Magician unmasked Throughout history, magicians have captivated audiences with their seemingly impossible tricks and illusions. The art of magic has always relied on the element of mystery and deception, as skilled magicians dazzle their audiences with sleight of hand and mind-boggling feats. However, the allure of magic lies not only in the tricks themselves, but also in the mystery behind how they are performed. Magicians have long gone to great lengths to protect their secrets, guarding their tricks with utmost secrecy. They would often employ misdirection, elaborate props, and carefully timed movements to create the illusion of unexplainable phenomena. The magician's ability to manipulate perception and exploit human psychology allowed for awe-inspiring performances that left spectators in wonder and disbelief.
Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed 4 - Unmasking the Magician: The Final Reveal
The following "big" secrets are revealed: Escape from. 1) Car Crush, 2) Cremation, Spike Torture, Surviving a Guillotine, Buried Alive (and Rising from the Grave), Death Trap (Falling onto. Read all The following "big" secrets are revealed: Escape from. 1) Car Crush, 2) Cremation, Spike Torture, Surviving a Guillotine, Buried Alive (and Rising from the Grave), Death Trap (Falling onto Flaming Spikes), the Magician's Identity. The following "big" secrets are revealed: Escape from. 1) Car Crush, 2) Cremation, Spike Torture, Surviving a Guillotine, Buried Alive (and Rising from the Grave), Death Trap (Falling onto Flaming Spikes), the Magician's Identity.
- Director
- Mitch Pileggi
- Mark Thompson
- Val Valentino
- Director
- Mitch Pileggi
- Mark Thompson
- Val Valentino
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- Self - Announcer
- (voice)
- Self - The Masked Magician
- (as The Masked Magician)
- Magic Assistant
- (as Michelle Berube)
- Magic Assistant
- Magic Assistant
- Magic Assistant
- Director
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Did you know
The original Masked Magician was played by Bob Zmuda in 1981 in an Andy Kaufman sketch on episode 20 of season 2 of "Friday's TV Show". The sketch was called "Andy Kaufman meets the masked magician" this is believed to be the inspiration for this show.
The Masked Magician: Good evening. During the past year, I have shown you how some of magic's most famous illusions are secretly performed. I have done this under the guise of a masked face and an assumed name. This has led to a great deal of speculation about who I really am. Well tonight, the time has come for me to remove the mask, because I have something very important to share with you. There isn't enough time to tell you the whole story, but I will say that journey here has been amazing. I'm not revealing my identity because of all of the controversy surrounding these specials or because of the pressure that I'm receiving from my fellow magicians. I'm facing you tonight because of my love for magic, and to tell you why I chose to reveal these age-old secrets. In recent years, magic has taken a backseat to movies, video games, and other forms of high tech entertainment. I was afraid that magic was going to be forgotten. I wanted to do something about it. I wanted to rekindle that sense of wonder that we all felt when we saw our first magic show. I wanted to get people excited about magic again. Do you remember our first television special last year? The next day, at work, at school, and around the dinner table, people were buzzing with excitement. For the first time in a long while, magic was center stage again. I began to work professionally when I was just thirteen years old. I put on magic shows for kids in nearly every school in town. In these performances, I didn't just perform magic; I showed them how to make their own tricks. And they loved it. I discovered that knowing a few secrets made kids love magic even more. It made them feel part of it. Did I hurt these kids by letting them in on these tricks? I don't think so. Can you honestly say that you've been hurt by watching these television shows? The truth is, you probably love magic more now than ever before. Now you feel a part of it, too. It doesn't hurt the art of magic when the audience is in on a trick, because the secret is a small part of it. The real magic is in the performance. The best magicians like David Copperfield, Lance Burton, and Penn and Teller are the true artists. They lead their audiences through a wide range of emotions, from laughter to fear to sheer amazement. Every magician aspires to be that great, including me. [removes his mask] The Masked Magician: Valentino, the masked magician. Before I go, I'd like to leave you with this thought. It is my belief that the art of magic is for everyone, not just a select few who call themselves magicians, but for every single one of you. And especially you kids, because it is you kids that are the future of magic. I'm happy to report that as a direct result of these specials, magicians everywhere have been letting go of their old, tired tricks and moving forward, creating bigger and better illusions, and taking magic where it has never gone before. And now it's time for me to move forward, too. The next time you see me, I'll be performing new and exciting illusions that have never been seen before. Illusions that will thrill and amaze you. I hope I have contributed in some small way to your enjoyment of magic. So until we meet again, remember that the magic is in all of us. Thank you and good night.
The Masked Magician: Secrets of illusionists, unmasked
The magician's ability to manipulate perception and exploit human psychology allowed for awe-inspiring performances that left spectators in wonder and disbelief. But in recent years, the curtain of mystery surrounding magic has been gradually lifted. With the advent of the internet and social media, exposure of magic secrets has become more prevalent than ever before.
Magician finding a big market for revealed mysteries
Las Vegas entertainer Val Valentino, 52, aka the Masked Magician, demystifies 120 illusions in 13 hourlong syndicated shows being broadcast worldwide.
Thursday, March 12, 2009 | 2 a.m.
The Masked Magician
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On TV
- What: “Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed”
- When: 9 p.m. Mondays
- Where: KVMY, Channel 12
The Las Vegas entertainer is universally despised by magicians who recoil in disgust from the man who wears a mask to protect his identity so that he will not be burned at the stake for his betrayal of the profession.
Actually it isn’t all that bad, but it makes for great marketing.
The Masked Magician has been revealing the secrets of the trade for more than a decade now and is still alive — and happy — to talk about it.
His name is Val Valentino, a 52-year-old native of Los Angeles who was tapped by the Fox Network in 1998 to portray a character called the Masked Magician for a series of specials called “Breaking the Magician’s Code.”
The specials were such a hit Valentino has been breaking the code with regularity ever since.
“The ratings for the shows went through the roof, with 26-point-something million viewers,” Valentino says. “Since then I haven’t stopped. I’ve been continually working, touring the world.
“I especially struck a nerve in Brazil. No one can explain it. It must be something in the psyche of the Latin American people. After the specials aired I spent two years in Brazil performing in large arenas with 15,000 seats — and we were turning away thousands. Then I went to Japan for a couple of years and did several TV specials there.”
The Masked Magician returned to television this week with a 13-episode syndicated series of “Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed.” The hourlong episodes are being shown worldwide.
“We reveal how 120 different illusions are achieved,” Valentino says.
Among the illusions are the death saw, passing through a steel wall, levitation, dismemberment and making an elephant disappear.
Valentino, who began performing magic at birthday parties at age 12, became a stoolie when Fox hired him to do the specials.
“Magicians were turning down the show,” he says. “I turned them down several times, but then some of the elder magicians started thinking that it would be much better to have magicians on the inside — but nobody was willing to do that.”
Valentino took the gig and ran with it.
“I went in to work for the magicians, to look after the art, knowing that my career could have ended then and there,” Valentino says. “But at the time it was the best solution to help out magicians.”
He says initially there was some controversy because magicians didn’t know what was going to happen.
“Some thought magic was going to be ruined forever,” he says. “But that wasn’t the case. It’s flourishing.”
Valentino reveals there are several ways to do any given trick.
“When you know a magic trick, you don’t know all of it,” he says. “The real magic is in the artistry of the magician, the performers themselves. You can make a coin disappear 20 different ways. The more people understand magic the more it helps the magicians because the fans go to see if they can catch them — usually they can’t.”
Valentino says what he did was broaden the interest in magic, help create a whole new generation of young magicians and to challenge established magicians to be even better at their craft.
“By revealing the older secrets it forced magicians to create new ideas, new concepts and to move the art forward,” he says.
He doesn’t feel the least guilty about revealing the secrets. “The Internet has created a whole new generation of cyber-magicians who show the tricks on YouTube.”
Since filming of the TV series is finished, Valentino is concentrating on several other projects, including a school for the new generation of magicians, called The Masked Magician’s Academy of Mystical Arts, in Las Vegas.
And he’s consulting on a Masked Magician graphic novel, which could become a film or TV series.
Valentino’s big break in magic came in 1986 when he appeared on “The Merv Griffin Show.”
The producers of “Playboy’s Girls of Rock ’n’ Roll” saw the performance and invited him to join their cast in Las Vegas.
“I’ve been here ever since,” he says.
Magician unmasked
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On November 4 th , 1997 a TV series began called Breaking the Magician’s Code: Magic’s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed. It starred a guy with a mask on that would reveal the “Secrets” of magic. His name, we now know, is Leonard Montano, a.k.a. Val Valentino, a.k.a. the “masked magician.”
Many magicians hated the “Masked Magician” because they felt that revealing the tricks on TV meant that magicians around the world would be out of business. There were a few who suffered, because Valentino gave away a few very custom magic tricks that belongs to very specific magicians. These magicians couldn’t do their routines for a very long time.
But the truth of the matter is, The Masked Magician unintentionally helped the magic community. Before Valentino went on TV, very few people were talking about magic. But during the time the series ran, tons of people were tuning in every Thursday night to see how a new trick was done.
This got people talking. Talking magic! Hiring magicians. Helping our business!
The smart magicians watched the show and came up with new magic tricks and new methods to do old magic tricks. They used the TV show to their advantage!
So, the moral of this story is not to “Reveal the Secret”. The moral is to be innovative. Watch what’s happening around you and adjust. If you can do that, you’ll be a way better magician.
Websites, YouTube channels, and forums openly discuss and reveal not only classic tricks but also the methods behind them. While this newfound accessibility to magic secrets may be disheartening to some magicians, it has also brought about a new era of innovation and creativity. Magicians are now forced to continuously develop new techniques, unique tricks, and dazzling performances that cannot be easily revealed or replicated. The challenge lies in staying one step ahead of the curious minds seeking to demystify their craft. Furthermore, the unmasking of magicians has also opened up new possibilities for appreciation of their art. Rather than focusing solely on the mechanics of a trick, audiences can now appreciate the skill, showmanship, and mastery that are necessary to deceive and entertain. By understanding the principles behind a magic trick, spectators can immerse themselves in the experience and marvel at the magician's ability to manipulate reality. In a sense, the unmasking of magicians has elevated the art form itself. It has forced performers to adapt and evolve, pushing boundaries of what is possible and redefining the very nature of magic. The focus now lies not solely on keeping secrets, but on creating an unforgettable experience that engages and astounds the spectator. In conclusion, while the unmasking of magicians may have initially threatened the secrecy and allure of their craft, it has ultimately acted as a catalyst for innovation and reinvention. Magicians have adapted to the changing times, embracing the challenge to continually amaze and surprise their audience. Magic, once solely associated with deception, has now become a celebration of skill, creativity, and the extraordinary..
Reviews for "The Illusionist Unveiled: Discovering the Tricks of the Trade"
1. Sarah - 2/5 stars: I was really disappointed with "Magician Unmasked". The plot was weak and predictable, and the characters lacked depth. The magic tricks were nothing extraordinary and did not leave me in awe like I was expecting. Overall, I found the book to be quite underwhelming and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating and exciting read.
2. Mark - 1/5 stars: I couldn't even make it through the first few chapters of "Magician Unmasked". The writing style was amateurish and the dialogue felt forced. The attempts at creating suspense fell flat, and the storyline was unoriginal. I was hoping for a thrilling and mysterious tale, but instead, I found myself bored and uninterested. Save your time and skip this book!
3. Emily - 2/5 stars: "Magician Unmasked" had potential, but it failed to deliver. The pacing was off, with long stretches of mundane descriptions and a lack of action. The protagonist was unlikeable and lacked any real development. The world-building was scarce, leaving me with little understanding of the magical elements introduced. I was left feeling unsatisfied and disappointed by the end of the book.
4. Robert - 2/5 stars: I was expecting a mind-blowing revelation with "Magician Unmasked", but all I got was a mediocre story that lacked depth. The characters were one-dimensional and the plot felt rushed and haphazardly put together. The attempt at incorporating magic into the storyline was unimpressive and left me wanting more. Overall, I found the book to be a letdown and would not recommend it to fans of the genre.
5. Michelle - 3/5 stars: While "Magician Unmasked" had its moments, overall, it fell short of my expectations. The writing style was decent, but the pacing was inconsistent, making it difficult to become fully immersed in the story. The plot had potential, but it lacked originality and failed to truly surprise me. The ending was underwhelming and left me with a feeling of unresolved loose ends. It wasn't a terrible book, but it certainly didn't leave a lasting impression on me.