Tubi Thursday: Magic (1978)

 We all need a little magic in our lives!  In this case, it's a 70s Horror Film where past and future Stars collide...with a dummy.

A man- Anthony Hopkins- is a would-be Magician who can't seem to find the nerve (and act) to work a crowd.

That all changes when he gets Fats, a dummy that livens up his act (and covers his tricks well).

An agent- Burgess Meredith- sees him and gets him to 'go places.'

Oddly, we don't actually see this happen.

Instead, we see him show off Hopkins to a Producers- David Ogden Stiers- and are TOLD that this happened.  Show, don't Tell!

His Act proves to be a hit...off-camera.

The Film seems to cut ahead nearly 2 years, since we're told about how he'll have 'made it' when he has lunch with Meredith in about 2 years to get a big opportunity.

Now he has that, so we don't get to see him on Johnny Carson...which is a real shame!

Now all he has to do is pass a Medical Exam to get a TV Pilot...so he bails.

He goes out to the country, sees his old House and visits an old flame.

As it turns out, she remembers him, is Ann-Margaret AND is in a loveless marriage.

Is that Hat Trick or what?!?

They fall for each other while her Husband- famous 'That Guy' Ed Lauter- is away.

You can now check off Anthony Hopkins in a Love Scene with Ann-Margaret from Celebrity Mad Libs- it actually happened!

Fats is not impressed by this.

The problem comes in as Hopkins can't exactly separate himself from the Dummy and 'his' personality.

It comes to a head when he kills Meredith when he goes to get Psychiatric help for our Hero.

Just like Pringles, you can't stop at just one murder.

Will he be stopped?

No nearly-50-year-old SPOILERS here.

A good, solid Film.  It's funny to think of a Psychological Thriller/Horror Film by the future Director of Gandhi.  A Decade before he'd win an Oscar for playing Hannibal Lecter, Hopkins is here.  We also have The Penguin here as a crusty, but lovable Agent.  We get Ann-Margaret here as a legit Sex Symbol, instead of how I most know her the 'Still Sexy at Blank Age' Symbol.  Times change...over about 20 years.

The actual Plot here is good, but missing big Scenes that I mentioned earlier.  We get a weirdly-truncated build-up for the rise, just to make lots of room for the slow fall.  It's a weird choice, no?  Instead of a longer set-up, we just speed right to the prolonged descent.

Hopkins and company do well here.  He, for one, seems legit as a Magician/Ventriloquist.  Naturally, he did a bunch of practice for this- Method Acting!  He really pulls of the slow crazy.  There is a great Scene with him and Meredith which plays off slowly in real-time.  Good stuff.

Magic is pretty darn good, just know to expect a slow burn '70s Film here.  Now why does this feel familiar (and in B&W)?

This is much more of a Psychological Horror Film than later Killer Dummies/Puppet Films like Child's Play.  It's a slow burn of delight.