Houdini ORIGINAL 1919 Movie Poster -- THE ONLY ONE ! YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR THIS VALUABLE MUSEUM PIECE Start Price USD 42,000.00 Current Price USD 42,000.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Friday, November 28, 2008 End Time Monday, December 08, 2008 Location Allentown, PA See more about 'Houdini ORIGINAL 1919 Movie Poster -- THE ONLY ONE !' Description Escaping From HandcuffsIn 1919 MovieMounted On Heavyweight Linen Most Highly Prized As It Is Theatre-Used This is the original 41" X 27" Houdini stone lithograph poster for the movie serial "The Master Mystery--Episode One." The poster was originally displayed in 1919 at the Strand Theatre, Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. My father, a young performer himself at the time, begged the poster from the manager. The Strand Theatre is pictured below as it existed then. The next photo shows my father performing at the Strand Theatre five years later. The 15 Chapters of the movie serial were made in New York in 1918 and released in 1919 by B ‘A’ Rolfe, Harry Grossman, General Manager. It brought the daredevil escapes and hair-raising adventures of the legendary Harry "Handcuff" Houdini to the screen, and was the first time a robot was used in a motion picture. Otis Lithograph Company printed the poster. It is a treasure from my father’s collection of magic memorabilia (Herman L. Weber, a/k/a Weber the Wizard, and Namreh, "Namreh" is "Herman" reversed, 1900 - 1953). This item is the ONLY poster of Episode One available to you. There is one other thought to exist, but is part of the entire set of 15 Master Mystery Posters of the movie serial and as such would never be auctioned separately. Since this one-sheet was stored away from fading light, the colors are like new. (The red banner with the words "Houdini" appears to have breaks at the edges, but these simulated notches were a deliberate artifice drawn by the poster’s creator to give an "old" flavor to the Master Mystery). This is the original poster from the Strand Theatre in Allentown, PA in 1919--not a copy or re-issue. To account for the rarity of this poster, one can surmise that by the time Episode One of the movie was being shown in theatres, the poster for Episode Two was already on display in order to promote the next week’s attraction. The first poster was gone and lost for those who then had the idea of saving it. This might explain why some of the one-sheets for later episodes were saved and appear on the market once in awhile Archival My brother and I had J. Fields Studio, New York City, carefully remove this valuable poster from its lightweight linen backing (as the linen was wrinkled). Then it was professionally remounted on 80-lb. acid-free rice paper over HEAVYWEIGHT linen. If you have never seen the substantial mounting done by J. Fields Studio, you cannot picture the look and feel of this poster. Fields Studio was the originator several years ago of this heavyweight mounting. Having been de-acidified and stabilized, this valuable collectible is archival, and ready for the next century and longer. Definitely not your average auction-sale poster! A Perfect Investment!Harry Houdini ( Ehrich Weiss 1874-1926) was an incomparable escape artist, showman, and magician, and above all a masterful promoter. He succeeded so well at building his image that the name "Houdini" has become part of our language. Note: Houdini has been honored by the commemorative issue of a U. S. postage stamp---a sensational biography was recently published designating Houdini as the first American superhero---there has been controversy about exhuming his body---and a new Houdini movie is in the works---the Houdini legend keeps growing! Because of the scarcity of Houdini collectibles and his indelible mark in history, genuine Houdini memorabilia will continue to appreciate in value. Here are the primary reasons this particular poster is worth having: This stone lithograph is the ONLY ONE EXISTING IN THE WORLD AS A STAND-ALONE POSTER. It is theatre-used (most desirable by collectors) The poster shows Houdini escaping from handcuffs--for which he was famous--(NOT a contrived, "movie-acting" or "romantic" scene as is depicted in his other movie posters). This is the quintessential Houdini one-sheet. It is a Houdini collectible with the provenance of having been obtained by Namreh from a theatre in which Namreh later performed! What other magician poster of any kind exists with such a history? Find one if you can!My father, Namreh, was the first winner of magic's Sphinx Award. He became a friend of Houdini, Houdini's brother Hardeen, Blackstone and many other of magic's luminaries. The poster is archival A notarized Certificate of Authenticity attested to by Herman L. Weber’s sons will be included with the purchase. A photo of the Strand Theatre in 1919 appears at the top of the text as well as a full scan of the Houdini poster. (You may want to hit your refesh button if the scans do not appear). The actual pictures are much sharper and richer in detail than my scans. The poster measures 27" x 41" and is mounted on the heavy linen, which is LARGER in size (31" x 44") and creates a pure white border around the poster as seen in the scan.FREE SHIPPING & INSURANCE. Will ship internationally providing that I deem it to be safe, affordable, and workable. PayPal is OK. Pennsylvania residents subject to sales tax. Thank you for looking.Bid now and this treasure is instantly yours! Question for Seller? - email to bondedrealty@rcn.com Place a Bid!