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Houdini (1953)
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Synopsis
This highly fanciful but immensely entertaining biopic stars
Tony Curtis
as legendary magician/escape-artist Harry Houdini.
Janet Leigh
, Mrs. Tony Curtis at the time, co-stars as Houdini's wife Bess, while
Angela Clarke
is seen as Houdini's mother. The film follows Houdini's progress from sideshow entertainer to high-priced prestidigitator, and also touches upon his fascination with the occult--and his efforts to expose phony mediums. Philip Yordan's script (based on a book by Harold Kellock) suggests that virtually every portentous occasion in Houdini's life occurred on Halloween day, including his death from peritonitis in 1926. The facts of Houdini's life seldom get in the way of Yordan's story; while general audiences won't spot too many discrepancies, professional magicians tend to howl with laughter at some of the film's intentional boners. Example: In real life, Houdini's appendix was fatally ruptured by a punch to the stomach; in the film, he injures himself by accidentally bumping into one of his props, the sword-studded "Temple of Benares" trick--which hadn't yet been invented in 1926! Still, it's fun to watch Tony Curtis wriggle his way out of some of Houdini's most baffling escape routines (both Curtis and Janet Leigh were carefully instructed on the set by professional magicians, who swore the stars to secrecy concerning the tricks of the trade). For a more accurate slant on Houdini's life, see the 1976 TV movie The Great Houdinis, starring
Paul Michael Glaser
and
Sally Struthers
. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Cast
Malcolm Lee Beggs
Warden
Barry Bernard
Inspector
Angela Clarke
Mrs. Weiss
Connie Gilchrist
Mrs. Schultz
Janet Leigh
Bess Houdini
Frank Orth
White-haired Man
Sig Rumann
Schultz
Stefan Schnabel
Prosecuting Attorney
Douglas Spencer
Simms
Torin Thatcher
Otto
Ian Wolfe
Malue
Tony Curtis
Harry Houdini
Michael Pate
Dooley
Production Crew
Albert Nozaki
Art Director
Hal Pereira
Art Director
Frank Freeman, Jr.
Associate Producer
Harold Kellock
Book Author
Ernest Laszlo
Cinematographer
Roy Webb
Composer (Music Score)
Edith Head
Costume Designer
George Marshall
Director
George Tomasini
Editor
Michael D. Moore
First Assistant Director
Wally Westmore
Makeup
George Pal
Producer
Philip Yordan
Screenwriter
Ray Moyer
Set Designer
Sam Comer
Set Designer
Gene Garvin
Sound/Sound Designer
Harry D. Mills
Sound/Sound Designer
Gordon Jennings
Special Effects
Year: 1953
Runtime: 107
Country: USA
MPAA Rating:
Category: Feature
Genre
Drama
Produced by
Paramount
© 2009 Spout LLC. Portions of content provided by All Movie Guide.