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.

See Ann Forrest on a motorcycle in the Grim Game

Posted on March 3, 2013 by hhce

The photo below is my rendition of what Ann Forrest might look like riding a motorcycle:

Scene 325 of The Grim Game takes place on a mountain road where we see Mary (Ann Forrest) riding in on a motorcycle. After riding a long distance, the road is too rough for Mary to go any farther. She stops and gets off of the motorcycle and proceeds quickly up a path. [Paraphrased from files at Margaret Herrick Library]

Paramount-Artcraft Pictures: Classic Houdini Publicity Poses

Posted on February 17, 2013 by hhce

The above photo of a classic Houdini pose just sold on eBay February 9^th for $204.70; congratulations to the winner.

Below are other classic Houdini publicity poses taken when Houdini was working for Paramount-Artcraft Pictures:

The above image of Houdini appears on the cover of the pressbook for The Grim Game as well as the pressbook for Terror Island. This image of Houdini may have been used more than any other image of Houdini for publicity abroad; See Kevin Connolly’s blog.

The signed photo above will be auctioned by Lawsons in New South Wales on Friday, February 22, 2013. See John Cox’s blog for more info on auction.

Note: All of the above images can be found on various cards. Below are some examples from eBay that as of this date are currently for sale:

Still 298-80 (L302-80): Happy Valentines Day!

Posted on February 14, 2013 by hhce

Let’s Elope?

This photo (Still 298-80) appeared in a Swedish Program [HHCE Collection] and a Danish Program [Arthur Moses Collection] for the Grim Game.

So what is going on in this photo?

Harvey Hanford (HH) calls at the Cameron home and finds Mary Cameron (Ann Forrest) in the garden. HH and Mary are sitting on a rustic bench. To her he explains the great newspaper scoop he hopes to put over which will make it easier for them to elope. Mary is quite enthusiastic over her lover’s attempt to land a big story and agrees with the plans. Their plans all arranged, HH kisses Mary good night. [Paraphrased from files at Margaret Herrick Library]

harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com

Harry Houdini Circumstantial Evidence

Category Archives: The Grim Game