1976-1977 SYNDICATED
Six parodies and not a single one from MAD or Cracked, a lot for a parody of a parody..
Nightly soap opera parody centering on Mary Hartman (Louise Lasser), a suburban housewife who was never seen outside the kitchen doing housework in her home of Fernwood, Ohio. Other characters were her parents George and Martha Shumway (Philip Bruns, Dody Goodman). Her husband Tom (Greg Mullavey) wouldn't put out and was always off to work. Her promiscuous sister Cathy (Debralee Scott) seemingly had a different boyfriend in every episode. Heather (Claudia Lamb) was the smarter than her years 11-year-old daughter. Grandpa Larkin (Victor Killian) was also “The Fernwood Flasher”. Charlie and Loretta (Graham Jarvis, Mary Kay Place) were the Hartmans' neighbors, Loretta was an aspiring country singer. Sgt. Foley (Dennis Solomon) was the local police officer Mary was having an affair with.
MERRY HOTMAN, MERRY HOTMAN
Crazy #26, June 1977
w: Len Herman
a: Murad Gumen
The man passing out the programs in this is producer Norman Lear.
MARY HARDON
National Screw #5, April 1977
a: Tom Hachtman
Hachtman became one of the Usual Gang of Idiots at MAD and did the alt-weekly strip Gertrude's Follies, neither of which ever had anyone's dick in anyone's mouth.
MARY HOTMAN, MARY HOTMAN
Goose #1, September 1976
artist and writer unknown
He can't get it up. You get it?
MARY HEARTBURN, MARY HEARTBURN
Parody #1, April 1977
a: Kent Gamble
Sick #115, June 1977
w: Arnold Drake
a: Jack Sparling
The Carol Burnett Show did their version with Jim Nabors in the Graham Jarvis part.
In their second issue, International Insanity did a quick take on this show. It was half a page of text, written as if it were a preview of coming plotlines. Because it was all drug humor, it was titled Mary Hophead.
ReplyDeleteIn the Crazy parody, all of Cathy's dates are newspaper comic strip characters. On page 1 I think it's Barney Google, on page 3 it's Sluggo, on page 4 it's Killer from Beetle Bailey. And the one on page 5 is really obscure now - he's from a strip about a young single woman called Lolly.
ReplyDeleteWhoops, not Barney Google - I meant to write Moon Mullins.
Delete