A magician solving murders at a cursed amusement park? Sign me up for this fever dream.
Mandrake, a famous magician, and his assistant, Lothar, come to the aid of an amusement-park owner who is being blackmailed by a madman who is killing the park's customers until he gets his money.
Costume
Mandrake's dapper magician fits scream 'I do children's parties AND solve homicides.'
Practical Effects
Practical magic tricks as actual plot devices—cheesy but weirdly charming.
Director
Harry Falk
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was a failed pilot for a Mandrake the Magician TV series based on the 1930s comic strip—explains the 'TV movie that thinks it's a franchise' energy.
Ji-Tu Cumbuka's Lothar was a rare non-stereotypical Black action hero for 1979 TV, though the show's obliviousness to its own pulp colonial roots is... a choice.
US
