Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed

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. His stage name and face would be revealed in the last episode of the original show eventually. ==Cast==

The first four specials and the full series featured incognito magician Val Valentino as the Masked Magician performing large-scale illusions and a few smaller-scale close up magic tricks before revealing the secrets of the tricks. ==Episodes==

The series is made by production company Nash Entertainment. The title alluded to the magician's code: the promise by working magicians not to reveal the basis of their tricks, or else risk getting blackballed by fellow magicians. The first special, which aired in November 1997, scored the highest ratings for any Fox special to that point; another three specials were broadcast through 1998. Fox returned on May 15, 2002, with ''Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed 5''. A new magician was wearing a new mask with artificial hair that did not cover their entire face, and a purple glistening outfit. It was never revealed who portrayed the magician in this episode. Although the majority of the warehouse‑based illusions were filmed at 516 South Anderson Street in Los Angeles, the site served as a primary location for both the original 1997 series and the 2008 revival. However, several exterior illusions along with the opening and closing credits of the 1997 series featuring Mitch Pileggi standing outside the warehouse, were filmed at the rear warehouse of the former Van de Kamp’s Bakery Building, an abandoned industrial structure that once stood behind the main building and has since been demolished. A number of outdoor illusions, including Vanishing Tank, Buried Alive, and Death Trap, were filmed at this location. The same warehouse also appears in the 1997 film Nowhere. Two illusions were filmed outside at 516 South Anderson Street for the 2008 series: Levitating from the Warehouse Roof to the Ground from episode 3, and Surviving Being Cut Up in a Wood Chipper from episode 5. Additional filming for the 2008 specials took place at various locations around the Greater Los Angeles area. Notably, the illusion featured in episode 2, Making an Elephant Appear in an Empty Parking Lot (Surrounded by Spectators), and the illusion from episode 10, Making a 5 Ton Military Vehicle Appear From Nowhere (In an Empty Parking Lot), were filmed in the parking lot of the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena. Another illusion, Walking on Water (Surrounded By Spectators) from episode 13, was filmed at Pecan Pool, located at 120 S. Gless St., Los Angeles, CA 90033. MyNetworkTV bought thirteen new episodes for broadcast in the U.S. starting in the fall of 2008, with the first episode shown on October 2. The assistants learned the illusion the same day they shot it and filmed four to six illusions per day. These specials were also shown on TVB Pearl in Hong Kong, with the first episode shown on June 13, 2010. Valentino was credited as a producer and Mitch Pileggi returned as narrator, although he did not appear on camera like the original specials. The show also aired in the UK on ITV4, and in Australia on 7Two with new narration by Grant Denyer. There is an Australian version of the show that first aired at 7:30 Monday, June 14, 2010, on Network Seven and has changed to Sundays at 6:30 on 7Two. This is the same show as the US version with some minor changes. This show also began to air on Australian pay television network Fox8 on Wednesday September 21, 2011. This version is a duplicate of the American version. Since the first run of the series, the shows have been rerun many times on Sundays on Channel 7. The show also had a Portuguese adaptation in the public TV Channel SIC, essentially a duplicate of the American version only with a different Portuguese narrator. ==Criticism and legal challenges==

Criticism was leveled at Valentino by magicians for adversely affecting their acts. Kevin Spencer, a touring magician based in Lynchburg, Virginia who performs with his wife, Cindy, said 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." Other magicians criticized Valentino's explanations as being sloppy or inaccurate, arguing that he gives a mistaken impression that the methods he's exposing 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 revealed methods were dangerous and are not generally used by fellow magicians. ==Impact abroad==

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 was made available on Netflix. The show was also popular in Brazil, where its segments aired weekly in TV Globo's Fantástico between 1998 and 1999, and in which the Masked Magician became known as "Mr. M". ==Val Valentino==

Val Valentino (born Leonard Montano, June 14, 1956) is an American illusionist primarily known for starring in the television show. In the specials, he used the stage name the Masked Magician and concealed his true identity by wearing a mask with a squid like kabuki-style design, 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. For a span of two years (1997–1999), Valentino performed, unbilled and disguised, as the "Masked Magician" in four Fox Network specials called ''Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed'' which exposed long-guarded secrets. Life and career 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. 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, in addition to having appeared on programs such as The Merv Griffin Show and PM Magazine, as well as in the music video for Herb Alpert's "Magic Man". He also appeared in his own production, "Valentino's Magical Extravaganza". In October 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. In June 2020 in an interview with the Brazilian show Domingo Espetacular of RecordTV, he said he was cured and that he is in Brazil preparing a project. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was quarantined in the country, hosted at the Clown Rogério house. ==References==