One Hundred and Four years ago, The Grim Game was released in the United Kingdom on Monday, October 11, 1920,
To celebrate, I am sharing from my personal collection, the extremely rare insert from The Film Renter Moving Pictures News Magazine advertising the release date.
Previously, I posted ads and a program from the Play – ‘Houdini’ at the Goodspeed Opera House in 1997.
That same year, The Official Houdini Séance was also held on the stage of the Goodspeed. So today, thought I would share the program from my collection (courtesy of Fred Pittella):
Plan to return in October!
HOUDINI The Musical played at the famous Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut September to December of 1997.
Below are some ads and a program (click images to enlarge) from my personal collection:
That’s right, the District of Columbia, aka the Capital of the United States. Got to do some Houdini Research (images 1 and 2) at the Jefferson Library of Congress (image 3), visit the Capital Building (image 4), Arlington National Cemetery Virginia (image 5), Lincoln Memorial (image 6), and last but certainly not least, got to hang out with Corporate Magician and “Iona” author, Charles Greene III (image 7). Also visited the Natural History Museum and the Air and Space Museum (no images).
At the Magic Collectors Expo, added this poster from Sweden to my collection.
The movie (first released in the United States July 2, 1953) was released in Sweden:
The Swedish Poster roughty translates to English as:
Parmount Presents
HOUDINI The Breakout-King
Tony Curits Janet Leigh
Torin Thather
COLOR: TECHNICOLOR
Prod: George Pal
Director: George Marshall
Script: Philip Yordan
Based on a book by Harold Kellock
The film is interesting because it is well made and goes in an upward curve….several of Houdini’s numbers are wickedly exciting. Todays News
Nicely arranged conjuring tricks and breaking numbers, fun and exciting. The Morning Newspaper
… they didn’t scimp either with humor or tension. Sometimes you get carried away, sometimes laughter is good. The Stockholms Newspaper
CASINO
VELLINGE
Friday at 8:30
No children allowed
Related:
One Hundred and Five years ago, The Grim Game made its debut at the B.S. Moss Broadway on August 25th, 1919.
To celebrate, I am publishing the Houdini Movie Book we’ve been waiting for in hardback:
And sharing from my personal collection, the extremely rare program from the opening:
Front and Back Cover – HHCE Collection
Inside Program – HHCE Collection
The campaign book [in my personal collection] was sent to theater owners to encourage them to show Paramount movies. The book includes two utra-rare Harry Houdini Grim Game posters:
There is a 3 sheet version of the Aeroplane poster and 6 sheet variation of the jail poster, that appears in the Grim Game Press book:
And also many variant 8×10 stills of the jail poster image:
But, none of the stills exactly match the French Grim Game jail poster. The last still does match the Grim Game poster in the press book. One wonders if the artist took some liberties on the French Grim Game Poster.
Last week, I did a post on The Grim Game plane sequence shown as part of act. Today, I thought I would share the short with some fun sounds and graphics added to it.
Silver Temples proudly presents a Paramount-Artcraft picture original short silent (The Grim Game) featuring the world famous escapologist with sound track supplied by Case E.Jones
According to Hollywood When Silents Were Golden:
…some years after the movie was released, Houdini used the final sequence [AKA “Desperate Chances”] in a vaudeville act. One night Tommy [aka David Thompson] took his wife to see the act and found that after running the clip in which the stunt man faltered and the planes locked, Houdini referred to this as his narrowest escape. He then invited members of the audience on stage. Wondering what Houdini’s reaction to him would be, Tommy joined the group. The great escapist recognized him at once and, without the flicker of a lash, identified him to the audience as “the hero who saved my life in The Grim Game.”
Of course it was really Christopher V. Pickup in the upper plane who saved Robert E. Kennedy (Houdini’s stunt double) as he hung from the rope. Tommy actually flew the lower plane.
It appears Houdini first used it as part of his act at the Keith’s Theatre in Boston MA:
Harry Houdini, a mystifier, has returned to the B.F. Keith circuit after an absence of two years in pictures. Houdini , who is a favorite headliner, has selected the water torture cell mystery for his act. He is heavily manacled and in full view of the audience placed upside down in a huge bottle like receptacle filled with water, from which he must escape quickly or drown. Previous to this act a picture showing Houdini’s miraculous escape from death in their remarkable act at the Palace picture, “The Grim Game”.
[Indiana Daily Times December 24, 1921]
Another example of Houdini using it as part of his act was at Columbia Theatre [Orpheum Circuit] in Davenport IA:
Refurbished, redecorated and claimed a stop higher in the standing of its programs offered a much improved class of entertainment. With Houdini as headliner and Flo Lewis as supporting feature, the bill had variety, balance and plenty of intrinsic interest. Houdini “goaled” the local audiences with his tricks…He carries with him a piece of film from “The Grim Game” the motion picture showing a real collision between two airplanes 4,400 feet from the ground. He shows audiences the Hindu needle trick in which he fills his mouth with four packages of needles and a handful of silk thread. Upon pulling the string out, the, needles are all threaded. He concludes with the Chinese water torture cell…
[Daily Times August 27, 1923]
And thanks to a John Cox post, we know that he showed it [March 4, 1924] at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, Virginia as part of his Spiritualism Lecture Tour: