The 2006 "Columbia Encyclopedia" included Dietrich among their "eight most noted magicians of the late 20th century", and entertainment writer Samantha Hart in "Hollywood Walk of Fame: 2000 Sensational Stars, Star Makers and Legends", called her a "world-class magician" and "one of the world's leading female magicians". Early on, as a teenager, she already was referred to as "The First Lady of Magic", a reference later copied by others. Dietrich, often called the female Houdini, has duplicated many of Houdini's original escapes, and has gone one step further by doing the Jinxed Bullet Catch Stunt – the one that Houdini backed away from.