Magic may not immediately come to mind when one thinks of Halloween, but it's not much of a stretch. Consider that during the spiritualism fad of the early 1900s, magicians' tricks were usually behind the ghostly manifestations that awed seance participants. The Search for Houdini, a TV special that aired on October 31, 1987, made the connection to Halloween obvious, though the seance staged that night was a dud.
There have been other magic-related Halloween shows, including multiple editions of Magical, Musical Halloween that aired in the early 80s.
In a previous post I commented that, as a child, I associated Toys 'R Us with magic tricks. The store had a significant selection of both individual tricks and complete magic sets. I received a few from there, including Hat Full of Magic, the Magic World of Blackstone Beginners Magic Set, and my first set—Fisher Price Magic Show.
(On my old Fisher Price set, pictured below, notice that I added a skull Halloween sticker along with labels reading "Houdini" and "David Copperfield.")
My interest in magic spanned most of my elementary school years and even into junior high. And much of that interest came from watching David Copperfield's TV specials that aired each spring. One in particular stands out.
Aired in March 1985, the seventh edition of The Magic of David Copperfield included a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 classic Psycho. Featuring guest star Angie Dickinson, the vignette recreated the "shower scene" from that famous film, but included a disappearance as well as a surprise ending.
As if to put you in a Halloween mood, this segment begins with an excerpt from Michael Jackson's hit song "Thriller." Enjoy!
