Magicians make great TV, everybody loves a good mystery, and
the creators of Columbo and Murder, She Wrote clearly knew how to
construct a winning series. That’s why it’s such a surprise that 1986’s Blacke’s Magic doesn’t really work.
Loveable Hal Linden is Alexander Blacke, a retired magician
who teams up with his conman father, played by Harry Morgan, to solve crimes. Most
of their solutions involve big illusions and set-ups that instantly call to
mind The Sting – and that’s where the
problem comes in. Swindles, disguises, and splashy big con finales replace the
more interesting aspects of putting someone who thinks like a magician into
high stake logic puzzles. (Something much more capably accomplished with the
BBC’s 1997 series Jonathan Creek, if
you’re interested.)
Today’s episode opens with two men meeting in a shadowy
parking garage. One of them, Dale Richmond, is a nervous-but-stalwart
businessman type. The other is the worst things about the 1980’s congealed into
human form. He starts the conversation – which appears to be about gathering
information about military corruption – with “Yo!” and calls his contact “guy.”
His name is Billy, and he’s driven a red sport scar to a
clandestine meeting. He’s here to tell Dale that he wasn’t able to get “the
letters,” but he’ll definitely have them tomorrow.
Billy is terrible
at whistle-blowing, just the worst ever.
Billy’s boss, a man named Hilliard – or possibly Yaryard,
but I chose the one that’s an actual name – has a senate hearing tomorrow
afternoon, giving anybody with a key easy access to an empty office. Billy will
be in and out of Hilliard’s drawers without him knowing a thing.
Dale stresses that he just needs correspondence between Hilliard
and “the General.” He doesn’t want anyone taking extra chances.
Aw, come on, Dale! Does Billy seem like the kind of guy
who’s cocky enough to take extra chances?
Billy shoots a finger gun, winks, and jumps into his sports
car. They’ll get this corruption scandal outed in no time.
