Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed
Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed | |
---|---|
Presented by | Mitch Pileggi Mark Thompson |
Starring | Masked Magician: Val Valentino Principal performers: Sybil Azur Kimi Bateman Michelle Berube Allie Cohen Kelly Cooper Marisa Gilliam Lyndsay Haldorson Denise Holland Jennifer Keyes Diane Klimaszewski Elaine Klimaszewski Kelly Danielle Jones Samantha Faye Lee Lauren Melendez Noelle Naone Elizabeth Ramos Kadee Sweeney |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of episodes | 18 (List of episodes) |
Production | |
Production locations | 516 South Anderson Street, Los Angeles 90033 |
Running time | 1 hour |
Production companies | Nash Entertainment Don Weiner Productions Alfred Haber Distribution |
Release | |
Original network | Fox (1997–2002) MyNetworkTV (2008–2009) |
Original release | November 24, 1997 February 21, 2009 | –
Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed is a series of television shows in which the methods behind magic tricks and illusions are explained. In its original incarnation there were four shows in 1997–1998 and a special in 2002 broadcast on the Fox network in the United States, and on Sky and ITV in the United Kingdom. In 2008–2009, a new series of thirteen shows was broadcast by MyNetworkTV in the United States and ITV4 in the United Kingdom. On May 1, 2012, reruns of the first season began airing on BIO in the United States.
Cast[]
The first four specials and the full series featured incognito magician Val Valentino as the Masked Magician performing large-scale illusions and a few smaller-scale close up magic tricks before revealing the secrets of the tricks.[1]
The performers for the 1997–1998 specials were Sybil Azur, Michelle Berube, Marisa Gilliam, Denise Holland, Kelly Danielle Jones, Jennifer Keyes, Diane Klimaszewski, Elaine Klimaszewski, and Elizabeth Ramos.[2][3][4][5]
The show returned for a special in 2002. Kimi Bateman, Kelly Cooper, Noelle Naone, and Kadee Sweeney performed with the magician.[6]
A 13-part series was televised across 2008 and 2009. Allie Cohen, Lyndsay Haldorson, Samantha Faye Lee, and Lauren Melendez were the principal performers.[7]
The original series was presented by actor Mitch Pileggi. In the fifth special, Pileggi was replaced by narrator Mark Thompson, who served as the introducer for all the other episodes.
Episodes[]
Production[]
The series is made by production company Nash Entertainment. The title alluded to the magician's code: the promise by working magicians not to reveal the basis of their tricks, or else risk getting blackballed by fellow magicians. The first special, which aired in November 1997, scored the highest ratings for any Fox special to that point; another three specials were broadcast through 1998.[8] Fox returned on May 15, 2002, with Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed 5. A new magician was wearing a new mask with artificial hair, and a purple glistening outfit. It was never revealed who portrayed the magician in this episode.
MyNetworkTV bought thirteen new episodes for broadcast in the U.S. starting in the fall of 2008, with the first episode shown on October 2. They were shot at 516 South Anderson Street in Los Angeles, (34°2′25.7604″N 118°13′27.1668″W / 34.040489000°N 118.224213000°W) during the summer of 2008. The assistants learned the illusion the same day they shot it and filmed four to six illusions per day. These specials were also shown on TVB Pearl in Hong Kong, with the first episode shown on June 13, 2010.[9] Valentino was credited as a producer and Mitch Pileggi returned as narrator, although he did not appear on camera. The show also aired in the UK on ITV4, and in Australia on 7Two with new narration by Grant Denyer. WWE divas Maria Kanellis and Eve Torres appeared in the first episode as part of a trick.
There is an Australian version of the show that first aired at 7:30 Monday, June 14, 2010, on Network Seven and has changed to Sundays at 6:30 on 7Two. This is the same show as the US version with some minor changes. This show also began to air on Australian pay television network Fox8 on Wednesday September 21, 2011. This version is a duplicate of the American version. Since the first run of the series, the shows have been rerun many times on Sundays on Channel 7. The show also had a Portuguese adaptation in the public TV Channel SIC, essentially a duplicate of the American version only with a different Portuguese narrator.
References[]
- ^ "Valentino: The Masked Magician".
- ^ "Breaking the Magician's Code first special". Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.
- ^ "Breaking the Magician's Code second special". Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
- ^ "Breaking the Magician's Code third special".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Breaking the Magician's Code fourth special".
- ^ "Breaking the Magician's Code: 2002 special".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Breaking the Magician's Code: 2008–2009 series".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Johnson, Allan (March 3, 1998). "It's No Secret". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed – Episodes". tvb.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
External links[]
- 1990s American television series
- 2000s American television series
- 1997 American television series debuts
- 2002 American television series endings
- 2008 American television series debuts
- 2009 American television series endings
- American television magic shows
- Fox Broadcasting Company original programming
- MyNetworkTV original programming
- Television shows filmed in Los Angeles