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New York Mining Disaster 1941
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"New York Mining Disaster 1941"
Single by Bee Gees
from the album Bee Gees' 1st
B-side
"I Can't See Nobody"[1]
Released
14 April 1967
Format
7"
Recorded
13–16 March 1967
Genre
Folk rock[2]
Length
2:09
Label
Polydor (United Kingdom, Canada)
Atco (United States, Mexico)
Spin (Australia, New Zealand)
Songwriter(s)
Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb
Producer(s)
Robert Stigwood, Ossie Byrne
Bee Gees singles chronology
"Born a Man"
(1967) "New York Mining Disaster 1941"
(1967) "To Love Somebody"
(1967)
"Born a Man"
(1967) "New York Mining Disaster 1941"
(1967) "To Love Somebody"
(1967)
Audio sample
file
help
"New York Mining Disaster 1941" is the debut American single by the British pop group the Bee Gees, released on 14 April 1967. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb. Barring a moderately successful reissue of their Australian single "Spicks and Specks," it was the first single release of the group's international career and their first song to hit the charts in both the UK and the US. It was produced by Ossie Byrne with their manager Robert Stigwood as executive producer. The song was the first track of side two on the group's international debut album, Bee Gees' 1st. This was the first single with Australian drummer Colin Petersen as an official member of the band.
Contents
[hide]
1 Background and writing
2 Recording and composition
3 Release and reception
4 Music video and live performances
5 Personnel
6 Charts
6.1 Weekly charts
6.2 Year-end charts
7 Legacy
8 Cover versions
9 References
10 External links
Background and writing[edit]
On 3 January 1967, the Gibb brothers, with their parents and Byrne, set sail from Australia to England on the ship Fairsky, reaching Southampton on 6 February. The brothers performed on board in exchange for passage. Later, the Gibb brothers auditioned for Stigwood; they passed, and they signed to Robert Stigwood Organisation on 24 February. "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was their first song that was written in 1967.[3]
The first recording session of the Bee Gees after returning to England was a second version of "Town of Tuxley Toymaker, Part 1," a song recorded by Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, but was first recorded by Jon Blanchfield in Australia. Kramer's version was recorded on 4 March 1967 in IBC Studios, London, with the Gibb brothers on background vocals.[3]
Barry and Robin Gibb wrote the song while sitting on a darkened staircase at Polydor Records following a power cut. The echo of the passing lift inspired them to imagine that they were trapped in a mine.[4] The song recounts the story of a miner trapped in a cave-in. He is sharing a photo of his wife with a colleague ("Mr. Jones") while they hopelessly wait to be rescued.[5] According to the liner notes for their box-set Tales from the Brothers Gibb (1990), this song was inspired by the 1966 Aberfan mining disaster in Wales. According to Robin, there actually had also been a mining disaster in New York in 1939, but not in 1941.[6]
In the second and third verses, the lyrical lines get slower and slower, as if to indicate that life is about to end for the miners. On the second chorus, the drums get louder. On the second verse, when Robin sings the line "I keep straining my ears to hear a sound," a violin was featured in response on Robin's line.
Recording and composition[edit]
1967 sheet music cover, Abigail Music, Ltd., London. "Recorded by the Bee Gees on Polydor".
On 7 March, the Bee Gees recorded "New York Mining Disaster 1941" in six takes, along with three other songs: "I Can't See Nobody," "Red Chair, Fade Away," and "Turn of the Century." The orchestra and some other parts were added on 13 March.[3] "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was done first, and it may have already been nominated as the first single on the strength of the Polydor demo.[4]
The song begins in the chord of A minor; as Maurice explained: "There's a lot of weird sounds on this song like the Jew's harp, the string quartet, and of course the special way that Barry plays that guitar chord. Because of his tuning when he plays the minor at the beginning of the song which is different from a conventional A minor, it's a nice mixture when I play my conventional tuning together with Barry's tuning because his open D and mine are different." Barry said, "It's Hawaiian tuning, there they play the same way I do. I got a guitar for my ninth birthday and the guy who lived across the road from us just came back from Hawaii and he was the one who taught me that tuning, that's how it started and I never changed."[6]
Robin Gibb took both leading and backing vocals, singing the high harmony while Barry sang the low harmony on the first and second verse:
In the event of something happening to me
There is something I would like you all to see
It's just a photograph of someone that I knew

I keep straining my ears to hear a sound
Maybe someone is digging underground
Or have they given up and all gone home to bed,
Thinking those who once existed must be dead?
Maurice Gibb recalled in a June 2001 interview with Mojo magazine: "The opening chord doesn't sound like a conventional A minor. Barry was using the open D tuning he'd been taught when he was nine, and I was playing it in conventional tuning. It gives an unusual blend. People went crazy trying to figure out why they couldn't copy it."[4]
Robin Gibb recalled to The Mail on Sunday on November 1, 2009: "We recorded this at London's IBC studio because it was dark and emulated a mining shaft. The result was a very lonely sound."[4]
Release and reception[edit]
At the time, rumours circulated that the Bee Gees were The Beatles recording under a pseudonym (the Bee Gees' name was alleged to be code for "Beatles Group"), in part because the record referenced NEMS Enterprises (Brian Epstein's management agency, which had just been joined by Bee Gees' manager Robert Stigwood). The song is unusual in that the lyrics do not contain the song's title, though the originally planned title, "Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones," does appear in the chorus.[7]
Atco distributed promos with a blank label and the suggestion that it was an English group whose name started with B. Many DJs thought it was a new Beatles song and played the song heavily. Atco also retitled the song "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones?)" to make sure people could find it in the shops.[3][8]
Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison met Maurice Gibb at a party several years later, and told him that he had bought a copy of "New York Mining Disaster 1941" because he thought it sounded so much like The Beatles. Maurice's response to Harrison was that the resemblance "was unintentional" and Harrison said, "I knew that, I admire your work."[9] Barry Gibb explained about this song:
"If you sounded like the Beatles and also could write a hit single, then the hype of the machine would go into action, and your company would make sure people thought you sounded like the Beatles or thought you were the Beatles. And that sold you, attracted attention to you. It was good for us because everyone thought it was the Beatles under a different name."[9]
Robin Gibb explained about this track:
"...all the DJs on radio stations in the US picked it up immediately thinking it was the Beatles, and it was a hit on that basis. It established us in those early years. It helped our following record which was nothing like the Beatles."[9]
The success of this song owes a lot more to the perseverance of Robert Stigwood than he has previously been given credit for. "We had quite a hard time at getting the Bee Gees played. We weren't all totally convinced that Stigwood was picking the right song to plug, but at the end of the day, he was a forceful character. All of these guys were... Chas Chandler (manager of Jimi Hendrix) was the same, Kit Lambert (manager of The Who) was the same. They all argued their case with passion, you know, they lived it, they were like that," conceded Polydor's Alan Bates. When the Disc & Music Echo reported "widespread rumours" that this song had been written by Lennon and McCartney, Robin countered with, "Rubbish! We've always written our own songs. I've been writing since I was ten, before Lennon and McCartney were even on stage. People can say what they like. If they don't believe us, they can ask The Beatles."
Bassist Maurice Gibb, though, had previously said that "New York Mining Disaster 1941" was in fact influenced by the Beatles:[9]
"New York Mining Disaster 1941" was a total rip-off of The Beatles, we were so influenced by them. In fact it started a mystery [in the USA] about us, because they started playing [it] and saying, 'They're this new group from England that begins with a B and finished with an s' so they all said, 'Ah, it's The Beatles, not naming it, they're doing that trick again.' The disc jockey would play it and play it and play it and, 'Guess who it is?' and people would guess, and they wouldn't get the answer. I heard [the idea] came actually from Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler. To us it was an honour, to actually think we were as good as The Beatles."[9]
Music video and live performances[edit]
On the video, the band only features four members (but Vince Melouney later joined the band), Barry playing his guitar, Maurice playing his Rickenbacker 4001, Robin Gibb on vocals and drummer Colin Petersen wears a hat.[10]
The group found time to record their first BBC session at Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, London, with producer Bill Bebb, on which they performed this song, with the songs "In My Own Time," "One Minute Woman," and "Cucumber Castle." When the BBC Light Programme's Saturday Club presented by Brian Matthew was broadcast on April 22, it was noted that there were "rave reviews from the audition panel."[9] On the song's promotional clip, the band only feature four members (the three Gibb brothers and drummer Colin Petersen) The group (Barry, Robin, Maurice, Colin and Vince) made their first British TV appearance on Top of the Pops performing this song on May 11 and were rather awe-struck at the company they were keeping.[9] On 20 May 1967, the group performed this song on Beat-Club, a German TV program.
The Bee Gees performed this song on 21 July 1967 at the Stockholm Palladium, Stockholm, Sweden., 12 August 1967 at The Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England and Christ the King College at Newport, England on 27 September 1967. Since 1967, the song has been part of every Bee Gees concert, eventually becoming part of their acoustic medley performed during the middle of the concert. It was also performed on the show Beat-Club in Germany, on that performance Robin wears a hat and plays violin.[11] It was performed by the group in 1973 on The Midnight Special with Barry and Maurice on rhythm guitar.[12]
Personnel[edit]
Robin Gibb – lead vocals
Barry Gibb – harmony and backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Maurice Gibb – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Colin Petersen – drums
Phil Dennys – orchestral arrangement[1]
The session was engineered by Carlos Olms and produced by Robert Stigwood.[3]
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
Chart (1967)
Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 11
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 34
France (SNEP)[13] 36
Germany (Media Control Charts)[14] 10
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 3
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[17] 14
US Cash Box[18] 17
US Record World[13] 14
Year-end charts[edit]
Chart (1967)
Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 17
Legacy[edit]
The 1969 David Bowie song "Space Oddity" owes a debt to the style, arrangement and lyrics of "New York Mining Disaster 1941." Like "New York Mining Disaster 1941," "Space Oddity" is about a trapped man who is doomed to die, and the song is similarly structured as a series of statements addressed to another person. "'Space Oddity' was a Bee Gees type song," Bowie’s colleague John "Hutch" Hutchinson has said. "David knew it, and he said so at the time, the way he sang it, it’s a Bee Gees thing."[19] As Marc Bolan explained: "I remember David playing me 'Space Oddity' in his room and I loved it and he said he needed a sound like the Bee Gees, who were very big then."
Paul McCartney said: "It was the 'Mining Disaster' song that [Robert Stigwood] played me. I said 'sign them, they're great!' And they went on to be even greater."[20]
The Japanese Novelist Haruki Murakami made "New York Mining Disaster" the title of one of his short stories. The piece was included in his collection "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman".[21]
Cover versions[edit]
In early 1969, The Sorrows recorded this song as part of a demo album that was prepared before the release of their second album Old Songs New Songs; however, the song remained unreleased until it was included in a two-CD reissue of that album by Wooden Hill in 2009.
In 1969, Ashton, Gardner and Dyke recorded a version of this song for their self-titled debut album.
In 1974, Barclay James Harvest "deconstructed" the song with a reworked version referencing leading figures in the 1974 UK mining strike. The song was retitled "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster."[22]
In 1993, David Essex recorded a version of this song for his covers album Cover Shot.
In 1997, the Levellers covered the song as a B-side to their single Bozos.
In 1998, folksinger Martin Carthy sang an acoustic guitar version of this as the lead-off track on his album Signs of Life.
In 2000, British anarchist band Chumbawamba recorded a "minimalist" version for their album WYSIWYG.
In 2006, Mark Newman recorded a version of "New York Mining Disaster, 1941" on his CD Must Be A Pony, which he released on Danal Music.
In 2008, singer-songwriter Trevor Tanner released a version titled Mr. Jones on his album Eaten By The Sea.
In 2011, Australian bush punk act Handsome Young Strangers covered the song as a B-side to their single Sweet As A Nut and then included it on their album Here's The Thunder Lads!
In 2011 British Folk artist Jon Boden (of folk big Band Bellowhead) released an unaccompanied version as part of his "A Folk Song a Day" Project.
In 2012, the Catalina Scramblers, a three-piece rock band from Santa Cruz, CA, recorded a version of the song in which they adhere to the original version's style for the verses, but perform the choruses in up-tempo, hard rock fashion. It was released as the final track on their eponymous debut album.
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b "Bee Gees - New York Mining Disaster 1941". Discogs. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
Jump up ^ Nicholas Pegg (2 December 2011). The Complete David Bowie. Titan. p. 730. ISBN 978-0-85768-719-7. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Brennan, Joseph. "Gibb Songs: 1967". Retrieved 13 March 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d "New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Songfacts)". Songfacts. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
Jump up ^ Elias, Jason. "Bee Gees - New York Mining Disaster 1941". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b Adriaensen, Marion. "History Part 4 - The story about the Bee Gees". Retrieved 13 March 2013.
Jump up ^ "Show 49 - The British are Coming! The British are Coming!: With an emphasis on Donovan, the Bee Gees and the Who. (Part 6)". Unt Digital Library. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
Jump up ^ "The Bee Gees on British Invasion Bands". British Invasion. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Hughes, Andrew. The Bee Gees - Tales Of The Brothers Gibb. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
Jump up ^ "Bee Gees - New York Mining Disaster 1941 (1967)". You Tube. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
Jump up ^ "Bee Gees - New York Mining Disaster 1941 Live in Beat Club". You Tube. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
Jump up ^ "Bee Gees - New York Mining Disaster - live, 1973". You Tube. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Songs Written by the Gibb Family on the International Charts" (PDF). brothersgibb.org. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
Jump up ^ "Bee Gees - New York Mining Disaster 1941". officialcharts.de. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b "Bee Gees - New York Mining Disaster 1941". Dutch Charts. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
Jump up ^ "Bee Gees - Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
Jump up ^ "Bee Gees - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
Jump up ^ "Cashbox Charts". Cashbox Magazine Archives. July 1, 1967. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
Jump up ^ "David Bowie - Space Oddity". Retrieved 13 March 2013. [permanent dead link]
Jump up ^ "Bee Gees". 14.brinkster.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-30. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
Jump up ^ Umrigar, Thrity (2006-10-01). "Murakami pulls mind-bending stories from the ruins of broken rules - The Boston Globe". Boston.com. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
Jump up ^ "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster by Barclay James Harvest Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 2014-04-07.
External links[edit]
Official music video of the song on YouTube
History of the song
Rolling Stone Review
AMG Review
Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
[show]
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Bee Gees
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The Bee Gees Sing and Play 14 Barry Gibb Songs
Spicks and Specks
Bee Gees' 1st
Horizontal
Idea
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To Whom It May Concern
Life in a Tin Can
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Spirits Having Flown
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One
High Civilization
Size Isn't Everything
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This Is Where I Came In
Extended plays
The Bee Gees
New York Mining Disaster 1941
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Live albums
Here at Last... Bee Gees... Live
One Night Only
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Turn Around, Look at Us
Rare, Precious and Beautiful
Rare, Precious and Beautiful, Volume 2
Best of Bee Gees
Inception/Nostalgia
Best of Bee Gees, Volume 2
Bee Gees Gold
Bee Gees Greatest
Tales from the Brothers Gibb
The Very Best of the Bee Gees
Their Greatest Hits: The Record
Number Ones
Love Songs
The Ultimate Bee Gees
Mythology
Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits
Videography
Idea
Cucumber Castle
The Bee Gees Special
One for All Tour
One Night Only
The Ultimate Bee Gees
In Our Own Time
Tours
The Bee Gees' concerts in 1967 and 1968
2 Years On Tour
Trafalgar Tour
Mr. Natural Tour
Main Course Tour
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Spirits Having Flown Tour
One for All World Tour
High Civilization World Tour
One Night Only World Tour
Articles
Discography
List of songs recorded
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A Kick in the Head Is Worth Eight in the Pants
The Barry Gibb Talk Show
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Hither Green rail crash
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Category
[show]
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Bee Gees singles discography
1960s
1963
"The Battle of the Blue and the Grey" / "The Three Kisses of Love"
"Timber!" / "Take Hold of That Star"
1964
"Peace of Mind" / "Don't Say Goodbye"
"Claustrophobia" / "Could It Be"
"Turn Around, Look at Me" / "(Theme From) The Travels of Jamie McPheeters"
1965
"Every Day I Have to Cry" / "You Wouldn't Know"
"Wine and Women" / "Follow the Wind"
"I Was A Lover, A Leader of Men" / "And the Children Laughing"
1966
"I Want Home" / "Cherry Red"
"Monday's Rain" / "All of My Life"
"Spicks and Specks" / "I Am the World"
1967
"Born a Man" / "Big Chance"
"New York Mining Disaster 1941" / "I Can't See Nobody"
"To Love Somebody" / "Close Another Door"
"Holiday" / "Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You"
"Massachusetts" / "Barker of the UFO"
"World" / "Sir Geoffrey Saved the World"
1968
"Words" / "Sinking Ships"
"Jumbo" / "The Singer Sang His Song"
"I've Gotta Get a Message to You" / "Kitty Can"
"I Started a Joke" / "Kilburn Towers"
1969
"First of May" / "Lamplight"
"Tomorrow Tomorrow" / "Sun in My Morning"
"Don't Forget to Remember" / "The Lord"
1970s
1970
"If Only I Had My Mind on Something Else" / "Sweetheart" (US)
"I.O.I.O." / "Sweetheart"
"Lonely Days" / "Man for All Seasons"
1971
"How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" / "Country Woman"
"Don't Wanna Live Inside Myself" / "Walking Back to Waterloo"
1972
"My World" / "On Time"
"Run to Me" / "Road to Alaska"
"Alive" / Paper Mache, Cabbages and Kings"
1973
"Saw a New Morning" / "My Life Has Been a Song"
"Wouldn't I Be Someone" / "Elisa"
1974
"Mr. Natural" / "It Doesn't Matter Much to Me"
"Throw a Penny" / "I Can't Let You Go"
"Charade" / "Heavy Breathing"
1975
"Jive Talkin'" / "Wind of Change"
"Nights on Broadway" / "Edge of the Universe"
1976
"Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)" / "Country Lanes"
"You Should Be Dancing" / "Subway"
"Love So Right" / "You Stepped Into My Life"
1977
"Boogie Child" / "Lovers"
"Edge of the Universe (live)" / "Words (live)"
"How Deep Is Your Love" / "Can't Keep a Good Man Down" (live)
"Stayin' Alive" / "If I Can't Have You"
1978
"Night Fever" / "Down the Road (live)"
"Too Much Heaven" / "Rest Your Love on Me"
1979
"Tragedy" / "Until"
"Love You Inside Out" / "I'm Satisfied"
1980s
1981
"He's a Liar"
"Living Eyes" / "I Still Love You"
1983
"The Woman in You" / "Stayin' Alive"
"Someone Belonging to Someone" / "I Love You Too Much" (instrumental)
1987
"You Win Again" / "Backtafunk"
"E.S.P." / "Overnight"
1989
"Ordinary Lives" / "Wing and a Prayer"
"One" / "Flesh and Blood"
1990s
1990
"Bodyguard" / "Will You Ever Let Me"
1991
"Secret Love" / "Party with No Name"
"When He's Gone" / "True Confessions"
"The Only Love" / "You Win Again" (live)
"Happy Ever After" / "Evolution"
1993
"Paying the Price of Love" / "My Destiny"
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" / "Decadance"
1994
"How to Fall in Love, Part 1" / "Fallen Angel"
"Kiss of Life" / "855-7019"
1997
"Alone" / "Rings Around the Moon"
"I Could Not Love You More" / "Love Never Dies" (EUR)
"Still Waters (Run Deep)" / "Love Never Dies"
2000s
2001
"This Is Where I Came In" / "Just in Case"
Other countries
1968
"And the Sun Will Shine" / "Really and Sincerely" (France)
1970
"Let There Be Love" / "Really and Sincerely" (Netherlands)
1971
"When the Swallows Fly" / "Give Your Best" (Netherlands)
"Morning of my Life" / "To Love Somebody"
1972
"Israel" / "Dearest" (Netherlands)
"Sea of Smiling Faces" / "Please Don't Turn Out the Lights"
1977
"Children of the World" / "Boogie Child" (Australia}
1988
"Crazy for Your Love" / "You Win Again (Remix)"
"Angela" / "You Win Again (Remix)" (Germany, Netherlands)
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Val Valentino
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For former dancer and actor, see Valia Valentinoff.
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. The specific problem is: quality Please help improve this article if you can. (March 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Val Valentino
Valentino at an award ceremony
Born
Leonard Montano
(1956-06-14) June 14, 1956 (age 61)
Los Angeles, California, United States
Other names
Masked Magician, Mr M.
Occupation
Magician
Children
3
Val Valentino (born Leonard Montano, June 14, 1956)[1] is an American magician.
Valentino starred in a series of four television specials exposing the methods behind numerous classic magic tricks and illusions on the Fox network. In the specials, he used the stage name the Masked Magician and concealed his true identity by wearing a mask, being aware of the stigma amongst the magic community with publicly exposing tricks. As the finale to the final special, Valentino revealed his identity as the masked magician, garnering some notoriety amongst the magic community, and instigating several lawsuits.
Valentino became well known in Brazil after his sketches were broadcast in Rede Globo's Sunday newsmagazine show Fantástico from 1999 to 2000, in which he was referred by the alias Mr. M.
Contents
[hide]
1 Career
1.1 Masked Magician
2 References
3 External links
Career[edit]
Valentino's first foray into magic was at the age of five with a trick called "the ball and vase" that his father gave him. In his teens, Valentino performed with the "International Cultural Awareness Program" for over a million students throughout the Unified School Systems. The performances also included revealing magic secrets to encourage others to become magicians.[2] By the end of the 1980s and into the 1990s, Valentino had moved to Las Vegas, Nevada and was performing in casino shows including Viva Las Vegas and Splash, after having appeared on The Merv Griffin Show, as well as in the music video for Herb Alpert's "Magic Man".
In October of 2017, Valentino announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer, and was given one year to live from the time of the diagnosis. Valentino refused conventional treatment, and is still fighting the disease as of 2018.[3]
Masked Magician[edit]
For a span of two years (1997–1999), Valentino performed, unbilled and disguised, as the "Masked Magician" in four Fox Network television specials called Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed which exposed long-guarded trade secrets.[4] The Masked Magician was also shown in the UK on the ITV network during the late 1990s and is still occasionally repeated on ITV4. In the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, the show can be seen on Netflix called "Breaking The Magicians Code".
Valentino had been approached by Fox while he was performing in Las Vegas showrooms. After some negotiation, Valentino signed to do the program, promising that he would reveal the secrets behind old illusions only.[2] At the end of the fourth and final special, Valentino revealed his true identity, although some in the magic community had already deduced it from the previous specials after recognizing certain traits of his performance. After revealing himself, Valentino emphasized that he felt that revealing the secrets would encourage children into trying magic instead of discouraging them, and that the entertainment of magic shows was more in the magician's showmanship instead of the wonder of how the trick was pulled off.
Criticism was levelled at Valentino by magicians for adversely affecting their acts. Kevin Spencer, a touring magician based in Lynchburg, Virginia who performs with his wife, Cindy, says the specials forced the duo to scrap two of their tricks. Spencer stated, "We're disappointed that someone who made his living performing the art of magic for over 25 years would be so quick to betray their community." As those illusions cost as much as $50,000 apiece, the Spencers brought a lawsuit against Valentino, one of several that resulted from the program. Another lawsuit was brought by magician Andre Kole, who unsuccessfully tried to prevent Fox from airing a special featuring the secret behind the Table of Death, an illusion Kole says he perfected. According to Kole, he licensed the trick to seven of the top 10 magicians in the world, and estimated his financial damages as a result of the special at more than $500,000. Kole's attorney, David Baram, conceded the inherent difficulty in suing over the loss of a magic trick, since illusions are not among the intellectual properties covered by copyright law, but stated, "Magicians and designers of magic tricks haven't had to take those steps. A handshake has worked for several centuries."[1]
Other magicians criticize Valentino's explanations for being sloppy or inaccurate, arguing that a mistaken impression is created that the methods he exposed are regularly used by professional magicians. Magician Mark Wilson, who hosted the 1960s Saturday morning children's' TV series The Magic Land of Allakazam, says some of Valentino's reveals were dangerous and not generally used by fellow magicians.[1]
New episodes of the show later returned to broadcast on MyNetworkTV. Episodes can also be seen on Netflix and the Fox Reality Channel. It has been disclosed that Valentino is reprising the role.[2] Valentino appeared in the Masked Magician persona on a 1999 episode of Diagnosis: Murder.
In October 2007, a graphic novel starring the character of the Masked Magician was released by Heavy Ink.[5]
In 2012, the website of Nash Entertainment—the producers of the Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed—listed a movie called Masked Magician, about a magician who uses illusions to fight crime, as "in development".[6]
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c Brownfield, Paul (October 31, 1998). "Fox Isn't Disillusioned as Masked Magician Series Ends". Los Angeles Times.
^ Jump up to: a b c "Official Site Biography". Archived from the original on 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2006-08-11.
Jump up ^ "Com câncer terminal, Mister M recusa químio e faz "vaquinha" para cirurgia".
Jump up ^ Schneider, Michael (2007-03-25). "Nash unmasks 'Magician'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
Jump up ^ "Masked Magician One Shot". Heavy Ink. Archived 2008-01-02 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ "Nash Entertainment – Movies". Retrieved 11 June 2012.
External links[edit]
Val Valentino on IMDb
Authority control
WorldCat Identities
VIAF: 53781671
LCCN: no99023257
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Val_Valentino&oldid=835316822"
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