The Great Houdini

The film is more about seances, mediums, and communicating with the dead, than it is about great escapes. Under the influence of his overbearing Mother, Ruth Gordon, "The GreatHoudini", Paul Michael Glaser, has her shadow over him in both life and death. Once she passes on, Houdini is obsessed with trying to communicate with his Mother through seances and mediums. It is only after he is convinced that all efforts to speak with the dead are either through unhinged charlatans or out and out frauds, that he becomes a non believer, and sinks into the deepest of depressions. His long suffering wife, Sally Struthers, stands by him even as the religious right relentlessly attacks Houdini as a sort of anti-Christ. - MERK

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.

Accurate mini-biography of the great escapist and illusionist Harry Houdine, this real name is Erich Weisz, Jewish from Hungarian descendant, the name Houdini coming from the French magician Robert Houdini, due Erich held in high regard a sort of spiritual master, his closest mother is an earnest orthodox Jewish.

The movie starting in the night of new years's eve of new 20th century 1900 when Harry Houdini (Paul Michael Graser) brings at home his girlfriend Bess (Sally Struthers) when he introduces a catholic Bess to his mother Cecilia Weiss (Ruth Gordon) she falls apart over such misbelief, Houdini always have a special fond over his mother, thus such sudden marriage hurts so much Cecilia, mainly because Bess demands a catholic church wedding, hence Bess and Cecilia usually were in inharmonious coexistence.

Houdini didn't get enough success on America, then his mother sponsored thru his lifetime savings to the couple travel to London, where he meets Arthur Conan Doyle that leverage his career at Europe, as promised he brings his mother to Budapest to meet his closest circle ancestors, there once more Bess was not welcome due she is catholic, back at America the quarrelsome couple split for little while, to worsen his sick mother came to die, then Houdine withdraw of the shows and cloister himself in everlasting grieving process, aid by a suppose lover Daisy White (Adrienne Barbeau) followed into hospital aftermaths.

After exhaustive pleas of Bess finally Houdini back on tour, and come out the fatal day when he had received a punch at stomach without expect and the rest is history, well as TV movie it wasn't made it properly, has many mistakes on the picture, a careless production when exposes London in beginning of century with asphalt streets as instance, the lower budge scratch the movie in many aspects, quite sure it was the reason this feature was under appreciated and still wasn't restored and released on DVD, that a question that needs an answer.

Resume:

First watch: 1978 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 6.5.

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.

Yes Because it heavily dwelt upon Houdini's failures as even my Mom told me about this as well as the way little kids felt about this.Also being so as the basic premise of the Movie. But It still has a great all star cast including Paul Michael Glaser of Starsky and Hutch;Sally Struthers of All in the family;and Vivian Vance of I Love Lucy ;The Lucy Show and that 1977 Special of The President of The USA.Bill Bixby of My Favorite Martian and The Incredible Hulk fame,Also Jack Carter. Truly, Stephen "Steve" G. Baer of Framingham,MA P.S. Like Magic my personal Family name of Ste was come up with by the gift of gab and when my older Brother J.Kevin couldn't say Stephen.Also of which is a result of why i couldn't be brought up to prefer Stephen.Yes this is also the way allot of people get there nicknames.Like my Late Great Grandmother Alice Bouchet when my father Jack couldn't Say Grammy and when he said Bambi it thusly stuck. When I told this guy Stephen "Steve" Nutile of how I got to be Ste he then told that he knew of some other that that happened to and that when one of these boys couldn't say Brothers they Became the Bubs.Yes these memories more than have just brought happy tears to my eyes.