Police Reporter is West Point’s own Edward H Martin

Posted on June 2, 2013 by hhce

As a result of last week’s blog, In search of the Police Reporter, I received an answer as to why one thinks that the actor Ed Martin from the Grim Game is none other than West Point’s own Edward H. Martin, USMA 1898:

I think “Ed Martin” is West Point’s own Edward H. Martin, USMA 1898 for two reasons:

1) Years ago the USMA Library was fortunate enough to have a collection of files about graduates from the nineteenth and early twentieth cents. that had been compiled by the USMA Association of Graduates (we still have them but they are in remote storage right now)- I looked in the file for EHM and found a card that stated that EHM late in life had become a movie actor, but did not offer much more than that (sometimes “information cards” were submitted by graduates who had knowledge of the activities o fother grads)

2) I recently did a search in the Ancestry.com Library Edition database and found an image of a WWI draft registration card filled out by someone named Edward H. Martin that gave his date of birth as July 2, 1874,his occupation as actor, and his employer as the “Lasky Film Co.”

[Paul Nergelovic, Reference Librarian, United States Military Academy Library]

I then asked Paul, if it would be possible to get an image of the WWI draft registration card:

Not only did Paul send me the WWI draft registration card image above, he also sent me links to some Oregon newspapers (scanned by University of Oregon] that have photos of Edward H. Martin.

A photo of Edward H. Martin from 1908:

http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn83025138/1908-10-08/ed-1/seq-12.pdf

A sketch, same year:

http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn83025138/1908-05-06/ed-1/seq-1.pdf

If I compare the photos from 1908 with the 1919 stills from the Grim Game, the reporter on the right with the straw hat in the still below could be our man.

What do you think?

Last but not least, Paul also got the Special Collections and Archives Division to kindly pull the file on Edward H. Martin from remote storage. It actually contained a carbon copy of a letter dated January 25th, 1936 from J.S. Murphy, Chief Clerk of the Oregon State Penitentiary to Mr. Quincy Scott, (of the)The Oregonian, Portland, OR. about the activities of Edward H. Martin after his release from the penitentiary; here is an extract of relevant content:

“…in March 1916, he went to work for the Thanhouser Film Corporation. He remained there until October, 1916, when he moved to Los Angeles, Cal. His address there being 827 Green Ave. He was still working for the Thanhouser Film Corporation. On November 13, 1916, he went to work for the Jesse L.Lasky Feature Play Co. …”

Based on all the evidence above, I think it is safe to say that the police reporter from The Grim Game is West Point’s own Edward H. Martin.

Special Thank You to Paul Nergelovic, Reference Librarian, United States Military Academy Library

In search of the Police Reporter

Posted on May 26, 2013 by hhce

The other day, I received the following comment:

One cast member of the Grim Game was an actor named Ed Martin, who portrayed a character simply known as the Police Reporter. It is hard to judge if he is present in any of the stills you have posted. Have you made any headway in identifying all of the actors in the still from the Grim Game? I have reason to believe that the actor “Ed Martin” was Edward H. Martin, a graduate of the West Point Class of 1898; my goal is to get a picture of him acting in the movie.

Of course I was intrigued by this comment, so I decided to do a little bit of research.

Let’s start with what I found out about Edward H. Martin, a graduate of the West Point Class of 1898.

Edward Hugh Martin was born in New York, July 2, 1874 the same year Houdini was born, which would make him around 45 years old during the making of the Grim Game.

Lieut. E. H. Martin of the Fifth Artillery was dismissed (court-martialed) from the army in 1900. He was tried at Fort Hamilton on three charges of forgery. [NY Times June 24, 1900]

It is said that he married Gussie McKee, the proprietress of a poolroom, while his court-martial trial was going on.

Ex Lieut. E.H. Martin was arrested on a charge of forgery on June 16, 1901. Martin’s defense at the trial admitted that he was addicted to the use of opium, and said he was “dopy” when he wrote the accounts which were questioned. “Martin is physically very brave. He has saved several persons from drowning and received honorable mention from the army”. [NY Times June 17, 1901]

Instead of being sent to prison for 5 years, he was sentenced to 12 months in a penitentiary. [NY Times July 13, 1901]

Martin was arrested for suspected murder in February, 1905 and held until the following October, when his release was ordered, as the body of his partner could not be found. While confined in jail, Martin endeavored to obtain liberty by burning the jail building. After his release, he came to Lewis-town Idaho, and afterward was arrested in Moscow and Wallace Idaho, on charges of insanity. [NY Times May 7, 1908]

Portland Ore., May 6, 1908, Edward H. Martin son of a former New York contractor, a graduate of West Point, armor expert at Sandy Hook, graduate of Fordham College and the New York Law School, and temporarily employed in the City Engineer’s office, was arrested for the murder of Nathan Wolffe. The crime was committed in Wolffe’s jewelry store. Martin stoutly denies his guilt. [NY Times May 7, 1908]

Is this Edward Martin the actor in the Grim Game? Who knows; someone believes it is, but we would need them to share why they think this is the case.

Let’s now turn our attention to the question of whether the actor Ed Martin who plays a police reporter appears in any Grim Game stills. If we look at the script from the Grim Game, the only mention of a police reporter appears in scenes 67 and 69 that takes place in a news room. See my blog, Forty Winks by the Star Reporter, that paraphrases the scenes. The only publicity still (L302-08) available is below.

And it only has Houdini depicted. Now there are other scenes that make reference to reporters, but not police reporters. If I compare these other scenes with the available stills, there are a couple of stills with reporter(s) in them:

Scene 199 (Still 298-07) above takes place in a Police Station. Houdini is wildly protesting and attempting to tear loose from the hold that the 2 cops have on him. The desk sergeant has given up the task of trying to question him at this time and orders him to be locked in the strongest cell. One reporter seizes phone. [Paraphrased from Paramount Files at Margaret Herrick Library]

Scenes 151-154 (Still 298-1 snippet above) takes place in the same news room that scenes 67 and 69 took place. Reporters busy in room. Houdini comes forward to his desk and sinks in his chair. He has on a dark overcoat and is minus his straw hat that he has been wearing through rest of the picture. Several of the men have noticed his strange actions. One reporter asks, what is the matter? [Paraphrased from Paramount Files at Margaret Herrick Library]

It is possible that one of the reporters above could be Ed Martin, but we have no way of knowing for sure without a photo to compare.

BTW, apparently Ed Martin appeared in a couple other movies:

Jules of the Strong Heart (1918) – played head of the trapping company
Framing Framers (1917) – played Sylvester Brandon

If these other movies are still around, we could still possibly get a picture of Ed Martin acting in a movie.

Gloria Swanson and Houdini at the Lyric in 1924

Posted on May 19, 2013 by hhce

Rare circa 1924 Toledo Ohio promotional advertising card from the old Lyric Theatre that was located on Broadway Near Western. This advertising card from the theatre features the Great Silent Movie actress of the era GLORIA SWANSON. The card measures 3 1/2 in by 5 3/8 in. The Lyric Theatre has long since been gone from Toledo and any material from it is scarce.

On the back in April of 1924 they were showing Harry Houdini “The Wizard” in the Movie “HALDANE OF SECRET SERVICE”. It should read HALDANE OF THE SECRET SERVICE; the word THE is missing on the advertising card. According to the card, HALDANE was a gripping story of International counterfeiters interwoven with delightful romance, miraculous escapes and endless surprises!

See below for other HHCE blog references to Gloria Swanson and Houdini:

See below for a few Gloria Swanson and Houdini photo references in books:

J.C. Cannell – The Secrets of Houdini on page 122
Doug Henning – Houdini His Legend and His Magic on page 119
Kalush and Sloman – The Secret Life of Houdini Laid Bare on page 222

And last but not least, see below for an amazing photo of Gloria Swanson and Mr. and Mrs. Houdini from the Houdini Album of Jon Oliver:

Jon Oliver Collection

Answer: Who is the other man in Still 298-22

Posted on May 5, 2013 by hhce

Last year, I did a post, where I gave clues WRT who could be the other man in still 298-22.

The choices were Harry Houdini (Harvey Hanford), Thomas Jefferson (Dudley Cameron), Augustus Philips (Clifton Allison), Tully Marshall (Richard Raver), Arthur Hoyt (Dr. Tyson), or Unidentified actor (Old Servant Banks). We previously ruled out Harry Houdini, Arthur Hoyt and Tully Marshall. So that left Thomas Jefferson, Augustus Philips and an unidentified actor. Just solely based on the photos of the actors, it looks like it could be Augustus Philips or Thomas Jefferson; however there was no photo of the actor that played Old Banks to compare. And if you read my blog, Thomas Jefferson Found, I made a statement: “That as far as I know, there are no movie stills of Thomas Jefferson from the Grim Game and I’ve seen and cataloged most if not all of the stills from the movie.” So based on the above information if correct, would lead us to Augustus Philips or Old Banks. I can tell you, it is not Augustus Philips. So does that make it Old Banks? Based on the circumstantial evidence previously presented, there was a strong case for Banks. However, I have some additional evidence to present, that makes me think otherwise now:

During the scene when Cameron is scolding Houdini and telling him to get out, he seizes a large, old-fashioned revolver from top of safe and tries to get a shot at Houdini. There is also another scene where Houdini mentions that Cameron has threatened to shoot him on sight. And if we look at still 289-21 and 298-22, you will notice that Houdini and Ann Forrest outfits are the same in both stills; let me explain the events that led up to 289-21 and 298-22 which help make the case for Thomas Jefferson: In an earlier scene, Cameron (Thomas Jefferson) asks Mary (Ann Forrest) if she can open a box – this is the box seen in still 289-21; Mary is working at lock of box when Houdini unexpectedly shows up at the Cameron house. Mary and Houdini are in the library – Mary is worried that Cameron who is in the dining room might enter and discover them – Houdini opens the box – Cameron enters and sees the couple – Mary jumps in alarm at the sound of Cameron’s voice – Cameron gets gun – and voila, we have Still 298-22. BTW, Houdini avoids the old man or disarms him and makes exit through window in comedy fashion. [Paraphrased from Margaret Herrick Files]

The scene with Banks, Houdini and gun appears later, right after the scene depicted in still 298-80 which shows Mary (white dress) and Houdini in different outfits from still 298-22.

So based on the evidence now, I would say this is Thomas Jefferson (Dudley Cameron) as opposed to an unidentified actor (Old Banks) in still 298-22.

Case closed for the time being!

Stills L302-1 to L302-3 Aeroplane Sequence

Posted on April 21, 2013 by hhce

Above is a photograph that just sold on eBay last week for $123.50. Congratulations to the winner. This is the first time, I have seen this image with a press released still number on it; It looks like it is L302-1.

This is the first image of a sequence of three that appeared together in the newspapers documenting the actual collision in mid-air. It was also used in ads promoting “The Grim Game”. It shows Kennedy climbing down the knotted rope toward Thompson’s top wing for the plane changing stunt in the movie.

I have yet to see the above second image of the sequence with the still number on it. It may be L302-2. Notice that, as the aeroplanes are buffeted by the unstable air, Kennedy lifts his feet to avoid contact with Thompson’s propeller.

Above is the third image of the sequence with still number L302-3 on it. After the collision, you see Kennedy dangling in space at the end of the rope as the aeroplanes start to descend.

Houdini Grim Game Stunt Doubles

Posted on April 14, 2013 by hhce

His double for the plane-to-plane descent was Lieutenant Robert E. Kennedy.

New York Tribune July 06, 1919, Page 6

Several other doubles were used for Houdini during the more hazardous feats in the movie. These were dummies with painted faces. They were dressed in striped shirts and dark trousers to match the clothes he wore. The dummies were filmed in long shots; then studio-made close-ups of the star were inserted to create the illusion that he performed breathtaking feats that not even Houdini would risk. [Houdini The Untold Story by Milbourne Christopher page 163]

Dummies of Ann Forrest and Harry Houdini from the Grim Game. See Aviators in Early Hollywood (Images of America: California) by Kelly Shawna on page 52 for the complete photo which includes Robert E. Kennedy, Ann Forrest and Harry Houdini posing with their magical dummies.

Dummies do not land airplanes well in crash scenes but are desirable flight “fall guys” to drop on a rare occasion.

See pages 51-53 for other amazing Grim Game photos.

The Grim Game forced into exhibition by the Block-booking System

Posted on March 31, 2013 by hhce

Last Week, by sure coincidence (after seeing “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone movie”), I ended up at a used book store that was going out of business on March 24, 2013 (Houdini’s 139^th Birthday).

While I didn’t find any books on Houdini, I did a find an interesting book (American Silent Film by William K. Everson) that had a brief mention of The Grim Game on pages 109 and 110 that I found very interesting. Below are some snippets from these pages:

The block-booking system – This was a system by which the distributor sold an exhibitor an entire season’s product en masse, often sight unseen, since when the contract was signed, many of the films had not yet been made. In order to get the films he wanted, the exhibitor also had to take many he did not want – in his eyes, the “bad” films. While the exhibitor’s resentment of his lack of freedom of choice was understandable, so was the distributor’s position. As a group, exhibitors have always tended to prefer the safe and the tried-and-true over the off-beat and experimental. Given total freedom of choice, most exhibitors would obviously book only the kinds of films and the star vehicles that they knew were box office. The distributor, admittedly, used the block-booking system to salvage, the mistakes and the bad films. On the other hand, many of a distributor’s best films might wind up on an exhibitor’s “reject” list, and would have had sparse showings indeed, had they not been forced into exhibition via the block-booking system. For example, exhibitors dealing with Paramount in 1918 and 1919 would have been clamoring for the latest releases of Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart, and Mary Pickford but, left to their own devices, would probably have by-passed The Grim Game (an unusually well-done melodrama starring Harry Houdini and directed by Irving Willat). Forcing unwanted pictures onto a contract in a sense by-passed the exhibitor, bringing to the public a kind of film that the distributor thought it would buy if only it had the chance.

Paramount’s Wallace Reid vehicles were enormously popular, mainly because of Reid’s unique appeal. Knowing this, Paramount literally ground them out, economically, quickly, and with so little imagination that they all seemed cut from an identical mold. Had they not had the Reid name to sell them, they would certainly have been on an exhibiter’s reject list. Films like The Grim Game, might not have attracted audiences on the same scale as the Reid films, but once in the theatre, it satisfied and surprised them, and told them that the movies were still capable of something fresh.

Thanks to the Block-booking System, audiences got to see an unusually well-done melodrama.

Happy Birthday!

Posted on March 24, 2013 by hhce

Happy Birthday Harry Houdini!

139 years ago today, Harry Houdini was born in Budapest Hungary.

1922 Boys Cinema Card – Deep Sea Loot

Posted on March 17, 2013 by hhce

Lately, we have seen a number of these cards for sale. I have seen them sell anywhere from $67.66 to $400 and I have seen them listed as high as $1,499.99 on eBay. Check out Kevin Connolly’s blog (Buy Me Now Before I Cost $3000) and the comments section for a discussion we had regarding price, condition, and grading.

Now, let’s focus on the card itself. The card with Houdini was number 4 of a set of 24 famous heroes that was issued in England by Boys Cinema as an insert in their magazine March 25th, 1922. It measures 2 1/16″ x 3 1/16″.

The image on the front is from still 298-63 of the Grim Game.

The bottom of the front of the card only lists Artcraft as opposed to Paramount-Artcraft; Paramount and Artcraft Motion pictures were part of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation; In January 1918 Artcraft became a subsidiary of Paramount and in 1921, Paramount was part of a Federal monopoly investigation that caused Artcraft to be closed.

Now for the image on the back, it shows his birthplace as Appleton, Wisconsin which is not at all surprising. But what is surprising is that “Deep Sea Loot” is listed as chief among his films. So what was Deep Sea Loot?

During the 1910s, Houdini worked with underwater filmmakers J.E. and Ernest Williamson on a never-completed film (prospectively titled Houdini and the Miracle) that promised to show Houdini’s escape from a photosphere (an observation chamber that housed a camera that was attached to the bottom of a barge by a long tube). This film project was included in Houdini’s typewritten list of screen credits as Deep Sea Loot but was never made. [Disappearing Tricks by Matthew Solomon, pages 95, 98-99]

See the Movie Picture World, April 28, 1917, “Houdini For Pictures” article on page 622 and John Cox’s blog (Houdini’s Underwater Epic that wasn’t ) for more details on this Deep Sea Thrill.

Review of G&G and its connection with the GG

Posted on March 10, 2013 by hhce

I finally received my long awaited copy of Magicol January 2013. I was not disappointed. My primary interest in this issue was the Magicol article that John Cox at Wild About Harry did on the Guests & Ghosts (G&G) of 278. You see, I was fortunate enough to meet the Guest & Ghosts of 278 at the Magic Castle on Wednesday, July 18, 2012. That is, I got to meet John Cox at the Magic Castle in Hollywood for the first time and hear his abbreviated version of the G&G talk he gave at the Magic Collectors Weekend in Chicago; it was quite the honor.

I have to agree with Magicana blog, that “John does a beautiful job highlighting some of the more famous and arcane visitors.“

John starts his article and presentation with a connection to the Grim Game (GG) which of course I found fascinating.

Apparently, Houdini added the Family Guest Book to his Harlem home right after making the GG. John mentions that Houdini, Bess, and Hardeen “christened the book with their signatures on August 1, 1919”. He also mentions that Larry Weeks (magician and Houdini collector) signed the guest book on April 22, 1956; Is it possible that Larry acquired what is said to be the only surviving print of the GG on this day?

Props to John for doing an outstanding job researching and presenting the Houdini Family Guest book from 278 W 113th Street.

harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com

Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence

Category Archives: The Grim Game