Mad Magic

THE MAD MAGICIAN-1954-Gallico the Great (Vincent Price) a guy who's made illusions for other magicians now wants to have his own act. Unfortunately before he can use his new buzz saw trick his pompous boss Ross (Donald Randolph) closes down his show (he also stole Gallico's wife). Ross gloats Gallico into killing him with his buzz saw. He puts Ross' head in a suitcase and his assistant Karen (Mary Murphy) who is engaged to Alan Bruce, a police lieutenant (Patrick O'Neal) takes his bag by mistake. After he gets it back he disguises himself as Ross and sneaks the real corpse into a college victory celebration bonfire. Then he creates a new identity. When his bitchy ex-wife Claire (Eva Gabor) shows up looking for Ross she guesses his secret and he kills her. He later creates a new illusion “The Crematorium” which rival magician The Great Rinaldi (John Emery) wants to steal. He too figures out Gallico's secret and so of course signs his own death warrant. Gallico impersonates Rinaldi but Alan uses fingerprints to figure it all out. Gallico almost burns Alan alive but Karen and the landlady help save him and Gallico is burned up in his own invention.

If you think THE MAD MAGICIAN was influenced by HOUSE OF WAX which Vincent Price starred in the year before you're probably right in more ways than one. It was written by HOW screenwriter Crane Wilbur, a very busy writer/director who's career went back to silent films. He and Price would work together again in 1959's THE BAT.

Although not having the budget of House of Wax, THE MAD MAGICIAN has some nice twists although Gallico's disguises aren't always that great. And once again his character really isn't a bad guy, it's mostly the people around him: a mean boss, a bitchy ex-wife, a rival performer. They insult him and try to cheat and steal and really “ask” to be killed.

German born director John Brahm had made several unusual film noirs (THE LODGER, HANGOVER SQUARE, THE UNDYING MONSTER) but soon after this went into television. Like HOUSE OF WAX, THE MAD MAGICIAN was also shot in 3-D! 

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Moto's Chances

MR. MOTO TAKES A CHANCE-1938-While the famous (phony) Japanese detective (Peter Lorre in his fourth outing as the Asian sleuth) is digging in some ruins in Ankor Wat he meets Victoria Mason (Rochelle Hudson) an aviatrix who was flying around the world until her plane crashed. After a rajah's (J. Edward Bromberg) wife dies mysteriously Moto (who acts as suspiciously as a murderer) investigates. Later he disguises himself as a high priest to save some reporters (Robert Kent and Chick Chandler) from death. Then a real local high priest causes trouble. Too much time is spent on the comic adventures of the reporters. It turns out Moto and Victoria are working for the same end: to smash an arsenal assembled for the high priest's planned revolution. 

Director Norman Foster (also an actor) made most of the entries in the Moto series as well as several Charlie Chan mysteries and is the credited director of Orson Welles' JOURNEY INTO FEAR.

 Lead actress Rochelle Hudson was a popular leading lady in films of the '30's and early '40's. After playing Natalie Woods' mother in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE in 1955 she left Hollywood for other endeavors. She worked sporadically in the 1960's but retired for good after her last film appearance in the low budget anthology GALLERY OF TERROR (aka RETURN FROM THE PAST) IN 1967. She died in 1972. 

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