The Medicine Mad

Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorite MAD parodies is reprinted here
Review: Remember that one "MAD" movie parody that just really stuck with you? Remember how much you regretted throwing it away? That is, assuming that you bought it and did not borrow it in the first place ("MAD" Magazine was the most passed around magazine of my youth; I shudder to think what magazine might have that honor today). Well, to get back to my point, the "MAD" movie parody that I vividly recall was the take off on the Richard Burton-Clinton Eastwood World War II tag team film "Where Eagles Dare," now rechristened "Where Vultures Fare." Written by Larry Siegel and drawn by Angelo Torres there are two moments here (seeing the film helps you appreciate them). The first is when the characters discuss the difference between talking German, ENGLISH-German, GERMAN-GERMAN, and, of course, ENGLISH-ENGLISH. This is because in the movie when characters switch from speaking English to speaking German they do so by, well, talking LOUDER. The second is when the Clint Eastwood character starts shooting and keeps track of the body count (412...413...415...420) throughout the end of the story (9,120...9,122...9,123...9,126...9,129). Okay, so in rereading this story I discovered it was not really as great as I remember, but it was a treasured childhood memory and finding it reprinted in "The Medicine MAD" was great.

There is another even better movie parody in this volume, the 44th collection of "MAD" Magazine bits from the usual gang of idiots, and that is "Botch Casually and the Somedunce Kid," drawn by the great caricaturist Mort Drucker and written by Arnie Kogen. The best bit here is the giant panel where we see what the two trapped outlaws see at the end of the film (the Peruvian Army, whole Venezuelan Navy, Juan Person, Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66, and much, much more). Drucker and Siegel return in the final bit, "The Academy Awards Show We'd Like to See," hosted by Dustbin Hoffman (no clue why), which reminds us of when nudity is films was a new thing.

The movie parodies are the main courses, but there are some other choice bits, including another favorite from way back when, "If TV Shows Were Actually Like Their Capsuled Descriptions," courtesy of Torres and writer Earle Doud. For example, Walter Cronkite brings us the 7:00 news, except nothing happened at 7:00 that day (and people wonder where my warped sense of humor comes from; mostly the Smothers Brothers actually, but "MAD" helped). Many of your favorites are here in terms of the artists: Paul Coker, Jr. does "You Know You're Really a Bore When..." and "Horrifying Clichés," while Dave Berg provides "The Lighter Side of..." both "Summer Jobs" and "Money," while Basil Wolverton comes up with "Sports Card We'd Like to See." Don Martin has three bits and Coker returns with "The MAD Sex Education Primer," which should have you being worried, very worried, just from the idea of what these guys might have to say about that topic. On balance this is one of the best "MAD" reprint collections, although I am perfectly willing to admit that this time around I was hooked on opening salvo. Good luck with finding your past favorites in these books as well.

Rating:
Summary: One of my all-time favorite MAD parodies is reprinted here
Review: Remember that one "MAD" movie parody that just really stuck with you? Remember how much you regretted throwing it away? That is, assuming that you bought it and did not borrow it in the first place ("MAD" Magazine was the most passed around magazine of my youth; I shudder to think what magazine might have that honor today). Well, to get back to my point, the "MAD" movie parody that I vividly recall was the take off on the Richard Burton-Clinton Eastwood World War II tag team film "Where Eagles Dare," now rechristened "Where Vultures Fare." Written by Larry Siegel and drawn by Angelo Torres there are two moments here (seeing the film helps you appreciate them). The first is when the characters discuss the difference between talking German, ENGLISH-German, GERMAN-GERMAN, and, of course, ENGLISH-ENGLISH. This is because in the movie when characters switch from speaking English to speaking German they do so by, well, talking LOUDER. The second is when the Clint Eastwood character starts shooting and keeps track of the body count (412...413...415...420) throughout the end of the story (9,120...9,122...9,123...9,126...9,129). Okay, so in rereading this story I discovered it was not really as great as I remember, but it was a treasured childhood memory and finding it reprinted in "The Medicine MAD" was great.

There is another even better movie parody in this volume, the 44th collection of "MAD" Magazine bits from the usual gang of idiots, and that is "Botch Casually and the Somedunce Kid," drawn by the great caricaturist Mort Drucker and written by Arnie Kogen. The best bit here is the giant panel where we see what the two trapped outlaws see at the end of the film (the Peruvian Army, whole Venezuelan Navy, Juan Person, Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66, and much, much more). Drucker and Siegel return in the final bit, "The Academy Awards Show We'd Like to See," hosted by Dustbin Hoffman (no clue why), which reminds us of when nudity is films was a new thing.

The movie parodies are the main courses, but there are some other choice bits, including another favorite from way back when, "If TV Shows Were Actually Like Their Capsuled Descriptions," courtesy of Torres and writer Earle Doud. For example, Walter Cronkite brings us the 7:00 news, except nothing happened at 7:00 that day (and people wonder where my warped sense of humor comes from; mostly the Smothers Brothers actually, but "MAD" helped). Many of your favorites are here in terms of the artists: Paul Coker, Jr. does "You Know You're Really a Bore When..." and "Horrifying Clichés," while Dave Berg provides "The Lighter Side of..." both "Summer Jobs" and "Money," while Basil Wolverton comes up with "Sports Card We'd Like to See." Don Martin has three bits and Coker returns with "The MAD Sex Education Primer," which should have you being worried, very worried, just from the idea of what these guys might have to say about that topic. On balance this is one of the best "MAD" reprint collections, although I am perfectly willing to admit that this time around I was hooked on opening salvo. Good luck with finding your past favorites in these books as well.