Engrossing episode chronicles the life of legendary master magician Harry Houdini, who was fascinated by magic tricks at an early age, and how it became not only his life's passion, but his livelihood, as he created new tricks and became an expert escape artist, often daring the police to handcuff him, so that he could always get away, even if dangling high in the air, or underwater. When his beloved mother died, a grieving Harry turned to spiritual mediums to contact her spirit, but became disillusioned by their trickery, then dedicated his life to exposing them, until his own sudden, unexpected death. His widow tried to contact his spirit unsuccessfully for ten years, then gave up, but Houdini's legacy lives on.
4 Reviews
The great Houdini
dtucker8628 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Harry Houdini was many things in his life a master magician, an author, a film star and a debunker of psychic frauds who claimed that they could communicate with the dead. This episode tells of his fascinating life which is extremely hard to do in just a half hour show! Ironically, Houdini WANTED spirit communication to be possible for he wished to communicate with his dear departed mother. He was good friends with Sherlock Holme's creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who was a leader in the spiritualist movement. The ironic thing is that Houdini didn't die performing a dangerous stunt but from a burst appendix caused when a young college student on a dare punched him in the stomach.
Season 6 Episode 11
Michael_Elliott21 September 2016
In Search Of... "Houdini's Secrets" (1981)
As with the majority of episodes from season six, this one here works more as a biography than anything else. We learn about Houdini's start in magic and his eventual rise to fame. From here we get into him trying to prove psychics and those like them were frauds. For the most part this is a very good episode but one shouldn't expect any mysteries or anything else. This here is pretty much a straight bio of the legendary Houdini and it's entertaining to say the least. The episode does a good job telling the story and there are also clips from his stunts and movies as well as an interview with one of his friends.
Episode: A-
As with the majority of episodes from season six, this one here works more as a biography than anything else. We learn about Houdini's start in magic and his eventual rise to fame. From here we get into him trying to prove psychics and those like them were frauds. For the most part this is a very good episode but one shouldn't expect any mysteries or anything else. This here is pretty much a straight bio of the legendary Houdini and it's entertaining to say the least. The episode does a good job telling the story and there are also clips from his stunts and movies as well as an interview with one of his friends.
Episode: A-
Not bad and not good either!
mm-3926 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Houdini's Secrets is a historical bibliography of the great Harry Houdini. The viewer finds out small parts of Houdini's early life, obsession with magic! Houdini's wife and Houdini's obsession about reaching his mother after her death. Houdini's spent much time and anger exposing the fraud of people who could contact dead relatives. Worth watching one time. Informative, but nothing special. Season 6 was running out of ideas. 6 out of 10 stars.
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