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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Showing posts with label IN LIVING COLOR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IN LIVING COLOR. Show all posts
THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR
CBS 1967-1969, 1988-1989
Tom and Dick Smothers came to prominence in the mid-sixties as a comedy team/folk duo with several hit records and then a TV show. Most of their act consisted of them starting a song and, Tom, the dumber one, interrupting, and often it would evolve into sibling rivalry.
This was the back cover for Cracked #76, May 1969.
THE SMOTHERED BROTHERS SHOW
Cracked Collectors Edition #77, January 1989
w: Peter Bagge
a: Rob Orzechowski
They brought the show back with a few specials twenty years later, recycling a lot of the same material they did then.
In the late 80s much of Paul Simon's material was co-opted from native African songs.
Pat Paulsen for President was a recurring bit they had with one of their regular cast members. Here they show a comedy sketch is no different from the campaigns of Pat Robertson, George H.W. Bush, Jerry Brown, or Jesse Jackson. Tea Time with Goldie was a bit they did with one of their cast members (Leigh French) giving a monologue with marijuana innuendos.
SUNDAY NIGHT RATING BATTLE
Cracked #65, November 1967
a: John Severin
When the show premiered, it was on opposite long-running series Bonanza.
At one time Woody Allen was just a guy who made films, but before that he was just a comic.
They were always in danger of being kicked off the air for digs at religion and Vietnam and the Nixon administration that wouldn't even register with anyone today, This is from MAD #122, August 1968.
This is one of the controversial jokes they were suspended for. Beware, you and your entire family could be jailed for life without trial just for your knowing it exists.
The Brothers Brothers was a recurring bit on In Living Color.
MARTIAN
Cracked #283, September 1993
w: Andrew Osborne
a: John Severin
Martin was a vehicle for comedian Martin Lawrence to play the title character, a DJ at WZUP in Detroit, with his more successful girlfriend and friends.
Martin's girlfriend was Gina (Tisha Campbell). His friends were Cole (Carl Anthony Payne II) and Tommy (Thomas Mikal Ford). Gina's friend was Pam (Tichina Arnold). This parody features Homey the Clown (Damon Wayans), who wasn't on this show but a character on the FOX show In Living Color.
Martin Lawrence played other characters on the program, such as his mother.
The surprise of The Crying Game (30-year-old-spoiler) was that the lead male character was revealed to be female.
Sheneneh was another of Lawrence's characters.
Martin was on right after The Simpsons, which some say Martin owes its success to.
The station engineer at Martin's day job was played by Shawn McDermott, and the radio station is the reason for the presence of Howard Stern as Fartman.
The people in the last panel are Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, and Ian Ziering of Beverly Hills 90210, Robin Williams as Mork, and Roseanne & Tom Arnold.
JIM CARREY VISITS THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW
MAD #337, July 1995
w: Stan Hart
a: Angelo Torres
The Larry Sanders Show wasn't a talk show but a sitcom about the life of a talk-show host and a behind the scenes look at the program. Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling) was host of the show within the show. His sidekick was Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor) and the producer was Artie (Rip Torn). I guess the woman in the first panel is supposed to be Janeane Garofalo, who played one of the talent bookers, It doesn't exactly look like her, but the giveaway is the pin referring to her being a one-season cast member of Saturday Night Live. Darlene (Linda Doucette) was Hank's assistant. Hank warmed up the audience with jokes and one was that the 'Applause' sign said 'Applesauce'.
Ace Ventura, Pet Detective is about a detective who finds the mascot of the Miami Dolphins. He's a thorn in the side of the actual police force, particularly to their lieutenant (Sean Young). Sharon Stone was famous in a scene from Basic Instinct for not wearing underwear. Actresses often played themselves on the show and dated Larry. “Hey now” was Hank's catchphrase. Jim Carrey was always 'on' and would break into impressions during interviews.
“No flipping” was what Larry Sanders always said when they went to a commercial break. The Mask was about Jim Carrey finding a mask in a river, putting it on, and turning into a ladies' man.
The middle panels make references to Whitewater, a real estate scandal the Clintons were accused of being involved in, and the picture in the next panel is of Fire Marshal Bill, a character Carrey played on In Living Color. Hank Kingsley owned a restaurant he was always trying to plug on The Larry Sanders Show show.
The lesson in The Mask was that Carrey's character was better being himself when Tina (Cameron Diaz), the woman he was trying to impress, found out who he really was. Dumb and Dumber is about two guys (Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels), who find a briefcase full of ransom money, think it was something accidentally left behind, and travel across the country to give it back to the girl who left it there.
Teri Garr plays someone in Dumb and Dumber who heads an animal rescue foundation. The spider on Hank's head refers to an episode of The Larry Sanders Show where one of the guests handled them and they came loose. Larry's assistant was Beverly (Penny Johnson).
This was MAD's way of combining several parodies into one, but in a case of art imitating art Jim Carrey ended up eventually becoming a "guest".
ENTERTAINMENT TOO LIGHT VISITS IN LIVID COLOR
MAD # 317, March 1993
w: A. J. Marley (Arnie Kogen)
a: Sam Viviano
Parodying two shows at once, Entertainment Tonight was/is an entertainment/news show starring John Tesh and Mary Hart. They cover whatever is going on in media that day, but for this article they're only covering In Living Color, a sketch comedy show. The producer and host of the show was Keenan Ivory Wayans and a lot of the cast were his family, such as Damon, Shawn, Marlon, and Kim.
As a publicity stunt, Mary Hart's legs were insured by Lloyd's of London
One of their recurring sketches was The Homeboy Shopping Network. Damon Wayons was Anton, a homeless wino that carried around a pickle in a jar that was supposed to represent a turd and the jar his toilet.
Homey the Clown was one of the first 'bad clowns', with the catchphrase “Homey don't play that.”
Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight's movie critic, introduces the In Living Color sketch Men on Film where Damon Wayons and David Alan Grier played two effeminate movie critics. They never specifically said they were gay, but there were plenty of innuendos implying it was the premise, because in the early 90s it was still acceptable for mainstream media to make that the joke.
Leeza Gibbons interviews Kelly Coffield and Jim Carrey, who were the only two white cast members. One of Carrey's most famous characters was Fire Marshall Bill, a fire marshal who inevitably ended up starting fires he was there to prevent. The Fly Girls danced on stage in between sketches. One of them was a very young Jennifer Lopez.
