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| San Francisco Chronicle, Dec 25, 1975. |
Did you see this special live? If so, share your memories in the comments below.
Friday, December 26, 2025
The World of Magic aired 50 years ago tonight
Had to jump back in to note the 50th anniversary of a magic milestone and a personal one as well. It was 50 years ago tonight that Doug Henning's first "World of Magic" television special aired LIVE on NBC. Doug's magic and his climactic performance of Houdini's Water Torture Cell was a ratings hit, and this special has been attributed to launching Magic's second Golden Age. Having just seen Houdini (1953) the previous month, this special only cemented my newfound Houdini mania.
Did you see this special live? If so, share your memories in the comments below.
Did you see this special live? If so, share your memories in the comments below.
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I watched it live on TV. I was so naive at the time, that I never imagined that Cosby (a mere "layman" & comedian) - was actually
ReplyDeleteresponsible in secretly helping Doug pull off several of the tricks
& illusions that they performed together.
btw-I saw Doug at the Cort theater the year previous (1974)...and
immediately realized that I was witnessing a new era of Magic, and a new kind of magician...someone who made Magic hip & cool, and took it out of the dark ages...similar to the way that Criss Angel &
David Blaine have done for the current generation...but Doug was the first.
I saw this special live, sitting on the couch with my younger brother. I was just a kid and don't remember a lot but I do remember the Water Torture Cell. We just thought it was the coolest thing ever! I couldn't appreciate at the time what a groundbreaking thing this was. Went on to see Doug live in the Broadway show Merlin around 1983, though that was not a huge success I liked it!
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you saw Merlin. That didn't play long, so there's not many people who saw it, at least compared to The Magic Show.
DeleteThis was must see TV for me. I still have the tv ad I cut out as a 12 year old kid along with his WTC poster that hung in my room.
ReplyDeleteYou have an amazing collection Joe. So glad you shared it with me.
DeleteHis wife was my patient and he was very unassuming in person and sat in the waiting room amongst the other patients. However, he did dress rather flamboyantly and with that hair! I can even remember which chair he sat in during her visits.
ReplyDeleteWow, nice!
Delete