Today we look at Early Houdini Trading Cards (No. 57-61) from an extremely rare set of 25 Hoyo De Monterrey of Havanna Tobacco Cards (No. 57-81) circa 1920, depicting stills from his Terror Island movie:
No. 57 Still 318-45 (HHCE Collection)
No. 58 Still 318-12 (HHCE Collection)
No. 59 Still 318-11 (HHCE Collection)
No. 60 Still 318-21 (eBay)
No. 61 Still 318-19 (HHCE)
Today, I thought I would introduce 3 different types of Trading Cards from Houdini’s day:
Each of these cards was mentioned in a Houdini article found in the Cartophilic Notes & News publication vol 29 no 5:
HHCE Collection
The Ogden’s cigarette card is his rookie card and is identified as 1902 but that date is not correct. That photo used on the card wasn’t taken until 1904. The set first came out in 1902, but the B series with Houdini came out later. Ogden Guinea Gold Cards ran from 1902 to 1907. And thanks to Kevin Connolly, we know there are two variations of this card, the one variation is with a whitish box with “HOUDINI THE HANDCUFF KING” inside the box. The other variation “HOUDINI THE HANDCUFF KING” is in the beige field without the box.”
The set of 24 Famous Heroes cards came out in the Weekly Boys Cinema Magazine, with the first card (No. 1) being inserted in the Boys Cinema Issue No. 117, Vol. 5 March 4, 1922. Each week, they issued another card.
HHCE Collection
The Harry Houdini card (No. 4) came out in Boys Cinema issue No. 120, Vol 5 March 25, 1922.
HHCE Collection
An extremely rare set of 25 Hoyo De Monterrey of Havanna Tobacco Cards (No. 57-81) circa 1920, depicting stills from his Terror Island movie. The card (No. 60) below, sold November 15 2019 on eBay for $247.02.
I have been able to identify 22 of the 25 cards and will be sharing images from my personal collection at later dates:
Previously, I had only been able to locate “Latest Paramount Artcraft ads” that included “The Grim Game”:
Finding one that included “Terror Island” as alluded me until now.
I am so glad to be able to add one with “Terror Island” to my collection and share it, along with “The Grim Game” ones from my collection.
So that you may know, The Grim Game is the best show in town, and I’d like to see “Terror Island” right over again.
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).
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:
The photo below is from my personal copy of the January 5th, 1921 issue of Boys Cinema. It shows Houdini about to be thrown into the water bound hand and foot.
Many of you may recall seeing this “Under Water Escape” image in “Houdini on Magic” by Walter B. Gibson:
It also appears in the Strand Magazine “Houdini the Enigma” by A. Conan Doyle:
But it first appeared in “Magical Rope Ties & Escapes” by Houdini in 1920:
Although, the Boys Cinema photo incorrectly identifies it as an incident in the Paramount Film, “Terror Island”, I believe it, along with Houdini’s dyed black hair for the movies helps support that it was taken during the making of Terror Island in 1919 for inclusion in his 1920 book Magical Rope Ties & Escapes.
Could it have been taken in Elliotta Springs while he was doing his underwater stunts for “Terror Island”?
Or was it taken at Lasky Studio, where we know Houdini did a series of photos with actors Thomas Meighan and Jack Pickford for the 1920 book, Magical Rope Ties & Escapes?
Regardless, comparing photo(s) with all of the stills from Houdini’s two Hollywood movies, “The Grim Game” and “Terror Island”, I believe that is Houdini’s Hollywood hair from “Terror Island”.
Thoughts on when and where under water escape was filmed?
The following two White Studio, NY “Houdini Movie Photos” advertised as “originals” from an estate of magic and circus collection sold yesterday on eBay.
Note: This is from Terror Island
Note: This is from The Grim Game
The following White Studio photo below shows the above two White Studio photos (2 Terror Island, 8 Grim Game) plus other White Studio photographs from his movies (1 The Grim Game, 5 Haldane, 6 The Man From Beyond, 9-11 Master Mystery)
Note: This photo is courtesy of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Billy Rose Theatre collection. It was also part of the Houdini Art and Magic exhibition/book.
On Friday May 17th, I took the Catalina Express out of San Pedro at 8:45 am to Catalina Island (Houdini’s Terror Island) to see the 100th year anniversary screening of “The Grim Game” sponsored by the Catalina Island Museum.
Despite rain the previous day, it turned out to be a gorgeous day to visit the Island. I walked to the Catalina Island Museum to see their new exhibits, including the permanent Houdini Terror Island Exhibit.
Jessica Zumberge (a curator at the Catalina Island Museum) was my tour guide.
The Terror Island exhibit showcases lobby cards (Mark Willoughby collection), a film ad from the Press Book (John Cox collection), article on boat rescue, locations of the film’s most important scenes, and a video of the overboard box escape from the film.
If you look at the 2018 image of Toyon Bay, you will see me in photo, where the natives are in the 1919 photo.
And I am also credited as the one who uncovered the video of the overboard box escape that is missing from the existing movie. This footage is not available to view anywhere else, so visitors to the island get a rare treat.
I was then joined by fellow Houdini Nuts, Julie Perlin Lee (Executive Director at the Catalina Island Museum) and John Cox (Houdini Expert).
If you look at the old Catalina Map in the photo, you can see a beach called Pebbly Beach to the left of Julie and a beach called Banning Beach (now called Toyon Bay) to the right. These were key film locations in the Terror Island Movie.
John Cox and I then went to the Blue Water Grill where we talked Houdini, before going to check out “Houdini Point” at Descano Beach. This is where Houdini took part in a real-life nautical drama. A small vessel had been disabled and was in immediate danger of capsizing or smashing into the rocks off Sugar Loaf Point (I like Julie Perlin Lee’s idea to change the name to “Houdini Point”).
We then made our way to Overlook Hall, to set up for the main event of the evening, the 100th anniversary screening of “The Grim Game”. Overlook Hall, originally built in 1929, has emerged as Catalina’s premier venue for special events.
It was standing room only. John Cox who introduced the movie, tweeted:
It truly was a great night for a very special movie with music provided by Award Winning composer, Michael Mortilla. Below are photos from the event:
Hanging out with Michael Mortilla, John Cox, and Michael’s wife.
John Cox hanging out with guests, including Magician Lee Terbosic from Discovery Channel’s Houdini’s Last Secrets.
Hanging out with some of Catalina Island Museum’s amazing staff, Gail Fornasiere, Kellie Costello and Kevin Liebson.
Well it was now time to catch my 9:45 boat back home or was it? Half-way to the boat, my phone rings and I get an invitation to stay over with Perlin Lee Family for the Catalina Island Museum Silent Film Benefit, the next day.
What a treat! The brunch, dancers, speakers, movie and live orchestral music by Michael Mortilla & The Accompanists was incredible. Bravo!
Below are a couple photos from this amazing event:
David & Julie Lee Perlin and Lee Terbosic & Girlfriend Jessie Marie dancing in the ballroom, plus John, Lee & Jessie in the Art Deco Avalon Casino Theater.
Special Thank You to Julie Lee Perlin and her family for making this trip extra special.
Related:
Houdini Nuts CEO, Arthur Moses, shares three Italian “Terror Island” posters with us:
Grazie Artù!
Next week, Arthur Moses shares:
For Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence (HHCE), 2015 was the Year of The Grim Game, 2016 was the year of The Master Mystery and 2018 was the year of Terror Island (TI), where I got to consult on a special exhibition at the Catalina Island Museum called Houdini: Terror on Magic Isle.
Having read my blog and extensive research on “Terror Island”, Julie Perlin Lee, the Executive director of the Catalina Island Museum and creator of the first ever Houdini exhibit devoted to his movies first contacted me about helping with this project back in November of 2016. We then got John Cox on board and between the three of us recruited others like Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Mark Willoughby, Arthur Moses, and Fred Pittella to loan artifacts for the exhibition.
The exhibition came to fruition in 2018 and was on view from May 5th to October 7th. I was lucky enough to visit the Museum on multiple occasions:
Reels (Parts) 3 and 4 of the existing (Library of Congress Realart) version of Terror Island are considered missing.
The exhibit showcased my work that reconstructs and describes the missing Terror Island scenes in chronological order for each part via an audio-visual presentation.
The exhibit also showcased the missing Terror Island Underwater Box Escape Footage that I located on an out of print magic video,
the research on locations on Catalina Island where Terror Island was filmed (Banning’s beach, Pebble Beach), and shown (Strand Theatre),
as well as Tobacco Cards, Stills, and Programs from my personal collection.
On my HHCE blog, I also uncovered and shared the TI Story that was adapted from the film script,
working titles for TI, Japanese Actors in TI, a theory of how Terror Island’s lost reels become lost, and exactly when the Library of Congress received their print.
In 2018, I also got to update my UCLA research from 2016 on puzzling together the Master Mystery with where the print came from, as well as reveal that footage exists of Houdini’s escape from the convict ship Success on June 4, 1913.
Shared some items from my personal collection:
Shared news from Houdini Museum – Scranton
And last but not least, shared my Houdini Adventures:
2018 was truly an amazing year!
The first ever exhibition about the making of Terror Island ends today or does it.
The exhibition has been on view from May 5th to today, October 7th at the Catalina Island Museum. I was lucky enough to visit the Museum on February 17th-18th, April 27th-28th, May 4th-5th, May 19th-20th, June 1st and twice in September.
It was during my September 16th visit with my Son-In-Law, that I got to see the recently discovered Terror Island Underwater Escape Footage on display in the gallery at the museum.
We also visited Avalon Bay where Houdini attempted a rescue of a wayward boat, swimming pool from the Hotel St Catherine where Houdini stayed, and the Strand Theatre Building where the movie Terror Island was shown.
It was also during this visit, that I learned (from museum curator, Jessica Zumberge) the latest plans for having Houdini and the making of Terror Island be a permanent part of the museum.
Harry Houdini (HH) and Charlie Chaplin (CC) will be sharing a large wall in the main part of the museum with Marilyn Monroe (MM).
The Underwater Escape footage, and locations on Catalina Island where Terror Island was filmed will be permanently displayed, among other things.
The date for the permanent exhibit is not set, but I am told it will this year. Can’t wait.
Below are images from my September 30th visit with my family.
Update 12/2/2018: The date for the permanent new exhibit will go up in Spring 2019 to coincide with the museum showing the Grim Game that will be turning 100 years old in 2019.