Magic Mansion
Encyclopedia
Magic Mansion is an American sitcom that broadcast on the AFRTS television network
from January 8, 1965, until June 1, 1968. Its weekly programs were televised live before a studio audience
. The sitcom was transitional for television
because it was one of the last live non-variety show
broadcasts and one of the first to use the new medium of videotape
. Air Force Staff Sergeants James Mortensen and David Castle created the show for family audiences in the United States Pacific Command
(USPACOM). It starred Warren Chaney
, Harriett Zorich, Jerry Jacobson, Earle Klay and Vincent Rizutto. Sgt. Mortensen produced the sitcom, which was written and directed by US Army Captain (OF-2)
Warren Chaney
. The music for the show's theme song was written by Corporal Larry Edisen. A multiple-camera setup
format employing three cameras and a studio audience
was used during production.
. Unlike Disney's Haunted Mansion
(which opened in 1969), Magic Mansion was absent of ghosts, goblins or other haunted visitors. However the show did display a comradship with fellow magicians making guest appearances as did London, England's The Magic Circle
. The program would frequently use time at the end of a broadcast to teach viewers a feat of magic or illusion. The AFRTS created world for Magic Mansion was populated with magic, illusions, mystery and strange comedic characters as had been Paul Winchell
's ventriloquist world in The Paul Winchell Show
or Mark Wilson
's magical kingdom in The Magic Land of Allakazam
.
The show’s lead known only as The Magician was portrayed by real-life magician/ventriloquist, Warren Chaney
. Chaney worked with two ventriloquist dummies, Danny O’Kaye and Bedford Bulkley, both of whom were treated as real children during the production. Feats of legerdemain and stage magic were prominent in the programs but as with the show's ventriloquism
, served only as a backdrop for the sitcom’s plot lines and stories.
Assisting the Magician was Harriett (Harriett Zorich), the Mansion’s chief organizer and scheduler and Lounsberry the Clown (Jerry Jacobson). Lounsberry was a bumbling slapstick
jester based upon a combination of Barnum and Bailey's Emmett Kelly
and comedian
, Harpo Marx
. Like Marx and Kelly, Lounsberry never spoke but worked in pantomime. Rathmore (Earle Klay), a seven-foot lumbering Frankenstein
like creature was the chief Mansion servant. Unlike the original monster, Rathmore was kind, considerate and though often confused, had a sense of humor. Within months of each other, similar characters were introduced to American audiences half way around the globe as Herman Munster
and The Addams Family
. The three shows, created independent of each other, had one factor in common. They lasted two seasons and closed within months of the other.
Danny O’Kaye and Bedford Bulkley, the two ventriloquist figures appearing on the programs were obviously dummies, but were portrayed as real. The series often used a small child resembling Danny or Bedford to provide on-camera mobility. Danny was the wisecracking kid, forever causing trouble and disrespecting anyone in authority. Bedford (the other figurer) was the country bumpkin fool, never quite understanding and always shades dimmer than those around him.
Wappy the Magic Genii (Vince Rizutto) was a recurring magic lamp genii
who could never remember who wished for what much less grant the wishes correctly. Cast members (most often Chaney and Rizutto) frequently donned makeup and various costumes to portray different characters on the show. Chaney did portray one reoccurring character, Professor Zibazabazobitip, a nutty scientist
who’s very essence personified the stereotype
of the absent-minded professor
.
Magic Mansion broadcast during the Vietnam war
years when hundreds of thousands of US troops were stationed throughout the United States Pacific Command
in order to support ongoing combat operations. Military families were frequently stationed along side their spouses in nearby countries like Okinawa, Japan, Thailand
, and the Philippines
, etc. Hence, there was a need for original family programming. Celebrities touring the military bases in the pacific would seldom hesitate to make an appearance on the show. Guests making special appearances included Bob Hope
, Patti Page
, Danny Kaye
, Guy Mitchell
and John Wayne
. Well-known magician Tony Slydini
and ventriloquist, Peter Rich appeared in several episodes performing their specialties for the Magic Mansion skits.
The series was considered a trailblazer for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Services because of its reach beyond regular broadcast venues. As one of the last sitcoms to broadcast live and one of the first to transition to videotape, Magic Mansion also became one of the last shows to produce fifty broadcasts a year.
Members of the cast dedicated to the entertainment
of US military personnel and their families frequently entertained at military bases, organizations and clubs throughout Europe
and Asia
. Skits from the broadcast
were often recreated to the delight of children from military families stationed at overseas bases and outposts. Since the broadcasts were live, family audiences were invited. Chaney would perform prior to the broadcasts as a warm-up comedian
for the audiences and following the show, would spend time with the families and children, thanking them for attending.
families stationed overseas with their families during the Vietnam war
time years. Warren Chaney
had received considerable press for his winning performance in the Pacific All-Army contests and later tour through Asia
and Europe
. He was brought into the KEN studios at the Kadena Air Base
to do a one time show which, unknown to him, was an audition
. The week following, Magic Mansion went into the planning stages with Chaney signed on as the show's lead and later as its writer and director.
Executive Producer
, Air Force
Staff Sergeant
James Mortensen, liked the concept but felt that the show needed a live audience. He also wanted to add a clown
as part of the regular cast. The idea of a friendly Frankenstein
-like monster was Chaney’s. Originally, the show’s Co-Producer David Cameron, acted the role of Rathmore but was later replaced by Army
Captain
, Earl Klay. Klay and Chaney were long time friends and had roomed together during an earlier military assignment in Atlanta, Georgia.
The series frequently traveled to distant locations to film 16mm footage that was later incorporated into future shows. In a first season episode #25, Chaney performed his version of the famous Indian Rope Trick
in front of Agra, India’s Taj Mahal
.
The show’s costar Army nurse, 1st Lieutenant Harriett Zorich, never received production credit billing but contributed heavily to the program. In a press interview in 1985, Chaney said, “I always thought she was the working backbone of the show and much of the success of the program goes to her. Harriett not only worked production, she was costumes, makeup and production coordinator.”
Chaney wrote all of the scripts for the Magic Mansion one-hour broadcasts during its entire run. In an Entertainment Journal interview, Chaney said, “I did it because it had to be done. I wrote the show on a Monday and Tuesday. We would rehearse individually on Friday and I would rewrite overnight. Early Saturday morning we had a dress performance and at 10 PM broadcast live. No one ever told us that this couldn’t be done and frankly, I was young and never knew any better.”
Magic Mansion was produced on as estimated weekly budget of $25,000 per episode.
broadcast in and near a war
time theatre of operations. It was a transitional show for television
in that it was one of the first television shows to move from live broadcast media to the newly invented composite U-matic system Shortly afterwards, it shared in another first. Because videotape could be rebroadcast, the number of shows could be dropped from fifty a year to twenty-eight. As a consequence, the show became one of the last television series to broadcast fifty programs a season and because of the number of episodes produced, one of the longest running productions of its time.
The show lampooned most current events of the time providing entertainment
to adults as well as children. The show was an excellent vehicle for Chaney whose entertainment
experience permitted him to carry out a double act
as a ventriloquist, be mysterious as a magician or a straight man
for guests on the show.
s of Magic Mansion that were produced. According to the military’s logs, the show’s production team originated around 120 episodes in a little over two seasons. The episodes were live with the military producing early kinescopes of the show for distribution. Videotape was used only during the final season but unfortunately, none of the show’s episodes survive. Although the series broadcast its final episode in 1968, some fans continue to recall the series. James Packard of Net News Daily wrote, "Magic Mansion" was much more than a children's' show presented by the Armed Forces Radio & Television Network. It remains an important memory for many of the children of the Viet Nam era whose parents were stationed abroad.". Roberta Sanchez reflected similar sentiments in a commentary on her formative years watching Magic Mansion, "I was eleven at the time and can remember our family laughing so hard that our sides hurt. The show was truly and hour of magic and fantasy for my two brothers and me." David Cameron, who produced the series' 120 episodes, continued working in television production until his retirement. In a 2011 online magazine article titled, The Mansion Closes, Cameron reminisced about the series and it's final days, "In the years that followed, I retired from the Air Force and spent the rest of my life in television production for many of the major networks. I always wanted to replicate the feeling that I had when we did that show but never did. When the doors on Magic Mansion closed they were shut. An era in pioneering television had passed."
Supporting:
Secondary characters:
During the final season, Sgt. Mortenson pushed to have the show filmed using newly developed color video cameras. However, owing to the high costs, this idea was rejected.
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
from January 8, 1965, until June 1, 1968. Its weekly programs were televised live before a studio audience
Studio audience
A studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...
. The sitcom was transitional for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
because it was one of the last live non-variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
broadcasts and one of the first to use the new medium of videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
. Air Force Staff Sergeants James Mortensen and David Castle created the show for family audiences in the United States Pacific Command
United States Pacific Command
The United States Pacific Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States armed forces responsible for the Pacific Ocean area. It is led by the Commander, Pacific Command , who is the supreme military authority for the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States serving...
(USPACOM). It starred Warren Chaney
Warren Chaney
Warren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
, Harriett Zorich, Jerry Jacobson, Earle Klay and Vincent Rizutto. Sgt. Mortensen produced the sitcom, which was written and directed by US Army Captain (OF-2)
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
Warren Chaney
Warren Chaney
Warren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
. The music for the show's theme song was written by Corporal Larry Edisen. A multiple-camera setup
Multiple-camera setup
The multiple-camera setup, multiple-camera mode of production, or multicam is a method of filmmaking and video production. Several cameras—either film or professional video cameras—are employed on the set and simultaneously record or broadcast a scene...
format employing three cameras and a studio audience
Studio audience
A studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...
was used during production.
Premise
The main setting for the show was the Magic Mansion, a large rambling manor with unending rooms and secret passages. Although created independently of each other, Hollywood's Magic Castle had a similar themed premise of magicMagic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
. Unlike Disney's Haunted Mansion
Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride located at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland. A significantly re-imagined incarnation of the ride, known as Phantom Manor, is located in Disneyland Paris...
(which opened in 1969), Magic Mansion was absent of ghosts, goblins or other haunted visitors. However the show did display a comradship with fellow magicians making guest appearances as did London, England's The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle is a British organisation, founded in London in 1905, dedicated to promoting and advancing the art of magic.- History :The Magic Circle was founded in 1905 after a meeting of 23 amateur and professional magicians at London's Pinoli's Restaurant...
. The program would frequently use time at the end of a broadcast to teach viewers a feat of magic or illusion. The AFRTS created world for Magic Mansion was populated with magic, illusions, mystery and strange comedic characters as had been Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell
Paul Winchell was an American ventriloquist, voice actor and comedian, whose career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s...
's ventriloquist world in The Paul Winchell Show
The Paul Winchell Show
The Paul Winchell Show, or The Paul Winchell and Jerry Mahoney Show, was a variety program which aired on NBC prime time from 1950 to 1954, starring ventriloquist Paul Winchell and his dummy, Jerry Mahoney.-Series premise:...
or Mark Wilson
Mark Wilson (magician)
James "Mark" Wilson is an American magician and author. He is widely credited as becoming the first major "television magician" and in the process establishing the viability of illusion shows as a television format.-Early years:...
's magical kingdom in The Magic Land of Allakazam
The Magic Land of Allakazam
The Magic Land of Alakazam was the name of a ground-breaking series of network television shows featuring American magician Mark Wilson. It ran from 1960 to 1964 and is credited with establishing the credibility of magic as a television entertainment....
.
The show’s lead known only as The Magician was portrayed by real-life magician/ventriloquist, Warren Chaney
Warren Chaney
Warren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
. Chaney worked with two ventriloquist dummies, Danny O’Kaye and Bedford Bulkley, both of whom were treated as real children during the production. Feats of legerdemain and stage magic were prominent in the programs but as with the show's ventriloquism
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is an act of stagecraft in which a person manipulates his or her voice so that it appears that the voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered "dummy"...
, served only as a backdrop for the sitcom’s plot lines and stories.
Assisting the Magician was Harriett (Harriett Zorich), the Mansion’s chief organizer and scheduler and Lounsberry the Clown (Jerry Jacobson). Lounsberry was a bumbling slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
jester based upon a combination of Barnum and Bailey's Emmett Kelly
Emmett Kelly
Emmett Leo Kelly , a native of Sedan, Kansas, was an American circus performer, who created the memorable clown figure "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Depression era.- Career development :...
and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, Harpo Marx
Harpo Marx
Adolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
. Like Marx and Kelly, Lounsberry never spoke but worked in pantomime. Rathmore (Earle Klay), a seven-foot lumbering Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
like creature was the chief Mansion servant. Unlike the original monster, Rathmore was kind, considerate and though often confused, had a sense of humor. Within months of each other, similar characters were introduced to American audiences half way around the globe as Herman Munster
Herman Munster
Herman Munster, 5th Earl of Shroudshire, is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom The Munsters, originally played by Fred Gwynne. The patriarch of the Munster household, Herman is an entity much like Frankenstein's monster along with Lurch on the show's competitor The Addams Family.Due to the...
and The Addams Family
The Addams Family
The Addams Family is a group of fictional characters created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. As named by Charles Addams, the Addams Family characters include Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Grandmama, Wednesday, Pugsley, and Thing....
. The three shows, created independent of each other, had one factor in common. They lasted two seasons and closed within months of the other.
Danny O’Kaye and Bedford Bulkley, the two ventriloquist figures appearing on the programs were obviously dummies, but were portrayed as real. The series often used a small child resembling Danny or Bedford to provide on-camera mobility. Danny was the wisecracking kid, forever causing trouble and disrespecting anyone in authority. Bedford (the other figurer) was the country bumpkin fool, never quite understanding and always shades dimmer than those around him.
Wappy the Magic Genii (Vince Rizutto) was a recurring magic lamp genii
Jinn
Jinn are supernatural beings in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings.Jinn may also refer to:* Jinn , a Japanese band* Qui-Gon Jinn, a character in the Star Wars universe...
who could never remember who wished for what much less grant the wishes correctly. Cast members (most often Chaney and Rizutto) frequently donned makeup and various costumes to portray different characters on the show. Chaney did portray one reoccurring character, Professor Zibazabazobitip, a nutty scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
who’s very essence personified the stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
of the absent-minded professor
Absent-minded professor
The absent-minded professor is a stock character of popular fiction, usually portrayed as a talented academic whose focus on academic matters leads them to ignore or forget their surroundings....
.
Magic Mansion broadcast during the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
years when hundreds of thousands of US troops were stationed throughout the United States Pacific Command
United States Pacific Command
The United States Pacific Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States armed forces responsible for the Pacific Ocean area. It is led by the Commander, Pacific Command , who is the supreme military authority for the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States serving...
in order to support ongoing combat operations. Military families were frequently stationed along side their spouses in nearby countries like Okinawa, Japan, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, etc. Hence, there was a need for original family programming. Celebrities touring the military bases in the pacific would seldom hesitate to make an appearance on the show. Guests making special appearances included Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, Patti Page
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler , known by her professional name Patti Page, is an American singer, one of the best-known female artists in traditional pop music. She was the best-selling female artist of the 1950s, and has sold over 100 million records...
, Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
, Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell
Guy Mitchell, born Albert George Cernik, was an American pop singer, successful in his homeland, the U.K. and Australia...
and John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
. Well-known magician Tony Slydini
Tony Slydini
Tony Slydini , also known simply as 'Slydini', was a world renowned magician. Best known as a master of close-up artistry, he served as inspiration to a generation of magicians, including Doug Henning....
and ventriloquist, Peter Rich appeared in several episodes performing their specialties for the Magic Mansion skits.
The series was considered a trailblazer for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Services because of its reach beyond regular broadcast venues. As one of the last sitcoms to broadcast live and one of the first to transition to videotape, Magic Mansion also became one of the last shows to produce fifty broadcasts a year.
Members of the cast dedicated to the entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
of US military personnel and their families frequently entertained at military bases, organizations and clubs throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Skits from the broadcast
Broadcast
Broadcast or Broadcasting may refer to:* Broadcasting, the transmission of audio and video signals* Broadcast, an individual television program or radio program* Broadcast , an English electronic music band...
were often recreated to the delight of children from military families stationed at overseas bases and outposts. Since the broadcasts were live, family audiences were invited. Chaney would perform prior to the broadcasts as a warm-up comedian
Warm-up comedian
A warm-up comedian or crowd warmer is a stand-up comedian who performs at a comedy club or before the filming of a television comedy in front of studio audience to get the crowd into the mood ready for the show or main act...
for the audiences and following the show, would spend time with the families and children, thanking them for attending.
Origins and Production
The AFRTS KEN network had been searching for a children’s broadcast because of the high numbers of AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
families stationed overseas with their families during the Vietnam war
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
time years. Warren Chaney
Warren Chaney
Warren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
had received considerable press for his winning performance in the Pacific All-Army contests and later tour through Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He was brought into the KEN studios at the Kadena Air Base
Kadena Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
to do a one time show which, unknown to him, was an audition
Audition
An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performing artist.Audition may also refer to:* The sense of hearing* Adobe Audition, audio editing software...
. The week following, Magic Mansion went into the planning stages with Chaney signed on as the show's lead and later as its writer and director.
Executive Producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, Air Force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
James Mortensen, liked the concept but felt that the show needed a live audience. He also wanted to add a clown
Clown
Clowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
as part of the regular cast. The idea of a friendly Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
-like monster was Chaney’s. Originally, the show’s Co-Producer David Cameron, acted the role of Rathmore but was later replaced by Army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
Captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
, Earl Klay. Klay and Chaney were long time friends and had roomed together during an earlier military assignment in Atlanta, Georgia.
The series frequently traveled to distant locations to film 16mm footage that was later incorporated into future shows. In a first season episode #25, Chaney performed his version of the famous Indian Rope Trick
Indian rope trick
The Indian rope trick is stage magic said to have been performed in and around India during the 19th century. Sometimes described as "the world’s greatest illusion", it reputedly involved a magician, a length of rope, and one or more boy assistants....
in front of Agra, India’s Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
.
The show’s costar Army nurse, 1st Lieutenant Harriett Zorich, never received production credit billing but contributed heavily to the program. In a press interview in 1985, Chaney said, “I always thought she was the working backbone of the show and much of the success of the program goes to her. Harriett not only worked production, she was costumes, makeup and production coordinator.”
Chaney wrote all of the scripts for the Magic Mansion one-hour broadcasts during its entire run. In an Entertainment Journal interview, Chaney said, “I did it because it had to be done. I wrote the show on a Monday and Tuesday. We would rehearse individually on Friday and I would rewrite overnight. Early Saturday morning we had a dress performance and at 10 PM broadcast live. No one ever told us that this couldn’t be done and frankly, I was young and never knew any better.”
Magic Mansion was produced on as estimated weekly budget of $25,000 per episode.
Influence
Magic Mansion was a live performanceLive television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
broadcast in and near a war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
time theatre of operations. It was a transitional show for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
in that it was one of the first television shows to move from live broadcast media to the newly invented composite U-matic system Shortly afterwards, it shared in another first. Because videotape could be rebroadcast, the number of shows could be dropped from fifty a year to twenty-eight. As a consequence, the show became one of the last television series to broadcast fifty programs a season and because of the number of episodes produced, one of the longest running productions of its time.
The show lampooned most current events of the time providing entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
to adults as well as children. The show was an excellent vehicle for Chaney whose entertainment
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
experience permitted him to carry out a double act
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
as a ventriloquist, be mysterious as a magician or a straight man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
for guests on the show.
Legacy
It is difficult to determine the exact number of episodeEpisode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s of Magic Mansion that were produced. According to the military’s logs, the show’s production team originated around 120 episodes in a little over two seasons. The episodes were live with the military producing early kinescopes of the show for distribution. Videotape was used only during the final season but unfortunately, none of the show’s episodes survive. Although the series broadcast its final episode in 1968, some fans continue to recall the series. James Packard of Net News Daily wrote, "Magic Mansion" was much more than a children's' show presented by the Armed Forces Radio & Television Network. It remains an important memory for many of the children of the Viet Nam era whose parents were stationed abroad.". Roberta Sanchez reflected similar sentiments in a commentary on her formative years watching Magic Mansion, "I was eleven at the time and can remember our family laughing so hard that our sides hurt. The show was truly and hour of magic and fantasy for my two brothers and me." David Cameron, who produced the series' 120 episodes, continued working in television production until his retirement. In a 2011 online magazine article titled, The Mansion Closes, Cameron reminisced about the series and it's final days, "In the years that followed, I retired from the Air Force and spent the rest of my life in television production for many of the major networks. I always wanted to replicate the feeling that I had when we did that show but never did. When the doors on Magic Mansion closed they were shut. An era in pioneering television had passed."
Cast
Main:- The Magician (US Army Captain (OF-2)Captain (OF-2)The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
Warren ChaneyWarren ChaneyWarren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
- the magician resided at a fictional mansion of unknown location. The role went to Captain Chaney following Chaney’s successful Army entertainment tour to multiple countries including VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
. During that period, he was both a performer and the officer in charge. AFRTS (the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) decided to cast him in the role following the tour.
- Harriett (1st Lieutenant Harriett Zorich) - the magician’s assistant and curator of the mansion. Zorich portrayed the harried coordinator for the Magic Mansion’s strange activities and even stranger guests. Ten actresses auditioned for the part before Zorich was signed. Zorich, herself an Army nurse, commented in a newspaper interview that she almost did not take the role because of her medical Army work schedule.
- Danny (Danny O’Kaye) - was the central ventriloquist figure of the two living at Magic Mansion. He was always presented as a real boy and not a wooden dummy. He was brass, wise cracking and always disrespectful of the Mansion’s guests and Warren ChaneyWarren ChaneyWarren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
’s magician character. Chaney, himself a very capable ventriloquist, was always Danny's straight man and foil. The series had a small boy who resembled the figure and when made-up as the character, provided the perfect illusion of real-life movement. Of all the characters in the series, it was the inanimate Danny O’Kaye, who received the most fan mail.
- Bedford (Bedford Bulkley) - was the second of the series’ ventriloquist figures. Bedford was the "ignorant" country-bumpkin of the group. Forever dumb, the figure played an important role in many of the show’s plot lines. By “getting it wrong” or conveying incorrect information, he could cause a plot line to turn instantly and go in another direction. As with Danny O’Kay, the Bedford character was operated by magician/ventriloquist, Warren ChaneyWarren ChaneyWarren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
.
Supporting:
- Lounsberry the Clown (Corporal Jerry Jacobson) and (PFC James Castle) – an animated (and at times raucous) "clownClownClowns are comic performers stereotypically characterized by the grotesque image of the circus clown's colored wigs, stylistic makeup, outlandish costumes, unusually large footwear, and red nose, which evolved to project their actions to large audiences. Other less grotesque styles have also...
", one of the characters who populated Magic Mansion. Jacobson had been a professional clown with the Barnum and Bailey Circus before the series. His obligated military service was nearing an end and he was replaced by James Cannon after the first season. The Lounsberry character is loosely based upon the well-known clown, Emmett KellyEmmett KellyEmmett Leo Kelly , a native of Sedan, Kansas, was an American circus performer, who created the memorable clown figure "Weary Willie", based on the hobos of the Depression era.- Career development :...
and comedian Harpo MarxHarpo MarxAdolph "Harpo" Marx was an American comedian and film star. He was the second oldest of the Marx Brothers. His comic style was influenced by clown and pantomime traditions. He wore a curly reddish wig, and never spoke during performances...
. Kelly was also with the Barnum and Bailey Circus and had helped train Jacobson during the former’s early civilian life. In the series, the clown was merely identified as Lounsberry.
- Rathmore (Army Captain Earle Klay) - was a FrankensteinFrankensteinFrankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
like character who lived at Magic Mansion. Unlike the real Frankenstein’s monster, Rathmore was a tall lumber loveable character always willing to help out but usually bumbling in nature. A year later, a similar character named Herman Munster would appear half way around the world in another sit-com series, The Munsters. Klay replaced the series co-producer who portrayed the character in a few of the series opening episodes.
- Wappy - The Magic Genii (Army Captain Vince Rizutto) - was the whacky genii of the lamp at Magic Mansion who was constantly confused, consistently mixed up the wishes and generally got everything wrong. In real life, Captain Rizutto was an Army Physician (Internist) from New York State. He was recommended for the role by the show’s director, Warren Chaney. Chaney had contracted the deadly disease brucellosis during his Army tour the year earlier. The disease in humans was rare and the Army physicians had difficulty making the diagnosis. After correctly diagnosing Chaney’s condition, Rizutto and Chaney became friends and it was Chaney who asked that Rizutto be given the role.
Secondary characters:
- Professor Zibazabazobitip (Warren ChaneyWarren ChaneyWarren Herbert Chaney, Ph.D. is an American executive, author, filmmaker, behavioral scientist, entertainer, businessman and a pioneer in early television. In a career spanning four decades, Chaney wrote fifteen books, fourteen screenplays, and seventy-eight professional and nonprofessional...
) - was a zany professor who constantly whose inventions constantly went wrong. Chaney who was also skilled in makeup, created the alter ego who who eventually became a regular in the series.
- The Witch of the East (Barbara Wilson/Joan Perry) - was a recurring villain in the series. Always plotting and scheming but never succeeding, her character would periodically appear to perpetrate some new scheme or would merely be behind an ongoing dilemma at the Mansion.
- Mysto the Mystic (Ron Perry/Barry Jackson) - was a recurring villain in the series. Always plotting and scheming but never succeeding, her character would periodically appear to perpetrate some new scheme or would merely be behind an ongoing dilemma at the Mansion.
Episodes
All but the last 45 episodes were filmed with live studio audiences. The exact number of produced episodes is unknown inasmuch as the KEN studios at the Kadena U.S. Air Force base on Okinawa closed June 30, 2011 and military records before 1970 are unclear. However, cast and crew recollections are close to the military records and it appears that approximately 120 shows were broadcast.During the final season, Sgt. Mortenson pushed to have the show filmed using newly developed color video cameras. However, owing to the high costs, this idea was rejected.
See also
- The Magic Circle website
- The Official Website of Ventriloquist Central
- American Museum of MagicAmerican Museum of MagicThe American Museum of Magic in Marshall, Michigan, houses a large collection of magical paraphernalia and illusions, including an extensive collection of devices that once belonged to famed magician Harry Blackstone, Sr., .-Museum collection:...
- http://www.venthavenmuseum.com/The Official Website of the Vent Haven MuseumVent Haven MuseumVent Haven Museum is the world's only museum of ventriloquial figures and memorabilia. The museum is in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, just 5 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio....
] - List of magic museums
- The Official Website of the Magic Land of Allakazam
- Magician (disambiguation)
- Magik (disambiguation)Magik (disambiguation)Magik is an alternative spelling of "magic", and can refer to:* Magik * Magik , an alias also used by Marvel Comics character Illyana Rasputin * Magik , a Polish rapper...
External links
- Magic Mansion at Internet Movie Database
- Magic Mansion - As Television Changed - Forever
- Writer/Director's Bio at America Movie
- Clarke, Anne, Magic Mansion Data
- Magic Mansion Photographs
- Important Television from the Armed Forces, Radio & Television News, 1989
- The Official Website of The Magic Castle