BIG BIG EARTH

WIDE WIDE WORLD
1955-1958 NBC

BIG BIG EARTH
MAD #39, May 1958
w: Bob & Ray and Tom Koch
a: Mort Drucker

When MAD started under the editorship of Al Feldstein, they used a lot of the work of comedians at the time, reprinting material or having them write new stuff. Bob and Ray were among them. Bob's probably most known now as Chris Elliott's father, but for decades was half of a comedy team with a career than spanned from a radio show to an appearance on Saturday Night Live. This piece is credited to Tom Koch, who was a writer for both them and for MAD. Many of the pieces by famous comedians were probably done by their writers. A lot of MAD's writer's also worked for TV. Mort Drucker was one of about a dozen of the artists hired for MAD and when he was given the assignment of the Bob and Ray sketches, they realized he was the best at caricature, so was used when they started doing more movie and TV parodies.

Wide Wide World was a documentary series hosted by Dave Garroway. The difference between this parody and that show is that the field reporter didn't interview the subjects.

Dave Huntley is a play on reporters Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. The Trade Mark figures in the globes are the Smith Brothers, mascots of a cough drop brand. Dave Garroway was also host of the Today Show, and would sign off by holding out his hand in from of the camera.

CURLEY SHMERLEY'S GOREYBOOK

SHIRLEY TEMPLE'S STORYBOOK
NBC 1958-1961

CURLEY SCHMERLEY'S GOREYBOOK
Panic #1, July 1958
artist unknown

Series of TV specials adapting well-known fairy tales and childrens' books such as Wizrd of Oz or Rip van Winkle hosted and narrated by Shirley Temple, former child star. This is apparently adapting Beauty and the Beast and sponsored by Piels Beer, whose commercials at the time featured Harry and Bert Piel, voiced by Bob & Ray.

PERSONS TO PERSONS

PERSON TO PERSON
1953-1961 CBS

Similar to current talk shows now except the whole show focused on one celebrity with host, Edward R. Murrowinterviewing the person and their family from his studio while they were at their home.

HOUSE TO HOUSE
MAD #35, October 1957
w: Bob & Ray and Tom Koch
a: Mort Drucker

In the early days of MAD as a magazine, they often used the work of famous comedians, whether it was reprinted material or sometimes exclusive. Bob & Ray wrote their own material for the magazine and their shows, some was written by MAD writer Tom Koch. The Mad Cover Site credits the latter, so I'll take their word for it. It was through MAD editors discovering Mort Drucker's knack for caricature in illustrating the Bob & Ray pieces that they made him their go-to guy for most of their movie and TV parodies.

Harry Piel, half of the duo Bob & Ray voiced for Piels Beer, is the hood ornament in the first panel. Harry and Bert Piel make additioal cameos throughout.

From Adult TV Cartoons by Al Jaffee and Wallace Wood, based on the premise that since The Flintstones was based on The Honeymooners and made for adults, we'd soon be seeing lots of cartoons based on prime-time shows. From #63, June 1961, Edward R. Murrow was replaced by Charles Collingwood in the last few seasons.

From Russian TV Shows by Paul Laikin and John Severin in Cracked #19, April 1961

From If Political Figures Did Guest TV Shots in Cracked #20, July 1961, also by Laikin and Severin.

PERSON TO PERSONS
Sick #4, February 1961
a: Leo Morey

PERSONALLY TO PERSONALLY
Snafu #1, November 1955
w: Stan Lee
a: Joe Maneely

Amoco is a famous gasoline company, although it's Mobil that has the pegasus for a mascot.

Marilyn Monroe famously posed for a nude calendar early in her career.

There was a Bugs Bunny cartoon parodying the show as well.

MR. SCIENCE

MR. WIZARD
1951-1972 SYNDICATED


MR. SCIENCE
MAD #34, August 1957
w: Bob & Ray, Tom Koch
a: Mort Drucker

There don't seem to be any embeddable videos of Don Herbert as Mister Wizard but there are plenty otherwise. He was a precursor to Bill Nye showing children different science experiments and how they worked. Here are a couple examples of Bob and Ray's version, though.

The early days of MAD had work by famous comedians of the day, sometimes reprinting their work, sometimes having them write all-new material. Tom Koch wrote much of Bob & Ray's material, but was also a regular MAD writer, so this was convenient. Though all their artists were caricaturists, the articles assigned to Mort Drucker revealed his hidden talent and made him the one they used most of all.

The first panel has the body diagram that was used in Bufferin ads.

In the background is the original Charles Addams version of Uncle Fester.

Bob & Ray's relationship with Mort Drucker continued later when he did the poster for their Broadway show.

Here are a couple more parodies of Mr. Wizard over the years.

MA GHERKINS

MA PERKINS
NBC, CBS 1933-1960

MA GHERKINS-- SHE'S ALWAYS IN A PICKLE
Cracked #98, January 1972
a: Vic Martin

Ma Perkins was “America's mother of the air” similar to Mary Worth in the comics, a daily radio soap opera starring Virginia Payne.The term “soap opera” got its name from this because it was originally sponsor by Oxydol, a soap company.

Also parodied here is radio character Just Plain Bill. In the graffiti are characters Stella Dallas and Fibber McGee of Fibber McGee and Molly. I can't make quite out the graffiti in the last panel but it might say Elsie Beebe (LCBB), nickname for Life Can Be Beautiful.

There was a radio soap called Mary Noble, Backstage Wife probably better known for the Bob and Ray parody Mary Backstage, Noble Wife. Also referenced is Vic and Sade. Featured are comic strip characters Snuffy Smith, Luhweeze, and Jughaid from Snuffy Smith, Hairless Joe and Lonesome Polecat from Li'l Abner (who co-incidentally also did Oxydol ads), Little Orphan Annie, Henry, Fritz Katzenjammer, Happy Hooligan, and A. Mutt.

JUST PLAIN BULL

JUST PLAIN BILL
1933-1955 CBS, BLUE, NBC Red

JUST PLAIN BULL
Panic #4, August-September 1954
w: Al Feldstein
a: Joe Orlando

One of the first radio soap operas, called that because most were sponsored by soap companies, though this one was sponsored by a toothpaste. The show centered around the barbershop of Bill and the talk surrounding his community, and his family's helping their neighbors.

This first story parodies the daytime radio genre as a whole.

The names Stella Dallas, Perry Mason, Ma Perkins, Lorenzo Jones, Young Dr. Malone are punned, which were also the names of daytime radio series.

Comedians Bob and Ray are now mentioned, and pictured as well.

“Write if you get work, and hang by your thumbs” was how Bob and Ray would sign off their program. Richard Nixon's 'Checkers Speech', named after his dog, was what he was most known for in the fifties, and before that other thing I can't remember about him.

Coincidentally, Bob & Ray had a recurring bit that was a parody of Just Plain Bill called Just Fancy Dan.

The final line was the punchline to every story in that issue of Panic.

JUST PLAIN HARRY'S OTHER WIFE
Crazy #7, July 1954
w: Stan Lee a: Al Hartley

A joke Stan Lee always used was to mention that a big name was behind something and then mentioned that it was a different person by that name.