HOUDINI! (TV)
Summary
This program chronicles the life and art of famed magician Harry Houdini. Houdini (1874-1926), a diminutive Hungarian-American magus who won phenomenal worldwide acclaim for his elaborate illusions on the vaudeville stage and as the headliner of his own revue, was known as a master escape artist, capable of liberating himself from any confinement. In addition to several interviews with numerous magicians who were influenced by Houdini's work, the program offers archival photographs and film footage that span Houdini's life and career. Highlights include the following: images of latter-day sorcerer Doug Henning offering homage to his predecessor by performing his idol's "Metamorphosis" or "trunk trick"; an account of the early life of Houdini (Erich Weiss), the son of a poor immigrant rabbi, who was so influenced by French illusionist Robert Houdin that he assumed his vocation as well as a variation of his name; an interview with magician Sidney Radner, who was similarly influenced by Houdini and eventually served as a protŽgŽ of Houdini's magician brother Hardeen; a presentation by Radner of the earliest newspaper clippings about Houdini, evidence of the illusionist's nascent capacity for self-promotion; accounts of the magician's travels abroad in 1900 when the twenty-six-year-old set sail for Europe to gain fame and fortune; recollections of Marie Blood, Houdini's niece, of her childhood, when the magician would pinch and hold her in bed with his prehensile feet and toes; praise from artistic follower Harry Blackstone, Jr.; footage from the magician's silent-film career; information about his mother's death, which lead to his foray into spiritualism at the urging of British writer and "faerie"-enthusiast Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; a look at Houdini's 4000-volume magic-book collection, which is now kept at the Library of Congress; comments from Leonard Beck, curator of the Houdini collection, who notes that Houdini cared for the graves of several deceased magicians; an overview of Houdini's farewell tour in October 1926, which was beset by problems; and accounts of his death. Finally, Radner remembers Jim Collins, Houdini's chief assistant, detailing the important role an assistant plays in a successful escape; Blackstone provides a sociological reason for the magician's remarkable success; and Henning explains the important lesson magic teaches us about life.
Details
- NETWORK: WHA-TV (Madison, WI) / PBS
- DATE: October 3, 1986
- RUNNING TIME: 0:27:31
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:13038
- GENRE: Arts documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Magic and magicians
- SERIES RUN: WHA (Madison, WI) - TV, 1986
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Dave Iverson … Executive Producer
- JoAnne Garrett … Producer, Writer
- Elizabeth Koerner … Director
- Susan Fey … Animation
- Lisa F. Curran … Animation
- Thomas A. Naunas … Music by
- Kevin P. Murphy … Cast, Barker, Voice
- Leonard Beck
- Harry Blackstone
- Marie Blood
- Jim Collins
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Hardeen, Theo (Theodore Weiss)
- Doug Henning
- Houdini, Harry (Erich Weiss)
- Sidney Radner