A-Z GUIDE TO MOVIES AND TV SHOWS PARODIED BY MAD, CRACKED, CRAZY, ETC. UP TO 1996. THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. SPOILERS AND OTHER NON-SEQUITURS, TOO. SOMETIMES THESE THINGS HAVE WORDS OR SITUATIONS WE DON'T USE ANYMORE. YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THEY'RE OLD.
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Thursday, December 31, 2020
BENTSON
BENSON
1979-1986 ABC
BENTSON
MAD #216, July 1980
w: Tom Koch
a: Angelo Torres
Sitcom about butler (Robert Guillaume) who served as butler for Governor of unnamed state (James Noble).
MAD's version begins with Benson first starting the job. Chief of staff Taylor(Lewis J. Stadlen) tells him how incompetent the Governor is an he meets the Governor's daughter Katie (Missy Gold).
There's a conflict of interest, The Governor has to attend Parents' night the same night the sheik of a foreign country is visiting. Meanwhile, there are anti-nuke protesters outside the mansion (one of the protesters is Jane Fonda).
The governor confides his problems in Benson while ugly-shaming Mrs. Krause (Inga Swenson).
The Sheik is arriving and his guards are being chased by Mrs. Krause's dogs, a recurring theme on the show.
The Sheik was built up to be this vicious tyrant, but he's just a regular guy.
It turns out they don't need to host an extravaganza for the Shiek and can entertain him by bringing him to the Parent's Night. Families are the same regardless of the culture they come from, and Benson knows this coming from the series Soap.
BENTSOME
Crazy#63, June 1980
w: Murad Gumen
a: Kent Gamble
The chauffeur Raul (Rene Enriquez) has been murdered and everyone is under suspicion. The detective investigating the murder is James Earl Jones as Woody Paris from the short-lived series Paris.
The secretary Marcia(Caroline McWilliams)'s schtick is that she's always man-hungry.
While there is a murderer loose in the house and they're all suspects, they decide to find out who it really is.
After accusing each oither they find out who the real killers are. Another reference to Benson having spun off from Soap.
BENTSON
Sick #132, April 1980
w: Arnold Drake
a: Adam V. Kane (Dave Manak)
For some reason, instead of dogs, it's lions that guard the mansion.
(Morris was a cat from 9-Lives Cat Food commercials that was picky about what he ate. Cleveland Amory wrote a series of books with a detective called “The Cat”)
The Governor on Benson was the sister of Jessica Tate from Soap. That's how the two shows were connected.
The Governor wants Benson's help in helping him connect with his daughter. He has monitors in this, but not on the show.
In the Crazy parody, the cop on page 2 (in panels 4, 5 and 6) is Brian Dennehy. (It seems to be swiped from the parody Walter James Brogan drew of F.I.S.T., also in Crazy.)
In the Crazy parody, the cop on page 2 (in panels 4, 5 and 6) is Brian Dennehy. (It seems to be swiped from the parody Walter James Brogan drew of F.I.S.T., also in Crazy.)
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