YOU CAN'T DIE IN FRONT OF THE ROYALS...LATEST #royal #history #nostalgia

Added: 2026-06-04

[00:00:01]Welcome back, chums. I hope you're keeping well and thank you as ever for joining me. You know, I think the first time that I ever really heard of this particular individual, which could and should have been a favorite of the British monarchy was really, you know what it's like. You're sitting down and I think it must have been a Sunday afternoon and I saw this wonderful film starring the Hollywood legend that is Tony Curtis. And as many of you know, suddenly he became a friend when I was a lot older, you know. So it never really quite got over that, you know, something where you sit with these legends and suddenly they're telling you these wonderful stories and you think right, you know, but in those days, you know, make sound like an ancient daughter, but in those days, if you remember, unless you were really lucky, nobody had a VHS.

[00:00:44]We didn't have internet. We couldn't just watch things when we wanted. If there was a matine movie on, everybody sat and watched it. And that's really what people did. I think it was far more, you know, community, wasn't it? We all enjoyed it. Of course, when you look at great movies like this, you know, the wonderful Tony Curtis Janet Lee movie from the 1950s, Houdini, I was terrified. Oh, I was terrified because, you know, as I said to Tony Curtis, when you go in that that thing, I mean, I'm frightened of water. So, to be locked in water, no, no, what was that like? He told me so many secrets about that movie. But, of course, it was a big box office success for him and his then wife Janet Lee. But what was interesting when you dig in the archives and you talk to people about certain individuals that should as I say really have been a big big star in front of the roles, you find out well why were they not invited? I mean I remember sort of reading a while back and I was lucky enough to meet uh the lovely Dame Julie Andrews and she was telling me that you know she really had to be persuaded to come back for the Queen's Silver Jubilee to appear on the Royal Variety Show. She said, "Oh, because she's not a royalist. She loves the monarchy." But she said, "I was so so nervous." And I thought, "But you're Damed Julie. You're Mary Poppins. Get a grip."

[00:01:59]You know, this is the thing. People just be suddenly become nervous. One person who wasn't nervous was this man, Harry Houdini. Now, I have to say, after seeing that movie, you know, later, I was reinterested in his career. All thanks to the brilliant uh British singer, composer, genius in my opinion, Kate Bush. And she had a song on her album, The Dreaming, all about Houdini.

[00:02:25]And I used to love reading the lyrics, you know what it's like. And um the thing is she said in it, you know, with a kiss I pass the key. And I thought, wow, is that suddenly, you know, it makes sense. Is that how you did it then? Oh, right. And suddenly you've got the story, haven't you? You think, oh, right. It's always disputed as to whether his wife Bess did in fact do it like that. But who knows? But here's the thing. The reason why he wasn't invited to appear. And when you think about this, one of the biggest global stars in the world on the Royal Variety was this reason. Let me explain. Hi Toms. As I say, welcome back. Nice to have your compass ever. I do thank you for letting me tell these stories, you know, because I enjoy making them for you and it's a chance, isn't it, to just have a what's that thing the kids say now? pallet cleans, whatever. We're having a conversation, you know, and the memories it evokes from me, you know, because somebody was saying on the video the other day actually about how we were talking about sizes and tailoring and stuff and they rightly pointed out that, you know, in that era, the Edwardian and Victorian era, the more plumper you were, this signified wealth because, you know, it was only skinny people that were, you know, uh, obviously malnutrition and undernourished and stuff. the bigger you are. This said, you know, I'm a cheese and I've got all of this money. So, yeah, thank you for that. It's a good point and you forget it when you're doing it at times. It's a bit like this, as I say, Harry Houdini fascinated me. I think really because, you know, when you think about the technology that would have been around and I know the escapology stuff and what he did and everything, he was massive over here, you know, in the United Kingdom. when you look up the records of the length of the country that he went up and down you know Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland everywhere and he was a big big success because you know I think he actually made some original what we call now whole movies up in Hull originally Kingston upon hill is the correct title as many of you know from that coast but the thing is you know Houdini wanted to appear in front of the royals now he was sort of around the time just the latter end of Queen Victoria and this was you put muted as would he? What about Windsor? All no, you know, all of this sort of stuff. Now, of course, when Bertie came to the throne, one of my favorites, as you know, the Prince of Wales, King Edward, he loved the idea of Houdini being there, you know, sort of entertaining him. He just loved the showmanship of it, you know, and you would I mean, you know, a man getting inside a water tank on the middle of a stage and tied up and I mean, it's just great stuff, isn't it? he filled theaters. There was a bigger reason though when you look at the records, particularly when he appeared at things like the London Hippodrome, a venue that I've been lucky enough to appear in. And the thing is, apparently, you know, the royals like the idea, but they were advised against him for the simple reason that if this went wrong, this would look badly on the royal family. I mean, this is how times change, right?

[00:05:23]But it does make sense actually chums because if you think about it if he didn't get out of this tank full of water or he didn't get this or whatever and he died on stage or wasn't able to be saved it would say in front of the king or in front of the queen and this you know was not the right sort of imagery. Nobody really could get this through to Houdini. He said there's no way that will happen etc. I'm going to be fine. I know what I'm doing. He even wrote to the palace suggesting they could come and test in advance. But the people around the royals thought this was too dangerous and too much of a negative headline if that were to happen. It just goes to show, doesn't it really that headlines and everything moves on, but of course the protection of how people are perceived and the negativity of even the press baronss of that era were always paramount.

[00:06:12]Fascinating though. Do you agree? Neil Sha in the heart of the United Kingdom.