Tony Curtis

A documentary surveying the various Hollywood screen depictions of homosexuals and the attitudes behind them throughout the history of North American film. A comprehensive documentary of the history of gays and lesbians in cinema, from negative to positive reflections of gay characters and the troubles of actors and actresses. —R. John Berggren <jberg@nina.pagesz.net> The history of the portrayals of homosexuals in the movies, especially mainstream ones widely distributed in the United States, is presented, this topic important as movies were and are how audiences, the general public, heterosexual or homosexual, often learned about societal mores and norms. It has only been quite recent that homosexual characters could be the stars, they more often on the fringes. While such portrayals were more open in the early stages of movie making, they became more coded - the terms gay or lesbian never used - starting in what is considered the Golden Age of Hollywood, especially with the onset of the Hays Code and the Legion of Decency in the 1930s. In filling gender stereotypes, the gay male was the harmless effeminate - a source of humor - in making straight men more masculine and straight women more feminine, while lesbians, in their masculinity, were more sinister characters. As the restrictions through the Code and by the Legion became more relaxed, homosexual characters, now more openly so, became the unhappy, self-loathing, tragic figure that needed to meet a gruesome end, except when the homosexual nature was done in subtext. The character of the homosexual victim, a decade or so later, became the character of the societal menace. The more diverse characterizations over the past 10 to 15 years are discussed, as is the acceptance of general audiences to see two women being affectionate with each other compared to two men. —Huggo

Set in the fictional English village of St. Mary Mead, home of Miss Jane Marple (Angela Lansbury), in 1953. The movie opens with a black-and-white scene from a movie being played at the local community house titled 'Meeting at Midnight' where a detective in the movie assembles a group of people together at a quait country mansion to root out them for the murder of the wealthy owner. The film breaks which depresses the local audience, until Miss Marple reveals, according to her natural skill of observation, who the murderer in the movie is. Meanwhile, a big Hollywood production company arrives to film a costume movie about Mary, Queen of Scots and Elizabeth I with two famous movie stars, Marina Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor) and Lola Brewster (Kim Novak). Marina and Lola are old rivals who hate each other. Marina, who is making a much heralded comeback after a prolonged "illness" and retirement, when she, in reality, has had a nervous breakdown, and her husband, Jason Rudd (Rock Hudson), who is directing the movie they are making, arrive with their entourage. When she learns that Lola will be in the movie as well, she becomes enraged and vents her anger. Lola and her husband, Martin N. "Marty" Fenn (Tony Curtis), who is producing the movie they are making, then arrive at the gathering. Excitement runs high in St. Mary Mead, as the locals have been invited to a reception held by the movie company in a manor house, Gossington Hall, to meet the celebrities. Lola and Marina come face to face at the reception and exchange some potent and comical insults, nasty one-liners, as they smile and pose for the cameras. The two square off in a series of hilarious and cleverly written and performed cat-fights throughout the movie. After her initial exchange with Lola at the reception, she is cornered by a gushing, devoted fan, Heather Babcock (Maureen Bennett), who bores her with a long and detailed story about having actually met Marina in person during World War II. After recounting the meeting they had all those years ago, when she arose from her sickbed to go and meet the glamorous star, Babcock drinks a cocktail that was made for Marina and quickly dies from poisoning. The incident is unfortunate for Marina's mental state, and she is beside herself. Everyone is certain Heather was the intended murder victim. Once filming begins on the movie, Marina discovers that apart from threatening notes made up of newspaper clippings, her cup of coffee on the set has also been spiked with poison, sending her into fits of terror. A police detective from Scotland Yard arrives to investigate the case. Inspector Dermot Craddock (Bernard Fox) is baffled as he tries to uncover who is behind the attempt on the life of the actress and the subsequent murder of the innocent woman. The suspected are Ella Zielinsky (Geraldine Chaplin), Jason's production assistant who is secretly having an affair with him and would like Marina out of the way, and the hot-headed actress Lola Brewster. Inspector Craddock even suspects Marty Fenn may have have something to do with the attempt on Marina's life since he is Lola's blindly loyal husband. Inspector Craddock then meets with Marina who tells him about reciving the death threats against her in the form of two notes delivered recently and claims not to know who is behind them. When Inspector Craddock questions Jason about the notes, he clearly acts somewhat suprised as if hearing about it for the first time, and he calmly tells the inspector that he wanted to keep the threats on his wife a secret as not to bring on bad publicity for the Hollywood studio. Inspector Craddock asks his aunt, the renowned amateur detective Miss Jane Marple, who injured her foot at the reception and is confined to her home, for assistance. The main suspect, Ella Zielinsky, is later killed by a lethal nose spray after going to a pay phone in the village, where she called the murderer and threatened to expose them. At the climax, Miss Marple, now back on her feet, visits Gossington Hall, where Marina and Jason are staying, and views where Heather Babcock's death occurred. Working from information received from her cleaning woman, Cherry Baker (Wendy Morgan), who was working as a waitress the day of the murder, the determined elderly sleuth begins to piece together the events of the fatal reception and solves the mystery: Marina herself is the murderer. In the film's denouement, Miss Marple explains to Jason Rudd and Inspector Craddock about the two murders that have occurred. Heather Babcock's story was Marina's initial motive. Ten years earlier, Miss Babcock suffered from German measles; a rather harmless disease to most adults, but problematic for a pregnant woman. Heather Babcock innocently infected Marina when she met her during World War II during a stage performance. Marina was about a month pregnant at the time; the disease caused her child to be born with mental retardation. Upon hearing the unknowing Heather cheerfully tell this story, Marina was overcome with rage and poisoned Heather without thinking. She then spread the idea that she was the intended victim in order to throw off suspicion from herself, delivering death threats and poisoning her own coffee at the studio. Ella, who made phone calls to various suspects from the town's pay phone, accidentally guessed correctly, apparently prompting Marina to murder her as well. Miss Marple also deducts that Jason Rudd knew about Marina's murderous secret after Inspector Craddock told him the other day about the death threat notes that Marina received. Jason saw right through the charade as he realized that Marina fabricated everything because she never told him about the death threat notes, and thus decided to protect her. Jason, Marina's devoted husband, confesses to Miss Marple that he actually administered a dosage of poison just last night to save her from prosecution. However, when they enter Marina's room, they see that Marina is now dead. However, Marina didn't touch the hot chocolate Jason made for her and rather poisoned herself. As Marina is now dead, she will not be brought to justice. On that note, both Miss Marple and Inspector Craddock depart from Gossington Hall as the end credits role.

A gruff bookie's life is turned upside-down when he gets a 6-year-old kid as collateral for a bet. Sorrowful Jones (Walter Matthau) is a cheap bookie in the 1930s. When a gambler leaves his daughter as a marker for a bet, he gets stuck with her. His life will change a great deal with her arrival and his sudden love for a woman also involved in gambling operations. —Steve Richer <sricher@sympatico.ca> Sorrowful Jones (Walter Matthau) is a cheep bookie in 1930s New York City who grudgingly accepts a six-year-old girl (Sara Stimson) as collateral for a debt. The sprightly youngster soon has a positive effect on her curmudgeonly guardian, adding a little sunshine to his life.The little girl decides to play matchmaker for Sorrowful and lonely widow Amanda Worthington (Dame Julie Andrews) by setting her up with Jones on a date. —Larry B.

The hapless American Little League baseball team, the Bears, see the Japanese junior baseball champions on television. The Japanese team has invited Americans to play them, but no team has accepted the challenge. The Bears decide to answer the call and go on a local morning talk show to generate support. Meanwhile, local hustler and con artist Marvin P. Lazar (Tony Curtis) contemplates his debts, sees the Bears on television, and gets an idea that he later pitches to his associate, Louis the Gambler (Lonny Chapman): For $10,000, Louis can invest in Marvin's plan to take the Bears to Tokyo and broadcast the game nationally on American television. Louis declines because Marvin already owes him money. After Louis leaves, the Bears arrive to meet Marvin at his office, who falsely implies that he has already raised the money. Giving the children contracts, Marvin claims that their parents have approved and explains that he can promote the game and make them famous as both their manager and new coach. One team member, Ahmad Rahim (Erin Blunt), informs Marvin they have to take his six-year old little brother, Mustapha (Scooty Thornton), with them. Several days later, the Bears arrive in Tokyo and meet the Japanese team and their coach, Shimizu (Tomisaburô Wakayama), before proceeding to their hotel. Marvin gives the hotel two credit cards. After setting up an exhibition practice inning with the Japanese team for the next morning, Marvin tries to find a TV network to cover the event and a company willing to make an endorsement deal. At the exhibition, Marvin suggests different ways to write the Bears' story to Eddie (Jerry Ziesmer), an American television network journalist. The Bears' star player, Kelly Leak (Jackie Earle Haley), hits a home run, but the rest of his teammates play terribly and Japan scores ten runs to the Bears' one. Eddie tells Marvin that he will try to promote the game but warns that no one in the U.S. wants to see an American team get beaten. On his way back to the hotel, Kelly sees a beautiful Japanese girl (Hatsune Ishihara), and follows her to her music lesson. He approaches her afterwards but she speaks only Japanese. He follows her home and continues his attempts to communicate with the help of a Japanese-English dictionary. Kelly asks the girl to dinner and learns her name is Arika. Back at the hotel, Marvin finds it more difficult to promote the game than he anticipated and he is forced to confront his lies. Hotel management figures out that Marvin has no money, cuts up his credit cards and insists that he pay in cash. Meanwhile, the Bears realize Marvin misled them; he has not set up any games or television coverage. Disappointed, the Bears berate Marvin for lying but Mustapha says he still likes the coach. With the team stuck in Japan, Marvin is determined to make money. He bullies his way into a wrestling match with Japanese champion Antonio Inoki; although Marvin tries to dive from the wrestler, Inoki throws him around the ring. Concerned for Marvin's safety, Mustapha intercedes in the match by jumping on Inoki's back and biting his leg. The boy's teammates join in and they overcome Inoki. Marvin is declared the winner and earns enough money to cover their hotel stay. The unusual wrestling match is reported in the press and the Bears start garnering media attention. As the Bears and the Japanese team ride the train to their game location, Marvin realizes Kelly is missing. Back in Tokyo, Kelly and Arika walk around the city and get to know each other, despite the language barrier. After the two teams arrive at their destination, Shimizu observes Marvin's efforts to generate media interest and expresses disdain for Marvin's artifices despite his lack of speaking English. Later, Marvin concedes that he can be obnoxious, but argues that he doesn't want to miss out on the opportunity; if his efforts to court the media are successful, Shimizu and his team will benefit, too. When Marvin points out that he and Shimizu don't have to like each other to work together, Shimizu gives in. Shimizu and the Japanese all-stars win a nationally televised amateur talent game show and secure an endorsement deal with a baseball bat company. Meanwhile in Tokyo, Kelly and Arika share their first kiss. Sometime later, Marvin announces that the Bears are making money and presents them with new uniforms, ignoring protests that they are happy with their current outfits. As the Bears leave to watch a baseball game, Mustapha stays behind to be with Marvin, but Marvin shoos the little boy away to keep a private appointment. Marvin emerges from a massage parlor to find Mustapha waiting for him. When the boy asks Marvin why men and women kiss and how babies are made, Marvin answers as best he can. In Tokyo, Kelly finds Arika at pinball arcade and meets her disapproving father, who forces Arika to send Kelly away. Later, Ahmad calls Marvin an unscrupulous, manipulative and unfeeling "loser," and Marvin considers the accusations. The next day, Marvin runs into Louis. The gambler introduces him to his boss Locke (Robert Sorrells), who is in town with three teenage baseball superstars from Texas that could play for the Bears and help them win. Louis and Locke offer to place a $5,000 bet on the Bears for Marvin in Las Vegas, Nevada; since the odds are 25 to one for the Japanese team, Marvin could make a lot of money. On game day, Marvin introduces the three Texas players, but the Bears don't want help, claiming that Marvin pushed them to be underdogs and now they have something to prove. However, Marvin wields his authority and predicts that with the Texans on the team, the Bears will win the game and be national heroes. If the Bears lose, they will get nothing. As the team heads to the dugout, Ahmad admonishes Marvin. The game begins with the Texans batting and pitching well, but the Bears shun Marvin in the dugout. When Mustapha tries to comfort him, Marvin yells at the boy to leave him alone. Soon, the Texans exhibit unsportsmanlike behaviors and a fight ensues, involving the Bears, the Japanese team and audience members. After police end the brawl, stadium officials cancel the game. However, the television network director informs Marvin he will leave the cameras rolling until 4:00 p.m., so Marvin can still get another game on the air. Learning that Shimizu left his team because the players participated in the fight, Marvin finds his fellow coach and they commiserate in a hotel, but they look out the window to see their two teams playing for fun in a neighborhood lot. The coaches join their players and everyone enjoys himself except Kelly, who is having trouble concentrating. Suddenly, Arika arrives and Kelly hits a home run. The two teenagers run into each other's arms and kiss. When the network director (George Wyner) sees the game, he insists that the players return to the stadium, adding that Marvin is contractually obligated to deliver a game, but Marvin does not consent. Although Marvin suggests that the director ask the boys directly for their approval, the man threatens to sue the coach for breach of contract. Unfazed, Marvin announces that he is done promoting and the boys cheer. Taking Shimizu aside, Marvin suggests that the teams play together in Cuba next year.

An international car rally across Europe is complicated by smuggling, cheating, love at first sight, etc. etc. In an international car rally, competitors must travel from various points in Europe to Monte Carlo, then race their cars. Things are complicated by smuggling, cheating, honor, inventions, medicine, and love at first sight... —Anonymous The story is based on the Monte Carlo Rally, first raced in 1911, and the film recalls this general era, set in the 1920s. The epic car rally across Europe involves a lot of eccentric characters from all over the world who will stop at nothing to win.

Robert Reed visits his philandering friend Bernard Lawrence just as Bernard's scheme of being secretly simultaneously engaged to three flight attendants goes awry. Based on Marc Camoletti's stage play. American playboy Bernard Lawrence has cleverly designed a system using the airline timetables to keep going three affairs with flight stewardesses. However, his life soon starts to descend into a shambles after the arrival of a friend, Robert Reed, and a dreaded change to the flight order, whereby it becomes increasingly difficult to keep his three fiancées apart. —David Gibson <djg6@ukc.ac.uk> Living in Paris, journalist Bernard has devised a scheme to keep three fiancées: Lufthansa, Air France and British United. Everything works fine as long as they only come to visit him every third day. But when there's a change in their working schedule, they will be able to see him every second day instead. Bernard's carefully structured life is breaking apart. —Mattias Thuresson American Bernard Lawrence is an International Press correspondent based in Paris, where he lives with his fiancée, British national British United air hostess Vicky Hawkins. Or is it German national Lufthansa air hostess Lise Bruner? Or is it French national Air France air hostess Jacqueline Grieux? In fact, it's all three, but none of the three know about the other two. With a master airline schedule in hand, Bernard is able to schedule time separately with each of his three fiancées in the same apartment at different times - when one is in Paris, the other two are off flying around the world. Helping Bernard is his acerbic-tongued, efficient but slightly tired live-in maid, Bertha, who has to manage three sets each of photographs, clothing (two of which are always locked up) and bed linens, and has to remember that it is Vicky who eats kidneys, Lise who eats knockwurst and Jacqueline who eats soufflés. Trouble ensues when a rival reporter acquaintance, Robert Reed, comes to Paris. Upon finding out about Bernard's personal situation, Robert blackmails Bernard, the ransom for not exposing Bernard's secret to any of the three women being being able to stay at the apartment while in Paris. But Robert sees somewhat of a good thing, as when he learns that Bernard may be relocated to New York, Robert has dreams of taking over Bernard's Paris situation. But worse for Bernard is that British United, Lufthansa and Air France have all purchased new jumbo jets making air travel faster, which in turn means a whole revamp of their respective airline schedules and the schedules of the three fiancées. —Huggo

In the 16th-century Ukraine, the Polish overlords and Ukrainian cossacks fight for control of the land but frequent Turkish invasions force them to unite against the common Turkish foe. A "Romeo and Juliet" story that takes place in the late 16 c. Ukraine. Taras has settled into comfortable farm life after years of adventures and swashbuckling with his cossack companions. Though not wealthy, he is able to send his son Andrii away to a Polish school. At this time the Poles are overlords of Ukraine and the origin of the cossacks is struggle of the Ukrainian serfs to free themselves and their land of Polish domination. Toward this end Taras hopes that his son will be educated in the ways of the enemy. Instead, Andrii falls in love with the daughter of a Polish nobleman, setting the stage for a clash between love, family honor, and a struggle for national identity. —Anonymous The Cossacks of Eastern Europe join the Poles to rid the Turks from the Steps of Europe. In return for their aid, the Poles agree to give control of the Steps to the Cossacks. After the battle, however, the Poles back out of their agreement and force the Cossacks into the hills. Taras Bulba, a Cossack Colonel, raises his son, Andrei Bulba to learn the ways of the Poles so he can one day defeat them in battle. In his learning process, however, Andrei falls in love with the daughter of a Polish Nobleman. This twist causes Andrei Bulba to choose between the love of the Cossacks, and the love of a woman, and causes Taras Bulba to choose between the love of his son, and the love of the Cossacks. —Anonymous

The slave Spartacus leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic.

An aspiring musician arrives in New York in search of fame and fortune. He soon meets a taxi dancer / call girl and moves in with her. Before long, a romance develops. Tender romantic comedy about an aspiring musician who arrives in New York in search of fame & fortune. He soon meets a taxi dancer, moves in with her, and before too long a romance develops. —alfiehitchie A romantic comedy about a dancer who lives in New York and a would-be musician who arrives in town to make his fame & fortune, and platonically share an apartment. It's not too long before sparks fly as they struggle to make it in the city's 'rat race'. —Huggo

Some Like It Hot is a story of two Chicago musicians who pretend themselves as women in order to escape from Chicago and enjoying in all-female jazz band. The musicians find their love pretending themselves as millionaires. When their love came across their real identities the story takes an unexpected turn which reveals the main moral of the story.

During World War II, a commander finds himself stuck with a decrepit (and pink) submarine, a con man executive officer, and a group of army nurses. A submarine newly commissioned is damaged in the opening days of WW II. A captain, looking for a command insists he can get it to a dockyard and captain it. Going slowly to this site, they find a stranded group of Army nurses and must take them aboard. How bad can it get? Trying to get a primer coat on the sub, they have to mix white and red in order to have enough. When forced to flee the dock during an air attack, they find themselves with the world's only Pink submarine, still with 5 women in the tight quarters of a submarine. —John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net> The Philippines, December 1941. Lt. Commander Matt Sherman is the captain of USS Sea Tiger, a submarine. While in harbour she is damaged by a Japanese air raid, and is close to being written off as sunk. However the crew manage to refloat her and repair her as best they can. Sherman acquires a supply officer, Lt (j.g.) Nick Holden, a staff officer with no discernible naval experience or talents, except one - he is a master of scavenging parts and supplies. The submarine sets out for Australia for repairs. On the way they stop at a US -held island only to find it deserted, but for five nurses. Things are about to get very complicated. —grantss December, 1941. While docked in The Philippines in preparation for its first wartime order to sink or destroy all enemy fleet, the submarine USS Sea Tiger sustains major damage in a Japanese air raid. Lieutenant Commander Matt Sherman, its first and only captain, in lamenting the fact that the Sea Tiger has never seen active battle in its one year of service, is able to convince Capt. J.B. Henderson, rather than sending it to the junk yard, to let his crew make the minor repairs required for it to become at least seaworthy so that they can make the two thousand mile voyage to Darwin, the closest full service naval yard, where all the necessary repairs can be done properly in order for it to be sent back into commission. One problem is that these minor repairs necessarily need to be accomplished within two weeks. Another problem is by the time the decision is made, many of the crew have been reassigned leaving Sherman with a skeleton crew. And a third seemingly just as big a problem is that Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Nicholas Holden is assigned to the crew, he generally attired in dress whites or non-regulation designer clothes, he whose only role in the war has been to make his own life and that of other senior officers and their wives fun and comfortable far away from any danger. Holden is aware that this assignment is outside his comfort zone, but he still wants to play his part working to his strengths of understanding how to operate outside "regulation" so that he can move onto his next more appropriate assignment once they reach Darwin whatever that comfortable assignment may be. Beyond the issue of the sub's seaworthiness or lack thereof with these band-aid repairs and the perils of the war still raging, they face further issues in the seeming incompatibility of male submarine life with an infusion of the feminine in more ways than one en route to Darwin. —Huggo

A slave and a Viking prince fight for the love of a captive princess. Einar and Eric are two Viking half-brothers. The former is a great warrior whilst the other is an ex-slave, but neither knows the true identity of the other. After the throne of Northumbria in Britain becomes free for the taking, the two brothers compete against one another for the prize, but they have very different motives - both involving the princess Morgana. —Graeme Roy <gsr@cbmamiga.demon.co.uk> In the Middle Ages, Viking warriors continue to raid the English coast. In one such raid the Viking leader Ragnar kills the English king and forces himself on the queen. With the king dead, his brother takes the throne but unknown to anyone but a trusted servant, the queen is now with child. In order to protect the boy, he is sent away to be raised in safety away from the new king. Twenty years later, the Vikings under Ragnar are still raiding England and they now have an Englishman, Egbert, making maps of the English coast for them. Ragnar has a son, Einar, a lusty warrior who takes what he wants when he wants it. They also have a slave, Eric, taken prisoner as an infant. Egbert realizes from a necklace Eric wears that he is the son of the queen and is Einar's half-brother. After they kidnap Morgana, a Welsh beauty and the English King's betrothed, the stage is set for an inevitable clash between the half-brothers and with the reigning English king. —garykmcd

A powerful Broadway columnist coerces an unscrupulous press agent into breaking up his sister's romance with a jazz musician. J.J. Hunsecker, the most powerful newspaper columnist in New York, is determined to prevent his sister from marrying Steve Dallas, a jazz musician. He therefore covertly employs Sidney Falco, a sleazy and unscrupulous press agent, to break up the affair by any means possible. —David Levene <D.S.Levene@durham.ac.uk> J.J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), is a tyrannical Broadway columnist for the New York Globe who rules his demimonde with the press's power to create or destroy. Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis), is the hustling publicist who is consumed by desperate ambition and hates himself because of it; he will do anything to gain the admiration of Hunsecker ("My experience, in brief, is dog eat dog.") The film was shot in black and white by James Wong Howe, giving it a grittiness that underscores the class ranking among the characters. In the script by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman, Falco's early prediction - "Every dog has its day" - comes crashingly true. —alfiehitchie New York press agent Sidney Falco's livelihood, and by association those of his clients, are largely dependent upon getting those clients' names in the New York newspaper columns, most notably that of the most influential of all the New York columnists, J.J. Hunsecker. Sidney's livelihood is in jeopardy because J.J., a so-called "friend," asked Sidney to do him a favor which he couldn't accomplish, namely breaking up the relationship of his 19-year-old sister, Susan Hunsecker, toward whom J.J. is overprotective, and Steve Dallas, a jazz guitarist who leads his own combo. J.J. won't give Sidney or his clients the time of day until Sidney accomplishes this task. Sidney decides to use the only tool he truly has available to him in his professional life, regardless of the effect on Steve or Susie. Sidney worries about J.J.'s reaction, which he needn't have worried about as J.J. wants not only to break them up but to ruin Steve in the process for being this thorn in his side. Both Steve and Susie are aware of both Sidney and J.J.'s roles in what is happening around them, but they may feel helpless in getting themselves out from their predicament. The question becomes whether J.J., Sidney and Susie's individual relationships with the other two, and J.J. and Sidney's professional lives can survive what was meant as a means to bolster their own individual power. —Huggo Sidney Falco is a press agent. His livelihood depends on him getting coverage for his clients with influential newspaper columnists. The most influential is JJ Hunsecker and Falco would do anything to get in his good books. Currently he is trying to break up the relationship of Hunsecker's sister with a jazz guitarist that Hunsecker doesn't like. This leads to a Machiavellian plot and profound repercussions. —grantss

Peasant Myles Falworth is trained for knighthood and is groomed by various nobles to defeat the evil Earl of Alban who's plotting to usurp King Henry IV's throne. Technicolor and tights. In the days of King Henry IV, stalwart young Myles of Crisby Dale, and his sister Meg, have been raised as peasants, without any knowledge of their father's true identity. They are sent Mackworth Castle by their foster father with a letter to Lord Mackworth, urging him to take in Myles and Meg as wards. There, Myles is smitten with Mackworth's daughter, Lady Anne, incurs the enmity of the chief knight-in-training, and is assigned by Lord Mackworth to train for knighthood, himself so that he may claim his birthright and assist Mackworth and the stalwart Prince Hal in defeating the evil Duke of Alban, who plots to usurp King Henry's throne. —Kathy Li

In the 1890s, young Harry Houdini is performing with a Coney Island carnival as Bruto, the Wild Man, when Bess, a naive onlooker, tries to protect him from the blows of Schultz, his "trainer." Harry then appears as magician The Great Houdini and, spotting Bess in the audience, invites her on stage. Harry flirts with the unsuspecting Bess during his act, but she flees from him in a panic. When Bess shows up to watch Harry perform two more times, however, he corners her. Bess admits her attraction, and soon after, the two appear at Harry's mother's house, newly married. Bess becomes Harry's onstage partner, touring the country with him, but soon grows tired of the low pay and grueling schedule. After Bess convinces Harry to take a job in a locksmith factory, Harry works as a lock tester while fantasizing about escaping from one of the factory's large safes. On Halloween, Harry and Bess attend a special magicians' dinner at the Astor Hotel, during which magician Fante offers a prize to anyone who can free himself from a straight-jacket. Harry accepts the challenge and, through intense concentration, extricates himself from the jacket, greatly impressing Fante. Afterward, however, Fante advises Harry to "drop it," noting that Johann Von Schweger, a German magician, retired at the height of his career after performing a similar feat, fearful of his own talents. Bess then persuades Harry to give her his prize, a single, round-trip boat ticket to Europe, so that she can cash it in for a down payment on a house. Later, at the factory, Harry locks himself inside one of the big safes, determined to make an escape. Before he can get out, however, the foreman orders the safe blown open, then fires Harry. That night, in front of his mother, Harry and Bess argue about their future, and frustrated by Bess's insistence that he quit magic, Harry walks out. Soon, a contrite Bess finds Harry performing with a carnival and presents him with two one-way tickets to Europe. Sometime later, at a London theater, Harry and Bess are concluding their magic act when a reporter named Dooley challenges Harry to break out of one of Scotland Yard's notoriously secure jail cells. Harry, who hired Dooley to issue the challenge, accepts the challenge, unaware that the jail's cells do not have locks in the door, but on the outside wall. Despite the added difficulty, the dexterous, determined Houdini picks the cell lock and appears on time for his next performance. Now billed as the "man who escaped from Scotland Yard," Harry begins a successful tour of Europe with Bess. In Berlin, Harry is joined by his mother and begins searching for the reclusive Von Schweger. While performing an impromptu levitation trick with Bess at a restaurant, Harry is arrested for fraud. During his trial, Harry denies that he ever made claims to supernatural powers, insisting that all his tricks are accomplished through physical means. To prove his point, Harry locks himself in a safe in the courtroom and breaks out a few minutes later, noting that safe locks are designed to keep thieves out, not in. Vindicated, Harry then goes to see Von Schweger, who finally has responded to his queries, but learns from Von Schweger's assistant, Otto, that the magician died two days earlier. Otto reveals that Von Schweger summoned Harry to ask him the secret of "dematerialization," a feat he accomplished once but could not repeat. Although Harry demurs, Otto insists on becoming Harry's new assistant and travels with him to New York. There, Harry finds he is virtually unknown, so for publicity, hangs upside down on a skyscraper flagpole, constrained by a straight-jacket. Harry executes the escape and soon makes a name for himself in America. To prepare to be submerged in a box in the chilly Detroit River, Harry bathes in an ice-filled bathtub. During the trick, which takes place on Halloween, the rope holding the box breaks, and the box drops upside down into an opening in the ice-covered river. Although Harry manages to escape from the box, the current drags him downstream, and he struggles to find air pockets under the ice and swim back to the opening. Above, Bess and the horrified audience assume Harry has drowned and proclaim his demise. To Bess's relief, Harry shows up later at their hotel, admitting that he heard his mother's voice, directing him toward the opening. Just then, Harry receives word that his mother died at the exact time that he heard her voice. Two years later in New York, Harry, who has not performed since his mother's death, reveals to Simms, a reporter, that he has been trying to contact his mother's spirit, without success. Harry invites Simms to attend a seance with him, and after the medium appears to have communicated with his mother, Harry and Otto expose her as a fake. After a public crusade against phony mediums, Harry decides to return to the stage and builds a watery "torture cell" for the occasion. Terrified, Bess threatens to leave Harry unless he drops the dangerous trick, and he agrees not to perform it. Before the show, Harry admits to Otto that his appendix is tender, but goes on, despite the pain. When the audience noisily demands that he perform the advertised "water torture" trick, Harry succumbs and is immersed, straight-jacketed and upside down, in a tank of water. Weak, Harry cannot execute the escape and loses consciousness. Otto breaks the tank's glass, and after reviving, Harry vows to a weeping Bess that he will "come back."