I Want To Be Like HOUDINI tells fascinating, never-before-published stories about how the most famous magician in history influenced the life and career of the author, who has been obsessed with magic since he received his first magic trick in 1949 at age 6 and became a full-time professional magician 35 years later.
Houdini, who performed seemingly impossible escapes and amazing feats of magic, became so famous that his name was added to the dictionary during his lifetime. But he died on Halloween in 1926 at the age of 52...the number of cards in a deck of playing cards...ironic, since Houdini once called himself "The King of Cards!"
Realizing that 2026 marked one hundred years since Houdini's death, Kent decided it was time to share these stories.
In this book, you will enjoy learning how the life of this legendary magician affected every stage of Kent's career...even though Houdini died 17 years before Kent was born. You will probably shake your head and laugh when the author tells you about escaping from paper leg irons, but also his unsuccessful attempt to escape from a cardboard box!
Learn why Kent failed to escape from real leg irons, but succeeded in escaping from handcuffs when challenged by a Louisiana Sheriff. Read about "The Secrets of Houdini Exposed," Kent's tour through Canada with the Mighty Thomas Shows Carnival.
Readers will learn about Houdini as they learn about Kent's journey to becoming a full-time professional magician in 1986. His journey may even inspire you to escape from the ordinary problems of life and embrace the things that matter to you...just like magic!
Kent Cummins married his childhood sweetheart, Margot Grandjean, in 1965. Only recently, he noticed that her initials, "MGC," spell "MAGIC" when "A I" is added. They have two wonderful adult children, Kevin and Carolyn, and two equally-wonderful granddaughters, Georgia and Ace."The Fantastic Kent Cummins" celebrated his 75th year as a magician in 2024. A prolific author, his first book was Bungling Juggling, published by the ELBEE Company in 1964, while Kent was an undergraduate at Louisiana State University. Many of his books are available from Magic Words Press, www.MagicWordsPress.com. In 1960, Kent received the Teen Trophy for his magic show at the Texas Association of Magicians (TAOM) Convention in Corpus Christi. In 1983, he became President of the TAOM. In 1986, Kent became a full-time professional magician.In 2025, Kent received the first "Living Legend" award at the TAOM Convention in Irving, Texas. Extensive additional information about his career as a magician can be found in MagicPedia: geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php?title=Kent_Cummins
