Not too many years ago I suggested that the H in the History Channel logo stood for Adolf Hitler.
History Channel seemed to be all Hitler, all the time.
Examples: Hunting Hitler, Hitler's Lost Plan, Hi-Tech Hitler, Plotting to Kill Hitler, Hitler's Supercity, Hitler's Bodyguard, The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler, Hitler's Collaborators, Hitler's Holocaust, Hitler's Britain, Hitler's Plan to Atom Bomb New York, Hitler's End, Valkyrie: The Plot to Kill Hitler, The Family That Defied Hitler, Hitler & Stalin: The Roots of Evil, Hitler and the Occult, Hitler's Family, Hitler's Henchmen, Hitler's Women, Hitler's Island Madness and Hitler's Jurassic Monsters.
No. I didn't make that last one up. The documentary, which aired in June, was "the untold story of how the Nazis tried to take control of nature and change the course of evolution."
For viewers whose taste doesn't run toward megalomaniacal ideologues, History Channel has also branched out in recent years and provided viewers with such "historic" programming as Pawn Stars, Counting Cars, American Pickers, Mountain Men, Ice Road Truckers, Swamp People and Ax Men.
This trend dates to 2008 when The History Channel dropped its "The" and tapped into America's seemingly insatiable desire for sensation (Ancient Aliens, UFO Hunters, Nostradamus Effect) and reality shows featuring colorful characters.
Since then, most of the Hitler stuff has shifted over to sister channel Military History, launched in 2005.
History Channel's latest bag of goodies includes original scripted historical drama that has made viewers sit up and take notice.
The Bible, for example, was created by producer Mark Burnett and featured an international cast that included his wife, Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel). The 10-hour docudrama adapted the Bible's most significant episodes from Genesis to the life of Jesus.
More than 13 million watched the first episode in March 2013, and even though the miniseries took liberties with the original while attempting to stay true "to the spirit of the book," the series set records for History.
The success of The Bible and the historical drama Vikings can be attributed directly to History's Emmy-winning three-part Hatfields & McCoys miniseries, which made a ratings smash in May 2012.
That series starred Oscar-winner Kevin Costner, Bill Paxton, Tom Berenger and Powers Boothe. Part 1 was seen by almost 14 million viewers; the final part by 14.3 million.
HOUDINI
And that brings us to the latest in History's showcasing of Academy Award-winning actors.
Houdini, a two-night original scripted miniseries, debuts at 8 p.m. Monday with Part 2 following at the same time Tuesday.
Starring Oscar-winner Adrien Brody in the title role, the miniseries "follows the remarkable life of Harry Houdini as he emerges as America's first bona fide world-renowned superstar."
Brody won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of real-life Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman in Roman Polanski's The Pianist. Brody was 29 years old -- the youngest winner to date in that category.
Houdini was born Erik Weisz on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary. He was the son of an impoverished rabbi who immigrated to Wisconsin in 1878 and moved to New York in 1887.
From humble beginnings at circus sideshows to sold-out concert halls at home and in Europe, Houdini rose to become a household name around the world.
The miniseries takes us on a sometimes rocky ride through Houdini's psyche as he finds fame, engages in pre- World War I espionage, battles mediums and spiritualists and encounters the greatest names of the era -- from U.S. presidents to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Rasputin.
Along the way, viewers are treated to many examples (and explanations) of Houdini's stunts and illusions.
Playing Houdini's wife, Bess, is Kristen Connolly. Bess was the love of Houdini's life, although he was not always faithful in his weaker moments of self-doubt.
Netflix subscribers should recognize Connolly from her role as Christina Gallagher in House of Cards.
Bess was Houdini's main assistant in the early years as a master magician and illusionist renowned for his sensational escape acts. But in the latter part of his life, Houdini moved away from illusions and became obsessed with debunking spiritualists after many failed attempts to contact his beloved mother following her death in 1913.
Houdini died at the age of 52 on Halloween 1926. Contrary to popular belief, he did not die while performing his famous Chinese Water Torture trick. He succumbed to peritonitis after his appendix ruptured.
On his deathbed he reportedly said, "I'm tired of fighting."
Brody gives a strong performance as the frequently troubled Houdini. The supporting cast is more than adequate, but Houdini is Brody's showcase.
Style on 08/31/2014