The Haunting of Johnathon Schaech

Here's a unique episode of Houdini-related television. In this episode of The Haunting Of..., actor Johnathon Schaech, who we know as the star of Houdini (1998), returns to the Paramount Theater in Austin to tell of his strange experience during the movie's premiere.

I'm a skeptic when it comes to reality ghost shows like this. I also think the real Houdini would have made mincemeat of this medium/host. But Johnathon tells an intriguing story and comes off as very sincere.

Last year I had the pleasure of visiting the Paramount in Austin. It's a beautiful theater and certainly one of the best-preserved Houdini theaters. I got a full tour, including the haunted projection booth. It was ghostless, as far as I could tell.

Thanks to Dean Carnegie at The Magic Detective for this. Check out Dean's recent post about Houdini (1998) HERE. 

Related:

• HOUDINI (1998)
• Exploring Houdini's Austin
• Johnathon Schaech shares story of sexual abuse

Johnathon Schaech pays tribute to his Sir Arthur

Houdini (1998) star Johnathon Schaech tweeted out this tribute to actor David Warner, who passed away Monday at age 80.

RIP David Warner ❤️ You’ll always be MY Sir Arthur Conan Doyle — thank you for the lessons I learned

What an acting force! 🙏🏼

He helped me believe that my work as Houdini was special. pic.twitter.com/Vtlf0pAaWf

— John-a-thon Schaech (@JohnSchaech) July 25, 2022

Related:

• HOUDINI (1998)
• R.I.P. David Warner and Paul Sorvino
• Johnathon Schaech shares story of sexual abuse

R.I.P. David Warner and Paul Sorvino

Yesterday saw the loss of two celebrated actors who, ironically, both appeared in the 1998 TNT original movie HOUDINI.

English actor David Warner passed away at age 80. Warner portrayed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to Johnathon Schaech's Houdini in the film. The biopic condensed their famous friendship and falling out into a single visit to Doyle's home, but Warner's gravitas made for a great Sir Arthur. I'm also a fan of his turn as Jack the Ripper in the excellent Time After Time.

Actor Paul Sorvino also died yesterday at age 83. Sorvino portrayed the fictional radio announcer "Blackburn" in the movie's recreation of the Final Houdini Seance.

Check out the blog Travalanche by Trav S.D. for tributes to both David Warner and Paul Sorvino.

Related:

• 20th anniversary of TNT's HOUDINI
• Houdini (1998) now available on DVD
• The real story of Houdini & Doyle

Hollywood kills Houdini

Today is the 95th Anniversary of the death of Harry Houdini in Detroit. How did Houdini die? Let's take a look at what Hollywood tells us.

When a Houdini biopic was being shopped around Hollywood in the 1930s, Columbia Picture's head Harry Cohen passed on the project, complaining Houdini's life lacked romance and "needed a better ending than a punch in the solar plexus." Hollywood never seemed to get past this, and over the course of five biopics has tried to add drama to Houdini's death. Here's how Hollywood killed Houdini.

Houdini (1953)

The classic biopic Houdini starring Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh decided to have Houdini die onstage inside his "Pagoda Torture Cell." It's plenty dramatic and for many decades people believed this is how Houdini really died (and some still do). The idea that Houdini is suffering the early stages of appendicitis is established in an earlier scene. And before he performs the fatal escape he runs into the handle of prop sword in his dressing room, presumably rupturing that problematic appendix.

The Great Houdinis (1976)

By 1976 the belief that Houdini died onstage in his Water Torture Cell was so wide spread that Hollywood couldn't resist doing it all over again. Give the people what they want! But this time the dressing room punch is also nicely dramatized for the first time. And Houdini doesn't actually die onstage. Over a freeze frame we hear Mini's voice explaining that he died a week later in Grace Hospital. So they were able to have it both ways. I do love Mini's final line: "We all knew he was waiting for Halloween. Made such a nice headline."

Houdini (1998)

Despite striving for more accuracy on several fronts, this 1998 movie from TNT decided to once again trap Houdini inside his Water Torture Cell. But he doesn't actually drown this time. Instead he dies in the hospital on what appears to be the operating table. The punch is also part of the chain of events, but it's a blink and you'll miss it moment.

Death Defying Acts (2008)

By the 2000s most people knew Houdini didn't die in the Water Torture Cell and that his death had something to do with a punch to the stomach. That was good enough for this indie feature which depicts Houdini being punched in the stomach in the lobby of a Montreal hotel and dropping dead on the spot.

Houdini Miniseries (2014)

For once Houdini's final days and death are portrayed largely accurately. But despite fine performances by stars Adrian Brody and Kristin Connolly, Harry Cohen might have been right. It's a little anti-climatic. As for Harry being kissed by Mama's in a sexy nurse outfit...what a weird movie this was.

I'm sure Hollywood isn't done killing Houdini in their own creative ways. What does the future hold? We'll find out!

Remembering

HARRY HOUDINI

on the

95th ANNIVERSARY 

OF HIS (REAL) DEATH

October 31, 1926

George Segal dies at 87

Actor George Segal has passed away at age 87. While Segal is well known for his many roles in film and television, including an Oscar nomination for Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, we know him as the man who portrayed manager Martin Beck in the 1998 TNT biopic Houdini with Johnathon Schaech. It's the only time Beck has appeared in a Houdini movie.

You can read more about Segal's life and career at Deadline Hollywood.

Related:

• HOUDINI (1998)
• Martin Beck - the man who discovered Houdini

Mystifier, First Quarter 1999

Continuing my issue by issue look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The Mystifier kicked off 1999 with a slight makeover of its masthead and a review of the TNT Houdini biopic by new curator Kimberly Louagie. It's less a review than a summary of the movie and a fact check of events. In the end, Louagie concludes:

The TNT original movie Houdini is well done. Many of the events ring true to life, such as his poverty stricken childhood, death defying escapes, anti-Spiritualist crusade and his untimely death. The depictions of these events seem so accurate that the less tangible things about his life become more real. Not much is known about Houdini's personal life because he left very little record of it. It is in this unknown world that Densham uses creative license and captures our imaginations.

Following the review is a lengthy article about Kimberly Louagie herself. It's then reported that the new HHC website is going strong with 12,400 hits since its creation on May 24, 1998. A Young Magicians workshop is announced for April. The museum shop announces a clearance sale, including their special Houdini phone cards marked down from $39.95 to just $5.00. New Members include familiar names George Ford, Scott McGraw, and Mark Schwartz.

Sid Radner begins his "Backstage" column by welcoming the new curator. He then announces that the Houdini musical, which premiered at the Goodspeed Opera House, will be moving to the Marriott Theater in Lincolnshire, Illinois, with a new actor in the role of Houdini. Sid, who had been a great champion of the production, now levels some criticism:

If you're looking for new facts about Houdini, of course, you won't find any in the production. You will get more of the fiction that each production seems to add to the historical confusion surrounding Houdini. In this musical, Houdini and Hardeen fight over Bess. Later in the production Houdini has an affair with–guess who–Margery.

Sid then offers a correction to the Marie Blood interview from the last issue, saying Houdini stood 5' 4", not 5' 7". (Actually, a 1926 physical puts his height at exactly 5' 5.276".) Sid notes the new musical Ragtime features Houdini as major character. He again urges members of the HHC to write the Post Office Board to request a Houdini stamp. This would become a personal crusade for Sid, which would ultimately succeed.

Sid closes with the news that he and Tom Boldt are exploring the idea of doing the Official Houdini Seance in London that year. This would be the first time the seance was held outside the United States. "Think about it," says Sid, "Wouldn't Houdini wish to return in his glory days in London?"

Mystifier

Volume 9, Number 1

First Quarter, 1999

6 pages

Contents:

Houdini Film Captures Imagination
New Curator Joins HHC Staff
Young Magicians Workshop Planned
Museum Shop News

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• HOUDINI (1998)
• 'Houdini' at the Goodspeed Opera House in 1997
• Doctor's report reveals the physical Houdini

Mystifier, Fourth Quarter 1998

Continuing my issue by issue look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The bulk of the Fourth Quarter 1998 Mystifier is taken up with a delightful Q&A interview with Houdini's niece Marie Hinson Blood. In it Marie shares many memories of her Uncle Harry and Aunt Bess. Some of the stories are familiar ones, but at the start she reveals some biographical details about Bess and the Rahner family that I don't believe have appeared elsewhere.

Marie: Well, there were eight children, one boy. The father died when Bess was twelve years old, and my mother was 8 months old. The oldest child in the family was engaged to a young man that was a tailor. They married, and luckily he had a big tailor shop. All the girls, when they were old enough, worked in the tailor shop. Aunt Bess hated this. She hated sewing... it was to her advantage, because she made patterns and she designed them, and she was very, very good. Aunt Bess designed the clothes that [she and Houdini] had in the show. So it did help them. At the beginning she sewed the costumes, but later she had other people sew them.

There's also this interesting exchange:

Mystifier: What kind of person was your Aunt Bess? Was she optimistic and positive, or moody? Could you describe her? 

Marie: Never moody. Oh, no. Very vivacious. In fact, he [Houdini] was the one who was quiet. I don't think I ever heard him tell a joke in his life.

It's interesting how Marie and Dorothy Young, who both experienced the private Houdini, describe him as "quiet."

The newsletter also contains an article by Mick Hanzlik describing his work on a half-scale replica of the Water Torture Cell that's part a new Houdini display at The Magic Circle headquarters in London. The model was created by art design student Andrew White as a school project and purchased by The Magic Circle. Mick added special lighting effects and a motor that allows the feet of a figure of Houdini inside to move. Mick says the straitjacket Tony Curtis wore in Houdini (1953) is also part of the new display. Is that display still there, I wonder?

The museum shop then announces the arrival of new Houdini mouse pads and a 80-piece puzzle depicting the Water Torture Cell.

Sid Radner begins his "Backstage" column with a reproduction of a poem about Houdini by Sharon Olds. It's called "My Son the Man" and appears in the book The Wellspring (1996). Sid says it was brought to his attention by Ken Silverman.

Sid then reports on that year's Official Houdini Seance held in Las Vegas. Attendees included actor Johnathan Schaech and director Pen Densham who premiered their new TNT Houdini biopic at the seance. Sid says it was "very well received." As always, Sid is proud of the publicity the seance generated, noting that it got an "exceptional story in USA Today."

Sid closes with the news that a new play, The Great Houdini, is set to open at the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood in April 1999. Sid reports that playwright Alan London spent 12 years writing the play. [!]

Mystifier

Volume 8, Number 4

Fourth Quarter, 1998

6 pages

Contents:

A Conversation With Houdini's Niece, Marie Hinson Blood
The Houdini Exhibit at the Magic Circle, London
Museum Shop News

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• Never before seen footage of Houdini and Marie Blood
• AUDIO: Marie Hinson remembers her sister Bess Houdini
• Mick Hanzlik has passed away

Mystifier, Third Quarter 1998

Continuing my issue by issue look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The Third Quarter 1998 Mystifier begins with a report on the opening of a special exhibit devoted to Houdini's The Master Mystery. The exhibit was timed with the first VHS release of the movie by HHC charter member Bill McIlhany (covered in the previous issue). It gives a taste of what is on display:

Within a 700-square foot gallery, the exhibit alludes to early movie theaters. Seven original posters create colorful focal points for the display. Backlit glass lantern slides illuminate how theater owners used the screen to advertise upcoming episodes. A reproduced 16-page pressbook reveals the promotional options available to those who booked the film. Movie stills and lobby cards capture images from the motion picture.

The newsletter continues with the news that curator Meg Ehr is leaving to be married in Ohio and the search in on for a new curator. There's a report on Bill McIlhany's talk about restoring The Master Mystery at the Houdini Club of Wisconsin's recent convention in Appleton. We then get the exciting news is that Houdini's "Iron Maiden" (more correctly called a gibbet), having survived the Niagara Falls museum fire, is now on display at the HHC. The newsletter provides a nice description of the famous prop, including dimensions:

The apparatus is composed of two pieces, one section imprisoning Houdini from foot to shoulders, while the other covered his shoulders and head. The total interior height of the Iron Maiden is 74 inches and the shoulder width is 22 inches. From foot to shoulder, the bottom section measures 56 inches.

Today Houdini's gibbet is in the David Copperfield Collection.

The museum shop announces the arrival of The Master Mystery VHS along with several new postcards. We also get a report on the recent filming of an episode of  E! Entertainment's Mysteries & Scandals at the HHC.

Sid Radner begins his "Backstage" column with a report on the Houdini Club of Wisconsin's 60th Anniversary Convention held in Appleton over the Labor Day weekend (which I attended). He then announces that The Official Houdini Seance will be held in Las Vegas. Seance attendees will get an early screening of TNT's new Houdini biopic starring Johnathon Schaech. Curiously, Sid says Houdini was in Las Vegas during his lifetime, but I'm unaware of any Las Vegas visits, unless Sid is counting train stops during his trips west?

Sid also reports on E! Entertainment's filming at the HHC -- "It seems Houdini holds perennial appeal" -- and that he has received word from Dr. Joan Higbee, reference specialist to the Library of Congress, that Houdini will appear in the December issue of Civilization Today.

Mystifier

Volume 8, Number 3

Third Quarter, 1998

6 pages

Contents:

Houdini's Master Mystery Opens
McIlhany Speaks in Appleton
Curator Ehr Departs for Ohio Wedding Plans
Iron Maiden Added to Exhibit
Museum Shop News

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• What Sid told me
• Houdini on Mysteries & Scandals
• Houdini Club of Wisconsin celebrates 74 years

Mystifier, First Quarter 1998

Continuing my issue by issue look back at the Mystifier, the newsletter of the Houdini Historical Center that ran from 1991-2003.

The controversial "Masked Magician" television specials continued to stir up the magic world at the start of 1998. This inspired the HHC to create a special display, as curator Margaret Ehr explains in the First Quarter Mystifier:

The ongoing discussion about revealing the secrets behind magic effects provides a focus for the latest installation in the Houdini exhibit's document case. Fueled by the Fox television network's two recent magic expose programs, the latest wave of controversy prompted the Houdini Historical Center to explore Houdini's own revelations during his career.

The display includes Houdini's Ladies Home Journal article on "How I Get Out of A Strait-Jacket" as well as excerpts from his book Handcuff Secrets beside various shackles. While the display sounds interesting, eventually Sid Radner and the HHC would have a falling out over exposure displays. One wonders if the seeds of that conflict were first planted here?

Speaking of handcuffs, this newsletter contains a true gem. It's a very well researched article by Mark Lundblad and Bill Liles that dissects Houdini's famous 1906 "Europe's Eclipsing Sensation" poster, identifying the various makes of handcuffs depicted on it.

The images included in the "Handcuff King" poster range from a very simple, single handcuff (Left 1) to a complex combination of multiple handcuffs (Left 3, Right 2 and Right 4). These cuffs may have been selected just for an appealing artistic balance or for other reasons. Perhaps Houdini intended this poster to be not only a sensational advertisement for upcoming performances, but also a personal commemoration of events from the many stages of his long and varied career.

The newsletter continues with the museum shop announcing it now has straitjackets in stock. (!) There's the announcement that Sidney Radner will give a lecture about "Jeanette Chapman: Houdini's Undercover Girl" on April 27. Chapman worked with Houdini in 1925 as one of his spiritualist agents. Intriguingly, it says the lecture will include an 18 minute video interview with Chapman. I've never seen this video, but I would love to share it here!

Sid kicks off his "Backstage" column by noting that a clip from The Man From Beyond was shown on the Academy Awards during a segment celebrating 70 years of special effects. He also reveals that a new Houdini biopic will be produced by cable network TNT starring Johnathon Schaech. This bit of news, Sid notes, was sent in by John Cox "who always forwards Houdini news from Variety and other entertainment publications." Indeed I did!

Sid then announces that in the next issue of the Mystifier he will expose a man who calls himself "Harry Houdini Hardeen." The man is not a member of the family and is using a social security number of a deceased family member. "Let Houdini fans and historians be warned," says Sid. This would not appear in the following issue, nor do I recall it ever appearing. But I believe I encountered this character still working his con at the Houdini Walk of Fame Star ceremony in 2008.

Sid concludes with the "scoop" that Tom Thayer of Universal is planning to produce a movie about Houdini and Margery from a script by Edithe Swenson with "some very interesting new material involved." This project never surfaced, but I've met Tom and he still aspires to make his Houdini/Margery movie.

Mystifier

Volume 8, Number 1

First Quarter, 1998

6 pages

Contents:

Tools of the Trade
Member News
The Labors of Houdini
From the Museum Shop

Backstage with Sid Radner

PREVIOUS ISSUE | INDEX | NEXT ISSUE

Related:

• Houdini, the Magician's Code, and the Talking Tea Kettle scandal
• Oscars Houdini alumni
• 20th anniversary of TNT's HOUDINI

20th anniversary of TNT's HOUDINI

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the TNT Original movie HOUDINI. The two hour biopic aired on December, 6, 1998 at 8pm, and was immediately played a second time as an "encore." The movie was heavily promoted by TNT as a cable television event.

Written and directed by Pen Densham (who also produced the documentary Houdini Never Died), HOUDINI stars Johnathon Schaech as Houdini, Stacy Edwards as Bess, Mark Ruffalo as Hardeen, and George Segal as Martin Beck. For whatever reason, I've never warmed to it, even though the production design is excellent, as is the musical score. But it was the first Houdini biopic in 22 years, so it was treat to settle in and watch it unfold...20 years ago tonight.

TNT's HOUDINI is available on DVD.

Related:

• HOUDINI (1998)
• Reel Mirror
• Houdini (1998) now available on DVD

Johnathon Schaech shares story of sexual abuse

Johnathon Schaech, who played Houdini in the 1998 TNT cable movie Houdini, is latest person to come out with a story of sexual abuse at the hands of a person in power. In a piece written for People.com, Schaech says director Franco Zeffirelli made repeated sexual advances on the then 22-year-old during the making of the movie Sparrow.

Says the actor, "For my son, for the future of all of our kids, we have to stop it. Stop the evil. That’s why I wanted to talk. I want future generations to know they’re not alone."

Zeffirelli's family have denied the accusations, saying their father is currently ill and unable to defend himself.

Houdini, which co-stars Stacy Edwards as Bess and Mark Ruffalo as Hardeen, is available on DVD.

Related:

• HOUDINI (1998)
• Interview with Johnathon Schaech
• "You know what the lowest form of life is?"

LINK: Magician Harry Houdini -- Hot or Not?

This post at The Flaming Nose TV Blog appeared back in 2014. It's a terrific post by Lisa that assess the relative "hotness" of Houdini and the actors who have portrayed him on screen.

I'm sorry I failed to link to this back then, not only because it's an excellent post, but because I like supporting fellow bloggers who share their passions and knowledge. I think independent blogs like The Flaming Nose represent what's best about the Internet, and I fear they are now being downed out by the Twitters, Facebooks, and organizational blogs that are less about sharing passion and more about spreading agendas and advertising.

Or maybe I just like this because Lisa and I appear to be kindred spirits in our affection for the 1976 TV movie The Great Houdinis. It's also interesting to hear she worked in programming at TNT when the 1998 Johnathon Schaech biopic aired, so she has an insider's take on that film.

But why am I telling you this? Click on the headline and have a read for yourself, and let's keep on blogging!

Related:

• VIZ names Houdini the "Hunkiest Harry"
• Be "Hot Houdini" for Halloween
• History, Houdini, and the blogosphere

Houdini and his electric chair

In the 1998 Houdini cable movie starring Johnathon Schaech, there are two scenes showing Houdini sitting in an electric chair in his home. This begs the question; did Houdini own an electric chair? The answer is yes.

Houdini's electric chair, said to be the world's first, was originally displayed at Huber's Dime Museum on 14th Street in New York City where Houdini performed in his early years. According to Kellock's Houdini His Life Story, Houdini and the chair both made their debut at the museum at the same time:

On Houdini's first engagement there, he arrived simultaneously with the first electric chair, acquired by Huber from the Auburn prison, where it had first been used to kill [Kemmler], the murderer, in 1890. When Huber's and its effects were put on the auction block in 1910, Houdini, the indefatigable collector, parked himself at the sale, and the first day he came home in a cab triumphantly bearing the historic chair, which he had acquired for a bid of $6.70. His wife was never able to get this gruesome and unlovely relic out of the house. Whenever she had it quietly removed to the cellar, Houdini missed it and had it brought upstairs again. 

Houdini said of his purchase: "I want this chair for sweet sentiment's sake. It came while I did my first week at Huber's." At the same auction, he purchased an Egyptian mummy for $3.

I don't know what happened to Houdini's "sentimental" electric chair (or mummy). But if it was still in 278 after Houdini's death, it's unlikely it was something Bess kept.

So what did Houdini's electric chair look like? If Huber's did indeed get the chair from Auburn Prison, and it was the first, then it is the chair pictured below. A "spare chair" from the prison today resides at Swaby's Tavern in Auburn and can be seen HERE.

Despite the inherent drama, Houdini never performed an electric chair challenge escape, as far as I know. His only encounter with an electric chair came in his 1918 movie serial The Master Mystery. In fact, the chair we see in that scene does bear a resemblance to the Auburn chair. Could it be Houdini's own?

Thanks to Bill Mullins. The photo of Houdini in the electric chair above is Lot 192 in Potter & Potter's upcoming Houdiniana auction.

UPDATE: We now have the answer to what happened to Houdini's chair and also a photo! Check out: Houdini's electric chair - the shocking truth.

Related:

• HOUDINI (1998)
• Memories of "Dime Museum Harry"
• Master Mystery lobby card nabs $815

Houdini at the 67th Emmy Awards

The Emmy escaped Adrien Brody and Uli Edel at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards held last night in Los Angeles. Brody and Edel were nominated for Best Actor and Best Director for the Houdini miniseries. The awards went instead to Richard Jenkins for his performance in Olive Kitteridge and Lisa Cholodenko for her direction of Olive Kitteridge.

Was Adrien Brody in attendance? Well, check out this clip from Andy Sandberg's opening monologue:

Brody actually was there. He was back in his seat during the Best Actor award presentation by Lady Gaga, and later presented the Emmy to Viola Davis for Best Actress in a Drama Series.

Houdini was nominated for a total of seven Emmys. It came away with one win for "Outstanding Sound Editing For A Limited Series, Movie Or A Special." That award was presented to the sound team at the Creative Arts Emmys held on September 12 and broadcast Saturday night on FXX.

With its one win, the Houdini miniseries ties TNT's Houdini biopic in which Judy Crown won the Emmy for "Outstanding Hairstyle for a Miniseries, Movie or Special" at the 51st Emmy Awards in 1999.

Related:

• Houdini miniseries wins Emmy for Sound Editing
• Houdini – For Your Consideration
• Houdini miniseries locks up 7 Emmy nominations

Interview with Johnathon Schaech

Shockya.com has an exclusive interview with actor Johnathon Schaech, who is currently starring with Bruce Willis in the VOD series, Vice. Of course, we know Johnathon as the man who played Houdini in the 1998 TNT cable film, Houdini, opposite Stacy Edwards as Bess and Mark Ruffalo as Theo.

Schaech only mentions Houdini in passing ("When I played Harry Houdini, I studied magic for most of the shooting schedule"), but it's nice to catch up on what the hard working actor has been doing post-Harry.

Click to read the interview at Shockya.com.

Schaech's Houdini was released on DVD in 2013 and can be purchased at Amazon.com.

Related:

• HOUDINI (1998)
• Reel Mirror
• "How is it living with the most daring man alive?"

Hardeen beats Houdini

Actor Mark Ruffalo took home the SAG award for "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries" last night, beating out Adrien Brody for his nominated performance in Houdini. While Ruffalo won for the HBO series, The Normal Heart, around here he'll always be Theo Hardeen. Ruffalo played Houdini's brother and sometimes magic rival in the 1998 TNT production of Houdini starring Johnathon Schaech.

So Hardeen finally beat Houdini. Will wonders never cease?

Related:

• Adrien Brody nominated for SAG Award
• HOUDINI (1998)
• Oscar's Houdini alumni
  

Jim Bentley selling Houdini handcuff collection

Jim Bentley channeling Houdini.

Jim Bentley, a true legend of the Houdini world (he had played Houdini on stage and on TV numerous times), is selling his amazing collection of Houdini handcuffs and locks. The collection including working replicas of Houdini's Mirror Handcuff, the French Letter Cuff, and the Russian Manacle. These were made by master locksmith Ian McColl for the 1998 TNT biopic Houdini. The collection also includes genuine handcuffs from Houdini's time, and an assortment of antique locks and restraints.

The entire collection is housed in two cases which are themselves beautiful replicas the Houdini display cases made for the 1953 Houdini movie, and now part of the David Copperfield Collection. Jim also has letters and material related to the creation of the Houdini cuffs for the TNT movie, along with other Houdini related movie material.

Below are photos of the cases as they were recently displayed at the Malibu Playhouse during the run of Flim Flam: Houdini and the Hereafter.

Johnathon Schaech models the McColl/Bentley cuffs in Houdini (1998).

Jim would like to keep the collection together if he can. This is a very rare chance to own an amazing collection of handcuffs, and also a good way to help out Jim and his lovely wife Suzanne at a time when they could use some assistance.

If you are interested, email Jim at jbmagic123@gmail.com.

Houdini (1998) Greek VHS

Here's one I've never seen before. This is an international PAL VHS of the 1998 TNT biopic Houdini with Greek subtitles. Love the cover art. This is currently listed for sale on Amazon.com.

Houdini stars Johnathon Schaech as Houdini, Stacy Edwards as Bess, and Mark Ruffalo as Theo (Hardeen). It's a traditional biopic with outstanding production values. Click here to read my overview of the film.

Reel Mirror

Here's a December 6, 1998 issue of TV Times with a photo of actor Johnathon Schaech from the TNT TV movie Houdini that you don't typically see. What interesting is that he's holding the famous Mirror handcuffs. They look pretty good, but are they the real (or reel) thing?

I ran this past Mirror Handcuff expert Mick Hanzlik who says the actor is actually holding a Mirror replica made by collector Ian McColl. McColl provided handcuffs and restraints for the 1998 production. (You can read all about the various Mirror Handcuff replicas HERE.)

Despite this photo, the Mirror Handcuff Challenge was not in the 1998 TNT film. In fact, no biopic has yet dramatized this challenge. Might we finally see the Mirror Challenge in HISTORY's new Houdini biopic starring Adrien Brody?

Johnathon Schaech's Houdini is available on DVD via the Warner Archive Collection.

Related posts:

• Guest Blog: The Replica Mirror Cuffs
• HOUDINI (1998)

Well known actor playing Hardeen in Houdini miniseries?

Who is playing (the adult) Theo Hardeen in History's Houdini miniseries? According to Roger Dreyer at the Houdini Museum of New York, a "well known actor" auditioned for the part back in September, and even consulted with the museum about what Hardeen's voice sounded like. (Roger's answer: "a very tough guy. Thick Brooklyn accent." Correct.)

Roger isn't saying who that actor might be, but it is exciting to know they are looking to cast a familiar name against Adrien Brody's Houdini. The role of Houdini's younger brother has become increasingly important in Houdini biopics over the years. While Hardeen did not appear in the 1953 Tony Curtis classic Houdini, he did show up in The Great Houdinis (1976) played by Jack Carter. When it came time for TNTs Houdini in 1998, Hardeen was featured in a co-starring role played by Mark Ruffalo. It now looks like History's Houdini is following suit and will give us a healthy helping of the Monarch of Manacles.

So did this "well known actor" get the part? Hopefully we won't have to wait long to unlock the answer.

Houdini stars Adrien Brody as Houdini and Kristen Connolly as Bess. The 4-hour miniseries is being directed by Uli Edel from a script by Nicholas Meyer. Houdini is an A&E Studios Lionsgate co-production. It will air over the course of two nights on HISTORY in 2014.

Past Dashes: Jack Carter, Mark Ruffalo, Remy Auberjonois (Boardwalk Empire).

UPDATE: Tom Benedict Knight is Theo Hardeen.