This is one I've been meaning to post for a while. In the 1995 BBC documentary, Houdini, The Life of the World's Greatest Escapologist (a good documentary that's notorious for showcasing Ruth Brandon and her impotency theory), there appears this 35 second clip of what looks to be an unknown silent Houdini biopic.
So is this really a lost Houdini biopic? The documentary credits only add to the confusion, calling this a "1928 Bio-Pic 'The Great Houdini' © Ealing Film Studios MCMXCIII." The roman numeral on the copyright is 1993, so that might be the tip-off that this was created just for the doc.
But if that's the case, where are the credits for the actors, and why call it specifically a "1928 Bio-Pic"? Being English, it's not impossible to believe that it had slipped under the radar for this long, and the 1993 copyright could simply mean that's when it was uncovered.
As exciting as the idea of a lost Houdini biopic is, I'm pretty sure this was made for the documentary, and it's probably tagged with the 1928 date because that was the year Ealing was founded. And the documentary does indulge in several other "artist" moments, so....
What do you think?
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
All Time Most Popular Posts
-
Did Houdini have extramarital affairs? As biographers have dug deeper and deeper into the Houdini story, his once chaste (even prude) reputa...
-
The Houdini straitjacket authenticated by magician Murray Sawchuck on last night's episode of Pawn Stars has hit eBay with an asking pric...
-
Here is an incredible never-before-published photograph of Houdini performing his Water Torture Cell in Scotland that will be on display sta...
-
Here's a publicity stunt worthy of Houdini. To promote the availability of The Secret Adventures of Houdini at Forbidden Planet in NYC, art...
-
Richard Sherry and Dayle Krall of The Magic of Sherry and Krall have created an authentic working replica of Houdini's Chinese Water Tortur...

It would help to know the context for this clip. It's hard to tell from the footage if it's really that old or, as you said, just made for the documentary.
ReplyDeleteYou mean the context within the doc itself? They are just talking about the death of Houdini's father and then they cut to this clip to show the "promise."
DeleteSorry to rock the boat guys, but I checked this out as soon as the program was aired over here in the UK, all those years ago. It was specially made for the documentary. I have no more details ,but there certainly isn't any more footage.
DeleteCool, thank you, Mick. I figured as much. Guess I just wanted it to be true. :)
Delete