JANUARY UPDATES 2

Here we go with another batch before I get to what I already had planned when my computer shut me out of all my files.

CHEERS
1982-1993 NBC

BEERS
Elvis Shrugged #1, February 1991
w: Dennis Worden
a: Scott Jackson

Elvis Shrugged used someof the material meant for Barf when publisher Todd Loren was murdered. I know Dennis Worden and don't know exactly why he was writing for them. He's better than that and opposite them politically. Maybe he felt an obligation when the publisher picked up his hilarious Stickboy after his falling out with previous publisher Fantagraphics.

THE CONTINENTAL
1952-1954 CBS, SYNDICATED

THE TRANS-CONTINENTAL
Bughouse #3, July-August 1954
artist unknown

COOL HAND LUKE (1967)
dir: Stuart Rosenberg

HOT HAND DUKE
Wild! #2, June 1968
a: Henry Scarpelli

This parody conflates the crew distracted by seeing the woman washing her car and Luke using the task of fetching the warden's pet from the car as his first escape attempt.

THE COSBY SHOW
1984-1992 NBC

THE NIL FLAWSBY SHOW
Barf #3, September 1990
w: Herb Shapiro and Todd Loren
a: Dave Garcia

THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER
1969-1972 ABC

THE COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S DA-DA
Sick #78, September 1970
w: Guy Thomas
a: Jack Sparling

THE COWBOYS (1972)
dir: Mark Rydell

SICK MOVIE REVIEW: THE COWBOYS
w: Fred Wolfe (Paul Laikin)

Moshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader known for having an eyepatch. Ralph Nader, before he was a presidential candidate, wrote about unsafety of consumer products first exposing the auto business.

CROCODILE DUNDEE
dir: Peter Faimann

Australian MAD #272, July 1987
w: Adam Searle
a: Zmud

Like I mentioned before, the Australian version of MAD often does versions of movies not parodied here, yet they did one of Crocodile Dundee, which had already been parodied in the American version. Perhaps the country felt it was their domain, since Paul Hogan was already a well known personality there before making a big splash in the US and launching our brief period of Austro-mania in the late eighties. Apologies for the political incorrectness that doesn't translate as well over the borders.

DRAGNET
1951-1959,1967-1970 NBC

DRAGNET LETTER
Cockeyed #4, c. 1956
author unknown

FLAKIER

FRASIER
1993-2004 NBC

FLAKIER
MAD #329, July 1994
w:Dick DeBartolo
a: Paul Coker

Spinoff from Cheers that lasted just as long. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) was originally a guest star as one of Diane's boyfriends and became a regular character that got married, with his wife becoming a regular as well. On this show he has relocated from Boston to Seattle and is a call-in radio psychiatrist with a family and a maid.

Niles (David Hyde-Pierce) is his brother who is also a psychiatrist and intellectual. It is true that he has played similar roles in almost everything else. Martin (John Mahoney) is the blue-collar father who lives with Frasier. Daphne (Jane Leeves) has been hired for the upkeep of the house and to take care of Martin, despite his thinking he doesn't need to be taken care of. Roz Boyle (Peri Gilpin) works at the radio station producing his show and screening calls. Eddie is the dog filling the role in the time-honored sitcom tradition of pets who are just as smart as the rest of the cast. Lilith (Bebe Neuwirth) fills the role in the time-honored sitcom tradition of former cast members from previous programs who show up sporadically in their spinoffs.

Niles, despite the time-honored sitcom tradition of unrequited and one-sided love for Daphne, has a wife Maris, who fills the role in the time-honored sitcom tradition of recurring characters you never see. Norm and Cliff, regulars from Cheers, also had invisible wives.

FROZEN
Cracked #297, March 1995
w: Greg Grabianski
a: Walter Brogan

   -Kurt Cobain committed suicide two years earlier.
   -"I'm Listening" was how Frasier always greeted callers on his radio show.

Kelsey Grammer is well-known for being a conservative.

Wilson on Home Improvement is another recurring character that's never seen.

BEERS

CHEERS
1982-1993 NBC

BEERS
MAD #249, September 1984
w: Arnie Kogen
a: Angelo Torres

MAD did their first parody of the long-running parody of the sitcom that takes place in a Boston bar with its original cast. The owner was Sam Malone (Ted Danson), a former baseball player. One of the barmaids was Carla (Rhea Perlman). Two of the patrons were Norm (George Wendt) and Cliff (John Ratzenberger). The bartender was Coach (Nick Colastano)

At the bar are movie critic Gene Shalit and Taxi star Judd Hirsch.


Diane (Shelley Long) was also a barmaid and Sam's on-and-off again lover.

From When American Programs Are Shown in Russia in MAD #272, July 1987, by Lou Silverstone and Angelo Torres

REPLACEMENTS FOR DIEANNE ON JEERS!
Cracked # 232, November 1987
w: Joe Catalano
a: Walter Brogan

The character of Diane left the show, so Cracked did a piece that summer on who would take her place.

Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) came in later as Diane's boyfriend and became a member of the cast even after she left.

Her part was eventually taken by Rebecca (Kirstie Alley), head of the corporation that takes over the bar.

BEERS
MAD #268, March 1989
w: Debbee Ovitz (Arnie Kogen)
a: Mort Drucker

MAD did a second parody with the new cast. I think “Debbee Ovitz” is a combination of several writers, since she only has one other credit, and MAD never had freelancers do movie and TV parodies.

Woody (Woody Harrelson) became the replacement for Coach after the actor died.

At the end of the bar are Barltes & Jaymes, spokesmen for a wine cooler.

There was a short lived spinoff for a while of Carla's family called The Tortellis.

I only know Bob Uecker and Dick Butkus in the last panel, but only because I know nothing about athletes.


BEERS
Cracked #282, August 1993
w: Andy Simmons
a: John Severin

A running bit was that whenever Norm walked into the bar, everyone there would stop what they were doing and shout his name.

Richard Simmons, now rumored missing, was big in the 80s and 90s as a health and fitness guru.

When Cheers started, Jack Davis did this ad for TV Guide.

UPDATE:
JEERS II
Cracked #238, September 1988
w: Joe Catalano
a: Walter Brogan

This is supposed to be about how the bar has changed since Diane left and Rebecca took over.

And how since Shelley Long left the show to go into movies and Ted Danson's film career was starting to take off, everyone else in the cast would be leaving. Rhea Pearlman was married to Danny Devito in real life. DeVito's big hit a year earlier was Throw Momma from the Train.

From TV Spinoffs Yet to Come in MAD #287, March 1987.