The long-lost Harry Houdini movie The Grim Game is to have a world-premiere screening during the 2015 TCM Classic Film Festival and will debut on the cable television network later this year.
"Houdini plays Harvey Hanford, a young man who is framed for murder," a synopsis said. "As Hanford escapes from the police and goes after the gang of men who framed him, the movie offers numerous opportunities for Houdini to display his own skills as an escape artist, illusionist and stunt man. Among the most remarkable sequences is a mid-air collision between two airplanes that was actually a real accident caught on film and used in the story."
A complete print of the 1919 picture was only recently rediscovered and brought to TCM for restoration.
"The discovery, restoration and screening of The Grim Game is the perfect embodiment of the TCM mission to celebrate our cinematic heritage and share it with new audiences," Charles Tabesh, senior vice president of programming for TCM, said in a statement. "We are thrilled to be collaborating with some of the most important figures in film preservation in order to bring this timeless classic back to the screen for the first time in decades."
The TCM Classic Film Festival is to be held March 26-29 in Hollywood.