JohnHowardReid
Harry Houdini (Quentin Locke), Marguerite Marsh (Eva Brent), Ruth Stonehouse (Zita Dane), Edna Britton (Deluxe Dora), Charles Graham (Herbert Balcom), William Pike (Paul Balcom), Jack Burns (Peter Brent), Floyd Buckley (Dr Q/Brent servant).Directors: Burton L. King, Harry Grossman. Screenplay: Arthur B. Reeve, Charles Logue. Producers: B.A. Rolfe, Harry Houdini.Octagon Films, Inc. A 15-chapter serial of 31 reels (chapter one has 3 reels). Copyright 15 December 1918 through 18 February 1919. SYNOPSIS: A government agent, attempting to get the goods on a phony patents company, takes a job as the manager's secretary. COMMENT: Continuity in serials is always a bit choppy, but this one is a little worse than most as two complete episodes of the original fifteen are missing. Not only that, but bits and pieces of other episodes have also vanished. Needless to say, the opening 3-reeler (which is rather slow moving) and the closing chapter (which is almost totally boring) have been preserved in their entirety. We keep waiting for Dr. Q to doff his obvious disguise, but he never does! Nonetheless, Marguerite Marsh makes a charming heroine and the other players – particularly Ruth Stonehouse, Edna Britton (in her first of only two movies – her second, "A Scream in the Night" was also directed by Burton King from a Charles Logue script) and Charles Graham do their best. And let's not forget the Automaton! The personable Houdini, the main attraction, performs a dozen fantastic escapes in full view. Kino's tinted DVD rates at least 8/10.
Lloyd Vinnik
It's been around a century since Houdini's superstardom, and the fact that EVERYONE still knows his name is nothing short of phenomenal, especially when you consider how much of his legacy is word-of-mouth ONLY. Therefore, Kino Video's restoration of this 15-chapter serial (along with four other features and performance footage on this FABULOUS 3-disc set) is of ENORMOUS importance. Too bad the serial is more than a little bit tedious, and even with a few chapters gone forever due to nitrate rot (Kino's done their level best to compensate with some summarizing title cards), the four remaining hours are a challenge to endure. BUT...nearly EVERY surviving chapter cliffhangs with Harry bound and/or dangled in some heinous manner, and each ensuing chapter opens with a no-camera-tricks escape, and that's why any further complaints about this title become meaningless. And that robot...the 'trivia' on this page states that it may be the first in the annals of cinema, but BOY OH BOY is it goofy! But I do believe that with the re-emergence of this title and its companions, the Houdini legacy is guaranteed PERMANENCE.
