When sleight of hand and science combine, you get Rudy Coby and this ’90s TV special.
When I think of prop magicians of the 1990s era, I think of The Amazing Johnathan, Marty Putz, and in some way, David Copperfield‘s hair.
But one magician that was around that appealed to all members of the family, was Rudy Coby.
Performing since the late 70s, the American performer mixed science fiction, humour and magic together to create highly entertaining visuals that defies gravity (and body parts). With his signature hair-do and trademark shades, Rudy Coby would nail …err.. a nail into his nose cavity, stretch his torso, body-swap, and muck around with gadgetry, all for a laugh and illusion.
After each major performance, Cody would leap into his signature pose – hands to his hips, legs in a wide stance, and tilt right and looking up to the left.
In 1995, in conjunction with Dick Clark Productions, Cody filmed a TV special Rudy Coby – The Coolest Magician on Earth. The 45 minute (15 minutes worth of ads = 1 hour) special was shown On Channel 7 in Australia on October 23, 1995. But it had only been screened once.
There was no official VHS release, nor DVD / iTunes in today’s day in age, other than worn-out bootleg broadcast recordings. But thanks to the glory of the internet, you (meaning, Me) can re-live the special over and over again. You can now re-watch the half-human, half-robot assistant Nikki Terminator be an unwilling witness to tricks, watch your skin melt with the Hypnotron 2000, and awkward celebrity cameos by Little Richard and Gonzo from The Muppets.
So successful was The Coolest Magician on Earth, he followed up a second special in 1996: Rudy Coby: Ridiculously Dangerous. You can view this special here.
After taking a long break, Rudy Coby returned to the spotlight years later, teaming up with musician Marilyn Manson in 2003, and appearing on America’s Got Talent in 2012. Coby does performances around the US, and floats around at the Magic Castle in California, as well as the odd podcast show.
