The Magician

The Manhunters

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired 10/2/73

Episode Summary

Tony investigates an illegal casino operation after an attempt is made on Max's life and clues point to the operation, which Max is scheduled to testify about.

6.8

EPISODE RATING: Fair

8 votes

Your Rating: 10

"Perfect"
Your Rating: 9.5

"Superb"
Your Rating: 9

"Superb"
Your Rating: 8.5

"Great"
Your Rating: 8

"Great"
Your Rating: 7.5

"Good"
Your Rating: 7

"Good"
Your Rating: 6.5

"Fair"
Your Rating: 6

"Fair"
Your Rating: 5.5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 4.5

"Poor"
Your Rating: 4

"Poor"
Your Rating: 3.5

"Bad"
Your Rating: 3

"Bad"
Your Rating: 2.5

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 2

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 1.5

"Abysmal"
Your Rating: 1

"Abysmal"

Rate It

Cast & Crew

See All EDIT

Bill Bixby

Anthony Blake
Todd Crespi

Dennis Pomeroy
Keene Curtis

Max Pomeroy

Fan Episode Reviews (0)

Be the first to write a review!

Post a review:

Title: Your Rating:

Your Rating: 10

"Perfect"
Your Rating: 9.5

"Superb"
Your Rating: 9

"Superb"
Your Rating: 8.5

"Great"
Your Rating: 8

"Great"
Your Rating: 7.5

"Good"
Your Rating: 7

"Good"
Your Rating: 6.5

"Fair"
Your Rating: 6

"Fair"
Your Rating: 5.5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 5

"Mediocre"
Your Rating: 4.5

"Poor"
Your Rating: 4

"Poor"
Your Rating: 3.5

"Bad"
Your Rating: 3

"Bad"
Your Rating: 2.5

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 2

"Terrible"
Your Rating: 1.5

"Abysmal"
Your Rating: 1

"Abysmal"

Rate It

Your Review: Post Review Cancel

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

See All

Trivia
ADD TRIVIA
- Camera mistake: In a brief, wide shot of the dock during Tony's footchase early in the episode, vignetting is easily visible in all four corners of the frame. Edit
- In the beginning of this episode, Max Pomeroy is walking thru a "parking lot" in the marina, and a crane operator tries to kill Max by dropping a net of 65-gallon drums on him. The camera shows two different point-of-view shots, one from Max's point of view & another point of view shot from Tony's vantage point. When the camera shows Max's point of view (after Tony yells "MAX!") the entire net of drums appear to be coming down in one neat heap, still inside the net, with no spillage of the drums. Then in the other point-of-view shot, (Tony's point-of-view), it clearly shows the net opening to "spill" the janitor drums outside of the net at the moment of release. It is obvious this was shot twice for the camera's different viewpoints, instead of running two cameras at the same time for continuity's sake. Edit
- In the first 5 minutes of this first episode, as Tony Blake (Bill Bixby) is chasing the crane operator across a bridge, you can see the shadow of the movie camera appear briefly in the shot of the train going past quickly. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- In this episode Tony Blake showed how magic skills can come in handy in cleaning up on the House. He also showed an example of "reverse escapology:" the super-quick tying up of two thugs, a skill Tony found handy throughout the series. Edit
- This, first regular episode of the series did not get good reviews in the press. The October 10th, 1973 issue of "Variety" said: "The premiere episode of"The Magician seems to be suffering from a case of misplaced priorities, its footage long on outdoor action and gratuitous romantic hankypankey while short on the magico exploits that figure to give up the skein its distinguishing flavor. ... Some minor magic tricks did dot the proceedings, but they were not the major means by which the finale was achieved." Elsewhere, it said "Character of Blake is thin, undeveloped and fairly incredible. Described as 'the greatest magician since Houdini,' he actually makes Mandrake look pretty good." Edit
- Among the magic performed in this episode: - Rose production and animation - Backhand card palming and production - Aces and Jacks transposition Additional Guest Stars Woman: Marcia Mae Jones Chief Box Man: Tony Cristino Casino Cashier: Sandra Wirth Edit
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- Stanley Owens: You'd have been a better gambler if you'd stayed sober. Diane Thompson: I started to drink when I started to lose. Stanley Owens: You've been a loser all your life. You've just started to become aware of it, that's all. Edit
- Diane Thompson: I'm a compulsive gambler. And a borderline alcoholic. And, if you were to choose a word, "desperate." Edit
- Diane Thompson: You know something, Stan? You're not a bad-looking man. You dress reasonably well. And you don't smell. And I bet with the right partner, you're even a fairly good lover. Stanley Owens: So? Diane Thompson: So, next time there's a rattlesnake around, why don't you mate with it? Edit
Allusions
- Help by adding allusions to this episode. Add allusions