The Mad Magician

A master of disguise and inventor of dangerous stage effects, Gallico pursues stardom as Gallico the Great. He is cool, calculating, and ruthless when his secrets are threatened, using deception to keep others from discovering his crimes.

A rival magician and public foil who becomes entangled in Gallico’s schemes. He shrewdly reads the stagecraft behind appearances and ultimately becomes a target of Gallico’s machinations.

Ormond’s wife who discovers the deception behind the disguise. She is drawn into danger as she pieces together Gallico’s impersonation and confronts him before being silenced.

A police detective investigating the disappearance of Ross Ormond and later involved in uncovering Gallico’s identity. He represents the procedural counterpoint to stagecraft and illusion.

Gallico’s assistant who interacts with him in the backstage world. She unwittingly carries the infamous bag containing the severed head, illustrating how innocence can be entangled in a crime.

An author of mystery novels who rents an apartment to impersonate Ormond. She becomes a key figure in linking the crime to Gallico, driven by curiosity and the search for truth.

Alice Prentiss’s husband, a supporting figure in the Prentiss household whose presence accompanies the unfolding investigation and complications.

A businessman who contracts with Illusions, Inc., and becomes Gallico’s rival target. His murder sets off the investigation and fuels the tension between illusion and crime.

Uncredited MC who anchors the stage performances within the narrative, providing the theatrical atmosphere that frames the illusions.