Previously on Houdini...
Is Harry Houdini your real name?
It is now.
That's you, filled with water.
You would have the satisfaction of knowing
that you had served --perhaps even saved--
your country.
Sir, I-I can't begin to tell you what this means to me.
We'll think of something.
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.
Just 'cause there's nobody out there doesn't mean
that the ones that are don't deserve the best of the Great Houdini.
Maybe you could fill a smaller theater.
"A smaller theater"?
Me?
The writing's on the wall, Harry!
No! I write the damn writing!
What the hell is going on in here?
If I can't bring the folks to the theater,
I got to bring the theater to the folks.
As far back as I can remember,
I've always wanted to escape...
to touch the heights
and plunge the depths of the universe
that were beyond my reach.
But when we reach for greatness
sometimes we stumble.
We risk drowning in our ambition.
I'm a lucky man, though,
because whenever I found myself flailing in the darkness,
there was always one person there to save me.
I told everyone I saw you, Ma.
Guiding me back.
And sure enough, we've been sold out ever since.
- She called me a liar. - She knows you too well.
Yeah, but look, it's in the paper, Ma, look.
"Houdini Guided By Mother's Voice to Safety!"
That's how I told it. That makes it true.
Yeah, as true as his name's Harry Houdini, Ma.
We don't fight, Ma.
- We don't fight. - All this rivalry stuff-- it's, uh,
you know, just for publicity.
People want to pay to see who's better, right?
Which they already know. Huh?
Oh, is that right?
Yeah--jumped off any bridges lately, Dash?
Oh, that's a good one.
Looks like you're running out of bridges, Harry.
What you gonna do next--
escape out of a barrel coming off the Niagara Falls?
Please don't say things like that to him-- you give him ideas.
It's all right, honey,
he's just trying to wind us up. Huh?
And I promised her: no more bridge jumps.
Isn't that right, baby?
It better be.
That's right, Ma, that's right,
I can't be killed. Did you hear that?
So how're you gonna,
you know, make a dent in San Francisco, Harry?
'Cause they already had the earthquake.
You know me. I always got something up my sleeve.
The public always wanted to see me conquer death.
But what they never understood was how much I needed it, too.
It was called a straightjacket,
and it was for confining lunatics.
Turn me around, boys.
- All right. - I needed to keep pushing my limits.
To keep going further.
But why?
What was I looking for?
This thing'll make you go mad. Ah...
How far did I need to keep pushing
in order to feel alive?
It's not so hard...
once you dislocate the shoulder.
Whatever the answer was...
...it was never enough.
You used to pretend to escape death.
It was a trick.
But now, you're tricking me.
That's how I make my living.
That's what people pay to see.
Hello, San Francisco.
Hey, Chaplin,
can you do this?
I escape death.
Everybody wants to escape from something.
I do it for them.
I escape.
I do the impossible.
When they think I'm dead,
I burst into the open air
and they all breathe again.
On my shoulders I-I carry all of their...
Sins?
What, like Jesus?
Not their sins.
Their fears.
I carry their fears.
Don't kid yourself, Harry.
You may not be afraid of death,
but you're afraid of life.
Real life.
Please, I've lived real life. You can keep it.
I'd rather face death a thousand times
than stand in the kitchen and do dishes.
And don't tell me you feel otherwise.
I know you're just as happy to skip the dishes as I am.
- Houdini! - Houdini!
What do you want me to do?
- I want a home. - What are you talking about?
You have a great big mansion in Brooklyn.
We're never in it.
And when we are, we're sharing it with your mother.
We live out of suitcases and trunks.
This is what you signed up for, honey.
I didn't sign up. I got married.
Harry!
Sometimes I think you only proposed to me
because I fit in that stupid trunk.
Is that why we were married? Because I fit in the trunk?
I thought you were through with that stuff.
I thought you were through trying to kill yourself.
So I can't jump.
I can't escape under water.
I can't hang upside down.
What can I do?
Huh? What can I do?
- You put me in a box. - You're only happy in a box.
What's next, a coffin?
Shit, Harry.
Why do have to be so vulgar?
I don't know.
I'm just a dumb girl who married a Jew.
My word.
Sing it for me. I'm your audience.
*Rosie, sweet Rosabelle*
*I love her more than I can tell*
For luck.
*For me she casts a spell*
*My charming black-eyed sweet Rosabelle*
Bess.
Where were you?
Church.
Church?
Harry...
from now on...
we are either in this together,
or I'm leaving.
Do you understand?
I swear...
honey, I swear on my mother's life,
I will never risk my neck again.
I swear.
That's not what I'm talking about.
I know.
I'm sorry, honey.
I'm sorry.
Ladies and gentlemen,
be prepared to be captivated,
exhilarated, mystified.
But first, ladies and gentlemen,
say hello to the mother of the Great Houdini.
And the wife of the Great Houdini.
So, I gave up escaping for her.
I went back to making rabbits disappear.
And now,
say hello to the beautiful daughter
of P.T. Barnum's Jumbo!
Say hello to Jennie!
Or in this case, something a little bigger.
Jennie, say hi to everybody.
Folks, Jennie is over eight feet tall
and weighs 10,000 pounds.
A marvel.
Bravo!
Jennie, give me a kiss, will you?
Oh, good girl.
Ladies and Gentlemen, pay close attention, please.
The mind is the most powerful tool.
Tonight, I shall use this power
to make Jennie
disappear before your very eyes.
Thank you.
Bravo!
Thank you.
Bess always wanted to know how I did that one.
Thank you.
So did the rest of the world.
There were a lot of things
I felt compelled to keep secret from Bess.
Hello, Harry.
- Hello. - Small world.
When do you play in Europe again?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Inquiring minds in London?
And Washington.
Your fans in Europe hunger for a return engagement.
What about booking passage on the Imperator?
German owned, and we're told
a ranking military delegation will be returning aboard.
And if I, uh...
decline?
Your fans would be...
disappointed.
Give me a second.
Don't cry, Ma.
I'll be back.
Don't say that.
She'll be fine.
Take care of her, Dash.
I will, Harry. Don't worry.
Put on a little show for those high-ranking Krauts.
They figured I didn't understand German.
They were talking about unbeschrankt krieg.
Unrestricted warfare.
Unrestricted warfare?
Yeah. What does that mean?
It means that in the event of war,
they anticipate using their submarines
to sink British shipping, including passenger ships.
Will there be a war?
Well, it doesn't look especially promising.
However, you're here on tour again.
Will you make the elephant reappear?
Or merely hang upside down from Big Ben?
Well, my wife has an aversion to heights.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Sir Arthur and Lady Conan Doyle.
Tonight, before your very eyes,
I propose to walk through this solid brick wall.
This structure has been erected
by several of London's finest masons within the last hour.
What an achievement.
Thank you, boys. Thank you.
Are you ready, ladies and gentlemen?
Maestro.
- Would you like to see that again? - Yes!
Maestro.
What the eyes see, the mind believes.
Thank you. Thank you.
My dear fellow, that was absolutely superb.
Thank you, Sir William.
- Good night. - Good night.
Wasn't that a kick?
Wasn't that something?
It worked like a charm, my dear.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
What do you want to bet?
Ah, Sir Arthur.
- Welcome. - Mr. Houdini.
Come on in. Allow me to present Mrs. Houdini.
Hello.
Very nice to meet you. May I introduce you to my wife,
- Lady Doyle. - How do you do?
Very pleased to meet you.
We're a bit, uh, cluttered back here,
- but can I offer you a chair or a... - Drink?
No, no, no, no, no, no.
We-we are merely here to add our congratulations.
Yes. Remarkable. Miraculous.
Most kind. Bess, you know
that Sir Arthur's the creator of Sherlock Holmes, right?
- Yeah, Harry, I know. - Although I would prefer to be...
known for other things.
- Mr. Houdini... - Harry, please.
Harry. Honored Harry,
I paid particular attention to every detail
of your performance tonight,
and I have just examined the carpet
which is employed to prevent the use of trapdoors.
- I see. Well... - Well, and as you know, now,
Sherlock, of course, is celebrated for his powers
of deduction and observation.
So you will appreciate it when I tell you that...
watching your performance,
I was forced to conclude
that you possess spiritual powers.
Beg your pardon?
Spiritual powers.
I was forced to conclude that no human agency
would have allowed you to penetrate that wall.
Now, I am a spiritualist myself,
and therefore, of course, I am rather familiar with psychic phenomena.
Well, Sir Arthur, I'm extremely flattered,
but I-I got to tell you:
going through that brick wall is a trick.
- Nothing more. - Oh, well,
he would have to say that, wouldn't he?
I mean, if you were to acknowledge your paranormal powers,
your career as a magician would be finished, wouldn't it?
Well, now, look, lad, you-you must be extremely fatigued
after your extraordinary exertions.
I do hope that our paths cross again.
I'm most anxious to talk to you about your excursions
into the world beyond.
A pleasure to meet you both.
As it happens, I am also a medium.
Perhaps we can confer one day.
Sure.
Well, good night to you both.
What became of the elephant?
Sir Arthur...
it's a trick.
Yes. Hmm.
What am I, the Wizard of Oz?
Telegram, boss.
Great show tonight, Jim.
Great trick.
- Night, boss! - Good night. Yeah.
So sorry to inform you
of Mom's death last night in New Jersey.
Sudden and peaceful. Dash.
Harry?
Harry. Harry.
Harry. What happened?
- Don't let them bury her. - What?
Don't let them bury her till I'm home.
Cancel the tour.
Oh, no, Harry.
I want to know, Dash.
What did she say?
It sounded like...
"Forgive."
Forgive who?
For what?
I had escaped death
again and again,
but my mother's death
was a sucker punch that I wasn't near ready for.
And it hit me harder than anything ever had.
Mein Held.
My hero.
You always believed in me, Ma.
W-who's gonna believe in me now?
Who's gonna believe?
Hey, Jim.
Can't you do something, boss?
Like what, Jim?
Supernatural? What do you mean?
Yeah. Like...
you and Mrs. H. did onstage a long time ago.
Jim, that was an act.
- You know that. - Yeah. Yeah.
You cannot hide from the spirits.
Ladies and gentlemen, tonight
we have learned of a tragic situation here
in the good town of Garnett.
And with the help of my dear wife,
a psychometric clairvoyant,
we will attempt to reveal just who it was
who murdered Elsie Matthews.
As we prepare, please join me
in a chorus of "Nearer, My God, to Thee."
*Nearer, my God To Thee*
*Nearer to Thee*
I will now cover Mrs. Houdini
with this shroud
in order to concentrate
her psychic energies,
allowing her to receive
ethereal vibrations.
When next she speaks,
it will be the voice of Elsie Matthews we hear.
Elsie, are you there?
Elsie,
are you there?
Yes.
Elsie's spirit is now within Mrs. Houdini,
who is in a trance state,
attuned to receive questions.
Question one.
Elsie,
were you murdered in your own home?
Yes.
Where were you murdered?
The parlor.
How?
Stabbed
16 times with a butcher's knife!
Was the murderer a stranger?
No.
So you knew him?
Can you describe the killer?
Tall.
Dark.
Mustache.
Goatee, lizard boots.
What is the killer's name?
So much blood!
I'm fighting back, but...
Is the killer in this audience?
What is the murderer's name?
His name!
- Have you no shame? - Honey, wait.
No shame at all?
- Beg your pardon. - Parasite!
Our Elsie is dead.
Our first night out in the year since she was murdered,
and you profit from our loss.
I assure you, I had no idea.
Of course you did.
You looked it up.
- I had no notion you... - That we were in the theater?
The Great Houdini and his accomplice
didn't sense our presence?
Would that have stopped you?
They should put you in a loony bin.
That's where you belong!
Come on, we should go.
Here's your 50 bucks.
If anyone could contact her,
it'd be you.
Oh, Jim.
Don't you think I would if I could?
I'd give anything.
I'd give everything.
Unbeschrankt warfare became a reality.
The bullets I pretended to catch in my teeth
now struck young men throughout the world.
The flying machines I loved
were now used to kill.
By the end of the war,
a lot of folks I knew were gone.
Kaiser Bill was in exile.
They poisoned, shot,
and finally drowned that crazy monk,
and the tsar and his whole family were shot.
At least President Wilson
had had me to tea at the White House.
Stuck around long enough to see me give Chaplin a run for his money.
It's a winner, Harry.
It'll play even better with an orchestra.
I'm on the ground the whole time.
It's fake. It's all Hollywood.
Look on the bright side, Harry.
It's good publicity for the real thing.
Yeah. Right.
Tell them I'll be there at 1:00.
What? I thought she was my...
How could I have told her what I was really thinking?
What I couldn't stop thinking?
I realized Jim was right.
If anyone could contact Ma in the hereafter,
it'd be me.
Show us a sign.
A sign from the beyond.
Declare your presence, dear one.
Your son, Harry,
is here,
waiting.
Then you are here.
And we may commune across the ether.
Well, what do you know?
Have you no shame?
Get out! Get out, you scum!
You're phony! You're a bunch of phonies!
I wanted to escape the boundaries of mortality,
to touch the void, to know the unknown,
but all I was finding were phonies,
- Farewell, Aunt Clara. - Charlatans.
- Thank Farnsworth. - And it was starting to tick me off.
Lights, lights, lights.
Thank you, Mr. Farnsworth.
Shoe polish!
I put shoe polish on his megaphone.
Look where it wound up!
He-he's a phony!
And I am the Great Houdini.
You son of a bitch.
I'll kill you.
And I'll throw the book at you!
Houdini must die!
Well, while, I'm still alive...
They call themselves "Mediums"
or "Clairvoyants,"
but truly, they are vultures
who prey on the misery of those in pain,
longing to be reunited with those they have lost.
Now, to these frauds, I offer a challenge.
$10,000.
$10,000 for a medium
whose tricks the Great Houdini cannot expose.
You're a trickster yourself.
And who are you, sir?
I communicate authentically with the beyond,
and I say to your face,
you are nothing but a trickster.
True.
I claim no otherworldly powers.
On the contrary,
I exult in my own.
I spent a lifetime developing my strength
and mastering physical manipulation.
I do not seek to profit from the pain and loss of the bereaved.
Only to entertain.
So will you accept my challenge?
Will you invite me to your next scene?
Can you put me in contact with my beloved mother?
I warn you, I know all your tricks.
You know all of mine?
You want to shut me up, you'll have to shoot me.
You hear?
You'll have to shoot me.
Not a bad idea, actually.
If they wanted to shoot me,
I'd do it for them,
promote my book and take down these vultures,
all at the same time.
Folks, you get the idea.
I'll be staked to the ground across the cannon's mouth.
If I don't free myself
by the time the fuse reaches the cannon,
they'll have to collect the pieces.
Strap me up, boys.
Get it nice and tight.
I suggest anyone with a heart condition
may wish to leave the park at this time.
Are you ready, Sergeant Collins?
Ready!
Then, light the fuse!
30 seconds!
This doesn't look good, folks.
If I don't free myself in the next 25 seconds...
...they're gonna have to call for a team of morticians.
Truth is, I was never really sure this was gonna work,
Jeez.
15 seconds!
15 seconds, folks.
Four!
Three!
Two!
One!
My dear fellow, if nothing else,
you are simply the bravest man that I have ever met.
I'm surprised to see you here in Atlantic City.
We're here for Sir Arthur's lecture tour.
On spiritualism.
Ah, yes.
Don't mind me asking,
but how is it the mind who dreamed up Sherlock Holmes,
champion of logic, buy into table rapping?
Ah, yes, yes.
Well, I see from the newspapers that you're still a skeptic.
But... but what I'm talking about has scientific evidence.
Well, my mind is open,
but I-I've yet to encounter a genuine medium.
Fortune.
Read your fortune.
Uh, ma'am? How much?
Two bits.
Oh, take no heed, Houdini.
They're-they're all over Atlantic City.
They're like vermin.
It's all right. This'll be interesting.
Here you go.
What do you see?
Not today.
What do you mean, "Not today"?
Hold-hold on a second.
You don't get off that easy.
What do you see, huh?
Am I gonna meet a tall, dark stranger?
You will die.
Yeah, so will you.
We all die.
That's no prediction.
Sorry I asked.
But as you're aware,
I am convinced of your paranormal powers.
I have denied them.
Tell me, Bess, do you believe that Harry, here,
is the possessor of supernatural powers?
Over me he sure does.
I believe when we first met,
I told you I was a clairvoyant.
Yes, ma'am, you did.
But you can't be sure I'm genuine.
Unless I hold a sitting.
Just for you.
Would you like to see
if Lady Doyle can contact your mother?
I do this a little differently, as you will see, Harry.
It's called automatic writing.
I've-I've heard of it.
I don't know if I'll be able to make contact.
I have no control over the spirits.
Close your eyes, please.
Yes.
Yes!
Oh, heavens.
I try so long.
My boy...
So long.
I try...
Who's there?
I try...
His mother.
Oh, my darling.
Thank God.
At last I am through.
I've tried, oh, so often...
...but now I am happy.
Why, of course I want to talk to my boy.
My own beloved boy.
Friends, I thank you with all my heart for this.
You have answered the cry of my heart
and of his.
God bless him a thousandfold for all his life.
For me...
Never had a mother such a son!
Soon he will get all the proof he wants.
Tell him God will be waiting
and so will I.
if only the world knew this great truth.
Thank you.
Do you know what yesterday was?
Yeah, it was, uh...
March twenty...
...fourth.
I'm sorry.
I forgot.
Ma wouldn't have.
She never forgot my birthday.
- Lady Doyle's a fraud. - Boss...
Boss,
this man created Sherlock Holmes.
The whole world loves him.
You love him.
He's the big cheese in this spirit business.
You take him on,
you'll stir up a hornet's nest.
You gotta back off.
You find these people and you turn them into heroes
or fathers or something,
and then you get pissed when they turn out to be regular people.
He's just regular people!
Your wife is a fake!
In her whole life,
my mother never spoke one word of English!
- Harry... - Not one!
Harry, Lady Doyle translates as she...
And it was my birthday!
A mother not mentioning her son's birthday?
She never missed! Never.
Your wife is a fake.
Do you hear me, Lady Doyle?
You're a fake! You're a fake!
How dare you insult my wife!
I don't claim Lady Doyle is a fake,
but she is deluded,
probably under the influence of her misguided husband.
While I sympathize with his wartime losses,
Sir Arthur's efforts to promote his beliefs
has led them both into causing incalculable harm.
It is not too much to say
that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
is a menace to mankind.
Till now, I've tried in good faith
to contact my beloved mother,
but I now declare total war on the spiritualist racket!
I will devote my whole life
to defeating their nefarious schemes to exploit a gullible public.
I more than double my challenge!
$25,000
to any so-called medium who can convince me!
There he is!
Sir Arthur,
- any comments on Houdini's response... - No, no, no, no.
Do you have time to answer just one thing?
Now, let us through, please.
Lady Doyle.
- Lady Doyle, is it true you... - No, out of the way.
to make contact with Houdini's mother?
Is it true you were able to make contact with Houdini's mother?
Houdini is doomed.
Doomed.
They didn't get it.
I wasn't looking for a fake.
I wanted to be proven wrong,
to reach the other side,
to escape to something
beyond death.
So I went to consult the most notorious medium in all the world.
She called herself Margery.
Mr. Houdini.
And if she was for real,
- Hello. - I'd give up the witch hunt...
Good evening.
...in a heartbeat.
We've been waiting for you.
It would be a small price to pay to prove once and for all
that death isn't the final act.
This is my husband, Dr. Crandon.
Houdini.
How do you do?
I believe you know Mr. Bird.
Yes, of course.
And this is Mr. Munn,
publisher of Scientific American Magazine.
Well, they were kind enough to include me
on their assessment committee.
Gentlemen.
So, Margery...
Oh, I'm not Margery.
Not yet.
Gentlemen,
shall we go in?
I had a front row seat
to see if she could truly summon the nonliving.
Lovely home.
In this case,
Margery's conduit was her dead brother, Walter.
Margery will sit in front of the screen.
I will sit to her right, act as her control.
Houdini,you're on her left.
You will be her control?
Of course.
That's how we've always done it.
We shouldn't alter any conditions, no?
Gentlemen.
Mr. Carrington...
aren't you going to kiss me?
Darling?
All right, gentlemen,
please have a seat.
In this box, I am placing the bells...
...the whistle
and the tambourine.
This box
will be locked...
and inaccessible.
Mr. Bird, the lights.
Everyone, hold hands.
I sense an unfriendly presence.
Walter?
This is...
I know. Harry Houdini.
He sure is a sheeny.
A man with a crook in his shoe.
Says he, "As to Walter, I'll lead him to slaughter."
But says Walter,
"Perhaps I'll get you."
Walter!
That's no way
to treat a guest.
What does he want? Bells?
Whistles? The works?
How do you like that...
Erich Weiss? Yes.
That's his real name.
Let me speak with my mother.
Like hell!
Walter! Stop!
Shut up, sis!
Tell me her last word.
You tried that dodge with Lady Doyle.
You know I can't understand a word that woman says.
And you, Houdini,
I put a curse on you that will follow you
for the rest of your short days.
No! Lights!
Help me!
I'd say Walter's outdone himself.
Pretty good.
But not good enough.
The most important point here is... well,
Dr. Crandon as her control.
That's no control at all.
In the dark, he lets go of her hand,
enabling her to ring the bell
while he puts the whistle in his mouth,
and then with his foot, he kicks over the screen.
What about Walter's voice?
I should've gagged you.
Mrs. Crandon is the most gifted ventriloquist I have ever heard.
Aren't you?
You can't prove any of this.
Want to bet, hmm?
Some scientists. They all had the hots for her.
Yeah. She put the moves on every one of them.
Yeah. No, baby. I didn't fall for any of it.
No, she's busted, baby.
A-As soon as I write my report, she won't see a dime.
Bessie, someone's at the door.
I got to go.
Yeah. I'm on the 8:55 tomorrow.
Yeah, no. I-I-I'll see you tomorrow in Detroit.
Speak of the devil.
May I come in?
It appears our roles are reversed.
Are you going through with it?
Will you expose me?
Listen. I came to you to put me in contact with my mother.
I trusted you.
You played me.
Is there nothing I can do
to dissuade you?
They say you have the strongest stomach muscles.
That you let perfect strangers take a punch.
May I...
try my luck?
Get out.
Hypocrite.
You'll regret this.
I'm already regretting it.
Don't forget, Walter's curse is on you.
Yeah, yeah, I know.
And when I die,
you spiritualists will declare an international holiday.
When you die,
we will make you say whatever we like.
We will own you.
For the first time in my life,
I was truly afraid.
And I didn't know why.
How long can a man hold his breath?
Behold the Chinese Water Torture Cell.
I didn't believe in curses,
and I wasn't gonna start now.
It's a fracture.
You've got to go into a cast
and stay off it for six weeks.
No, uh...
Just give me some kind of brace, Doc.
You have to have a cast.
Well, I can't perform in a cast,
so we have to find some kind of brace that'll work.
Houdini does not miss performances.
Exactly.
This is crazy.
At your age, to hang by only one...
you'll break the other ankle.
What can I tell you, Doc?
Thank you very much. Would you gentlemen mind
giving me some time to rest before the evening show?
There's some, uh, students outside.
I promised they could sketch me.
Thank you. Thank you, Doc.
Thanks, Doc.
Honey, look at this. "After much debate,
"Scientific American has decided not
"To award its monetary prize
"To the celebrated Boston medium known as Margery,
"Citing the work of magician Harry Houdini
"In exposing apparent deceptive practices.
"The medium's deceased brother, Walter,
"Laid a curse on Houdini
predicting his imminent death."
Huh. Yeah.
"Apparent."
What a face-saving crock.
You didn't tell me about the curse, Harry.
Baby, how can there be a curse if there's no Walter?
Damn it, now you're gonna go out there
- onstage with a broken ankle. - It's a fracture, honey.
Can't you ever just think about me, just for once?
Hey, everything is fine.
Get stuffed, Harry.
Oh, look!
Your fan club is here.
Come on in, boys.
How you doing, fellas?
Come on in.
Great to meet you, Mr. Houdini, sir.
Great to meet you.
I'm sorry.
They said you were seeing people.
That's all right. Come in.
Mr. Houdini,
did you really call Lady Doyle a fake?
No, not exactly, no.
they all believe.
It's not religion; it's science.
Religion masquerading as science, young man.
Don't move, sir, please.
Excuse me.
Yeah, the Doyles are very sweet people,
but they're easily taken in.
Sir Arthur once authenticated
a doctored photograph of fairies in a garden.
Let me get a look at this, kid.
That's very nice.
They say you have very strong stomach muscles.
Yeah.
That a guy in Montreal slugged you and couldn't make a dent.
Yeah.
- I'm impressed. - Thank you.
What about now?
Come on, Sheriff,
give me your best shot.
- That's for calling Lady Doyle a fake! - Get out of here!
Mr. Houdini?
Are you all right?
He shouldn't have done that.
Should we get the doctor?
No, not a word of this.
Are you sure?
Go back to your sketches.
Okay.
Harry! Harry!
Harry! Harry! Harry!
Harry! Harry!
Harry! Harry! Harry!
Harry! Harry!
Harry! Harry! Harry!
Harry! Harry!
Good evening!
Good evening.
It's great to be back in this beautiful city of Detroit!
How is everybody tonight?
Harry!
- Harry! Harry! - Curtain!
Harry?
Get the ambulance!
Okay, gentlemen,
let's open him up and have a look.
Scalpel.
Dissector.
Oh, God.
There she is right down there!
Get out! Get out of here!
Get out!
Get out of here! Get out of here!
Get some help here?!
Will you get out of my hospital?
Away!
Get back!
Your husband suffered a ruptured appendix.
By the time I opened him up,
the infection had taken hold.
There was gangrene everywhere.
Oh, my God, Harry.
But he's... he's gonna be all right?
There's nothing more we can do.
Thought about being a surgeon.
You?
Whatever for?
To do something... useful.
"Useful"?
You've thrilled millions.
I take my family to see you
every time you play Detroit.
What you do is real, Doc.
I'm a fake.
Is it fake to make people happy?
Fake to help millions escape their own problems for a while?
Inspire them?
I don't think that's fake.
I think you're the realest person I ever met.
Thank you, Doc.
I'm...
I'm about to make my last escape.
Phone call, Mr. Hardeen.
Operator says it's urgent.
Hardeen speaking.
I'd like to send a reply to Mrs. Houdini.
"Lady Doyle joins me in sending our best wishes.
"Whilst we differed,
"Your husband is the most remarkable man I ever met.
"And as you are aware, he was greatly changed
"Once Lady Doyle brought him into contact with his beloved mother."
That's not how it was.
"Houdini's conversion to spiritualism
touched us all."
Come here.
Come close.
Close.
Sing it for me.
Like you used to.
Go on. Sing it.
*Rosie*
*Sweet Rosabelle*
*I love her more Than I can tell*
*For me She casts a spell*
*My charming Black-eyed sweet Rosabelle.*
Bessie?
It was never about the trunk.
It was always about you.
Harry...
Don't cry.
Even if I'm dead,
there's no getting rid of me.
Harry!
Oh, sweetheart.
Don't cry, my love.
In one way or another,
we all want to escape.
But no one's pulled it off.
Happy Halloween, Harry.
No one's actually done it.
Not yet.
Because in the end...
...there was no escape.
Are you there, Harry?
Can you hear me?
Harry?
Are you there, Harry?
Can you hear me?