TV's 50 Greatest Magic Tricks

Flirting With Magic

1990

An instructional video on how to incorporate magic and sleight of hand into your pick-up techniques. This entertaining and informative course will help you turn your social life around... LIKE MAGIC!

Paul Daniels: in a Black Hole

2001

One-off documentary in which Britain's best-known magician tries to hit the big time in the United States. Beginning in Illinois, Daniels must rely on the skills acquired during 30 years of performing to build a new career in just four weeks. Narrated by Graham Norton.

Rudy Coby: The Coolest Magician on Earth

1995

High-tech magician Rudy Coby aka (Labman) and his sidekick Atom serve up a strange brand of Magical science, as they cut off their limbs with a chain saw, shrink themselves, and fix their robot girl.

How Magic Changed TV

2017

The story of magic on TV, the challenges of performing illusions in front of the television cameras, the performers who inspired some of the most successful modern magicians and the celebrity magic fans.

The Expert at the Card Table: Looking for Erdnase

2022

The best magicians of the 21st century set out on a journey to search for the lost author of the most legendary book about the art of sleight of hand.

Television: The Enchanted Mirror

1981

Details the impact of television on people and social institutions.

Serial Biller

2009

Sweet by Matthew Johnson

2013

Illusionist and escape artist Matthew Johnson showcases a simple magic trick that can be performed with a pen and sugar packets. Instructional video made for Penguin Magic

Lost in the Shuffle

2024

Featuring two-time world champion magician Shawn Farquhar, this documentary explores the unique relationship between the art of magic and playing cards.

Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

1996

Sleight of hand magician Ricky Jay blends light comedy and close-up magic to entertain a live audience. He discusses everything from the birth of the classic cup and balls trick to 14th century poetry.

Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life

2011

A loving tribute to a forgotten pioneer of the golden age of television. Starting out as a Runyonesque character actor, Sheldon Leonard went on to produce some of the most beloved and groundbreaking shows of all time, such as The Andy Griffith Show, The Danny Thomas Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show and I Spy. A rare treat, this film is a delightful retrospective of Leonard’s body of work, including priceless clips from his productions— as well as his hilarious appearances on shows such as The Jack Benny Program—and interviews with many of his friends and colleagues, including Mary Tyler Moore, Andy Griffith, Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, Ron Howard and Leonard himself.

Harry Potter: A History Of Magic

2017

A thrilling journey through legends, belief and folklore, this film goes behind the scenes with the British Library as they search to tell that story through objects in their collection, in an ambitious new exhibition: Harry Potter: A History Of Magic. J.K. Rowling, who is lending unseen manuscripts, drawings and drafts from her private archives (which will sit alongside treasures from the British Library, as well as original drafts and drawings from Jim Kay) talks about some of the personal items she has lent to the exhibition and gives new insight into her writing, looking at some of the objects from the exhibition that have fired her imagination.

Dennis Cleveland

2004

A 2002 live performance of Mikel Rouse's Dennis Cleveland, a multimedia opera set entirely on a television talk show in the late 20th century.

Box

2013

Box explores the synthesis of real and digital space through projection-mapping on moving surfaces. The short film documents a live performance, captured entirely in camera. Bot & Dolly produced this work to serve as both an artistic statement and technical demonstration. It is the culmination of multiple technologies, including large scale robotics, projection mapping, and software engineering. We believe this methodology has tremendous potential to radically transform theatrical presentations, and define new genres of expression.

Jackie Gleason: Genius at Work

2006

This special is a thorough retrospective of Jackie's most popular characters from his 1950's television series, characters that include: Ralph Kramden, Reginald Van Gleason, III, the Poor Soul, Fenwick Babbit and Joe The Bartender. Many of the sketches have not been available or even viewed since their original live broadcasts. Jeff Garlin of Curb Your Enthusiasm hosts the program with feature commentary from Mrs. Marilyn Gleason.