Houdini but neither age perceptibly during their long partnership.
Curtis in private life) are cheerfully eager in their portrayals of Mr. But, as Tony Curtis, who plays the title role, says, "magic is all I know," so it might as well be attributed to magic.
And though the film touches on such items as Houdini's interest in communicating with his dead mother and his exposure of fake mediums, these are only cursory matters.One is tempted to question the presentation of Houdini's death or the length of time he spent in the Detroit River as depicted on the screen. Houdini and his beauteous, blonde partner, who is sometimes terrified at her husband's choice of profession, make a handsome couple who differ occasionally but are ideal mates. Such neat tricks as the magician's escapes from a strait-jacket while hanging head down from a Manhattan rooftop from a supposedly foolproof London jail and from a steel trunk dropped into the frozen Detroit River are calculated to keep a spectator interested.But the saga of the romance and backstage trials and tribulations of Houdini and the young girl he quickly woos and marries is pat stuff. Despite the rich sources at hand, the fabulous magician's career emerges as a succession of escapes, legerdemain and a rags-to-riches idyll that does not precisely cleave to the truth and rarely breaks away from standard screen fiction.In following Philip Yordan's script, director George Marshall is largely dependent on the more spectacular highlights of Houdini's colorful story than the man himself. Although his exploits mystified and captivated a previous generation, the Technicolored biography of "Houdini," which turned up at the Holiday yesterday, is hardly spellbinding.
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