Lost and found: Houdini has ‘Game’

Film · Reviews
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Among the many mysteries surrounding Harry Houdini is the question of whether he might have parlayed his charismatic stage persona into sound-era movie stardom. The peerless illusionist and escape artist died almost precisely a year before the release of the first feature-length talkie, The Jazz Singer. His filmography consists of five silent films, the second ...

Houdini’s Hollywood hijinx revealed @ Barn

Film
It’s not widely known that magician/escape artist Harry Houdini produced and starred in several silent films, including two features for Famous Players-Lasky Paramount. Yes, in his spare time (i.e., when he was not tied up) Houdini was a film pioneer. It’s a story that John Cox, a screenwriter and blogger at wildaboutharry, will soon unlock, ...

Oy. Harry. Would you please lighten up? Harry Houdini goes for a dip.

Theater · Visual arts
European financial system on the brink … Steve Jobs dead at 56 …. distraction and dissolution everywhere. It all feels so dire. Not sure whether this photo of major meshuggenah, Harry Houdini, will lighten your mood or not. Something in this shot of Mr. Ball-and-Chain spoke to me. Seems to suit the zeitgeist. World, could’ja ...

What a guy! Ehrich Weiss, a.k.a. Harry Houdini

Ideas & Opinion · Theater
The absolutely fabulous “Houdini: Art and Magic,” which opens tomorrow at the Skirball Center along with its equally wonderful companion show, “Masters of Illusion, Jewish Magicians of the Golden Age,” injects fun, mystery and gamesmanship into the ether — right when we need it most. Jewish guys dressed in turbans and tuxedos, waving wands, and ...

Harry Houdini, who he? See: Skirball Center

Visual arts
Houdini: Art and Magic, coming soon to the Skirball Cultural Center, traces magician and escape artist Harry Houdini’s evolution from fledgling circus performer in the 1890s, to stage magician at the turn of the twentieth century, to star of stage and film. Featuring more than 150 artifacts, the exhibition illuminates Houdini’s compelling story through historical ...