SCRANTON — Dorothy Dietrich cannot only pull a dove out of a scarf, she can make tourists appear at her Houdini Museum in Scranton.
A couple from New Rochelle, New York, and another from Ohio were a rapt audience for more than two hours on Saturday as Dietrich guided them through rooms crammed with Harry Houdini memorabilia and wrapped up with a magic show on a small stage.
“I loved it,” said Marc Hartzman, who has written about Houdini and made the 200-mile round-trip from New Rochelle on Saturday. “She’s got an incredible collection.”
Part of that collection is on loan to the Everhart Museum through Nov. 29. That means there are two places focusing on Houdini in Scranton as magic fans mark the centenary of his death on Saturday — which is Halloween.
Marc Hartzman of New Rochelle, New York came to Scranton to tour the Houdini Museum with co-owner Dorothy Dietrich on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 (MELISSA M. JANOSKI/STAFF PHOTO)
Magician and Houdini Museum co-owner Dorothy Dietrich gives a tour on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 (MELISSA M. JANOSKI/STAFF PHOTO)
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Marc Hartzman of New Rochelle, New York came to Scranton to tour the Houdini Museum with co-owner Dorothy Dietrich on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026 (MELISSA M. JANOSKI/STAFF PHOTO)
The Houdini Museum includes items Dietrich and co-owner Dick Brookz say were owned by Houdini, including some locks, keys, a vest, plus a candelabra that Houdini’s widow used in seances. There is also a book autographed by Houdini, family furniture, reproductions, and rows and rows of posters, photos and documents.
“I really appreciate what she’s put together and the fact that she’s preserving Houdini history and his legacy,” Hartzman said.
The New York Times called Dietrich, Brookz and a few others “Houdini commandos” in 2011 after they replaced a vandalized bust on Houdini’s grave in New York City.
Dietrich’s magic show starts with television footage of her younger self escaping from a straitjacket while hanging upside down from a burning rope and separately catching a bullet in her mouth.
“She’s a pretty famous magician herself,” Hartzman said.
Dietrich and Brookz left New York City to escape high prices and opened the Scranton museum in the 1980s, levitating children at birthday parties and spreading the word of Houdini’s legacy.
“He’s legendary for so many reasons,” she said.
Dietrich said Houdini captured people’s imagination during the dark times of the Spanish flu epidemic and World War I, raising money for charity, debunking fake mediums who exploited the grieving and promoting the power of the mind.
“He represents to the population a person that can do the impossible,” she said.
The museum will be closed over Halloween weekend so Dietrich can take part in events elsewhere.
Scranton performance commemorated at Everhart
Houdini performed his legendary escape act in Scranton in 1915 at the Poli Theater, now the site of the Ritz Theater. He also spent time elsewhere in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Dietrich worked with Everhart curator James Lansing on the Everhart exhibit to commemorate the local ties. It includes artifacts, such as some of Dietrich’s keys, historical ephemera, photographs and video footage.
“It’s a nice way to collaborate,” Lansing said.
If you go
There are currently two places in Scranton to explore the legacy of magician Harry Houdini, who died 100 years ago on Halloween.
The Houdini Museum: The museum at 1433 N. Main Ave. is open on weekends and by appointment, with displays of artifacts and a magic show. It will be closed on Halloween and Sunday. Tickets are $39.95 for adults and $29.95 for children 4 to 11. Add $10 for VIP front-row seating. The website is Houdinimuseum.net.
The Everhart Museum: The museum in Nay Aug Park worked with the Houdini Museum on “Houdini: Escaping Scranton” on view through Nov. 29. The museum is open Wednesdays through Sundays. Tickets to the museum are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. It is free for museum members, children 12 and under, and some other groups. There is an additional charge for the “The Office” exhibit. The website is Everhart-museum.org.