The movie does succeed as light fluff. The chemistry between leads Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, newlyweds in real life, is one of its greatest strengths. Janet is cute and Tony’s performance is engaging, and there are numerous humorous moments.  Some of the set pieces are memorable, such as the Wild Man sideshow and the frozen river escape.

The character played by Torin Thatcher (Seventh Voyage of Sinbad) is both a blessing and a curse. Tony spends half the film looking for a mysterious German spiritualist, then discovers he missed him “by that much”. Instead he inherits his personal assistant Otto. Though Torin exudes personality throughout, and his addition is very welcome, his character never becomes integral to the plot. This situation represents a sorely missed opportunity to bring some real dramatics and tension to the film.

The DVD:

This is the full screen Technicolor original aspect ratio (or very close) right before wide-screen became the norm. Slightly soft in places, this is still a pleasing presentation. No subtitles but closed captions are included.

Though Houdini bears little resemblance to the performer’s actual life, it does present an entertaining Hollywood biopic with romance, drama, and humor.