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 MURDER SHE WROTE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MURDER SHE WROTE. Show all posts
MURDER, SHE HOPES
MAD #261, March 1986
w: Dick DeBartolo
a: Angelo Torres
The series centered around Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), a retired English teacher that became a mystery writer and inadvertantly ended up unsolving crimes, finding murders in the places she visited.
On the flight, she is sitting next to Telly Savalas as Kojak.
The police detective is caricatured as Leslie Nieslen playing Frank Drebin from Police Squad and the Naked Gun movies.
The murderer is caricatured as Tony Perkins in Psycho, wearing a pin saying “Mom” referring to his mother fixation just in case people didn't recognize him.
MURDER, SHE WROT
Cracked #230, September 1987
w: Stu Schwartzberg
a: Marie Severin
Tom Bosley was Sheriff Amos Tupper in her hometown of Cabot Cove. Arnold Finsky is a caricature of Raymond Burr. Angela Lansbury often used her power to have older actors on her show to make sure they got health benefits.
Denise is drawn as Barbara Streisand, even though Renphew isn't a caricature of anyone.
THE CRACKED MOVIE
Cracked #178, July 1981
w: Joe Catalano
a: John Severin
This was a recurring feature they did based on the fact that Mad and National Lampoon had movies. This takes place in the office of publisher Bob Sproul, though I've been told their “office” was basically a cubicle, and Sproul handled the business side of things in Florida while the editorial was handled in New York.
Cracked had a few recurring characters such as their janitor/mascot Sylvester P. Smythe (their answer to Alfred E. Neuman), Hang-Ups (two prisoners in a dungeon), Sagebrush (a gold prospector), and something called The Talking Blob.
Nanny Dickering was the reporter they used for the interviews in the back, and originally she looked different depending on who drew her, until they settled on the version drawn by good-girl artist Bill Ward.
THE CRACKED MOVIE II
Cracked #183, December 1981
w: Joe Catalano
a: John Severin
Another caricature of MAD's Bill Gaines at the beginning.
There's a video for 9 to 5 in the 9 to 5 link in the sidebar.
CRACKED MOVIE III
Cracked #189, September 1982
w: Joe Catalano
a: John Severin
THE CRACKED MOVIE IV
Cracked #195, July 1983
w: Joe Catalano
a: John Severin
For a while, Sylvester P. Smythe was given a girlfriend.
In the audience are Arnold, Willis and Kimberly from Diff'rent Strokes.
THE CRACKED MOVIE V
Cracked #211, May 1985
w: Joe Catalano
a: John Severin
Coming into the office are Tom Selleck of Magnum, P. I. and Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless of Cagney & Lacey.
The detectives from Riptide join.
Four parodies of The A-Team and crossovers with The Cosby Show and Diff'rent Strokes in previous issues weren't enough. They had to be included here as well.
And Howard Hunter (James Sikking) from Hill Street Blues also was brought in.
And last but not least, Jessica Fletcher of Murder, She Wrote and The Scarecrow & Mrs. King (Bruce Boxleitner and Kate Jackson).
CRACKED MOVIE VI: A NEW BEGINNING
Cracked #222, September 1986
w: Joe Catalano
a: John Severin
The taxi driver is Tony Danza, reprising his character from Taxi, though he'd long left that show by then. The mayor of New York City at that time was Ed Koch.
There was a seventh Cracked Movie in an issue I don't have, but will add it if I get it.
UPDATE:
From #242, January 1989. Cracked had an entirely different editorial staff by then.
