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The Magic Of ABCUsually, network fall preview specials are simply a collection of promo spots for new programs, along with recaps of returning shows, news, sports and movies. Most of the time one of the network’s famous faces will host the special. But in 1977, ABC decided to do something a little different: a magic show and fall preview special all in one, hosted by none other than David Copperfield, who would have a slew of television specials in the decades that followed.A Magical Fall Preview SpecialThe Magic Of ABCThe Magic of ABCOn Wednesday, September 7th, 1977, from 8-9PM, ABC aired a fall preview special entitled The Magic Of ABC, hosted by young magician David Copperfield and designed to introduce the new fall season on ABC. The majority of the special was composed of magic tricks performed by Copperfield, although each night of ABC’s line-up was announced and new shows were previewed.Supposedly, at the time, Copperfield was such a television fan, he could hum the theme song to any series that had been broadcast during the previous decade [1]. Fourteen ABC stars showed up to help out Copperfield: Cindy Williams, Penny Marshall, Donnie & Marie Osmond, Dick Van Patten, Abe Vigoda, Kate Jackson, Fred Berry, Hal Linden, Kristy McNichol, Adam Rich, Shaun Cassidy, Howard Cosell and Parker Stevenson. The special was co-sponsored by Pillsbury and Burger King.A continuing gag in the special was Copperfield’s attempts to levitate the television upon which preview for new fall shows were displayed. He could always get something to happen — the picture would move up or the antennae would grow — but he could never quite manage to get the television itself to get off the ground.Getting Things StartedFrom the very beginning, viewers were made aware that The Magic of ABC wasn’t going to be like other fall preview specials. It started with Hal Linden of Barney Miller fame descending from the ceiling in a box. The excitement really commenced when Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, from Laverne & Shirley, took the stage. Between bouts of flirting, the girls and Copperfield set about re-enacting a scene from Psycho, with a twist: Penny Marshall donned a wig to play Mother Bates while Cindy Williams, as Marion Crane, mimed taking a shower (an actual door and frame separated the two).David Copperfield (born David Seth Kotkin; September 16, 1956) is an Emmy Award-winning American illusionist, and has been described by Forbes as the most commercially successful magician in history.[1]Copperfield’s network specials have been nominated for 38 Emmy Awards and won a total of 21 Emmys. Best known for his combination of storytelling and illusion, Copperfield’s career of over 30 years has earned him 11 Guinness World Records,[2] a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,[3] and a knighthood by the French government; and he has been named a Living Legend by the US Library of Congress.[4]Notable illusions created and performed by David Copperfield include vanishing the Statue of Liberty, walking through the Great Wall of China, escaping from a locked safe inside an imploding building, causing an Oriental Express railroad passenger car to disappear, and flying through the air night after night in his Broadway show.As a fellow magic enthusiast has noted, “While at times the subject of professional envy, he is virtually without exception admired by others in the field of magic and illusion for his creative genius and tireless perfectionism in developing and presenting his major illusions – which are, in the opinion of most, without precedent and unparalleled in reaching new heights in the history of the Art.”[5]Copperfield has so far sold 40 million tickets and grossed over $3 billion, which is more than any other solo entertainer in history, including Madonna, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.[1][2][6] He currently performs over 500 shows a year.When not performing, he creates experiences for his chain of 11 islands in the Bahamas – Musha Cay and the Islands of Copperfield Bay, which has just completed a $35 million renovation under Copperfield’s supervision.[6][7]