Chinese Water Torture Cell

The Chinese Water Torture Cell is a predicament escape made famous by Hungarian-American magician Harry Houdini.

The cell remained in Radner's basement until 1971 when it was put on display at The Houdini Magical Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Canada.

At one point, the museum owners put a fish tank inside the cell to achieve an aquarium effect.

Sidney Radner gave the burned wood, screws, nails, metal straps and many other unused pieces of the original Water Torture Cell to Geno Munari.

In August 1998, John Gaughan subsequently sent those items to Geno Munari, owner of Houdini's Magic Shops, in Las Vegas.

Additionally, Geno Munari provided John Gaughan an original back-up Water Torture Cell glass plate from The Houdini Museum in Las Vegas.

[3][4] In 2012, a never-before-seen photo of Houdini performing his Water Torture Cell in 1920 was unearthed and put on display in Scotland.

[6] In the Happy Days episode "The Magic Show" (original airdate December 5, 1978), magician James Randi is scheduled to perform the trick (referred to as "the milkcan escape"), which has supposedly been successfully performed only by three magicians (including Randi himself), as part of a magic show at a charity function, but he inadvertently drinks alcohol and becomes too intoxicated to do so.

In the spring of 1980, John R. Hall (author, blogger, magician) (stage name Keoni - pronounced key-OH-nee) purchased a Chinese Water Torture Cell from Tony Spina of Tannen's Magic Shop (a magicians supply company in New York City) and performed the escape on 5 October 1980 for broadcast television's PM Magazine.

[citation needed] In July 2013, celebrating the 100th anniversary, Richard Sherry and Female Escape Artist Dayle Krall, released their 21st Century Chinese Water Torture Cell.