John Cox launched a blog post today featuring a look back at the leading ladies who starred the bill with Houdini in his silent movies. He started off with Ann Forrest who co-starred with Houdini in “The Grim Game”. This inspired me to do this post on “Have you seen Ann Forrest in The Grim Game?”:
How many photos of Ann Forrest from “The Grim Game” have you seen?
So far, I have seen the following:
This photo above also appears on page 360 of The Secret Life of Houdini by William Kalush with the caption: “Harry gets cozy with a young Gloria Swanson”. Note: This is an error: it is really Ann Forrest.
The above photo also appears on page 148 of The Original Houdini Scrapbook by Walter B. Gibson with the following caption: “Agile and acrobatic as well as physically powerful, Houdini stages a heroic film rescue”.
The photo above is identified as being from the movie “Haldane of the Secret Service” more times than not, but it is actually from “The Grim Game”.
Click on the links below to see other photos of Ann Forrest:
- Gran Houdini
- Houdini Himself Note: I have also seen this image without the L302-53 but with the caption RUN TO SAFETY! I’LL FOLLOW IN A MINUTE.
- Unbelievably RARE Houdini Movie Still Movie Card
Also, in Milborne Christopher’s, Houdini A Pictorial Life, on page 96 there is a rarely seen photo of Houdini and Ann Forrest with the following caption next to it: Only the heroine believed he was innocent, not guilty of an alleged murder.
American Heritage April 1972 Houdini’s High-flying Hoax by Art Ronnie on Page 108 has a picture of Ann Forrest posing with the principals of the air collision after the accident. Robert Kennedy seems to be thinking more about film star Ann Forrest than about his brush with death.
Have you seen any others?
Check out page 123 in The Secrets of Houdini by Cannell. Houdini is doing a headstand on the top of a lion staute as Ann looks on. Probably taken at the same time as the grass and wall photos above.
Wow! Thanks for pointing that out. I missed that one. Very cool!
I just noticed that the image of Houdini preparing to practise a hand balance on the head of a stone lion at the Lasky Studio, Hollywood appears on page 140 of the original release of The Secrets of Houdini by J.C. Cannell that was published in London by Hutchinson & Co, Ltd in 1931. The Dover edition released in 1973 has the image on page 123. Both editions have some other great photos from “The Grim Game” as well.
Ah, yes, thanks. I should have specified that was the Dover paperback. I figured that’s the one most people have as it’s still in print.
I like the wall photo. I certainly hope someone was holding his ankles from the other side!
Thanks for your comments. I like the wall photo as well; it is from a postcard.
There are a few other shots of Houdini on this wall in The Grim Game photo files at the Academy Library.
BTW, they corrected that wrong caption in the paperback version of Secret Life, however they did not correct the caption on page 371 which says, “Nita Naldi vamps it up in The Man From Beyond.” It is not Nita Naldi, it is Rosemary Theby, and it is not The Man From Beyond, it is Terror Island! Double whammy mistake.
That is definately a double whammy. Add in the Gloria Swanson mistake and that makes Three whammy’s. Good thing Secret Life is not the game show “Press Your Luck! Excellent trivia. Thanks for sharing.
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