The Magician

The Magician was an American television series that ran during the 1973–1974 season. It starred Bill Bixby as stage illusionist Anthony "Tony" Blake, a playboy philanthropist who used his skills to solve difficult crimes as needed. In the series pilot, the character was instead named Anthony Dorian. The name change was due to a conflict with the name of a real life stage magician



Premise

Blake was a professional stage magician who used his skills to solve crimes and help the helpless. Years earlier, Blake had been unjustly confined in a prison in an unnamed country in South America. He discovered a way to escape with his cellmate, which began his interest in escapology. The cellmate died and left him a fortune. The escape led to a career in stage magic which made him famous. He never forgot his imprisonment, and it motivated him to seek justice for others.







Initially, Blake was based out of his privately owned jetliner, which was outfitted as a mobile residence with live-in pilot Jerry Anderson, played by Jim Watkins. He frequently received assistance from acerbic columnist Max Pomeroy, portrayed by Keene Curtis, and his wheelchair--bound but brilliant son Dennis (Todd Crespi). Midway through the program's run, the idea of the airplane was dropped and Blake was living in a posh apartment at The Magic Castle, a real club devoted to magic acts. At the same time, the supporting cast of the show was replaced with a new, single character, Dominick, a somewhat comical sidekick played by Joseph Sirola. No explanation for the changes was given in the series, although Tony did recruit Jerry and Max for one further case in the new format.