Back at ya again...
chillin' at the corners of Ramparts and Polk...
where the "it boy" of illusion, Mario Devlin...
is minutes away from gettin' down...
with his latest:
The death-defying, off-the-hook...
30-foot plunge he calls "The Blade Runner."
But let me just say, for the record...
I call it whack.
Now, we've tried to talk to Mario...
but truth be told...
the boy's a little distracted right now.
Mario, can I have your autograph?
Pleased to meet you. You want to go with me?
Oh, it looks like he's got a little girl
out of the audience.
It looks like she's going to verify...
the extraordinary danger that Mario's about to face.
Be careful. It's sharp, OK?
Now give it a couple of raps.
How's that feel?
- Good. - Good.
And she confirms.
The blades are real.
Now, last time we saw Mario...
He was 40 stories up...
above Fifth Avenue on a tightwire.
Are you ready? Let me hear ya!
Ready? Here we go.
Everyone, stay calm.
Everyone, please, stay calm.
He did it!
Mario!
Is it possible I outdid even me?
A.M. San Franc/sco wants a sit-down.
Oak/and Reg/ster, Sacramento Bee...
San Jose Da//y want time.
Mario Devlins. No, I'm sorry.
He'll have to call you right back.
I'm going to need thicker padding next time.
Oh, your agent called about bookings.
The Giants want you in May.
Uhh... and the tape that's not supposed to exist...
the one you've made me search for...
on my lunch hour for the past year?
- Mm-hmm? - It came in the mail.
It's right here.
Wow.
John Holland and Harry Kellogg...
performing "The Pharaoh's Curse"...
the greatest illusion ever.
You see, Kellogg's the young one.
And he's going to switch glass caskets with Holland.
So what's the catch?
I don't know. You tell me.
You see how the caskets are spinning...
while the magicians are inside?
Movement makes it nearly impossible...
for the use of mirrors or trap doors.
There's a whole section in the library...
on "The Pharaoh's Curse."
There. Right there. See? They switched.
Kellogg went in the right casket...
And came out of the left one.
People have gone nuts...
trying to figure this thing out.
That's a coronation.
That trick made Kellogg famous.
John Holland...
The greatest magician of his generation.
Holland gave the trick to Kellogg.
You know where Holland got it?
Houdini.
Yeah, that Houdini.
And he got it from Frederick Powell...
the greatest magician of his generation.
I mean, this thing goes back centuries.
And there's a rumor flying around...
That Harry Kellogg might retire.
"The Pharaoh's Curse" goes to the best, right?
You get me now?
Yeah.
He should give it to you. End of story.
Ha ha ha. That's my girl.
Does this mean I can have the rest of the day off?
Uh... no.
Mario, you can't just go over there unannounced.
That's my calling card.
I deserve that trick, Jen.
Drive up to the front, please.
Magic is an art based on deceit...
on illusion disguised as reality.
Tonight, Mario Devlin...
will question what he's always taken for granted:
The difference between artifice and reality.
Because tonight...
Mario will get his first real magic lesson...
in the Twilight Zone.
Just a few minutes with him, please?
Mr. Kellogg is resting.
I know. I heard he had a fall.
He's convalescing.
Look...
I know he'd want to know about the existence of this tape.
If you'll leave it, I can have him call you.
All right. Straight up.
I've always been fascinated with "The Pharaoh's Curse."
This.
And now I've actually seen it...
and I got my theories on how he did it.
5 minutes.
I just want to talk to him about this tape...
What tape?
Harry Kellogg.
You're traveling...
to another dimension.
A dimension not only of sight and sound...
but of mind.
A journey into a wondrous land...
whose boundaries are only that of the imagination.
You're entering...
Flash powder pellet, right?
Can you show me where the gun is?
That's Shannon.
She'll show you where the gate is.
Now, wait, wait, wait a minute.
Good-bye, Mr. Devlin.
Just wait a second, all right?
"The Pharaoh's Curse"...
you used masks, didn't you?
You had masks made of each other's faces.
I mean, that's my theory, anyway.
I'm sorry, Mr. Devlin.
You'll have to leave.
Yeah.
Harry, when I was 6...
I started levitating.
My parents took me to a shrink.
I got magic in my head, 24-7...
but you...
you got it in your soul.
You broke the mold, man.
Took all the hokeyness out of it...
gave it brains...
and challenged physics.
You're the best of your generation, man.
You had to see me, huh?
It's an honor, I'm your hero...
and nothing's going to stop you.
Is that about right?
Yeah.
Why don't you cut the crap?
You're here for one reason only:
"The Pharaoh's Curse."
And you'd do anything, say anything...
crawl on your belly through an acre of sewage to get it.
OK? We finished now?
Do you even know who I am? I'm Mario...
Mario Devlin...
The guy who walked through The Great Wall Of China...
using a door.
The guy who made an aircraft carrier disappear...
with mirrors?
You're vain. You got a mouth.
You need a freakin' personality transplant.
I'm a magician.
Maybe I can help.
Put him in one of the guest rooms.
He's spending the weekend with us.
Harry definitely has taste.
How long have you lived here?
Me, personally? About 5 years.
Oh, there's a personal chef on duty 24 hours...
if you're hungry.
What's he got down there, a ballroom?
No, that's Harry's theatre.
Harry was in physical therapy when you got here.
Oh, yeah, I'm sorry about that.
I probably wasn't thinking too far ahead...
When I decided to do this.
But sometimes you just got to go...
with your instincts, you know?
I do.
Harry used to be like that.
Well, you know, Harry's a...
He's a legend.
Look, I hope I'm not talking...
out of line here...
but the hardest thing for a man to admit...
is that it's time to...
pack it in, you know.
I mean, no offense...
'cause i'm sure you guys are, uh...
you know.
I mean, are you?
You want all the big questions, don't you?
You guys seem like a great couple.
Well... um...
Harry asked me to tell you to get a good night's rest.
He's going to show you a few things tomorrow.
Keep dancing, Mario. It's good for the reflexes.
'Cause they spin, right? The caskets spin.
I can handle it.
Whoa!
What are you doing?
OK.
What the hell does this have to do...
with "The Pharaoh's Curse"?
Settle down.
Come on, Harry, the trick!
The trick will beat the hell out of you...
superboy.
Yeah, OK.
Because the trick isn't a trick.
Jumping into a fan with rubber propellers...
that's a trick.
This is different.
Very different.
Night, jackass!
Hello.
Sorry.
It just seems like...
he's always busting my stones.
It's OK.
Harry's not exactly...
the easiest person to get along with.
Right! He always nails me on everything.
He knows what I'm thinking.
I mean, I'm afraid...
to look the guy in the eye sometimes.
He does that to me, too.
He's cynical.
He's fighting his age.
He knows I can do that trick.
He knows it!
Doesn't he?
Yeah.
Well, then what is it?
I mean, is he trying to scare me off?
Is he trying to make a fool out of me?
- No. - Then what?
Is it gut-check time?
'Cause i'm not quitting!
You hear me, Harry?
- Shh. - Oh, forget him.
I'm as good as he is, and he knows it.
And so do you.
No?
No.
Right.
I think that you shouldn't sell yourself short.
I think you could be better than him.
Nothing.
Help!
Help me!
What the hell are you doing?!
I just...
Just what? Have a death wish?
I went in that...
It can't be.
I checked the whole trick!
Yes, you got in one casket...
and came out the other.
It's not a trick.
It's magic.
Real magic.
What would have happened if you didn't open the lid?
You'd be dead.
But I saw the video tape, Harry.
You did the magic, and you're fine. You lived.
"The Pharaoh's Curse" is for 2 performers...
not one.
And even still, it's very dangerous.
Now close it!
Look, I'm sorry.
I had no business being anywhere near that thing.
It didn't stop you, though, did it?
Look, I'm just one of those curious people, you know?
The kind of people that can't keep their hands off of things.
Come on, Mario. Look at you. Even now,
you're standing there...
trying to figure itout, aren't you?
So?
So...
Yeah, OK, but don't get mad at me, all right?
How does it really work, Harry?
It's magic.
You put it in the company...
of miracles, all right?
I know, I know. It's magic.
To have it? To possess it?
You have no idea...
of the kind of responsibility involved.
I believe you, but is the magic in you...
or is it in the caskets?
The caskets.
Really?
And the giving.
Illusion is about trickery...
but magic...
real magic is the manifestation...
of phenomena from another level here.
It's a gift that can't be taken or stolen.
I know your work... well.
Well, you know it well enough...
to diss it pretty hard.
No.
I've seen you.
I've seen your face when you're working.
It doesn't matter how big the crowd is...
whether it's 10 or 10,000, you always give the same.
The best ones always do...
and Shannon seems to like you.
The caskets and the giving.
I wish I understood that part better.
First, the air leaves the casket...
then you.
It requires 2 people, 2 souls.
You get transported to the other casket...
without someone else there, you'd suffocate.
In case you haven't figured it out...
I'm retiring.
Why?
You still got it in you.
Knock it off. I know you're the best.
Why do you think you finally got that tape?
That's right.
I sent it to you.
Tomorrow night...
I'm giving a last performance...
for a few close friends.
I'll be passing...
"The Pharaoh's Curse" on to you.
Thank you.
It's really weird.
It's almost like he wants us to be together.
The audience, the trick...
even you.
It's like he really is bowing out.
My life is about to change, big time...
and I want you to share it with me.
Will you be with me?
Yes.
There are advantages to being unsentimental.
Looking out at all of you, seeing your faces...
I could just stand up here all night and reminisce.
We love you, Harry.
Yeah, especially since I'm retiring, right?
To show my appreciation...
I have a little something I'd like to leave you with.
So without further delay...
lights.
Many of you know the legend of "The Pharaoh's Curse"...
and that it's only performed once in every generation...
and that it's handed on through an unbroken chain...
as far back as the great Cagliostro.
Some of you may also know...
that "The Pharaoh's Curse" requires 2.
And since it can't be me and me...
Here he is, ladies and gentlemen...
The object of your pure...
unadulterated professional envy...
the face of the future...
the mega-gifted...
Mario Devlin.
Thank you.
You know, Mario here is so talented...
one time he made 25 showgirls disappear.
Of course, 2 of them reappeared...
in his dressing room later, but...
Shall we take a walk?
Age before beauty.
Touche.
Step inside.
I just want to, uh, take this moment...
and give Harry one last hand.
- Ready? Totally.
Are you? Back OK?
Yeah, I think so.
Not good enough to do Shannon out by the pond, but...
See ya.
I won't be needing this anymore.
Harry, are you sure you're OK?
You don't want to postpone it?
Oh, no. Close the door, sweetheart.
Why are they clapping? The trick didn't work.
Yes, it did.
I got out of the same casket I got into.
Yes, you did...
but not in your body.
What?
What are you talking about?
Harry! Where's Harry?
Right here, Mario.
What's going on? What's happening?
It's magic, Mario.
Only we don't just switch places...
we switch bodies.
I do it every 30 years or so.
Shannon does it more often.
Speaking of which...
She tells me that you're...
a real tiger in the sack.
Thank you in advance.
This can't be happening.
Hey, it's a young world, know what I'm saying?
Wow. Did you see that audience?
The best in the business were here tonight...
and they can't figure it out.
How did we do it?
Not with masks, Mario.
You are truly going to be a legend.
I mean... I mean...
/ am truly going to be a legend.
Oh...
Sorry about the back.
There's a place where blind ambition...
is forced to see.
A place where, if you're not careful...
that climb to the top...
will age you beyond your years.
But it's also a place...
where those who believe in real magic...
Can stay forever young.
A trick whose secret lies hidden deep...
within the Twilight Zone.