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.
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.