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, February 17, 2022
THE GRUNTLY-BLINKY REPORT
THE HUNTLEY/BRINKLEY REPORT
NBC 1956-1970 NBC
HUNTLEY-BRINKLEY REHEARSAL
Sick #28, May 1964
w: Dee Caruso & Bill Levine
a: Angelo Torres
Basically the NBC Nightly News from before there were all-news networks, when the three networks were the only source of national news. The program was anchored by Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. This first parody is based on the premise of what goes on behind the scenes and implies the two of them are not as friendly with each other as it would seem.
Michele Morgan was a French actress at the time. There are other Michele Morgans but they weren't born yet. The picture parodies a still from Cleopatra.
GRUNTLY & BLINKY IN HISTORY
Sick #43, March 1966
w: Francis DiMenno
a: Angelo Torres
This second parody is about what the program would be like if it covered events of the Roman Empire.
In the background of the last panel is Steve Reeves of the Hercules movies.
Panel 5: In the foreground is another Cleopatra reference.
Sponsors were Wilkinson razor blades and Timex watches, the latter had John Cameron Swayze as their spokesperson.
Ringo Stella is a parody of Ringo Starr. They went with the angle of how all rock stars were men who looked like women and did drugs.
Publius Ruth in the Yankee uniform I thought was a caricature of Jonathan Winters since he was a big celebrity then, but now I get that it's Babe Ruth. Duh. The fourth panel is supposed to be Charlton Heston as Michaelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy. Hertz Rent-a-Car's campaign had someone coming out of the sky and landing in a car with the slogan "Let Hertz put you in the Driver's seat".
From Channel Femi-Nine in Cracked #38, August 1964. Art by John Severin.
From Teens All Over the TV Dial in Cracked #52, June 1966. Art also by Severin.
There was a comedy record parodying the program from a group called the Hardly Worthit Players.
There's a thinly-veiled dirty joke at the end of page 3 of the Gruntly-Blinky story. Fanny Hill was infamous as one of the first ever pornographic novels, and was then the subject of a landmark First Amendment case before the Supreme Court. The title character was indeed "subject to constant ramming", nudge nudge, know what I mean.
Huntley and Brinkley showed up quite a bit in early Mad, but never had a feature story to themselves.
There's a thinly-veiled dirty joke at the end of page 3 of the Gruntly-Blinky story. Fanny Hill was infamous as one of the first ever pornographic novels, and was then the subject of a landmark First Amendment case before the Supreme Court. The title character was indeed "subject to constant ramming", nudge nudge, know what I mean.
ReplyDeleteHuntley and Brinkley showed up quite a bit in early Mad, but never had a feature story to themselves.