The Great Houdini (film)
| The Great Houdinis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by |
Peter Benchley Melville Shavelson |
| Directed by | Melville Shavelson |
| Starring |
Paul Michael Glaser Sally Struthers |
| Theme music composer | Peter Matz |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Cinematography | Arch R. Dalzell |
| Editor(s) | John Woodcock |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Production company(s) | ABC Circle Films |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release |
|
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 and Hutch) and Sally Struthers (All in the Family) and originally aired on ABC on October 8, 1976.[1]
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," he attempting to contact his deceased mother, she 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 Beatrice'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.[2]
Cast
- Paul Michael Glaser - Harry Houdini (Erich Weiss)
- Sally Struthers - Bess Houdini
- Ruth Gordon - Cecilia Weiss
- Vivian Vance - Minnie (nurse)
- Adrienne Barbeau - Daisy White
- Bill Bixby - Rev. Arthur Ford
- Jack Carter - Theo Weiss
- Peter Cushing - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Nina Foch - Rev. Le Veyne
- Wilfrid Hyde-White - Supt. Melville
- Geoffrey Lewis - Dr. Crandon
- Maureen O'Sullivan - Lady Conan Doyle
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Great Houdini (film). |
References
- ↑ "Making of The Great Houdinis". Retrieved March 19, 2011.
- ↑ "'Great Houdinis' title mystery solved!". Retrieved July 19, 2012.