Dorothy Dietrich, Rick Schmidlin and Dick Brookz with the Original Title Card for The Grim Game
In my review of the Grim Game, I mentioned that I finally was able to find out which set of original sub-title and spoken title cards were actually used; that is the restored movie followed the stand-alone set that contained 111 titles as opposed to the 94 titles embedded with the 422 scenes of the script that I read at the Margaret Herrick Library.
TCM Film Festival Photo by Edward M. PioRoda
The 111 original title cards included a Main Title (seen above), Producer Title and Credit Title, that appeared when the film started.
In addition to the original title cards, the restored version added an intro card before the film starts, which included Larry Week’s story. It also included three other title cards that I have been given permission to share.
This included a Producer Credit Title card with restoration producer Rick Schmidlin, a Consultant Credit Title card with consultants Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz, and a Special Thanks Credit Title card that included a number of resources.
I think these Title cards speak for themselves.
Thank You to all who contributed.
Why not leave the three cards in the proper order.
Hi Rick!
Thank You for commenting. Can you remind me of the proper order and I will correct.
My name then D&D,then if you have it Brane and NYU should be included.
Updated with what I have.
Thanks Joe for all your hard work on this, and reaching out to us while we were in Hollywood.
As was agreed in the beginning, the Rick Schmidlin Card is First, and as you correctly stated the Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz is second and followed by the special thanks card toward the end. There are several others, but generally speaking they would not be of interest to most magicians on this blog.
Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz
To make this deal I also needed a great composer so Brane Zivkovic who has taught music composition at NYU film school helped make it happen. And put a lot of devoted work to do the score.
The The Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department at
New York University Library let Larry see the film one last time on a safe flatbed with Benjamin Moskowitz and cleaning and inspecting the film before viewing
in a very careful way, and Larry was happy. It was the last time he would see the film and his comments were priceless. This was a special day for him. And he saved the film just for the right time so you all had a chance to see it on big screen in Hollywood
Kim Kimberly Tarr from NYU inspected the film and put many hours of work to clean and prepare it to go Metropolis Post for the digital restoration.
Also NYU did this out of the goodness of their heart!
Thomas Eberschveiler spent over three month’s working every workday to correct the speed, get the jitter’s out and clean the picture and do the digital restoration. He did a remarkable job.
I had a before and after DVD with me but was not invited anywhere to show it when in L.A..
Jack Rizzo who own’s Metropolis Post donated many free hours on time to make it the best it could be. Unheard off in this industry!
Along with Brane and myself. Kim came from NY and Thomas came from Paris to be at the at premier. I introduced them and they were with me the entire time.
Charlie Tabash Senoir VP of Programming for TCM gave it the green light and made it his baby too!
This was a team effort with a lot a love from the above, it could have not been done without them.
Thanks for that wonderful insight, Rick. I would love to see a before and after DVD. It was obvious, that a lot of special care went into preserving/restoring this film. My sincere thanks as well to Brane Zivkovic, The Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Communications Department at NYU Library, Benjamin Moskowitz, Kim Kimberly Tarr, Thomas Eberschveiler, Jack Rizzo and Charlie Tabash and TCM.
So glad, Larry got to see enjoy it one more time.
No doubt it was a fabulous and wonderful team. All need to be thanked and complimented for an amazing job.
Unfortunately, on Sunday we were kept backstage away from the public all that day. We left the hotel with Rick and were backstage all of the day from theater to theater. Rick never mentioned who was in town. The only people we saw, last minute before the second screening, were Rick, Brane Zivkovic and Kim Tarr and Thomas Eberschveiler for a split second. We had arrived several days before and no one let us know they were in town or got in touch with us. With our high profile and cell phones, we are very easy to reach. We did not know the NYU group was there until the end of the film. It would have been great to spend time with the whole team in advance. The day went by too fast.
I don’t think they ever introduced themselves to the magicians and Houdini fans. The magicians and Houdini fans would have welcomed them with open arms. This was an event that many flew in from great distances just to see “The Grim Game.” Some of the magic group even hung out in the theater for quite a while after the film was over. That said, it was a great day for Houdini! Getting the Houdini recognition from the Mayor and seeing the film on the big screen with Brane leading the musicians, was an experience that everyone in the audience will never forget. Thank You to everyone!
It all went by so fast and furious. There were a lot of missed opportunities. Before we knew it, it was over!!!
Dorothy Dietrich and Dick Brookz
The Houdini Museum, Scranton, PA
The Only Building in the World Dedicated to Houdini
>>Rick never mentioned who was in town.<<
Kim and Thomas bothy got to Hollywood Saturday. I told you at the W parking they would be there but things I guess where hectic as you were getting ready. Kim walked with to Grim Game screening where we met Thomas. They were both backstage,again you two had a lot going on to get ready.
Hindsight is 20/20. That said, this was still the event of a lifetime. Thank You to everyone for making it happen.
I thought some like to read the opening card:
THE GRIM GAME (1919) was Harry Houdini’s first feature film. In 1947, collector Larry Weeks acquired the only surviving version of the film from Houdini’s heirs. He transferred the original 35mm nitrate negative to 16mm safety film, and over the years screened it for small groups of select friends and magicians. Originally reported to have been 5 reels, the movie is actually 5 ½, with the first two reels transferred from the 16mm negative and the last 3 ½ reels from a first-generation 16mm print. The original reels have now been restored with the best sources available today.
Rick Schmidlin
Restoration Producer
Very cool! That is some interesting information. Thanks for sharing the opening card.
I’m so sorry, Rick. Not getting you and the members of the restoration team together with us Houdini Nuts was a HUGE oversight on my part and entirely my fault. I really didn’t know who was in town when, and I was running amuck much of the time. We would have loved to have heard tales of how you made all this happen. Hope I can make it up to you some day. Next time you or anyone involved with the film are in town I will arrange an evening at the Castle for us all. Again, sorry, but THANK YOU for still giving us all the best Houdini night of our lives.
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