One of the better episodes so far (I'm watching them in order). With this episode I begin to see "The Magician" formula. Start off with a little bit of magic, then give Tony the world's worst luck to have him at the right time and place to get caught up in someone's problem. feature some good action, stunts, a car chase, hopefully a few laugh lines, and great outdoor location footage. Have an implausible, poorly motivated, poorly explained, convoluted plot that moves along with the aid of some talking heads. Finally wrap it up in a climax at some interesting location like a barn, workshop, factory, or Gothic cathedral where Tony outwits the bad guys in a showdown by confusing them with some of his magic equipment. In this episode we get all of that, with the totally unexpected bonus of some SCUBA footage!!! Also we get more laugh lines this time, which are a highlight of the show. The girl this time is an airhead character, which is always fun. Unfortunately we again get the convoluted plot, but less so than in previous episodes. A further problem with these plots is that often key elements of the plot are explained in a line or two by a talking head, and it's easy to miss that and then you don't understand everything. We went back and replayed crucial lines, but were still left with questions about who killed whom, and why.
Again we get almost no magic. Bixby does one flawless, slick and excellent trick where he produces a book from a folded sheet of newspaper, and I think that's about all we get. Other tricks are rising cards from wallet and then just stage style fireworks later, which doesn't count as magic.
As for implausible, Tony not only happens to be SCUBA diving at the exact place and time needed to run into a former acquaintance from that very day, but he's even so close to the mark that he can coincidentally see her underwater. Now that's luck. Later he gets searched and he has nothing at all in any pockets, except for some balloons that happen to save his hide. And this is from a guy that always seems to have his pockets full of tricks so that he can ply his trade to any audience upon which he happens.
But anyway the dialog in this one is more sparkling, we get more laugh lines, Bill excudes sincerity and decency (as always), the action and locations are kicked up a notch over the usual good quality, and the plot is a little clearer. This one even throws in a red herring, a whodunit staple that I haven't seen in this series up until now. Plus this one's just more fun.
Only Bill Bixby could exude the decency required for him to be taking women home all the time, spending long weekends with them, and appearing in a scene with an almost nude girl this time and still seem like he's 100% altruistic.moreless
Episode Summary
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Magician Anthony Blake is at the library to borrow a copy of a book on magic when a priceless Machiavelli manuscript is stolen. The thieves are caught but the manuscript is not recovered. The librarian takes the afternoon off to go boating off the coast of Malibu when her boyfriend shows her that he has the Machiavelli. She soon finds herself plunging to the ocean floor with a pair of weights chained to her ankles. Fortunately, Blake is scuba diving in the area and rescues her. Blake tracks down the boyfriend only to discover that he has been killed and the Machiavelli once again absconded. Blake finds the Machiavelli after being imprisoned in jail without charge and escaping. A secret message in the book points to the location of the buried loot at an abandoned winery. Tony makes his way to the winery but discovers that the villains are there to meet him. Tony must use every trick in his arsenal to escape from the crooks.moreless
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GUEST STAR
Robert WebberMr. Zellman
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GUEST STAR
Kristina HollandStacey McGlanahan
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GUEST STAR
William JordanSheriff R. Sanders
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Bill Bixby
Anthony Blake
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (8)
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Librarian: That's having quite a revival these days--the voodoo and black magic, Rosemary's Baby.
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Oh, just two attempted robberies, a gunfight ... you know, the usual. -- Tony Blake, when asked why he was late for scuba diving.
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"Tony, you know that book on magic you wanted? I'm going to make sure you're allowed to read it. I really think it's the least the Buchman Library can do." -- Librarian, after Tony Blake has saved her life, solved the crime and recovered the priceless Machiavelli.
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Max Pomeroy, on hearing that Tony has put up bail for the female librarian: "Pomeroy's First Law: 'Woman is only a woman, but a bail is a bond.'"
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Librarian: Fine friend, Tony, and I thought you were different. 'Wait here, with my dead ex-boyfriend in the bathtub and 30 million cops around to arrest me.'
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Tony Blake: "Was she? Well I'm the other kind of magician -- you know ... " (does card rise from wallet, pocket).
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Librarian, on hearing that Blake is a magician: "That's having quite a revival these days--the voodoo and black magic, Rosemary's Baby. You know, I had a roommate in college who was very deep into witchcraft."
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Tony Blake, at library: "I'm looking for Farnsworth's Principles of Legerdemain and Simple Deception, published in London, 1685. I was told if there were a copy anywhere it would be here."
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NOTES (2)
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This was a bit of a reunion episode; Bill Bixby's co-star in this episode, Kristina Holland, was also his co-star in The Courtship of Eddie's Father.
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Magic performed in this episode: Rising cards from wallet, pocket Book production from newspaper
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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Does this show, show how to do magic?
02/12/082
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