| Bess Houdini | |
|---|---|
 Josie Ahlquist as Bess Houdini | |
| Cameo information | |
| Birth name | Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner |
| Nickname(s) | Bess Houdini |
| Born | January 22, 1876 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | February 11, 1943 (aged 67) Needles, California |
| Physical description | |
| Hair | Black |
| Eyes | Black |
| Based on | |
| |
| Appearance information | |
| Appeared in | David Copperfield vs Harry Houdini |
| During | Harry Houdini's first verse |
| Location(s) | A magician's stage |
Bess Houdini made a cameo appearance in David Copperfield vs Harry Houdini alongside Harry Houdini. She was portrayed by Josie Ahlquist.
Information on the cameo
Wilhelmina Beatrice Rahner, better known as Bess Houdini, was born on January 22nd, 1876, in Brooklyn, New York. She was the wife and stage assistant of Harry Houdini.
Bess was working at Coney Island in a song and dance act called "The Floral Sisters" when she was first courted by Houdini's younger brother, Theo (also known as Theodore Hardeen). However, it was the older Houdini brother, Harry, that she fell in love with and married on June 22nd, 1894. Bess and Harry worked as "The Houdinis" for several years before Houdini hit it big as "The Handcuff King", but he and Bess continued to occasionally perform their signature trick, "Metamorphosis", throughout his career. Bess also looked after their menagerie of pets, collected dolls, and made the costumes for Houdini's full evening roadshow.
After Houdini's death on October 31st, 1926, Bess moved to Hollywood, California, and worked to promote Houdini's memory along with her manager and partner, Edward Saint. On Halloween 1936, Bess and Saint conducted a "Final Houdini Séance" on the roof of the Knickerbocker Hotel in Hollywood. At the conclusion of the failed séance, she put out the candle beside a photograph of Houdini that was said to have burned for ten years. In 1943, she said "ten years [was] long enough to wait for any man." She died from a heart attack at the age of 67 on February 11th, 1943, in Needles, California.
Appearance in the rap battle
Bess Houdini appeared at the beginning of Harry Houdini's first verse. She could be seen locking him in a crate and raising a curtain above it as he escaped. When the curtain was lowered, she disappeared and her husband took her place.
Trivia
- A preview of Bess and Harry Houdini was shown during the Behind the Scenes end slate of Lewis and Clark vs Bill and Ted.
- She is the first cameo to be previewed in an end slate.
- Bess, whose husband was portrayed by EpicLLOYD, was portrayed by Lloyd's wife, Josie Ahlquist, in the rap battle.
- This is the second time a real life couple portrayed a couple in the Epic Rap Battles of History series, after Leonidas and Queen Gorgo, who were portrayed by Jesse Wellens and Jeana Smith, respectively.
- Both the males portrayed the rapper, while both the females portrayed the cameo.
- This is the second time a real life couple portrayed a couple in the Epic Rap Battles of History series, after Leonidas and Queen Gorgo, who were portrayed by Jesse Wellens and Jeana Smith, respectively.
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