This peg represents Houdini (who himself was actually tied and suspended upside down during his first public performance in the Torture Cell at the Circus Busch in Berlin in 1912). Quality, construction, fit and finish of my copy is overall very good (although there was a little roughness on the edges of the top and bottom wood blocks inside the acrylic tube). On the top is a round wooden peg inverted into the acrylic tube. Inside the acrylic tube is a small ball bearing that rolls around. The Houdini consists of a vertical acrylic square hollow tube placed on a wooden pedestal. The Houdini measures 10cm x 4.8cm x 4.8cm and is made of a combination of wood (not sure what type tho'), acrylic and metal. This entry was posted in Uncategorized by hhce. He leaps onto the stage, raises his arms. HOUDINI jogs down the center aisle, dripping wet. The doors at the back of theater are thrown open. The lights flash on as a thousand gallons of water pour onto the stage: the torture cell is empty. The FIREMAN rears back with his axe - smashes the glass. HOUDINI (over his glasses) How many shows?īESS Seven… one’s a benefit for the Elks.īESS (dashes onstage) For God’s sake, break the glass! It’s been seven minutes! BESS is nearby with a schedule of engagements.īESS (quietly) We have Detroit tomorrow and Thursday. HOUDINI wears a robe, a towel over his head as he reads the newspaper. QUICK CUTS: Audience members holding their breath. ONSTAGE: COLLINS stands near the FIREMAN, watching the clock.ĬOLLINS (calls: Cockney accent) One minute… He violently contorts his body…ĭeftly avoiding the spotlights, HOUDINI climbs down behind the cabinet, … He drops to his knees a hand lifts the curtain behind him. HOUDINI, submerged, smacks the cuffs against the iron bars they fall open. Then, timed to avoid the swirling spotlights:
All we can see inside the cabinet are momentary glints of bubbles. A uniformed New York FIREMAN takes up his position in front of the cabinet, gripping a fire axe.
The audience is literally holding its breath. We hold on HOUDINI, naked, submerged and manacled. Atop a ladder, an assistant padlocks an iron grille over the yoke. HOUDINI fills his lungs as he is lowered, water splashing around the cabinet. An over-sized clock with a second hand hangs stage left. The curtain opens, revealing BESS standing next to a tall glass-fronted cabinet filled with water. This week, I share the Water Torture Cell scene:
As promised in a previous post, I am sharing escape scenes from my script for a Houdini movie that was never made:
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