Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsSXSW Film FestivalCannes Film FestivalSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Grim Game

  • 1919
  • 1h 11m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
316
YOUR RATING
The Grim Game (1919)
AdventureDrama

Jailed unjustly for a murder he did not commit, a young man uses his amazing powers of escape to free himself and pursue the actual killers, who hold his fiancée captive.Jailed unjustly for a murder he did not commit, a young man uses his amazing powers of escape to free himself and pursue the actual killers, who hold his fiancée captive.Jailed unjustly for a murder he did not commit, a young man uses his amazing powers of escape to free himself and pursue the actual killers, who hold his fiancée captive.

  • Director
    • Irvin Willat
  • Writers
    • Arthur B. Reeve
    • John Grey
    • Walter Woods
  • Stars
    • Harry Houdini
    • Thomas Jefferson
    • Ann Forrest
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    316
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Irvin Willat
    • Writers
      • Arthur B. Reeve
      • John Grey
      • Walter Woods
    • Stars
      • Harry Houdini
      • Thomas Jefferson
      • Ann Forrest
    • 11User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos20

    "Grim Game, The" Harry Houdini 1919 Paramount
    "The Grim Game" Harry Houdini 1919 Paramount
    "The Grim Game" Harry Houdini 1919 Paramount
    "The Grim Game" Harry Houdini 1919 Paramount
    Harry Houdini in The Grim Game (1919)
    Harry Houdini in The Grim Game (1919)
    Harry Houdini in The Grim Game (1919)
    Harry Houdini in The Grim Game (1919)
    The Grim Game (1919)
    The Grim Game (1919)
    The Grim Game (1919)
    The Grim Game (1919)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Harry Houdini
    Harry Houdini
    • Harvey Hanford
    • (as Houdini)
    Thomas Jefferson
    Thomas Jefferson
    • Dudley Cameron
    Ann Forrest
    Ann Forrest
    • Mary Wentworth
    Augustus Phillips
    Augustus Phillips
    • Clifton Allison
    Tully Marshall
    Tully Marshall
    • Richard Raver
    Arthur Hoyt
    Arthur Hoyt
    • Dr. Harvey Tyson
    Mae Busch
    Mae Busch
    • Ethel Delmead
    • (as Mae Bush)
    Edward Martin
    • Police Reporter
    Jane Wolfe
    Jane Wolfe
    • Hannah
    • (as Jane Wolf)
    George Cowl
      • Director
        • Irvin Willat
      • Writers
        • Arthur B. Reeve
        • John Grey
        • Walter Woods
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Long thought lost, this film was restored and finally made available to the public in 2015 with a screening at TCM Classic Film Festival. Film preservationist Rick Schmidlin oversaw the restoration after obtaining the single surviving print from long-retired juggler Larry Weeks, who had himself gotten the print from the Harry Houdini estate in 1947.
      • Goofs
        All entries contain spoilers
      • Quotes

        Harvey Hanford: Let's hope you will soon be independent of the old skinflint and can leave this dismal prison.

      • Connections
        Referenced in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Chapter Six: An Exorcism in Greendale (2018)

      User reviews11

      Review
      Review
      Featured review
      8/10
      TCM screening on 10/18/15
      I was skeptical of this film and prepared not to like it, However, I was pleasantly surprised by the TCM 'television premier' last Sunday of a nicely completed full-length restoration. I find most films from the 1916-1920 era to be horribly dated with that era's overdone style of acting. There are notable exceptions like Pickford, Chaplin, and Fairbanks, of course, but these older silents are sometimes hard to watch and even absurdly clumsy. The Grim Game has some of that chewed-scenery aspect, but overall it is well done. The story is a bit far fetched, but nonetheless entertaining. And many of our later favorites - Tully Marshall, Mae Busch, and Arthur Hoyt - appear. As for Houdini, he performs as expected in several escape scenes which naturally is what one expects. I had never seen him before and considering that his name is still legendary after 100 years, the film is worth a look if only for that. The Grim Game also has some really interesting 'snapshots' of the era including an incredible (in the sense of 'not believable') aeroplane (sic) chase. All of that having been said, kudos to preservationists and restorers for their tedious and painstaking work on films like these. It is greatly appreciated by me and legions of movie buffs.
      helpful•7
      1
      • sosuttle
      • Oct 20, 2015

      Top picks

      Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
      Sign in

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • October 12, 1919 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Languages
        • None
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Sensationen för dagen
      • Production company
        • Paramount Pictures
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

      Edit
      • Budget
        • $200,000 (estimated)
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 11 minutes
      • Color
        • Black and White
      • Sound mix
        • Silent
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.33 : 1

      Related news

      Contribute to this page

      Suggest an edit or add missing content
      The Grim Game (1919)
      Top Gap
      By what name was The Grim Game (1919) officially released in Canada in English?
      Answer
      • See more gaps
      • Learn more about contributing
      Edit page

      More to explore

      Production art
      Photos
      Actors in Their Early Roles
      See the gallery
      Production art
      Photos
      Stunning New Posters
      See the gallery
      Production art
      List
      What We're Watching: Time Travel and Anime
      See the full list

      Recently viewed

      Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
      Get the IMDb app
      Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
      Follow IMDb on social
      Get the IMDb app
      For Android and iOS
      Get the IMDb app
      • Help
      • Site Index
      • IMDbPro
      • Box Office Mojo
      • License IMDb Data
      • Press Room
      • Advertising
      • Jobs
      • Conditions of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Your Ads Privacy Choices
      IMDb, an Amazon company

      © 1990-2024 by IMDb.com, Inc.