Houdini Mice

## Stats

**Houdini Mice** is the 41st episode of the series *The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures* that aired on October 16, 1999. The setting in this episode is Hungary.

## Summary

Emily and Alexander arrive in Budapest, Hungary, riding on top of a biking man's hat. Emily questions if they are riding in the right direction, but Alexander says they are, as they are riding over the Danube River bridge, which separates Buda and Pest. Emily can't wait to see Harry Houdini perform, a famous escape artist. They get to the village and the man plays his accordion and hangs his hat up, making Emily and Alexander be stuck up a tree. A squirrel climbs down, and Emily gives it a nut and whispers to it as a plan to get down.

The mice get to the show stage where they meet their cousin Yanush, who gives them tight hugs. In an honor of their visit, Yanush shows Emily his latest trick and pulls a sausage link out of his hat, but he says that they were supposed to be flowers. Yanush introduces his friend Niklaus to his cousins and they learn that Houdini is Niklaus' uncle. He takes the three mice to their seats. Emily also can't wait to see Yanush perform at the Hungarian Mouse Circus, but Yanush says he's going to take a break as things haven't been going well with his tricks, although he can't wait to see Houdini to learn. Niklaus takes them up to a mirror, which are apparently the "best seats in the house". He also tells them that his uncle will be doing a straitjacket milk can escape, which should be easy for Houdini after escaping such other complicated things.

The show starts and Houdini, "The Impossible Possible" is introduced after coming back to his home in Hungary from America. In the milk can, there is enough air for Houdini for breathe for three minutes. He enters the can with the straitjacket on and the can is covered. Emily and Yanush are full of suspense, but Alexander wants to see as well as they both block his view. Three minutes and thirty seconds pass, and Houdini comes out of the curtains. The crowd applauds, except one who yells "FRAUD!", Engel Vanshlump. Niklaus is upset at his uncle being insulted. Engel challenges Houdini to the special trick of his own - the underwater escape tank. Houdini accepts easily, and will escape it tonight. Yanush is sure that Houdini will escape easily, as he escapes everything. Vanshlump laughs to his cat Mitzi, that when Houdini enters the escape tank, he will be wearing Vanshlump's handcuffs instead of his regular. Before Houdini's next performance, Yanush tells Emily and Alexander there is time to sightsee. Alexander wants to get goulash afterwards as he's hungry, as well. But then Mitzi meets the mice. Yanush tries to make it disappear with a magic trick but alas, it doesn't work, so the mice run off.

They are chased around backstage. Houdini and Niklaus walk to the former's dressing room, which is unlocked, but Houdini doesn't want his room to be locked however he is cautious about putting his handcuffs in his secret drawer. The cat chases the mice near the room, and Niklaus picks up the cat while the three hide in a mouse hole. When Houdini leaves along with Niklaus, Vanshlump replaces Houdini's cuffs with his own, and Houdini would not be able to get out of them unless he has the key, which Vanshlump ties to Mitzi's collar. The mice hear his plan and investigate Houdini's room. Yanush, who had been in that room many times since Houdini's arrival, looks around to see if anything was stolen. He checks the handcuffs in the drawer, where Alexander and Emily note that the handcuffs read "E.V.", Engel Vanshlump's initals, rather than "H.H.", Harry Houdini's initials. They have to go warn him, but Mitzi returns and gives chase. Yanush lures him into a magic box that has a hole in it, and they put him inside it. To get the key off his collar, Yanush makes sausage appear to distract him, and Alexander unclips the key.

The show begins, and Houdini enters the escape tank. To get Niklaus' attention, Yanush makes a marble appear and throws it at him. He walks over and Yanush tells them what has happened, and Vanshlump appears as well. He covers Niklaus with a sheet and throws him into a room and closes him in. Yanush agrees to stay with Niklaus, who knows how to open locks because of his uncle although he forgot, while Emily and Alexander run to the tank to unlock Houdini's cuffs. Unfortunately Mitzi had escapen the box, and the cat chases Alexander while Emily hops on the tank. He ends up inside the magic box, but then gets trapped, and the only thing inside is a pigeon who rubs itself on Alexander nicely. Meanwhile, Emily tries to unlock the cuffs, but Houdini squirms around and then Emily drops the key to the ground. Niklaus finally remembers and opens the lock, and he runs on stage. But Houdini breaks free from the handcuffs, and Emily tells Yanush that he saved himself after all. They free Alexander and Yanush has an idea for payback to Vanshlump. Vanshlump's leg is stuck to a chair leg with his cuffs and he demands help, but because Houdini says that Vanshlump is a "great escape artist", he can just escape the cuffs himself. Back at home, Alexander dives in a fishbowl for 15 seconds, wanting to become The Great Mouseini himself one day with great practice. Emily mentions that with practice, he can hold his breath for 20 seconds, but on the other hand, Alexander thinks he could become famous for cooking the best Hungarian goulash in New York.