Halloween night 1926 and the life of the great Harry Houdini, the world’s most famous escape artist and magician, comes to an end.
Through the eyes of his friends and associates, this program traces back through the career of this strange, unique man. Some say he possessed supernatural powers and perhaps this was so because he performed feats of daring which to this day have not been duplicated.
The Magic of Houdini is more than a story of the life of a magician. It delves into the background, the thinking and the drive of this son of immigrant parents who captured the imagination of the world.
For the first time, the curtain is drawn back so we learn the secret of some of Houdini’s most famous illusions. We see the actual prop used in the crucifix escape trick and how the hidden razors created a mind-boggling illusion. One of his friends, Walter Gibson, shows us how the Great Houdini used his muscular and skeletal control to escape from a full-length strait jacket.
In later years, Houdini devoted his life to exposing fakery and fraudulent mediums. He believed that such trickery was a disservice to those who seek a link to the dead. Through newly-discovered footage, we also watch Houdini in his waning years as he makes his debut in some of the earliest of the movie serials. Disdaining camera trickery, he performs his memorable escapes and illusions before the probing eye of the movie camera.
The Magic of Houdini is a fascinating look into the life of a rare personality who created an unequaled place in history.

Note: This is a vintage program (produced in 1976), in standard definition (3 x 4), no M&E available,

Watch a clip here.

1976
Colapinto, USA