The Mad Magician
Tags: entertaining, murder

Plot synopsis:
Don Gallico (Vincent Price) is a magician, master of disguise, and inventor of stage-magic effects in the late 1800s aspiring to become a star magician under the stage name Gallico the Great. Disguised as The Great Rinaldi, a headlining rival magician, Mr. Gallico performs a number of magic tricks successfully, building up to the reveal of his latest invention, the buzz-saw, an illusion that "severs" the head of the magician's assistant Karen Lee (Mary Murphy). Before Mr. Gallico can perform the buzz-saw illusion, the curtains come down to stop the performance. Businessman Ross Ormond (Donald Randolph) and his lawyer serve Mr. Gallico a cease and desist order against the performance of the buzz-saw trick much to the anger of Mr. Gallico. Ms. Lee's boyfriend, police detective Lt. Alan Bruce (Patrick O'Neal), is asked by her to intervene in the dispute between Mr. Gallico and Mr. Ormond. Mr. Gallico informs the detective that he signed a contract to Mr. Ormond's Illusions, Inc., a magician's trick provider, to invent new tricks, the issue is that Mr. Ormond owns all work created by Mr. Ormond, not just the ones produced for Illusions, Inc., Mr. Gallico's understanding.
The next day at Mr. Gallico's work area within the Illusions, Inc. warehouse, detective Mr. Bruce reviews Mr. Gallico's contract and explains that the contract is as Mr. Ormond states, anything the Mr. Gallico should invent is the property of Illusions, Inc. As the detective is leaving, Mr. Ormond and the real The Great Rinaldi (John Emery) arrive, before departing he asks Mr. Gallico to tell his girlfriend where and when to meet for dinner. Mr. Ormond and The Great Rinaldi are shown the buzz-saw illusion's inner workings and ruminate on the performance of the trick by The Great Rinaldi and not by Mr. Gallico, angering the trick's inventor. The Great Rinaldi departs leaving Mr. Ormond and Mr. Gallico to discuss their business arrangement; Mr. Ormond dismisses Mr. Gallico's anger by explaining that Mr. Gallico was presented the opportunity to invent under the contract and that Mr. Ormond's wooing of Mr. Gallico's wife Claire (Eva Gabor) was due to her rich needs and Mr. Ormond's ability to provision them, something that Mr. Gallico was never able to do. Incensed, Mr. Gallico attacks Mr. Ormond and forces the businessman into the buzz-saw on functional mode (non-illusion) and decapitates him.
His crime is almost revealed when Mr. Ormond's severed head is mistakenly taken for a trip with Gallico's assistant Ms. Lee and Mr. Bruce.
Gallico then impersonates Ormond to rent an apartment from Alice Prentiss (Lenita Lane), an author of mystery novels. Gallico disposes of Ormond's body, but is again forced to murder when his ex-wife Claire discovers the impersonation. Prentiss comes forth as a witness to the crime, but identifies Ormond as Claire's murderer. The Great Rinaldi again schemes to steal a trick of Gallico's, an illusion involving a crematorium, and ultimately winds up burned to death in the process. Gallico begins impersonating Rinaldi to take over that magician's show.
Meanwhile, Alan Bruce matches the fingerprints of Ormond with those of Rinaldi—since both sets of prints are actually Gallico's, and the novelist Prentiss realizes her boarder, and the murderer, was Gallico and not Ormond. The two, along with the assistant Karen, band together for an ultimate confrontation with Gallico.

Review: Even if the revenge story is of old, the plot devices themselves are original- Gallico uses his tricks to kill in more and more inventive ways.
This is essentially a variation on House Of Wax ,in both the plot and the type of role played by the star of both movies ,Vincent Price.In both pictures he plays a talented artist who is sent toppling over the edge into insanity when his creations are usurped by other,less talented and less scrupulous people .In this movie he plays a designer of illusions for stage magicians who aspires to set out on a performing career himself only to be frustrated when another illusionist ,the Great Rinaldo (John Emery)insists that he honour his contract and give him first choice of any illusions he designs.Price is already ill disposed towards Rinaldi as his former wife is now a paramour of Rinaldi.
He deploys his talents as an illusionist and as a brilliant mimic to avenge himself upon Rinaldi and others who thwart his plans for recognition as a performer and a designer.Price is pretty much the whole show here and gives a well judged star turn as a wronged man whose predicament earns audience sympathy.The rest of the cast are competent if colourless and the weight of the whole venture falls on Price who carries the burden with ease .Good solid B Movie melodrama , this is a crime movie rather than a horror picture and is enjoyable providing you don't expect a masterpiece .Shot in black and white it is low on gore and is best seen as melodrama and enjoyed for the presence of its star giving an idiosyncratic performance.
The only ingredient missing in this VINCENT PRICE tale of horror is Technicolor which might have provided even more interest in this murderous tale of a magician who kills in order to protect his inventive magic act.First to go is a partner with whom he has a violent argument and is given the buzz saw treatment.
Emery has a grand time matching his scene stealing tricks with Price.Skillfully directed by John Brahm, a section of the film dealing with the bonfire is reminiscent of a similar moment from Brahm's HANGOVER SQUARE when Laird Cregar delivers the body of a woman to be consumed by fire.Acting is uniformly excellent and the script moves at a fast pace under Brahm's direction.
Nevertheless, I've always loved Vincent's mugging from his Roger Corman films to "The Last Man on Earth." I liked the way he said "Crematorium." Why, exactly, does it have an automatic pilot that sends the body into the flames if it is not activated within a certain period of time?
The great Vincent Price has done many fantastic Horror films, some of which range among the greatest genre gems of all-time.
Galico the Great), an underrated master magician and inventor of magic devices, whose boss, a sleazy businessman, stole his wife (Eva Gabor) from him.
When the boss takes away one of Galico's ingenious inventions and gives it to his rival, The Great Rinaldi (John Emery), Galico snaps, and a murderous spree of revenge begins...Don't we love Vincent Price when he's out for revenge?
Some of his most famous and greatest films such as "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" (1971) or "Theater of Blood" (1973) were about absurd and delightfully macabre revenge murders, and this earlier film in his Horror career is another proof that no one takes revenge as Vincent Price does.
This film provides a wonderfully eccentric leading role for Price, who, as always, delivers a brilliant performance, and guarantees 70 minutes of outrageously entertaining and macabre fun for every Horror fan.
Basically the exact same movie as "House of Wax" - Vincent Price's first genuine horror hit released the previous year - but seriously who cares, because "The Mad Magician" offers just as many sheer thrills, delightful period set-pieces, joyous 3-D effects, sublime acting performances and macabre horror gimmicks as its predecessor!
"The Mad Magician" is an amusing and thoroughly unpretentious 50's horror movie in Grand Guignol style, with a whole lot of improbably plot twists (the landlady turns out a brilliant crime novelist?) and a handful of fantastically grotesque gross-out moments (although they obviously remain suggestive for most part).
"The Mad Magician" is also interesting from a periodical setting point of view, as the events take place around the time fingerprints were starting to get used as evidence material and the character of Alice Prentiss is an obvious reference towards famous crime authors of that era.
Needless to state that Vincent Price remains the absolute most essential element of triumph in this film, as well as from nearly every other horror movie this legendary man ever starred in.
Price portrays Don Gallico, a magician/inventor who is driven to murder when his boss steals several of his magical inventions (and also his wife, portrayed in a brief role by the lovely Eva Gabor).
Even though Price is a murderer, I actually found myself rooting for him, he is a sympathetic character who is driven mad by the greedy people around him who keep taking advantage of him.Although this movie doesn't have the "horror" factor of some of his more famous roles (such as my favorite, "House of Wax") it nonetheless has enough going for it to keep the viewers interest.
Vincent Price's follow-up to HOUSE OF WAX (1953), the film which cemented his reputation as a horror icon, similarly revolves around a bitter – albeit resourceful – showman.
The young leads are played by Mary Murphy (as Price's ingénue assistant) and Patrick O'Neal (as her police detective boyfriend – curiously enough, he would himself take the lead in a similar piece, CHAMBER OF HORRORS [1966], which I have acquired just in time to serve as an encore to this one).
The rest were usually horror or action to utilize the unique ability of the actors to jump out of the screen or throw something directly at you.)Anyway, I loved House of Was and when I saw the newspaper ads for The Mad Magician, my whining began.
The Mad Magician (1954) *** (out of 4) Vincent Price followed his success in HOUSE OF WAX with this horror thriller.
THE MAD MAGICIAN was originally released in 3D and there are a lot of objects flying towards the screen and even when you view the film flat it's still easy to see that the effects are in good nature and appear to be fun.
Price later impersonates them, by using elaborate masks, keeping them "alive," and effectively leading a double life, to keep suspecting eyes away from him and his crimes.Price is his usual wonderful antihero (we want him to be avenged against the people who did him wrong, yet at the same time, his character becomes a ruthless killer, causing more harm than those who wronged him) He could play that character type better than anyone before or since.The screenplay is good, but unmemorable, save for a few scenes; The film is most let down by static monochrome photography.
Cashin' In On House Of Wax. A mad scientist named Dr Gogol is obsessivey infatuated with the lead actress of a local grotesque play in Paris.Though she is madly in love with a popular pianist, who sends her messages via code, when he knows his performances are being broadcast live on the radio.They plan to move to England together; though, not if Gogol has any say in the matter...Not only does he pubically molest her; he buys the wax statue made in her image; and formulates a sinister plot to ensure the object of his affection will never leave his sight.Meanwhile, police are moving local thug and killer, Rollo- whose proficencies involve knife throwing- to the place where he is to be executed.Unfortunately, the train that both he, and the pianist, are in crashes...leaving the pianist with such severe injuries to his hands, that it will require their amputation.Rollo is executed (after mentioning the "longest dam ever built in the world").While the young actress is left so desperate, after the accident- that she turns to Gogol, hoping he can use his surgery skills to help her beloved.But he plans to use this oppourtunity to his advantage.He asks for the dead body of Rollo; from which he will harvest the hands; and transplant them onto the pianist.After numerous forms of therapy, the operation finally takes...though, things aren't exactly the same......he can no longer play the piano, no matter how hard he practices.He can, however, throw a knife with mean accuracy all of a sudden...which leads to the untimely death of his father.Turns out that Gogol had also replaced Rollo's head using the same procedure...and he's still alive...just with fancy new metallic hands.So, either his transplant hands are starting to take over his mind; or Rollo is somehow able to control his actions through his hands.At least, that is what they are leading him to believe...though, things might not be exactly like they seem...While not as good as Eyes Without A Face or House Of Wax...it's still a classic.Even if the story is a bit implausible in retrospect.Lorre's portrayal of Gogol is genuinely creepy.6 out of 10..
In this follow up to the successful House of Wax, Price plays a deranged magician who kills off his rivals, then uses life-like masks to imitate them.
The turn-of-the-century period settings and illusions is what makes the film fun to watch, but story is typical Price.
Music is by Arthur Lange and Emil Newman and cinematography by Bert Glennon.Magician Don Gallico (Price) is incensed when his attempts at stardom is scuppered by a contract he signed, so much so he takes matters in to his own hands...One of the eras 3-D productions, The Mad Magician sees Columbia recycle Warner Brother's 1953 release of House of Wax. The familiarity of it all is impossible to shake off, with a key scene even stolen from one of director Brahm's more notable productions.
Yet it's still a fun movie, watching Price turn in a good one, as he gradually gets more dastardly with each passing quarter, all set to Victorian style backgrounds.There's some ghoulishly enjoyable macabre moments, played straight but with tongue in cheek evident, and while the scenes shot for 3-D gain obviously lose impact, they hold well enough in 2-D for story enjoyment.
"The Mad Magician" is a thoroughly enjoyable follow-up to the earlier Vincent Price classic, "House of Wax".
Rather reminiscent of that favourite, it stars Price as Don Gallico, a magician & master of illusion furious with his conniving employer, Ross Ormond (Donald Randolph).
Alan Bruce (Patrick O'Neal), a young police detective, utilizes cutting edge new techniques such as fingerprinting to work the clues.This movie is not going to be as memorable as "House of Wax", which was largely responsible for launching Price as a new star of the horror genre.
The supporting actors are good - leggy Mary Murphy as the assistant Karen Lee, Eva Gabor as Claire, the greedy, grasping woman who'd married both Gallico and Ormond, Jay Novello as landlord Frank Prentiss, and especially Lenita Lane as Prentiss' wife Alice, who has a second career as an author of murder mysteries.
How it got overlooked, especially starring Vincent Price, is beyond me.This is a great story, with good magic tricks and a phenomenally amazing performance from Price.
This fanciful horror flick has Vincent Price playing a mad magician that realizes his vocational talents have been sold to another.
This early Vincent Price horror film, borrowed quite liberally from The Phantom Of The Opera, has Price playing the role of a master magician who for some reason is tied to a contract whereby he creates various tricks and illusions for other name magicians, but can't go out on his own.
Furious over his boss' repeated attempts to curtain his career, a famous trick maker finds he can utilize his craft to kill for the sake of his career, only doing so requires him to constantly repeat the act in order to stay away from his friend and the authorities on his trail.Essentially a remake of another film by the same star from the previous year with a new profession behind it that powers the revenge motif, there's not a whole lot with this one that really works.
That said, it's still quite fun with a few good moments here and there, including a few spectacular tricks to be employed by the stage-show, the finale contains quite a bit of action with the brawl in the shop and as usual it's always fun to see Price get to do his thing every now and then where he just gets to monologue for a while spouting off the reasons for his revenge, the end result containing a rather twisted logic behind it all that sounds reasonable enough for the rampage to ensue and not come off like a hokey joke.
The film begins with Vincent Price about to begin his performance as a magician.
The problem is that while the viewer understood why Price killed and most probably thought this was a GOOD thing, because Price was a bit mad, he just couldn't stop at one (sort of like eating Lay's Potato Chips).The film was full of very creative and spectacular magic tricks (including a huge circular saw and a crematorium for the shows), great plot twists as well as exciting action.
While it's also far from subtle, it is fun throughout, though and well worth a look.Had I never seen Vincent Price's version of HOUSE OF WAX, I probably would have liked THE MAD MAGICIAN a lot more and scored it an 8 or 9.
This movie started with a solid 'wronged artist' revenge tale similar to another Price 3D film, House of Wax, as other reviewers have said, but is sunk by too many lame plot contrivances.
The plot involves Price as the mad magician(Don Gallico / Gallico the Great) who people seem to keep stealing his trick from him.
Enter ex-wife Eva Gabor who finds that blackmail doesn't quite always end in a cash settlement and magician rival John Emery who is really burnt up about the threat he has to his title as the world's greatest illusionist.With the help of a nosy murder mystery writer (a very funny Lenita Lane), New York detective Patrick O'Neal investigates the common fingerprints found at the scene of a murder in Lane's boarding house and all doesn't add up.
***** The Mad Magician (5/19/54) John Brahm ~ Vincent Price, Mary Murphy, Eva Gabor.
version of mad magician,It did not pop pout ,It turned out to be a flat version recorded from American movie channel in fake3d.It was terrible.I recently got the Blu-ray 3D restored version.It was clear and sharp and the 3D was great.It was produced by the same man who produced house of wax,Bryan Foy,of the famous ,real, 7 little Foys.Vincent Price plays as mad as just like the other character in house of wax,but, he is a magician want to be and is about to try his new magic machine in his first show aided by assistant played by Mary Murphy.His greedy boss finds out and stops him forcing him to continent to work for his bosses company by creating magic machine for magicians.The boss also took his wife away ,played by Zsa Zsa Gabor ,and turned her into a gold digger.This causes Price to go on a murder rampage.Patrick O Neal plays a young detective and Mary Murphy's boy friend ,with the aid of mystery writer and very nosy,Lenita Lane, to find the murderer.
Her character and her husband portrayed played by Jay Novello are the comedy relief in this film,which kind of slowed down the film from being serious.It was one of these 3D films directed by German John Brahm that he put more strongly the story rather than over dominating it with the 3D.Although just a few throw out at camera scenes where in it.I had discovered that the water coming out of the magic wand and the hand extension scenes was suppose to of been a sexual innuendo.I never thought about it .I know Columbia put out sexy posters of the film showing Mary Murphy in modern glamour shorts showing her Gams .It was technically a lot better than that bad DVD version.Seeing so many time flat on t.v. proved that it was a good horror film ,that it made it a excellent 3D feature.It also has 3D 3Stooges shorts ,but, I will blog that on their titles on IMDb.Once again twilight video puts out a limitation and don't offer it to retail .How many people who are 3d fan who don't use the computer but have 3D t.v. and 3d Blu ray player are not aware of this?
This excellent little follow-up to the previous year's classic HOUSE OF WAX is a film that looks and feels very similar.
The main difference is that THE MAD MAGICIAN has a lower budget, most noticeable in the lack of large set-pieces and the standard black-and-white filming, but these factors don't stop it from becoming a minor classic.Price is in his element playing much the same character as he did in HOUSE, and the truth is that nobody does it better.
The magician uses his magic show's tricks and illusions to perform the murders and then disposes of the bodies.
Vincent goes nuts and kills the man, then his ex-wife, a competing and overbearing magician, the Great Rinaldi, (who tries to steal the secrets and bind Price to his service by deducing that Price is the killer).
Truly sad is it that a film directed by the caliber of a John Brahm with the star of a Vincent Price could go so sorely unnoticed, overshadowed by the excellent HOUSE OF WAX..that is the case of THE MAD MAGICIAN, a slick Victorian era(Brahm is an absolute master at getting the most out of sets, wardrobe, and extras in regards to period atmosphere and authenticity)horror chiller about a seemingly decent creator of magic show acts which delight the audiences.
Like many Vincent Price madman, Gallico was a good person driven mad by the indecency of others.