So the other night I saw that The Omen was on Netflix Watch Instantly, and I realized a couple of things. One, it had been years since I’ve seen it…in fact, I probably wasn’t any more than about 10 years old, and I probably only saw parts of it on whatever local pay-cable channel we had as a precursor to HBO at the time. Two, my memories of the movie were primarily of the Mad Magazine parody from issue #189 (March 1977):
Actually, that’s not the panel burned into my head, but the ones specifically concerned with the fate of David Warner’s character, which might be a bit much to hit you with without any warning, so I picked that panel above as being a little more representative of the parody as a whole.
I wonder how many more movies and TV shows with which I have passing familiarity mostly because of the Mad parodies, versus actually seeing the darned things. I keep meaning to get around to watching A Clockwork Orange, which, yeah, I know, I haven’t seen it yet, I’m a bad person, but I’ll tell you I still have images from the George Woodbridge-illustrated Mad parody stuck in my brain. And since it seems like I’ll never get around to actually watching Blade Runner, I should find its Mad parody and just settle for that.
Anyway, speaking of what happens to David Warner’s character, I thought I’d be a smart guy and post this to the Twitter the other night:
I thought I’d just remembered the images from the
Mad parody involving this scene, but apparently I remembered the joke, too, since I apparently just up and stole it. (Not the “pageboy haircut is adorable” part, but the “losing your head” part. Though David Warner
is adorable in this movie.)
Another thing I hadn’t remembered about the film is that Patrick Troughton, Doctor Who‘s Second Doctor, has a significant part:
…Which of course caused me to make Yet Another Obvious Twitter Joke™:
Yes, I think I’m
hilarious.
…And this has been another installment of “What Mike Does in His Spare Time.”
• • •
A couple of you had more questions from
the other day, re: Spawn and related merchandise:
Heli asks
“…Have you covered the ‘party Angela’ phenomenon?”
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this, I’m going to strip away your innocence forever: McFarlane Toys produced an action figure of Spawn supporting character Angela (the warrior angel character created by Neil Gaiman), but, alas, lacked the paint job beneath the figure’s loin-armor or whatever that is to give her warrior angel-appropriate undergarments. Thus, this figure, and, according to my brief-but-probably-getting-me-on-watch-lists Googling, other figures that have similarly gone commando are referred to as “party” figures. And in case you’re wondering, that term does seem more appalling the more you think about it. …I remember a brief hubbub about it at the time, but it seemed to die down once people realized they were getting overly excited about a toy not having paint-panties, and hopefully that nipped it in the bud. Well, except on eBay, where no bud is ever nipped.
Tim O’Neil asks
“What about modern sales of Spawn? Has the series picked up new readers since it entered its 20 year anniversary with all the variant covers and such?”
I haven’t seen any real boost in sales, no…I think we may have gained a new reader or two on the series, but otherwise sales have been very consistent as a low-to-mid range seller. During 2010, when only four issues were released, that may have…well, “put the nail in the coffin” is a bit strong. Maybe “pushed it down the stairs” is more like it.
• • •
COMING NEXT WEEK: Yes, I’ll probably talk about
Swamp Thing #0, don’t nag me. Also, more comic book talk! Maybe! And not so much about the
pogs!
§ August 6th, 2007 § Filed under mad magazine Comments Off on Mad Magazine Presents Up The Academy (1980)
So the Mad Magazine content of the 1980 feature film Mad Magazine Presents Up The Academy is essentially the following:
1. It says “Mad Magazine Presents” at the beginning of the film (the title of the film is also presented in the Mad logo font):
2. A live-action Alfred E. Neuman appears at the close of the opening credits (reprised for the closing credits), courtesy of a fellow in what may be the most disturbing face mask of all time:
3. At the end of the film, as our main cast drives down the road into the sunset, they pass by our live action Alfred E. Neuman, who waves goodbye to the audience:
4. …And also has some parting words of wisdom:
5. There’s also a statue of Alfred E. Neuman involved, somewhere, but unless I blinked or was otherwise distracted or something, that statue never appears in the film itself. It’s there in the trailer, though:
Now, I hadn’t seen this film in years…like, twenty-five years at the very least, catching it on cable when I was but a young Mikester, and I could remember virtually nothing about it. The only gag from the film I remembered was the antagonist, Major Liceman, getting ready for the evening, and putting condoms in his wallet…giving one to his pet dog, as apparently the dog was expecting a little action from the ladies as well.
In the intervening years since I’ve originally seen the film, I learned that Mad’ s publisher William Gaines wanted nothing to do with the film, and demanded all references to the magazine be edited out. (And apparently, that was screwed up anyway, as some unedited versions of the film were distributed internationally.) And, of course, there was that two-page parody Mad itself did of the film, allegedly cut short by editorial because the film itself was so awful.
I’d somehow discovered recently that the film has since been rereleased on DVD, with the cuts restored, so I thought I’d give it a Netflixing and see how bad it was.
Oh, Lordy.
It’s one of the many, many Animal House knock-offs rushed out in the wake of that films success, in which a bunch of misfits take on the Establishment at whatever college/camp/high school/etc…in this case, a military academy. It’s only marginally funny, with fart jokes and an offensive stereotype or two (Tom Poston…Tom Poston…as a gay caricature, taking a little much joy in checking young men’s inseams for uniforms, among other uncomfortable moments). The Karate Kid‘s Ralph Macchio makes his screen debut here, as a standoffish tough guy sent to the school to be straightened out, and finds himself bunked up with a bunch of other outcasts (the politician’s son, the preacher’s son, the larcenous son of an Arabian Sheik). They’re under the oppressive, watchful eye of Major Liceman (played by Ron Leibman, who, perhaps wisely, had his name removed from the credits).
Here, have a pic of Leibman as Liceman:
The thing about Liceman is that he doesn’t come across as particularly evil or nasty…yeah, he’s kind of a jerk, but that’s hardly deserving of the utterly humiliating “revenge” the kids exact upon him at the climax of the film. True, he had done a few unpleasant things to them during the course of the movie, but one could argue the kids provoked him with their own misbehavior and troublemaking. He just seems kind of sad and lonely…he gives a big speech about how he only found friendship at the academy, the only place he felt he belonged, which colors how we see him through the rest of the film.
Okay, he’s not a good guy…but he’s not entirely unsympathetic, either. He’s not the irredeemably evil Neidermeyer from
Animal House, in other words.
More jokes fail than work, but there is one solid gag I enjoyed. During a reception, a group of hideously off-key singers massacre a song, causing listeners to double over in pain from the sound, as well as busting glasses, bringing down buildings (via stock footage), and shattering the film itself (as the picture breaks apart and falls to the bottom of the screen). More of that type of humor would have been welcome.
Surprisingly, despite the bad jokes and other problems, the film remains halfway watchable. The actors do their best with what they’re given, it all moves along at a reasonable enough pace, and the soundtrack, which almost never lets up for the 90-minute duration of the film, is pretty damn good. Iggy & the Stooges, Pat Benatar, Cheap Trick, the Kinks, Blondie, Lou Reed, and plenty of others; check it out. It’ll never happen, but a CD release of the soundtrack would be welcome.
It’s just none of it has very much to do with Mad Magazine, really. I mean, aside from Alfred’s cameos. But what was I expecting…animated short “The Lighter Side of…” gags? Sergio’s Marginals running up and down the edges of the screen? At least one gratuitous use of the word “Potrzebie?” Fold-In: The Movie? Maybe something a little more like the early seasons of MADtv, with outright pop culture parodies with interspersed “Spy Vs. Spy” and Don Martin cartoons?
Anyway, there it is…Mad Magazine Presents Up the Academy. Not a good movie, but an interesting product of its time. Oh, and before I forget to mention it, I should note that it’s directed by Robert Downey, Sr. You know, Iron Man‘s pop. Don’t that beat all.
§ June 18th, 2004 § Filed under indies, mad magazine Comments Off on The pull-quote master.
1. Mark Evanier posted a link to an excellent, if disturbing, Mountain Dew commercial that features Mad Magazine mainstay “Spy Vs. Spy.” Bonus: a pitch for a Spy Vs. Spy movie.
2. Somehow I managed to miss Big Larry as much as calling me out for a “cover blurb” for Scurvy Dogs (under June 1st). Now, I loves me the Scurvy Dogs…that was one of the very first links I put on this weblog of mine…and it’s one of the few titles that we keep every in-print issue on the new comics wall at the store (along with Demo, Girl Genius, Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, and Lenore). Well, unfortunately, the best I’ve come up with is “It’s really, really good…but maybe if there were fewer pirates in it, and maybe if it wasn’t as funny, and if there were a talking dog somehow involved, it would be even better. Oh, and more car chases” — but I’m afraid he’d use it, and everyone who saw it on the cover would think I’d experienced some kind of debilitating head injury as a child.
3. For God’s sake, don’t let Nana die! Help out Jason Yungbluth by buying some of his funnybooks and T-shirts so he can put out another issue of America’s Funniest Comic Book Starring A Clown And A Talking Cat, Deep Fried!
