CRACKED #110

Let's take a look at what America was laughing at in August, 1973. If by America you mean a few dozen sixth graders. On the contents page they say of the cover:

As unkempt as an unmade bed, Columbo's being put through the ringer as we press on to iron out our problem with law and disorder. I think they meant “wringer” but whatevs. They would usually have the inside front and back covers be a poster. As advertised on the cover, here's their version of Columbo, also drawn by John Severin. Another example of the semi-misogyny of humor magazines, Updating the Female Image in Children's Books, drawn by Dick Wright. Bill Ward Art by Bernard Baily. Ironically, schools have billboards now. From A Cracked Salute to Chicago drawn by Russ Heath with mostly jokes that could apply to any city. Don Orehek Dick Wright Bernard Baily again A Charles Rodrigues gag piece similar to the ones he would do for National Lampoon Dick Wright John Severin This pages was shared with this Your (Ugh) Ancestors strip. Charles Rodrigues again. It's not clear who the artist was for this. Next Wednesday: Cracked #112

CRAZY #5

Here we go with another issue of Crazy, this time from July 1974

I believe this cover is by Kelly Freas Parody of the Bayer aspirin campaign by Roy and Jean Thomas. All aspects of daytime television of the time in this article by Marv Wolfman and Dick Wright Next up is a photo-caption article about streaking by Stan Lee. He was a “big name” in the second issue, but seems to have been demoted. Another installment was here of their old radio spoof

I guess because they had a parody of Westworld, Roy & Jean Thomas and Vance Rodewalt decided to also do an article about what would happen if Richard Nixon had an amusement park.

The editorial introduces Rodewalt thusly: Vance, a voodoo priest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti freelances art in between cutting off chicken heads for use in secret ceremonies and reciting dark prayers to the Great God of Chickens—Perduemballa. In his off hours, Vance drives a cab and shows tourists the hot spots of Newark, New Jersey. Born in Lake Michigan, Vance is also an accomplished singer, and performs under his stage name of Barbara Streisand. And another chapter of Bob Foster's Mooses Through History.

The first few issues had Poli-Tickles from Tony Isabella and Dick Wright. This was from something they did called The Realistic Toy Catalog, Corruptive Playthings by Steve Gerber, Bruce Garlin and Alan Goffstein and illustrated by Marie Severin and Ralph Reese Then there was Steve Gerber and Robert Graysmith's Just Plain Folks

Gerber and Graysmith continue with one-page movie parodies, starting with their version of The Way We Were. Then Ozzie's Girls. Billy Jack The Starlost Don't feel bad. I've never heard of some of these shows either.

I have seen Westworld, which is basically an earlier version of Jurassic Park in a different setting.

In the editorial they had this to say about Bob McLeod:

Another new arist this issue is BOB McLEOD, who drew our Worstworld parody. Bob is also a fashion designer for Roto Rooter Sewer Services and Cesspool Cleaners of Yonkers, New York, where he creates a dainty look for the men who slodge around greasy underground pipelines. When Bob first saw CRAZY Magazine he begged to work for us. In fact, he said he didn't have to be paid for any work he did. Since there was no money in the CRAZY budget to pay Bob, things worked out just fine. The back cover parodies the Crest Toothpaste commercials.

Crazy #4

Continuing with my showing of excerpts from Crazy magazine, here's the fourth issue from May 1974.

The cover of this issue by Kelly Freas showcases their parody of Shaft, but of the TV show, not the movie. Also on the cover are Ironside, Columbo, Barnaby Jones, McCloud, and Cannon Parody of the Palmolive ad campaign of the time.

Before the main feature is letters about the first issue and profiles of contributors that hadn't been in previous issues. Len Wein and Mike Ploog's version of the TV show, which actually does compare it with the movie version. From a recurring feature they had for a while called Poli-Tickles by Tony Isabella and Dick Wright.

Pictured are Henry Kissinger, Moshe Dayan, and Anwar Sadat. This was from another recurring feature they had at the beginning called Crazy's Crazies by John Stevens, gags about a different subject each issue. This was Crazy's Water Crazies

After that was a recurring feature by Steve Gerber and Robert Graysmith called Just Plain Folks that was mostly text and profiling a different person each month.

Then there's something called Classified Ads written by Kenneth Kaasen. There's no artist since it duplicates the newspaper format. Nothing special, but he's mentioned in the editorial:

We also have another new little name contributor at this time. He is an elevator shoes repairman during the day, and a secret member of President Nixon's cabinet by night!

This parody of TV Guide by Marv Wolfman was done when that magazine used to have articles about TV. It was made to cut out and fold so it would be the same size. Celebrity Sportsman was written by Steve Skeates and Marv Wolfman, illustrated by Michael Sheeler, who only seems to have been in this issue. The editorial at the beginning says of him: Firstly, say hello to MICHAEL SHEELER. Ask him how he's feeling. Engage him in chit chat. Now you can talk about sports. Doesn't that make you feel better, now that you've gotten to know Mike? He's a swell guy. About Mike now. Mike is a dictator of a small South American country, he believes in slave labor, torture, and giving hickies at parties. Mike is also a renowned nuclear scientist and the first one to realize sucking lemons puckers your lips. A graduate of Buckleknee University, Mike doesn't like to smoke, drink, or dance with gorillas he hasn't been properly introduced to. I mentioned Kelly Freas' Kelly's Kockeyed Kanvas before, a feature which would show the other side of a famous painting, This time he uses Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. It takes place in Washington, DC but the painting is of France, as shown by the French flag. Either Freas (or more likely, the editors) didn't realize this or assumed readers wouldn't. C'est la vie. This time I have a page from History of Moosekind by Bob Foster, who did the underground comic Myron Moose Funnies in the early 70s and later worked for Disney. Here they save money not using art in this spoof of the Lights Out program back when most people who had listened to radio shows were alive. Mad did the same thing where they would show how movies were in the past and compare it to how the same genre is done today.

The Boob Rube Story was nominated for a Shazam! Award the year it came out. Lastly, there's the editorial showing what's going on next issue.

The back cover has another commercial parody of the Jolly Green Giant commercial drawn by Vic Martin

CRAZY #3, 2 of 5

This was meant as a daily strip and never saw the light of day until this. Another clue this was done many years earlier is that MAD contributors weren't allowed to also work for the competition...
...so they got someone to draw just like Mort Drucker for the new material.