Post by managermike99 on Jul 29, 2014 14:40:55 GMT -5
“Houdini”
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Opening & Closing Theme: "Houdini" by Joe Satriani
Airing time; Tuesday @ 9:00pm
Status; ordered season 1 – 22 episodes
Category; Drama (paranormal)
Production company; The Illusion of Entertainment Productions
Running time; 60 minutes
~creators~
T.Taylor
M. Besler
A. Feltes
~Series synopsis~
The greatest illusionist and magician in history Harry Houdini was famous back in the 1920's for his ability to debunk fraudulent claims of the paranormal. Houdini also promised before his death that if it was possible to make contact from the other side he would do so. Like a true magician the circumstances surrounding his death left many questions unanswered and was shrouded in mystery. A mystery that time forgot.
Until now.
Harry has made contact, and the world will never be the same again.
~cast~
Lyle Overtron...
Dexter Fletcher
Dina D'appolis....
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Natalie Raitano
Jeri Smith...
Michelle Latimer
Frank Smith...
Ben Daniels
Whitehead....
Robert Englund
and Jeffrey DeMunn
as Houdini
Episode 1.01
New York City
Scene 1 – as the theme song fades, we approach overhead on Lyle Overtron (played by Dexter Fletcher), a slightly nervous, nerdy amateur magician. It looks and sounds like we are going to sweep down on him from above. But he enters into a magic store and we swoop over and above the rattling wooden sign.
Scene 2 – inside that magic store Lyle is picking up some supplies. The proprietor seems to be a bit rude, a bit of a bully by the name of Frank Smith (played by Ben Daniels). He’s ragging on Lyle about his devotion to the late great Houdini. When Lyle gets defensive and says he was the greatest ever, Frank spits on the ground and says Houdini was a traitor, revealing the tricks of the trade and destroying the careers of many aspiring magicians. Lyle counters “only second rate ones and frauds”. The door to the store suddenly blows open, with a crash. No one is there and it suddenly slams shut with another blast of wind, and the lights flicker. Lyle says a storm is brewing and he tells Frank to hurry because he still has a long walk home.
Scene 3 – after Lyle has left Ben closes up shop. He picks up some items the wind had scattered on the floor, stopping in wonderment to look at a history of magic book which has landed open to a penetrating picture of Harry Houdini in handcuffs.
He enters the back room of the store where his wife Jeri Smith (played by Michelle Latimer) sits dishing out tarot cards and looking decidedly like a gypsy. Frank tries to deride her over her appearance and obsession, but she is in his face immediately exerting her superior position in their marriage. She tells him that the cards are acting very strange today, a storm is brewing. Frank says “yeah I know, I stuck my head out in the real world and felt it.” She looks at him not understanding before snapping, “not a literal storm you simpleton, a storm of supernatural force, one that threatens to rip out the souls of men.” He stares at her “and women too”.
Scene 4 – Lyle is running home in the rain. He has a ripped paperbag over his head in a futile attempt to stay dry. He smashes into the apartment door, fumbling with his keys. “Let me help you” he turns around and see’s the lovely and fit Dina D’appolis (played by Natalie Raitano). He just clams up, totally taken. She calls him by name so they obviously know each other from the apartment, and he awkwardly thanks her as they enter the apartment. A glass with some sort of floating eye falls out of his jacket and smashes open on the foyer floor. He’s embarrassed as she looks in revulsion at the eye on the ground.
Scene 5 – In Lyle’s apartment, which is filled with stuffy armchairs, exploding bookcases, dust, and magic tricks includling a couple empty birdcages. His apartment windows are either covered in brown paper or cracked and dirty. His answering machine says 3 messages. The first two there is no one on the other end, silence, the howling of the wind. The third one he is about to delete as it starts off as silence before a soft female voice tentatively says…”Harry….are you there yet? Have you come? I’m waiting for you Harry. It’s your beloved Bess. I miss you so much Harry. Oh Harry….sudenly the voice begins to moan and groan…laughter of more people in the background…” Wankers, says Lyle in anger as he hits the delete button. He settles down and goes through his newly acquired bag of goodies.
Scene 6 – out Lyle’s window, across the street to a taller, better maintained apartment complex, the camera flies to the top where two stone gargoyles keep watch as if on Lyle’s apartment across the street. Shadows begin to accumulate around the gargoyles, shadows of humans or something close. The whipping wind…voices…whispers…the exact words lost in the wind. One comes through clear though “he will come…watch”.
Scene 7 – inside that same swank apartment on the penthouse floor a party is underway. A gorgeous woman in a black dress seems to watch Lyle from the windows. Around a fireplace a pair of well dressed gentlemen are entertaining a pair of lovely ladies. One guy is telling a joke. We approach them like the wind through other party goe’ers.
“And if he gets out of that we’ll call him Houdini”. The man laughs at his own joke, the women laugh politely and one rests her hand on his shoulder. The other man looks bored and walks away to get a fresh drink…as the wind outside picks up…the French patio doors blow wide open…the glass shattering. The chandelier comes crashing down from the ceiling, narrowly missing the women, and catching the gentleman who had told the joke squarely on the head. He is knocked out cold, a good gash on his forehead but he will survive.
Scene 9 – inside his apartment Lyle has put himself in a straight jacket, sitting squat on the floor. Soft “tantra” music plays in the background as he relaxes and begins his escape. He wiggles and squirms…falls over..picks himself up…wiggles…squirms..can’t get out. There’s a knock on the door it’s Dina…but he doesn’t answer. He tries harder to get himself out but only hurts himself more. Finally he squirms over to the wall where he has some metal hooks and rods set up to aid his escape. By the time he does so and answers the door she is gone.
Scene 10 – Back to the Smith’s and the magic shop. In the backroom Jeri is telling a group of clients that the stormy weather is ideal for their séance, that they are lucky and can expect to have even greater contact tonight from “Bob”. We see Frank hidden in a back area with props and switches. The séance begins and Jeri does some comical looking attempts to contact their dearly beloved. The lights flicker and go out on cue, Jeri grins and is tapping her foot on some pedals under the table. But things quickly get out of hand, with things being picked up straight into the air and dropped, things blowing across the room. Jeri looks scared. Suddenly her table smashes in half in the middle, and her half goes flying over her head and smashes into the wall. The partition behind which Frank is hiding also topples over. The elderly lady customers shriek and scream. Suddenly everything stops, the lights return. Everyone is silent. Frank is standing there with strings in his hands, Jeri is trying to cover up her pedals with the hem of her long skirt. The ladies look at Jeri, silent, scared, then smiling, and laughing…”that was wonderful dear, the best yet. Reminds us of what it was like to romp in the hay with Bob!”
Jeri, “same time next month then ladies?”. “No way we can’t wait that long, same time next week!” Toodles dear.
London, England
Scene 11 – Circa late 1890’s. We see Harry Houdini on a stage showing the crowd how fake spiritualists do their tricks of a séance. One member of the crowd stands up and tells Houdini that he is very mad at him. Houdini asks “what for, telling the truth?”. No the man says, “contacting the after life is my wife’s only hobby, now she’ll probably want me to learn how to dance.” The crowd laughs. Harry becomes somber for a moment. “Ladies and gentlemen, you have seen me perform some extraordinary tricks. Well that’s all they are tricks, I have never pretended otherwise, and any one who does is a fool of the worst order. My entertainment is one of what a man with a fit mind and a fit body can achieve with practice and dedication. Nothing more, nothing less. But I do make you this promise. When I die, I Harry Houdini, the greatest escape artist of all time, do hereby promise to spend my energies in attempt to escape that greatest of all cages, death. If contact from the other side of the grave can be made, I Harry Houdini will make it. “ he pauses. “And I just pray it will involve floating, and not climbing.” The crowd laughs once more and explodes into a chorus of cheers.
In the back of the hall we see a tall, pasty looking young man in an ill-fiting suit taking it all in. He has a menacing look on his face. He turns to leave the hall.
[end of episode]
Episode 1.02 - "The Kiss"
Boston, Mass, circa mid-1890's
Scene 1 - Harry Houdini and his wife Bess are standing at the Boston Harbour, where a crowd of a couple thousand enthusiastic spectators have gathered to see him perform a trick. He will jump off the docks and into the Atlantic wearing a variety of chains and handcuffs. The trappings are secured by a "challenger", a rival magician who brings his own chains to ensure authenticity. He also applies them himself, enjoying cranking them so tight that Harry can hardly breath, and searching Harry for picks or other aids. He does this trick in public for free in order to try and lure people inside the theatre where he will perform for several weeks (as evidenced by a sandwhich board and a barker). The trick is ready to go off until the police put a stop to it. There is a by-law against jumping off the pier into the water. The crowd is ready to riot. However, a friendly tug boat operator steps forward and offers the services of his boat. Harry can jump off his boat into the Atlantic, and the police have to agree that no laws forbid this occurence. Harry is transported and after some build-up jumps, chained into the Atlantic. He is underwater for a minute, the spectators grow anxious, two minutes, something has gone wrong. Even Bess is growing anxious now and several men begin to strip off their overcoats and prepare to jump in to save him.
Suddenly, he bursts, head first out of the water, a length of chain in his hand. After he is pulled out of the water and the cheers of the crowd have lulled he comments to everyone on the wonderful variety of fish in Boston's waters.
Bess asks him quietly if everything was all right. Harry assures her it was fine, he was out in less then a minute using a small pick hidden in his hair, but he was not going to appear above the surface one second earlier then he had too. He tells his wife, the more people who believe he may one day die, the higher the attendence will be for his show tonight. She says "Harry you are going to die one day." Harry looks dumbfounded like this never occured to him, and replies "but not today."
New York City - 2006
Scene 2 - Lyle is awoken from a snooze in his armchair by a rapping on the door, and a note is pushed under his apartment door. He reads the note. It's from Dina, "Enjoy. If you would like some company tonight to watch a movie or something I will bring you some more of my wares." Lyle opens the door to find a nice care basket of cookies.
Scene 3 - a pale man, who looks like he's seen better days, walks into the Smith's Emporium. He shares some small talk with Frank Smith about magic but when the customer speaks about the greatness of Houdini, Frank loses interest saying "oh not another one". The man says it is Houdini that brings him to the shop today, for he has a certified original milk can escape that he needs to give to Smith today.
In turn the man tells him you are going to sell it for a song to one Lyle Overtron. Frank objects not sure "what your game is".
The man says to Frank menacingly, "I assure you this is no game." Then he softens his tone somewhat and assures Frank that they are all on the same side. Spiritualists with an ax to grind and a living to make.
He asks where the milk can is, only to see it at the back of the store. He's confused saying he didn't see the man bring it in. The man just asks "you didn't?".
The man looks Frank in the eyes and asks if he can trust him to make sure this ends up in the hands of Lyle Overtron. Frank is about to commit when his wife Jeri enters the scene from the back. After catching up to the situation she wants to throw the man and the milk can out of the store. The man challenges her saying "let the cards of fate decide".
Startled she brings out her tarot cards and begins to lay them out. She begins to look withdrawn, then sick, then frightened. Finally looking up she says "we will do as you ask. Now leave, and do not return."
Frank picks up the phone and calls Lyle, "I have something you might be interested in.."
Scene 4 - The milk can is being carried upstairs by a delivery man, making a big racket. Dina comes from the floor above to check it out. Lyle is very excited about the piece, and tells Dina all about it. Dina listens and when Lyle is done she says that's wonderful. "The milk can" he asks? "No that you have got over your nervousness. So about tonight?". Lyle invites her over for a movie and to help him explore the milk can.
Scene 5 - The rooftop of the apartment across the street, shadows surrounding the stone gargoyles appearing to keep watch over Lyle's apartment. The wind whispers, most of it lost to human ears but snippets of "he doesn't suspect a thing" and "he's in for a big surprise" are decipherable.
"What's that? Who's there?" It's the apartment custodian checking on the roof. He approaches the edge of the buidling where the gargoyles stand watch. "IS SOMEBODY THERE?" he demands.
Scene 6 - Lyle and Dina are finishing some Chinese takeout while watching "The Man From Beyond" a very old Houdini flick. They turn it off and turn their attention to the milk can which Lyle has somewhat cleaned up. Dina wants to try it out, thinking of it as a disappearing trick instead of an escape. She asks him to put the lid on and make her disappear (he then gives the obligatory mushy comment). She is about to enter it when she says she doesnt really feel like one of those sexy magician assistants, and promptly strips down to her bra and panties, and then enters the milk can. Lyle puts the lid on and says some magic words. He tries to spin it around for effect, but its too heavy, and they both laugh. He says some magic words, taps it 3 times on the lid, and the laughter inside stops suddenly.
"Dina?"
"GET ME OUT. There's SOMETHING in here...HURRY...OH GOD"
Lyle quickly takes the lid off and helps her out, toppling the can. There appears to be nothing inside. She says it felt like hands, or spiders or something all over her.
She looks up realizing that she is in her arms (in her undergarments) and they kiss.
Lyle though breaks it off and examines the milk can further. As she dresses he explains to her that by the time Houdini was doing the milk can trick, escapes were his bread and butter. He never claimed there was magic, it was all about tricks.
She doesn't look terribly interested and they say their good nights.
Scene 7 - Lyle wakes up in his bed...or rather levitating about two feet above his bed. He's in a state of shock. Suddenly he's flipped over facing down towards his bed, still suspended two feet above it. But on his sheets is a huge red mess, like the sheets are covered in blood, he screams.
Until he sees the ketchup bottle on the nightstand, and is now quiet in shock.
Suddenly words begin to be written in the ketchup.
"I am Harry Houdini"
"Yeah right" says Lyel
"You doubt ME"
At this point Lyle is flipped over facing up, and then begins to quickly rotate around like a rotissiere chicken. Then it stops and he is facing down again.
"I will need your services over the next little while"
"Sure, whatever you...you..want..just don't hurt me"
"You don't Believe Me do you"?
"Sure I belive you...just don't hurt me."
"Ask me anything"
"Okay...well your dead...so now that you went to the afterlife tell me how Dai Vernon's card trick fooled you"
There is a long pause before there is an answer written in ketchup sheets.
"I still don't know...it doesn't work that way over there"
"Over there, as in the other side of the grave?"
"Yes"
"Oh boy" says Lyle as he's dropped from the air two feet landing in the ketchup mess.
Scene 8 - Early morning and Lyle wakes up to banging at his door. He's a complete mess, but it's Dina and she sounds hysterical. Lyle puts his robe on to cover the ketchup mess on his body which he obviously did not bother to clean up last night. She tells him in fright that a dead body was found on the apartment roof across the street, sprawled out dead on the Gargoyles. It's the janitor, he was murdered. Without thinking Lyle takes her through his bedroom to the window to look. When she see's his bed she screams. He tries to calm her, but his robe opens showing off all the red stains. She screams again, but when Lyle reaches out for her she spins around with a roundhouse kick that catches him squarely in the jaw, and he's out cold.
Scene 9 - Police inspecting the body. It looks to have died from blunt trauma of being smashed into the stone gargoyles. A detective taking in the scene looks across the street and suggests starting by canvessing that building, the apartments with windows facing this direction to see if anyone saw anything unusual last night.
Montreal, Quebec 1926
Scene 10 - The campus of Queens University. A dark looking man with a "spiritual" look to him is talking to a tall, shy, student with a dull look in his eyes. He tells him of an upcoming appearance by Harry Houdini on campus.
[end of episode]
Episode 1.03 - "Whitehead"
St. Louis, 1908
Scene 1 - Harry Houdini with some help from his wife Bess performs the escape from the milk can trick for the first time. He is chained up and handcuffed and then lowered into the milk can which is completely full of water. The lid of the can is also secured in place. A curtain is dropped around the milk can and two minutes later Houdini amazes the crowd by emerging unscathed. A close-up of the can followed by a fade out to present day confims that this can is the same one that now resides in the apartment of Lyle Overtron.
New York City, 2006
Scene 2 - Police question Lyle about whether he saw anything last night on the roof of the facing apartment block. Lyle says no, but he seems very nervous because of what has transpired over the last day, and so the police continue to press him, and start to ask his whereabouts. They step in and see a splatter they think is blood but its ketchup on the apartment wall. Stepping in further to investigate the splatter they peer into his strange apartment filled with books, dust, and magic tricks.
Lyle is saved by Dina who shows up to vouch for the whereabouts of Lyle last night. Jaws drop as she enters wearing a very short black mini skirt, her sexy legs shine in the light, and a skin tight white lycra top. She kisses Lyle passionately on the lips to impress her point on the cops. After a couple questions regarding where she lives, and if she saw anything the police leave, still looking very suspicious.
Lyle thanks Dina, who replies he can thank her properly tonight.
Scene 3 - Someone is watching Lyle's apartment from the building across the street. Curtains are pushed aside as if by a hand, but none is visible. It appears to be the same apartment from the party and the crashing chandelier in the first episode. Words are whispered in the air, "he has made contact. They have no idea."
Scene 4 - Lyle spends the day at the library doing research into Houdini's milk trick trying to authenticate the milk can. Strange things start to happen, pages turn, a picture of Houdini fades, Lyle and his chair are lifted a few inches into the air. Finally Lyle can bear it no longer and tells the spirit to leave him alone. He packs up to go but the spirit continues to hound him all the way to the door, including knocking over a display of brochures earning Lyle a scowl from the security guard.
Scene 5 - Lyle stops in on the Smiths' shop on his way home. Frank Smith looks shocked and even scared to see Lyle which for once puts the gentle man on the offensive. He begins to drill Frank about the authenticity of the milk can. We see Frank's wife Jeri pressed up against the wall in the back listening to the conversation with a smile on her face. Finally Frank regains his bearings and turns nasty with Lyle. He tells him if he isn't going to buy anything today then he should leave. Lyle leaves but as he is turning the corner outside he walks smack into the chest of the much taller pale man. Lyle mumbles an apology, to which the man snickers and says "the least of your worries mate, things are not always as they seem." Lyle is left to wonder what the heck the man was talking about, but due to his shabby clothing he takes him to be a nut case.
Scene 6 - Lyle is disconcerned when he finds his apartment door unlocked and lights flickering inside. As he steps carefully inside he realizes that it is candlelight...many, many candles all over the apartment. There in his bed is Dina, dressed in a slinky black negligee, and black lipstick and dark eyeshadow. She attempts to seduce him, but Lyle treats it like he treats everything new and spontaneous, as a joke. He ends up turning her down, saying he just wants to be friends. She puts on her coat and leaves in a huff saying he will never have a chance with another woman as fine as her.
Scene 7 - Lyle is puttering around his apartment working with the milk can trick. He is contacted once again by Houdini, this time via his computer. Houdini sends him an e-mail from a hotmail account "Houdini_is_alive@hotmail.com", and after Lyle responds to it as if it was prank, he watches in fear as Houdini prepares his response on the computer right in front of him. Freaked out Lyle asks Houdini if he has truly come from the other side then tell him who really killed JFK? Houdini types out that it was a bit before his time, but again tells Lyle that it doesn't work that way. Frankly replies Houdini, no one in Heaven really cares who shot Kennedy, maybe they care in Hell. Houdini begins to surf the net, as an amazed Lyle watches the screens change. Houdini types out that Lyle has more information at his fingertips then anyone on the other side. Finally the screen stops changing and Houdini types out "ah there it is, the answer to your question, who killed the Kennedy's"
Lyle leans in to read the lyrics,
"Who killed the Kennedys, when after all it was you and me."
Scene 8 - Lyle comes right out and shouts at the air "what do you want from me?". A leaf of paper floats into the air and lands in front of Lyle. He picks it up and reads it through. Lyle says aloud "Your crazy, you want me to make contact with the newspapers and let them know you have come back from the grave to once again expose false spiritualists? No way, they'll lock me up as crazy. Hell maybe I am crazy. Go away."
Scene 9 - Lyle wakes up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat. For some reason he gets it in his head that Dina is in trouble. He makes his way through the building to her apartment in his pajama bottoms and t-shirt, stuck to his body with sweat. He bangs on her door, but it swings open. Candles light the way and he walks apprehensively down the hall to her bedroom. She steps out of her bedroom in the sultry outfit she had worn earlier in the evening at his place. She smiles and thanks him for coming. He allows himself to be taken by the hand to her bedroom. But when he sees her bed he sees there are already two sweaty bodies rolling around under the covers. "Lyle has decided to join us" purrs Dina. To Lyle's shock he sees the others are Frank and Jeri Smith. Jeri just smiles and beckons him, "the more the merry". Repulsed Lyle seems to snap out of his trance and makes a beeline for the door and to the safety of his apartment.
Scene 10 - as he exits the stairwell to his floor he sees the tall, thin, pale, shabbily dressed man that he bumped into earlier exiting his apartment. Lyle hesitates in fear and watches as the man exits the apartment on the far side of the hallway. Lyle enters his apartment to find the milk can shattered, and his books ripped off the shelves. Lyle asks out loud, "who the hell is that guy."
Suddenly one of the books on the floor levitates and begins to flip open. The book is "the Death of Houdini" and it stops on a very old picture of the shabbily dressed man in a bookstore. At the bottom of the picture is one word, "Whitehead"
London, England, 1916
Scene 11 - the world famous actress Sarah Bernhardt is meeting with Harry Houdini in her dressing room. They share some nice greetings and a bottle of wine. Finally, she admits to Harry that ever since she lost her leg after surgery to gangrene that she has become more and more depressed. Harry tries to cheer her up, but she won't have any of it. She begs him to use his magic to return her real leg to her. He is dumbfounded and sad. He tells Sarah that he does only parlour tricks and escapes, that all claimed spiritualists and magicians are frauds, there is no such thing. She breaks down and weeps. He tries to console her but its obviously an awkward emotion for him. He gets up and walks out of the dressing room.
[end of episode]
Episode 1.04 - "Crazy As A Loon"
early 1920's New York City
Scene 1 - In front of a jam packed auditorium the great Harry Houdini is thanking the audience for their hospitality and for raising funds to help the families of the men who died when the troop transport Antilles was sunk by a German U-boat. One final piece of business tonight though says Houdini, is for you all to join me to cajole the great magician and my Masonic brother Harry Keller onto stage. After some pause and much applause an elderly magician comes onto stage with a wave of his top hat and a shake of Houdini's hand and arm.
He perfroms a levitiation trick on some items on stage, and when he is done Houdini strikes up the band. Six thousand strong in the audience sing "Auld Lang Syne" as several Masonic brothers come onto stage, hoist Keller onto their shoulders and take him off stage.
Houdini whispers "good bye my friend"
2006, New York City
Scene 2 - Lyle is comforting Dina. She is shocked and embarrased by her actions as of late, and can't stop crying. She says she doesn't know what came over her. Lyle tells her its all right, and he stares at the broken pieces of the Houdini milk can on the floor.
Scene 3 - Later that day the police detectives come back to question Lyle more about what he saw and his whereabouts the night of the janitor's murder across the street. After a while it turns from being pleasant to accusatory. Lyle's report of the break in and of seeing Whitehead are ignored. When Lyle can't take it any more and asks them to leave, they produce a lock pick that was found to break into the apartment's roof. They ask him if he recognizes it, and its obvious that he does. They tell him he's going to have to come down for some more questioning and they lead him out.
Scene 4 - Dina comes down to the police station demanding to see Lyle. After he fills her in on what is happening and adds that they are going to charge him with the murder, she says she will get him a good lawyer. He assures her that he didn't do it, and she says she knows that he is too gentle. She asks if he knows who might have done it. He takes a deep breath, and begins to tell her all about being contacted by Houdini. She actually seems to believe him, saying that what happened to her sure seemed paranormal. Relieved that she believes him, Lyle tells her to go down to the Roseberry Auditorium. The famous TV spiritualist, Ranboc is performing there and he bets that Houdini is going to try and expose him.
Scene 5 - At the Roseberry Dina makes her way through the crowd. On stage Ranboc and a supposed impartial host are taking questions from the crowd asking questions about departed loved ones "and the other side". Ranboc appears to be in some sort of trance. Dina bumps into Whitehead, not knowing who he is, but its obvious by his reaction he knows who she is. The Smiths are also seem skuling in the back.
Scene 6 - Lyle says goodbye to his lawyer and is led to a cell. He has been charged with second degree murder. The lawyer says anyone could have stole such a small item from his clients apartment, or he could have dropped it. What motive did Lyle have? The detective says that there are reports of erradict behaviour about Lyle and his girlfriend. That they have heard voices. The detective says as if he is confiding in the lawyer, "your client is crazy as a loon. You should see his apartment. If I were you I'd plead some sort of insanity defense".
Scene 7 - At the auditorium strange things begin to happen. Lights flicker and go out, a book goes flying through the audience, a podium overturns. Whenever Ramboc goes to answer a question the mics begin to screech. A few people are put off and leave, but when its announced the show is over the remaining people give him a standing ovation, taking the extra effects to have been part of the show. Whitehead smiles to himself and whispers "Harry, your feable attempts have failed."
Dina quickly leaves the threatre. As she walks by an alley two masked figures reach out and pull her in. They bound and gag her and push her into a wating van.
Scene 8 - Back at the jail Lyle is being served dinner by a guard. The guard is a strange looking fellow, not completely healthy looking. His eyes look very tired, his skin pale and jaundice. He tips the food over and then jams the edge of the tin plate into the throat of Lyle. He is saved by the Detective who had arrested Lyle. After other guards arrived and subdued the guard, and the Detective made sure that Lyle was allright, he takes him out of the cell. He tells Lyle something has happened at the Roseberry theatre, your girlfriend Dina has been abducted.
Scene 9 - Back at the Roseberry we see the detective and Lyle arrive at the scene. As the detective talks to the police on the scene Lyle sits restrained in the back seat of the car. Suddenly the door opens and Whitehead slips in beside him. Lyle goes to scream so Whitehead punches him twice in the ribs hard. Lyle is on the floor gasping for air. Whitehead tells Lyle to back off, not to help Houdini or he will be meddling with affairs and forces way beyond even his darkest fears. Leave it alone and your girlfriend will be fine. With that he leaves.
circa 1915 New York City
Scene 10 - inside an ornate looking Masonic temple Harry Houdini is having a conversation with a man of power. He thanks Brother Houdini for his continued efforts to reveal their enemies to be the frauds that they are. However, he says there are certain others in your trade who are also your Brothers, namely Keller and Thurston amongst others. It would be in all our interests if you treated them with a bit more reverance. Houdini stops in his tracks and make is quite clear to the man that his greatest obligation is to his family, his fans, and his craft, not to other magicians no matter who they are. As Houdini walks away the other man mutters to himsef, "then we have a problem indeed my brother".
[end of episode]
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Opening & Closing Theme: "Houdini" by Joe Satriani
Airing time; Tuesday @ 9:00pm
Status; ordered season 1 – 22 episodes
Category; Drama (paranormal)
Production company; The Illusion of Entertainment Productions
Running time; 60 minutes
~creators~
T.Taylor
M. Besler
A. Feltes
~Series synopsis~
The greatest illusionist and magician in history Harry Houdini was famous back in the 1920's for his ability to debunk fraudulent claims of the paranormal. Houdini also promised before his death that if it was possible to make contact from the other side he would do so. Like a true magician the circumstances surrounding his death left many questions unanswered and was shrouded in mystery. A mystery that time forgot.
Until now.
Harry has made contact, and the world will never be the same again.
~cast~
Lyle Overtron...
Dexter Fletcher
Dina D'appolis....
This image is reduced by 7%, click it to view full size.
Natalie Raitano
Jeri Smith...
Michelle Latimer
Frank Smith...
Ben Daniels
Whitehead....
Robert Englund
and Jeffrey DeMunn
as Houdini
Episode 1.01
New York City
Scene 1 – as the theme song fades, we approach overhead on Lyle Overtron (played by Dexter Fletcher), a slightly nervous, nerdy amateur magician. It looks and sounds like we are going to sweep down on him from above. But he enters into a magic store and we swoop over and above the rattling wooden sign.
Scene 2 – inside that magic store Lyle is picking up some supplies. The proprietor seems to be a bit rude, a bit of a bully by the name of Frank Smith (played by Ben Daniels). He’s ragging on Lyle about his devotion to the late great Houdini. When Lyle gets defensive and says he was the greatest ever, Frank spits on the ground and says Houdini was a traitor, revealing the tricks of the trade and destroying the careers of many aspiring magicians. Lyle counters “only second rate ones and frauds”. The door to the store suddenly blows open, with a crash. No one is there and it suddenly slams shut with another blast of wind, and the lights flicker. Lyle says a storm is brewing and he tells Frank to hurry because he still has a long walk home.
Scene 3 – after Lyle has left Ben closes up shop. He picks up some items the wind had scattered on the floor, stopping in wonderment to look at a history of magic book which has landed open to a penetrating picture of Harry Houdini in handcuffs.
He enters the back room of the store where his wife Jeri Smith (played by Michelle Latimer) sits dishing out tarot cards and looking decidedly like a gypsy. Frank tries to deride her over her appearance and obsession, but she is in his face immediately exerting her superior position in their marriage. She tells him that the cards are acting very strange today, a storm is brewing. Frank says “yeah I know, I stuck my head out in the real world and felt it.” She looks at him not understanding before snapping, “not a literal storm you simpleton, a storm of supernatural force, one that threatens to rip out the souls of men.” He stares at her “and women too”.
Scene 4 – Lyle is running home in the rain. He has a ripped paperbag over his head in a futile attempt to stay dry. He smashes into the apartment door, fumbling with his keys. “Let me help you” he turns around and see’s the lovely and fit Dina D’appolis (played by Natalie Raitano). He just clams up, totally taken. She calls him by name so they obviously know each other from the apartment, and he awkwardly thanks her as they enter the apartment. A glass with some sort of floating eye falls out of his jacket and smashes open on the foyer floor. He’s embarrassed as she looks in revulsion at the eye on the ground.
Scene 5 – In Lyle’s apartment, which is filled with stuffy armchairs, exploding bookcases, dust, and magic tricks includling a couple empty birdcages. His apartment windows are either covered in brown paper or cracked and dirty. His answering machine says 3 messages. The first two there is no one on the other end, silence, the howling of the wind. The third one he is about to delete as it starts off as silence before a soft female voice tentatively says…”Harry….are you there yet? Have you come? I’m waiting for you Harry. It’s your beloved Bess. I miss you so much Harry. Oh Harry….sudenly the voice begins to moan and groan…laughter of more people in the background…” Wankers, says Lyle in anger as he hits the delete button. He settles down and goes through his newly acquired bag of goodies.
Scene 6 – out Lyle’s window, across the street to a taller, better maintained apartment complex, the camera flies to the top where two stone gargoyles keep watch as if on Lyle’s apartment across the street. Shadows begin to accumulate around the gargoyles, shadows of humans or something close. The whipping wind…voices…whispers…the exact words lost in the wind. One comes through clear though “he will come…watch”.
Scene 7 – inside that same swank apartment on the penthouse floor a party is underway. A gorgeous woman in a black dress seems to watch Lyle from the windows. Around a fireplace a pair of well dressed gentlemen are entertaining a pair of lovely ladies. One guy is telling a joke. We approach them like the wind through other party goe’ers.
“And if he gets out of that we’ll call him Houdini”. The man laughs at his own joke, the women laugh politely and one rests her hand on his shoulder. The other man looks bored and walks away to get a fresh drink…as the wind outside picks up…the French patio doors blow wide open…the glass shattering. The chandelier comes crashing down from the ceiling, narrowly missing the women, and catching the gentleman who had told the joke squarely on the head. He is knocked out cold, a good gash on his forehead but he will survive.
Scene 9 – inside his apartment Lyle has put himself in a straight jacket, sitting squat on the floor. Soft “tantra” music plays in the background as he relaxes and begins his escape. He wiggles and squirms…falls over..picks himself up…wiggles…squirms..can’t get out. There’s a knock on the door it’s Dina…but he doesn’t answer. He tries harder to get himself out but only hurts himself more. Finally he squirms over to the wall where he has some metal hooks and rods set up to aid his escape. By the time he does so and answers the door she is gone.
Scene 10 – Back to the Smith’s and the magic shop. In the backroom Jeri is telling a group of clients that the stormy weather is ideal for their séance, that they are lucky and can expect to have even greater contact tonight from “Bob”. We see Frank hidden in a back area with props and switches. The séance begins and Jeri does some comical looking attempts to contact their dearly beloved. The lights flicker and go out on cue, Jeri grins and is tapping her foot on some pedals under the table. But things quickly get out of hand, with things being picked up straight into the air and dropped, things blowing across the room. Jeri looks scared. Suddenly her table smashes in half in the middle, and her half goes flying over her head and smashes into the wall. The partition behind which Frank is hiding also topples over. The elderly lady customers shriek and scream. Suddenly everything stops, the lights return. Everyone is silent. Frank is standing there with strings in his hands, Jeri is trying to cover up her pedals with the hem of her long skirt. The ladies look at Jeri, silent, scared, then smiling, and laughing…”that was wonderful dear, the best yet. Reminds us of what it was like to romp in the hay with Bob!”
Jeri, “same time next month then ladies?”. “No way we can’t wait that long, same time next week!” Toodles dear.
London, England
Scene 11 – Circa late 1890’s. We see Harry Houdini on a stage showing the crowd how fake spiritualists do their tricks of a séance. One member of the crowd stands up and tells Houdini that he is very mad at him. Houdini asks “what for, telling the truth?”. No the man says, “contacting the after life is my wife’s only hobby, now she’ll probably want me to learn how to dance.” The crowd laughs. Harry becomes somber for a moment. “Ladies and gentlemen, you have seen me perform some extraordinary tricks. Well that’s all they are tricks, I have never pretended otherwise, and any one who does is a fool of the worst order. My entertainment is one of what a man with a fit mind and a fit body can achieve with practice and dedication. Nothing more, nothing less. But I do make you this promise. When I die, I Harry Houdini, the greatest escape artist of all time, do hereby promise to spend my energies in attempt to escape that greatest of all cages, death. If contact from the other side of the grave can be made, I Harry Houdini will make it. “ he pauses. “And I just pray it will involve floating, and not climbing.” The crowd laughs once more and explodes into a chorus of cheers.
In the back of the hall we see a tall, pasty looking young man in an ill-fiting suit taking it all in. He has a menacing look on his face. He turns to leave the hall.
[end of episode]
Episode 1.02 - "The Kiss"
Boston, Mass, circa mid-1890's
Scene 1 - Harry Houdini and his wife Bess are standing at the Boston Harbour, where a crowd of a couple thousand enthusiastic spectators have gathered to see him perform a trick. He will jump off the docks and into the Atlantic wearing a variety of chains and handcuffs. The trappings are secured by a "challenger", a rival magician who brings his own chains to ensure authenticity. He also applies them himself, enjoying cranking them so tight that Harry can hardly breath, and searching Harry for picks or other aids. He does this trick in public for free in order to try and lure people inside the theatre where he will perform for several weeks (as evidenced by a sandwhich board and a barker). The trick is ready to go off until the police put a stop to it. There is a by-law against jumping off the pier into the water. The crowd is ready to riot. However, a friendly tug boat operator steps forward and offers the services of his boat. Harry can jump off his boat into the Atlantic, and the police have to agree that no laws forbid this occurence. Harry is transported and after some build-up jumps, chained into the Atlantic. He is underwater for a minute, the spectators grow anxious, two minutes, something has gone wrong. Even Bess is growing anxious now and several men begin to strip off their overcoats and prepare to jump in to save him.
Suddenly, he bursts, head first out of the water, a length of chain in his hand. After he is pulled out of the water and the cheers of the crowd have lulled he comments to everyone on the wonderful variety of fish in Boston's waters.
Bess asks him quietly if everything was all right. Harry assures her it was fine, he was out in less then a minute using a small pick hidden in his hair, but he was not going to appear above the surface one second earlier then he had too. He tells his wife, the more people who believe he may one day die, the higher the attendence will be for his show tonight. She says "Harry you are going to die one day." Harry looks dumbfounded like this never occured to him, and replies "but not today."
New York City - 2006
Scene 2 - Lyle is awoken from a snooze in his armchair by a rapping on the door, and a note is pushed under his apartment door. He reads the note. It's from Dina, "Enjoy. If you would like some company tonight to watch a movie or something I will bring you some more of my wares." Lyle opens the door to find a nice care basket of cookies.
Scene 3 - a pale man, who looks like he's seen better days, walks into the Smith's Emporium. He shares some small talk with Frank Smith about magic but when the customer speaks about the greatness of Houdini, Frank loses interest saying "oh not another one". The man says it is Houdini that brings him to the shop today, for he has a certified original milk can escape that he needs to give to Smith today.
In turn the man tells him you are going to sell it for a song to one Lyle Overtron. Frank objects not sure "what your game is".
The man says to Frank menacingly, "I assure you this is no game." Then he softens his tone somewhat and assures Frank that they are all on the same side. Spiritualists with an ax to grind and a living to make.
He asks where the milk can is, only to see it at the back of the store. He's confused saying he didn't see the man bring it in. The man just asks "you didn't?".
The man looks Frank in the eyes and asks if he can trust him to make sure this ends up in the hands of Lyle Overtron. Frank is about to commit when his wife Jeri enters the scene from the back. After catching up to the situation she wants to throw the man and the milk can out of the store. The man challenges her saying "let the cards of fate decide".
Startled she brings out her tarot cards and begins to lay them out. She begins to look withdrawn, then sick, then frightened. Finally looking up she says "we will do as you ask. Now leave, and do not return."
Frank picks up the phone and calls Lyle, "I have something you might be interested in.."
Scene 4 - The milk can is being carried upstairs by a delivery man, making a big racket. Dina comes from the floor above to check it out. Lyle is very excited about the piece, and tells Dina all about it. Dina listens and when Lyle is done she says that's wonderful. "The milk can" he asks? "No that you have got over your nervousness. So about tonight?". Lyle invites her over for a movie and to help him explore the milk can.
Scene 5 - The rooftop of the apartment across the street, shadows surrounding the stone gargoyles appearing to keep watch over Lyle's apartment. The wind whispers, most of it lost to human ears but snippets of "he doesn't suspect a thing" and "he's in for a big surprise" are decipherable.
"What's that? Who's there?" It's the apartment custodian checking on the roof. He approaches the edge of the buidling where the gargoyles stand watch. "IS SOMEBODY THERE?" he demands.
Scene 6 - Lyle and Dina are finishing some Chinese takeout while watching "The Man From Beyond" a very old Houdini flick. They turn it off and turn their attention to the milk can which Lyle has somewhat cleaned up. Dina wants to try it out, thinking of it as a disappearing trick instead of an escape. She asks him to put the lid on and make her disappear (he then gives the obligatory mushy comment). She is about to enter it when she says she doesnt really feel like one of those sexy magician assistants, and promptly strips down to her bra and panties, and then enters the milk can. Lyle puts the lid on and says some magic words. He tries to spin it around for effect, but its too heavy, and they both laugh. He says some magic words, taps it 3 times on the lid, and the laughter inside stops suddenly.
"Dina?"
"GET ME OUT. There's SOMETHING in here...HURRY...OH GOD"
Lyle quickly takes the lid off and helps her out, toppling the can. There appears to be nothing inside. She says it felt like hands, or spiders or something all over her.
She looks up realizing that she is in her arms (in her undergarments) and they kiss.
Lyle though breaks it off and examines the milk can further. As she dresses he explains to her that by the time Houdini was doing the milk can trick, escapes were his bread and butter. He never claimed there was magic, it was all about tricks.
She doesn't look terribly interested and they say their good nights.
Scene 7 - Lyle wakes up in his bed...or rather levitating about two feet above his bed. He's in a state of shock. Suddenly he's flipped over facing down towards his bed, still suspended two feet above it. But on his sheets is a huge red mess, like the sheets are covered in blood, he screams.
Until he sees the ketchup bottle on the nightstand, and is now quiet in shock.
Suddenly words begin to be written in the ketchup.
"I am Harry Houdini"
"Yeah right" says Lyel
"You doubt ME"
At this point Lyle is flipped over facing up, and then begins to quickly rotate around like a rotissiere chicken. Then it stops and he is facing down again.
"I will need your services over the next little while"
"Sure, whatever you...you..want..just don't hurt me"
"You don't Believe Me do you"?
"Sure I belive you...just don't hurt me."
"Ask me anything"
"Okay...well your dead...so now that you went to the afterlife tell me how Dai Vernon's card trick fooled you"
There is a long pause before there is an answer written in ketchup sheets.
"I still don't know...it doesn't work that way over there"
"Over there, as in the other side of the grave?"
"Yes"
"Oh boy" says Lyle as he's dropped from the air two feet landing in the ketchup mess.
Scene 8 - Early morning and Lyle wakes up to banging at his door. He's a complete mess, but it's Dina and she sounds hysterical. Lyle puts his robe on to cover the ketchup mess on his body which he obviously did not bother to clean up last night. She tells him in fright that a dead body was found on the apartment roof across the street, sprawled out dead on the Gargoyles. It's the janitor, he was murdered. Without thinking Lyle takes her through his bedroom to the window to look. When she see's his bed she screams. He tries to calm her, but his robe opens showing off all the red stains. She screams again, but when Lyle reaches out for her she spins around with a roundhouse kick that catches him squarely in the jaw, and he's out cold.
Scene 9 - Police inspecting the body. It looks to have died from blunt trauma of being smashed into the stone gargoyles. A detective taking in the scene looks across the street and suggests starting by canvessing that building, the apartments with windows facing this direction to see if anyone saw anything unusual last night.
Montreal, Quebec 1926
Scene 10 - The campus of Queens University. A dark looking man with a "spiritual" look to him is talking to a tall, shy, student with a dull look in his eyes. He tells him of an upcoming appearance by Harry Houdini on campus.
[end of episode]
Episode 1.03 - "Whitehead"
St. Louis, 1908
Scene 1 - Harry Houdini with some help from his wife Bess performs the escape from the milk can trick for the first time. He is chained up and handcuffed and then lowered into the milk can which is completely full of water. The lid of the can is also secured in place. A curtain is dropped around the milk can and two minutes later Houdini amazes the crowd by emerging unscathed. A close-up of the can followed by a fade out to present day confims that this can is the same one that now resides in the apartment of Lyle Overtron.
New York City, 2006
Scene 2 - Police question Lyle about whether he saw anything last night on the roof of the facing apartment block. Lyle says no, but he seems very nervous because of what has transpired over the last day, and so the police continue to press him, and start to ask his whereabouts. They step in and see a splatter they think is blood but its ketchup on the apartment wall. Stepping in further to investigate the splatter they peer into his strange apartment filled with books, dust, and magic tricks.
Lyle is saved by Dina who shows up to vouch for the whereabouts of Lyle last night. Jaws drop as she enters wearing a very short black mini skirt, her sexy legs shine in the light, and a skin tight white lycra top. She kisses Lyle passionately on the lips to impress her point on the cops. After a couple questions regarding where she lives, and if she saw anything the police leave, still looking very suspicious.
Lyle thanks Dina, who replies he can thank her properly tonight.
Scene 3 - Someone is watching Lyle's apartment from the building across the street. Curtains are pushed aside as if by a hand, but none is visible. It appears to be the same apartment from the party and the crashing chandelier in the first episode. Words are whispered in the air, "he has made contact. They have no idea."
Scene 4 - Lyle spends the day at the library doing research into Houdini's milk trick trying to authenticate the milk can. Strange things start to happen, pages turn, a picture of Houdini fades, Lyle and his chair are lifted a few inches into the air. Finally Lyle can bear it no longer and tells the spirit to leave him alone. He packs up to go but the spirit continues to hound him all the way to the door, including knocking over a display of brochures earning Lyle a scowl from the security guard.
Scene 5 - Lyle stops in on the Smiths' shop on his way home. Frank Smith looks shocked and even scared to see Lyle which for once puts the gentle man on the offensive. He begins to drill Frank about the authenticity of the milk can. We see Frank's wife Jeri pressed up against the wall in the back listening to the conversation with a smile on her face. Finally Frank regains his bearings and turns nasty with Lyle. He tells him if he isn't going to buy anything today then he should leave. Lyle leaves but as he is turning the corner outside he walks smack into the chest of the much taller pale man. Lyle mumbles an apology, to which the man snickers and says "the least of your worries mate, things are not always as they seem." Lyle is left to wonder what the heck the man was talking about, but due to his shabby clothing he takes him to be a nut case.
Scene 6 - Lyle is disconcerned when he finds his apartment door unlocked and lights flickering inside. As he steps carefully inside he realizes that it is candlelight...many, many candles all over the apartment. There in his bed is Dina, dressed in a slinky black negligee, and black lipstick and dark eyeshadow. She attempts to seduce him, but Lyle treats it like he treats everything new and spontaneous, as a joke. He ends up turning her down, saying he just wants to be friends. She puts on her coat and leaves in a huff saying he will never have a chance with another woman as fine as her.
Scene 7 - Lyle is puttering around his apartment working with the milk can trick. He is contacted once again by Houdini, this time via his computer. Houdini sends him an e-mail from a hotmail account "Houdini_is_alive@hotmail.com", and after Lyle responds to it as if it was prank, he watches in fear as Houdini prepares his response on the computer right in front of him. Freaked out Lyle asks Houdini if he has truly come from the other side then tell him who really killed JFK? Houdini types out that it was a bit before his time, but again tells Lyle that it doesn't work that way. Frankly replies Houdini, no one in Heaven really cares who shot Kennedy, maybe they care in Hell. Houdini begins to surf the net, as an amazed Lyle watches the screens change. Houdini types out that Lyle has more information at his fingertips then anyone on the other side. Finally the screen stops changing and Houdini types out "ah there it is, the answer to your question, who killed the Kennedy's"
Lyle leans in to read the lyrics,
"Who killed the Kennedys, when after all it was you and me."
Scene 8 - Lyle comes right out and shouts at the air "what do you want from me?". A leaf of paper floats into the air and lands in front of Lyle. He picks it up and reads it through. Lyle says aloud "Your crazy, you want me to make contact with the newspapers and let them know you have come back from the grave to once again expose false spiritualists? No way, they'll lock me up as crazy. Hell maybe I am crazy. Go away."
Scene 9 - Lyle wakes up in the middle of the night, in a cold sweat. For some reason he gets it in his head that Dina is in trouble. He makes his way through the building to her apartment in his pajama bottoms and t-shirt, stuck to his body with sweat. He bangs on her door, but it swings open. Candles light the way and he walks apprehensively down the hall to her bedroom. She steps out of her bedroom in the sultry outfit she had worn earlier in the evening at his place. She smiles and thanks him for coming. He allows himself to be taken by the hand to her bedroom. But when he sees her bed he sees there are already two sweaty bodies rolling around under the covers. "Lyle has decided to join us" purrs Dina. To Lyle's shock he sees the others are Frank and Jeri Smith. Jeri just smiles and beckons him, "the more the merry". Repulsed Lyle seems to snap out of his trance and makes a beeline for the door and to the safety of his apartment.
Scene 10 - as he exits the stairwell to his floor he sees the tall, thin, pale, shabbily dressed man that he bumped into earlier exiting his apartment. Lyle hesitates in fear and watches as the man exits the apartment on the far side of the hallway. Lyle enters his apartment to find the milk can shattered, and his books ripped off the shelves. Lyle asks out loud, "who the hell is that guy."
Suddenly one of the books on the floor levitates and begins to flip open. The book is "the Death of Houdini" and it stops on a very old picture of the shabbily dressed man in a bookstore. At the bottom of the picture is one word, "Whitehead"
London, England, 1916
Scene 11 - the world famous actress Sarah Bernhardt is meeting with Harry Houdini in her dressing room. They share some nice greetings and a bottle of wine. Finally, she admits to Harry that ever since she lost her leg after surgery to gangrene that she has become more and more depressed. Harry tries to cheer her up, but she won't have any of it. She begs him to use his magic to return her real leg to her. He is dumbfounded and sad. He tells Sarah that he does only parlour tricks and escapes, that all claimed spiritualists and magicians are frauds, there is no such thing. She breaks down and weeps. He tries to console her but its obviously an awkward emotion for him. He gets up and walks out of the dressing room.
[end of episode]
Episode 1.04 - "Crazy As A Loon"
early 1920's New York City
Scene 1 - In front of a jam packed auditorium the great Harry Houdini is thanking the audience for their hospitality and for raising funds to help the families of the men who died when the troop transport Antilles was sunk by a German U-boat. One final piece of business tonight though says Houdini, is for you all to join me to cajole the great magician and my Masonic brother Harry Keller onto stage. After some pause and much applause an elderly magician comes onto stage with a wave of his top hat and a shake of Houdini's hand and arm.
He perfroms a levitiation trick on some items on stage, and when he is done Houdini strikes up the band. Six thousand strong in the audience sing "Auld Lang Syne" as several Masonic brothers come onto stage, hoist Keller onto their shoulders and take him off stage.
Houdini whispers "good bye my friend"
2006, New York City
Scene 2 - Lyle is comforting Dina. She is shocked and embarrased by her actions as of late, and can't stop crying. She says she doesn't know what came over her. Lyle tells her its all right, and he stares at the broken pieces of the Houdini milk can on the floor.
Scene 3 - Later that day the police detectives come back to question Lyle more about what he saw and his whereabouts the night of the janitor's murder across the street. After a while it turns from being pleasant to accusatory. Lyle's report of the break in and of seeing Whitehead are ignored. When Lyle can't take it any more and asks them to leave, they produce a lock pick that was found to break into the apartment's roof. They ask him if he recognizes it, and its obvious that he does. They tell him he's going to have to come down for some more questioning and they lead him out.
Scene 4 - Dina comes down to the police station demanding to see Lyle. After he fills her in on what is happening and adds that they are going to charge him with the murder, she says she will get him a good lawyer. He assures her that he didn't do it, and she says she knows that he is too gentle. She asks if he knows who might have done it. He takes a deep breath, and begins to tell her all about being contacted by Houdini. She actually seems to believe him, saying that what happened to her sure seemed paranormal. Relieved that she believes him, Lyle tells her to go down to the Roseberry Auditorium. The famous TV spiritualist, Ranboc is performing there and he bets that Houdini is going to try and expose him.
Scene 5 - At the Roseberry Dina makes her way through the crowd. On stage Ranboc and a supposed impartial host are taking questions from the crowd asking questions about departed loved ones "and the other side". Ranboc appears to be in some sort of trance. Dina bumps into Whitehead, not knowing who he is, but its obvious by his reaction he knows who she is. The Smiths are also seem skuling in the back.
Scene 6 - Lyle says goodbye to his lawyer and is led to a cell. He has been charged with second degree murder. The lawyer says anyone could have stole such a small item from his clients apartment, or he could have dropped it. What motive did Lyle have? The detective says that there are reports of erradict behaviour about Lyle and his girlfriend. That they have heard voices. The detective says as if he is confiding in the lawyer, "your client is crazy as a loon. You should see his apartment. If I were you I'd plead some sort of insanity defense".
Scene 7 - At the auditorium strange things begin to happen. Lights flicker and go out, a book goes flying through the audience, a podium overturns. Whenever Ramboc goes to answer a question the mics begin to screech. A few people are put off and leave, but when its announced the show is over the remaining people give him a standing ovation, taking the extra effects to have been part of the show. Whitehead smiles to himself and whispers "Harry, your feable attempts have failed."
Dina quickly leaves the threatre. As she walks by an alley two masked figures reach out and pull her in. They bound and gag her and push her into a wating van.
Scene 8 - Back at the jail Lyle is being served dinner by a guard. The guard is a strange looking fellow, not completely healthy looking. His eyes look very tired, his skin pale and jaundice. He tips the food over and then jams the edge of the tin plate into the throat of Lyle. He is saved by the Detective who had arrested Lyle. After other guards arrived and subdued the guard, and the Detective made sure that Lyle was allright, he takes him out of the cell. He tells Lyle something has happened at the Roseberry theatre, your girlfriend Dina has been abducted.
Scene 9 - Back at the Roseberry we see the detective and Lyle arrive at the scene. As the detective talks to the police on the scene Lyle sits restrained in the back seat of the car. Suddenly the door opens and Whitehead slips in beside him. Lyle goes to scream so Whitehead punches him twice in the ribs hard. Lyle is on the floor gasping for air. Whitehead tells Lyle to back off, not to help Houdini or he will be meddling with affairs and forces way beyond even his darkest fears. Leave it alone and your girlfriend will be fine. With that he leaves.
circa 1915 New York City
Scene 10 - inside an ornate looking Masonic temple Harry Houdini is having a conversation with a man of power. He thanks Brother Houdini for his continued efforts to reveal their enemies to be the frauds that they are. However, he says there are certain others in your trade who are also your Brothers, namely Keller and Thurston amongst others. It would be in all our interests if you treated them with a bit more reverance. Houdini stops in his tracks and make is quite clear to the man that his greatest obligation is to his family, his fans, and his craft, not to other magicians no matter who they are. As Houdini walks away the other man mutters to himsef, "then we have a problem indeed my brother".
[end of episode]
