So the 2nd half of the mini-series has aired, While not as bad as the 1st night was still very problematic in terms of timeline jumping getting it's facts wrong.
His 1st upside down straitjacket escape was in Kansas City on 9/8/1915. He did the escape in many locations around the country. I can forgive them the lapse in geography since he did such an escape in San Francisco during that time. It was actually his Brother Theo (Dash) Hardeen who suggested Harry do the straitjacket escape in full view of the audience.
He never gave up escapes for his wife, and While Bess did worry about him, she fully supported him and his ideas. Once again something made up of whole cloth.
They got a lot of his spiritualism busting right, but made a few changes to the timeline. He didn't go full bore into it until 10 years after his mother's death in 1913 so around 1922-23. The seance with the Conan-Doyles was pretty accurate save that is was around his mother's birthday not Houdini's. and the Automatic writing started with Lady Conan-Doyle writing a Cross at the top of the page, not something the wife of a Rabbi would use. Here is where Brody's height is most problematic. In reality Conan-Doyle towered over Houdini.
I'm somewhat confused why the filmmakers changed the name of the book he was promoting. Since the timeline was so off, it could have been one of two books, "Miracle Mongers and their methods" published in 1920 or "A magician Among the spirits" published in 1924. But since he didn't testify before congress until May 20th 1926 it could be either of them.
Houdini did vanish an elephant, but used a cabinet not a cloth carried in by assistants.
Finally we get a Houdini movie that shows his involvement in making movies. Horray!!!!
And we get to finally put to rest the myth that he died in the Chinese Water Torture tank. Yes the details around the punch that burst his appendix are out of order and wrong in geography, but the thought is there.
His Brother was at his bedside when he died at 1:26pm on Halloween 1926. and it was nice to see the actual newsreel footage of the funeral at the end. For some reason the 2nd half ran 90 minutes as opposed to 2 hours. They really could've used the extra 30 minutes.
Overall I did not care for this incarnation of Houdini's life. the accuracy was a big issue and there was no need to make things up, much less cut out a lot of detail.
The acting was so-so, and casting was all wrong. I count it as the most inaccurate version of his life yet put on screen. I expected better than this from the History channel.
His 1st upside down straitjacket escape was in Kansas City on 9/8/1915. He did the escape in many locations around the country. I can forgive them the lapse in geography since he did such an escape in San Francisco during that time. It was actually his Brother Theo (Dash) Hardeen who suggested Harry do the straitjacket escape in full view of the audience.
He never gave up escapes for his wife, and While Bess did worry about him, she fully supported him and his ideas. Once again something made up of whole cloth.
They got a lot of his spiritualism busting right, but made a few changes to the timeline. He didn't go full bore into it until 10 years after his mother's death in 1913 so around 1922-23. The seance with the Conan-Doyles was pretty accurate save that is was around his mother's birthday not Houdini's. and the Automatic writing started with Lady Conan-Doyle writing a Cross at the top of the page, not something the wife of a Rabbi would use. Here is where Brody's height is most problematic. In reality Conan-Doyle towered over Houdini.
I'm somewhat confused why the filmmakers changed the name of the book he was promoting. Since the timeline was so off, it could have been one of two books, "Miracle Mongers and their methods" published in 1920 or "A magician Among the spirits" published in 1924. But since he didn't testify before congress until May 20th 1926 it could be either of them.
Houdini did vanish an elephant, but used a cabinet not a cloth carried in by assistants.
Finally we get a Houdini movie that shows his involvement in making movies. Horray!!!!
And we get to finally put to rest the myth that he died in the Chinese Water Torture tank. Yes the details around the punch that burst his appendix are out of order and wrong in geography, but the thought is there.
His Brother was at his bedside when he died at 1:26pm on Halloween 1926. and it was nice to see the actual newsreel footage of the funeral at the end. For some reason the 2nd half ran 90 minutes as opposed to 2 hours. They really could've used the extra 30 minutes.
Overall I did not care for this incarnation of Houdini's life. the accuracy was a big issue and there was no need to make things up, much less cut out a lot of detail.
The acting was so-so, and casting was all wrong. I count it as the most inaccurate version of his life yet put on screen. I expected better than this from the History channel.
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