THE JACK FAAR SHOW

THE JACK PAAR PROGRAM
1957-1962 NBC

THE JACK FAAR SHOW
Cracked #3, July 1958
a: Russ Heath

Incarnation of The Tonight Show in between Steve Allen and Johnny Carson. One of the first late-night casual format talk shows but also had a list of regulars such as Jonathan Winters, Elsa Maxwell, Genevieve, Charley Weaver/Cliff Arquette, and Dody Goodman. IM4U was a novelty 45 he had singing letters and numbers that were words.

Arthur Godfrey was another occasional guest.

Edward Murrow was known for smoking.

Hugh Downs was his announcer. Jose Melies was a regular guest. I don't know why some names are punned but not others.

JACK PARR MAKES UP WITH THE PRESS
Cracked #18, February 1961
w: Paul Laikin
a: John Severin

Paar temporarily walked off his show because a sketch of his was censored (see above) and it was a big deal in the news. Guests here are Walter Winchell, Dorothy Kilgallen, and Lee Mortimer, gossip columnists he was known for feuding with (see below).

His censored sketch involved the fact that he said “W.C.” (water closet. Yes, standard and practices were that tame.), hence the other euphemisms for “bathroom” on signs in the background.

WHO WILL REPLACE JACK PAAR?
Cracked #27, November 1962
w: Paul Laikin
a: John Severin

GOLDWATER ON PAAR
Sick #24, November 1963
a: Jack Davis

From MAD's TV “Alfie” Awards in MAD #56, July 1960, by Larry Siegel and Mort Drucker

From Adult TV Cartoons in MAD #63, June 1961, by Al Jaffee and Wallace Wood

From If Celebrities Ran for Political Office in MAD #90, October 1964, by Arnie Kogen and Jack Rickard

DIVE

DAVE (1993)
dir: Ivan Reitman

DIVE
MAD #323, December 1993
w: Arnie Kogen
a: Angelo Torres

Dave Kovick (Kevin Kline) runs a temp agency and is is drafted one day to be a body double for president Bill Mitchell because of his uncanny likeness.

He's needed to make public exits while the real president goes to his extramarital affairs, an open secret among his staff. During a rendezvous with his secretary (Laura Linney) the president has a stroke and he has to stay on life support indefinitely. Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella) and the Secret Service detail are the only ones who know about this, and conspire to make the public think nothing serious happened and pretend Dave is Mitchell in the meantime. Instead of appointing the Vice President to take over, Alexander, who's really running things, has sent the VP on a tour of Africa and plans to frame him, so that he will be appointed Vice President instead. (Secession doesn't work that way, but whatever).

People named Dave are featured throughout. Included are MLB player Dave Winfield, Clinton and Reagan advisor David Gergen, comedian David Brenner, reporter David Brinkley, SCOTUS judge David Souter, David Alan Grier, David Letterman, NYC mayor David Dinkins, and David Bowie.

Sam Donaldson is the reporter at the press conference.


Real politicians, newscasters, and celebrities made appearances as themselves in the movie.

Bill has been in a loveless marriage for years but Bill/Dave and his wife Ellen (Sigourney Weaver) keep up the charade when they make a public appearance at a childrens' homeless shelter. Bob Alexander forges Bill Mitchell's signature to veto a document that would fund the shelter (remember the good old days when the federal budget was only counted in millions?) Ellen confronts Bill/Dave in the shower angry that “he” vetoed the funding,so he has his accountant Murray (Charles Grodin, who died the very day I'm writing this. This happens a lot, must be a curse) come over to help set things right.

Ellen realizes it hasn't really been Bill all this time and lets him know. Vice President Nance (Ben Kingsley) comes back and finds out he's been set up in a savings and loan scandal by recently fired Bob Alexander. The real Bill Mitchell actually was involved and Dave as him comes clean and absolves Nance, then feigns a stroke (which they don't show in the parody) and disappears, ceding the presidency to Nance. Dave goes back to his life and runs for town council, and Ellen has fallen in love with him and comes to him. Back then middle aged people could still be romantic leads in film.

In the parody, the new president is Joey Buttafuoco, a fifteen-minute celebrity whose wife was shot by his teenage girlfriend.

One of the volunteers in the next-to-last panel is Phoebe Cates, real-life wife of Kevin Kline.

C. P. O. SHARKEYE

C. P. O. SHARKEY
1976-1978 NBC

C. P. O. SHARKEYE
Sick #119, February 1978
w: Joe Gill
a: Jack Sparling

Sitcom vehicle for Don Rickles and his brand of humor that wouldn't go over today. He was a naval officer in charge insulting to his multi-ethnic crew but had a loving interior, just like his stage persona.

For those unfamiliar with the way he was on talk shows, here's an earlier article from MAD.

IF EVERYONE TALKED LIKE DON RICKLES
MAD #131, December 1969
w: Earle Doud
a: Angelo Torres

Back to Sick.

A FAMILY REUNION WITH DON RICKLES
Sick #122, August 1978
w & a: Bill Burke

UPDATE:
EVERYBODY IS DOING THE DON RICKLES BIT
Cracked #80, October 1969
a: Noel Severin (John Severin)

Like the other MAD article here it was made well before this show but his act was much funnier.