DANGEROUS DETECTIVES IN DISGUISE: THE UNTOLD STORY

Houdini in one of his favorite disguises.

Houdini, master of disguise, actually employed an entire detective squad, about 20 men and women, whom he called "my secret service." Rose Mackenberg, a professional investigator, seen here in eight different disguises, became his star sleuth. Her main job was to bust fraudulent psychics.

Click to enlarge.

Houdini's biographer and spiritual heir, our friend James Randi, adopted the Old Master's undercover tactics during his own legendary exposures of fake spiritual mediums. 

Randi's takedown of TV evangelist Peter Popoff was televised. Like Houdini, he hired detectives and employed disguises to penetrate Popoff's defenses. Like Houdini, Randi could not debunk in person because he had become too recognizable. Sometimes, while his secret agents were at work, Randi sat quietly in the audience and did nothing - the perfect misdirection. Randi told a highly condensed version of the Popoff story on film, beginning with his own shill, the talented mentalist known as Banachek:

That's the short version. The whole story has never come out in its entirety until now.  

Randi had another team of shills in the audience: Don Henvick, master of disguise, who was, on this occasion, posing as a woman named Bernice Manicoff.

Henvick as himself & Bernice Manicoff

"Bernice," accompanied by her "son," played by writer Scot Morris, walked slowly into the hall with the aid of a walker. Popoff's assistants approached "her" and asked if she wouldn't be more comfortable in a wheelchair. If so, they said, they'd seat her in the front row, where she'd be right up there with Popoff. 

Randi's stooges readily agreed - they had scoped out Popoff extensively and knew this was one of his most potent secrets, to enable people who could already walk to sit up front in wheelchairs.

Popoff's assistants politely inquired what sort of healing Bernice was seeking.

"Uterine cancer," Henvick replied. He had just shaved off his mustache that morning.

Here's an eyewitness account of what happened next:

The suspense grew during the show as the healing progressed until finally Popoff stood five feet in front of Don and called his alias, "Bernice Manicoff." He promised to burn the cancer out of her body. He laid hands on "Bernice" and Don gave his his most ladylike shriek as he was shocked by the power of the Holy Ghost. Popoff then commanded "Bernice" to rise out of the wheelchair and walk! Don staggered to his feet and walked back and forth across the stage to the loud cheers of the crowd.

The crowd, too, rose to its feet and gave both Bernice and Popoff a standing ovation!

Meanwhile, Bernice's "son," remembering he was supposed to be writing this up for Penthouse magazine, began taking dozens of pictures. When he began taking crowd shots and closeups of Popoff, the security guards got disturbed and managed to "accidentally" open up his pre-digital camera and expose the film. Randi smelled trouble and, using his own prearranged signals, ordered his team to evacuate.

Bernice had already returned to her wheelchair and was sitting in it again when Randi's order came. At that moment, Popoff's stooges spotted her for a fake and, on their walkie-talkies, identified Randi as the mastermind. "Bernice" stood up with alacrity, abandoned the wheelchair entirely and ran full-speed out of the hall, followed by Randi and his teammates. The audience, once again, came to its feet and gave her a second thunderous ovation!

Next week: Principles of Disguise from the CIA's Top Expert.

[Popoff Pictures & text from Science & the Paranormal]