The Great Houdinis (1976)
A biography of the renowned escape artist Harry Houdini, examining his fascination with the occult and his promise to his wife on her deathbed that he would speak from the beyond.
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An extremely well made TV-movie directed by Melville Shavelson and starring Paul Michael Glaser as Harry Houdini. The films tracks the great magician's rise to fame in the early 1900s, his smashing success in London (where he befriends author Arthur Conan Doyle), and his ultimate demise in 1926. Covering Houdini's obsession with debunking spiritualists of the day, the film has quite a number of creepy séance scenes. Glaser is quite energetic in the title role and he's well paired with Sally Struthers as his infinitely patient wife Bess. Ruth Gordon is miscast as Houdini's meddlesome and highly intolerant mother. It's a role better suited for Shelley Winters. Director Shavelson (along with co-writer Peter Benchley) moves things along briskly. The supporting cast includes Adrienne Barbeau, Jack Carter, Peter Cushing (as Conan Doyle), Maureen O'Sullivan and Vivian Vance, who steals her scenes as the Houdini's wise-cracking live-in nurse.
This made-for-TV movie didn't do much for the careers of Paul Michael Glaser and Sally Struthers, who were starring in successful TV series at the time but didn't go on to bigger careers. It is simply a darker remake of the 1953 "Houdini," which starred Tony Curtis as legendary magician Harry Houdini and Janet Leigh as his wife. It's no more accurate than the previous film, and it's inferior in almost every way. Its only advantage is the physicality of action star Glaser in the title role. Houdini, like all the great escape artists of his day, was as much an athlete as an illusionist. Glaser looks like an athlete, which Curtis did not.
This is by far the best movie about Houdini. Paul Michael Glaser was wonderful as Houdini, Sally Struthers was excellent, and Vivian Vance was terrific as the Nurse. Would love to get this movie pre-recorded but have not been able to find it.
I have seen this TV movie twice, and have been searching for a copy of the video to purchase. I've seen other Houdini movies and biographies, but this is one I really want. Paul Michael Glaser and Sally Struthers were very real in their portrayal of Harry (Erich Weiss) Houdini and his wife, Bess.