Houdini ***½ (1953, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Torin Thatcher, Sig Ruman, Angela Clarke, Ian Wolfe) – Classic Movie Review 4545

Paired for the first time in their five films together, Tony Curtis stars with his then wife Janet Leigh in director George Marshall’s largely imaginary 1953 biopic of the great escaper Harry Houdini (aka Erich Weiss, 1874-1926) that takes the story from Houdini being a humble fairground conjurer to becoming a world-famous escape artist and master magician whose passing on 31 October is still celebrated as International Magic Day.

There is plenty of energy in the attractive performances and Paramount’s colourful (though heavily studio-bound) production, making this gentle, pleasing escapist entertainment. Marshall directs an appealing movie at a fast lick, pausing only for dull romantic interludes, when the film stalls. Philip Yordan’s screenplay is based on a book story by Harold Kellock.

Leigh plays Mrs Bess Houdini and Torin Thatcher is the great mans’s helper, Otto. Sig Ruman, Angela Clarke as Harry’s Mother, Ian Wolfe, Connie Gilchrist, Michael Pate, Stefan Schnabel, Malcolm Lee Beggs, Frank Orth, Barry Bernard, Douglas Spencer, Tor Johnson, Frank Jaquet, Grace Hayle, Mike Mahoney, Torben Meyer, Mary Murphy, Ralph Peters, Tudor Owen, Lyle Latell and Mabel Paige also appear.

Curtis recalled: ‘Janet and I were just married then. They thought it would be a good teaming, and it was. It was very successful.’

Indeed it was – it was his first clear success – and critics agreed that it showed that his acting skills had progressed and improved enormously.

The Houdini theatrical release poster.

Houdini is directed by George Marshall, runs 105 minutes, is produced and released by Paramount Pictures, is written by Philip Yordan, based on the book by Harold Kellock, is shot in Technicolor by Ernest Laszlo, is produced by George Pal and is scored by Roy Webb, with Art Direction by Albert Nozaki and Hal Pereira, and Costume Design by Edith Head.

Houdini died on Halloween 1926, but several weeks after his last stage performance, not on stage as the film shows. Curtis was born just before this, on 3 June 1925.

Curtis and Leigh followed it up with The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), The Vikings (1958), The Perfect Furlough (1958) and Who Was That Lady? (1960). They divorced on 14 September 1962.

The life story was remade in the 1998 TV movie Houdini with Johnathon Schaech, and Adrien Brody plays him in the TV mini-series Houdini (2014).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4545

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