In adulation of his idol, Dean Gunnarson breaks free from the confines of a strait jacket
as he dangles precariously over the parking lot of the Winnipeg Free Press Building.
On October 31st, 1982, 18 year old Dean Gunnarson, was bound into a strait jacket and
hoisted by his ankles 10 metres off the ground, high above a crowd of 2,500 spectators.
On February 21st, 1923, Houdini had spent two minutes extricating himself from a strait
jacket while suspended from the Winnipeg Free Press Building. Dean humbly bested
Houdini's escape time by 20 seconds. "I did it to honor a great man -- a tribute to Harry
Houdini who died on October 31st, 1926. He was the greatest showman who ever
existed." This escape would be the first of many annual Halloween Tribute Escapes for
Dean Gunnarson.[RETURN] to Great Escapes