The Great Houdini (film)
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2009}}
{{Infobox television
| alt_name = The Great Houdinis
| image = TheGreatHoudinis.jpg
| image_size =
| image_alt =
| caption =
| genre = Biography
Drama
| based_on =
| writer = Peter Benchley
Melville Shavelson
| screenplay =
| story =
| director = Melville Shavelson
| starring = Paul Michael Glaser
Sally Struthers
| theme_music_composer = Peter Matz
| country = United States
| language = English
| executive_producer =
| producer =
| location = 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California
| cinematography = Arch R. Dalzell
| editor = John Woodcock
| camera =
| runtime = 96 minutes
| company = ABC Circle Films
| budget =
| network = ABC
| released = {{Start date|1976|10|08}}
}}
The Great Houdinis {{aka}} The Great Houdini is a 1976 American made-for-television biographical film which is a fictionalized account of the life of the Hungarian-American escape artist and entertainer Harry Houdini. The film was written and directed by Melville Shavelson and features Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky & Hutch) and Sally Struthers (All in the Family) and originally aired on ABC on October 8, 1976.{{Cite web|url = http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2011/03/making-of-great-houdinis.html |title = Making of The Great Houdinis|accessdate = March 19, 2011}}
Overview
The movie features the early career of Houdini, the relationship between his wife and mother, and his and his wife's attempts to reach "the other side,” with him attempting to contact his deceased mother and her attempting to contact Houdini himself after his death. Although the film portrays a strained relationship between Houdini's wife and mother, in reality they got along relatively well.
Some notable performances were turned in by Vivian Vance as Bess Houdini's nurse (and the narrator), Ruth Gordon as Houdini's mother, Peter Cushing as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Bill Bixby as Rev. Arthur Ford.
When the film was rebroadcast on April 6, 1977, the title was changed to The Great Houdini.{{Cite web|url = http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2012/07/great-houdinis-title-mystery-solved.html |title = 'Great Houdinis' title mystery solved!|accessdate = July 19, 2012}}
Cast
- Paul Michael Glaser as Harry Houdini (Erich Weiss)
- Sally Struthers as Bess Houdini
- Ruth Gordon as Cecilia Weiss
- Vivian Vance as Minnie (Nurse)
- Adrienne Barbeau as Daisy White
- Bill Bixby as Rev. Arthur Ford
- Jack Carter as Theo Weiss
- Peter Cushing as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Nina Foch as Rev. Le Veyne
- Wilfrid Hyde-White as Supt. Melville
- Geoffrey Lewis as Dr. Crandon
- Maureen O'Sullivan as Lady Conan Doyle
- Clive Revill as Dundas Slater
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons}}
- {{IMDb title|id=0074587|title=The Great Houdini}}
- [http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/2011/03/making-of-great-houdinis.html Making of The Great Houdinis] at [http://www.wildabouthoudini.com/ Wild About Harry]
{{Melville Shavelson}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Great Houdinis (Film), The}}
Category:1976 television films
Category:1970s biographical films
Category:American Broadcasting Company original films
Category:American biographical television films
Category:Films about magic and magicians
Category:Films directed by Melville Shavelson
Category:Cultural depictions of Harry Houdini
Category:Cultural depictions of Arthur Conan Doyle
Category:Films set in the 1890s
Category:Films set in the 1900s
Category:Films set in the 1910s
Category:Films set in the 1920s
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