Editing The Magician (American TV series)

{{Short description|1973 American TV series}}
{{Distinguish|The Magicians (American TV series)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Bill Bixby The Magician 1973.JPG
| caption            = Bixby as Tony Blake
| runtime            = {{Plainlist|
* 45 minutes
* 70 minutes (pilot episode)
}}
| company            = {{Plainlist|
* B & B Productions, Inc.
* [[Paramount Television]]
}}
| executive_producer =
| starring           = [[Bill Bixby]]
| country            = United States
| network            = [[NBC]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1973|03|17}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|1974|04|15}}
| num_seasons        = 1
| num_episodes       = 21 
}}                                                                                   
'''''The Magician''''' is an American television series that ran during the 1973–1974 season. It starred [[Bill Bixby]] as [[magic (illusion)|stage illusionist]] Anthony "Tony" Blake, a playboy philanthropist who used his skills to solve difficult crimes as needed. In the series pilot, the character was named Anthony Dorian; the name was changed due to a conflict with the name of a real-life stage magician.

==Plot==

Blake was a professional stage magician who used his skills to solve crimes and help the helpless. Years earlier, Blake had been in prison on a trumped-up espionage charge in an unnamed country in [[South America]]. He discovered a way to escape with his cellmate, which began his interest in [[escapology]]. The cellmate died and left him a fortune. The escape, apparently followed by exoneration of the false charges that had led to it, led to Blake's pursuit of a career in [[stage magic]], which made him famous. He never forgot his unjust imprisonment, which motivated him to seek justice for others.
 
Initially, Blake used a private Boeing [[Jet airliner]] named ''The Spirit''<ref>''Spirit'' painted on four engine jet airplane in gold and brown livery, shown in the 1973 pilot [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069606/mediaviewer/rm214180352/?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_250 imdb.com]</ref> as a base of operations; it was outfitted as a mobile residence ("It's like any other mobile home, only faster") with live-in pilot Jerry Anderson (Jerry Wallace in the pilot episode, same actor). Blake drove a white [[Chevrolet Corvette (C3)#1973–1974|'73 Chevrolet Corvette C3]] with soft nose, mostly open T-top [[Targa roof]] and custom [[Vehicle license plates of the United States|vanity license plates]] ("SPIRIT") and, for its time, an exotic feature - a [[car phone]]. Blake frequently received assistance from acerbic columnist Max Pomeroy, and Max's brilliant son Dennis, who uses a wheelchair.

===Midseason changes===
The pilot film had shown a four engine jet airplane in gold and brown livery, parked on an apron in daylight, with ''Spirit'' painted as [[nose art]]. It was probably{{weasel inline|date=September 2024}} the very same [[Boeing 720]] called [[The Starship]] used by touring rock musicians in the 1970s, with gold and brown livery plus band logos from the [[Led Zeppelin]] North American Tour in mid 1973 to [[The Allman Brothers]] Band in summer of 1974.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}} Then it was painted in US red-white-blue. The TV series showed a twin engine [[Boeing 737]] at night, and in addition, the Corvette entering the plane via a rear loading ramp, a feature only available on some dedicated [[cargo aircraft]], but not on the Boeing 720 or 737 even when converted to freighter.

Midway through the program's run, the idea of the jet airplane mobile home was dropped and Blake took up residence in a posh apartment at [[The Magic Castle]], a real club devoted to magic acts in Los Angeles, California. At the same time, the supporting cast of the show was replaced with a new, single character, Dominick, a somewhat comical sidekick. No explanation for the changes was given in the series. Jerry continued to make occasional minor appearances, and Tony recruited Jerry and Max together for one further case in the new format.

[[File:73 Corvette.jpg|thumb|left|White [[Chevrolet Corvette (C3)#1973–1974|'73 Corvette C3]] like the one in the series, roof closed]]
[[File:Allman Brothers Band Boeing 720-022 N7201U.jpg|thumb|left|This [[Boeing 720]] called ″[[The Starship]]″ was used by rock groups touring the US]]

==Cast==
* [[Bill Bixby]] as Anthony Blake (his character was named Anthony Dorian in the pilot episode)
* [[Keene Curtis]] as Max Pomeroy
* [[Joseph Sirola]] as Dominick
* [[Julian Christopher|Jim Watkins]] as Jerry Anderson (his character was named Jerry Wallace in the pilot)
* Todd Crespi as Dennis Pomeroy
* Cami Sebring as Kathy/Connie

Some episodes featured [[Larry Anderson (actor)|Larry Anderson]], who later created the ''JawDroppers'' video magic course, as Blake's assistant.

==Production==
===Magic on the program===
Bixby, a keen amateur magician, insisted on performing all of the illusions in person, without any [[Special effect|trick photography]], although it was not possible for this to be the case in the TV-movie/pilot. Many of the episodes of the regular series were preceded by an announcement that the magic tricks were accomplished without trick photography. He was instructed in these performances by the program's technical advisor, [[Mark Wilson (magician)|Mark Wilson]], who was credited as "magic consultant".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hano |first=Arnold |date=Jan 1978 |title=The Magical World of Greg Wilson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AV31uiCINC4C&dq=The+Magical+World+of+Greg+Wilson&pg=PA20 |magazine=[[Boys' Life]] |location=Irving, Texas |publisher=Boy Scouts of America |access-date=10 December 2015 }}</ref> Bixby said, "I was a catalyst for the magic of Mark [Wilson] and [[Larry Anderson (actor)|Larry Anderson]]. They deserve the applause."<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2008 |title=Talent Bios: Bill Bixby |work=The Incredible Hulk: The Incredible Hulk Returns / The Trial of the Incredible Hulk |type=DVD |location= |publisher=[[Anchor Bay Entertainment]]}}</ref> Once the format changed to have the hero based in a magic club, Wilson could occasionally be seen on the stage there, as well. In addition to escapes, Bixby performed feats of [[sleight of hand]], [[mentalism]], and [[Magic (illusion)#Types of magic performance|stage illusions]]. After the series' cancellation, Bixby went on to host a string of magic specials on [[NBC]] and a series, ''The Wonderful World of Magic'', in first-run syndication.

==Reception==
''The Magician'' earned an Average Audience Nielsen rating of 16.9, ranking it #52 out of 81 shows for the 1973-1974 TV Season.

==Pilot==
{{Episode table|background = #|overall=|title=|director=|writer=|airdate=|episodes=
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=0
 |Title=The Magician
 |DirectedBy=[[Marvin J. Chomsky]]
 |WrittenBy=Laurence Heath, [[Joseph Stefano]]
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|03|17}}
 |ShortSummary=
 |LineColor=
}}
}}

==Episodes==
{{Episode table|background = #68AAA1|overall= |title=|director=|writer=|airdate=|episodes=
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=1
 |Title=The Manhunters 
 |DirectedBy=Sutton Roley 
 |WrittenBy=[[Jimmy Sangster]] 
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|10|02}}
 |ShortSummary=Someone is trying to kill Max Pomeroy ([[Keene Curtis]]), Tony Blake's friend. The investigation leads Blake to an alcoholic lady gambler in distress and the plot thickens in a casino. [[Marlyn Mason]] [[Stephen McNally]], [[Vincent Beck]], [[Mort Thompson]], Lenore Stevens, [[Jerry Quarry]], and Robert Nash guest star.<ref>Gianakos, Larry James (1978). ''[https://archive.org/details/televisiondramas0000gian_j0i1/page/740/mode/2up?q=%22A+New+Step%22+%22Mort+Thompson%22 Television Drama Programming : A Comprehensive Chronicle, 1959-1975]''. Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow Press. p.&nbsp;740. {{ISBN|0-8108-1116-2}}.</ref>
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=2
 |Title=The Vanishing Lady 
 |DirectedBy=[[Marvin J. Chomsky]]
 |WrittenBy=[[Harold Livingston]]
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|10|09}}
 |ShortSummary=When Julie Carter ([[Amanda McBroom]]), the singer in Tony Blake's Vegas magic act and personal friend, is kidnapped in her dressing room, the magician has to race against time to save her. [[Ramon Bieri]], [[John Karlen]] and [[Peter Brown (actor)|Peter Brown]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=3
 |Title=Illusion in Terror
 |DirectedBy=[[Paul Krasny]]
 |WrittenBy=Walter Brough
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|10|23}}
 |ShortSummary=A car accident sees Tony Blake's girlfriend Joanna ([[Brenda Benet]]) taken by ambulance and soon pronounced dead but the body has vanished. Suspecting foul play, Blake investigates Joanna's past and what he finds endangers his own life. [[Cameron Mitchell (actor)|Cameron Mitchell]], [[Macdonald Carey]] and [[Bill Zuckert]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=4
 |Title=Lightning on a Dry Day 
 |DirectedBy=[[Reza Badiyi]]
 |WrittenBy=Walter Brough
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|10|30}}
 |ShortSummary=A hospital patient is spooked senseless by the fire in one of Tony's charity magic acts. His investigation into the young man's past leads him to a small town riddled with suspicious residents. [[Geoffrey Deuel]], [[Mark Hamill]], [[Beah Richards]] and [[Neville Brand]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=5
 |Title=Ovation for Murder 
 |DirectedBy=[[Barry Crane]]
 |WrittenBy=Walter Brough
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|11|06}}
 |ShortSummary=During a backyard party where Tony Blake performs, the magician witnesses a Greek man he rescued earlier shoot another man. Blake suspects he was impaired and arranges an elaborate illusion in a hospital to catch the real killer. [[Jack Kruschen]], [[Susan Oliver]] and [[Walter Brooke]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=6
 |Title=Man on Fire 
 |DirectedBy=Reza Badiyi
 |WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|t=Samuel Roeca & James Henderson and [[Juanita Bartlett]]|s=Samuel Roeca & James Henderson}}
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|11|20}}
 |ShortSummary=While arguing with her boyfriend, a woman falls down stairs and dies. The man is coerced into stuffing her body in a trunk and tossing it in a lake. Tony Blake gets involved when bad guys come after his new magic student, the man's son. [[Carl Betz]], Brad David, [[Lloyd Bochner]] and [[Jane Merrow]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=7
 |Title=Lady in a Trap  
 |DirectedBy=[[Leslie H. Martinson]]
 |WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|t=Frank Telford & [[Marion Hargrove]]|s=Frank Telford}}
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|11|27}}
 |ShortSummary=Out scuba diving, Tony Blake rescues a ditzy assistant library curator he met earlier whose boyfriend tossed her off his yacht with intention to kill. An old copy of ''[[The Prince]]'' becomes the pivotal point of Blake's investigation. [[Robert Webber]], [[Kristina Holland]] and [[Anthony Eisley]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=8
 |Title=The Man Who Lost Himself 
 |DirectedBy=Sutton Roley
 |WrittenBy=Marion Hargrove
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|12|11}}
 |ShortSummary=A man fleeing pursuers crashes into Tony Blake's stage, sending both of them to the hospital. The man wakes up amnesiac and Blake enlists his friends to help the man recover his memory. [[Joe Flynn (American actor)|Joe Flynn]], [[John Milford]] and [[Yvonne Craig]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=9
 |Title=Nightmare in Steel 
 |DirectedBy=Reza Badiyi
 |WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|t=Walter Brough & Shimon Wincelberg|s=[[Shimon Wincelberg]]}}
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1973|12|18}}
 |ShortSummary=The husband of Tony Blake's clumsy new assistant has been kidnapped and is being forced to help hijack a tanker. Tony infiltrates the tanker to rescue the man and avert the crime before it's too late. [[Leif Erickson (actor)|Leif Erickson]], [[Christopher Stone (actor)|Christopher Stone]] and [[Anne Randall]] guest star. 
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=10
 |Title=Shattered Image 
 |DirectedBy=[[Michael O'Herlihy]]
 |WrittenBy=Richard Hesse
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|01|08}}
 |ShortSummary=Tony Blake must protect a little girl who is targeted by her father's former mob associates. In the process, Tony attempts to clear the man's name who himself is on the run, framed for murder. [[Joseph Campanella]], [[Ed Gilbert]] and [[Leslie Parrish]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=11
 |Title=The Illusion of the Curious Counterfeit: Part 1
 |DirectedBy=Sutton Roley
 |WrittenBy=Laurence Heath
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|01|14}}
 |ShortSummary=Performing at the Magic Castle, Tony notices his ex-girlfriend in the audience, looking distraught. A man behind her is acting strange. Tony invites her onstage and makes her vanish but the bad guy is fast on their trail. [[Carol Lynley]], [[John Colicos]], [[L.Q. Jones]] and [[Lloyd Nolan]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=12
 |Title=The Illusion of the Curious Counterfeit: Part 2
 |DirectedBy=Sutton Roley
 |WrittenBy=Laurence Heath
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|01|21}}
 |ShortSummary=When his attempt to free his ex-girlfriend from a cell fails, Tony has a confrontation with her ex-mobster father. [[Carol Lynley]], [[John Colicos]] and [[Barbara Rhoades]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=13
 |Title=The Illusion of the Stainless Steel Lady
 |DirectedBy=[[Alexander Singer]]
 |WrittenBy={{StoryTeleplay|t=Paul Playdon & Richard Hesse|s=Richard Hesse}}
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|01|28}}
 |ShortSummary=Tony investigates the self-enforced isolation of his old, recluse movie-star friend, Irene Denore ([[Nina Foch]]), after an attractive blonde claiming to be her estranged granddaughter asks him for help. [[Anthony Zerbe]], [[Edward Winter (actor)|Edward Winter]] and [[Mark Lenard]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=14
 |Title=The Illusion of the Queen's Gambit
 |DirectedBy=[[Don Weis]]
 |WrittenBy=[[Edward J. Lakso]]
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|02|04}}
 |ShortSummary=Tony is performing onboard the Queen Mary when masked robbers interrupt his act. His friend, Ed Cassidy ([[William Shatner]]), is blamed for the robbery and Tony Blake sets out to prove his innocence.  [[Brooke Bundy]], [[Paul Mantee]] and [[Katherine Justice]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=15
 |Title=The Illusion of Black Gold
 |DirectedBy=[[Arnold Laven]]
 |WrittenBy=[[Edward J. Lakso]]
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|02|11}}
 |ShortSummary=Tony stages an elaborate illusion to fake the death of a [[Defection|political-defector]] scientist who can extract oil from [[shale]] rock, but the scientist is kidnapped and auctioned off to the highest bidder. [[Eric Braeden]], [[Milton Selzer]], [[Michael Cristofer]] and [[Lynda Day George]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=16
 |Title=The Illusion of the Lost Dragon
 |DirectedBy=[[Alexander Singer]]
 |WrittenBy=[[Howard Berk]]
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|02|18}}
 |ShortSummary=In order to find a jade dragon which has been stolen from his very old friend in Chinatown, Tony will have to face the threat of a horrible death in a lava pit when the floor is literally taken from under him. [[Soon-Tek Oh]], [[France Nuyen]], [[Joseph Wiseman]] and [[Philip Ahn]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=17
 |Title=The Illusion of the Deadly Conglomerate
 |DirectedBy=David Moessinger
 |WrittenBy=David Moessinger
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|02|25}}
 |ShortSummary=Tony reconnects with a homeless old magician friend; the shelter where he's landed specializes in murdering the downtrodden for profit and it's up to the magician to rescue him before it's too late. [[Eugene Roche]], [[Jack Ging]], [[Michele Marsh (actress)|Michele Marsh]] and [[William Sylvester]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=18
 |Title=The Illusion of the Fatal Arrow
 |DirectedBy=Leslie H. Martinson
 |WrittenBy=Paul Playdon & [[David Chase]]
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|03|04}}
 |ShortSummary=In order to prevent further murders by a hitman who uses a bow and arrow, Tony partners with a psychic who accurately predicted the first victim's death. [[Jeremy Slate]], [[Pamela Franklin]] and [[Tim Matheson]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=19
 |Title=The Illusion of the Lethal Playthings
 |DirectedBy=[[Jack Arnold (director)|Jack Arnold]]
 |WrittenBy=Larry Brody
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|03|18}}
 |ShortSummary=Someone is trying to kill a friend of Tony Blake's by detonating bombs and using marionettes and remote controlled toys. Tony's investigation brings him to a toy shop and he becomes the target of the mad man. [[Scott Hylands]], [[Louis Hayward]], [[Joanna Miles]] and [[Simon Scott (actor)|Simon Scott]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=20
 |Title=The Illusion of the Cat's Eye
 |DirectedBy=[[Paul Stanley (director)|Paul Stanley]]
 |WrittenBy=David Chase & Paul Playdon
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|03|25}}
 |ShortSummary=A museum enlists Tony Blake's help to investigate the "smoke & mirrors" theft of a highly guarded Egyptian cat statue. [[Joseph Ruskin]], [[Marianna Hill]], [[John Dehner]] and [[Claudette Nevins]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
{{Episode list
 |EpisodeNumber=21
 |Title=The Illusion of the Evil Spikes
 |DirectedBy=[[Bill Bixby]]
 |WrittenBy=David Moessinger
 |OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1974|04|15}}
 |ShortSummary=A magician is killed during the filming of a highly risky magic trick. Blake takes on both the investigation and his friend's place in recreating the Table of Death illusion for the cameras. [[Jessica Walter]], [[Lew Ayres]] and [[Herbert Anderson]] guest star.
 |LineColor=68AAA1
}}
}}

==Home media==
[[Visual Entertainment]] released the complete series on DVD in [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] on August 25, 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Magician-DVDs-Planned/21730 |title=The Magician DVD news: DVD Plans for the Magician &#124; TVShowsOnDVD.com |access-date=2016-12-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221163957/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Magician-DVDs-Planned/21730 |archive-date=2016-12-21 }}</ref><ref>[https://www.visualentertainment.tv/products/the-magician-the-complete-collection The Magician - The TV Series]</ref><ref>[http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Magician-The-TV-Series/23552 The Magician - DVDs for 'The TV Series' Starring Bill Bixby...VERY SOON! Appearing magicially at last, in just a matter of weeks, from VEI] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170805015429/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Magician-The-TV-Series/23552 |date=2017-08-05 }}</ref>

==Influence==
Though it ran only a single season, ''The Magician'' was an influence on later series. The show was a favorite of ''[[The X-Files]]'' creator [[Chris Carter (screenwriter)|Chris Carter]], who worked it into [[Special Agent]] [[Fox Mulder]]'s "origin" story: a teenaged Mulder was waiting to watch ''The Magician'' when his sister Samantha was abducted by mysterious forces.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Muir|first1=John Kenneth|title=The X-Files FAQ: All That's Left to Know About Global Conspiracy, Aliens, Lazarus Species, and Monsters of the Week (FAQ Series).|date=August 1, 2015|publisher=Applause Theatre & Cinema Books|location=Milwaukee, WI|isbn=978-1480369740|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-07NCgAAQBAJ&dq=chris%20carter%20influence%20magician&pg=PT31|access-date=10 December 2015}}</ref>

In the ''[[Quantum Leap (1989 TV series)|Quantum Leap]]'' episode "The Great Spontini", [[Scott Bakula]]'s character, Dr. Sam Beckett, leaps into an amateur magician in 1974 who aspires to appear on Bill Bixby's ''The Magician''; however, owing to his partial amnesia, Dr. Beckett, at first, can only recall Bixby's connection with ''[[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]],'' which had not been made at that time.

''[[The Incredible Hulk (1978 TV series)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' series featured an episode that paid homage to both ''The Magician'' and Bixby's earlier series, ''[[My Favorite Martian]]''. In ''The Incredible Hulk's'' "My Favorite Magician" episode, Bixby's character became the temporary apprentice to a stage magician played by Bixby's ''Martian'' co-star, [[Ray Walston]]. [[Mark Wilson (magician)|Mark Wilson]] was on hand again as the episode's "magic consultant" as well.  In addition, ''Martian'' co-star [[Pamela Britton]] appeared in an episode of ''The Magician''.

Actor [[Andrew Robinson (actor)|Andrew Robinson]] has stated that his ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' character, [[Elim Garak]], was partially influenced by Bixby's character.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title}}
* [http://www.tvparty.com/remagician.html ''The Magician'' by Ed Robertson]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magician (American TV series), The}}
[[Category:Television series by CBS Studios]]
[[Category:Fictional stage magicians]]
[[Category:1970s American drama television series]]
[[Category:1973 American television series debuts]]
[[Category:1974 American television series endings]]
[[Category:American English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Television shows set in California]]
[[Category:Television shows about magic]]
[[Category:NBC television dramas]]