Complete series cast summary: | |||
Hal Linden | ... | Alexander Blacke 13 episodes, 1986 | |
Harry Morgan | ... | Leonard Blacke 13 episodes, 1986 | |
Alexander Blacke's a magician who comes out of retirement, at the behest of his con-man/gambler father, Leonard, to perform on1stage and solve mysteries. The series mixes the magical antics of The Magician (1958), the con-game schemes of The Sting (1973), and Tenspeed and Brown Shoe (1980), and the intricate mysteries of Columbo (1971). Written by <scrow@chop.isca.uiowa.edu>
Enjoyable plots, but there was very little magic to see, which I thought was the main idea of the series. The main character, Alexander Blacke, was not as self-reliant nor as self-directed as was Anthony Dorian in "The Magician" series that had come before it. I also missed how the magician, using only his own wit and skills, solved the mystery/problem without much outside help as did Blacke seem to need from his carny father, let alone from many other characters in each episode. Hal Linden may not have been the best choice for this series, perhaps someone with a more bold personality, instead of Hal's lighthearted demeanor. Maybe it should have been called " Blacke's Acts ". Still, it was fun to watch.