In the 1920s, he became a professional skeptic and debunker of psychics, mind readers, mediums and others who claimed to be in contact with the deceased. He debunked psychics and the supernaturalĭistraught over his mother’s death, Houdini tried to contact her via séances, however he quickly discovered that the mediums conducting the séances were frauds. After achieving world-wide fame, he put magic in his act, but contemporary descriptions confirm that he was lackluster as a magician.ģ. He achieved fame by becoming an escape artist, “The King of Handcuffs”. He challenged audiences to tie him up or lock him in handcuffs, or nail him into boxes. Ironically, years later Houdini turned on his idol, and wrote a (mostly inaccurate) book called The Unmasking of Robert-Houdin, accusing him of being an imposter.Īlthough he started his career as a magician, he struggled, and was on the verge of quitting when producer Martin Beck encouraged him to make escapes the focus of his act. Young Erik named himself after his hero by adding an “i” to the name “Houdin” to create the stage name “Houdini” (there is debate about where “Harry” came from). As a teenager, he read the memoirs of French conjurer Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin (often called “The Father of Modern Magic”). Originally from Budapest, Hungary, Houdini’s real name was Erik Weisz. And the movie does have a satisfying twist that I won’t reveal.As one of the most well-known names in magic for his escape tricks, there is still much about Houdini’s life that some people may not know! Here are 6 things that you probably didn’t know about Harry Houdini.ġ. The second half of the film gets a little lost in sometimes bizarre “chosen one” mythology, but along the way we get to see Ehrich reading The Memories of Robert-Houdin and perform his first packing crate escape. Grimaldi, he is performing a (Disney-friendly) version of Paligenesia, the effect associated with Ehrich’s real-life influence, Dr. There is a clever variation on the “convict in cuffs” story when Ehrich frees a fellow traveler from handcuffs. Ehrich hops the wrong box car and ends up in Kanas City, as did the real Ehrich Weiss. Here the story travels into wholly fictional territory, nevertheless it still has nods to established Houdini lore. An encounter with “The Great Merlin” leads to Ehrich losing his locksmith job and after a dressing down by his stern father (Byrne Piven), Ehrich runs away to prove himself as a magician. “It is the most fantastic story you will ever hear,” says Houdini.įlashback to Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1886, where we meet “Ehrich Prince of the Air” honing his performance skills while also apprenticing to a local locksmith. Later in his dressing room, Houdini relates the story of his runaway days to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Roy Dotrice). It’s a pretty good recreation of the USD with a fairly authentic looking cell, although the conclusion owes more to Doug Henning’s interpretation than Houdini. The film begins with the adult Houdini (played by Jeffrey DeMunn who also played the magician in the film version of Ragtime) performing the Water Torture Cell in England. "I've idolized, you could almost say worshipped, Houdini all my life!" "Getting this role was like a dream come true for me," said 14-year-old star Wil Wheaton, who performed card and coin magic at the time. Tybalt Grimaldi (José Ferrer), a love interest in the pretty Calpernia (Kerri Green), and experiences true mysticism via an indian medicine man (J. Screenwriters James Cruickshank and Jim Orr (who also directed) fill in the gaps with a colorful story in which Ehrich finds a mentor in traveling show carney Dr. The young Houdini did run away from home in 1886 and little is known about his year-long adventures on the road. Young Harry Houdini tells the story of the “lost years” of Ehrich Weiss. The two-hour made for TV film starred Wil Wheaton and José Ferrer and was introduced by the relatively new Disney CEO, Michael Eisner (along with a special performance by “Mickey The Great”). On March 15, 1987, the Walt Disney Company aired Young Harry Houdini as part of their recently relaunched Disney Sunday Movie on ABC.
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