Houdini

Harry Houdini rises from obscurity to worldwide fame as a stage magician and escape artist in the early twentieth century. His act centers on freeing himself from shackles, ropes, handcuffs and locked cells, and his reputation grows until even Scotland Yard's jails become part of the show. Alongside his public career, the film follows his marriage to Bess, whose role in his life and performances is central to the story. As audiences demand ever more dangerous stunts, the pressure on Houdini builds.

George Marshall directed the film, the seventh of the thirteen features he made in chronological order, coming between Scared Stiff in 1953 and Destry in 1954. Philip Yordan wrote the screenplay, and George Pal produced. Tony Curtis plays Houdini, with Janet Leigh as Bess Houdini. Torin Thatcher, Angela Clarke, Stefan Schnabel and Ian Wolfe appear in supporting roles.

Paramount released the 106-minute drama, history and romance in July 1953. On IMDb it holds a 6.8 rating from around 4,000 votes, while on TMDB its rating is 6.6 from roughly 80 votes. The much larger IMDb sample points to a steady, moderately favorable response that has held up over time, and the gap between the two figures reflects how few users have rated it on TMDB.