Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
The Museum of Classic Chicago Television (www.FuzzyMemories.TV)
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![ON TV - Orson Welles at The Magic Castle (1978) [LOST Special] 🏰 📺](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pO3b2PsnSgI/mqdefault.jpg "ON TV - Orson Welles at The Magic Castle (1978) [LOST Special] 🏰 📺
A spooky treat! 🎃
Sourced from a relatively-good Betamax dub, (who knows where the original recording went? Not us) heres the (seemingly) complete broadcast of a heretofore long-lost pay-tv special — Orson Welles at The Magic Castle, as shown over the ON TV subscription service (research found that it also aired on Showtime in September 1978).
A remembrance by Abb Dickson, from the book Orson Welles Remembered - I picked up the phone, I called Orson, I said, “Look, I’ve written this Magic special...” I said, “I need for you to do the introduction and the in-and-out. It will probably be one day of shooting, at the most two, and I’ve only got, I think, $25,000. Will you shoot this?” And he said, “Sure! But I get the extra film.”
We go across the street to Columbia Pay Television and in less than an hour we have sold a special called Orson Welles at the Magic Castle. Orson and I worked out all of the intros and outros. So he showed up, we did our tape, we did our intros, we shot for that one day, and the next morning we were to finish the outside shots where Orson arrived at the Castle — full of fog — and he gestures and the doors open and he walks into the Castle. Well, Orson called me at about 7 o’clock in the morning and said, “I’m not coming. I’ve shot everything they need, you can shoot the rest of it. I’ll send you my wardrobe, but you’re going to have to have a hat made because your head is smaller than mine and my hat won’t fit you.” So I’m the one outside, gesturing in the cape and wandering through the fog, and I was the one who finished the shot.
(NOTE: Several library music cues featured in the special had to be modified for posting here)
Includes:
Our host (surreptitiously played by Abb Dickson in disguise) introduces us outside the castle and describes what - and who - are allowed in it, followed by the opening title
Orson enters the building where strange things are happening, and Abb Dickson (in fez) explains about, and demonstrates, the Indian rope trick
He then turns the program over to Abb who introduces the following guests:
- Peter Pit, from Holland; does various tricks and jokes
- Ger Copper, who does various tricks
- Kuda Bux, The Man with the X-Ray Eyes from Pakistan
- A look at piano player Invisible Irma (a ghost) on display at the Irma Room
- More magic from Peter Pit (with magical floating cane) at the Palace of Mystery
- Jay Marshall, in the Conjurers Corner, does tricks involving large rings
- After his piece ends, we hard cut to Abb (in a King Tut costume) presiding over it
- Hard cut again, bringing us inside the Parlour of Prestidigitation, with Albert Goshman, who does tricks with two women, Wendy and Eileen, in attendance
- Abb does tricks with an Oriental theme
- A filmed segment with Orson doing magic
Orson then closes the program (I remain as always, obediently yours...) with credits:
Orson Welles at The Magic Castle
Starring Orson Welles
Featuring Abb Dickson
With Kuda Bux, Ger Copper, Albert Goshman, Jay Marshall, Peter Pit
Produced by Joe Butt, Brad Schreiber
Directed by Tom Trbovich
Written by Abb Dickson, Orson Welles
Lighting Consultant - Greg Brunton
Associate Director - Chris Darley
Production Stage Manager - Paul Miller
Camera - Larry Heider, Bob Keys, Wayne Orr
Video - Mark Sanford
Audio - Larry Stephens
Technical Director - Harvey Berger
Videotape Editors - Gary Princz, Max Curtis
Make-Up - Greg Nelson
Production Assistants - Wendy Charles, Kathi Heller, Wendy Macintosh
Still Photographer - Bill Sandidge
Production Coordinator - Barry Kaplan
Lighting - Imero Fiorentino Associates, Inc.
Videotape Facilities - Compact Video Systems, Inc.
Post Production - E.U.E./Screen Gems Video Services
Film Sequences - Orson Welles
Special Thanks to The Magic Castle
Executive Producer - Joe Butt
A BMR Production
Extended A Columbia Pictures Pay Television Presentation bumper (posted separately here: https://youtu.be/eQ5nbj53U6o)
Coming ON bumper
Beginning of preview for “Women in Love [1969] (recording cuts out)
Take my word for it. Im a magician myself.
This originally aired in 1978. (one confirmed airing on the Los Angeles ON TV station was in December 1978)
This footage was donated to the Museum of Classic Chicago Television as part of the Richard Gough Collection.
About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:
The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. We preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present, for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to digital, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!")
