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10/15/2006: Marc Summers’ Mystery Magical Special!

X-E reviews The Mystery Magical Special, also known as Marc Summers’ Mystery Magical Special, also known as Marc Summers’ Mystery Magical Tour. The 1986 Halloween special hasn’t stood the test of time, but it’s worth noting that it stood longer than anyone could’ve reasonably expected it to. Starring a fresh-faced Marc Summers as the leader of a group of kids (including Jonathan Brandis, don’t you go crying on me) who find themselves trapped in some kind of weird haunted mansion that fancies itself a magician’s stage. The special wasn’t huge enough to have anything more than a mild cult following, and the people who remember it do so for one reason only: Skeleton Dude, the fencing pirate skull creature guy. Review is pretty long for a Countdown entry, and includes video clips.

Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

Discussion Thread: 96 comments

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I thought his Mom said his acne medication made him do it. Pimples can be killer, man.

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/16/2006 5:57 PM EDT

Dude. I totally forgot about this special. I watched it when I was like 5 (and I wasn’t around in ‘86 so maybe it was a rerun) and the only parts I remember are the fact that it had Marc in it and that whole “Help yourself” bit at the end. Thanks for the little blast from the past!

Ghosted by Chris @ 10/16/2006 6:18 PM EDT

I have fond memories of this special. My abiding memory of it is the Marc Summers/Skeleton switch.

The music during the duel reminds me of Castlevania. Go figure.

Ghosted by Frostor @ 10/16/2006 7:06 PM EDT

Wow. That was so horrible, and yet so…1980’s Nickelodeon charming.

Ghosted by Frito @ 10/16/2006 7:51 PM EDT

I grew up watching that special every Halloween, until one year they stopped playing it. It took months to get over it. Thanks for bringing back old memories.

Ghosted by Dean @ 10/16/2006 8:01 PM EDT

I used to watch some show on Nickelodeon, where at the beginning of each show, all the early teen kids were sitting around a fire. They would proceed to tell ghost/spooky stories, and then the show would start. At the end they always came back to the campfire for some cheesy story-related gag. I wish I could remember the name of that show. Goosebumps maybe… no I think those are books (which are also awesome) anyone have ANY CLUE what I am talking about. Hey Dude rocked.

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/16/2006 9:00 PM EDT

Sorry for double post but… I just say Charlie brown Great Pumpkin Colorforms at Toys ‘R’ Us.

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/16/2006 9:04 PM EDT

Old E …. are you serious? You can’t remember Are You Afraid of the Dark? No offense but, are you like 16 or something? Cuz it ran like 4eva.

Ghosted by Mystie @ 10/16/2006 9:07 PM EDT

AHAHAHAHAHA. I remember reruns of this!
Marc Summers, your life is one of cruel irony.

Ghosted by Denise @ 10/16/2006 9:18 PM EDT

Matt, I want Tina Lenert on the blog. Post her weird mop thingy, please?

Ghosted by Mara @ 10/16/2006 9:38 PM EDT

Tales From the Darkside is on Scifi and it is staring the kid from Better Off Dead. I think he wants his two dollars.

Ghosted by Billy @ 10/16/2006 9:42 PM EDT

Ah, yes, I also have fond memories of this on Nickelodeon. I’ve never been a huge magic freak, but it WAS cool to see them do all those tricks, and the whole “guy and kids in haunted house” thing was silly, cheesy good fun. I wish Nick would release more of this wonderful old stuff on DVD, if only as extras on a set.

Ghosted by starwenn @ 10/16/2006 10:25 PM EDT

Oh my fuckign gawd, that skittles comemrcial is the greatest thing that I have ever seen. I had to poke out my eyes, because there can be so sight more beautiful than it.

Ghosted by Roadblock @ 10/16/2006 11:09 PM EDT

I loved Marc Summers as a kid. Didn’t he have some clean-freak disorder? Anyways, did ya grab this ‘un from my tape, Matt? I was waiting to see if you’d review this classic. Excellent article!

Ghosted by EtHM @ 10/16/2006 11:12 PM EDT

I figured this would be the best place to ask this question. Why was there never The Last Starfighter 2? I researched this before asking such a question only to be horrified to find insead of a well deserved sequal they made an off broadway musical. No shit. I kind of feel like an elephant who had his leg cut off only to find out they made it into a waste basket. Matt or anyone else, could you help me out?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Starfighter_%28the_musical%29

Ghosted by Billy @ 10/16/2006 11:41 PM EDT

Yes!! I’ve been hoping you’d review this one for the longest time! Loved it as a kid…I remember the whole thing, from the phone gag to all the it’s a tricks. I definitely remember being somewhat spooked by it, but then I was a total wuss that could barely handle “Zeke the Plumber” or Goosebumps. Or that episode of Hey Dude where the windows were locked from the inside? Chilling.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 10/17/2006 12:18 AM EDT

I definitely remember being somewhat spooked by it, but then I was a total wuss that could barely handle “Zeke the Plumber” or Goosebumps.

Holy crap, I think I’d be scared by Zeke the Plumber even now. That dude was genuinely disturbing.

Ghosted by Monte @ 10/17/2006 12:27 AM EDT

I think I remember seeing commercials for that, but I don’t think my parents let me watch it. My parents were weird…I could watch anything except for slasher movies or anything that my dad found stupid (which was basically everything on TV.) Didn’t Nickelodeon have some kind of Halloween contest at one point (around the same time, but more likely in the early 90s) where you had to call in or they called you or…something?

Ghosted by Ariel @ 10/17/2006 1:07 AM EDT

Ariel – Would that be “Snick or Treat”? I forgot how it worked, but I definately remember phones being involved.

Ghosted by Monte @ 10/17/2006 1:22 AM EDT

It was Nick or Treat…IIRC you signed up, and to win you had to answer your phone by saying “Nick or Treat” when they called for you. Some kids (not me) may have been known to answer their phone in such a manner throughout the entire month of October, despite not having actually signed up for the sweepstakes. Again, it wasn’t me, so I wouldn’t know. Really.

Ghosted by squee4242 @ 10/17/2006 1:50 AM EDT

jp [441am E]–

If Bradis had killed himself in 1993 instead of 2003, I think it would’ve been common knowledge.

Ghosted by jrh @ 10/17/2006 2:09 AM EDT

In defense of jp, if you’d known the name Jonathon Brandis, and checked the news, be it online or television, you’d have caught the fact of the tragedy, jrh.

Ghosted by ColonelCatsup @ 10/17/2006 3:02 AM EDT

Haha, yeah, that was it, thanks guys! XD

Ghosted by Ariel @ 10/17/2006 4:03 AM EDT

Just when I thought this countdown couldn’t get any more AWESOME…. bam, theres a blast from the past….I think I have this special on VHS somewhere, brought back memories….thanks Matt, you rock my Halloween socks…

Ghosted by m1928mouse @ 10/17/2006 10:08 AM EDT

Whoa! I remember this from my childhood. I hadn’t thought about this in AGES, but I used to watch it on Nick every Halloween before Trick-Or-Treating. Thanks, Matt!

Ghosted by Raptorgirl @ 10/17/2006 12:19 PM EDT

Mystie… I remember the show, just not the name. I am 26 years old, and have not watched a Nick show in about 10 years. I remember another show I used to watch where the kids would transform into animals to escape all kinds of wierd situations. I think some top-secret agency was after them, to run torture tests on them. I bet you Jesus watches Salute Your Shorts.

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/17/2006 1:54 PM EDT

Are you talking about Animorphs? I dunno if they ever got a show, but I remember the book series.

Never read ‘em, but that year I worked in an elementary school library certainly had me shelving more of them than I can count.

Now you’ve got me thinking about PowerRangers. Thanks a lot

Ghosted by K- @ 10/17/2006 3:14 PM EDT

I just remember the original Power Rangers. I was definitely too old to be watching it when it came out, but the Green Ranger saga was too awesome to ignore. Plus I wanted to do very naughty things to the Pink Ranger. Kimberly, if you are out there, my wife and I would like to take you out for uh… dinner.

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/17/2006 3:32 PM EDT

Yes, Animorphs got its own show on Nick. And like all tv shows based on kids’ books, lots of stuff got changed/omitted and the series as a whole wasn’t that good. (They had Ax though, which was awesome)

And I was in Target again today, and guess what I saw? THE 2006 JONES SODA HOLDAY PACK!! There’s 2 of em again this year and they’re both at target!

The regular one contains Turkey & Gravy again, but also adds Sweet Potatoes, Peach Cobbler, Pea, and Antacid?! (complete with sippy cup)

The 2nd one though seems more normal, as it’s known as the “Dessert Pack” and does NOT have Turkey & Gravy. It has: Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie, Blueberry Pie, and 2 other pies I can’t remember right now.

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 10/17/2006 3:33 PM EDT

Oh! Amy Jo Johnson and a truckload of pies! All to the tune of anything by The Ventures.

Ghosted by kingklash a la mode @ 10/17/2006 4:43 PM EDT

AHHHH SKELETON DUDE!!! DAMNIT I JUST GOT DONE WITH THERAPY!

Ghosted by AHHH! @ 10/17/2006 7:52 PM EDT

I was WAY too old for Power Rangers, so it became my dirty little secret- my brother and I would watch it every day after school (this is HIGH SCHOOL, mind you) and we made tapes of it as well….thank God he was addicted too, so I didn’t have to go through it alone. We tried using our tapes to convert our friends, but it didn’t work.

I hated the Pink Ranger- she pissed me off to no end. Sorry, Old E.

Then they kept CHANGING the damn show- I guess they didn’t expect people as old as us to be watching- people with longer attention spans. By the time we had 6 completely different main characters than the ones we started with, I gave up.

Last I heard the show was “Super Ninja Time Force Power Rangers in Space” or something like that…

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 10/17/2006 8:27 PM EDT

I grew up on Voltron, and to this day, he is still the icon I harken to when I have to talk about Gestalt Mechs, or teamwork in general.

But you know what, I’ll still watch Powerrangers if I catch it. They are the modern bearers of the Gestalt Spirit, and I have no qualms about watching it with glee.

My only problem is when they have an episode where they just use their weapons. Sure, they’ll combine ‘em, but it just isn’t the same.

I could watch them forming Voltron on a loop 24 hours a day.

“And I’ll form the Head!!”

Ghosted by K- @ 10/17/2006 8:36 PM EDT

You kids might like to know that They Might Be Giants released a special Halloween-themed Podcast. I haven’t finished listening to it yet, but I’ve heard enough that I should warn you it’s not all spooky stuff, but it’s so hard to find new Halloween specials these days that I’m going to recommend it anyway. Here’s the message the band sent to tose of us on the e-mail list, complete with links:

CAST YOUR POD TO THE WIND!
PODCAST 8A THE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL!
Even as they hunker down to finish two new albums, TMBG returns to podcasting with an extra-ghostly episode. Includes the brand new “Haunted Floating Eye” among other scary rarities. Get the podcast via your iTunes application,
or click here: phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=105708952
or here: http://www.tmbg.com/_media/_pod/podcast.xml (for those of you with RSS-capable browsers)

Ghosted by Tougi @ 10/17/2006 8:43 PM EDT

Oh God Yes!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZZv5Z2Iz_s

“Erde Kaiser Fury!!!!” Sorry, couldn’t help it.

Ghosted by K- @ 10/17/2006 8:44 PM EDT

This is upsetting. I don’t think I ever saw that special and I watched a lot of Nickelodeon and Halloween specials. How did I miss this?

I can remember the song to What Would You Do? but that’s all I can remember about it. Weird.

Ghosted by Devi @ 10/17/2006 10:56 PM EDT

The confusing aspect of MMPR is Saban’s fault, due to the fact that the Japanese Super Sentai shows essentially “reboot” with each new iteration. But Saban tried to hang on to most of the cast for longer than needed, and finally brgan to follow Toei’s example of casting new crews. Currently, “Mystic Force” is the english version of the Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings-inspired “MagiRangers.” I keep track of the Sentai shows to see how Saban mutates it.

(My favorite Ranger is the late Thuy Trang, aka Trini the Yellow Ranger.)

Ghosted by kingklash @ 10/18/2006 12:20 PM EDT

Does anyone remember the name of the MMPR spin-off involving people booting themselves into a computer realm and receiving some kind of super-powers (and a vehicle of course). It was something troopers. Virtual Troopers or something? Anyways I always hated the show because they ripped off of Power Rangers. But now, I would definitely take an influx of those types of shows (which ALL ripped off Voltron) than have 60 different animated CARD BATTLE tv shows. I mean how am I suppsed to sit through a half hour show about a card game. Let alone 60 different variations of it.

Ghosted by Old E @ 10/18/2006 4:59 PM EDT

I remember the one with the three who had Beetle powers. Never cared for ‘em much. But I watched ‘em.

I’ve been watching PR footage and I just remembered the whole series on the Origin of the Green Ranger. Just priceless. Mega Dragonzord. Take that Red Ranger.

Tommy was around forever. I also remembered how the White Tiger zord responded to his movements instead of controls. Just like Omnigears!!!! Except those used thoughts, but they’re still two concepts on the same continuum.

Ghosted by K- @ 10/18/2006 6:13 PM EDT

Virtual Reality Troopers (better known as VR Troopers) and Big, Bad Beetle Bors had no official relationship to the Power Rangers, but they were both clearly rip-offs of the show, and they were terrible. In defense of VR Troopers, though, they failed in their first mission, much in the same way that the show failed to capture an audience. Probably because it was terrible.

Ghosted by Tougi @ 10/18/2006 8:38 PM EDT

haha oh man, Marc Summers. I loved him on Double Dear and What Would You Do as a kid. I have his book. Turns out he has obsessive compulsive disorder.
THE MORE YOU KNOW!

Ghosted by Dani @ 10/19/2006 1:33 AM EDT

Oh, whoops, I didn’t catch my typo. The show was Big, Bad Beetle Borgs.
There’s a G.

Ghosted by Tougi @ 10/20/2006 11:54 AM EDT

Rok. I remember watching this in the afternoon after I got home from daycare. The magician made me scream and hide behind the couch. Ruined any hope of ever enjoying a vegas magic show for the rest of my life.

Ghosted by Veronica @ 10/20/2006 5:19 PM EDT

This special was actually pretty daring for a Nickelodeon ouvre, skeletons and all (well, maybe not as daring as “Are You Afradi of the Dark?). The whole special took pace at “The Magic Castle” in Hollywood, and the strange happenings are all pretty much what happens if you ever visit. You MUST have an invitation from a member magician, however, to have dinner (pretty pricey), but the magic shows (multiple) and the ambiance are all worth it – plus there’s a hotel. Jonathan Brandis’s next few offerings were more memorable, NES II and Stepfather II, but his performance was all fairly authentic as he had a major interest in magic which continued throughout his life.

By the way, the hard-core Brandis fans at jonathanbrandis.org would be willing to do just about anything to get hold of a copy of this special – which has been gone from the radar for a VERY long time – and featured him in a pretty large role.

Ghosted by Ray G. @ 10/26/2006 4:08 PM EDT

Jonathan Brandis died in 2003 accoding to IMDB R.I.P

Ghosted by Mike @ 12/03/2006 1:48 AM EST

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