A question that comes up frequently enough for me to write about it here: How do I feel about the “masked magician” television show?
Let me preface my comment by saying this – I haven’t channel surfed in about 7 years. I remember the specials that came on in the late 90′s but, apparently, there have been several more episodes since then. I did, however, read a synopsis of the more recent masked magician episodes, to see if my comments still apply.
Although these shows have never affected me personally, I do sympathize with those magicians who were affected.
I remember the outrage in the 90′s when the show was announced. Magicians lobbied together to prevent this show from airing (and, in the process, played right into the hands of the studio by creating a huge amount of publicity). They revealed some old, and current illusions.
The old illusions I saw exposed were outdated. P.T. Selbit’s “Sawing a Woman in Half,” is a great example. Just about everybody has heard of this trick (and think they know how it’s done.) Watch the Pendragons perform it with a clear box, and watch everybody who thought they knew the secret will be scratching their heads.
Some of the more common illusions probably had a significant impact on the magicians performing those items. Illusions are expensive–one tv special might cause a magician to shelve tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
On the whole, the effect was very small. The illusions that were common before the Masked Magician TV shows are still common today and the people who saw the shows and remember the specifics are few.
