Blog Update

Hi. The blog is in serious need of updating (again), but, in the meantime, I did want to briefly post that Starz's Camelot is now available for purchase on DVD, Blu-ray, and iTunes.

Wizards of The Last Unicorn

Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn features three magic-wielding figures: Mommy Fortuna, an aged witch; Mabruk, a traditional-looking wizard; and Schmendrick, an untraditional mage. The three are primarily engaged in transformative magic, though Fortuna is also adept at creating illusions. The Last Unicorn was first published in 1968 and adapted into a feature film in 1982 and a comic book series in 2010; the film has been released to DVD as part of a recent 25th-anniversary edition and, now, a blue-ray edition with commentary by Beagle.

Magic-Users of Sid & Marty Krofft

Two children's television series by Sid & Marty Krofft also prominently featured magic-users.

First, H. R. Pufnstuf (1969-71) featured Billie Hayes as Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo, a hag-like witch in the tradition of the Wicked Witch of the West and the Wicked Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The series' opening can be seen at YouTube at http://youtu.be/obxfuFrUTzg.

Later, Lidsville (1971-73) featured Charles Nelson Reilly in a dual role. First, he is Merlo the Great, the stage magician who performs in the series opening and whose hat forms the portal to the otherworld of Lidsville, and, then, he is Horatio J. HooDoo, the monster-like antagonist of the series who, like Merlo, dresses in the attire of a stage magician.