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The Great Houdinis

NR
DramaTV MovieHistory
6/10(10 ratings)

A biography of the renowned escape artist Harry Houdini, examining his fascination with the occult and his promise to his wife on her deathbed that he would speak from the beyond.

10-08-1976
1h 36m
The Great Houdinis
Backdrop for The Great Houdinis

Main Cast

Paul Michael Glaser

Paul Michael Glaser

Paul Michael Glaser (born March 25, 1943) is an American actor and director, perhaps best known for his role as Detective David Starsky on the 1970s television series Starsky and Hutch; he also appeared as Captain Jack Steeper on the 1999 to 2005 NBC series Third Watch. Description above from the Wikipedia article Paul Michael Glaser, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Known For

Sally Struthers

Sally Struthers

Cute as a button and with a petite, porcelain prettiness and vulnerability that endeared her to the American public, Sally Struthers nabbed a series role in the early 1970s and became a solid part of TV history as a member of a dysfunctional family quartet in the milestone sitcom, "All in the Family" (1971). She was born Sally Ann Struthers on July 28, 1948, in Portland, Oregon and raised there, pursuing an acting career following high school. Relocating to Los Angeles, she trained at the Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts and earned a scholarship as its "most promising student". She performed briefly in regional stock plays until finding her break as both a commercial actress and dancer on TV. She appeared as a regular on such variety shows as "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967) and "The Tim Conway Comedy Hour" (1970) and showed starlet promise in films, as well as offering ditsy support in the Jack Nicholson starrer, Five Easy Pieces (1970), and the chase film, The Getaway (1972), top-lining Steve McQueen and Ali MacGraw. And, then came "All in the Family" (1971). Also starring Carroll O'Connor, Jean Stapleton and Rob Reiner, Struthers went on to win two supporting Emmy Awards as Kewpie-doll "Gloria Bunker Stivic". She and Rob Reiner left the show after seven seasons, both eager to grow. While Rob Reiner became a noted director, Sally made her Broadway debut in "Wally's Cafe" in 1981, and returned, four years later, with a gender-bending version of "The Odd Couple" as neat-freak "Florence" opposite Rita Moreno's slovenly "Olive". In addition, she found work in topical mini-series drama with Aloha Means Goodbye (1974) (TV), Hey, I'm Alive (1975) (TV), My Husband Is Missing (1978) (TV), ...And Your Name Is Jonah (1979) (TV), A Gun in the House (1981) (TV), to name a few. But without a hit show as collateral, offers started drying up. Sally returned to the TV series fold in the early 1980s spinning off her "Gloria" character with the self-titled sitcom, "Gloria" (1982), but the ensemble formula that worked so well for her before was missing here and the show died in its freshman year. To compensate, however, Sally's baby-doll voice worked extremely well for her in cartoons. She remained active off-camera, providing little girl voices for Saturday morning entertainment, notably her teenage "Pebbles Flintstone" character. Other voice-over work included "TaleSpin" (1990), as "Rebecca 'Becky' Cunningham", and puppeteer Jim Henson's creative prehistoric sitcom, "Dinosaurs" (1991), playing dino-daughter "Charlene Sinclair". IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net

Known For

Ruth Gordon

Ruth Gordon

Ruth Gordon Jones (October 30, 1896 – August 28, 1985) was an American actress, screenwriter and playwright. Gordon began her career performing on Broadway at age nineteen. Known for her nasal voice and distinctive personality, she gained international recognition and critical acclaim for film roles that continued into her seventies and eighties. Her later work included performances in Rosemary's Baby (1968), Where's Poppa? (1970), Harold and Maude (1971), Every Which Way but Loose (1978) and Any Which Way You Can (1980). In addition to her acting career, Gordon wrote numerous plays, film scripts, and books, most notably co-writing the screenplay for the 1949 film Adam's Rib. Gordon won an Oscar, an Emmy, and two Golden Globe Awards for her acting, as well as received three Academy Award nominations for her writing. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ruth Gordon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Vivian Vance

Vivian Vance

Vivian Vance (July 26, 1909 – August 17, 1979) was an American actress and singer from Kansas, best known for her role as Ethel Mertz on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy (1951–1957).

Known For

Adrienne Barbeau

Adrienne Barbeau

Adrienne Jo Barbeau (born June 11, 1945) is an American actress, singer and the author of three books. Barbeau came to prominence in the 1970s as Broadway's original Rizzo in the musical Grease, and as Carol Traynor, the divorced daughter of Maude Findlay (played by Beatrice Arthur) in the sitcom Maude. In the early 1980s Barbeau was a sex symbol, starring in several horror and science fiction films, including The Fog, Creepshow, Swamp Thing, and Escape from New York. During the 1990s, she became known for providing the voice of Catwoman on Batman: The Animated Series and subsequent Batman cartoon series. In the 2000s, she appeared in the HBO series Carnivàle as Ruthie the snake dancer.

Known For

Bill Bixby

Bill Bixby

Bill Bixby (January 22, 1934–November 21, 1993) was an American film and television actor, director, and frequent game show panelist. His career spanned over three decades; he appeared on stage, in motion pictures and TV series. He is best known for his roles as Tim O'Hara on the CBS sitcom My Favorite Martian, Tom Corbett on the ABC comedy-drama series The Courtship of Eddie's Father, and Dr. David Banner on the CBS drama series The Incredible Hulk. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bill Bixby, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Known For

Jack Carter

Jack Carter

Jack Chakrin (June 24, 1922 – June 28, 2015), known by his stage name Jack Carter, was an American comedian, actor and television presenter. Brooklyn-born Carter had a long-running comedy act similar to fellow rapid-paced contemporaries Milton Berle and Morey Amsterdam. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Known For

Peter Cushing

Peter Cushing

Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE  (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played Baron Frankenstein and Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally Vincent Price. A familiar face on both sides of the Atlantic, his most famous roles outside of "Hammer Horror" include his many appearances as Sherlock Holmes, as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977) and as the mysterious Doctor Who in Doctor Who and the Daleks and Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 AD in 1965 and 1966, two cinema films based on the television series Doctor Who. Description above from the Wikipedia article Peter Cushing, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Nina Foch

Nina Foch

Nina Foch (born Nina Consuelo Maud Fock; April 20, 1924 – December 5, 2008) was a Dutch American actress. After signing a contract with Columbia Pictures at age 19, Foch became a regular in the studio's horror pictures and films noir before establishing herself as a leading lady in the mid-1940s through the 1950s, often playing roles as cool, aloof sophisticates. Her career spanned six decades, consisting of over 50 feature films and over 100 television appearances.

Known For

Wilfrid Hyde-White

Wilfrid Hyde-White

Wilfrid Hyde-White (12 May 1903 – 6 May 1991) was a British character actor of stage, film and television. He achieved international recognition for his role as Colonel Pickering in the film version of the musical My Fair Lady (1964). From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Known For

Geoffrey Lewis

Geoffrey Lewis

Geoffrey Bond Lewis (July 31, 1935 – April 7, 2015) was an American character actor. His filmography includes television shows such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent and My Name is Earl, as well as films such as Down in the Valley, alongside Edward Norton, The Butcher, alongside Eric Roberts, Maverick, alongside Mel Gibson, and When Every Day Was the Fourth of July alongside Dean Jones. In 1979, Lewis co-starred as a gravedigger turned vampire in the cult classic made-for-television movie Salem's Lot. Lewis has worked frequently with actor-director Clint Eastwood in several films including Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Pink Cadillac, Any Which Way You Can, Bronco Billy, Every Which Way But Loose, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and High Plains Drifter. Lewis is the father of actress Juliette Lewis. Description above from the Wikipedia article Geoffrey Lewis (actor), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Maureen O'Sullivan

Maureen O'Sullivan

Maureen Paula O'Sullivan was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, on May 17, 1911. The future mother of Mia Farrow was a schooldays classmate of Vivien Leigh at the Convent of the Sacred Heart at Roehampton in London. Even as a schoolgirl, Maureen desired an acting career; she studied hard and read widely. When the opportunity to be an actress came along, it almost dropped in her lap. The director Frank Borzage was in Dublin filming “Song o’ My Heart” (1930) when Maureen, then 18, met him. Borzage suggested a screen test, which she took. The results were more than favorable, as she won the part of Eileen O’Brien. The part was a substantial one, so much so that Maureen went on to Hollywood to complete the filming. Once in sunny California, Maureen wasted no time landing roles in other films such as “Just Imagine” (1930), “Princess and the Plumber” (1930), and “So This Is London” (1930). Maureen was on a roll that her contemporaries could only have wished for when they were coming up through the ranks. In 1932, Maureen was teamed up with Olympic medal winner Johnny Weissmuller for the first time in “Tarzan the Ape Man” (1932). Five other Tarzan films followed, the last being “Tarzan’s New York Adventure” (1942). The Tarzan epics rank as one of the most memorable series ever made. Most people agree that those movies would not have been successful had it not been for the fine acting talents, not to mention beauty, of Maureen O’Sullivan. But she was more than Jane Parker in the Tarzan films; she had great roles and played beautifully in films such as “The Flame Within” (1935), “David Copperfield” (1935), and “Anna Karenina” (1935). She turned in yet another fine performance in “Pride and Prejudice” (1940). After the 1940s, Maureen made far fewer films, not because she lost popularity but by choice. It isn’t always easy to walk away from a lucrative career, but she did because she wanted to devote more time to her husband, John Farrow, an Australian writer, and their seven children. The couple were married from 1936 until his death in 1963. She did not, however, retire completely; Maureen still found time to make an occasional appearance in films or TV or on the stage. Later movie-goers remember her as Elizabeth Alvorg in the hit film “Peggy Sue Got Married” (1986). Her final silver screen appearance was in “The River Pirates” (1988). Some TV movies followed, but only until 1996. She maintained homes in New Hampshire and Arizona, and it was in Scottsdale that Maureen died on June 23, 1998, of a heart attack. She was 87 years old.

Known For

Clive Revill

Clive Revill

Clive Selsby Revill (born 18 April 1930) is a New Zealand-born British character actor best known for his performances in musical theatre and on the London stage.

Known For

Barbara Rhoades

Barbara Rhoades

Barbara Rhoades (born March 23, 1947) is an American actress, known primarily for her comedy and mystery roles, especially as lady bandit Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushings in The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968). She had a memorable role as Jodie Dallas's future wife, Maggie Chandler, in the TV series Soap. Description above from the Wikipedia article Barbara Rhoades, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Unknown Actor

Unknown Actor

Known For

Movie Details

Production Info

Director:
Melville Shavelson
Writers:
Melville Shavelson, Peter Benchley
Production:
ABC Circle Films

Key Crew

Original Music Composer:
Peter Matz
Director of Photography:
Archie R. Dalzell

Locations and Languages

Country:
US
Filming:
US
Languages:
en