IMDb > Houdini (1953)

Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   1,048 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
George Marshall
Writers:
Harold Kellock (book)
Philip Yordan (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Houdini on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
2 July 1953 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama more
Plot Keywords:
more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Are You Ready for Harry Houdini, Action Spy?
 (From Cinematical. 27 March 2009, 11:03 AM, PDT)
Summit to develop "Houdini" film. Part Indiana Jones part Sherlock Holmes?
 (From Movie Jungle. 27 March 2009)
User Comments:
Oh dear, seems that people were expecting a definitive bio. more (21 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited 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)
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
106 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
West Germany:12 | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #16247) | Sweden:15
Company:
Paramount Pictures more

Fun Stuff

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. more
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. more
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. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In: (#3.26)" (1970) more
Soundtrack:
Waltz from 'The Poet and Peasant Overture' more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
Oh dear, seems that people were expecting a definitive bio., 4 March 2008
8/10
Author: JohnRouseMerriottChard from United Kingdom

It is what it is, namely a smashing piece of entertainment loosely based on a fabulous entertainer of days gone by.

The set up is very tidy as we see Houdini in his early days before he was an auditorium filler, we get a nice introduction to his interest in tricks and of course his romance with his sweetheart Bess {a lovely Janet Leigh}. We then follow his career arc and get involved with his ego and the ever lasting pursuit of pleasing the audience that we now know leads to a dreadful conclusion. The set pieces are OK and the story from the page is handled very well, Tony Curtis shows both his best and worse sides in this, on one hand he is a wholesome handsome devil may care entertainer, yet on the other hand during scenes where he is one on one with another {notably Leigh}, he hams like the front counter in the Butchers Shop.

This was the first time I had watched this since about 1990, and the thing that really hits home to me even now is that come the finale, I'm still hoping the great entertainer lives, I believe he will survive that final trick, and regardless of how accurate the film is, what I do know is that the film and its characters have engaged me from the off, job done, 8/10.

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