Houdini gives Lila Lee a thrill

It's a shame none of the actors who worked with Houdini in his movies were ever properly interviewed (to my knowledge). Many of these actors lived long lives. A good case in point is Lila Lee, Houdini's co-star in Terror Island, who died in 1973. One wonders if biographers like Milbourne Christopher ever attempted to track her down. So much could have been learned.

Today the best we have is something like the below. Here Lila Lee remembers an incident on the Terror Island shoot as her "biggest thrill."

Morning World Herald, Nov. 19, 1922.

Terror Island's underwater action was filmed at the La Elliotta Springs Plunge in Riverside, California in November 1919. It seems incredible that Lila would actually be in the safe underwater. In the existing film, it's unclear if it's the actress, a stuntman, or even a dummy that Houdini pulls from the safe. So maybe this is just the work of a publicist. Again, if only we could have asked her!

Related:

• Houdini's leading ladies: Lila Lee
• Juvenile star and a Yankee inventor
• Terror at the Hot Springs