Here are some highlights from
Cracked #51, April 1966 with the cover by
John Severin.
At this time they started telling people what was going on on the cover in the contents:
”Where there's smoke, there's always SYLVESTER P. SMYTHE trying to do his part to put out the fire. He always wanted to be a fire fighter, but was forever making mistakes. We'll never forget the time the barbershop caught fire. Sylvester was right on the spot with his ax and box of MARSHMALLOWS. The other firemen put the blaze AND SYLVESTER out! Okay, Sylvester! Put yourself together and get on with your job!”
Here's the inside front cover dedicate to a photo with a caption.
Before their first article is a fake ad for a country music record by
Vic Martin (in their words in the contents, “A long-playing hit.”)
This portrait of
Moe Howard, from
Super Fan Elan(This week's top 40 jokes), is their definition of the composite English Rock and Roller.
The describe him as having “1)The cunning hair style of
PAUL McCARTNEY...2)The pop-eyed expression of
PETER NOONE...3)The slapping technique of
MICK JAGGER...4)The stylish shirt of
DAVE CLARK...5)The zany vitality of
FREDDY GARRITY...6)The surly mouth of
ERIC BURDON...7)The moodiness of
THE MOODY BLUES...8)All the flightiness
THE YARDBIRDS...9)And all the kinkiness of
THE KINKS!”
After that is something by
Bill Ward called
The Martian Report on Earth (A six-eyed look at us).
Regular readers of this blog know I'm a sucker for beatniks. I also think it's funny that in their eyes such a culture still was vibrant in 1966.
This is from an article by Severin as “McCarty” called
Banks Unlimited—Money Does Grow on Trees.
Cracked's Do-It-Yourself Cartoons (The smiles are in the middle) was something by Severin where each panel in a three-panel strip was blank, but you would were supposed to put it up to the light and see the panel on the other side of the page.
then there was a one-pager by J.T. Dennett
If Comics were Drawn By Famous Movie Directors from Bill Ward was more of an excuse for ethnic jokes than satirizing the works of any particular movie director. Unlike the comic strip parodies
Wally Wood did for
Mad, no attempt is really made to mimic the style of the artist.
There was another strip by Bill Ward, called
It All Depends on the Point of View, a recurring feature which would show an object as seen by different people.
Story of the Month by
Jack Davis is reprinted from #11.
By Vic Martin.
Cracked Cracks (a casebook on nutty cartoonists) was their page of gag cartoons, this time by
Don Orehek, Joe Kiernan (editor), Art Pottier, and George Kesner;
The Silents Talk Back (reels of film fun), some photos with captions; then
Get Out the Vote!
Take the Giant Clod Test (the quiz for foulballs!) is another reprint from an earlier issue; followed by
Look Be-Four You Laugh (Read 'em, they're all fun-filled) was another collection of movie stills with captions; after that is
Flight 407 (coffee, tea, or large laughs?)
Shut-Ups by
Charles Rodrigues.
He has a collection this fall and it's about time.
The inside back cover was the contest that was mentioned on the cover.
Find the Hidden Faces gave away TV sets, transistor radios, and subscriptions to anyone who could find the faces hidden in a drawing of a landscape, accompanied by a comment of 25 words or less on why they read
Cracked.
For some reason, the back cover was never in full color.
From #86, August 1970
The page after that was this by John Severin, from #82
From #78, August 1969
Then a one-pager I printed before, also from #82
Charles Rodrigues, issue #109, July 1973
#63, September 1967
Bill Ward in #48, December 1965
From #44, July 1965
From #113, November 1973
From #109, July 1973
From #83, April 1970
Don Orehek gag cartoons from issue #109, July 1973
Oskar Blotta in #84, May 1970
From #11, October 1959. Originally called Bop Shut-Ups.
From #109 again, July 1973
From #85, July 1970
From #209, January 1985
Next week: Cracked Laughs 40-21
