Houdini (1953)

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

Harold Kellock (book)
Philip Yordan (writer)

Release Date:

2 July 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Ice Bath | Halloween | Strait Jacket | Escape Artist | Escape

Cast

Tony Curtis	...	Harry Houdini
Janet Leigh	...	Bess Houdini
Torin Thatcher	...	Otto (Von Schwager's assistant)
Angela Clarke	...	Mrs. Weiss
Stefan Schnabel	...	German Prosecuting Attorney
Ian Wolfe	...	Malue
Sig Ruman	...	Schultz
Michael Pate	...	Dooley (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 (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)
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

Editorial Department
Richard Mueller	....	color consultant: Technicolor

Other crew
George L. Boston	....	technical advisor
Joseph Dunninger	....	technical advisor (as Dunninger)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1953) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1965) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Paramount (1954) (West Germany) (theatrical)

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: When the Houdinis and the reporter are being driven to the séance, the same rear projection loop is continually run in the car's back window, repeatedly showing the same background traffic, with the splice where the loop begins plainly visible each time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Mau Mau Sex Sex (2001)

Soundtrack:

PERPETUUM MOBILE

Curtis looks terrific as Houdini, the showman and the self-promoter...

By the early 1900s, the extraordinary Houdini earned an international reputation for his theatrical tricks and daring feats of extrication from shackles, ropes, handcuffs, and Scotland Yard's jails...

The film depicts Houdini's memorable escape from any pair of handcuffs produced by the audience; the outdoor exhibition, when he allows himself to be hanged upside down from his ankles, suspended from the roof of a high building, in a strait jacket; and, the dramatic act, when he accepts to be shackled with irons and placed in a box that is locked, roped, and submerged in frozen waters...

The film also exposes Houdini's campaign against mind readers, fraudulent mediums and others who claim supernatural powers... Houdini shows a passionate talent for escapology and the film did much to create the 'Water Torture Cell' illusion...

With his pretty-boy looks, Tony Curtis handles the title role with passionate skill... His energetic performance, as the talented and motivated magician, is very good...

With good period atmosphere, but with more attention to romance than to interesting detail, the film is quite enjoyable and colorful...

Janet Leigh does a great job as Houdini's faithful wife...