Houdini Rope Escape

Master magician Harry Houdini (1874-1926) starred in five silent films from 1919 to 1923. The famed illusionist/escape artist also founded his own movie company, the Houdini Picture Corporation.

In 1919, the great Houdini entered the movie business, eventually appearing in a total of five silent films that are now available in a special three-disc DVD box set: Houdini: The Movie Star DVD (Kino International, 2008).

I have not been able to confirm the exact film that this scene is from, but my guess is that it was a part of "The Master Mystery" (Octagon Films, 1920), a 15 chapter serial — also known as The Houdini Serial — which starred the great Houdini as Quentin Locke, an enterprising G-man who tries to crack a powerful criminal organization.

(Published in Cinemarolling by William J Felchner, on January 31, 2009).



http://www.christopherstarrmagic.com

• Category

  Entertainment

[swimmer1929]

I'd like to see you get out of it.

[ThomasJefferson776]

People used to move really fast back in those days

[Kieron Kealey]

we got a badass over here guys!

[SuperGamer87]

I don't think people really grasp the difficulty of this feat. Houdini would often do this under a minute, even dislocating his joints just to easily escape. I think most people escape him to do something a magician would do, and Houdini did do some feats that would classify him as "illusionist," but Houdini's main line of work was as a stunt performing entertainer. He was more out to do things very hard to do, all in record time, in shoulder-dusting fashion.

[SuperGamer87]

He got out of the ropes in about 40 seconds. Easily. Not many people can do that. Though, Houdini was primarily an entertainer--an escape artist, more specifically. He did things that have "illusionist" added to his repertoire, but his main claim to fame was as "escape artist," doing stunts that were daring or otherwise difficult, all in record time, even dislocating joints to escape. He never would've cared much to be called a "magician" since he was often out to debunk magicians' tricks.

[barkape]

probably fake knots.......

[diane eardley]

I noticed how he moves around constantly while being roped, etc. which gives just a little bit of room between his body and the rope so it isn't tight tight.

[NobodyWanKanobi]

No he never.

[NobodyWanKanobi]

I know how he died.I watched Planes,Trains and Automobiles when I was a kid. ;-D)

[Welshlaad]

Houdini died of peritonitis from a ruptured appendix on Halloween, October 31, 1926, at the age of 52. Houdini had sustained a blow to his abdomen from McGill University boxing student J. Gordon Whitehead

[maikel zambrano]

maestro houdini

[YourUserNameSucksJK]

Do you even know how he Houdini died??