Moonlighting and Magic

Well, I’ve gone and done it again. Despite the conviction that I do my best work in front of a computer screen, I have agreed once more to appear as a guest on the KSAV “global radio” series Talking Television with Dave White to discuss Bill Bixby’s 1973-1974 NBC-TV series, The Magician. TV historian Ed Robertson has the lowdown on that broadcast, scheduled for tonight:

The Magician, the short-lived but long-lasting NBC series starring Bill Bixby as a crime-fighting illusionist, will be the subject of the May 20 edition of Talking Television with Dave White, beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org. Though its original network tenure was just one season (1973-1974), The Magician has enjoyed a remarkable run in worldwide syndication, leaving its mark on television (the show is part of the X-Files mythology) while also inspiring a new wave of real-life stage magicians. Not surprisingly, we were bombarded with e-mails about The Magician last month in response to our tribute to Bill Bixby; for that reason, we decided to devote an entire hour to this immensely popular show. Frankie Montiforte and I will co-host the program; our guest will be J. Kingston Pierce, senior editor of January Magazine, whose writings on television include articles on The Magician and other popular detective shows of the 1970s. We’ll also play clips from The Magician, and may have a surprise or two up our sleeve. If you’re a fan of Bill Bixby, if you grew up watching The Magician and have a favorite episode, be sure to join us Tuesday, May 20, beginning at 10:30 p.m. ET, 7:30 p.m. PT on KSAV.org. Phone number is (800) 407-KSAV (5728), e-mail address is talk@ksav.org or ed@talkingtelevision.org.

Yikes! I’m the principal guest? Now, just a minute here ...