Houdini, who is buried in Machpelah Cemetery, in Queens, New York, was struck in the abdomen before he died, leading some to suspect foul play.
Yesterday, relatives of both Houdini, born Erich Weiss, and one of the magician's arch-enemies were expected to call for the exhumation of Houdini's remains for clues to his death.
A co-author of a recent book, The Secret Life of Houdini, Larry Sloman, said a possible scenario was that Houdini was poisoned by mediums who purported to contact the dead in seances. Towards the end of his life, Houdini had been dedicated to exposing spiritualist mediums as frauds.
If the murder theory was true, Sloman said, the poison would remain in Houdini's body - even 80 years later.
When Houdini died at age 52, officials identified the cause as "traumatic appendicitis" brought on by a blow to his stomach, Sloman said. However, doctors now know it is impossible for a blow to the stomach to cause appendicitis.
Speculation about Houdini's death has been fuelled by questions about an "experimental serum" given to Houdini in the hospital, the lack of an autopsy and indications that his wife, who died later, may also have been poisoned at the same time, Sloman said.
George Hardeen, whose grandfather was Houdini's brother, said: "It needs to be looked at. His death shocked the entire nation, if not the world. Now, maybe it's time to take a second look."
Anna Thurlow, a great-granddaughter of Houdini's nemesis, a medium known as Mina "Margery" Crandon, agreed. "We need to use science to understand the world around us and to correct history," she said.
Ms Thurlow's late mother was an anthropologist who had collected documents about Crandon. The latter "gained a lot of notoriety and fame because of her mediumship abilities," Ms Thurlow said.
To find out whether Houdini's enemies had anything to do with his demise, forensic investigators are ready to examine the remains pending the resolution of legal issues surrounding an exhumation, Sloman said.
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