THE PUTRID FAMILY

THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY
1970-1974 ABC

THE PUTRID FAMILY
MAD #150, April 1972
w: Arnie Kogen
a: Angelo Torres

Sitcom about a single mother, Shirley Partridge (Shirley Jones), and her five children Keith (David Cassidy), Laurie (Susan Dey), Danny (Danny Bonaduce), Chris (Brian Forster), and Tracy (Suzanne Crough), all of whom had a band and traveled by bus she drove around.

David Cassidy, the actor who played Keith was a teen idol independently of the program (As was his brother later. They were the real-life sons of Shirley Jones), so both he and the show needed each other to succeed. The actor who played the youngest son was replaced after the first season.

“I Think I Love You” (below) was their big hit.

Shirley Jones had been a star in many Broadway shows before this. Movie actors often ended up on TV when they're considered too washed-up for the movies, though she was not yet forty when she was “greylisted”. Dave Madden was Reuben Kincaid, the band's manager.

Butch Jenkins was a child actor in the 40s.

THE POT-RICH FAMILY
Cracked #107, March 1973
a: John Severin

Hubert Humphrey was the 1968 Democratic candidate for President.

Bernie Cornfield was the Donald Trump of his time before the politics.

Clifford Irving wrote a biography of Howard Hughes that was later revealed to be a hoax.

From The Effect of the Energy Crisis on the Entertainment World in Cracked #119, September 1974, art by John Severin

From The Final Episodes of Soured Sitcoms in #232, November 1987, by Frank Caruso.

Susan Dey later played a lawyer on L.A. Law. A reference is made to pop star Boy George.

Cover to German edition of Cracked.

THE PART-RICH FAMILY
Spoof #3, January 1973
w: Steve Gerber & Bruce Carlin
a: Henry Scarpelli

I don't think they knew both incarnations of the Beatles were the same people. Or that Tom Jones' fans were the same age or older than the average Marvel staffer. Or is that the Beatles? They had the same hair as the Osmonds but they hadn't been a boy band for quite some time.

The Osmonds, the Jackson 5, and Bobby Sherman were other teen idols then. References are made to other bubblegum pop songs from the late 60s and early 70s.

Rick Nelson was “old” at 32.

Their actual items were just as cartoony.