LIFE photos reveals cut wing walking scene from Houdini (1953)

LIFE magazine has posted 200+ behind the scenes photos taken on the set of the 1953 HOUDINI biopic Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Among the photos are several shots of cuts scenes, including a performance of the Cremation illusion and The Milk Can escape.

However, the most amazing revelation (for me at least) is that the film originally was to feature a recreation of Houdini’s death defying plane to plane mid-air transfer and wing walk from his 1919 film, The Grim Game.

This is significant in that all the movies so far made about Houdini’s life and career have ignored his stint as a silent movie star in Hollywood. But here is evidence that the 1953 film did not ignore this aspect of Houdini’s life. It just wound up on the cutting room floor.

My question is, where is this footage today?

Thanks to Adam Steinfeld of Adam Steinfeld Magic Live for alerting me to these remarkable pics!