The focus here, though, is mainly on Houdini as a tortured artist who wanted more, more, more - until the very end. Do you The 1953 film starring Tony Curtis has almost re-written the legacy of one of. Houdini paints a realistic portrait of a long-lasting marriage, one that isn't perfect but endures nonetheless. Many people believe Houdini died performing his famous water tank mystery. Parents also will appreciate that Houdini (the real man and the on-screen one) is a man who loved and stuck by his wife, played by the charming Kristen Connolly, whom audiences may recognize as the Final Girl from The Cabin in the Woods. Houdini's escapes start out as simple jailbreaks and keep getting more and more dangerous until he's plummeting off bridges and getting buried alive. It's also twisted and bizarre enough that kids will want to watch. It's the type of historical drama that parents will want kids to see (those who are old enough to not get upset and cry while watching Houdini struggle near death under the frozen surface of a river, that is). Please click here to contribute to your hyper-local blog.As a portrait of a self-made man who won fame and glory as a result of his own hard work, daring, and talent (not to mention a hefty dash of showmanship), Houdini is a winner. (It’s no mystery that “06880” relies on readers’ support. ( Click here, then scroll down to see the Facebook post.)
Now - thanks, the Facebook post says, to “David Copperfield and the Westport Museum for History & Culture” - that mystery has finally been solved. The “wizard” was shackled, nailed in a packing case, dumped in the water … and then he re-appeared. This will be Houdini’s first appearance in the state of Connecticut and his last public appearance in America for some time.Īs the film shows, that’s exactly what happened.
Houdini wagers that he will appear on the surface two minutes after the case has been submerged. Lewis’ boathouse will carry the box out over the water and drop it into the Sound. Shackeled hand and foot, placed in a packing case which is securely nailed and sealed by a committee and after the box is weighted a huge crane which is being placed on the landing pier of Mr. The fearless magician will perform what he calls the ‘submarine submerged box mystery.'” He was expected to “make a new experiment which is filled with excitement and daring. There would be elephants, stage stars - and “one of the really sensational engagements … the wizard Houdini.” Parts of it are recognizable today, as the Inn at Longshore. Workmen and architects are transforming the Lewis estate into a veritable fairly land tents are being put in place for the society circus, side shows, concessions and charity booths, while the boat house will be utilized as a petite theatre … and for moving pictures.įrederick Lewis’ palatial home. Nearly every woman of prominence in the shore colony is busily engaged in the arrangements, which will continue throughout the week. It purports to show his escape too (though according to a YouTube commenter, that footage was spliced in from Houdini’s film “The Master Mystery”).īut there is no mystery about the gala affair in Westport.Ī Bridgeport Times story previewed it 3 days earlier: The film shows Houdini being lowered into Long Island Sound, at what is now Longshore. The escape took pace on June 30, 1917, during a Red Cross And Allied War charities drive at Lewis’s home. Now - thanks to a letter at David Copperfield’s International Museum and Library of the Conjuring Arts - the back story is known.
It covers all things Houdini.įor nearly a century, the date and location of the film - edited by the magician/ stunt performer’s brother Hardeen - has been a mystery. The information comes from John Cox’s “W ild About Harry” blog. On the “Westport, Connecticut: Old Photos from the Westport of Our Youth” page, Colabella - the young Representative Town Meeting member who was not even alive when the Longshore bathhouses were torn down - posted what is said to be the only surviving film of Houdini doing his “overboard box escape.” Lewis’ private estate.īut now - thanks to Facebook - you can see both.
YOUNG HARRY HOUDINI MOVIE MOVIE
You’ve also probably never seen a movie of Longshore, back in the day when it was Frederick E. You’ve probably never seen a movie of Harry Houdini.
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