This Film Has Been Rated Ecch: CARL HUBBELL

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Sunday, July 23, 2023

THE SEVEN ITCHY YEARS

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (1955)
dir: Billy Wilder

THE SEVEN ITCHY YEARS
MAD #26, November 1955
w: Harvey Kurtzman
a: Will Elder

Comedy about publishing executive Richard Sherman (Tom Ewell) bored after seven years of marriage and when his wife and son go away on vacation, is tempted by and has a dream about an affair with his upstairs neighbor (Marilyn Monroe). The image of Marilyn Monroe's dress being blown up in the air by a subway grate is the image she's most associated with and the poster is parodied in the splash panel here.

Sonny Tufts and Victor Moore are also in the cast.

THE NEW MARILYN MARONE
MAD #31, February 1957
a: Wallace Wood

Marilyn Monroe was probably the most iconic sex symbol of the twentieth century. Her calendar pose featured in the second bottom panel is one of the most well-known images of the fifties. There was a big publicity boost while she was working to show that she could be taken seriously and wasn't just some dumb blonde like she was constantly portrayed. This is a parody of magazine articles from then that were reminding the public of that.

THE SEVEN-YEAR TWITCH
From Here to Insanity (Eh!) #12
a: Carl Hubbell

Some of the editors of MAD imitations had no idea what funny was. They figured since MAD had all kinds of backround gags, they should too, except there was no explanation for them. There's no reason to have celebrities like Jack Webb, Liberace, Marlon Brando, Groucho Marx or J. Fred Muggs in the crowd, or advertising mascots like the Cream of Wheat man or a Campbell's Kid. They don't exactly fit in except they were popular celebrities. They could have done something with Jane Russell as Marilyn Monroe's co-star in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes but having her floating up in the sky as her character from Underwater doesn't make any sense.

THE SEVENTEEN-YEAR TWITCH
Riot #4, February 1956
w: Stan Lee
a: Joe Maneely

Friday, January 28, 2022

HINDU

HONDO (1953)
dirs: John Farrow, John Ford

HINDU
Panic #4, August/September 1954
w: Al Feldstein
a: Wallace Wood

This was a 3-D Western. It begins with Angie Lowe(Geraldine Page) and her son Johnny (Lee Aker) on their ranch waiting for her husband to come back home. Hondo Lane (John Wayne) and his dog Sam come up. He explains he's from the cavalry and fell off his horse fighting Indians. He is part Apache himself.

References are made to another Western called Shane that has a similar setting and ends with the father leaving home with the hopes that he'll come back.

Hondo claims that because he has Apache blood, he has a strong sense of smell and can therefore smell Angie. He lets Johnny to pet his dog knowing the dog will bite him, but he knows this will teach him a lesson in becoming a man. The sequence teaching Johnny to swim happens like this, but isn't until later in the movie.

They leave out how during Hondo's stay, Angie discovers he's a famous gunman and initially doesn't trust him, but comes to learn he's a gentleman.

After Hondo leaves, the Apaches invade the property and Johnny tries to save his mother but is too small for the gun and falls down recoiling. The head of the tribe admires his bravery and makes him an honorary Apache.

The Indian on the nickel was replaced with Thomas Jefferson around this time.

Much later, Hondo has returned to the cavalry on a new horse, which was Angie's. A stranger (Leo Gordon) claims the horse is his and gets in a fight with Hondo and gets beaten (not shot like here) and killed. Hondo realizes the man he just killed was Angie's missing husband, and returns to her ranch.

He runs into Gene Autry as the Lone Ranger (?) and is informed by Bob Hope (Son of Paleface reference?) he's in the wrong movie.

Hondo's sidekick Buffalo (Ward Bond) finds a photo of Johnny on the dead man, confirming it was Angie's husband. On his way back, he is attacked by Indians. The film had an intermission even though it was only an hour and a half. Maybe people couldn't handle wearing 3-D glasses that long.

Hondo returns and Angie says he is in fact her husband so the Apaches will spare him. This is where he teaches Johnny to swim. He also teaches Johnny to fish.

Getting the news there's no need for a cavalry outpost there, Hondo and the Lowes go to his ranch to start a new family. "Somebody's gotta work..." was how they ended every story in that particular issue of Panic.