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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Yesterday we looked at the MAD and Cracked parodies of The Towering Inferno (click on “older post” or one of the several other methods), now here are takes from Crazy and Sick.
THE SOURING INFERNO
Sick #105, August 1975
w: Fred Wolfe (Paul Laikin)
a: Jerry Grandenetti
It's the ribbon-cutting ceremony for The Glass Tower, The world's tallest building, located in San Francisco, designed by Doug Roberts (Paul Newman), developed and owned by James Duncan (William Holden). Harry Jernigan is head of security supervising through monitored rooms up inside.
Frank Sinatra and Don Rickles are not in the movie. Red Skelton, Lawrence Welk, Dean Martin, Danny Thomas, and Phil Silvers appear later on. I guess the artist just wanted to show he could draw them.
Roger Simmons (Richard Chamberlain), son-in-law of James Duncan, was responsible for construction, and used shoddy wiring when building it. The premiere party has started on the top floor. Among the guests are Harlee Claiborne (Fred Astaire) and Lisolette Mueller (Jennifer Jones). Duncan has invited Senator Parker (Robert Vaughn) in hopes to win favor and have more building contracts approved.
Publicist Dan Bigelow (Robert Wagner) is having an affair with his secretary (Susan Flannery) and they get trapped in his office. Everybody at the party has to leave the room and move to a lower floor, including Doug's girlfriend Susan (Faye Dunaway). Mike O' Halloran (Steve McQueen) is the fire chief called to put out the fire in the building.
The fire has spread out of control and everyone has to evacuate the building, mostly through makeshift ropes and helicopters.
Commercials for Hanes' Beautymist pantyhose with Joe Namath were a big ad campaign in the seventies,
After a lottery of who gets rescued first and everyone is finally saved, Chief O'Halloran gives Doug Roberts a lecture about how skyscrapers are a potential disaster.
THE TOWERING MESS
Crazy #11, June 1975
w: Stu Schwartzberg
a: Vance Rodewalt
This parodies the entire genre. Mostly The Towering Inferno with parts of The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and the Airport series.
Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters were in The Poseidon Adventure, Charlton Heston was in Airport '75 and Earthquake. This was years before Airplane was released as a parody of the genre, when they couldn't have been aware Kareem-Abdul Jabbar would have a major part.
Charlton Heston was best known for Moses in The Ten Commandments, so he had to have his crook with him.
A big scene in Poseidon was to have women give up their lingerie so it could be tied together to make ropes for everyone to climb up.
And a few years before Airplane!, the Zucker brothers sent up the genre in The Kentucky Fried Movie.
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
MAD #169, September 1974
w: Stan Hart
a: Mort Drucker
Frank Serpico (Al Pacino) is a cop that has been shot. We don't know when, why or how, but his life flashes before his eyes.
We start with Serpico graduating from the police academy an eager young cadet with big ideas when he joins the force, but little does he realize how corrupt the police force really is. It starts with small things, like policemen being given free food at restaurants.
In his graduation picture, he's depicted as Michael Corleone, his breakthrough role in The Godfather.
Serpico pursues a rape case, despite it not being on his beat. He sees the wrong people being arrested just so it looks like the cops are doing work.
Serpico is assigned to undercover work because of his unconventional way of dressing. His hippie life doesn't quite fit in as a cop and being a cop doesn't mix well with his casual ballerina girlfriend Leslie (Cornelia Sharpe) or their Greenwich Village artist friends.
He finds life for the police is more about taking bribes than fighting crime, he doesn't want to work in that particular precinct, but sees it's everywhere and wants to report it to higher-ups which he confides to his fiance Laurie (Barbara Eda-Young).
Serpico refuses to be on the take like his co-workers or take any of the money they offer him. With help of his former cop friend Bob (Tony Roberts) he wants to take this whole thing to the mayor's office. The liaison between the mayor and the police keeps saying they'll do something and never gets back to him. The mayor's office finally does get back to him and says there's nothing they can do. He realizes he has to go even higher since the city can't investigate its affairs internally.
Word gets around that Serpico is going to blow the lid off corruption within the police department and nobody will talk to him. He's threatened when he's transferred to Coney Island. The supervisor in his precinct is sympathetic though.
Serpico is reluctant to testify but eventually does. The movie is set up to have you believe he was shot by fellow officers, but it was in the line of duty. He's still pariah and a marked man in the hospital. He has policeman on guard which he requests they not do since they're more likely to finish him off for being a stool pigeon.
In this, he's finished off by Clint Eastwood
BESERKO
Cracked #119, September 1974
a: John Severin
There are various TV cops and detectives throughout this parody. Like in this second panel which features Kojak.
George C. Scott is Serpico's partner, probably as his character from The New Centurions
Capt. McClain (Biff McGuire) is a character that isn't used in the MAD parody. Columbo and Dirty Harry are wandering around random panels on this page.
Gene Hackman as Popeye Doyle in the last panel.
SERPIKETTE: COPESS ON THE BEST
Crazy #8, December 1974
w: Nina Mende & Marv Wolfman
a: Bill Skurski
SER-PIG-O
Sick #100, October 1974
w: Fred Wolfe (Paul Laikin)
a: Jerry Grandenetti
