The Mad Magician

1

Now at this point you

bring the music up, up...

up, up, up to a crescendo.

Up.

There now. This is where

i make my entrance.

Now, from here on, pianissimo,

keep it under while I talk.

Softly, softly, softly. That's right.

Ladies and gentlemen,

magic is the science of illusion,

the art of misdirecting thought.

So if you will try and keep your thoughts

on what I am doing, l'll...

There. That's fine, fine.

Sorry, sir. They're rehearsing inside.

No visitors.

But this is something special.

I have a lady friend in the show.

No smoking.

Oh, I'm sorry. I promised her

I'd be here for the opening

- miss Karen Lee?

- Miss Lee? Oh, yeah, yeah.

The little one with the legs.

Don't tell me you've never noticed them.

She's cute. Miss Lee!

Miss Lee. A gentleman to see you.

Alan. You got here after all.

You didn't think I'd miss your opening.

How's it going?

Like they always go with a new show.

Oh, I want you to meet Mr. gallico.

No, no, look,

i don't want to bother him now.

Oh, it'll do him good.

Make him forget his nervousness.

You'll like him.

Gus. Be sure that entrance is kept clear

for the buzz saw trick.

- Remember, it's got to be rolled

on in the dark. - Mr. gallico?

I'd like you to meet lieutenant Bruce

of the New York detective bureau.

- How are you? - He came all the way

from New York to see our opening show.

I can see how busy you are,

all this excitement.

Yes. Lt's especially exciting

for me, lieutenant,

since this is my first appearance

on any stage.

But Mr. gallico knows more about magic

than all the other magicians put together.

For years I've been inventing illusions

for big-name magicians

and watching them take all the bows.

Well, I finally caught the fever myself.

L'm like the playwright who wants

to get in there and read his own lines.

- I guess I'm just a ham at heart.

- Who isn't?

So I put this show together,

and if our luck holds out,

we're headed for Broadway.

Pardon me, please.

Mr. gallico, we're ready to rehearse

the buzz saw illusion.

L've sent out everybody

who doesn't have a part in it.

Good. Pull that curtain down,

and be sure the stage door is kept locked.

Right.

That trick is

the secret of our show.

You see, lieutenant, no magician considers

it a crime to steal from a competitor,

so we carefully guard all our new ideas.

This buzz saw trick of mine

is a prize shocker,

and I'm taking no chances.

We don't even trust the police.

She doesn't mean you, lieutenant.

You don't have to go.

I think I'd better. I'll be rooting

for you tonight. Good luck.

Thanks so much.

All right, now be sure

that stage door is locked.

All right.

This trick can put us over on Broadway.

It all depends on how it's done.

- L've made it as foolproof as possible,

but that saw is dangerous. -

it can rip its way through

anything short of steel.

All right, boys, take it from where

we place Karen on the table.

Excuse me, Mr.-

I didn't recognize you, Mr. gallico.

Is it really that good?

Do I look like Rinaldi?

Like his twin.

I don't know. This is the first time

any magician has ever attempted

an impersonation of one of his rivals.

Holy smoke! That's the end of their act.

Mr. gallico, you're on.

L'm ready.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Mr. gallico, who is a talented mimic,

will now present several

of his own illusions

as they would be done

by other famous magicians.

First, the great Rinaldi.

Ah, how cooling it is.

This is one convenience

we do not have in my place.

Let us have some more, please.

He not only looks like Rinaldi,

but he sounds like him.

[Paughs]

Was I all right?

You were great. Just listen

to them. They loved you.

- Did I sound like Rinaldi?

- Exactly like him.

All right, Karen,

the buzz saw trick is next.

Now, remember, that trick is

the high spot of our show.

- If it's a hit, we're in. If it's a flop,

we're dead. Good luck. - Good luck.

Ladies and gentlemen,

first, a demonstration.

I have here a common newel post,

cut from a solid piece

of mahogany.

Hey. Where are you going?

- L'm Ross ormond.

- Shh. There's a show going on.

L'm Ross ormond.

I want to talk to the house manager.

Well, he's out front.

They said he was back here on the stage.

This is police business.

Oh, all right. L'll see if I can find him.

Wait down there.

Wait down there.

Now, let us assume

that this is a human body,

and that this is a human head.

Ladies and gentlemen,

this is the most dangerous

exhibition ever attempted,

and I must ask

for complete silence.

The least disturbance could cause

this experiment to end in tragedy.

So now, I present

for the first time on any stage,

the lady and the buzz saw.

- who pulled the curtain down?

- Get that curtain up again. Up.

Ladies and gentlemen,

may I have your attention, please?

I wish to announce that owing

to unforeseen circumstances,

we are unable to continue

with this performance.

What does he mean unable to continue?

Ladies and gentlemen, please.

What were you

talking about out there?

How dare you pull down on me.

Ask those men.

They'll tell you.

And I'm holding you responsible

for the loss on tonight's business.

L'm calling my lawyer right now.

What does he mean, ask you?

He means I rang down the curtain,

with an injunction.

An injunction against what?

The use of the buzz saw trick.

But what right have you to...

Lieutenant, do you know anything

about these things?

A little, yeah,

but I'm no lawyer.

This theater is enjoined

against showing your buzz saw trick.

L'm afraid they've got you.

What's it all about?

Well, if it's any of your business,

I own a company

that builds illusions for magicians,

and gallico is my employee.

Anything he creates

becomes my property.

But I built the buzz saw trick

on my own time and with my own money.

Read your contract. No matter

how you built it, it still belongs to me.

Why you rotten, low-down...

No, Mr. gallico,

that won't get you anywhere.

It'll get him locked up

in the cityjail.

Now, listen, you.

I want this trick back in my

New York studio before noon tomorrow.

And if you know what's good for you, you'll

quit playing actor and get back on your job.

Do you think

I'd work for you after this?

You'll work for me, or you won't work.

So long, gallico the great.

This is a tough contract

you signed with ormond.

Is it true that he owns

everything I create?

According to this,

everything but the air you breathe.

Can the contract be broken?

I doubt it.

But I told him at the time

that I would take care of this business

as long as my show was in New York, or...

or until he could replace me,

and he offered no objections.

But that's his way, to say nothing

and then stab you in the back.

L'm sorry. I...

I don't often forget myself like that.

I understand ormond's

a big man in show business.

Yes.

I had my show all set

for the 44th street theater.

They told me this morning

that they'd booked another attraction.

I can thank him for that.

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