Mad about the Fifties

I have the complete "Mad" from the E.C. Collection, which is limited to just the original comic book from the Fifties, not to be confused with the black & white magazine that has been a rite of passage for adolescents for the past half century. "Mad" was the only title to survive the purge at E.C. in the wake of the adoption of the comics book code, which put an end to "Tales from the Crypt" and its cousins. To get something of a hint about what this was about, check out the article "Baseball is Ruining Our Children" by "Frederick Werthless, M.D." Obviously, this is as thinly veiled as you can get in going after Fredric Wertham, the infamous author of "Seduction of the Innocent." Anyhow, "Mad About the Fifties" presents some of the best of both the original comic and the early magazine. The Foreword consists of a brief history of the origin of "Mad" and its early days. The first half is devoted to the comic book years (1952-55) features 18 of the first 22 covers (including the infamous Composition cover). Among the classic stories reprinted in color are "Lone Stranger," "Superduperman," "Melvin of the Apes," "Ping Pong," "Sherlock Shomes," "Bat Boy and Rubin," "Starchie," and "Mickey Rodent." No scared cows here, boys and girls, as everybody is fair game. You will notice that a lot of the subject comes from the comics and the movies, although one of the two black & white stories from this period is "Howdy Dooit." When "Mad" became a black & white magazine (1955-59), the E.C. gang broadened their horizons. In addition to a couple dozen covers reproduced in color, there are some choice selections of some of the great magazine ad parodies from that period (e.g., "Great Moments in Medicine: Presenting the Bill" from "Park-David"). Another recurring gag from this period was the "Confidential Information Dept." which looks at coverups regarding George Washington, Capt. John Smith, and Snow White (separate articles, people, separate articles). Particularly timely now would be the feature on "Elvis Pelvis." Historical footnote: The most controversial thing in this magazine was apparently the "Bringing Up Bonnie Prince Charlie" from the "Comic Strip Heroes (Taken From Real Life)" feature, which was reprinted in a British tabloid where it caused a stir. My biggest surprise in reading through the early "Mad" magazines was the use of celebrity writers, which included Stan Freberg, Ernie Kovacs, Tom Lehrer, Danny Kay, Bob and Ray, and Sid Caesar. However, most of us will remember the artists: Jack Davis, Wallace Wood, Kelly Freas, Joe Orlando, Harvey Kurtz man, and Don Martin. I was sort of surprised that the magazine provided less parodies than we would normally expect (they do takeoff on "The Ed Sullivan Show," "Gunsmoke" and "Perry Mason"). I checked this out because I am working on a history of American popular culture for the 20th century going decade by decade for class and one of the best ways to find out what everybody was talk

I would urge anyone interested in contemporary US history to buy this book or any other of the "MAD About The...." titles. MAD defined, reflected and revolted an era. There is so much more here than meets the F.B.I. It's fun, moves at a pretty good pace, aids digestion, calms jittery nerves and will shrink hemmorhoids without surgery!

This book is a shagadelic romp through the pages of MAD magazine with reproductions of the most hilarious spoofs and parodies of the 60's. Movie takeoffs include "201 Minutes of a Space Idiocy", "East Side Story" and "Flawrence of Arabia". TV satires include "Star Blecch", "Bananaz", "The Man From A.U.N.T.I.E.", "The Pwgitive", "Lizzie", and "Hokum's Heroes". I was a kid in the 60's and enjoyed the original magazines. But when we moved from Seattle to the thriving metropolis of Olympia, WA, the magazines were given away to neighborhood pals. If, like, me, MAD Magazine was a part of your life back then (and hopefully it still is), you'll rediscover your funnybone and stay home from work with a bad case of laughing sickness while you pore through this tome. If not for you, give a copy as a gift. And if a buddy or relative is in the hospital convalescing, I guarantee that the gift of this book will lift their spirits!