Doug Henning's World of Magic

Doug Henning's World of Magic
Also known as	World of Magic
Genre	Entertainment
Created by	Doug Henning
Starring	Doug Henning
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	David Suskind
Production company(s)	Doug Henning Magic Inc.
Release
Original network	NBC (U.S.)
Original release	26 December 1975

Doug Henning's World of Magic, starring magician Doug Henning, aired live on NBC Friday, December 26, 1975, with special guest Bill Cosby. After eight months of design and rehearsal, the show ran live without commercials and began with an introduction by Gene Kelly. The first effect showed a close up on Doug's hands manipulating a nickel, then a jukebox production of Cosby. He introduced a number of novel (for the time) illusions, including a version of Buatier De Kolta's Vanishing Lady illusion (with special musical guest Lori Liberman) and concluded with an up-tempo version of Houdini's Chinese Water Torture Cell. The special was the top rated show for the evening, with a reported 50 million viewers, making it the highest-rated magic special of all time. The show also won the Christopher Award for outstanding achievement. Henning performed a new show every year for the next seven years. In 1977, the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Technical Direction and Electronic Camerawork.