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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ZZZZPG
Cracked #105, November 1972
a: John Zeverin (Severin)
ZPG stood for Zero Population Growth, an idea floating around at the time (still talked about at flat-earth levels) that was the basis for this movie, the concept of this dystopian science-fiction film (basically the only kind of science-fiction before Star Wars). In this future, the population of earth has become so uncontrollable that there is a moratorium on all births for thirty years, punishable by death.
Russ (Oliver Reed) and Carol (Geraldine Chaplin) are a couple who work at a twentieth-century museum and yearn to have an actual baby.
Walter Matthau as Kotch is in the opening panel. That movie is also spoofed in this issue.
There is an option for couples such as this who are allowed to adopt realistic dolls that won't eat, so won't burden an already overpopulated Earth. This isn't good enough for Russ and Carol, who want a real baby. (They conceive one in the movie but here they buy one on the black market). They have to hide the fact that theirs is real to not tip off the authorities or anyone who sees them and is required to turn them in.
Their neighbors, George (Don Gordon) and Edna (Diane Cilento) know they have a real baby and want to share or else they'll turn Russ and Carol in.
Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice was about two progressive couples that tried everything new, building up to their attempt at a foursome. It received an X rating when released but today is tamer than any family film. Conversely, it's shocking what had G and PG ratings then.
Carol and Russ go underground and find their way to an island free from excess pollution, where they're free to raise a baby without consequences.
Parodies of the Planet of the Apes franchise, Rosemary's Baby, and Willard are also on this blog.
And that's all she wrote. I've run out of movie parodies for now, but more will probably show up eventually and I'll post those as I get them. I'm still around on all other major social networks for anyone wanting to find me, though I'm considering quitting Twixter soon, since a mass exodus seems to be afoot.
THE YESTERDAY SHOW
Cracked #109, January 1973
a: John Severin
The Today Show has gone through many incarnations as NBC's morning news show. Its first version was The Dave Garroway Show and evolved from there. This incarnation from the early 70s had Frank Blair, Barbara Walters, Joe Garagiola, and Frank McGee.
Today was on opposite Captain Kangaroo.
THE TOO-DAY SHOW
Sick #132, April 1980
w: Arnold Drake
a: Jack Sparling
Later, it was hosted by Tom Brokaw and Jane Pauley, with movie critic Gene Shalit.
Phil Donahue wasn't on The Today Show, but had a syndicated morning program around the same time.
In 1969 their line up was Hugh Downs with Walters, Garagiola, and Blair. This was the cover of TV Guide by Jack Davis.
TALES FROM THE CREEP
Spoof #2, November 1972
w: Marv Wolfman
a: Marie Severin & Jon Costa
Anthology film from Amicus, a British production company that released dozens of horror films, based on the EC comic book from the 50s. The movie adapted five of the stories used in the comic, this parody used three.
The movie has five people who find themselves wondering where they are. They are in the Crypt of Terror and each one is revealed the reason they are there in a story told to them by the Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson) about how they will die.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Willard were two horror movies.
In the first story a woman (Joan Collins) has killed her husband for the insurance on Christmas Eve. She also hears a report that a homicidal maniac dressed as Santa Claus is on the loose, and finds herself trying to dispose of her husband's body and hide from the killer at the same time. Her daughter, who she thought she'd put to sleep, wakes up thinking the killer actually is Santa Claus and invites him in.
The next story is a retelling of The Monkey's Paw. A man (Richard Greene) is financially ruined, but his wife (Barbara Murray) discovers a statue and wishes for more money. The couple comes into money and upon going to get it, he dies in a car crash. She wishes he were still alive and he comes back badly mutilated.
The final story in the movie is about a man who runs a home for the blind and lives in luxury with his German shepherd while the residents all keep getting increasing financial cuts in meals and heat, which leads to one of their deaths. They get revenge by first luring his dog into the basement, thenthrowing him into a room next door. They eventually let him out but to exit he has to get through a series of mazes which include walls covered with razors and a hallyway with his dog that has been starving for two days.
Here he's portrayed as Hitler running a concentration camp that's actually a camp. The real story is in the video below.
The Crypt Keeper reveals they're all in the afterlife.
HBO 1989-1995
TALES FROM THE CREEP
Cracked #250, December 1989
w: Archie Falbo (Lou Silverstone)
a: Bill Wray
It later became a series on HBO, also using the same pool of stories from the comic book.
This comic is about the rivalry between MAD and Cracked. Before MAD, Bill Gaines had been publisher of Tales from the Crypt. Cracked was aware of his business practices in keeping and hoarding original art and though paying well, earning dollars on every penny the creator made. It was a coup for Cracked when they were able to poach long-time MAD contributor Don Martin, luring him by allowing him copyrights on his material and giving back his art. MAD writer Lou Silverstone was writing for Cracked simultaneously under a pen name before eventually becoming editor himself, and Bill Wray became one of the regulars at MAD.
The signature parodies “Ghastly”, the way Graham Ingels signed his work.
This also parodies the story And All Through the House that was used in the movie. (original story below) The Crypt Keeper is portrayed as Gaines. Jack Davis' signature is parodied in the upper left, while the story mimics the art of Johnny Craig.
THE SONNY AND CHER COMEDY HOUR
1971-1974, 1976-1978 CBS
Sonny and Cher Bono were a pop duo that had a comedy/variety show in the mid-70's.
“The Beat Goes On” was their big hit and the theme song for their show.
Caricature of James Franciscus as Longstreet, blind TV detective. The Smothers Brothers credited as writers is a joke here, but the show did share some of the same little-known writers such as Steve Martin and Bob Einstein.
From Customized Career Cars in Cracked #59, April 1967, art by John Severin
SONNY AND CHER FASHIONS THROUGHOUT HISTORY
Cracked #60, May 1967
a: O. O. Severin (John Severin)
from If King Kong Made Guest Appearances on TV in #140, March 1977, art by Howard Nostrand
After Sonny and Cher divorced, they each had their own shows for a while.
THE SONNY COMEDY REVUE
ABC 1974
CHER
CBS 1975
THE SUNNY BOZO ½ COMEDY HOUR/THE CHAIR BOZO ½ COMEDY HOUR
Crazy #6, August 1974
w: Tony Isabella
a: Robert Graysmith
A SICK INTERVIEW WITH CHER
Sick #106, October 1975
w: Fred Wolfe (Paul Laikin)
a: Tont Tallarico
SUNNY AND CHEER
Sick #111, August 1976
w: Joe Gill
a: Bill Molno
PLANET OF THE APES (1968)
dir: Franklin J. Schaffner
THE PLANET THAT WENT APE
MAD #157, March 1973
w: Arnie Kogen
a: Mort Drucker
From The Milking of The Planet That Went Ape, condensed parodies of all four movies that had existed in the franchise up to then.
In the first one, Taylor (Charlton Heston), and his fellow astronauts (Robert Gunnier, Jeff Burton) wind up on what (they think is) another planet in the future, their spacecraft is destroyed, and he ends up being the only survivor.
Previously, Heston was most known for Exodus and The Ten Commandments.
Taylor is captured by apes that rule the planet and brought in for study by Zira (Kim Hunter), an animal psychologist sympathetic about his higher intelligence. Her fiancee Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) is also a scientist and also sympatnetic, at first acting outwardly against him out of concern for his own career, but warms up to him. Humans don't have the power of speech, and Taylor has temporarily lost his, and they just think he's smarter than average.
Taylor eventually escapes captivity and runs through the city, and regains his ability to speak. Zira and Cornelius are put on trial for heresy by the leader of the apes, Dr. Zaius (Maurice Evans) and the superiors want to disband experimentation and dismiss Taylor as a kook. Zaius knows the truth about humans and is trying to suppress it. Cornelius, who had been an archeologist, shows what he had discovered in the past about how humans were once more advanced than anyone knew. The fact that the humans had a doll and it talked is evidence of this. Cornelius and Zira have are arrested for heresy and escape, and help Taylor escape. He brings Nova (Linda Harrison) along. They hold Zaius hostage and Taylor bids farewell to Zira and Cornelius (he's shaved his beard off by this point). Zaius lets Taylor escape but warns him he won't like what he sees.
Taylor finds out that the planet he landed on and the area he was warned about where humans were emasculated has been Earth this whole time. Nova talks in these panels for some reason.
PLANETS OF THE CREATURES
Cracked #72, October 1968
a: John Severin
Puns are made on Deborah Kerr, Dana Andrews, Ed Begley, Sal Mineo, Ella Fitzgerald, Terry-Thomas, Richard Basehart, and Sidney Poitier. They didn't need to change the name of Lex Barker. For Planet of the Birds it's Mia Farrow, Edward G. Robinson, Rhonda Fleming, Gloria Swanson, Art Carney, Claudia Cardinale, and Patty Duke.
Helen Goss, Audrey Totter, Billy Halop, Conrad Nagel, Zero Mostel
The Simpsons did a musical based on it.
There were two remakes. Before Star Wars, it was THE science-fiction series, branching out into other media, and it was inevitable there'd be a TV show of it, which we'll look at tomorrow.
