Three Ring Mad

"Three Ring MAD" is collection #16 from the usual gang of idiots, which means it goes back to the early 1960s for its collection of reprint fun from the premiere American magazine of parody, humor and satire. The centerpiece for this particular collection is "My Fair Ad-Man," which crosses the musical "My Fair Lady" with Madison Avenue (supposedly based on the book, "You're a Pig, Mallion" by George Bernard Schwartz). This is one of the great "MAD" movie parodies of all time because it takes most of the songs from "My Fair Lady" and makes up new words. The cast consists of Dean Martin, Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, and Frank Sinatra, who starts out looking like a beatnik (Look carefully and you will spot a cameo by Rex Harrison). There is also a nice follow up to this with "New Movie Monsters from Madison Avenue." There is also another visit to the cinema with "MAD Goes to an Alfred Hatchplot Movie." The requisite television parody is "The Rifle, Man," the subject of which you should be able to figure out from the title, man.Older readers of "MAD" Magazine will enjoy this walk down memory lane with "Hazards of Illuminated Signs," "Distinctive Picket Lines," "The MAD Madison Avenue Primer," and "Mother's Day Cards From Some Children Who Didn't Turn Out Very Well" (e.g., John Wilkes Booth, Lillie Borden). There is also a photo feature of "Literal Translations of Figurative Speech," which continues the collection of pieces that just have that early Sixties "MAD" look, such as the Yesterday vs. Today contrast of "Doctors' Progress." Time and time again I found myself thinking that this was the "MAD" I grew up with (although the Smothers Brothers get more credit for warping my mind into its current state of disrepair). You will also find a couple of classic efforts from Don Martin, one of the few members of the usual gang of idiots who gets an actual credit. Younger readers will probably not appreciate the level at which "MAD" Magazine worked in the old days, but I still think there was a lot more bite to these bits from the good old days.

The "usual gang of idiots" gather to make this book another hilarious hit. "Mad" takes on "Alfred Hatchplot" movie that combines all the elements of Hitchcock's movies in one craxy parody. There are posters for movies I'd like to see, such as "The Invasion on the Jolly Green Giant". The bit about illuminated signs is definitely worth the price of admission.If you enjoyed "Mad" magazine in the past (this is from 1964), you will definitely like this book. I recommend it highly.