Robert-Houdin took the stool away from his son's feet, and he just hung limp as a rag.

Robert-Houdin would have readers believe that a major turning point in his life came when he became apprenticed to the magician Edmund De Grisi, Count's son and better known as Torrini.

He even concocted a silly story on how his son Emile created a game of hot and cold that resulted into Robert-Houdin utilizing that for the stage.

Robert-Houdin changed the method, so instead of asking his son what was in his hands, he simply rang a bell.

When it was apparent that the drug was wearing off, Robert-Houdin returned his son to his upright position.

On August 6, 1870, Robert-Houdin heard news of his son being mortally wounded at the Battle of Worth.

Four days later, Robert-Houdin was to find out that his son had died of his wounds.

The invention of the concept is credited to Paul Robert-Houdin, who was the curator of the Château de Chambord in France, which hosted the world's first son et lumière in 1952.

" The blow was struck ," Robert-Houdin said, "... henceforth the interpreters and all those who had dealings with the Arabs received orders to make them understand that my pretended miracles were only the result of skill, inspired and guided by an art called prestidigitation, in no way connected with sorcery.

As a museum of France, it is the only public museum in Europe which incorporates in one place collections of magic and a site for permanent performing arts, and is directly linked to the personality of Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin.

This film was among those exported to Europe with the first Kinetoscope machines in 1895, and was seen by Georges Méliès, who was putting on magic shows in his Theatre Robert-Houdin in Paris at the time.

Quite by accident, Robert-Houdin walked into a shop on the Rue Richelieu and discovered it sold magic.

Robert-Houdin built up the surprise of spectators until, "… by gradually heightening it up to the moment when, so to speak, it exploded.

It is not known whether Herrmann or the others bought the illusions directly from LeGrand or from another source, but they willingly performed the illusions after knowing that they were invented by Robert-Houdin.

It is a museum and theatre first opened by his grandson Paul Robert-Houdin in April 1966.

Jim Steinmeyer said in his book, Hiding the Elephant, that every magician of the 20th century was haunted by Robert-Houdin, "… who cast an enormous shadow over their generation.

" American magician and escape artist Harry Houdini ( born Ehrich Weiss ) was so impressed by Robert-Houdin that, after reading his autobiography in 1890, Ehrich adopted the stage name of " Houdini " in honour of Robert-Houdin.

He incorrectly believed that an i on the end of a name meant " like " in French ; but Houdini, his own career and reputation established by that time, later lost his youthful respect for Robert-Houdin, believing that he took undue credit for other magicians ' innovations, and wrote The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin in 1908.

* 2006-The Illusionist ( 2006 film ), clearly inspired by the works of Robert-Houdin

* A Conjurer's Confessions by M. Robert-Houdin

* Memoirs of Robert-Houdin by M. Robert-Houdin

* The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin by Harry Houdini

Begun in 1991 when Copperfield purchased the Mullholland Library of Conjuring and the Allied Arts, which contained the world's largest collection of Houdini memorabilia, the museum comprises approximately 80, 000 items of magic memorabilia, including Houdini's Water Torture Cabinet and his Metamorphosis Trunk, Orson Welles ' Buzz Saw Illusion and automata created by Robert-Houdin.

Eisengrim ( also known by at least four other names throughout the trilogy ) tells the story of his life to a group of filmmakers who are producing a biographical film about the great magician Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin for the BBC.

Modern magic inventor Jim Steinmeyer has written that a description of the illusion was published by the great French magician Jean Robert-Houdin in 1858, but Robert-Houdin's idea remained just that, a written description of an effect.

But, they willingly performed the illusions after knowing that those where invented by Robert-Houdin.

A statue of Robert-Houdin is at lower right.

no: Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin

He took up filmmaking in 1896, and after making imitations of other films from Edison, Lumière, and Robert Paul, he made Escamotage d ' un dame chez Robert-Houdin ( The Vanishing Lady ).

Once there, they saw the other creations Robert-Houdin had to offer.

Robert-Houdin felt that every magic program should be arranged so one trick builds upon each other.

* 1805 – Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin, French magician ( d. 1861 )

Melies, the stage manager at the Theatre Robert-Houdin, was inspired to develop a series of more than 500 short films, between 1914, in the process developing or inventing such techniques as multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, and hand painted colour.

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin ( December 6, 1805 – June 13, 1871 ) was a French magician.

Master of magic Robert-Houdin was born Jean Eugène Robert in Blois, France, on 6 December 1805 — a day after his autobiography said he was.

Much of what we know about Robert-Houdin comes from his memoirs — and his writings were meant more to entertain than to chronicle, rendering it difficult to separate fact from fiction.

He hyphenated his own name to hers and became Robert-Houdin.

At Papa Roujol's, Robert-Houdin learned the details to many of the mechanical tricks of the time as well as how to improve them.

The new Madame Robert-Houdin soon took over the household.

Robert-Houdin loved to watch the big magic shows that came to Paris.

No critics covered Robert-Houdin ’ s debut, and in his memoirs, Robert-Houdin said that the show had been a disaster.

Instead of admitting defeat, Robert-Houdin, irked at the friend's affrontery, used this insult to regain his courage, and persevered in giving the show a long run at his little theatre.

With each performance, Robert-Houdin got better, and he began to receive critical acclaim.

In 1856, Napoleon III's Second French Empire sent Robert-Houdin there, hoping that he might perform tricks that were far more impressive, thereby dissolving the excitement of the rebels.

Moreover, the Arabs became afraid of Robert-Houdin.

Robert-Houdin was not the first illusionist to perform the bullet catch, and many since him have adapted their own version of the effect.

Before him, magicians performed in marketplaces and fairs, but Robert-Houdin performed magic in theatres and private parties.

Some of the tricks and illusions Robert-Houdin presented became classics.

When Robert-Houdin first opened his theatre, it was sparsely attended.