Nothing like Vincent Price in his prime. Something of a follow-up to his 1953's House of Wax role, Price plays a similar character, Don Gallico, creator of a different kind of illusion (magic, not wax figures). Gallico's problem is that he sold out to the up and coming Rinaldi (John Emery); he lost not only his bag of tricks, but also his wife, Claire (Eva Gabor). Frustrated and vengeful, Gallico applies his considerable skills toward eliminating his rival. Of course, his actions create new problems; for one thing, a savvy couple, Alice and Frank Prentiss (Lenita Lane and Jay Novelli), begins to figure out what our mad magician is up to.
In 1880s New York City, Gallico is readying for a performance. Backstage, his assistant, Karen (Mary Murphy) introduces Lt. Bruce (Patrick O'Neal) to Gallico. It's his first show on his own. He's impersonating Rinaldi; but that's part of his act. Among other things, he gets Alice to magically appear under a veil; then, the saw-Karen-in-half trick. Ross Ormond (Donald Randolph) pokes in. He manages to get the act stopped--apparently for contract infringement. It seems that he had worked for Ormond; the old forget doesn't want competition. Then we meet Rinaldi, who has obviously come to take over Gallico's props for his own show.
We then learn that Ormond had also lost Claire to him. Small consolation that she's estranged from Ormond "She's always something of a trollop" he mentions. Worked into a froth by his usurper, Gallico practices the buzz saw with Ormond's head for a prop. Neat trick. Soon, Gallico's working on a bust of Ormond; well, he's got a head start (yes, the guy's severed head). Karen looks in on him. The plan is to burn the body at a bonfire--conveniently, there's one at a local political rally. Of course, this guy's not burned in effigy, as they find bones among the ashes. Posing as a Mr. Jamieson (but disguised as Ormond) Gallico takes a room from the Prentiss's.
Claire comes calling; Gallico drops his disguise when he's working. "Have you forgotten that I was once your wife?" I guess he wishes that he had. And, no, he doesn't know where her current husband is...Anyway, she suspects foul play. Meanwhile, Alice suspects that something's not quite right about their new boarder. Could Jamieson actually be Ormond? (Well, we know that it's more complicated than that). That night, the Prentiss's skulk around, hoping to see Jamieson/Gallico/Ormond when he returns. Worse, Claire waits up for him in his room: she at first thinks he's her husband, then correctly discerns that he's her ex-husband.
He admits as much; he goes onto say that he indeed killed Ormond. Somewhat predictably, she's blase about the whole thing. Next thing we know, she's strangled. Well, both she and Ormond were manipulative jerks. Fortunately for Gallico, the Prentiss's, thinking that Jamieson was Ormond, make the logical conclusion that he killed his wife. Sounds good to the police. Almost immediately though, Alice gets another notion, this time about Gallico. For some reason, he demonstrates a new trick to the nosy couple.
Eerily, it's a crematorium. With himself as the guinea pig, he has Karen slide him in the coffin-like device. Emerging from another room after the 3500 degree sauna, he finds Rinaldi watching as well. They discuss the trick. The real illusion is that people think Ormond killed Claire, and is still running around. Not so fast: Rinaldi implies that he knows the real deal. "What did you do to him, Gallico?" Seems that Rinaldi has simply replaced Ormond as Gallico's nemesis.
The Lieutenant shows up backstage to ask Rinaldi. What are his suspicions about Ormond? Wisely, the Lieutenant means to fingerprint all the people of interest. Aha! Check this out: in this scene, Gallico has posed as Rinaldi. Sneaky. Fingerprints, of course, from Gallico's point of view, would ruin everything. Now the cop tells his captain, incorrectly, that Rinaldi is Ormond (thanks to Gallico impersonating both of them). Spoiling the suspense somewhat, Alice describes the deception perfectly. How did she figure this?
Anyway, she unraveled the entire plot. She tells the skeptical Lieutenant. But now Karen shows up, basically vouching for Gallico's character. Who is it on stage right now then? Rinaldi or Gallico? Looking through opera glasses, even Karen admits that it's probably Gallico. At this point, we know Gallico will be found out; but what we don't know is what will happen to him (and will he need to kill again?). I don't see him giving himself up.
Alice infiltrates his apartment, looking for evidence. She finds a cabinet full of busts, or rather masks, of assorted people, living and dead. Karen, loyal as always, warms him that the Lieutenant is going to fingerprint him. A literal dead giveaway. So, he attacks the cop. And intends to run him through the crematorium. Nice slice of horror. Presumably, the poor guy won't have access tongue escape hatch. The women arrive, just as the Lieutenant is about to be barbequed. He and Gallico fight--but, unexpectedly, Gallico completely gives in. As in letting himself have a one way trip to the crematorium. That's it, the end.
This turned out to be quite a good mystery. Sometimes we know what's going on; but not all the time. Same with the other characters; Price's character is in control. Mad? Sinister? macabre? Very much so. But like the best villains, he also gains our sympathy. But once he starts murdering, as in all tragedies of this type, things only get worse. Magic is maybe the perfect motif (other than the supernatural), to allow a great deal of suspension of disbelief. Gallico's impersonations and his deadly stage devices are the best aspects of the movie.
Unfortunately, the subplot involving Alice and Frank is played for some light comedy; Alice's interest in the mystery is contrived, the humor ineffective. They serve a function in the plot, but would be better off used less. Otherwise, The Mad Magician gives us a great platform for Price's haughty and obsessive persona. For three characters, no less. A slight problem is that Gabor's role isn't very nuanced. She's just a materialistic airhead. I'm not suggesting that Claire should be a saint, but she's completely unsympathetic.
As in many of his better roles, Price personifies the main character. An entertaining movie with a good premise, it works out well for the most part.
