Val Valentino

Last updated

Val Valentino
Born
Leonard Montano

(1956-06-14) June 14, 1956 (age 67)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesMasked Magician, Mr M.
OccupationMagician
Television Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed
Children3

Val Valentino (born Leonard Montano, June 14, 1956) [1] is an American magician. Valentino is best known for starring in the television show Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed , where he exposes the methods behind numerous classic magic tricks and illusions on the Fox network. In the specials, he used the stage name the Masked Magician and concealed his true identity by wearing a mask with a squid like design, being aware of the stigma amongst the magic community with publicly exposing tricks. As the finale to the final special, Valentino revealed his identity as the Masked Magician, garnering some notoriety amongst the magic community, and instigating several lawsuits.

Contents

Valentino became well known in Brazil after his sketches were broadcast in Rede Globo's Sunday newsmagazine show Fantástico from 1999 to 2000, in which he was referred to by the alias Mister M.

Life and career

Valentino's first foray into magic was at the age of five with a trick called "the ball and vase" that his father gave him. In his teens, Valentino performed with the "International Cultural Awareness Program" for over a million students throughout the Unified School Systems. [2] The performances also included revealing magic secrets to encourage others to become magicians.

By the end of the 1980s and into the 1990s, Valentino had moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and was performing in casino shows including Viva Las Vegas [3] and Splash, in addition to having appeared on programs such as The Merv Griffin Show and PM Magazine , [4] as well as in the music video for Herb Alpert's "Magic Man". He also appeared in his own production, "Valentino's Magical Extravaganza". [5]

In October 2017, Valentino announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, and was given one year to live from the time of the diagnosis. Valentino refused conventional treatment. [6] In June 2020 in an interview with the Brazilian show Domingo Espetacular of RecordTV, he said he was cured and that he is in Brazil preparing a project. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was quarantined in the country, hosted at the Clown Rogério house. [7]

The Masked Magician

For a span of two years (1997–1999), Valentino performed, unbilled and disguised, as the "Masked Magician" in four Fox Network specials called Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed which exposed long-guarded trade secrets. [8] The Masked Magician was also shown in the UK on the ITV network during the late 1990s and is still occasionally repeated on ITV4. In the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, the show was made available on Netflix.[ citation needed ]

Valentino had been approached by Fox while he was performing in Las Vegas showrooms. After some negotiation, Valentino signed to do the program, promising that he would reveal the secrets behind old illusions only. [2] At the end of the fourth and final special, Valentino revealed his true identity, although some in the magic community had already deduced it from the previous specials after recognizing certain traits of his performance. After revealing himself, Valentino emphasized that he felt that revealing the secrets would encourage children into trying magic instead of discouraging them, and that the entertainment of magic shows was more in the magician's showmanship instead of the wonder of how the trick was pulled off.[ citation needed ]

Valentino later stated on Reddit:

"The main reason I did the program was to get Magicians talking about the future of the Magical Arts as the Internet was about to change everything, as it has. ... Magicians had become complacent and were not prepared for any changes that were to come. The program seemed to be the place to 'shack' [sic] things up and get magicians talking. Sure I took some flack but it was all for a good cause to get magicians talking."

— Valentino [9]

Criticism was levelled at Valentino by magicians for adversely affecting their acts. Kevin Spencer, a touring magician based in Lynchburg, Virginia who performs with his wife, Cindy, says the specials forced the duo to scrap two of their tricks. Spencer stated: "We're disappointed that someone who made his living performing the art of magic for over 25 years would be so quick to betray their community." Since those illusions each cost as much as $50,000 (equivalent to $87,835in 2022), the Spencers brought a lawsuit against Valentino, one of several that resulted from the program. Another lawsuit was brought by magician Andre Kole, who unsuccessfully tried to prevent Fox from airing a special featuring the secret behind the Table of Death, an illusion Kole says he perfected. According to Kole, he licensed the trick to seven of the top 10 magicians in the world and estimated his financial damages as a result of the special at more than $500,000 (equivalent to $878,346in 2022). Kole's attorney conceded the inherent difficulty in suing over the loss of a magic trick, since illusions are not among the intellectual properties covered by copyright law, but stated: "Magicians and designers of magic tricks haven't had to take those steps. A handshake has worked for several centuries." [1]

Other magicians criticized Valentino's explanations for being sloppy or inaccurate, arguing that he gives a mistaken impression that the methods he's exposing are regularly used by professional magicians.[ citation needed ] Magician Mark Wilson, who hosted the 1960s Saturday morning children's TV series The Magic Land of Allakazam , says some of Valentino's reveals were dangerous and not generally used by fellow magicians. [1]

New episodes of the show later returned to broadcast on MyNetworkTV. Episodes were also made available on Netflix and the Fox Reality Channel with Valentino reprising the role. [2] Valentino also appeared in the Masked Magician persona on a 1999 episode of Diagnosis: Murder .[ citation needed ]

In October 2007, a graphic novel starring the character of the Masked Magician was released by Heavy Ink. [10]

In 2012, the website of Nash Entertainment—the producers of the Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed —listed a movie called Masked Magician, about a magician who uses illusions to fight crime, was "in development". [11]

Related Research Articles

<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">Penn & Teller</span> American illusionists and entertainers

Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since the late 1970s. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Burton</span> American stage magician (born 1960)

William Lance Burton is an American stage magician. He performed more than 15,000 shows in Las Vegas for over 5,000,000 people until retiring in 2010. He serves as a judge on Criss Angel's Magic with the Stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Blackstone Jr.</span> American magician (1934–1997)

Harry Bouton Blackstone Jr. was an American stage magician, author, and television performer. He is estimated to have pulled 80,000 rabbits from his sleeves and hats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metamorphosis (illusion)</span> Stage illusion

Metamorphosis is the name of a stage illusion invented by John Nevil Maskelyne, but most often associated with famous escape artist Harry Houdini and performed to some renown by The Pendragons, among others. It is also known amongst magicians as the Substitution Trunk.

Intellectual rights to magic methods refers to the legal and ethical debate about the extent to which proprietary or exclusive rights may subsist in the methods or processes by which magic tricks or illusions are performed. It is a subject of some controversy.

Exposure in magic refers to the practice of revealing the methods of magic tricks.

<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 dollars in tourism revenue for Las Vegas in one year.

The Zig-Zag Girl illusion is a stage illusion akin to the more famous sawing a woman in half illusion. In the Zig-Zag illusion, a magician divides an assistant into thirds, only to have them emerge from the illusion at the end of the performance completely unharmed.

This timeline of magic is a history of the performing art of illusion from B.C. to the present.

Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed is a series of television shows in which the methods behind magic tricks and illusions are explained. In its original incarnation there were four shows in 1997–1998 and a special in 2002 broadcast on the Fox network in the United States, and on Sky and ITV in the United Kingdom. In 2008–2009, a new series of thirteen shows was broadcast by MyNetworkTV in the United States and ITV4 in the United Kingdom. On May 1, 2012, reruns of the first season began airing on BIO in the United States.

<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.

The table of death is a predicament escape that may be regarded as a magic trick or an act of escapology.

André Kole was an American magician and inventor of magical effects. He was also a committed Christian and a public speaker for the evangelical group Campus Crusade for Christ. He was also known for using his magical knowledge to debunk frauds and hoaxes.

Melinda Saxe is a magician from Las Vegas, Nevada. She is best known for her television performances and Las Vegas stage shows in which she was billed as "the First Lady of Magic". She often is associated with the Drill of Death illusion, a signature trick developed for her by André Kole.

Impaled is a classic stage illusion in which a performer appears to be impaled on or by a sword or pole. The name is most commonly associated with an illusion that was created by designer Ken Whitaker in the 1970s and which is sometimes also referred to as "Beyond Belief" or "Impaled Beyond Belief". This version has become part of the stage magic repertoire and has been performed by many of the world's most famous magic acts.

The needle through thumb is the name of a magic trick which is meant to give the illusion that the magician is actually stabbing his own thumb using several sewing needles.

Joanie Spina was an American dancer, choreographer, magician and director who achieved prominence through her work with the illusionist David Copperfield.

Daniel White is an American magician, producer, and creative consultant. In March 2015, White began performing a headline show produced by Theory11 at The NoMad Hotel in New York City, titled "The Magician at The NoMad." The critically acclaimed show has been featured in Vanity Fair, Wall Street Journal, and 12 times on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Keelan Leyser is a British-born magician, mentalist and quick change artist. Keelan is known for his multiple television appearances spanning over 25 years. He is recognised for his magic with digital technology and his quick change act.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brownfield, Paul (October 31, 1998). "Fox Isn't Disillusioned as Masked Magician Series Ends" Archived March 14, 2017, at the Wayback Machine . Los Angeles Times .
  2. 1 2 3 "Biography". The Masked Magician. Denny Jones Productions. 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2006.
  3. ↑ "Magician Valentino joins 'Viva Las Vegas'". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. July 17, 1991. p. F11.
  4. ↑ "Viva Las Vegas marks anniversary". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, AZ. June 18, 1995. p. T9.
  5. ↑ "Valentino's Magical Extravaganza". Sun Herald. Biloxi, MI. September 30, 1997. p. 4.
  6. ↑ "Com câncer terminal, Mister M recusa químio e faz "vaquinha" para cirurgia". Uol.com.br . October 19, 2017. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Famoso pelos números de ilusionismo, Mister M reaparece após superar grave doença". R7.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). June 8, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  8. ↑ Schneider, Michael (March 25, 2007). "Nash unmasks 'Magician'". Variety.com . Reed Elsevier Inc. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
  9. ↑ Masked Magician (September 12, 2012). "I am Val Valentino the Masked Magician AMA". Reddit . Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  10. ↑ HeavyInk (October 31, 2007). "Masked Magician One Shot". Heavy Ink. Archived from the original on January 2, 2008. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  11. ↑ Nash Entertainment. "Movies". Nash Entertainment . Archived from the original on June 22, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.