take over the upkeep of the grave that has been in disarray for many years due to neglect.Television appearances
Just a few of the television shows in which she has appeared include:- The World's Greatest Escapes a Home Box Office Special starring Tony Curtis
- The Tom Snyder Show along with Kiss
- Evening Magazine
- The Montel Williams Show
- Twice with Rich Little on You Asked For It
- Real People
- The Travel Channel's Magic Road Trip
- The Travel Channel's Mysteries At The Museum
- TV Land's Myths & Legends
- PBS Conversations
- PBS On The Pennsylvania Road
- PBS Strange and Unusual Museums
- Exploring The Unknown
- Biography Channel's Dead Famous-Houdini
- Just For The Record, The Best of Everything
- Behind The Scenes with Jonathan Winters
- Klein Time with Robert Klein
- Man and His Mysteries with Dick Van Patton
- "Jean-Pierre FerlandJean-Pierre FerlandJean-Pierre Ferland, OC, CQ is a Canadian singer and songwriter.-Life and career:Ferland began work with Radio-Canada in 1956 as an accountant, but his career there was short lived. Shortly after, he began taking guitar lessons with Stephen Fentock and began to fall in love with music, writing his...
's,Autobus du Canada CBC Three segments - KDKA Pittsburg Evening News Bullet Catch Story
- OLN Canada Steve Santini's Deals From The Dark Side