Blacke's Magic

Blacke's Magic
GenreCrime drama
Created byRichard Levinson
William Link
Developed byPeter S. Fischer
Directed byJohn Llewellyn Moxey
StarringHal Linden
Harry Morgan
Theme music composerDavid Bell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producerPeter S. Fischer
ProducersDouglas Benton
Cliff Gould
Lee Sheldon
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time48 minutes
Production companyUniversal Television
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJanuary 5 (1986-01-05) –
May 7, 1986 (1986-05-07)

Blacke's Magic is an American crime drama television series that aired for 13 episodes on NBC, from January 5 to May 7, 1986. Reruns later aired during the fall of 1988, to fill scheduling gaps caused by the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.

Plot

Hal Linden stars as magician Alexander Blacke who, with some help from his con-man father Leonard (Harry Morgan), solves mysteries that get in the way of his performances. The series aired for a total of thirteen episodes and featured crimes that tested logic against seemingly magical crimes. The stories were not so much whodunits as "how-he-do-its," for Alex Blacke often had to turn detective to solve the mysteries.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
Pilot"Breathing Room"John Llewellyn MoxeyStory by : Richard Levinson & William Link and Peter S. Fischer
Teleplay by : Peter S. Fischer		January 5, 1986 (1986-01-05)
Series pilot: Two hour pilot: Magician Alexander Blacke decides to retire after a near-death experience; however, when an old friend of his is mysteriously murdered during a magic trick – he was somehow shot while sealed in a coffin underwater – Alex and his father Leonard investigate and help the police to figure it out.
1"Ten Tons of Trouble"Allen ReisnerStory by : Geoffrey Fischer
Teleplay by : Geoffrey Fischer & Cliff Gould		January 8, 1986 (1986-01-08)
When a statue disappears in a matters of moments, Alex is asked to investigate. And when Alex learns that the chief of security is being held accountable, he tries to solve it and clear the man's name.
2"Knave of Diamonds, Ace of Hearts"Alan CookeRobert E. SwansonJanuary 15, 1986 (1986-01-15)
Alex refuses an offer from a strange man to test the impenetrability of his vault, instead concocting a plan for Leonard to carry out when he leaves town. Leonard reports a break-in to the police, and when they open up the vault they find that it contains the stranger's body. Leonard is arrested and bailed out by Alex when he returns, and they then go on the run in search of the truth.
3"Revenge of the Esperanza"Alvin GanzerStory by : Robert Brush
Teleplay by : Tom Sawyer & Robert Brush		January 22, 1986 (1986-01-22)
Some marine biologists are looking for a lost wreck. They find it but as soon as they do, it floats up and goes away.
4"Death Goes to the Movies"Michael A. HoeyPeter S. FischerJanuary 29, 1986 (1986-01-29)
While Alex is playing plot-advisor for a movie in the making, the movie's producer is suddenly killed.
5"Vanishing Act"Walter GraumanLee SheldonFebruary 12, 1986 (1986-02-12)
Alex and Leonard are stranded in the small town of Cryerville, California and use their magic skills to prevent a group of visitors from perpetrating an elaborate hoax.
6"Prisoner of Paradise"Alan CookePhilip SaltzmanFebruary 19, 1986 (1986-02-19)
Victor Kroeger, a man who had swindled a lot of people out of $122M and had been on the run for 18 years, is finally caught, and Alex is asked to help bring him back to the US from San Marcos. Kroeger is kept in a guarded room atop a tower, but later in the evening he's found dead at the bottom of the tower, and the room is still locked from the inside. What happened?
7"Address Unknown"Allen ReisnerLee SheldonFebruary 26, 1986 (1986-02-26)
Alex's former assistant comes to Alex for help when her ex-husband approaches her for help about corruption in a defense contract he's been working on. When Alex goes to meet the contact, someone shoots at him, and when he goes to take the police to the street where he met the contact, the street itself has gone missing.
8"Forced Landing"Paul LynchRobert Malcolm YoungMarch 5, 1986 (1986-03-05)
An airplane lands with no crew and no passengers.
9"Last Flight from Moscow"Peter SasdyCliff GouldMarch 12, 1986 (1986-03-12)
Alex runs into a familiar lowlife who's being hunted, so he and Leonard must cooperate with demands but plan to retrieve the possession.
10"A Friendly Game of Showdown"Michael A. HoeyJackson GillisMarch 19, 1986 (1986-03-19)
Alex finds himself requested to rule an auction selling the original, unpublished script made by Edgar Allan Poe.
11"It's a Jungle Out There"Alan CookeSteven Greenberg & Aubrey SolomonApril 2, 1986 (1986-04-02)
Alex and Leonard find a U.S. diplomat being blackmailed by a Monte Carlo casino owner involving in selling technological secrets, so they come to the diplomat's aid.
12"Wax Poetic"Allen ReisnerLee SheldonMay 7, 1986 (1986-05-07)
A Poe manuscript is purloined to Alex's apartment during an auction.

Reception

Awards

  • Primetime Emmy Awards 1986 - Nominated - Outstanding Cinematography for a Series - Terry K. Meade - For episode "Prisoner of Paradise".
  • Edgar Allan Poe Awards 1987 - Nominated - Best Television Episode - Lee Sheldon (writer) - For episode "Wax Poetic".


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