Houdini (1953)
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83% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
58% of users liked it
(576 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… 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
- Directed By
- George Marshall
- Written By
- Philip Yordan, Harold Kellock
- Genres
- Drama, Classics
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jul 2, 1953 Limited
- Studio
- Paramount Home Video
Critic Reviews
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David Cornelius, DVDTalk.com
There's enough whimsy on display to make the film a pleasant charmer.
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Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Colorful, but full of falsehoods, story of Houdini. Curtis is pretty good.
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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.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Standard issue star vehicle biopic.
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Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
O filme se preocupa mais em mostrar o relacionamento de Houdini com a esposa do que sua obsessăo por escapadas. De todo modo, Curtis está muito bem e convence como mágico.
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Cast
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Tony Curtis
as Harry Houdini
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Janet Leigh
as Bess Houdini
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Torin Thatcher
as Otto
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Angela Clarke
as Mrs. Weiss
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Douglas Spencer
as Simms
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Stefan Schnabel
as Prosecuting Attorney
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Sig Rumann
as Schultz
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Ian Wolfe
as Malue
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Michael Pate
as Dooley
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Connie Gilchrist
as Mrs. Schultz
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Malcolm Lee Beggs
as Warden
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Frank Orth
as White-haired Man
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Barry Bernard
as Inspector
- Oliver Blake
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Billy Bletcher
as Italian Basso
- Cliff Clark
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Edward Clark
as Doorman
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Fred Essler
as Official-Looking Man
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Arthur E. Gould-Porter
as Alhambra Manager
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Alec Harford
as Assistant
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Grace Hayle
as Woman Who Screams
- Harry Hines
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Frank Jaquet
as Foreman
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Tor Johnson
as Strong Man
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Lyle Latell
as Calcott
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Lewis Martin
as Editor
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Torben Meyer
as Headwaiter
- Mary Murphy
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Tudor Owen
as Blacksmith
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Mabel Paige
as Medium
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Richard Shannon
as Miner
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Ernö Verebes
as Prof. Allegari
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Anthony Warde
as MC
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Peter Baldwin
as Fred
- Elsie Ames
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Joanne Gilbert
as Girl
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Lawrence Ryle
as German Judge
- Sig Ruman
