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.
Updated daily. There's posts besides this one archived in the sidebar on the right, you clods!
if you're at a laptop or desktop, right-click and open link on pages and they'll be clearer and legible in a new window.
MAD #201, September 1978
w: Arnie Kogen
a: Mort Drucker
Tony Manero (John Travolta) sees himself as a big wheel in his neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. The movie starts with him delivering a can of paint back to the hardware store where he works. The movie was just as successful in selling songs by The Bee Gees that were used in the soundtrack.
The can of paint says “Stigwood”, who was producer of the movie. It just now occurred to me seeing the sign that says “Andy Gibb Pizza” that Bee Gees stands for 'Brothers Gibb'. Duh.
Tony wants an advance on his salary so he can buy a shirt for his night at the disco, but his boss Mr. Fusco (Sam Coppola) is reluctant. Tony's family is a typical Brooklyn Italian Catholic family that wants him to sit down and eat instead of galavanting, and they're proud of their other son Frank (Martin Shakar) who's a priest. Tony wears a cape to dinner so he won't get food on his new shirt.
Tony and his friends enter the disco, 2001 Space Odyssey, and are treated like royalty. Annette (Donna Pescow), desperate to land a man, wants to dance with Tony, but he can't respect someone who sleeps around. A local girl (Denny Dillon) worships Tony. There are numerous gags in this parody and the next about John Travolta being the breakout star of Welcome Back, Kotter.
Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcey of the Dead End Kids are pictured in the third panel.
He spots Stephanie Mangano (Karen Lynn Gorney), a woman older and more sophisticated than him, and asks around about her, like if his friend Double-J (Paul Pape) knows who she is.One of the big musical numbers involves everyone there dancing on the floor.
More family life with the Maneros. Tony goes to the dance rehearsal space and comes on strong to Stephanie, who's practicing there, she rejects his advances initially but accepts him but only for dancing. He takes her out, learning more about her. She commutes to Manhattan working at a PR firm and he's just a local without manners. She's always dropping names to show how cultured she is. Meanwhile at home, the family's in shock finding out Frank has left the priesthood.
Tony takes Frank out to the disco. Frank just wants to be a regular guy, but Tony's friends keep asking for religious advice, particularly Bobby (Barry Miller), who got a girl pregnant and wants to know if he should marry her. Tony dumps Annette as a potential dance partner for the big dance contest coming up, so now he can disrespect her again and tries to “make it” with her, but can't bring himself to. He and his friends go prowling around the Verrezano Bridge except for Bobby, who's too depressed. Tony introduced Stephanie to his friends, and neither are impressed with each other.
After Tony helps Stephanie move to Manhattan, he finds out she's seeing someone. He forgives her, but she's upset he had to find out. He says it's all right and they rest at the Verrezano Bridge. Tony and his friends go to avenge their friend Gus (Bruce Ornstein) who was supposedly beaten by a gang called The Barracudas, crashing their local hangout. Bobby, who was supposed to be waiting for them in their getaway car, drives away, then has a change of heart and comes back.
Tony and Stephanie win the dance contest, but the couple that came in second place was better and he knows it. He knows he and Stephanie only won because they're Italian and the other couple was Puerto Rican. The gang goes back to their usual prowling. Bobby's depressed about what his future holds and ends up falling off the bridge. Tony's sick of it all and leaves the neighborhood.
In this, as he's riding the subway, he runs into Olivia Newton-John of Grease, which also came out around then. At this time, it was believed John Travolta would leave TV to be become a movie star, which he did. Then didn't. Until he did again.
Letter from one of the stars of the movie.
SATURDAY NIGHT FERVOR
Crazy #39, July 1978
w & a: Murad Gumen
Bobby didn't kill himself, but fell, though you could argue the former since he had a death wish.
DISCO MAGAZINE
Crazy #51, June 1979
w: Virgil Diamond (Paul Laikin)
a: Alan Kupperberg
A few issues later, they published this as a result of the disco craze inspired by Saturday Night Fever.
Punk and disco were the two prevailing musical trends, with anti-disco fervor using the motto “disco sucks” on everything.
MAD put out a special issue of all-new articles devoted solely to disco, which included a record insert.
SATURDAY MORNING TV SATURDAY MORNING TV
Crazy #8, December 1974
w: Lance Boyle
a: Bert Forrest, Mordecai Inglefeld, Willie Ito, William Stout, Richard Stanley, Igor Vorpuzzi
I think a lot of these contributors were people who worked on the actual shows and/or pen names, since I never saw most of them anywhere else, except for William Stout, who's done numerous commercial art jobs.
Combination of Speed Buggy and Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch. Alsp parodies the Charles Atlas bobybuilding ads.
Land of the Lost
These AreThe Days was a cartoon inspired by The Waltons.
The Partridge Family 2200 A.D.
Devlin
Hong Kong Fooey, which was made to cash in on the martial arts craze.
CRACKED INTERVIEWS THE SATURDAY MORNING CARTOON KING
Cracked #159, May 1979
w: Murad Gumen
a: Bill Ward
In the 90s, friends of mine had a roomate that would always say “The Stimpsons” and they imitated him behind his back, having him say “Stanford and Stun”. This has nothing to do with anything, I just think of it whenever I think of this show.
Vehicle for comedian Redd Foxx as a junk dealer and his son LaMont (DeMond Wilson). Surprisingly, none of the major parody magazines a full parody, though there were references in a few articles.
From TV Disclaimers We'd Like to See in MAD #180, by Lou Silverstone and Jack Davis, January 1976. I'm sure everyone knows who Muhammad Ali is, but just in case, that's who that is in the last panel.
From MAD's Whatever Became Of...TV Characters' Edition by Mike Snider and Bob Clarke, in #266, October 1986. I think they meant Grady Wilson (Whitman Mayo), a friend of Fred Sanford.
From When America Runs Out of Electricity in Cracked #116, May 1974, art by John Severin
SANDFORD AND FUN
CARToons #?, circa 1975
There were various female characters, though there were no younger recurring ones.
THE SINPIPER
MAD #101, March 1966
w: Larry Siegel
a: Mort Drucker
Laura Reynolds (Elizabeth Taylor), a free-spirited single mother, lives in a beach house in Big Sur, CA and paints all day. She home-schools her son Danny (Morgan Mason), but after several cases of juvenile delinquency, he's ordered by the courts to attend a religious boarding school run by Dr. Edward Hewitt (Richard Burton) and his wife Claire (Eva Marie Saint).
One night, while Laura is being sculpted by her friend Cos (Charles Bronson), and their friend Larry (James Edwards) is also hanging out, Dr. Hewitt stops by to tell her about Danny's progress at the school.
Dr. Hewitt keeps dropping by, which escalates into an affair with Laura. She insists it will be just a fling but ends up falling for him. At the same time, she is nursing a sandpiper back to health, symbolizing the story of the movie.
Claire is initially none the wiser about the affair between Edward and Laura. He tells her he goes away on long business trips. She finds out later overhearing him talk at a faculty meeting.
Liz Taylor was previously married to pop singer Eddie Fisher
Edward resigns from the school in disgrace after confessing his affair with Laura and showing he's betrayed his vowa as a priest. Laura's more upset that he revealed their affair. Danny wants to stay at the school and there's a big event. Laura doesn't want to be near Edward or Claire, but goes to the event to support Danny. Afterwards, they all go their own separate ways.
MAD, 1966, THE SANDPIPER, LARRY SIEGEL, MORT DRUCKER
THE “SAM PEBBLES”
MAD #117, March 1968
w: Stan Hart
a: Mort Drucker
Though you can usually tell from my write-ups whether I've seen a movie or not, I'll make an announcement again that this is another movie I have no desire to see. Thank goodness for Wikipedia.
In 1926, Petty officer, first class Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) transfers to the Yangtze River Patrol gunboat USS San Pablo. The ship is nicknamed the "Sand Pebble" and its sailors are "Sand Pebbles". The crew hires “coolies” to do most of the work. Holman, as chief Machinist's Mate, takes hands-on responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the ship's engine, upsetting the head engine room worker, Chien (Tommy Lee). Holman also earns the antipathy of most of his fellow sailors, but becomes close friends with Frenchy (Richard Attenborough), a seasoned yet sensitive sailor.
While the ship is on patrol, Holman discovers a problem with the engine. He wants to stop for repairs, but the captain, Lieutenant Collins (Richard Crenna), refuses until executive officer Bordelles (Charles Robinson) declares a mechanical emergency. Holman acquiesces when Chien insists on making the repairs, allowing Chien to save face. Chien is killed when the locked engine slips into gear and chief worker Lop-eye Shing blames Holman. Holman selects Po-Han to take on Chien's work; in time, the two become friends.
Po-Han (Mako Iwamatsu) is harassed by bullying sailor, Stawski (Simon Oakland). A boxing match ensues with crewmen placing bets. Holman is in the corner of his friend Po-Han, who, despite being badly beaten by Stawski, eventually prevails. His victory creates more friction between Holman and the crew. Upon receiving news regarding an incident involving British gunboats, Collins orders the crew not to return any fire from the Chinese, to avoid a diplomatic incident. Lop-eye Shing purposely sends Po-Han ashore, where a mob captures and slowly tortures him in full view of the crew. When Collins is unable to buy Po-Han's release, Po-Han begs for someone to kill him; Holman disobeys orders and shoots his friend. The San Pablo remains moored on the Xiang River at Changsha, due to low water levels, through the winter of 1926–27. Increasingly hostile crowds surround it in numerous smaller boats. Lt Collins also fears a mutiny.
Frenchy has saved an educated Chinese woman, Maily (Marayat Andriane), from prostitution by paying her debts. He marries her and regularly swims ashore to see her, but dies of pneumonia during a visit. The next morning, Holman finds Maily by Frenchy's corpse. Chinese men burst in, beat Holman, and kill Maily, framing Holman. The Chinese demand Holman be turned over as the "murderer" of Maily. When the demand is rejected, the Chinese blockade the gunboat. Fearing for their safety, the crew demands that Holman surrender to the Chinese. Collins restores order by firing a Lewis gun across the bow of one Chinese sampan.In the spring, the crew restarts river patrols, but the Nanking Incident results in orders to return to the coast. Collins disobeys and travels upstream of Dongting Lake to evacuate idealistic, anti-imperialist missionary Jameson and his schoolteacher assistant, Shirley Eckert (Candice Bergen), from a remote mission. Holman and Eckert met months earlier in Hangkow and developed romantic feelings.
The San Pablo must break through a boom of roped-together junks blocking the river. A team is sent to cut the rope. Fighting breaks out and twelve US crewmen and many Chinese are killed. Holman chops through the rope while under fire. He kills a young Chinese militiaman who attacks him, then recognizes him as a friend of Jameson and Eckert. Once free, the ship continues upriver. Collins leads Holman, Crosley, and Bronson ashore. Jameson refuses rescue, claiming that he and Eckert have renounced their US citizenship. Collins orders Holman to forcibly remove Eckert and Jameson, but Holman declares he is staying with them. Nationalist soldiers suddenly attack, killing Jameson. Collins orders the patrol to take Eckert to the ship, and remains behind to provide cover fire. Collins is killed, leaving Holman in command. Before parting, Holman and Eckert declare their love, with Holman promising to follow her shortly. Holman kills a dozen soldiers but is fatally shot as he is about to rejoin the others. His last bewildered words are, "I was home. What happened. What the hell happened?" Eckert and the remaining two sailors reach the ship, and the San Pablo sails away.
S.W.E.A.T.
Sick #114, March 1977
w: Len Herman
a: Dick Ayers
Short lived TV series about Los Angeles' S.W.A.T. Team, the police's Special Weapons And Tactics team. The show starred Steve Forrest as the unit's leader, Lt. “Hondo” Harrelson.
Obligatory seventies references abound in this, like a caricature of President Carter in the splash panel, and the Sweathogs from Welcome Back, Kotter in the final panel of this page.
Funny the things you saw when you were a kid that stay etched in your brain. Even when I was seven, it seemed weird that someone's butt would be used for target practice. Not to kink-shame, but it would seem even someone who gets off on the worst pain still wouldn't want darts thrown at their butt. Unless that's a picture of someone's butt, in which case forget everything I just said. So many of the other eyeball kicks here make no sense.
In the middle is what the Fonz would look like without any Italian or Jewish heritage.
Wojo is used here as an excuse for them to make a Polish joke without doing so explicitly.
S. O. P.
MAD #231, June 1982
w: Stan Hart
a: Mort Drucker
From MAD's Academy Awards Show.
The film was about a Hollywood director who tries to kill himself after making his first flop but buys it back so that he can make it a hit by editing it from a family film to make it pornographic, and make his wife Sally Miles (Julie Andrews), appear topless to save it. This was a selling point for the real movie as well, since Andrews, Blake Edwards' real wife, was mostly known for family fare.
This checks off all the boxes in the category of films I have no desire to see, so I didn't. An overly long historical epic with no sense of humor is instant aesthetic saltpeter/Kryptonite for me. Luckily Sick did their own encapsulation in their spoof so I don't have to.
HAM 'N 'RYE 'N'S DAUGHTER
Cracked #95, September 1971
a: John Severin
MOVIE REVIEW: RYAN'S DAUGHTER
Sick #84, June 1971
w: Fred Wolfe (Paul Laikin)
