His tales of old Hollywood were both hysterical and moving. But his legs were better and tonight he was in top from, telling amazing stories about the making of Houdini (“Dunninger was a blowhard.”) as well as sharing candid stories about Marilyn Monroe, Walter Matthau, Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemon, Cary Grant, Jack Warner, and so on. Curtis explained that he had been recovering from pneumonia and had temporarily lost use of his legs.

When I last saw him at the Hollywood Collectors Show in October 2007 he was confined to a wheelchair. Curtis, sporting a white cowboy hat, bound from the illusion with such vigor. Curtis appeared - literally! - via a flash screen illusion set up on the stage. On stage were reproduction Houdini props (two handcuff cases and a Milk Can) belonging to magician Jim Bentley, who helped host the event.

Tony Curtis, was a very special guest at The Magic Castle in Hollywood this weekend, and being a AMA member, I had the great pleasure of attending the two-day event.ĭay 1 started with a sell out crowd packing the Palace of Mystery on Saturday night.

Houdini tony curtis