Billboard April 22, 1922
Moving Picture World April 22, 1922
Thanks to Chris Goldman, I recently acquired the following advert:
HHCE Collection
It appeared in Kinematograph Weekly, as well as Bioscope on April 29, 1926.
Per Bioscope:
Mr. Bru, the astute head of Unity Film Co., returned from New York on Monday, after having spent over four months looking over the American market for worthwhile features for the coming season. Prominent among the good things Mr. Bru has brought back is Houdini’s latest super feature, “The Man from Beyond,” which is said to be the biggest sensation yet produced. [April 15, 1926]
Houdini’s latest picture, “The Man From Beyond,” which is declared by the American critics to be the greatest thriller of photoplay history, has been secured by the Unity Film Company, and will be trade shown at the London Pavilion on Monday, May 10, at 3 pm… Exhibitors are advised to make early application for trade show tickets for this big feature. [April 29, 1926]
Related:
HHCE shares 2 French Houdini Cinema Cards from the collection.
Front: Photos from the film
Back: Names of directors, writers, producers, length, cast, history and story of the film in French.
HHCE Collection
Previously, we looked at the Rare – The Man From Beyond (TMFB) Repro Pressbook in my collection. Today we look at my Days of Thrills Exhibitors Pressbook (plus some related TMFB items), which while not as rare, are still pretty cool.
HHCE Collection
“Days of Thrills and Laughter” is a trip back into the motion picture past to a day before the talkies, when film stories were told in terms of action instead of words. It is a compilation of highlights from the funniest of the old comedies, and the most chilling of the old thrillers. Its cast is one of the brightest ever to light the screen.
“Days of Thrills and Laughter” is divided into a preface and eight parts.
This post will focus on the character Houdini.
Part six reveals another type of film that thrived in the 20’s but has been all but forgotten – the elaborate, imaginative, bang-up, pull-no-punches thriller, Houdini, the great magician and escape artist, who has become a legend in out time, shows his uncanny ability to use his legs, feet, and toes as lesser mortals use their arms, hands, and fingers. In a sequence that was a sensation in its day. Houdini saves the heroine from the very brink of Niagara Falls.
The pressbook included posters, mats, publicity article and a lobby card with Houdini.
Special 40 x 60 Poster:
Mat 301:
Mat 205:
Mat 2J:
Mat 2K:
Mat 111:
Mat 115:
Mat 207:
Mat 202:
Mat 103:
Publicity Article:
Houdini Thrills Anew In Long Films
Harry Houdini, most famous of al magicians and escape artists, died in 1926. Today, the man who could wrestle free from a straight jacket while suspended head-down from a skyscraper or emerge unharmed from a chained trunk flung to the bottom of the sea has become a legend. Many who witnessed such amazing Houdini feats as walking through a brick wall believed he must be endowed with supernatural powers—but this the magician himself always denied.
Now, for the first time in forty years, the great Houdini will be seen on the movie-theater screens. Rare films of the man of mystery have recently been uncovered and are included in the new Robert Youngson production “Days of Thrills and Laughter,” a 20th Century-Fox release, coming to the Theatre.
The films will doubtless increase the Houdini legend for they prove that the master magician richly deserved his acclaim.
In one sequence, he is shown making an escape by eerily using his legs, feet and toes as lesser mortals use their arms, hands, and fingers. In another, Houdini, who was also a stunt man, hangs by his finger tips from a sheer cliff. In a third, he rescues the heroine from the very brink of Niagara Falls, in a scene singularly devoid of fakery.
Sharing the spotlight with Houdini in “Days of Thrills and Laughter” are such screen immortals as Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Pearl White, Harry Langdon, Ben Turpin, and The Keystone Cops.
14×36 Insert:
3-SHEET:
11X14:
HHCE Collection
Also available was 8 x 10 B/W stills:
HHCE Collection
HHCE Collection
HHCE Collection
Issue 27 September-October 1977 of MEDIASCENE, America’s New Magazine of Popular Entertainment focused the amber spotlight on:
the Houdini of the cinema by way of one of the rarest items we’ve ever come across, a pressbook from his first feature film, The Man From Beyond. A selection of material from that source (which appears to be missing from the half dozen or more Houdini books currently on the market) will throw a new light on a legendary figure, revealing a now-forgotten part of his spectacular life.
Below is page 15 of Issue 27, the man from beyond: a rare look at harry houdini.
…The photos and illustrations here are from the original pressbook to The Man From Beyond, an extremely rare item even among the most dedicated collections of magic memorabilia.
HHCE Collection
Packed with information, biographies, synopses and photos, the pressbook is so rare that SUPERGRAPHICS is reproducing it in a high-quality facsimile edition, 11×16 inches in size and 20 pages, limited to 100 copies, for $10 plus .75 postage…
I am fortunate enough to have one of these in my collection. Like the original, not sure how many of these survived.
HHCE Collection
Advertising for Houdini’s four “feature” movies told audiences what they could expect to SEE:
Boys Cinema ran every week from Dec 1919 (n1) to May 1940 (n1063). Houdini appeared in 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1923 issues:
This week I share Houdini’s appearance in Boys Cinema Jan 13, 1923. v6 n162 from the mighty Arthur Moses collection.
The text covers Houdini’s career and gives a synopsis of the “The Man From Beyond”.
The photos are from incidents in “The Man From Beyond”.
Top photos are Harry Houdini (HH) as Howard Hilary (HH).
The three photos on the right show HH soon after being dug out the ice block when a rash act nearly cost him his life, Hilary’s rescue of Felice from the Niagara Falls, and his fight with Dr. Trent.
Middle left is Hillary and Dr. Sinclair rescuing Dr. Strange from the dungeon, whilst on the lower left Hilary is seen negotiating the rapids.
Bottom middle is when Howard Hillary comes back to life after being imprisoned in the ice for over hundred years.
Thank You Arthur!
Sherman Grinberg Film Library (Lance Watsky)
Last year (Dec 2019), I received the following email from our friends Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich (D&D) at the Houdini Museum in Scranton:
Hi Joe,
Just got 14 minutes of digital Houdini film highly watermarked to protect ownership
.Each reel is about seven minutes
One is Houdini hanging from a bed sheet from a 4 story building, swinging from window to window swinging over to a drain pipe and lowering himself to the ground. It is in broken segments as it was filmed.
The other is various clips we have seen small part of before but these are more lengthy. One lowering a person on a shipment, and kissing Bess, a couple quickies wit Harry Kellar, Houdini taking a bow, the putting him a crate and dumped overboard, him being tied up by a gang of monks, etc.
Any thoughts?
Dick Brookz and Dorothy Dietrich
Without seeing the film clips, my initial thought was that they all sound familiar and that there is a “hanging from a bed sheet” scene in The Man From Beyond (TMFB).
Meanwhile, D&D let Lance Watsky at Sherman Grinberg Film Library know I was an expert on Houdini Films, and got permission for me to study and review the two reels, which I did in December 2019.
It turns out, I had gotten a gimpse of the two reels once before, when Librarian Bill Goodwin shared them at our Houdini Nuts gathering at the Magic Castle (June 2018), but at the time was not allowed to describe what I saw, nor study the films.
Well, thanks to Sherman Grinberg Film Library (Lance Watsky), Dorothy Dietrich & Dick Brookz, John Cox (Wild About Houdini), and the Academy of Magical Arts (Magic Castle), we can now share what’s on them to a larger audience.
In fact, on the Magic Caste website (August 20, 2020), AMA Trustee Shoot Ogawa presented Episode 37, “Behind The Bookcase” with guests John Cox and Lance Watsky, who showed the world premiere of this recently discovered film footage of Houdini.
The quality of this footage is amazing, which is important. Lance Watsky believes the film Sherman Grinberg Film Library owns was struck from a copy of an orginal 35mm negative.
Here’s a breakdown of the Houdini Footage on Reel 1.
Monk Table Tie Escape (0:00:00)
This is footage of Houdini doing an escape on the set of Haldane of The Secret Service. This is not from the movie itself. The scenario appears to be that he’s being challenged by monks (played by actors and assistants.) This is the same cut footage that has appeared in documentaries, but is of much higher quality. The uncut version shows the full escape and Houdini being raised up on the of the shoulders ecstatic monks.
Houdini, Kellar and Hardeen (0:01:48)
This is familiar footage of Houdini shaking hands with Kellar, and then the two getting into backseat of car driven by Hardeen. But, because of the high qualify of the footage (and John Cox going thru frame by fame), we now know that this is Kellar being picked up at the Hotel Astor in Times Square New York and being driven to Flatbush, N.Y during the week of Nov. 5-11 1917 (most likely Nov 10, 1917 the day before Houdini hosted the Antilles Benefit at the Hippodrome).
Houdini and Kellar Rope Ties (0.02:15)
This footage (found on Film-Flamming and other documentaries) was shot in front of Dash’s house in Flatbush (where Houdini and Bess was living at the time). Per Bill Goodwin, the footage is so clear you can read the address on the porch; Houdini and Kellar are seen taking turns demonstrating rope ties. You also see a shot of Bess with Kellar and Houdini in front of the house. As well as Kellar having fun demonstrating his famous Kellar rope tie escape by having Houdini and Hardeen tie his wrists.
Behind the Scenes filming of The Man From Beyond (0.03:21)
You see Houdini rehearsing a scene on a vessel and then consulting with Burton King about the scene. You also see the famous footage of Bessie “sprucing up” Houdini and getting a little smooch from him.
Master Mystery Packing Case (0.05:02)
This is familiar footage from the Master Mystery movie of Houdini doing a Packing Case escape.
Miscellaneous (0.06:15)
This is familiar footage of Houdini in white bathing suit handcuffed with 4 pairs of handcuffs. You then see Houdini surfacing and resurfacing with the handcuffs, checking to see they got some good shots.
So the footage on Reel 1 has appeared on documentaries and much of it is available on YouTube (at a much lower quality).
Now Reel 2 is unique and has never appeared on any any known Houdini movie, nor documentary for that matter.
Scaling a Building (0:00:00)
Houdini is hanging from a bed sheet from a 4 story building, swinging from window to window swinging over to a drain pipe and lowering himself to the ground. It is in broken segments as it was filmed.
(0.00.00) We see Houdini opening the shutters of the top window of a 4 story building and looking around. He then pulls out bed sheet’s tied together and hooks them to the window. Houdini then puts his left leg outside the window and grabs the bed sheet ladder.
(0.00.47) We see the bed sheets hang down to the bottom of the second window. Houdini grabs the bed sheet ladder and starts climbing down. He kicks open the right shutter of the second window below and climbs down grabbing hold of the left shutter. He then swings himself attached to the shutter and bed sheet to the adjacent window where he grabs the right shutter and lets go of the bed sheet ladder. He then swings the right shutter close while grabbing the left shutter.
(0.01:50) We see Houdini holding onto a drain pipe and then dropping to the ground and walking away.
(0.01.59) Similar to (0.01:50) footage.
(0.02:06) We see back of Houdini from the waist down on the drain pipe jumping down and walking away.
(0.02:14) Similar to (0.02.06) footage
(0.02:25) We see back of Houdini’s head and hand on drain pipe looking down before he starts to climb down.
(0.02:30) Similar to (0.02:25) footage
(0.02:41) We see Houdini from the waste up climbing down the drain pipe and jumping down.
(0.02:54) We see most of Houdini climbing down the drain pipe and jumping down and walking away.
(0.03:03) Similar to (0.02:54) footage
(0.03:12) Similar to (0.00:00) footage.
(0.03:52) We see Houdini on adjacent window after he let go of bed sheet ladder and shutter of adjacent window. And then we see him make his way to the next adjacent window shutter and then the drain pipe. He then climbs down the drain pipe pass two stories of windows until he reaches the ground.
(0.05:30) We see Houdini at the top window going down the sheet ladder to window below, swinging over to the adjacent window, and from there swinging over to another adjacent window.
(0.06:36) We see Houdini swinging over to another adjacent window, transfer to drain pipe and then slide down the drain pipe.
So where is this footage from?
This footage is not from The Grim Game (TGG).
Although, the TGG synopsis for the scenario writer had Houdini escaping from a jail, then using the rope of a flag pole from the building to scale down each story; arriving on each window ledge, he cuts off the end of the rope, ties it to he cell bar on the window and lowers himself again. TGG script also had Houdini freeing himself from a strait-jacket, swinging like a pendulum at the end of a rope, catapulting his body through a small window, and then scaling a wall and disappearing over the other edge.
Escaping and scaling buildings definitely was a theme in some of his movies.
And Houdini was also known to do “human fly” stunts.
Per a Wild About Houdini post:
He climbed the exterior of 278 to bring Bess flowers on their anniversary. He performed at least one human fly stunt during his return tour of the UK in 1920, when he climbed to the top of a castle in Newcastle and dangled from a parapet.
Houdini also shot random scenes in London, Edinburgh and Paris for a movie he was going to call The Dupe. Some of that footage was later used in Haldane of the Secret Service. But some footage was never used.
This footage is not from the TMFB or is it?
The Man From Beyond (TMFB)
Well, The “hanging from a bed sheet” used in TMFB is totally different. But after examining screenshots of Houdini in each of his known films, I came to the conclusion that the “hanging from a bed sheet” footage on reel 2 resembles Houdini during the making of TMFB. And that he filmed two different escapes from sheets, and the one on reel 2 was not chosen for TMFB. John Cox concurs and also points out that because of how clear the film is, you can tell that a haness and stunt double (Bob Rose?) was used.
Susposedly, Bob Rose was an uncreditied stunt double for Houdini. Below are a couple related newspaper references:
In all that time, I have never been in a hospital. That may be destiny- or it may be a close adherence to the precepts laid down for me by my teacher, the greatest stunt man of them all – Houdini. [30 Sep 1934 LA Times article by Bob Rose]
It was the first time he [Bob Rose] had ended in a hospital. He had always stuck to the rules laid down to him by Houdini who said, “Do every stunt scientifically. Don’t do it on nerve . Don’t attempt a stunt if you are afraid. Stunt work must be done on the same basis as gambling. You’ve got to have a feeling that it is a cinch or you must not do the stunt.” [04 January 1936 Larne Times]
Houdini wrapped up TMFB (and Haldane) in 1921.
The Man From Beyond (TMFB)
Special Thanks to Sherman Grinberg Film Library (Lance Watsky), Dorothy Dietrich & Dick Brookz, John Cox, and the Academy of Magical Arts for allowing me to review and comment on this extroadinary footage.
Update:
The film treatment, Marvelous Adventures of Houdini, self-published and copyrighted in 1917 has a scene where Houdini uses sheets on side of warehouse and makes his way down a water pipe or from window to window. There are also many elements of the Marvelous Adventures story that echo in his other films.
Related:
While going thru my images from my December 2018 visit to the McCord Museum, I came across a undated [May 1921] newspaper clipping that I found very interesting; especially with all of the great work being done by our friend Sean Doran at the Mysteriarch who is searching for locations from the 1922 silent film classic, The Man From Beyond. So without further adieu, here is the text from the newspaper clipping:
HOUDINI HERE FOR MOVIE SCENE
—–
“Handcuff King” Wants Pictorial Record of His Wonder Feats.
—–
CAMERA WORK AT FARMINGTON
—–
Plans to Retire From Dangerous Profession After World Tour
—–
Houdini, the original “handcuff king” who appeared in Hartford for the first time somewhere near a score of years ago, before he had won his international fame, is back to this section again, this time as a moving picture star in his own company. With a company of sixteen people he is at the Elm Tree Inn in Farmington and several scenes for his picture “The Frozen North” which he and his company have been working on for a number of months will be taken there.
Some of the scenes were taken in California, others in Europe during Mr. Houdini’s last trip there, the company was at Niagara Falls waiting for a number of days to get the scene they wanted there, and now in Farmington, on the estate of Winchell Smith and other places there he is preparing to film the scene which will complete the picture. They will include a number of daring feats which have made Houdini famous, and the taking of the picture may take several weeks, during which time his company will be at the Elm Tree Inn.
Houdini talked last night with a “Courant” reporter who chanced to have been one of the “stage committee” at his first appearance here, when Houdini was a much younger man than he is today.
“I am beginning to feel that it is nearly time to retire,” he said. “I have seen others try to imitate me. Four of them were fairly successful in a way for a time, but they all lost their lives. Now there are none of the imitators left. I am taking this picture not because of a desire to enter the moving picture field, but because, if I should die, as the others have done, I wish to leave proof that I have actually done the things I have been advertised to do.
“In a short time—within a couple of years—I plan to make a farewell tour of the world and give up my profession. And when I am through I want to have this pictorial record left.
“This is not a million dollar picture. I don’t make any pretentions of any such thing as that. At the same time I think it is going to be a good one. It is one I wrote myself, to a large extent and besides presenting the feats, I want to have pictured, I think the story will prove an interesting one.
“Burton King is my director, and Jane Connelly, who was known as the ‘the Sarah Bernhardt of vaudeville is my leading lady. There are sixteen people in the company with me, and I have six camera men.”
Mr. Houdini was reluctant to say just when and where the scenes will be taken or just what feats he will perform. He stated that the weather made it uncertain just when the filming could start, but declared that it was likely that the work of arranging the settings for some of the scenes would be under way today.
After reading the newspaper clipping, here were my initial observations:
Wow, just learned that the company stayed at the Elm Tree Inn in Farmington and filmed scenes on Winchell Smiths estate. But what about the scene references to “other places…” in Farmington?
now in Farmington, on the estate of Winchell Smith and other places there he is preparing to film the scene which will complete the picture.
What scene he is referring to? Houdini was “reluctant to say just when and where the scenes will be taken or just what feats he will perform”. Could it be the swim in the rapids [on the Farmington River] He told the Courant Reporter “that it was likely that the work of arranging the settings for some of the scenes would be under way today”.
After my initial observations, I decided to search Newspapers.com for references to Houdini and Farmington and according to the May 9th 1921 Hartford Courant, the rapids scene was done on Sunday, May 8th at Winchell’s Smith dam in the Farmington River:
COMPLETE FILMING FEATS OF HOUDINI
Screen Record of Daredevil’s Skill Finished at Farmington.
HANDCUFF KINGS SAYS HE IS A FATALIST
Not Concerned Over His Fate – “Hopes to Fool Em”
With beautiful summer weather to help him. Houdini the original “handcuff king” finished the scenes he needed for his new picture play, The Frozen North”, yesterday, in Farmington, and last night he had his company of sixteen departed. It had been expected that they would be at Elm Tree Inn for at least a week while getting “location” and otherwise preparing for the big scenes of the artic region in which Houdini does some of his marvelous feats, but Farmington, apparently has even Los Angeles beaten for “location.”
However that may be, the Houdini force, appeared to be “out on location” yesterday morning, not only picked the “locations” but filmed the scenes wanted and at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon “called it a days work” and also a finale and last night they packed up and departed for New York.
The scene for the big picture was taken at Winchell Smith’s dam in the Farmington river, and Houdini bound in a manner that would keep the average man secure for as long as he could live, was cast into the river above the dam.
The work of binding him was so well done that even the members of his company, who are used to seeing him do stunts which seem impossible declared that “he had a mighty close call.
“Yes,” said Houdini after it was all over. “It was a close call. It was nothing easy. And that was what I wanted. I am not trying to do easy work in this picture, but hard feats. I am trying to record just how far I can go and live. Some of the them thought I had gone beyond the limit, but I am still here.
“I am a fatalist,” he said, I believe I will not die until my time comes and when it does, I am ready.” He paused for a while, meditatively, “Isn’t it just about as worth while to die trying to do something that nobody else would attept as to die in bed? I think so.
“Thjs picture, which is to show just what I can do, is about completed now. When it is done I will have a permanent record of the feats I have achieved and when at least four of my imitators have died in attempts to reproduce. The time may come when I will make a miscalculation—when something will go wrong. It will furnish some material for the newspapers anyway. And I suppose there will be a lot of people who who who will say “I told you so”, But I hope to fool them all.
Houdini, who was one of the pioneers in aeroplane “stunting”, had planned to have Lieutenant Stuart Chadwick, now in Hartford, “drop in on him” while he was in Farmington and before leaving yesterday expressed his regrets at not having been able to wait for the promised airplane ride over Hartford and surrounding territory.
Bonus:
Houdini who always found a way to thrill his audience has a surprise ending for “The Far North” the special feature he is now making. The producers, while declining to state the nature of the thrill, declare it to be the greatest ever seen, not excepting the 4,000 feet aeroplane drop in another of Houdini’s films. [Buffalo Courier Sun Jun26, 1921].
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: