One of David Copperfield's most famous tricks was the TV special in which he made the Statue of Liberty disappear in front of a live audience.


WHAT'S THE SECRET?

Copperfield had a setup of two towers on a large platform, supporting an arch to hold the huge curtain that would be used to conceal the Statue of Liberty. The TV cameras and the live audience seated on the other end of the large platform only saw the monument through the arch.

When the curtains closed, David waxed poeticly while the large platform was slowly and imperceptibly turned. When the curtains opened, the statue was hidden behind one of the towers, and the audience was looking out to sea. Voila! The Statue of Liberty has disappeared!

Even if the stage hadn't completely hidden the statue, the towers were so brightly lit that the audience would be nightblinded. Copperfield had also set up two rings of lights - one around Liberty, and another set up somewhere else.

When the trick "happened," his assistants simply turned off the lights around the statue and turned on the other set for the helicopters to circle around.