Doug Henning's World of Magic

Last updated
Doug Henning's World of Magic
Also known asWorld of Magic
Genre Entertainment
Created by Doug Henning
Starring Doug Henning
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producer David Susskind
Production companyDoug Henning Magic Inc.
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseDecember 26, 1975 (1975-12-26)

Doug Henning's World of Magic is a series of seven annual prime-time television specials starring magician Doug Henning that aired from 1975 to 1982.

The first special aired live on NBC Friday, December 26, 1975. [1] Bill Cosby [2] was the show's special guest, along with Gene Kelly (who introduced the special) and musical guest Lori Lieberman. The show ran live without commercials under the sponsorship of Mobil.

The first effect showed a close up on Doug's hands manipulating a nickel, then a jukebox production of Cosby. He introduced a number of novel (for the time) illusions, including a version of Buatier De Kolta's Vanishing Lady illusion (featuring Lieberman) and concluded with an up-tempo version of Houdini's Chinese Water Torture Cell.

The special was the top-rated show for the evening, with a reported 50 million viewers, making it the highest-rated magic special of all time. The show also won the Christopher Award for outstanding achievement. In 1977, the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork.

The 1982 special featured Caitlyn Jenner, Billy Crystal and Ann Jillian with Cherish Alexander as Doug Henning’s co-host. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Captain Kangaroo</i> American childrens television series

Captain Kangaroo is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program of its day. In 1986, the American Program Service integrated some newly produced segments into reruns of past episodes, distributing the newer version of the series to PBS and independent public stations until 1993.

<i>Second City Television</i> Canadian television sketch comedy show

Second City Television, commonly shortened to SCTV and later known as SCTV Network and SCTV Channel, is a Canadian television sketch comedy show that ran intermittently between 1976 and 1984. It was created as an offshoot from Toronto's Second City troupe. It is a rare example of a Canadian show that moved successfully to American television, where it aired on NBC from 1981 to 1983.

<i>The Cosby Show</i> American television sitcom (1984–1992)

The Cosby Show is an American television sitcom created by and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons, including an outtakes special. The show focuses on the Huxtables, an upper middle-class Black-American family living in Brooklyn, New York; the series was based on comedy routines in Cosby's stand-up comedy act, which in turn were based on his family life. The series was followed by a spin-off, titled A Different World, which ran from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993, with a total of six seasons consisting of 144 episodes.

<i>Guiding Light</i> American radio and television soap opera

Guiding Light is an American radio and television soap opera. Guiding Light aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio between January 25, 1937, and June 29, 1956. With 72 years of radio and television runs, Guiding Light is the longest-running soap opera, ahead of General Hospital, and is the fifth-longest-running program in all of broadcast history; only the American country music radio program Grand Ole Opry, the BBC religious program The Daily Service (1928), the CBS religious program Music and the Spoken Word (1929), and the Norwegian children's radio program Lørdagsbarnetimen (1924–2010) have been on the air longer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Henning</span> Canadian illusionist (1947–2000)

Douglas James Henning was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Copperfield (illusionist)</span> American magician (born 1956)

David Seth Kotkin, known professionally as David Copperfield, is an American magician, described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney anthology television series</span> Anthology television series

The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, The Wonderful World of Disney, was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 onward. The program moved among the Big Three television networks in its first four decades, but has aired on ABC since 1997 and Disney+ from 2020 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malcolm-Jamal Warner</span> American actor (born 1970)

Malcolm-Jamal Warner is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992), which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards. He is also known for his roles as Malcolm McGee on the UPN sitcom Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000), and Dr. Alex Reed in the sitcom Reed Between the Lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Maven</span> American magician and mentalist (1950–2022)

Max Maven was an American magician and mentalist whose performances were considered erudite and intelligent. He is ranked as one of the most influential mentalists of all time, and one of the 100 "Most Influential Magicians of the 20th Century" by Magic Magazine.

Jeffrey Mylett was an American actor and songwriter. He was best known for his roles in both the stage and film productions of Godspell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbi Benton</span> American retired model, actress and singer

Barbi Benton is an American former model, actress, television personality, and singer. She appeared in Playboy magazine, as a regular on the comedy series Hee Haw, and recorded several moderately successful albums in the 1970s. After the birth of her first child in 1986, Benton retired from show business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criss Angel</span> American magician, illusionist and musician (born 1967)

Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos, known professionally as Criss Angel, is an American magician, illusionist and musician. He is often referred to as one of the world's most successful illusionists, generating in excess of $150 million in tourism revenue for Las Vegas in one year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Steinmeyer</span> Magical illusion designer

Jim Steinmeyer is an American author, inventor, and designer of magical illusions and theatrical special effects. He holds four US patents in the field of illusion apparatus, including a modern version of the Pepper's Ghost illusion. Steinmeyer has consulted for many famous magicians, including David Copperfield, Doug Henning, Siegfried and Roy, and Lance Burton.

William Theodore Link was an American film and television screenwriter and producer who often worked in collaboration with Richard Levinson.

Barry Jones and Stuart MacLeod are a duo of Scottish BAFTA-nominated magicians and comedians whose work has been seen on television and on stage around the world. The double act are known for their comically dark performing style, for taking as inspiration the accounts of Biblical miracles and faking paranormal phenomena to form the basis for some of their illusions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese Water Torture Cell</span> Predicament escape

The Chinese Water Torture Cell is a predicament escape made famous by Hungarian-American magician Harry Houdini. The illusion consists of three parts: first, the magician's feet are locked in stocks; next, he is suspended in mid-air from his ankles with a restraint brace; finally, he is lowered into a glass tank overflowing with water and the restraint is locked to the top of the cell.

Richiardi Jr., was the stage name of magician Aldo Izquierdo Colosi, who became famous for dramatic and gory stage presentations of classic stage illusions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marco Tempest</span> Swiss magician based in New York City (born 1964)

Marco Tempest is a Swiss magician based in New York City. He is known for his multimedia magic and use of interactive technology and computer graphics in his illusions and presentations. He stars in the eight-part television series The Virtual Magician which has been broadcast in over 50 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Super</span> American magician

Mike Super is an American magician who is the winner of the NBC show Phenomenon. He was a top finalist on Season 9 of America's Got Talent. He's also appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Penn & Teller: Fool Us series. Super currently tours the U.S. and Canada with his illusion show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherish Alexander Bailey</span> American singer, songwriter and musician

Cherish Alexander Bailey is an American singer, songwriter and musician.

References

  1. "To Henning Magic is more than just sawing a woman in half on television". The Baltimore Sun. December 21, 1975. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  2. "'World of Magic' to air with no commercial breaks". North Hills News Record. December 20, 1975. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  3. "Cherish Alexander Interview: Part One". doughenningproject.com. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.