Magical Disappearing Money (1972) User Reviews

Tries too hard to be funny

[bensonmum2 · 3/10 · 7 December 2015]

I'm rating and reviewing these educational shorts based on two factors: 1. Is the short entertaining (intentional or not)? and 2. Does the short do what it was intended to do - educate?

So, is Magical Disappearing Money entertaining? Not really. The problem is that the short tries way too hard to be funny and generally fails. The attempts at slapstick are pretty lame. Also, I found the main character, the grocery witch, terribly unappealing.

Was Magical Disappearing Money educational? That depends. If you're a dolt who doesn't understand basic concepts like how to read a price tag, then yes, you might learn something. But if your IQ approaches room temperature, I doubt there's much here you didn't already know.

Overall, I'll rate this one a 3/10.

Beware the grocery witch

[dmanyc · 2/10 · 14 June 2014]

In Magical Disappearing Money, a loopy nameless grocery witch haunting a local grocery store is upset at customers buying things that she claims are more expensive. Actually, she's sneezing at customers buying things she claims are more expensive. For example, powdered milk is cheaper than regular straight-from-the-cow milk. Last I checked, powdered milk is pricier than Silk. But her biggest beef is frozen zucchinis loaded with bread crumbs. I do agree with her that frozen foods can be expensive, but for the most part this short is really outdated. And why don't we see the store employees trying to shoo the witch away or, to quote Monty Python, "burn the witch"? So the next time I shop for groceries I should beware of the Western Beef witch?

Rifftrax sent you here...

[vendo1961 · 7/10 · 27 November 2023]

1972 consumer short, starring Valorie Armstrong, who's best remembered from her stint on the NBC soap, SANTA BARBARA. IMBD erroneously credits "Pippa Scott" as the "Zucchini Witch", and the 2 actresses do look/ sound similar. But check You Tube and you'll see Valorie Armstrong from the S. B. opening credits. The anachronistic facial hair and styles are a keen source of mockery, as well as the redundancy of the witches' rants. It was a strong opening short for Rifftrax's 2nd riff of "House on Haunted Hill, which was also excellent. Relieve fond memories of that middle aged friend of your mom's who flirted with you when you were fourteen...breaded zucchini.