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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THE WALT CRONKITE SHOW
MAD #97, September 1965
w: Frank Jacobs
a: Jack Rickard
You can't really attribute any one particular thing to Walter Cronkite. For years he was the news anchor for the CBS Evening News while also hosting specials and several other news-related specials.
Richard Nixon, Tom Dewey, and Barry Goldwater. While Nixon eventually did eventually win the presidency he was known for a long time as the guy who lost to JFK. Ton Dewey's best known as the guy who beat Truman in an alternate universe.
LBJ and Humphrey are parodies of frequent Sullivan guest Señor Wences.
VOYAGE TO SEE WHAT'S ON THE BOTTOM
MAD #101, March 1966
w: Dick DeBartolo
a: Mort Drucker
This was a science-fiction series that took place in the future of 70s aboard the USS Seaview and starred Admiral Harry Nelson (Richard Basehart), Capt. Lee Crane (David Hedison), CPO Jones (Henry Kulky), and Chip Morton (Robert Dowdell)
Just in case there was any doubt these photos were staged, heres one of the stars responding to being parodied, but the issue he's reading is not the issue that featured the article.
THE VIRGINIAHAM
MAD #99, December 1965
w: Lou Silverstone
a: Mort Drucker
The Virginians, a 90-minute western series and one of the first TV shows in color, featured Judge Garth (Lee J. Cobb), his daughter Betsy (Roberta Shore), Deputy Ryker (Clu Gulager), Trampas (Doug McClure), and the Virginian (James Drury). It was about the people who ran Shiloh Ranch in Medicine Bow, Wyoming.
The guest star is Lee Marvin...or is it James Coburn? I'm going with the former.
And in the photos of celebrities seeing themselves department:
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SOUPY SALES
Cracked #47, November 1965
a: McCartney (Bill Ward)
Soupy Sales was known for a childrens' show that was syndicated afternoons in the mid sixties and had a big following among celebrities like Frank Sinatra. He had puppets like White Fang and Black Tooth whose claws were usually the only things you saw. The punchline for most of his sketches often involved him getting a pie thrown in his face.
A Celebrity's Wallet was a regular feature in MAD. This is from #99, December 1965, by Arnie Kogen and Bob Clarke.
The letter from Richard Nixon was a joke about how he would get the attention of important people, though a few years later, Nixon would make an appearance on Laugh-in.
THE ROOKS
MAD #97, September 1965
w: Stan Hart
a: Mort Drucker
Series of about a group of retired conmen who worked for hire to scam someone if they really deserved it. They were Alexander and Tony Fleming (David Niven, Gig Young) and Marcel St. Clair (Charles Boyer).
They were assisted by Timmy St. Clair (Robert Coote) and Auntie Margaret (Gladys Cooper), This parody has Broderick Crawford as the guest star, who was a guest star on a real episode as well.
PINOCCHIO (1940)
dir: Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske
Though Pinocchio is a public domain character, recently released in other versions, like many public domain fairy tales, it's best known for its Disney version. MAD has spoofed that version over the years.
Back cover to #95, June 1965
Part of back cover to #123, December 1968
Back cover to #141, March 1971
From #164, January 1974
From A MAD Look at Fairy Tales in #171, December 1974, by Sergio Aragones
PASSION PLACE
MAD #95, June 1965
w: Stan Hart
a: Mort Drucker
Soap opera in prime-time TV, considered really steamy at the time, based on a book and two movies. This parody is presented like the play Our Town, as if a host were introducing the show and characters. Here it's Matthew Swain (Warner Anderson), who was editor of Peyton Place's newspaper. Two of the characters were Rodney Harrington (Ryan O'Neal) and Betty Anderson (Barbara Parkins).
The Carpetbaggers and Youngblood Hawke were two movies with similar themes around the same time, though maybe closer in nature to something like Dallas.
Constance McKenzie (Dorothy Malone) ran the local bookstore. Matt was a father figure to her daughter Allison (Mia Farrow).
Michael Rossi (Ed Nelson) was the town doctor. Two other characters were Leslie Harrington (Paul Langton) and Julie Anderson (Kasey Rogers).
Every male character had a liaison with every female character on the show at least once. Other characters were Catherine Harrington, George Anderson, Laura Brooks, and Norman Harrington. Mister McKenzie never existed. He's drawn as Robert Young.
PETTIN' PLACE
Sick #37, June 1965
w: Jim Atkins
a: Angelo Torres
“Us Tareyton smokers would rather fight than switch” was an ad campaign used by Tareyton cigarettes. Richard Burton and Liz Taylor in Cleopatra are pictured.
From If TV Shows Were Written By the Ad Agencies in Sick #48, November 1966, writer and artist unknown.
