Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed (1997) (TV)

Director:

Don Weiner

Writers:

Scott Mitchell (writer)
David Next (writer)

Release Date:

24 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot Keywords:

Magic | Magician | Behind The Scenes

Cast

Mitch Pileggi	...	Host
Mark Thompson	...	Himself - Announcer (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sybil Azur	...	Magic Assistant
Michelle Berube	...	Magic Assistant
Denise Holland	...	Magic Assistant
Jennifer Lee Keyes	...	Magic Assistant (as Jennifer Keyes)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Nash Entertainment

Movie Connections:

Followed by Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed 4 - Unmasking the Magician: The Final Reveal (1998) (TV)

Best TV show about magic in years.

I'm not one who regularly watches magicians. Short of Penn & Teller or The Amazing Jonathan, I haven't given a crap about magic in years. Then one night, lacking anything else to watch, I tuned in to the first of several installments of this show - and I was hooked.

The masked magician made it an interesting angle, although I was pleased to see that he eventually revealed his identity in one of the last shows. Strange that I haven't heard much of him since... perhaps he got blacklisted for revealing the tricks!

But besides the revelations of how magic tricks are performed, I thought host Mitch Pillegi really made the show. Although he seemed like an odd choice when I first started watching, I quickly came to enjoy his dry sense of humor and near-monodrone delivery. It WORKS. And I know it was Mitch that made the show watchable because Fox has made at least one of these shows since the masked magician revealed himself and I was annoyed to hear some other guy hosting. I was gone in about five minutes. Without Mitch as the host, I just didn't care. If you're reading this, Fox, get Mitch back if you do any more of these shows! He needs the work since X-Files went off!

This is a great show for the family - it's a little scary at first for young kids, but in a way I think it's better that they watch this rather than a regular magician so they can see how tricks are performed, and hopefully they won't hurt themselves trying to emulate what they see. If a kid sees that David Blaine numbnut in a straitjacket and tied to a burning plank, who's to say they won't try tying themselves up and doing the same thing? At least if kid's see how complex some of these illusions are, it might save a few trips to the hospital.

Great show - and I'll watch it every time it's on. (as long as Mitch Pileggi is the host)