100 Year Anniversary – HHCE attends Screening on Terror Island plus more

Posted on May 19, 2019 by hhce

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 100^th 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.

Italian “Terror Island” Posters

Posted on January 27, 2019 by hhce

Houdini Nuts CEO, Arthur Moses, shares three Italian “Terror Island” posters with us:

Grazie Artù!

Next week, Arthur Moses shares:

Swedish “Master Mystery” Posters

A Look Back at 2018 – The Year of Terror Island

Posted on December 30, 2018 by hhce

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 7^th. 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.

Terror Island Part 3 (1 of 4)
Terror Island Part 3 (2 of 4)
Terror Island Part 3 (3 of 4)
Terror Island Part 3 (4 of 4)
Terror Island Part 4 (1 of 2)
Terror Island Part 4 (2 of 2) Underwater Box Escape

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:

The only known Tatler Magazine page that shows what could very well be the original Mirror Cuff he escaped from. The Tatler Cuff matches the solid silver replica to a tee. If this is truly the original mirror cuff, then got to believe that Houdini didn’t want the Tatler Cuff photo around or an actual photo of the Solid Silver manacle, since they both didn’t match the David Copperfield Mirror Cuff that I believe was shown to locksmiths and used for the reward.
Newspaper Article “He Made Elephants Disappear” from Rose Mackenberg’s 1929 Series
Sunday 28^th of January is Ladies Night
Houdini caught in his Birthday Suit
The Great Houdini Original Story and Screen Play by Frank O’Connor and Dore Schary (Sequences A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H)
Milwaukee History

Shared news from Houdini Museum – Scranton

And last but not least, shared my Houdini Adventures:

Extra Special Trip to the East Coast where I attended the Official Houdini Seance, explored Houdini sites, and got to visit some the world’s finest Houdini and magic collections:

2018 was truly an amazing year!

Terror Island Exhibition Ends Today or Does It?

Posted on October 7, 2018 by hhce

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.