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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
What do you mean? What do the experts say? I'd honestly like to know.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Mark Tripp Regular user 148 Posts |
Well, my .02...
I don't like either Blaine or Angel. My bottom line if you can't do it live in a theater full of people, then its tv magic. If we include TV magicians then I dream of Jenii or Bewitched had better effects, and were much better to look at. Both of the above gentlemen use WAY too many effects that really couldn't be done in a legitimate venue, or actors in their employ are giving them reactions that no one would really get. As such, I prefer classic magic to the new tv kind. |
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thorndyke Regular user Canada 147 Posts |
A local cable channel runs Bewitched every day. I am something of a special effects snob, but I gotta say the efects on that show had not aged well.
Perhaps Elizabeth Montgomery and barbara Eden are what was better to look at. |
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Kevin Connolly Inner circle New Jersey 1329 Posts |
Quote:
On 2005-08-04 16:57, Harry Murphy wrote: I'll start with what Ken Silverman came up when doing his book on Houdini. Ken read in one of Houdini's diaries, something to the effect " The work/escapes are killing. Have to find a better way". This may not be the exact quote, but very close. Ken can give it exactly. Houdini was a physical wreck at the ned of his life. Perotinitis, broken ankle, old breaks/ fractures from over his career. Houdini wasn't contemplating having monkey testicles grafted to his body to reverse the damage because he was in the pink. Someone said that Houdini never took a chance. Obvisously, his body says different.
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
I really think that we are splitting hairs. I guess that one should say that Houdini (and Steve Baker, Dean Gunnerson, Klondini, and on and on) perform calculated risks. All safety measures that can be anticipated are taken into consideration. Still something can and often does go wrong (Murphy’s law in action you know).
Hell, if you ever watched that short film of Houdini leaping from a bridge cuffed and with his upper body chained you know he got hurt! He hit the water with his face! That had to hurt (been there done that so I know!) Houdini set the standard of being a stunt man escape artist. He and his crew worked hard to make the escapes look dangerous while being as safe as possible (which does not imply that there was absolutely no risk involved). Houdini was careful and smart! There is little evidence that Houdini ever went into a situation that he did not have at least one plan of egress (and often two or three plans). Sure he got the odd broken bone, accidents happen. More than one of his broken bones happened as part of living and not as part of performing. He complains in one letter of spraining and maybe breaking his wrist in an accident while moving a heavy trunk while on the road. He fell down some icy stairs in NYC and broke a bone. Many of his letters and diaries/journals are in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. (if you can decipher his handwriting). He doesn’t detail a lot of things that went wrong. He was in pretty good shape for a man of his age living during the time he lived. He also had pretty much the breaks, sprains, bruises, dental problems, dietary problems that could be expected for a working class individual of the time. By the way, the Monkey Testicals thing was one of those miracle cures that many people of the day looked into in a bid to stay young. It was his attempt to beat old age! He was a product of his time. I guess that one could say that his taking a risk finally killed him. The so-called allowing a University student hit him in the abdomen, which may have helped rupture, an inflamed appendix. However, I doubt if it was risk taking so much as stupidity and ego that killed him. He simply did not respond to the discomfort/pain in his body and did not seek medical treatment in a timely manner. The peritonitis that finally killed him was probably more a result of his macho self-image and ego than any risk he took.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Kevin Connolly Inner circle New Jersey 1329 Posts |
I'm not really splitting hairs, I'm just answering the original question. The post above does not address any of the Houdini "experts" that Criss Angel may have been in contact with to get his spin on Houdini.
I have met or talked with Houdini experts, none have his angle.
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www.houdinihimself.com Always looking buy or trade for original Houdini, Hardeen and escape artist items. I'm interested in books, pitchbooks and ephemera. Email [email]hhoudini@optonline.net[/email] |
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
I guess that “experts” must be split on this issue. The published stuff I have read on Houdini (which may or may not have been written by experts) all seem to agree that he was very careful in not putting his life on the line, that he was very, very good at anticipating what could go wrong and having a plan in place to cover the eventuality.
I repeat what I said about Chris Angle’s statements about Houdini. They were theatre, hype, and designed to heighten the effect. They were not history! Having said that, they were not entirely inaccurate either. This is not intended to denigrate the history or the myth of Harry Houdini; it is simply to state that the comments made were scripted for a specific purpose. I can think of few performers that don’t do the exact same thing, I know that I do.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Kevin Connolly Inner circle New Jersey 1329 Posts |
I read a couple of books on Houdini too and none ever even came close to what Criss Angel said. I was just answering the question.
As for it being theater, television, hype etc., My opionion is there are better ways of doing it. No need for the cheap shot on dead or alive magicians.
Please visit my website.
www.houdinihimself.com Always looking buy or trade for original Houdini, Hardeen and escape artist items. I'm interested in books, pitchbooks and ephemera. Email [email]hhoudini@optonline.net[/email] |
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Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
I guess that it comes down to this, you heard a cheap shot and I didn't.
Unfortunately didn’t like the escape and don’t seem to care for Mr. Angle because of this.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Roslyn Inner circle UK 3405 Posts |
Just got the video of Chris's barrel escape thanks to Cliffg37 and I honestly thought it was a good escape.
Going by the audience's reaction and the fact they stayed during the 2 hours (?) of oooh, the water's too cold and ouch! now my hand's caught build up I'd say it was success. They really seemed to enjoy it. As did I. I did think that maybe the "stuff going wrong" was over done and it was a shame that the surprise ending was shown constantly throughout the show though. Thanks again Cliff for sending me the vid. Take care, Ros
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Xiqual Inner circle Upper left quadrant 4935 Posts |
In my opinion, running down one performer to make yourself look better is a cheap shot. I know Houdini did it in his day, maybe it all comes around.
For me, Houdini was the reason I got interested in magic and escapes in the first place. It's hard to hear someone say on t.v. that Houdini was never in any danger at all, and then safely glide to the ground on a bungee cord. Criss Angel also looked a little sad when he was complaining about the water being cold. I know Houdini never really jumped into the frozen over water, but the water was certainly cold. I know Houdini had a lot of faults, it's just as my childhood hero, it's hard to hear bad press. Sincerly, James
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Roslyn Inner circle UK 3405 Posts |
James,
I wouldn't call it bad press. All through the show Chris was calling his escape his homage to Houdini. I don't think he was rubbishing what Houdini did in any way. Although I do agree that to big up an escape that when broken down was completely under his control at all times as something Houdini wouldn't do is rather a bold statement. Watching it back, I noticed that the barrel only fell at the point he wanted it to. There was no timer release that I could see. Robert Gallup did something for the BBC here in the UK a while back where he was in a perspex box that had a trigger switch. The switch was thrown as soon as the box got to a certain height (about 30 feet I think) regardless of whether or not he had escaped the double sj and connected himself to the safety wire. This was nice because it appeared as though Robert had to really do it. No room for error. Although I still think Chris's barrel was a good escape. Ros
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