Movie Still from Haldane of the Secret Service – Charles Fang

HHCE Collection

At the last Haversat  and Ewing Auction (#40), I was elated to be the only bidder on Lot# 70 [Price w/BP $47.20]:

Movie stills from Houdini’s 1919 [1923] film Haldane of the Secret Service. The movie co-starred Gladys Leslie, Jane Jennings, and Charles Fang. Original studio 8×10’s.

I believe this lot was overlooked, since the stills did not include Houdini and one may have even questioned whether these images were from Haldane, unless you compared the outfits the actor’s were wearing in the stills with the movie itself or other stills:

FWIW: Almost all of the production stills for Houdini’s movie, The Grim Game, contain Houdini, unlike Haldane and his other movies. Years ago, I won an original Lila Lee Terror Island production still on eBay that did not include Houdini, nor was it obvious it was from the movie Terror Island unless you were in the know.

Thought it would be fun to do a post on each of the three co-stars depicted in the stills:

Today we look at Charles Fang via Wikipedia:

Charles Fang was an American actor and comedian who was active in Hollywood primarily during the silent era. He was active on Broadway from 1930 to 1935. He was known during his time as “the greatest Chinese actor in America.” Fang was born in San Francisco to parents from Canton, China. He reportedly graduated from Yale University and served in the U.S. Navy before becoming a professional actor on the stage and screen.Reportedly discovered by Rex Ingram, Fang also served as a cultural advisor and interpreter on film sets.

Note: The stills above depict Charles Fang as Ah Ling in Haldane of the Secret Service

Movie Still from Haldane of the Secret Service – Jane Jennings

At the last Haversat  and Ewing Auction (#40), I was elated to be the only bidder on Lot# 70 [Price w/BP $47.20]:

Movie stills from Houdini’s 1919 [1923] film Haldane of the Secret Service. The movie co-starred Gladys Leslie, Jane Jennings, and Charles Fang. Original studio 8×10’s.

I believe this lot was overlooked, since the stills did not include Houdini and one may have even questioned whether these images were from Haldane, unless you compared the outfits the actor’s were wearing in the stills with the movie itself or other stills:

FWIW: Almost all of the production stills for Houdini’s movie, The Grim Game, contain Houdini, unlike Haldane and his other movies. Years ago, I won an original Lila Lee Terror Island production still on eBay that did not include Houdini, nor was it obvious it was from the movie Terror Island unless you were in the know.

Thought it would be fun to do a post on each of the three co-stars depicted in the stills:

Today we look at Jane Jennings via wikipedia:

Jane Jennings was an American actress known for playing older motherly characters. In a 1918 edition of Motion Picture News she is described as a sweet looking little woman. Famous Players was one of the studios where she worked. She is on the cover of the sheet music for That Wonderful Mother of Mine (1918). By the 1925 film Self Defense, she had played 178 mother roles in films.

Note: The stills above depict Jane Jennings as Mrs. Clive Usher, mother of Mr. Usher, who Adele Ormsby was supposed to marry in Haldane of the Secret Service.

Movie Still from Haldane of the Secret Service – Gladys Leslie

HHCE Collection

At the last Haversat  and Ewing Auction (#40), I was elated to be the only bidder on Lot# 70 [Price w/BP $47.20]:

Movie stills from Houdini’s 1919 [1923] film Haldane of the Secret Service. The movie co-starred Gladys Leslie, Jane Jennings, and Charles Fang. Original studio 8×10’s.

I believe this lot was overlooked, since the stills did not include Houdini and one may have even questioned whether these images were from Haldane, unless you compared the outfits the actor’s were wearing in the stills with the movie itself or other stills:

FWIW: Almost all of the production stills for Houdini’s movie, The Grim Game, contain Houdini, unlike Haldane and his other movies. Years ago, I won an original Lila Lee Terror Island production still on eBay that did not include Houdini, nor was it obvious it was from the movie Terror Island unless you were in the know.

Thought it would be fun to do a post on each of the three co-stars depicted in the stills:

  • GLADYS LESLIE
  • Jane Jennings
  • Charles Fang

Today we look at Gladys Leslie via wikipedia:

Though less-remembered than superstars like Mary Pickford, she had a number of starring roles from 1917 to the early 1920s and was one of the young female stars of her day. Leslie began her movie career around 1915, acting in short films produced by the Edison Company. By 1917, she was making films with the Thanhouser Company in New Rochelle, New York, including The Vicar of Wakefield (1917).

The New York Herald”s review of that film dubbed her the “Girl With A Million Dollar Smile,” and caused studio head Edwin Thanhouser to decide she was ready for leading roles.

Soon she was starring in the lead role in 1917″s An Amateur Orphan, but was quickly wooed over to Vitagraph Studios and starred in a number of Vitagraph releases in 1918 and 1919. Leslie and another young female Vitagraph star, Bessie Love, starred in numerous films in young girl-type roles that were popular at the time.

Leslie”s similar appearance to Mary Pickford was also often noted. Leslie”s association with Vitagraph ended by 1920 and she continued to make films with a number of different studios.

Her first non-Vitagraph picture in 1920 was A Child for Sale, directed by Ivan Abramson, where she played a starring role.

And in 1923, she had the lead female role in Haldane of the Secret Service featuring Harry Houdini. Nevertheless, her share of starring roles started to decline, and her last appearance was in 1925. She had always claimed, however, that she would stop making films when her bank account “has mounted high enough.” Leslie was born in New York City on March 5, 1899, and she died (as Gladys Leslie Moore) in Boynton Beach, Florida on October 2, 1976 at age 77.

Along with the new trend of actors doing product endorsements in the early 1920s, Leslie appeared in ads for Tokio Beauty Cream, which was claimed to have given her “magnetic personality.”.

Note: The stills above depict Gladys Leslie as Adele Ormsby wearing a wedding dress in Haldane of the Secret Service. The story opens with Haldane’s (Houdini’s) rescue of Adele from a forced marriage.

SEE Houdini’s “Feature” Movies

Advertising for Houdini’s four “feature” movies told audiences what they could expect to SEE:

  • The Grim Game
    • SEE Houdini escape from handcuffs, chains and a prison cell!
    • SEE him plunge between the wheels of a speeding motor-truck and foil his pursuers!
    • SEE him climb the side of a prison and crawl for a rope to the end of a flagpole swaying far from earth!
    • SEE him, on the brink of a gorge, fight a terrifying battle with his foes!
    • SEE him leap from the roof a skyscraper and release himself from a strait-jacket while hanging, head downward, on a rope!
    • SEE him risk his life in a deadly bear-trap and set himself free!
    • SEE him in all the other amazing scenes in this stirring story of love, mystery and dare-devil adventure!
    • SEE him, above everything else, in the most astounding feat ever caught by a motion picture camera:–Two aeroplanes race through the sky—The hero is lowered from one to the other — Just as he is about to board from one to the other — Just as he is about to board his enemy’s car the machines clash in an accident, turn over and over, and plunge to the ground thousands of feet beneath!
  • Terror Island
    • SEE Houdini escape from a nailed-up box forty fathoms under water.
    • SEE him release a girl from a safe that is locked and sunk in the sea.
    • SEE his hand-to-hand encounter with a pirate diver under the waves.
    • SEE him, at grips with a giant savage, plunge from a high cliff into the ocean.
    • SEE the overseas race to a South Sea isle to salvage sunken treasure.
    • SEE the battle royal for love and gold in a sinking submarine.
    • SEE the barbarous feast-day rites that lead to human sacrifice.
    • SEE the world’s master of magic and daring in the greatest feats of his whole career.
  • The Man From Beyond
    • SEE him fight to the death on the edge of the rocky cliff 300 ft above the yawning chasm!
    • SEE him make the sensational swim of the rapids of Niagara!
    • SEE him accomplish the unparalleled thrill of all times—the rescue of the girl on the very brink of Niagara Falls itself!
    • SEE him as the man who, encased in Artic ice for 100 years, is chopped out, and restored to life.
  • Haldane of the Secret Service
    • SEE how he escapes while bound hand and foot and cast into the Hudson.
    • SEE him battle the dignitaries beneath Paris streets.
    • SEE how he reaches the giant liner after he has gone to sleep.
    • SEE his miraculous escape while tied to the revolving water mill.
    • SEE him break the ring of nation’s counterfeiters, the financial foreign-backer of the world.
    • SEE him rescue his sweetheart from the clutches of the terrible Dr. Yu.

Two reels of Houdini Film “Lost and Found” at Sherman Grinberg Film Library

Sherman Grinberg Film Library (Lance Watsky)

Last year (Dec 2019), I received the following email from our friends Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich (D&D) at the Houdini Museum in Scranton:

Hi Joe,

Just got 14 minutes of digital Houdini film highly watermarked to protect ownership

.Each reel is about seven minutes

One is Houdini hanging from a bed sheet from a 4 story building, swinging from window to window swinging over to a drain pipe and lowering himself to the ground.  It is in broken segments as it was filmed.

The other is various clips we have seen small part of before but these are more lengthy.  One lowering a person on a shipment, and kissing Bess, a couple quickies wit Harry Kellar, Houdini taking a bow, the putting him a crate and dumped overboard, him being tied up by a gang of monks, etc.

Any thoughts?

Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich

Without seeing the film clips, my initial thought was that they all sound familiar and that there is a “hanging from a bed sheet” scene in The Man From Beyond (TMFB).

Meanwhile, D&D let Lance Watsky at Sherman Grinberg Film Library know I was an expert on Houdini Films, and got permission for me to study and review the two reels, which I did in December 2019.

It turns out, I had gotten a gimpse of the two reels once before, when Librarian Bill Goodwin shared them at our Houdini Nuts gathering at the Magic Castle (June 2018), but at the time was not allowed to describe what I saw, nor study the films.

Well, thanks to Sherman Grinberg Film Library (Lance Watsky), Dorothy Dietrich & Dick Brookz, John Cox (Wild About Houdini), and the Academy of Magical Arts (Magic Castle), we can now share what’s on them to a larger audience.

In fact, on the Magic Caste website (August 20, 2020), AMA Trustee Shoot Ogawa presented Episode 37, “Behind The Bookcase” with guests John Cox and Lance Watsky, who showed the world premiere of this recently discovered film footage of Houdini.

The quality of this footage is amazing, which is important. Lance Watsky believes the film Sherman Grinberg Film Library owns was struck from a copy of an orginal 35mm negative.

Here’s a breakdown of the Houdini Footage on Reel 1.

Monk Table Tie Escape (0:00:00)

This is footage of Houdini doing an escape on the set of Haldane of The Secret Service. This is not from the movie itself. The scenario appears to be that he’s being challenged by monks (played by actors and assistants.) This is the same cut footage that has appeared in documentaries, but is of much higher quality. The uncut version shows the full escape and Houdini being raised up on the of the shoulders ecstatic monks.

Houdini, Kellar and Hardeen (0:01:48) 

This is familiar footage of Houdini shaking hands with Kellar, and then the two getting into backseat of car driven by Hardeen. But, because of the high qualify of the footage  (and John Cox going thru frame by fame), we now know that this is Kellar being picked up at the Hotel Astor in Times Square New York and being driven to Flatbush, N.Y during the week of Nov. 5-11 1917 (most likely Nov 10, 1917 the day before Houdini hosted the Antilles Benefit at the Hippodrome).

 

Houdini and Kellar Rope Ties (0.02:15) 

This footage (found on Film-Flamming and other documentaries) was shot in front of Dash’s house in Flatbush (where Houdini and Bess was living at the time). Per Bill Goodwin, the footage is so clear you can read the address on the porch; Houdini and Kellar are seen taking turns demonstrating rope ties. You also see a shot of Bess with Kellar and Houdini in front of the house. As well as Kellar having fun demonstrating his famous Kellar rope tie escape by having Houdini and Hardeen tie his wrists.

 

Behind the Scenes filming of The Man From Beyond (0.03:21)

You see Houdini rehearsing a scene on a vessel and then consulting with Burton King about the scene. You also see the famous footage of Bessie “sprucing up” Houdini and getting a little smooch from him.

 

Master Mystery Packing Case (0.05:02)

This is familiar footage from the Master Mystery movie of Houdini doing a Packing Case escape.

 

Miscellaneous (0.06:15)

This is familiar footage of Houdini in white bathing suit handcuffed with 4 pairs of handcuffs.  You then see Houdini surfacing and resurfacing with the handcuffs, checking to see they got some good shots.

So the footage on Reel 1 has appeared on documentaries and much of it is available on YouTube (at a much lower quality).

 

Now Reel 2 is unique and has never appeared on any any known Houdini movie, nor documentary for that matter.

Scaling a Building (0:00:00)

Houdini is hanging from a bed sheet from a 4 story building, swinging from window to window swinging over to a drain pipe and lowering himself to the ground. It is in broken segments as it was filmed.

(0.00.00) We see Houdini opening the shutters of the top window of a 4 story building and looking around. He then pulls out bed sheet’s tied together and hooks them to the window. Houdini then puts his left leg outside the window and grabs the bed sheet ladder.

(0.00.47) We see the bed sheets hang down to the bottom of the second window. Houdini grabs the bed sheet ladder and starts climbing down. He kicks open the right shutter of the second window below and climbs down grabbing hold of the left shutter. He then swings himself attached to the shutter and bed sheet to the adjacent window where he grabs the right shutter and lets go of the bed sheet ladder. He then swings the right shutter close while grabbing the left shutter.

(0.01:50) We see Houdini holding onto a drain pipe and then dropping to the ground and walking away.

(0.01.59) Similar to (0.01:50) footage.

(0.02:06) We see back of Houdini from the waist down on the drain pipe jumping down and walking away.

(0.02:14) Similar to (0.02.06) footage

(0.02:25) We see back of Houdini’s head and hand on drain pipe looking down before he starts to climb down.

(0.02:30) Similar to (0.02:25) footage

(0.02:41) We see Houdini from the waste up climbing down the drain pipe and jumping down.

(0.02:54) We see most of Houdini climbing down the drain pipe and jumping down and walking away.

(0.03:03) Similar to (0.02:54) footage

(0.03:12) Similar to (0.00:00) footage.

(0.03:52) We see Houdini on adjacent window after he let go of bed sheet ladder and shutter of adjacent window. And then we see him make his way to the next adjacent window shutter and then the drain pipe. He then climbs down the drain pipe pass two stories of windows until he reaches the ground.

(0.05:30) We see Houdini at the top window going down the sheet ladder to window below, swinging over to the adjacent window, and from there swinging over to another adjacent window.

(0.06:36) We see Houdini swinging over to another adjacent window, transfer to drain pipe and then slide down the drain pipe.

So where is this footage from?

This footage is not from The Grim Game (TGG).

Although, the TGG synopsis for the scenario writer had Houdini escaping from a jail, then using the rope of a flag pole from the building to scale down each story; arriving on each window ledge, he cuts off the end of the rope, ties it to he cell bar on the window and lowers himself again. TGG script also had Houdini freeing himself from a strait-jacket, swinging like a pendulum at the end of a rope, catapulting his body through a small window, and then scaling a wall and disappearing over the other edge.

Escaping and scaling buildings definitely was a theme in some of his movies.

And Houdini was also known to do “human fly” stunts.

Per a Wild About Houdini post:

He climbed the exterior of 278 to bring Bess flowers on their anniversary. He performed at least one human fly stunt during his return tour of the UK in 1920, when he climbed to the top of a castle in Newcastle and dangled from a parapet.

Houdini also shot random scenes in London, Edinburgh and Paris for a movie he was going to call The Dupe. Some of that footage was later used in Haldane of the Secret Service. But some footage was never used.

This footage is not from the TMFB or is it?

The Man From Beyond (TMFB)

Well, The “hanging from a bed sheet” used in TMFB is totally different. But after examining screenshots of Houdini in each of his known films, I came to the conclusion that the “hanging from a bed sheet” footage on reel 2 resembles Houdini during the making of TMFB. And that he filmed two different escapes from sheets, and the one on reel 2 was not chosen for TMFB.  John Cox concurs and also points out that because of how clear the film is, you can tell that a haness and stunt double (Bob Rose?) was used.

Susposedly, Bob Rose was an uncreditied stunt double for Houdini. Below are a couple related newspaper references:

In all that time, I have never been in a hospital. That may be destiny- or it may be a close adherence to the precepts laid down for me by my teacher, the greatest stunt man of them all – Houdini. [30 Sep 1934 LA Times article by Bob Rose]

 

It was the first time he [Bob Rose] had ended in a hospital. He had always stuck to the rules laid down to him by Houdini who said, “Do every stunt scientifically. Don’t do it on nerve . Don’t attempt a stunt if you are afraid. Stunt work must be done on the same basis as gambling. You’ve got to have a feeling that it is a cinch or you must not do the stunt.” [04 January 1936 Larne Times]

Houdini wrapped up TMFB (and Haldane) in 1921.

The Man From Beyond (TMFB)

Special Thanks to Sherman Grinberg Film Library (Lance Watsky), Dorothy Dietrich & Dick Brookz, John Cox, and the Academy of Magical Arts for allowing me to review and comment on this extroadinary footage.

Update:

The film treatment, Marvelous Adventures of Houdini, self-published and copyrighted in 1917 has a scene where Houdini uses sheets on side of warehouse and makes his way down a water pipe or from window to window. There are also many elements of the Marvelous Adventures story that echo in his other films.

Related:

 

Arrange for Houdini to Make Own-Story Features (and be directed by Burton King)

While doing some research on Burton King, who first directed Houdini in The Master Mystery (1918), I came across the following Moving Picture World, March 8, 1919 article that I found very interesting.

But wait a minute, shortly after The Master Mystery was released, Lasky approached Houdini with a contract. So looks like Houdini abandoned (postponed) forming an independent production company and signed a deal with Famous Players Lasky (FPL).

  • Per Variety, in March 1919, Houdini was placed under contract by FPL), for a term beginning in May, (where he did the Grim Game).
  • Then in September 1919, according to Motion Picture News, he signed a new contract to appear in feature films, starting with Terror Island (TI).

TI did $111,000 in the United States and $54,000 abroad. Probably because of those low grosses Lasky and Paramount decided not to invest any more time or money in Houdini. His contract for further films was not picked up.

What makes the Moving Picture World article particularly interesting, is that appears to be the precursor to what would become the Houdini Picture Corporation (HPC), an independent production company formed “to make feature films with the magician as star” where “Houdini will write his own stories, and will be directed by Burton King.” After FPL broke ties with Houdini following TI, he made two features (The Man From Beyond and Haldane of Secret Service) for the HPC with Burton King as the director.

Related:

Two reels of Houdini Film

Received the following email from our friends Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich (D&D) at the Houdini Museum in Scranton:

Hi Joe,

Just got 14 minutes of digital Houdini film highly watermarked to protect ownership

.Each reel is about seven minutes

One is Houdini hanging from a bed sheet from a 4 story building, swinging from window to window swinging over to a drain pipe and lowering himself to the ground.  It is in broken segments as it was filmed.

The other is various clips we have seen small part of before but these are more lengthy.  One lowering a person on a shipment, and kissing Bess, a couple quickies wit Harry Kellar, Houdini taking a bow, the putting him a crate and dumped overboard, him being tied up by a gang of monks, etc.

Any thoughts?

Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich

Without seeing the film clips, my initial thought was that they all sound familiar and that there is a “hanging from a bed sheet” scene in The Man From Beyond (TMFB).

Meanwhile, D&D let the owner know I was an expert on Houdini Films, and got permission for me to review and comment on the two reels.

It turns out, I had seen these two Pathe reels at a Houdini Nuts gathering at the Magic Castle last year, but at the time was not allowed to describe what I saw, nor study the films.

Well, thanks to D&D, and the owner of the footage, I can now share what’s on them.

Here’s a breakdown of the Houdini Footage on Reel 1.

Monk Table Tie Escape (0:00:00)

This is footage of Houdini doing an escape on the set of Haldane of The Secret Service. This is not from the movie itself. The scenario appears to be that he’s being challenged by monks (played by actors and assistants.) This is the same cut footage that has appeared in documentaries. The uncut version shows the full escape and Houdini being raised up on the of the shoulders ecstatic monks.

Houdini, Kellar and Hardeen (0:01:48) 

This is familiar footage of Houdini shaking hands with Kellar, and then the two getting into backseat of car driven by Hardeen.

Houdini and Kellar Rope Ties (0.02:15) 

This footage (found on Film-Flamming and other documentaries) was shot in front of Dash’s house in Flatbush (where Houdini may have been living at the time). The footage is so clear you can read the address on the porch.  Houdini and Kellar are seen taking turns demonstrating rope ties. You also see a shot of Bess with Kellar and Houdini in front of the house. As well as Kellar having fun demonstrating his famous Kellar rope tie escape by having Houdini and Hardeen tie his wrists.

Behind the Scenes filming of The Man From Beyond (0.03:21)

You see Houdini rehearsing a scene on a vessel and then consulting with Burton King about the scene. You also see the famous footage of Bessie “sprucing up” Houdini and getting a little smooch from him.

Master Mystery Packing Case (0.05:02)

This is familiar footage from the Master Mystery movie of Houdini doing a Packing Case escape.

Miscellaneous (0.06:15)

This is familiar footage of Houdini in white bathing suit handcuffed with 4 pairs of handcuffs.  You then see Houdini surfacing and resurfacing with the handcuffs, checking to see they got some good shots.

So the footage on Reel 1 has appeared on documentaries and much of it is available on YouTube.

But Reel 2 is a different story.

Scaling a Building (0:00:00)

Houdini is hanging from a bed sheet from a 4 story building, swinging from window to window swinging over to a drain pipe and lowering himself to the ground. It is in broken segments as it was filmed.

(0.00.00) We see Houdini opening the shutters of the top window of a 4 story building and looking around. He then pulls out bed sheet’s tied together and hooks them to the window. Houdini then puts his left leg outside the window and grabs the bed sheet ladder.

(0.00.47) We see the bed sheets hang down to the bottom of the second window. Houdini grabs the bed sheet ladder and starts climbing down. He kicks open the right shutter of the second window below and climbs down grabbing hold of the left shutter. He then swings himself attached to the shutter and bed sheet to the adjacent window where he grabs the right shutter and lets go of the bed sheet ladder. He then swings the right shutter close while grabbing the left shutter.

(0.01:50) We see Houdini holding onto a drain pipe and then dropping to the ground and walking away.

(0.01.59) Similar to (0.01:50) footage.

(0.02:06) We see back of Houdini from the waist down on the drain pipe jumping down and walking away.

(0.02:14) Similar to (0.02.06) footage

(0.02:25) We see back of Houdini’s head and hand on drain pipe looking down before he starts to climb down.

(0.02:30) Similar to (0.02:25) footage

(0.02:41) We see Houdini from the waste up climbing down the drain pipe and jumping down.

(0.02:54) We see most of Houdini climbing down the drain pipe and jumping down and walking away.

(0.03:03) Similar to (0.02:54) footage

(0.03:12) Similar to (0.00:00) footage.

(0.03:52) We see Houdini on adjacent window after he let go of bed sheet ladder and shutter of adjacent window. And then we see him make his way to the next adjacent window shutter and then the drain pipe. He then climbs down the drain pipe pass two stories of windows until he reaches the ground.

(0.05:30) We see Houdini at the top window going down the sheet ladder to window below, swinging over to the adjacent window, and from there swinging over to another adjacent window.

(0.06:36) We see Houdini swinging over to another adjacent window, transfer to drain pipe and then slide down the drain pipe.

So where is this footage from?

The Man From Beyond (TMFB)

This footage is not the one from TMFB, nor is it from The Grim Game (TGG).

Although TMFB had an escape where Houdini freed himself from bedsheets, then used the bedsheets to scale down the building.

And TGG synopsis for the scenario writer had Houdini escaping from a jail, then using the rope of a flag pole from the building to scale down each story; arriving on each window ledge, he cuts off the end of the rope, ties it to he cell bar on the window and lowers himself again. TGG script also had Houdini freeing himself from a strait-jacket, swinging like a pendulum at the end of a rope, catapulting his body through a small window, and then scaling a wall and disappearing over the other edge.

Escaping and scaling buildings definitely was a theme in some of his movies.

And Houdini was also known to do “human fly” stunts.

Per a Wild About Houdini post:

He climbed the exterior of 278 to bring Bess flowers on their anniversary. He performed at least one human fly stunt during his return tour of the UK in 1920, when he climbed to the top of a castle in Newcastle and dangled from a parapet.

Houdini also shot random scenes in London, Edinburgh and Paris for a movie he was going to call The Dupe. Some of that footage was later used in Haldane of the Secret Service. But some footage was never used.

All of this said, this footage on reel 2 has never appeared on any known Houdini movie, nor documentary for that matter. Incredible!

Thoughts?

Special Thanks to D&D and the owner for allowing me to review and comment on this footage.

Related:

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the Ladies

Below are five romantic photos of Houdini with his leading ladies from his movies. Can you guess which movie each is from and who the lady is?

HVD Leading Lady Image 1a

Image 1 – courtesy of Harry Ransom Center

HVD Leading Lady Image 2

Image 2 – courtesy of Wild About Houdini

 

HVD Leading Lady Image 3

Image 3 – courtesy of Wild About Houdini

 

HVD Leading Lady Image 4

Image 4 – courtesy of Random Treasures

 

HVD Leady Lady Image 5

Image 5 – courtesy of Harry Ransom Center

Each correct movie is worth one point and each correct lady is worth another point.

Click here for the answers.

How many did you get correct?

Hopefully you got lucky and scored a perfect 10.

And enjoyed the images and had a Great Valentine’s Day!

 

Drifting Away From Vaudeville

airplane-collision-in-the-clouds

amazing-under-water-scenesBefore relocating to Hollywood to fulfill a contract with Famous Players-Lasky, Houdini wrote: “I am drifting away from vaudeville, and with the exception of my European dates have no plans re[garding] a return

Scenes-From-Photoplays-30Scenes-From-Photoplays-31Once he had filled these European dates [Sailed Dec 30, 1919 from New York City to Britain] and returned to the United States [July 12, 1920], Houdini stopped performing in theatres for more than a year-and-a-half while attempting to launch his own independent film production company, the Houdini Picture Corporation

Source:

  • Magicians and the Magic of Hollywood Cinema during the 1920s by Matthew Solomon
  • The Career of Ehrich Weiss by Kenneth Silverman pages 243, 262-263

The Master Mystery postpones Buried Alive Stunt on Stage

filmdaily Sunday Aug 25 1918 page 4

“The Master Mystery” Film Daily Ad – August 25 1918

Harry Houdini is recovering from injuries received while working in the new Houdini (Rolfe) serial [The Master Mystery] at Yonkers, Houdini bumping against a wall while making an indoor descent in a parachute. His left wrist was fractured and bruises suffered, but the injuries will not prevent him from opening with the Hip show, New York, Aug 22. [Variety Fri August 16 1918 page 6 Vaudeville]

“Everything” opens Thursday August 22, 1918 at the Hippodrome (aka the Hip) in New York.

Buried Alive on Stage PosterHoudini appeared with his left hand bandaged.  He explained that because of an accident in which his wrist was fractured, he could not present his burial trick.  But he escaped from a straight jacket, while hanging head down, at a height near the top of the proscenium.  He must have been in pain, for he never did the escape quicker in public. [Variety Fri August 30, 1918 page 16 Show Reviews]

Houdini felt called upon to apologize for the simple nature of his stunt. [New York Tribune August 23 1918]

Several acts left “Everything” at the Hippodrome Saturday [Nov 2], including Houdini, Reynolds and Donegan, and Gerda Guida, the Danish danseuse. They had been engaged on a ten-week basis with contracts expiring and not renewed.  Houdini had been working under a handicap ever since the opening of the show because of a broken bone in his wrist. [Variety Fri November 8 1918 page 5 Vaudeville]

When Houdini returns to the Hippodrome he promises to present the most sensational act he has ever attempted.  In full view of the audience, lying flat on the floor of the stage itself, he will allow himself to be covered with three tons of sand — dumped on him out of a big automobile truck.  Then he will dig himself up through the pile in less than 60 seconds.  To make it more difficult Houdini will be put in a strait-jacket before the sand is dumped on him.  The date of his reappearance at the Hippodrome will depend on his complete recovery from a recent accident in which he broke his wrist. [Variety Fri November 29 1918 page 7 Vaudeville]

Harry Houdini was in New York Monday [Dec 2] with the plaster cast off his wrist.  He has a ten weeks’ leave from the Hippodrome.  Three of them have been spent by Houdini before the camera [The Master Mystery].  He may play vaudeville during the other seven weeks outside Greater New York, according to permission given by the Hip management. [Variety Fri December 6 1918 page 11]

Buried Alive Poster 1926Buried Alive Stunt on stage is postponed until September 1926.  The escape is finally debuted at the Majestic Theatre in Boston:

  • John Cox blog – Ad shows Houdini performed Buried Alive in 1926
  • Dean Carnegie blog – Episode 3 Additional Information (Includes another 1926 Buried Alive ad)