Gregory Hines has a mind reading act and he is really good. As a matter of fact, he is the real deal. In order to do his magic, he must touch the participant. He goes about his business, talking about reunions, anniversaries, even possible hanky-panky, But this night he touches a stranger who sends a message that he has garroted a hooker in an alleyway. Apparently, these murders have been taking place frequently. He tries to get his boss to call the authorities and a man shows up, claiming to be a detective. What transpires now is his journey into danger as he comes face to face with a devil. This is a nicely paced episode that draws our attention and keeps us guessing. Not a lot of supernatural, but still a good story.
9 Reviews
Wow...I didn't expect this.
planktonrules22 June 2015
So what didn't I expect? I didn't expect a good episode! This is because when "Amazing Stories" began, the series really struggled due to some terribly written shows. There were, fortunately, some nice shows to follow...but not many and the show somehow lasted two seasons despite such poor writing.
In this episode, Gregory Hines plays a stage psychic. However, he has an odd talent...he actually IS psychic! One night, during the course of the show, he walks around the audience blindfolded and tells the folks lots of details of their lives. This 'trick' is no trick and when he gets to one person, he freaks out and removes the mask--but not quickly enough to see who the person was. Why was he freaked out? Well, the man he was reading is a serial killer...and Hines' character now KNOWS that he's just murdered. What follows is very tense but not perfect. Knowing who the killer is turns out to be obvious but in spite of it, the show STILL is well done and worth seeing! Too bad more of the shows weren't this good.
In this episode, Gregory Hines plays a stage psychic. However, he has an odd talent...he actually IS psychic! One night, during the course of the show, he walks around the audience blindfolded and tells the folks lots of details of their lives. This 'trick' is no trick and when he gets to one person, he freaks out and removes the mask--but not quickly enough to see who the person was. Why was he freaked out? Well, the man he was reading is a serial killer...and Hines' character now KNOWS that he's just murdered. What follows is very tense but not perfect. Knowing who the killer is turns out to be obvious but in spite of it, the show STILL is well done and worth seeing! Too bad more of the shows weren't this good.
It's all in the hands
sol-kay31 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Doing his touchy-feely act while being blindfolded at a local nightclub the clairvoyant known as "The Amazing Falsworth", Gregory Hines, gets a bit of a shock when he touches one of the nightclub customers and picks up his vibes. It turns out that this guy has just murdered two people before he decided to take a brake, or hide from the police, by running into the nightclub to cool off.
Falsworth suddenly loses it,his ability to communicate with persons inner most feelings,once he was exposed to this faceless and nameless killer who takes off into the night. Getting his manager to call the police in order to find and track him down before he,in that Folsworth can identify him, ends up murdering him! With police detective Tinker,Richard Masur,showing up at the nightclub to see if there's anything to his fantastic story it turns out that Folsworth does find out who the killer is. That's by Falsworth touching the chair, and getting vibes off it, that he was sitting on during his act at the nightclub.
****SPOILERS*** With Folsworth and Det.Tinker going to the supposedly killers apartment it turns out that he was right on target in his picking up the killers vibes! But way off in who the killer is! Sensing that he's been tricked to go into the killers lair to be murdered by him Fonsworth in a life and death straggle with him ends up saving his life when the killer in trying to murder him slipped up! That gave Fonsworth just the little amount of daylight, or opening, that he needed in preventing the killer from trying to strangle with a string of piano wire. It was that slight opening on the killers part that had an almost dead on arrival Folsworth be able to get the breathing room that he so desperately needed that ended up saving his life!
Falsworth suddenly loses it,his ability to communicate with persons inner most feelings,once he was exposed to this faceless and nameless killer who takes off into the night. Getting his manager to call the police in order to find and track him down before he,in that Folsworth can identify him, ends up murdering him! With police detective Tinker,Richard Masur,showing up at the nightclub to see if there's anything to his fantastic story it turns out that Folsworth does find out who the killer is. That's by Falsworth touching the chair, and getting vibes off it, that he was sitting on during his act at the nightclub.
****SPOILERS*** With Folsworth and Det.Tinker going to the supposedly killers apartment it turns out that he was right on target in his picking up the killers vibes! But way off in who the killer is! Sensing that he's been tricked to go into the killers lair to be murdered by him Fonsworth in a life and death straggle with him ends up saving his life when the killer in trying to murder him slipped up! That gave Fonsworth just the little amount of daylight, or opening, that he needed in preventing the killer from trying to strangle with a string of piano wire. It was that slight opening on the killers part that had an almost dead on arrival Folsworth be able to get the breathing room that he so desperately needed that ended up saving his life!
Fantastic Visuals, Creepy Story
ccthemovieman-130 August 2007
Despite the cliché-ridden opening, this was a good episode, a very spooky one and fantastically photographed. All of Steven Spielberg's stuff looks good but this has spectacular colors and visuals.
This turned out to be a straight crime story, with no supernatural event or comedy. It was one of the better episodes for totally keeping one's attention. This will rivet you to your screen. Kudos to cinematographer Vincent Martinelli.
About that beginning.....only in the movies and TV do you see things that make you shake your head, muttering to yourself that "nobody would ever be dumb enough to do that!" That's happens twice in the first minute of this program. There is a serial killer on the loose in the city. It's in all the headlines. So what do we see? A woman walking alone down a dark alley. Puhh-leeeze. Of course she gets strangled. To compound the matter, a witness in the alley sees the crime and runs. Does he run out of the alley yelling for police. No, he stops and goes to a telephone booth, not far from the murderer! Is he killed? Of course. Nonetheless, an excellent episode.
This turned out to be a straight crime story, with no supernatural event or comedy. It was one of the better episodes for totally keeping one's attention. This will rivet you to your screen. Kudos to cinematographer Vincent Martinelli.
About that beginning.....only in the movies and TV do you see things that make you shake your head, muttering to yourself that "nobody would ever be dumb enough to do that!" That's happens twice in the first minute of this program. There is a serial killer on the loose in the city. It's in all the headlines. So what do we see? A woman walking alone down a dark alley. Puhh-leeeze. Of course she gets strangled. To compound the matter, a witness in the alley sees the crime and runs. Does he run out of the alley yelling for police. No, he stops and goes to a telephone booth, not far from the murderer! Is he killed? Of course. Nonetheless, an excellent episode.
Nice memorable episode of the series with suspense and a surprise clever twist!
blanbrn28 February 2019
This episode from season one of "NBC's" "AS" series called the "Amazing Falsworth" was one that was memorable and filled with a little suspense drama. It starred the now late Gregory Hines as a stand up like comedian and psychic mind reader who shines night after night at the big local L.A. club. Also on the side a bad and cruel serial killer is bringing terror to the city of angels, and the episode takes a turn when one night Falsworth picks up a vibe and has past and future visions when he senses and feels the presence of the killer in the room. Later the episode takes more of a twist still it ends with closure and justice. Overall okay episode for season one.
Amazing Team-up
redryan6429 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
PERHAPS THIS IS the most frightening episode in this great anthology series. Steven Spielberg's AMAZING STORIES spared no expense in bringing individual episodes to our screens.
WITH THIS EPISODE, we have the Spielberg homage to Sir Alfred Hitchcock's great body of work in the detective film. AMAZING STORIES: The Amazing Falsworth fills the bill in a far more than just adequate manner. The old master Hitchcock certainly would have a problem in exercising all of his skills and talents; mustering them to do such a fine job with this episode.
MOST OF THE action occurs between the Great Falsworth (Gregory Hines) and Richard Mazur's character. Their teaming is very successful and creates a dynamic tension that permeates the entire half hour (26 minutes actually). It is indeed curious that such a performance should be the by-product of this one time teaming of Dancer Hines with general purpose journeyman thespian Mazur.
IN MUCH THE same manner of the great Hitchcock TV Series' stories and of many of his feature films, killer and victim are closely linked; albeit in a manner and situational way as to be unknown to the hunted.
THAT IS UNTIL the climax of the story, when all is revealed and makes sense.
WHEREAS THE SUITS at the Network would have preferred that Steve & Company deliver an hour show instead of just a half hour quickie.
CAN YOU SAY "fill your airwaves". Schultz?
WITH THIS EPISODE, we have the Spielberg homage to Sir Alfred Hitchcock's great body of work in the detective film. AMAZING STORIES: The Amazing Falsworth fills the bill in a far more than just adequate manner. The old master Hitchcock certainly would have a problem in exercising all of his skills and talents; mustering them to do such a fine job with this episode.
MOST OF THE action occurs between the Great Falsworth (Gregory Hines) and Richard Mazur's character. Their teaming is very successful and creates a dynamic tension that permeates the entire half hour (26 minutes actually). It is indeed curious that such a performance should be the by-product of this one time teaming of Dancer Hines with general purpose journeyman thespian Mazur.
IN MUCH THE same manner of the great Hitchcock TV Series' stories and of many of his feature films, killer and victim are closely linked; albeit in a manner and situational way as to be unknown to the hunted.
THAT IS UNTIL the climax of the story, when all is revealed and makes sense.
WHEREAS THE SUITS at the Network would have preferred that Steve & Company deliver an hour show instead of just a half hour quickie.
CAN YOU SAY "fill your airwaves". Schultz?
The Amazing Falsworth against the Keyboard Killer
sonnyschlaegel26 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
A serial killer is on the loose. He is called 'Keyboard Killer' because he uses piano strings to strangle his victims. Immediately after he has murdered two further victims, he enters a night club to elude the police. The 'Amazing Falsworth' is just starting his show. He is a clairvoyant who can sense the thoughts of people by touching them with his hands. He leaves the stage - blindfolded - and touches some people and tells them who they are and what they do. He is always right. Then he touches the killer. He is shocked and moves away from the killer. When he puts down the blindfold, the killer has gone - but he will try to eliminate the witness. Will the Amazing Falsworth be able to escape?
I liked this episode. There are some surprises, I liked the acting and the music, and there's a lot of black humour, for example how the killer's plans are based on a Verdi aria and that he sings along to this aria when he's after the Amazing Falsworth. Though I didn't like it as much as, for example, 'Mummy Daddy' (also from this series), I think it's a good little horror story.
I liked this episode. There are some surprises, I liked the acting and the music, and there's a lot of black humour, for example how the killer's plans are based on a Verdi aria and that he sings along to this aria when he's after the Amazing Falsworth. Though I didn't like it as much as, for example, 'Mummy Daddy' (also from this series), I think it's a good little horror story.
Creepy episode.
TOMNEL4 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The Amazing Falsworth is truly an episode living up to it's name. It's well filmed, written, and Gregory Hines gives a fine performance as the title character. Also, unlike some Amazing Stories episodes, the musical score is fitting, and almost sounds like a classic John Williams score.
The piano wire killer is on the loose, and he's struck again. The episode starts off with a woman being strangled to death, what the murderer's identity is, is unknown. After the opening scene, we are introduced to The Amazing Falsworth, a magician performing some crowd pleasing tricks. When doing one trick where he combs the audience, blindfolded, telling them all about themselves, he detects the presence of a serial killer. A detective visits Falsworth, and the story goes from there. Like most anthology show episodes, this was about waiting for the plot to unravel, rather than a "figure out who the killer is" murder mystery. It's effective, creepy, entertaining and is one of my top 5 Amazing Stories episodes.
My rating: **** out of ****. 26 mins. TVPGV
The piano wire killer is on the loose, and he's struck again. The episode starts off with a woman being strangled to death, what the murderer's identity is, is unknown. After the opening scene, we are introduced to The Amazing Falsworth, a magician performing some crowd pleasing tricks. When doing one trick where he combs the audience, blindfolded, telling them all about themselves, he detects the presence of a serial killer. A detective visits Falsworth, and the story goes from there. Like most anthology show episodes, this was about waiting for the plot to unravel, rather than a "figure out who the killer is" murder mystery. It's effective, creepy, entertaining and is one of my top 5 Amazing Stories episodes.
My rating: **** out of ****. 26 mins. TVPGV
"Remember, it's all in the hands."
classicsoncall16 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
In comparison to the small number of episodes in this series that went before, this one was probably the best. However there are a couple of questionable circumstances in the story. For example, when the Amazing Falsworth (Gregory Hines) returned to the stage area where he did his mentalist performance, he went about trying to find the location where the Keyboard Killer sat by touching the chairs until he got a hit. But right after he touched the killer during his act, he made his way back to the stage and removed his mask, and saw exactly where the man was situated. So there was no need to go through that routine to figure out which table it was. I would also question the contortions necessary for Falsworth to free himself in a manner to trigger the shotgun that killed the detective (Richard Masur). And unless I missed something, even though Masur's character is listed in the credits here on IMDb as Trent Tinker, he actually used the name of Charlie Spota a couple of times in the story. So even though this had it's fair share of suspense, those little anomalies detracted from it a little. I did take note however, that with all the stuffed birds in the Keyboard Killer's apartment, it felt like a bit of an homage to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho".
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