Here's a nice bit of Houdini Hollywood trivia. If I am reading this item correctly from the September 6, 1919 issue of Motion Picture News, Houdini made a cameo in the 1919 movie The Lottery Man starring Wallace Reid. Or at least he was there on Hollywood Blvd the day of this shoot. Whether he is visible in the movie we may never know as The Lottery Man is now a lost film.
Why would Houdini do this? The Lottery Man was produced by Jesse L. Lasky who made Houdini's two Hollywood productions. This would have been around the time Houdini returned to Hollywood to begin work on his second feature, Terror Island, with Lottery Man director James Cruze. So it was all in the Famous Players family!
Looking under IMDB it shows that The Lottery Man not only starred Wallace Reid but also Harrison Ford. No not that Harrison Ford. This one was a leading man in silent films until 1932. With the arrival of sound, like a number of stars. He did not make the transition and left films.
ReplyDeleteNice find! The Lottery Man also starred Wanda Hawley and we know Houdini Tried Some Hollywood Magic with her: http://harryhoudinicircumstantialevidence.com/?p=2223
ReplyDeleteAnd Lila Lee (Terror Island co-star) also was in The Lottery Man.
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