“Last week, John Cox and I had the extreme pleasure to be able to share Noel’s story of discovering a rare Australian The Grim Game Premiere Advertising card.

Well, there is more to the story.

Was the card dropped by an aeroplane to filter down onto the streets in Sydney?

We know the card was found in a diary of a road workman, so maybe he found it on the ground.

As we pondered the question, Noel found the following piece of evidence:

Description:

1920 (Sept 27) Melbourne-Longreach-Melbourne #51ba Pals “A Message From The Clouds” advertising leaflet showing the Aeroplane dropped from the Maurice Farman Shorthorn biplane flown by RG Carey on the Herald and Weekly Times promotional flight to the Gulf of Carpentaria, endorsed ‘Dropped from Pals aeroplane Port Melbourne 27/9/20’ on back, Cat $650.

Further research revealed:

Carey’s extensive ‘Message from the Clouds’ promotion records cover War and Peace Loan flyers, Vacuum Oil Company, Wangaratta Woollen Mills, charity and sporting events, various traders’ association shop locally campaigns, Palm and Cubitt brand cars and Velvet Soap. Dodgers (leaflets) were scattered from the plane overhead as a novel marketing device similar to that of towing aerial banners or sky writing objectives today. Mindful of promoting his own aviation and motoring business, Carey periodically included huge captions on his planes such as ‘Carey’s Chickens’, ‘Melbourne Air Service’ or ‘Carey’s Auctions’.

So, A Grim Game “Message From The Clouds” dodger was dropped by a Carey delivery plane, found by a road “workman” and used as a bookmark in a diary…

Incredible!

Thank you again, Noel!!!

Coincidentally, Aerial Delivery, was a boasted feature of “The Daily Call” newspaper in “The Grim Game”. The use of these delivery planes was always part of the script but not the crash that turned out to be a really nice bonus and was incorporated into the script and marketing campaign. It enabled “The Grim Game” to show on the screen and advertise “the only airplane collision in the clouds ever photographed”.

Related:

• 24-Sheet Grim Game Poster found in Australia

Last week, I shared a tidbit about the Aeroplane Crash in The Grim Game that was not widely known. That is, I shared that the camera plane may have “indirectly led” to the collision, due to a delay in mounting the camera that caused the planes to do the stunt in the rough air of the afternoon as opposed to the calm air of the early morning. I also shared a bonus tidbit, that the stuntman was supposed to make his way to the rear cockpit or drop into the rear seat.  In addition, I shared a couple advertisements from my personal collection showing how the accident happened.

Today, I thought I would share the flip side of the newspaper ad (Toledo Times October 19, 1919) displayed last week, that has a nice jail scene still and describes how “Houdini is supposed to let himself down into the cockpit beside the murderer by means of a rope, and throttle him”:

One of the most amazing air accidents in the history or aviation forms the sensational climax of a new Paramount-Artcraft picture, “The Grim Game,” starring Houdini, the most famous handcuff king, which is coming to the Temple all of this week.

According to the story, Houdini in an airplane is pursuing a murderer, who is trying to escape in another machine. At a height of 3,000 feet Houdini is supposed to glide above the other machine, let himself down into the cockpit  beside the murderer by means of a rope, and throttle him.

All went well, with the stunt, the two machines circling one above the other  and a third , containing Director Willat and the photographer, about a hundred yards away, until Houdini was just about to loose his hold on the rope. Then suddenly a gust of wind lifted  the lower ‘plane into the upper one, and their  propellers locked. They dropped like rockets, revolving nose on nose, with Houdini still dangling on the rope and the the two aviators making frantic efforts to control their machines. Death seemed certain. But a few hundred feet from the ground, with both propellers gone, one of the airmen by a miracle, succeeded in falling into a glide, and, though the other crashed nose-on into a field, the only injuries sustained were slight bruises.

The 100^th Anniversary of the infamous Aeroplane Crash in The Grim Game is coming up on May 31^st.

Of course, it is now “widely known”, that it was stunt double, Robert E. Kennedy, on the rope and not Houdini.

For the 100^th year anniversary, thought I would share a tidbit about the plane crash that is “not widely known”. It involves the third machine with the camera.

According to “The Motion Picture Stunt Pilots and Hollywood Classic Aviation Movies by H.Hugh Wynne”, the camera plane may have indirectly led to the collision.

The studio rented three DeMille airplanes and pilots, and scheduled the flight for the calm air of the early morning on May 31, 1919. Maintenance problems and a delay in mounting the camera held things up until after lunch. Finally three airplanes took off in the early afternoon. David E. Thompson and Christopher Pickup flew the stunt planes. Al Wilson piloted the camera plane with Irving Willat, the director-cameraman, riding in the back seat with his camera.

In compliance with the flight plan, Pickup, with Kennedy aboard, flew straight and level while Thompson, with less weight and wind resistance, and better visibility in the lower machine, moved into position directly below. Al Wilson maintained a steady camera platform position to the left, and in line with the performing machines, so that neither his tail section nor wing tip appeared in the camera’s field of vision. By this time of day the air was rough and it was difficult for the pilots to maintain their positions.

Willat recorded the spontaneous incident on film and the studio revised the script to include the mid-air collision.

Bonus tidbit:

The script called for Harry Houdini [Kennedy], to climb down a knotted rope attached to the front mid-wing strut of one plane, drop to the top wing of another machine flying just below, and make his way to the rear cockpit.

Patrick Culliton spoke with Irvin Willat about this stunt and was told that Kennedy was supposed to drop into the rear seat.

When the stunt was filmed it was contrary to the plan and turned out to be one of the most exciting air stunts ever recorded on film.

To be continued…

Related:

• First Ever Pictures of Aeroplane Collision
• Lobby Display: The Real Aeroplane used to advertise “The Grim Game”
• Houdini Grim Game Stunt Doubles
• How did Robert E Kennedy get the plane-changing job?
• What happened to Robert E Kennedy after the plane incident?
• What happened to David Thompson, whose plane flipped over?
• What happened to Christopher Pickup from The Grim Game

Houdini is generally acknowledged as the first man to fly a plane in Australia. He made the historic flight just north of Melbourne in 1910. Two variants of a Stanhope miniature brass telescope were manufactured to commemorate the historic event and are quite rare.

Houdini collector, Joseph Gargano is now offering a viewer which is a reproduction of the Stanhope made to commemorate Houdini’s first flight over Australia. It comes in a beautiful wood box engraved with Houdini’s signature on the lid. This piece alone has sold for $195 and is now available for $105 which will just allow Joseph to recoup the cost of production, and get some money to The Houdini Museum in Scranton for the continued maintenance of Houdini’s grave.

Looking through this novelty lens reveals an image of Houdini making his historic flight at Digger’s Rest in Australia. Here, he is pictured both in mid-flight in his biplane, and a separate posed close-up shows Houdini behind the controls of the plane.

For questions, purchases and shipping rates, contact Joseph Gargano at conjuringhh@optonline.net.

Joseph also offers a quality brass mini viewer with embedded lens showing an image from The Grim Game reproduced from an original glass plate negative in the Joseph Gargano collection. It comes in a small film can with Grim Game advertising image on the lid.  While supplies last, this viewer is offered as part of a larger Commemorative Set that is released in two very limited editions (Standard and Deluxe).  See John Cox site for details of The Grim Game Commemorative Set.

The Grim Game Standard Edition

The Grim Game Deluxe Edition

Well, I previously did posts on what happened to Robert Kennedy and Frank Thompson, after “The Grim Game” respectively.  So, it is probably only fair that I share some info on Christopher Pickup, who flew the drop plane.  The below information is from an Aviation Autograph Collector selling items on eBay:

PICKUP, Christopher Vern.  PILOT IN A 1919 HOUDINI MOVIE AND U. S. AIR MAIL SERVICE PILOT.  (1896- ). SGT, 4th Cavalry (1913-14); USAS flight instruction (1916); Langley Field VA (1917); 2nd LT and flight instructor (1918-19); Durant Aircraft Co.; pilot for Cecil B. DeMille films (1919-20); flew in the Harry Houdini movie The Grim Game, colliding with David E. Thompson while Robert E. Kennedy hung suspended on a rope below Pickup’s aircraft. The props of both planes were shattered in a collision and both pilots were able to land their damaged planes, Kennedy, miraculously, suffering only bruises and abrasions being dragged along the ground during the landing (1919); U. S. Air Mail Service pilot (1920-21); appointed 8-25-1920 and assigned at Cheyenne WY (1920-21); he was apparently separated for not returning from leave (1921); Mercury Aviation, Los Angeles; Mexican Aerial Transport Corp. (1921-22); his request for reinstatement in the U. S. Air Mail Service was declined at the suggestion of the USAMS chief pilot (1924); FBO at Hoover Field Washington DC (1925-26); flew air mail for Clifford Ball, CAM 11 and Thompson Aeronautical Corp. on CAM 27 (1928); Transport Pilot rating no. 735 (1928); USMCR; air mail pilot for Boeing Air Transport (1927-40); his plane caught fire on an emergency landing at Elm Creek NE while flying CAM 18, Chicago-San Francisco (1929); member of the “Caterpillar Club” after abandoning an aircraft over Pittsburgh PA (1930); United Air Lines captain (1940- ).

Bonus:

COPY of the pilot’s original Post Office Department “AIR MAIL PILOTS APPLICATION”, Form 2707 dated 5/16/1928 for his Contract Air Mail pilot service with CLIFFORD BALL

Credit: Cecil B. DeMille Trust

Above is the scene immediately after planes hit the earth.  Note crowd rushing forward to greet pilots.  Robert E. Kennedy (Houdini’s Stunt Double) is in the center with back to camera being congratulated on his narrow escape by fellow pilots (or according to another account, he was he being blamed by fellow pilots for the accident).

Houdini never saw or spoke to him again.  According to Tommy [David E. Thompson], who flew the pickup plane, he got up and ran away and was never seen again. Shortly after the spectacular crash, Kennedy and Bill Hahnel, a fellow flying officer in the service, made exhibition flights throughout the country, billing themselves as The Flying Tramps. Later, Kennedy became a noted test pilot, pioneer airplane pilot and inventor of navigation instruments. After several barnstorming tours of Texas, Robert E. Kennedy joined with members of Los Angeles based bus company, Pickwick transportation, in the formation of Pickwick Airways. Flying tri-motors, the new airline pioneered air routes into Mexico until Pickwick was absorbed by a larger airline. Kennedy continued flying until he went to work for Douglas Aircraft in 1934.  After retirement, he lived in Anaheim until his death in 1973. But perhaps he can best be remembered for adding one more legend to the folklore of Harry Houdini.

Next related post will look into what happened to David E. Thompson, whose plane flipped over?

Sources:

• Taped interview with Robert E. Kennedy conducted by Arch C. Wallen, and Los Angeles Times, May 22, 1966
• Locklear The Man Who Walked on Wings by Art Ronnie 1973

John Cox at Wild About Houdini just did a short post titled, L.A. Daily Mirror pinpoints Houdini’s plane crash,that shares a well-researched article by Mary Mallory about Houdini’s The Grim Game.

John also shares the following information from the TCM film festival which was news to me as well when I heard it:

At last Sunday’s premiere of The Grim Game restoration, the sons of director Irvin Willat told me their father said the camera plane, which he was in, was also struck and “went down” with the others. This is the first I’d ever heard of the crash involving three planes.

This needs some more research.  Hopefully the sons of director Irvin Willat can elaborate some more.

Other Related Posts:

• First Ever Pictures of Aeroplane Collision
• On June First
• Stills L302-1 to L302-3 Aeroplane Sequence
• What is Houdini’s Greatest Stunt on Screen?
• Houdini Grim Game Stunt Doubles
• Ormer Locklear (Locke) connection to Houdini and The Grim Game