Any picks for (Most Dangerous Escape Stunt) ever performed? I'll have to go with Steve Baker's (DEATH RACE) no one to date has had the balls to replicate that one.

From the internet; all undeniably real and dangerous:

- On the outbreak of the South African War in 1899, Winston Churchill went out as war correspondent for the London Morning Post. Within a month of his arrival, he was captured when acting more as a soldier than as a journalist, by the Boer officer Louis Botha (who subsequently became the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa and a trusted friend). Taken to prison camp in Pretoria, Churchill made a dramatic escape and traveled via Portuguese East Africa back to the fighting front in Natal. His escape made him world-famous overnight.

- In 1756 Italian writer Giacomo Casanova famously managed to escape from one of the most secure prisons of his time: the Doge's Palace.

- The Great Escape, 76 Allied POWs (primarily Commonwealth airmen) escaped from Stalag Luft III during World War Two. 50 of the escaped POWs were rounded up and shot by the Gestapo, while only 3 succeeded in reaching neutral territories.

- The Libby Prison Escape occurred on 10 February 1864, when 109 Union officers escaped from Libby Prison, a Confederate POW camp in Richmond, Virginia during the U.S. Civil War. Of the 109, 59 succeeded in making it back through Federal lines.

- Frank Morris, John Anglin and Clarence Anglin escaped from 'inescapable' Alcatraz Island; although the fate of the escapees is unclear.

- In December 1979 political prisoners Tim Jenkin, Stephen Lee and Alex Moumbaris escaped from South Africa's maximum-security Pretoria Prison. After 18 months of plotting, testing, preparing, and learning how to pick locks and forge keys, the trio escaped the prison the same way they came in: through 10 locked doors.

- Soviet spy George Blake escaped from Wormwood Scrubs on 22 October 1966, assisted by Pat Pottle, Michael Randle and Sean Bourke. Both Blake and Bourke reached the safety of the Soviet Union.

- German Naval Air Service Kapitänleutnant Gunter Plüschow escaped from the Donington Hall prisoner of war camp in 1915.

- Colditz Castle was used as an 'escape-proof' prisoner of war camp during World War II; over the course of 300 escape attempts 130 prisoners escaped, of which 30 eventually managed to reach friendly territory. Escapees tunnelled, disguised themselves as guards, workmen or women, snuck away through sewer drains, and even planned to use a glider to get over the wall. (Further research has proven that the glider attempt would almost certainly have been successful, but the War ended before it was to be put into action. By this time the glider had been fully assembled.)

- André Devigny, a French Resistance Fighter during World War 2, escaped Montluc Military Prison in Lyon with his cellmate in April 1943.

- Safe cracker Alfie Hinds became famous for escaping from Nottingham Prison after sneaking through the locked doors and over a 20-foot prison wall for which he became known as "Houdini" Hinds. He later escaped from the Law Courts at the Old Bailey. Escorted by two guards, he went to the lavatory where they removed his handcuffs outside. Once inside, Hinds bundled the handcuffs and snapped the padlock onto screw eyes inserted on the door by his unknown accomplices and escaped into the crowd on Fleet Street. Hinds sealed his notoriety by making a third escape from Chelmsford Prison.

- Jack Sheppard escaped from prison several times, using elaborate planning, and careful noting of the time that guards patrolled certain areas.

- Before being sentenced to 12 years in the Federal Corrections Institution at Petersburg, Virginia in April 1971, Frank W. Abagnale is said to have escaped from both a British VC-10 airliner, and the Federal Detention Center in Atlanta, Georgia. His autobiography was later adapted to the screen for the 2002 release of Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

- Richard Lee McNair has escaped from custody three times, including from a federal maximum-security prison in April 2006

Dr Stephen, your awesome.
Gotta Love ya.


I would say Escaping from Alcatraz. That took some balls.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Morris

Trial By Fire/Death Race all the way!

Steve Baker is the man!

I guess it depends on what you most consider 'scary' as a yardstick for 'dangerous.'

If you most fear speeding cars, the Death Race would seem the most dangerous.

Personally, I think Murray's escape from a cell in India was scarier. The local potentate tossed a bag of gold into the cell, inviting Murray to go in after it. If Murray escaped, he took the gold with him; if he failed, he starved to death in the fetid dungeon cell.

Murray took the dare and came out richer for his effort.

Murray did other comparable things in his career.

Yes, but Steve Baker had 10 seconds to make his escape from Death Race or face certain death. There were no second chances and no time to think about Gold!!!!

Is that the one Criss A. performed with Bakers assistants?

The cell was REAL; the chain shackles on the exploding car employed a well-known, fast-working magician's escape method; Murray's escape impresses me more.

If Death Race was so easy, well known and a fast working magicians method. Would you dare try such an escape?

Yes, I do beleive so. I do believe that they even showed clips of Baker doing it.

Personally, I do think it looks impressive, but in no way the most dangerous.

David Copperfield did an escape from a straight jacket, upside down, while the ropes that were supporting him were on fire, and there were flaming spikes below him. Personally, I find that one to look much more dangerous.

And DonRandini. I would dare try such an escape. After watching Criss Angel perform it, I devised a method to do it myself. I've transformed it into a comedy escape instead, but same basic principle.

If you're thinking of the escape I'm thinking of, then that was DC's friend, Alan Alan.

~Z

No that was David, its on his dvd.
I remember it, as i own the dvd.

and if that race car thing, is the thing angel did with bakers help. It truely doesnt look that dangerous. Angel has that effect on escapes; so maybe it was just his way of doing it.

I remember that special. I think they called it "Fires of Passion." I also remember a friend of mine in the audience watching as he repeatedly missed his mark (the rescue rope swinging by) and they had to unceremoniously lower him to the ground, reattach the steel cable (disguised as a flaming rope) and hoist him back up so they can shoot it again...and again...and again...

They shot the reaction and applause shots first, and the big "ta daa" moment came long after the audience had gone home for the night.

I remembering hearing that they had to do it over and over again. Which I think it kind of funny. But I guess it works for tv magic. If I had paid for a show where he had to redo it over and over again though, I would have been extremely mad. That's why I put look though. I didn't think David Copperfield was the most daring magician.

The issue really comes down to: are we talking about one's escape skills or about one's penchant for recklessness.

Would I attempt to escape from chain shackles like the type employed within 10 seconds?

No reason why not; it's a simple escape requiring no real skill.

Would I deliberately let a speeding car run at me while I stand up against a junker full of dynamite (shackled or unshackled)?

No, I have more common sense than that. To me there's a difference between courage (which has a responsible purpose) and bravado (which simply seeks pointless glory for its own sake).

But, to each his own. Moving on...