I have seen many different (incomplete) versions of The Master Mystery including:
- The Miracle Factory version on DVD
- Kino International version on DVD
- William H. McIlhany Special Edition version on VHS
- UCLA FTVA version on VHS
And I am happy to report that among these incomplete versions, we can now piece together a complete 15 episode Master Mystery serial as it first appeared in 1918.
Coming up in separate posts, I will review each version of the Master Mystery (i.e., The Miracle Factory, Kino, McIlhany and UCLA FTVA) and go over what pieces they contain and don’t contain.
Fantastic! This is something I’ve long hoped someone would do.
UCLA FTVA version? I was under the impression that the Bill McIlhany version was the UCLA version. If not, then I’ve never seen it! Is the phantom complete version that Pat Culliton saw many years ago maybe?
Glad to do it! Especially since my mission statement is to:
• Bring Harry Houdini and his movies to life so that we will all feel like we have seen them in their entirety with no parts missing.
Pat Culliton said that it was back in the late fifties, when he saw the entire 15 chapters twice and each chapter was complete and intact.
So no one source is complete but in combination all is there? What about compiling a complete version pieced from every source? Is that legal?
None of the sources I have seen are complete. A complete Master Mystery needs to be published, but that might be easier said than done due to legal issues.
Send us a copy. We won’t tell!
Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz
The Houdini Museum
The Only Building in the World Dedicated to Houdini
Trust me, I have already tried to get permission to share the missing footage to no avail.