Houdini (1953)

83% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
55% of users liked it
(546 ratings)

This highly fanciful but immensely entertaining biopic stars Tony Curtis as legendary magician/escape-artist Harry Houdini. Janet Leigh, Mrs. Tony Curtis at the time, co-stars as Houdini's wife Bess, while Angela Clarke is seen as Houdini's mother. The film follows Houdini's progress from sideshow… More This highly fanciful but immensely entertaining biopic stars Tony Curtis as legendary magician/escape-artist Harry Houdini. Janet Leigh, Mrs. Tony Curtis at the time, co-stars as Houdini's wife Bess, while Angela Clarke is seen as Houdini's mother. The film follows Houdini's progress from sideshow entertainer to high-priced prestidigitator, and also touches upon his fascination with the occult--and his efforts to expose phony mediums. Philip Yordan's script (based on a book by Harold Kellock) suggests that virtually every portentous occasion in Houdini's life occurred on Halloween day, including his death from peritonitis in 1926. The facts of Houdini's life seldom get in the way of Yordan's story; while general audiences won't spot too many discrepancies, professional magicians tend to howl with laughter at some of the film's intentional boners. Example: In real life, Houdini's appendix was fatally ruptured by a punch to the stomach; in the film, he injures himself by accidentally bumping into one of his props, the sword-studded "Temple of Benares" trick--which hadn't yet been invented in 1926! Still, it's fun to watch Tony Curtis wriggle his way out of some of Houdini's most baffling escape routines (both Curtis and Janet Leigh were carefully instructed on the set by professional magicians, who swore the stars to secrecy concerning the tricks of the trade). For a more accurate slant on Houdini's life, see the 1976 TV movie The Great Houdinis, starring Paul Michael Glaser and Sally Struthers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: George Marshall
Written By: Philip Yordan, Harold Kellock
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jul 2, 1953 Limited
On DVD: Jun 3, 2008
Studio: Paramount Home Video

Critic Reviews

David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
There's enough whimsy on display to make the film a pleasant charmer.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Colorful, but full of falsehoods, story of Houdini. Curtis is pretty good.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
Accuracy, be darned; this is pure entertainment bio-pic with Tony Curtis at the height of his charismatic matinee idol period; plus working with wife Janet Leigh isn't bad either.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Standard issue star vehicle biopic.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
O filme se preocupa mais em mostrar o relacionamento de Houdini com a esposa do que sua obsessão por escapadas. De todo modo, Curtis está muito bem e convence como mágico.

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

An interesting movie about the great magician Houdini, but it could have been better, maybe more biographical?
jay n

Highly fictionalized but very entertaining story of the great magician. Curits acquits himself well in the lead and Janet is lovely.
Randy T

Not historically accurate (not by a long shot) but the chemistry between Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh makes this one fun to watch.
Marion R

It was okay, a nice little love story in there, it had some interesting things

Cast

            Tony Curtis as Harry Houdini

            Janet Leigh as Bess Houdini

            Torin Thatcher as Otto

            Angela Clarke as Mrs. Weiss

            Douglas Spencer as Simms

            Stefan Schnabel as Prosecuting Attorney

            Sig Rumann as Schultz

            Ian Wolfe as Malue

            Michael Pate as Dooley

            Connie Gilchrist as Mrs. Schultz

            Malcolm Lee Beggs as Warden

            Frank Orth as White-haired Man

            Barry Bernard as Inspector

            Oliver Blake
            
            Billy Bletcher as Italian Basso

            Cliff Clark
            
            Edward Clark as Doorman

            Fred Essler as Official-Looking Man

            Arthur E. Gould-Porter as Alhambra Manager

            Alec Harford as Assistant

            Grace Hayle as Woman Who Screams

            Harry Hines
            
            Frank Jaquet as Foreman

            Tor Johnson as Strong Man

            Lyle Latell as Calcott

            Lewis  Martin as Editor

            Torben Meyer as Headwaiter

            Mary Murphy
            
            Tudor Owen as Blacksmith

            Mabel Paige as Medium

            Richard Shannon as Miner

            Ernö Verebes as Prof. Allegari

            Anthony Warde as MC

            Peter Baldwin as Fred

            Elsie Ames
            
            Joanne Gilbert as Girl

            Lawrence Ryle as German Judge

            Sig Ruman
            
See full cast