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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SHAFTED
Crazy #4, May 1974
w: Len Wein
a: Mike Ploog
Not the films, of which there were three, but the TV series. Since many of NBC's mystery series were revolving TV movies, CBS decided to do the same thing and brought Shaft to the small screen, alternating with the Jimmy Stewart series Hawkins. The Shaft series also featured Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, the big black dick who was sex machine to all the chicks.
There was an unwritten rule in the seventies that if one TV detective was parodied, they all had to be, hence the appearances by Ironside, Columbo, Cannon, Barnaby Jones, and Ironside on the cover. They're on the inside too.
Shaft's boss was Lt. Rossi (Ed Barth).
In Isaac Hayes' theme, a popular song in its own right, he describes Shaft as “a mean mother--” and is then interrupted before he can say the f-word.
3
Shaft's Big Score was the title of one of his movies.
MAD #161, September 1973
w: Dick DeBartolo
a: Mort Drucker
In articles about MAD, they like to talk about how this was the only cover without Alfred E. Neuman. A bit of revisionism going on, since there were quite a few. They said it was the best-selling issue in their history, which was true, though that's more due to it being a high point for magazines in general. And it had the return of the original Kurtzman logo for just one issue.
The disaster movie was the dominant genre for big-budget movies until Star Wars came along.
Captain Harrison (Leslie Nielsen) runs the Poseidon and warns Linorcos (Fred Sadoff), owner of the ship's cargo, that the weather can't handle full speed for the ship, but is ordered to do so anyway.
They establish who the main characters are, Rogo (Ernest Borgnine) and his wife (Stella Stevens) are planning to head to dinner that night but she's afraid to go because she's afraid of running into one of her former clients from when she was a prostitute (the fact that she doesn't ruins the chance for a storyline right there). Belle and Manny Rosen (Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson) are resting on deck and run into lonely bachelor Martin (Red Buttons). Reverend Frank Scott (Gene Hackman) has just given a sermon.
Susan Shelby (Pamela Sue Martin) and her brother Robin (Eric Shea) are en route to meet their parents. Robin knows everything about ships. They all have dinner on New Years Eve when disaster starts to strike.
A wave turns the ship upside-down right after the New Years celebration. Rev. Scott takes the initiative in rescuing everyone. He believes that by going to the top (formerly the bottom), they can be saved. Robin knows that the propellor shaft has a hull only an inch thick, the thinnest part of the boat, which is above water and their greatest chance of getting out. A waiter named Acres (Roddy McDowall) is aleady at the top and everyone else climbs a christmas tree to get there.
Rogo's wife needs to take off her dress to navigate their escape but is wearing nothing underneath so puts on his shirt. Nonnie (Carol Lynley), a singer we saw previously, is another one of the survivors. Mrs. Rosen doesn't think she can get through because of her weight.
The first panel has Olympic swimmer Mark Spitz.
The way to the engine room is now flooded so they have to hold a rope and travel underwater to get there. Susan won't go without her brother because he is missing since he had to go to the bathroom (which he didn't need to do since the ocean is basically one big toilet. And how did he use a toilet when they're all upside-down and would be broken?). The rope needs to be connected first and Mrs. Rosen offers to do that since she was a championship swimmer once. Rev. Scott, the leader of the group, won't allow her but gets trapped underwater trying to do it himself. Nonnie can't swim but Martin tells her to hold on to him.
Now they all have to walk across a walk to get to the hull. Mrs. Rogo doesn't make it and falls into the fire below. (not shown: Mr. Rogo won't go on without her and blames everyone. They all tell him giving up is not what a cop, his former occupation, would do.) Rev. Scott, in turning off the steam valve, falls below too. A rescue squad overhears the remaining survivors and brings them all to safety.
THE PERSPIRIN' ADVENTURE
Cracked #111, September 1973
a: John Severin
Ben and Willard were rats from the movie Willard that came out that year, they missed the opportunity to make a joke about how Ernest Borgnine was in that as well.
Mrs. Rosen dies after coming back up for air and saving Rev. Scott.
THE UPSEIDOWN ADVENTURE
Crazy #1, December 1973
w: Len Wein
a: Ross Andru & Vic Martin
Gene Hackman's previous role was Popeye Doyle in The French Connection.
Every one of these parodies made a joke about a cruise liner that sank in real life. I guess I would too.
ODD SQUAD
MAD #127. June 1969
w: Dick DeBartolo
a: Mort Drucker
The premise of this show was that three runaway youths, Pete Cochran (Michael Cole), Linc Hayes (Clarence Williams III), and Julie Barnes (Peggy Lipton), were taken under the wing of Capt. Adam Greer (Tige Andrews). They were arrested for various offenses and Andrews let them serve their time by being undercover cops.
This was Jack Rickard's marker rough for that cover.
From Talking Animals Take Over TV in Cracked #91, March 1971. Art by John Severin.
CLOD SQUAD
Sick #66, March 1969
w: Fred Wolfe (Paul Laikin)
a: Bill Robinson
Apologies in advance for another watermelon joke, which kind of redeems itself with yet another George Wallace joke. These guys were really obsessed with George Wallace.
CLOD SQUAD
Spoof #1, October 1970
w: Len Wein
a: Marie Severin
In the foreground of the party is William F. Buckley referring to Gore Vidal.
