Houdini (1953)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

Harold Kellock (book)
Philip Yordan (writer)

Release Date:

2 July 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Wife And Husband Lead Actors | Charlatan | Seance | One Word Title | Skepticism

Cast

Tony Curtis	...	Harry Houdini
Janet Leigh	...	Bess Houdini
Torin Thatcher	...	Otto (Von Schwager's assistant)
Angela Clarke	...	Harry's mother
Stefan Schnabel	...	German Prosecuting Attorney
Ian Wolfe	...	Malue
Sig Ruman	...	Schultz
Michael Pate	...	Dooley (of the London Examiner)
Connie Gilchrist	...	Mrs. Shultz
Malcolm Lee Beggs	...	British jail warden
Frank Orth	...	Mr. Hunter (safe expert)
Barry Bernard	...	Insp. Marlick
Douglas Spencer	...	Simms (of the New York Observer)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eric Alden	...	Sailor (uncredited)
Fred Aldrich	...	Waiter / Bouncer (uncredited)
Elsie Ames	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Jan Arden	...	Shimmy dancer (uncredited)
Nick Arno	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Peter Baldwin	...	Fred (Bess' escort) (uncredited)
Bobby Barber	...	Comic piano player (uncredited)
Oliver Blake	...	Coney Island barker (uncredited)
Billy Bletcher	...	Italian basso (uncredited)
Cliff Clark	...	Barker (uncredited)
Edward Clark	...	Doorman (uncredited)
Jim Davies	...	Heckler (uncredited)
Louise De Carlo	...	Dance girl (uncredited)
Daniel De Jonghe	...	Desk clerk (uncredited)
Marion Dempsey	...	Sword swallower (uncredited)
Don Dunning	...	Heckler (uncredited)
Norma Jean Eckart	...	Girl in Astor guillotine act (uncredited)
Fred Essler	...	Officious man (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Extra at Halloween magician's ball (uncredited)
Esther Garber	...	Esther's girlfriend (uncredited)
Jon Gardner	...	Boy (uncredited)
Maxine Gates	...	Heavy blonde woman (uncredited)
Bill Gentry	...	Fred's friend (uncredited)
Joanne Gilbert	...	Girl (uncredited)
Jody Gilbert	...	Fat girl (uncredited)
Arthur Gould-Porter	...	Alhambra manager (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	'Spirit' at seance (uncredited)
Henry Guttman	...	Master of Ceremonies, Berlin Nightclub (uncredited)
Alec Harford	...	Assistant (uncredited)
Grace Hayle	...	Woman who screams (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Harry Hines	...	Barker (uncredited)
Jerry James	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Frank Jaquet	...	Mr. Brown (foreman) (uncredited)
Tor Johnson	...	Strong man (uncredited)
Frank Kreig	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
William W. Larsen	...	Guillotine act (uncredited)
Lyle Latell	...	Calcott (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney	...	Bell captain (uncredited)
Lewis Martin	...	Editor (uncredited)
Bill Meader	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Torben Meyer	...	Headwaiter (uncredited)
Mary Murphy	...	Girl (uncredited)
Hal Neiman	...	Barker (uncredited)
Tudor Owen	...	Blacksmith (uncredited)
Mabel Paige	...	Medium (uncredited)
Ralph Peters	...	Prisoner (uncredited)
Joe Ploski	...	Man in audience throwing tomato (uncredited)
Luce Potter	...	Little woman (uncredited)
A.J. Buster Resmondo	...	Little man (uncredited)
Lawrence Ryle	...	German judge (uncredited)
Richard Shannon	...	Miner (uncredited)
Ray Spiker	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Maitre d', Hotel Astor (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Audience extra (uncredited)
Arthur Tovey	...	Audience Spectator (uncredited)
Ernö Verebes	...	Prof. Allegari (uncredited)
Anthony Warde	...	Master of Ceremonies (uncredited)
Gil Warren	...	Fire chief (uncredited)
Betty Yeaton	...	Contortionist (uncredited)

Directed by
George Marshall

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Harold Kellock		book
Philip Yordan		writer

Produced by
Frank Freeman Jr.	....	associate producer
George Pal	....	producer

Original Music by
Roy Webb

Cinematography by
Ernest Laszlo

Film Editing by
George Tomasini

Art Direction by
Albert Nozaki		(as Al Nozaki)
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael D. Moore	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Gene Garvin	....	sound
Harry D. Mills	....	sound

Special Effects by
Gordon Jennings	....	special effects

Other crew
George L. Boston	....	technical advisor
Joseph Dunninger	....	technical advisor (as Dunninger)
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1954) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV)
• Legend Films (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (1991) (USA) (VHS)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #16247) | Sweden:15

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The movie contains several factual errors, the most telling of which is the dramatization of his death. In the film he runs into a prop sword handle and ruptures his appendix, then almost drowns in the torture tank trick and dies on the stage in the arms of his wife. In real life he was punched in the stomach by a college boy who had heard that Houdini could withstand any blow without harm. This did, indeed, rupture his appendix. He later collapsed on stage, was taken to the hospital and died there.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Close-up of front page of Variety shows two photos of Houdini making elephant disappear; in era when this story was set, Variety never ran photos, except in ads.

Quotes:

Harry Houdini: I hadn't prepared anything for tonight, but perhaps I have something that will amuse you. So if you'll get a couple of broomsticks, I'll get my wife - and we'll see what we can do.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mau Mau Sex Sex (2001)

Soundtrack:

Künstlerleben, Op. 316 (Artist's Life)

Who cares if it isn't accurate, it sure is fun!!

If it wasn't for the movies and the books on Harry Houdini's life he would fall into a category of un-interesting performers who only could do one thing perform

He lived in a time where his talents were in great demand and despite the fact that this film is not accurate it is lovingly presented by Paramount a **Color Film** in a time where Black and White films were still commonplace, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh at the peak of their building careers and George Marshall a veteran director of close to 120 films

They knew what they were doing when the movie partially fictionalized Houdini's life possibly because he was a one note person, a magician, an escape artist, a performer

The movie is excellent!! and that is all that matters, if I am not mistaken almost every remake has fictionalized his life in one way or another, this movie is a true gem!!