[EveningStar]

The two-part miniseries begins tonight on the History Channel at 9/8C and concludes tomorrow night.

Wikipedia article on Houdini

Wikipedia article on the miniseries

Official History Channel site (video contains spoiler)

[Perdogg]

ping

[EveningStar]

Hopefully, this will be more accurate than the 1953 Tony Curtis movie, which I did like.

[latina4dubya]

this is what i was telling your about...

[DeFault User]

The reviews seem somewhat mixed although the verdict is “watchable”.

[Vendome]

Loved their wallpaper ad that popped up while I was reading....

“Crtl W”...buh bye...

[Jim from C-Town]

I can only wonder if it will be as God Awful as the ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ Biopic they did a while ago. I hope this is better.

Will wait for Netflix as I dumped cable several months ago.

[Pilated]

Just the few bits of the ads for it gives me the impression of a creepy interpretation of half truths from the History Channel’s box of information that is always short on the actual facts.

[fhayek]

Spoiler? What spoiler? That Houdini died? Didn’t see that one coming.

[Beowulf9]

Houdini was kind of my champion in the way that he sought to expose the fake mediums and spiritualists of his day.

His dislike of these practices is the hallmark of a man who respects truth.

He was an interesting guy. He said he would try to ‘come back’ and left a message for his wife, Bess, to authenticate it if he did.

http://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_day_houdini_almost_came_back_from_the_dead

[lbryce]

Here's some fascinating trivia about Houdini, who's real name was Erich Weiss, hungarian Jew.

Interest in seances, contacting the deceased was a major past time in the late 1800's early 1900's which of course were all fraudulent. Houdini's interest in it was ore than just the opportunity for another trick but a genuine interest in the afterlife, fascination with it even existing.

He devised a plan with his wife as an experiment to determine whether or not contact with those who died was possible. The plan was that when he passes away, she would attempt to make contact with him, and having him conveying a secret message kept locked away in a bank vault.

Despite innumerable seances, attempts to have the spirit of Houdini convey the secret message, all attempts failed to contact Houdini after he died failed.

[lbryce]

Here's some fascinating trivia about Houdini, who's real name was Erich Weiss, hungarian Jew.

Interest in seances, contacting the deceased was a major past time in the late 1800's early 1900's which of course were all fraudulent. Houdini's interest in it was ore than just the opportunity for another trick but a genuine interest in the afterlife, fascination with it even existing.

He devised a plan with his wife as an experiment to determine whether or not contact with those who died was possible. The plan was that when he passes away, she would attempt to make contact with him, and having him conveying a secret message kept locked away in a bank vault.

Despite innumerable seances, attempts to have the spirit of Houdini convey the secret message, all attempts failed to contact Houdini after he died failed.

[mylife]

Love History Channel.

[mass55th]

I hope it’s better than their Bonnie & Clyde. I couldn’t get through the first episode of that. The article says Houdini has a modern soundtrack, which kind of puts me off. I read several bios of Houdini many years ago, and I’m just hoping they don’t ruin it by attempting to modernize his story.

[MinuteGal]

The guy playing Houdini looks like a cartoon character on the trailers.

I can't relate to him.

Leni

[Yaelle]

After reading these reviews in the article, I am torn. I love Houdini but the movie sounds horrible, hamhanded, and hollywoodian. Might watch anyway.

[SoFloFreeper]

I am highly suspicious of the "History" channel. They completely blew it with the horrible, horrible, Howard-Zinnesque "America: The story of US". They also bent to political pressure and chose NOT to show Joel Surnow's excellent series "The Kennedys".

So color me a skeptic.

[Hatteras]

I just can’t wait for the commercials to be over with...

[KingLudd]

Library of Congress has the Houdini collection - very cool stuff.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

enter Houdini in the search box and then select “gallery view”

[Afterguard]

Ummm. Who cares?

[Brother Cracker]