"WOMAN (echoing):" "Harry?" "Canyouhearme?" "HARRY:" "Onewayor another, we all want to escape." "When ordinary life shackles us, weneedto getaway." "Getawayfromboredom." "Frompain." "Fromfear." "(mouthing)" "Butnotme ." "FearishowIknow I'malive ." "Unlikeotherpeople," "Idon'tescapelife." "Iescapedeath." "Hell of a way to make a living." "# #" "(wind whistling)" "They say when you're gonna die, yourwholelife flashes before your eyes." "Mynameis ErichWeiss." "Butnoone'scalledmethat in a long time." "Icanescape from almost anything-- handcuffs,straightjackets-- you name it." "ButtheonethingIcan 't seem to escape from... isme." "WOMAN:" "Harry?" "Areyouthere,Harry?" "Harry?" "Canyouhearme?" "HARRY:" "I'mtheGreatHoudini!" "WOMAN:" "Harry?" "(horse whinnying)" "(thunder rumbling)" "HARRY:" "17yearsbefore I jumped off that bridge wastheyear everything changed." "Where are the cuffs?" "Uh, right, let's go." "Oh, we're the entertainment." "You know you're late." "Yes, it's our mistake." "We were..." "We got lost." "Very sorry." "(indistinct conversations, laughter)" "HARRY:" "Upuntilthen,mywife Bess  andI performed in a two-bit magic act onthebackroadsofAmerica." "You booked us into a brothel." "Let's you and me go upstairs, huh?" "Let's go, we're not doing this." "They hired us." "Well, I'm unhiring us." "Come on, let's go." "Guys." "No, no, no, we..." "No, no, hold on." "Ladies and gentlemen." "The Great Houdini will escape from this trunk, confined by these handcuffs." "(scoffs) Yeah." "His handcuffs." "Fake." "MAN:" "That's right." "Well, if I had a pair of cuffs from these premises," "I would happily..." "Now you do." "May I ask how it is that you came to possess..." "I'm a cop." "Never mind the trunk." "Let's see you get out these." "(laughs)" "(thunder crashes)" "(heart beating, clock ticking quickly)" "You mean like this?" "(crowd gasps)" "(short chuckle)" "I'll be damned." "(whooping)" "HARRY:" "Atthatmoment, I was no longer just a commonmagician." "Ibecamesomethingelse:" "anescapeartist." "(crashing)" "(whoosh)" "SoI cameup withashtick that seemed to impress a crowd." "(roars)" "(applause)" "(audience cheering loudly)" "ButifIdid itwithout any clothes, well, thenfolksreallywentnuts ." "(audience cheering loudly)" "(Harry groaning)" "You been drinking, honey?" "(short gasp) One glass." "(scoffs)" "(laughs)" "You got whiskey breath." "You always make such a big deal out of everything." "(sighs)" "(short laugh)" "Oh, Harry." "Yes, babe?" "We've been at this for two years." "You ever think maybe it's time to pack it in?" "Honey, I want you to listen to me." "I'm not going back to piecework in a necktie sweatshop." "Or be a locksmith." "No." "Not gonna live like my old man." "Like I was never here." "I loved my father." "But... he was nobody." "I'm not gonna be like him-- just disappear." "Not unless a million people are watching." "AsfarbackasI canremember," "I'vealwayswantedtoescape." "(screaming)" "MybrotherDash and I would get away wheneverwecouldtocheckout thetravelingshows that came to Appleton." "No, not again." "No, stop." "Stop!" "No!" "Help!" "These will make appetizing treats for my dogs." "Now, I forewarned that things could get messy." "(laughing)" "Dashcouldn'tlook, butme?" "Iwas hooked." "Mesmerizedbytheillusion." "Now." "I will require some assistance from the audience." "How about you, young man?" "Me?" "Yes, please, come up." "Now, if you'll just pull this table with me." "Mm-hmm, okay." "This is a very delicate part." "(grunting)" "Whoa." "I think she's dead." "Why don't you give her a tickle?" "(giggles)" "Thank heavens." "Pull yourself together." "One, two, three." "Voilà." "(applause)" "And applause for my young assistant." "Andsuddenly, justlikethat," "Iwassomebody." "A boy that knows no fear." "Iwasgoingsomewhere." "Andillusionwasmyticket." "(whooping)" "(crowd gasps)" "(applause)" "Mama!" "Mama!" "(speaking Yiddish)" "Look what I got, Mama." "Oh." "Take it." "It's real." "Look." "I got another one." "I earned it." "It's magic." "(laughing)" "Mama, shake me." "Shake me." "Harder, Mama." "Harder." "(laughing loudly)" "Shake me." "Harder." "HARRY:" "Ifnotformymother, I would have gone nowhere." "Money for nothing, Ma." "(laughter)" "One day, they'll be gold, Mama." "E-ree." "MeinHeld." "HARRY:" "Shealwaysbelievedinme." "Derzo,holtenEricharup." "(knocking)" "ALL:" "Trick or treat!" "Waswillenenk?" "GeitsAvek !" "It's Halloween, Papa." "You're supposed to give 'em something." "Nichtinmeinstib!" "Erichsoilerupkimen." "Erich," "Papa's gonna say the Brachot!" "Comedown." "Take that off before Papa sees it." "Listen. "A magician is not really a magician." "He is an actor, pretending to be a magician!"" "An actor." "Eree!" "50 years ago, Robert Houdin was the greatest magician of all time." "Now it's gonna be me, Howdini!" "(knocking)" "Deschlechtekinder." "(speaking Yiddish)" "Ageddenovent." "MAN:" "Do you have a minute?" "We need to talk to you." "RABBI WEISS:" "Is there a problem?" "MAN 2:" "Can we talk in private?" "MAN 1:" "You are six years our rabbi now, and you still haven't learned to speak any English." "With all due respect, Rabbi Weiss, this isn't Budapest." "This is Wisconsin, and that is why we can no longer employ your services as our rabbi." "(speaking quietly)" "HARRY:" "Somethingscanhit you in the gut worse than any punch." "Imadesure I'd never be that weak." "I'vemadesomeimpossible escapes in my life, butmygreatestescapewas leaving Appleton, Wisconsin." "Mytravelswereshort-lived, but I learned my trade before reuniting with my family in Brooklyn." "Myfatherdiedsoonafter." "Dash and I teamed up to support Ma with the meager earnings fromournew, not-so-spectacular magic act." "DASH:" "Come one, come all." "Prepare to be mesmerized by the Houdini brothers." "Excuse me, sir." "May I borrow your hat?" "Why?" "Oh, so I can give you back your watch." "(laughter)" "You will now give me your hat." "Thank you." "Dash, will you clear the contents of this hat?" "AUDIENCE:" "Oh." "(applause)" "Pick a card, any card." "Six of spades." "(piano playing, women singing)" "# There was a maiden sweet Rosabelle #" "# The fairest of all that I know #" "# All the beauties of heaven... #" "HARRY:" "The only thing more devastating than a punch to the gut isanarrowthroughtheheart ." "Ineverevensaw itcoming." "(quiet, distant singing)" "(applause and cheering)" "MAN:" "Bravo!" "HARRY:" "So, this Hungarian duke made a play for my mom, and my dad challenged the duke to a duel, right?" "(imitates gunshot)" "Bullet went right through the duke's brain." "Finished." "And my father had to flee for his life, and, uh, you know, that's how our whole family wound up in America." "It's kind of romantic." "Yeah." "And then he died." "Poor man." "Oh." "Is Harry Houdini your real name?" "It is now." "(laughs)" "What about you?" "Hmm?" "Are those two girls you sing with-- are they really your sisters?" "No." "We just started performing together this summer." "Yeah?" "MAN:" "Have your tickets ready." "Pick a hand." "No, not that one." "(laughs)" "Here, open your palm." "MAN:" "Step right up." "(gasps)" "It's pretty." "Hmm." "Hmm." "You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to be the greatest magician in the world." "Oh, yeah?" "Mm-hmm." "How about this?" "(gasping)" "(laughing)" "Blow on it." "(singing)" "Oh!" "(laughs)" "Oh, look at him go." "(fireworks popping)" "Bess Rahner, will you marry me?" "HARRY:" "A week later, we tied the knot." "That's swell." "Iguessyoucouldsay..." "I want to show you something." "...ourweddingnightwas  perfectly suited for us." "Harry, what are you doing?" "Get in." "Harry?" "Get in, get in." "Come on." "Now, crouch down." "Now, look at that." "You're perfect." "I knew it." "Harry." "See, Dash is way too big." "All right, now, watch your head." "Harry." "Ow!" "All right, now, lift up the latch." "What are you doing?" "It's right here in the middle." "Wedding night." "You find it?" "What?" "Where?" "It's right here." "Push it." "There you go." "Harry!" "Are you out of your damn mind?" "Honey, don't talk like that." "And you don't need to wear so much makeup when you're off stage, do you?" "You're too cute for that." "You don't need that." "What about your brother?" "He'll understand." "He'll understand." "He knows." "He's too big." "Anyway, you know what I was thinking?" "We don't even need to change the billing." "The Houdinis." "(applause)" "May I now have my key back?" "Thank you." "(applause)" "Mrs. Houdini." "SoBessandIhittheroad with our new collection of... eccentricfriends." "(man laughing)" "Hmm." "Look at that." "Now everybody and his brother's doing handcuff escapes." "Including my brother." "There's got to be a better way to make a living." "HARRY:" "Toreallyhititbigtime," "Ihadto stepoff the stage into the real world." "HARRY:" "Come on, Sheriff." "What do you got to lose?" "I don't lock folks up less'n they break the law." "Yeah, well, maybe you just don't have a whole lot of confidence in your jail." "Huh, Sheriff?" "Run along, Mr. Hoo-ha." "This here's a college town." "I pull a stunt like that, all the fraternity boys'll be after me to do the same with them." "I couldn't afford to advertise, soI justusedthosemavens ofmassspectacle,the press, tospreadtheword." "Not if you tell 'em they have to post bail first." "Here's a hundred dollars, cash on the barrelhead, says you can't hold the incomparable Houdini." "Quote." "Harry, that's all we have." "It's a hundred bucks." "It's all yours." "Plus, you get to take a free punch." "I know you're itching." "Come on." "(Harry chuckles)" "Come on, Sheriff." "Make it count." "Likethemansays, thatwhichdoesn'tkillyou makes you stronger." "Will wonders never cease?" "Did you get it?" "Let me check your pockets." "Sure you want to do this now, Sheriff?" "It's your funeral." "Harry?" "For luck." "Thanks." "Hey, open your mouth." "Ah..." "One more thing." "You don't get out," "I keep you here overnight for disturbing the peace." "Fair enough." "Let's go, folks." "HARRY:" "Itwasthekissthat wasseen across the country." "OscarWilde,Cy Young," "JohnPhilipSousa-- theyhadnothingonme." "Soon, the papers weren'tevencallingme an entertainer anymore." "Theywerecallingme something else." "Butnomatterhow big Igot," "Ialwaysknewthatmynext escape would have to be bigger." "Ialsoknewthatalongtheway someoneelsewaskeepingtrack of all the headlines for me." "BessandIwereonaroll ." "But I was still missing one key ingredient to take my act tothenextlevel." "(chuckles)" "(whooshing sounds)" "(humming)" "(gasping)" "Mm." "(exhaling)" "(chuckles)" "(clears throat)" "These look impressive." "State of the art." "New York City police are using them." "I hear Chief Rohan's got a pair he plans to clamp on you in Chicago." "You're Houdini, right?" "Mmm." "Look at this." "It's a rounded key." "I've never seen that before." "I made it myself." "You made it yourself?" "In my workshop." "And look." "Hides in a shirt cuff, too, see?" "Unbelievable." "What else you got?" "(exhales)" "Looks like regular picture wire, totally flexible, but it has teeth." "It's a hacksaw." "You just destroyed your chair." "(chuckles)" "What's your name, buster?" "Jim." "(clears throat)" "Jim Collins from Macon, Georgia." "That's where I caught your act." "Right, Georgia." "You changed my life." "Jim you think you can make an elephant disappear?" "Sir?" "Can you get me out of a block of ice?" "I could make you catch a bullet." "Harry, we got a matinee." "Give me time and I'll figure out the elephant." "I'll give you time." "Full-time." "Deal?" "Deal." "(laughing)" "(chuckles)" "Honey, this is Jim." "Pleasure." "Amazing." "(chuckles)" "DearestMa, nextweek,Ihave a big surprise for you." "IwishIcouldbethere  when you see it, but,atthemoment, I'm a little... tiedup." "MAN:" "Well, I don't know how they do things in Detroit, Mr. H., but here in Chicago, when we lock a man up, we mean him to stay locked up." "Yeah." "Seems like I've heard that speech before, Chief." "You boys having fun?" "(others agreeing)" "Come on." "I'll need some help carrying him." "Yeah, great." "Good shot, fellas." "Good?" "ROHAN:" "Now, just to be sure there's this." "Smile for the birdie, fellas." "(laughter)" "ROHAN:" "Well, sir, I believe" "I'll leave you to your prayers." "(laughter)" "Okay." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on." "(grunts)" "Let's go." "Move it." "Clear out." "(door lock clicks)" "Houdini!" "Houdini!" "(horses whinnying)" "HARRY:" "DearestMa, we've come a long way fromAppleton,Wisconsin." "WelcometoBrooklyn." "Thisisthehome you've always deserved." "(exhales)" "Welcome." "(speaking Yiddish)" "(gunshot)" "(chuckles)" "What do you think?" "No, no." "Not with you as the shooter." "Not in a million years." "(chuckles)" "All right, where is it?" "Let's see it." "Come on." "Jimhadbeenworking on what I had hoped wouldbe my greatest escape yet." "The Chinese Water Torture Cell." "Huh?" "Thiswasthebig time, thestuntthatwouldfinally put me over the top." "(knocking on glass)" "(chuckles)" "Let me try it." "Now?" "Boss, you just performed three shows." "You're beat." "Tomorrow." "I'll get the boys." "We'll set it up." "Right now." "All right." "All right, boys, lower him." "All right, take it easy." "(Harry grunting)" "Come on." "Lock it in there." "(gurgling)" "(grunts)" "BESS:" "Something's wrong." "Whoa, whoa." "Pull him up!" "BESS:" "Hurry up." "Get him out!" "Lift him up!" "Hurry up!" "It's stuck!" "(pounding)" "Hey!" "Pull him up!" "Up!" "(Harry grunting)" "JIM:" "Get him up!" "Get him up!" "Come on!" "Quick!" "(grunting)" "BESS:" "Break the glass." "Break the glass!" "Look out!" "(Jim grunting)" "Boss!" "Boss!" "Harry?" "!" "Come on!" "Harry." "You all right?" "(coughing)" "Fantastic." "(groans)" "HARRY:" "Ladiesandgentlemen, howlongcanamanhold his breath?" "Shall we experiment?" "(ticking)" "On the count of three, try to hold your breath, ladies and gentlemen." "One... two..." "(inhales) three." "(all inhale)" "As you can see, seconds tick by very slowly." "While they do," "I shall disrobe." "(murmuring)" "My ankles will be shackled in a secure set of stocks." "Prepare the stocks." "(snaps fingers)" "After being immobilized," "I will be immersed headfirst in the Chinese Water Torture Cell." "Captain O'Hare of the Chicago Fire Department is standing by with an axe in the event something goes wrong." "(murmuring)" "And let's face it, ladies and gentlemen, there's always that possibility." "Raise it up, boys." "(applause continues)" "Theonlywaytobeat death istoputyourlife  on the line." "ButwhywasIso compelled to beat death?" "WhatwasItryingtoescape?" "Bring out the screen!" "One minute!" "(heavy thudding)" "(loud ticking)" "Two minutes." "What's going on?" "Something's wrong." "(murmuring)" "(excited shouting)" "JIM:" "Three minutes." "(excited shouting)" "MAN:" "You have to help him!" "3:15." "(excited shouting)" "WOMAN:" "Stop it!" "Captain O'Hare, come on!" "Get in there." "Hurry, hurry." "(panicked shouting)" "(audience gasps, quiets)" "(audience exclaims)" "(cheering)" "(cheering, whistling)" "MAN:" "Enter." "Do you have it?" ""Houdini ideal for our purposes." ""Commencing European tour." "Suggest you contact" "Melville soonest."" "Hmm." "Houdini speaks German?" "He's an immigrant, yes." "German-speaking Hungarian Jew." "Mr. Wilkie, Houdini's the most famous man in" "America, sure." "He now makes more money than the president." "But when all's said and done, he's just a magician, not..." "Well, what more natural cover than a traveling entertainer?" "God only knows what the kaiser is planning." "We don't." "It would be advantageous to have someone next to that unpredictable brain of his." "What else?" "Houdini's very devoted to his mother." "Sends her money every week, even when he was broke." "I like a man who looks after his mother." "Contact Melville." "Set it up." "HARRY:" "Waybeforeanyoneknewit," "Americahadteamedup with England tokeepan eyeontheemerging threat from Germany, anunexpectedeye:" "me." "Andso,oneofthestrangest illusions I was ever asked topulloffwas something called espionage." "Not a bad fit, since a magician canneverrevealhis secrets." "I take it you weren't followed, Mr. Houdini." "I made sure that I wasn't." "As instructed." ""Your country needs you." "Come alone."" "That's very dramatic." "You were recommended to us by John Wilkie." "Never heard of him." "Well, that's as it should be." "He's director of the United States Secret Service." "I'm Sir William Melville, his British counterpart in MI-5." "How do you do?" "Uh, may I have that?" "Oh, I'm definitely gonna need some of those." "(chuckles)" "HARRY:" "Are you saying you want me to..." "MELVILLE:" "Keep your eyes and ears open, that's all." "Depend on it-- if war comes, the United States will fight on the British side." "What you learn might help postpone that war." "Maybe prevent it." "Of course, you could never reveal your services, but you would have the satisfaction of knowing that you had served-- perhaps even saved-- your country." "That's a tall order for a vaudevillian." "I..." "By the by, we took the liberty of revising your passport." "Yeah?" "What was wrong with my old passport?" "We made a slight adjustment to your place of birth." "Appleton, Wisconsin." "Kaiser Bill has only one good arm, as you may already know, but it can reach as far as Budapest." "We thought it prudent to make you, shall we say, uh, all American." "From now on, your place of birth is officially the United States." "You could run for president, sir." "(short chuckle)" "Sir, I-I can't begin to tell you what this means to me." "We'll think of something." "In the meantime, think of me in loco parentis." "A sort of father in residence, no?" "(bell tolling)" "Where were you?" "Uh with Jim." "Jim didn't know where you were, either." "Is it a girl?" "Girl?" "No." "Honey..." "Where did this come from?" "Y-You know me better than that." "Who is she?" "There is no "she."" "Then where were you?" "I can't tell you, but... (exhales)" "I'm sorry." "I wish I could." "I can't." "You gotta trust me." "I have trusted you, Harry." "Bess... honey." "Honey... trust me." "Trust me." "HARRY:" "Whendoesillusion become a lie?" "Withillusion, I could be somebody... escapefromwhoIreallywas." "Butwhendidrunningaway  becomesoessentialtome?" "Isthatwhy I was still running?" "Fromhim?" "(gasps)" "(panting)" "Iguessthereare somethings inlifeyouneverescape." "Not long after I left Appleton," "Ibecame a sorcerer's apprentice." "What a load of laughs that was." "Come on." "(laughing)" "Good, kid." "Very good." "Now," "I'm gonna teach you the Floating Virgin." "The thing about the Floating Virgin of Arkansas... she was a beautiful girl." "She was a pale girl." "But she loved to s..." "leep." "And when she slept, she... floated." "Come." "Come..." "Float!" "Float, my sweet little beauty." "Come to me!" "Come to me now!" "(laughing)" "Look at that kid's face." "(laughing)" "HARRY:" "Everylesson... (train whistle blowing) ...everyknock across the chops, wasa buildingblock towardswhatIwantedtobe ." "(exhales)" "Butwasit worthit?" "You doing all right out here?" "Be reading about the bullet catch." "Oh, yeah?" "Think we should put it in the show." "It'd put you back on top." "(exhales) You're good, kid." "Very good." "But not as good as you think." "Why won't you do it?" "It's dangerous, as I have reason to know." "That's why people will eat it up." "And who would catch the bullet?" "Me." "Say another damn word about that bullet catch and I swear," "I'll leave you behind in the nearest ditch." "My son he died doingthecatch." "Did you load thegun?" "And pulled the trigger, too." "Blewthebackofhisheadoff andhisbrainswithit." "No!" "My own boy... (sobbing)" "You're a liar." "Come again?" "That story's straight out of Houdin's book." "(laughs)" "How he met a traveling magician, Torrini, who'd killed his son doing the bullet catch." "You're a liar." "Your hero, Houdin, was a liar, too." "And by the way, it's "Who-dan," not "How-din."" "Houdin never ran into any magician who killed his son, and that book you treat like the Gospel?" "There's only enough truth in it to make you believe the lies." "Because that's how magic works." "Magicians are liars, and the best magicians are the best liars." "HARRY:" "WasthedreamIwaschasing basedonnothing more than lies?" "(loud lightning strikes)" "(thunder rumbling, horse neighing)" "Iwasafraid,terrified of what I might become." "Iembracedit anyway." "IbecameHarryHoudini, acceptingthattruthwas just a story made up from a lie." "Itwasahardlesson, but it would serve me well." "Myactbecamethe coverstory for my spying." "Afterfivesold-outshows in Berlin, thekaiserrequested a private performance." "Veryprivate." "With Your Majesty's indulgence, I..." "I propose a demonstration of famous German marksmanship." "Would you kindly loan me the use of your most accomplished rifleman in the royal box?" "(whispering):" "You're sure about this, right?" "What?" "You're sure, right?" "I thought you said it was foolproof." "What?" "I-I said, you said..." "Never mind." "Go." "Go get it." "Your Majesty may wish to observe through his opera glasses." "No." "Okay." "Friedrich,Oberstleutnant der Kaiserlichen Armee." "Herr Oberstleutnant." "Are you a good shooter, Herr Oberstleutnant?" "Jawohl,meinHerr." "Great." "Hand him the rifle." "I'm sorry it's so old." "It's all we can afford." "Now as you can see, the bull's-eye stands about, oh, shall we say, 35 feet from the shooter?" "Herr Oberstleutnant, do you believe that you can hit the bull's-eye, or shall I move you closer?" "(Harry chuckles)" "Child's play, huh?" "Very well." "Fire when you're ready, Lieutenant." "(creaking)" "(applause)" "Wonderful shooting, Lieutenant." "Wonderful." "I would trust you with my life." "(applause)" "Bravo." "Now, let us reload." "It's quite a production, these old guns." "As you can see, first, we take a measure of powder, we pour it down the barrel." "This is followed by a wad of paper, and then the bullet." "Will you inspect the bullet, Lieutenant?" "Thank you, Lieutenant." "The bullet is now pressed down with the ramrod, like so." "Does that look all right, Lieutenant?" "Jawohl." "Now one last bit of child's play." "Jim, hand the lieutenant the musket." "Lieutenant, please take aim at the bull's-eye again." "I will now attempt to catch the bullet with my teeth." "(gasps)" "I said, I trust you with my life, Lieutenant." "Now you have to trust me." "Ready?" "(heart beating)" "Fire the gun." "Fire!" "Fire the gun!" "Pull the trigger!" "(echoing):" "Pull the trigger." "(women gasping)" "Pull the trigger!" "(applause and cheering)" "(laughing) Wunderbar!" "Is that the bullet?" "Jawohl." "Thank you." "Excellent shooting, Lieutenant." "Excellent shooting." "Thank you, Your Majesty." "HARRY:" "Onceyouknowthe secret, mosttricksaresimple..." "I owe you." "includingthisone." "The bullet is now tamped down with a ramrod, like so." "Does that look all right, Lieutenant?" "Jawohl." "Allittookwas amagnet at the end of the ramrod." "(applause)" "Thank you." "(bell ringing)" "Catchingbullets in my teeth was one thing, butespionageremained my European mistress, analtogether different kind of escape." "Welcome to Budapest, Mr. Houdini." "My name is Reilly." "Does your hometown bring back many memories?" "Remember, you've never been here." "Don't look around." "You're merely conversing with an old friend." "How was Berlin?" "I understand the kaiser was impressed." "Yeah, enough to invite me to watch his cavalry maneuvers." "I overheard a few things." "They're building seven new battleships." "They're not ready yet, but they're definitely planning for war." "They call it the Schlieffen Plan." "Schlieffen." "Our friend in London will be most interested." "Meantime, he sent you a book." "He knows you love to read." "Russian grammar?" "MELVILLE:" ""Harry,thought this would come in handy foryourupcomingtrip to Moscow." "Melville."" "(watch ringing)" "You have a performance?" "Sort of." "My mother arrives on the afternoon train from Paris." "A trick back to the old country." "HARRY:" "HowcouldIpossiblyexplain what I had in mind?" "Oh, look at this." "Honey." "Sometimesa guycan'teven tellhisownwifeaboutthe plans he has for a new dress." "ButMadeservedthe best, becausethebestiswhat  she inspired me to become." "AndI wasfinallygiven the chance to thank her for it." "(applause)" "What's going on?" "Queen for a day." "(sighs)" "Harry told me people around here thought his mother married beneath her to a failed rabbi." "JIM:" "And she goes along with this?" "Of course." "To her, Harry is magic." "(laughter, applause, and people exclaiming)" "Like I told you, Ma-- money for nothing." "Didn't I promise, huh?" "Didn't I tell you, one day, it'd be gold?" "(gasps)" "Hey, hello, young man." "(applause)" "For you." "Your Majesty, it's an honor to play the palace." "So kind." "I'd love to see if I could make one of your family's wishes come true." "Oh." "Would each of you write a special wish on these slips of paper?" "I see Your Majesty has a Fabergé egg." "It's very beautiful." "Would you mind if I place the wishes inside of it?" "Not at all." "Thank you." "Thank you." "And now, Grand Duchess Anastasia." "Will you draw one out and hand it to me?" "I just realized I can't read Russian." "(laughter)" "Would Your Majesty mind translating for me?" "I'm afraid you will never be able to grant the wish, Houdini." "Well, let me give it a shot, Your Majesty, huh?" "What does it say?" "One of us wishes you would make the Kremlin bells ring again." "(audience murmuring)" "Impossible, Houdini." "The Kremlin bells have not rung for... uh..." "Hundreds." "hundreds years." "The ropes are long rotted and the stairs are falling away." "Well, if magic were easy, Your Majesty, every fool would be doing it." "(speaks indistinctly)" "(audience laughs)" "What did he...?" "Uh, I'm sorry, I..." "I don't know the gentlemen's name." "TSARINA:" "Rasputin." "Rasputin says you are full..." "Uh..." "Full of..." "Ah." "I get the general idea." "Well, we'll see." "(wind blowing)" "(murmuring)" "(applause)" "Grand Duchess Anastasia, come." "Pull the rope." "(bell clangs)" "Pull it again." "(bell clangs)" "Pull the rope." "(bell clangs)" "Pull it." "(bell clangs)" "SoevenRasputin,aman obsessedwithreligion and mysticism, couldn'tseethrough my little.... parlortrick." "Will wonders never cease?" "Huh?" "Hey, big guy, I bet you'd love to give me a punch, huh?" "Punch?" "You know you're itchin'." "OnethingIlearned a long time ago neverlet'emknow what's really going on inside." "Yeah." "(murmuring, applause)" "(chuckles)" "Thank you." "(bell clangs)" "HARRY:" "After that, I could do no wrong." "We stayed for dinner and they talked their heads off." "The tsar thinks he's going to war with Japan." "If he does, he'll lose." "Russia lose against little Japan?" "'Cause they all take orders from that Rasputin character." "They do whatever he says." "It's crazy." "A mad monk in command?" "Why?" "Well, it seems he's got a little magic act of his own:" "he's the only one who can keep the tsar's son from bleeding." "Of course." "The boy's a hemophiliac." "They'd do anything to keep Rasputin happy." "He's not their only problem." "There's... social unrest everywhere." "One of these days, the whole place is gonna explode." "So we hear." "Very good, Harry." "Most instructive." "So, tell me, how did you get the Kremlin bells to ring?" "Well, that was the only wish I was ready for." "And now, Grand Duchess Anastasia, will you take one out and hand it to me?" "SothenIsaidtoher," ""I just realized I can't read Russian." (chuckles)" "Uh, would Your Majesty mind translating for me?" "It was snowing so hard I was worried" "Jimwouldn'tbe able to see the rope." "HARRY:" "Pull the rope." "(bell clangs)" "Pull it." "(bell clangs)" "(gun clicking)" "Theywereconvinced I had spiritual powers." "And do you?" "(chuckles):" "Yes, I know." "What are your plans?" "Uh... will you return to the States?" "Well, not until I figure out something new." "Now everybody's copying my routine." "And my name." "Blondini, Handini," "Berlini." "(laughs)" "I think you need a new challenge." "The Adelphi Theatre is just a stone's throw from the German embassy." "So?" "So..." "We're reliably informed there's a copy of the Schlieffen Plan in the safe in the ambassador's office." "What an extraordinary stroke of luck it would be for us if you managed to lay your hands on it." "You'd have a perfect alibi-- handcuffed on stage." "Safe, huh?" "(chuckles)" "WhichishowIhappened to wind up in one." "(applause)" "Butnotthatsafe." "Itwasadifferentsafe ." "(clicking and scratching)" "Theoneinside the German ambassador's office." "Butletme start from the beginning." "(audience applauds nearby)" "Soonaftertheact started," "Iwasn'teveninside the safe anymore." "Jimhadtoldthe audience I had about ten minutes of air." "Audiencesgonuts for a ticking clock." "(audience murmuring)" "Where is he?" "He didn't tell me, Mrs. H., but he promised he'd be back in time to finish the show." "Back from where?" "Uh, I really don't know." "Oh, I can't do this anymore." "This is killing me." "(grunting)" "(audience clamoring)" "Get him out!" "Tonight is our tenth anniversary, and I know he's going to forget." "I know it." "(lock clicking)" "(door opening)" "(door closing)" "# #" "(door opens nearby)" "(man speaking German)" "(door closes)" "(woman laughing)" "MAN:" "Right in here." "Voilà!" "(man chuckles)" "Oh!" "Mm-hmm." "(laughs)" "(both mumbling)" "Mm." "Oh!" "(indistinct chatter)" "Oh. (giggles)" "Ah." "(footsteps approaching)" "(door slams)" "(heavy breathing)" "(audience clamoring)" "MAN:" "Get him out!" "(audience clamoring)" "HARRY:" "Jimstalledfortime liketheprohewas." "ButwebothknewIhad tobe back for the grand finale." "Mr. Houdini?" "Mr. Houdini!" "HARRY:" "Thegrandfinalethateven had aspecialsurprisefor Bess." "(woman moans, laughs nearby)" "AllI hadto do  was get out of a safe" "I'dneverbeeninbefore." "Andtherewasn'tany air  in this one, either." "Mybrainis thekey thatsets  mefree." "Mybrainis thekey  thatsetsme free." "Trytoremember the arrangement oflocks,gears in a Jarvis safe." "(panicked shouting)" "MAN:" "Open it!" "Joe, bring the tools!" "Bring the tools!" "Open up!" "(clicks)" "(scrapes)" "MAN:" "Get him out!" "(indistinct chatter)" "All right." "(exclaims, giggles)" "(murmuring)" "HARRY:" "Finally,thatoldambassador rememberedwhere the bedroom was." "(clicking)" "(gasping, exclaiming)" "(cheering)" "Hey." "Got into the German safe." "Literally." "Sorry." "I'm late for a celebration." "A letter!" "MAN:" "Crazy!" "HARRY:" "Is that addressed to my wife?" "(shocked murmuring)" "Mrs. Houdini." "Mrs. Houdini!" "Mrs. Houdini!" "All that time..." "Mrs. Houdini!" "MAN 2:" "Fantastic!" "(applause)" "(gasps)" "(cheering)" "What does it say, honey?" "Read the note, nice and loud." ""Thank you for the ten" ""most wonderful years of my life." "(audience aahs)" "Your loving husband, Harry."" "(women exclaiming)" "MAN:" "Congratulations." "(gasps)" "Oh!" "Happy anniversary, honey." "Happy anniversary." "And she thought I forgot." "(laughter)" "Anyway, thanks for sticking around for the grand finale, folks." "Thank you." "(applause, cheering)" "Bravo!" "Aw, that was swell, honey, huh?" "That was a surprise." "That was all for you." "No." "No, it was not for me." "It's never just for me." "What?" "It's for them." "It's for the act." "It is always for the act and you and I both know it, Harry." "No." "Ah!" "What are you trying to prove, Harry?" "How brave you are?" "How American you are?" "I... just tell me what it is." "Tell me, what?" "I..." "Don't mean to intrude, but the car's here." "Uh..." "You still going to Lady Butler's?" "Ugh..." "Honey, I'm sorry." "I know." "It's... it's..." "it's in our honor." "It is in your honor." "Sweetheart, let's just make an appearance, okay?" "I promise, 30 minutes, tops." "It's Lady Butler." "(guests laughing, chatting)" "MAN:" "Just absolutely fantastic." "Yes, she has, actually." "That Rasputin character packed quite a wallop." "I tell you, he was a regular" "John L. Sullivan." "I could take the punch, but he knocked me out with his vodka breath, you know?" "(laughing)" "WOMAN:" "Really?" "HARRY:" "Yeah." "(gasps)" "Ooh, I say." "Mind if I make myself comfortable?" "By all means." "That's the true truth, isn't it?" "Very likely." "(laughing)" "Oh... you are very pretty." "# #" "HARRY:" "Yes,sir." "Somethingscan hit you in the gut worsethananypunch." "I'm sorry, what did you say?" "Actually, give me a moment." "# #" "Hi, Harry." "(Harry grunts, glass shatters)" "Oh, Harry." "I'm gonna kill myself." "Well, that's what I'm always saying." "What, is that funny?" "Is that funny?" "!" "Oh, for heaven's sake." "What are you so upset about?" "You were... kissing him." "You were kissing him!" "No, I wasn't." "Yes, you were!" "No, I was not!" "And until you looked over, you didn't know where I was at that party and you didn't care." "So stop being dramatic." "You're my wife." "You're the wife of the Great Houdini!" "Really?" "I thought I was just a woman you put in a trunk and took out when you felt like it." "(footsteps receding)" "(door opens, closes)" "HARRY:" "Whatdoyoudo when you hit rock bottom?" "(woman laughs)" "Youkeepdigging." "WOMAN:" "Divine creature..." "HARRY:" "Hmm... (giggles)" "(Harry moans)" "(woman sighs in pleasure)" "(chuckles, woman laughs)" "See... if you can escape." "Would you like me to release you?" "Oh..." "HARRY:" "Bythispoint," "Ireallywasn'tupforthis." "(engine buzzing)" "Shh." "Be right back." "That'swhenIdiscovered my next escape." "What is it?" "(engine buzzing)" "I don't know." "Agloriousone." "(buzzing)" "Will wonders never cease?" "Houdini..." "I don't know how these things work in America, but in London it's considered impolite..." "Huh?" "...to keep a lady waiting." "(someone whistles)" "Uh-huh." "(chuckling)" "Yeah." "You... (giggles)" "Ah... (laughs)" "(laughing)" "(laughs softly)" "(continues laughing)" "(sighs) Mmm... (playfully):" "Where are you?" "Start without me." "What?" "(airplane buzzing)" "Where are you going?" "Keep the chains." "What about the key?" "!" "What are you doing here?" "I had a feeling you'd be leaving." "Get me one of those." "JIM:" "What do you want an airmobile for?" "HARRY:" "Youknowhowitis when you fall in love." "Flyingwasall I could think of." "Thistime,Bess'sonlyrival was an airplane... andforyears,itwasour carriage to the world." "BESS:" "Harry!" "(Harry laughs)" "BESS:" "Harry!" "HARRY:" "Do you trust me?" "BESS:" "Shit, Harry!" "HARRY:" "Language, honey, please." "HARRY:" "Buteverythingchanges." "Evenflyinglostits novelty." "IwasfallingbacktoEarth , andonEarth, things were changing, too." "# #" "(clock ticking)" "(locks clicking)" "(squeaking)" "Butaudienceshadgrownnumb  to the thrill." "(cheering)" "Ihadn'tplayed to a sold-out house inquitesometime." "But I wasn't finished escaping." "Notquite." "You didn't grease the collar!" "JIM:" "Sure I did." "Like hell!" "Your disloyalty cost me ten seconds." "Disloyal?" "I..." "It's when you do it with the water instead of the milk." "Don't give me that." "Just 'cause there's nobody out there doesn't mean that the ones that are don't deserve the best of the Great Houdini." "You're fired." "Again?" "(door opens, closes)" "Vaudeville's in trouble." "Nowadays folks are going to moving pictures." "Ah, movies!" "If it was a tough escape, the whole movie would be finished by the time I made it." "And the suspense wouldn't be the same." "Maybe you could fill a smaller theater." ""A smaller theater"?" "Me?" "Sol, what are you saying?" "The writing's on the wall, Harry!" "No!" "I write the damn writing!" "(audience laughing)" "There's your new competition." "HARRY:" "He's not doing anything." "He's making them laugh." "That's all right." "My audience loves me." "They'll come back." "I just need something new." "What about the elephant?" "It's not an escape." "It needs to be an escape." "(audience laughing)" "(laughs)" "Laugh again and you're fired." "(laughs)" "(thud)" ""Smaller theater." Please." "Escapes can get smaller, they have to get bigger." "People expect more from the Great Houdini." "Not less." "Maybe people are tired of escapes." "Huh?" "You've done enough of them." "What kind of tobacco is that?" "Mexican." "Pepe gave it to me." "Who? "Pepe"?" "What?" "From the band?" "(scoffs)" "Smells weird." "Well, he said it would help with my nerves." "He's right." "(sighs)" "What the heck is bigger?" "Play the Grand Canyon, why don't you?" "(laughs)" "Yeah, get me room 202." "Jim?" "Bring up some ice." "No." "I mean a lot of ice." "(door opens)" "(buckets clanging)" "(door closes)" "(water sloshing)" "Evening, Mrs. H." "What the hell is going on in here?" "Language, honey, please." "What are you doing?" "!" "Uh, thanks, Jim." "You got it, boss." "If I can't bring the folks to the theater," "I got to bring the theater to the folks." "What does that mean?" "Well, movies can outdoors, so can I." "(laughs)" "Oh, Christ, Harry." "Harry?" "(sighs)" "I got to pee." "Yeah, five more minutes, honey." "It's all yours." "We've been married 19 years." "You can watch me pee." "Yeah, I don't want to watch you pee." "(groans)" "(yells)" "IexpectedtheMississippi to be cold, butthiswasridiculous." "JIM:" "Well, that's that." "Maybe they could cut a hole in the ice." "Harry, no." "Are you kidding?" "You'd kill yourself." "Well, 12, 15 feet should do it." "Honey, don't worry." "Oh, "honey," my ass." "You want me to stick around to find out if I'm a widow." "You may be crazy, Harry, but I'm not." "Sweetheart, please." "Go to hell, Harry!" "15 feet?" "Make it 12." "Honey?" "It's just a li-little ice." "# #" "(mouthing)" "HARRY:" "Putanad in thepaper andtellpeople you're gonna do something crazy" "Tuesdayatnoon, anda thousandpeople will show up Tuesday at noon." "Throwinachance of me getting killed..." "WOMAN:" "Come on, Harry!" "WOMAN 2:" "Hi!" "...youhaveto beatthemback  with a stick." "Itwasthewrongmoment to start thinking." "IfI startedto think," "Imightforgetwho Iwas." "TheGreatHoudini." "(audience gasping, murmuring)" "(excited chattering)" "MAN:" "Is he still down there?" "# #" "(yells)" "(grunting)" "Captioningsponsoredby  AE TELEVISION NETWORKS" "Captioned by MediaAccessGroupatWGBH  access.wgbh.org"