Mad #127 (Albert Feldstein) - Odd Squad Issue - June 1969

Mad gave its cover and a feature article to an easy target - an improbable television show (Mod Squad).  Mort Drucker drew this parody and the parody of the movie, Bullitt starring Steve McQueen (1930-1980).  Both of these were OK but the best article in the issue was "If the President Were Chosen Like Miss America" written by Earl Doud.  His article satirizes the tragic coronation of Richard Nixon.  Doud was also the author of the terrible "Mad Plan for Combatting (sic) the Boredom of Baseball."  Why does he hate baseball? 

As the 1960s were ending, Mad seemed to be in a bit of a rut.  There were always movies and television shows to be parodied and, now they had Nixon to kick around for a few more years, but the rest was a bit stale.  I remember the Harvard Lampoon parodies being better than Mad during this period and in 1970, National Lampoon burst upon the scene with some fresh humor.  For the first time since the Panic, Trump and Humbug, Mad would have some real competition. [JAM 12/9/2009]

Look for Woody Allen and Adolf Hitler on page 23.

Reader Neil Wahlert has identified the entire Mad editorial staff (except Bill Gaines) plus writer Frank Jacobs on the back cover.("The 60-Second Disappointment")

Departments:
Display as You Go - Signs of Status
Herr of the Dog - Further Adventures of the Red Baron
Teeny-Coppers - Odd Squad
Don Martin - The Hunters; In a Fancy Restaurant
Taxation Without Misrepresentation - Specific Tax Forms for Specific Professions
Joke and Dagger - Spy Vs. Spy
Electorate Circus - If the President Were Chosen Like "Miss America"
Manikin-Depressive - A Mad Look at Realistic Dolls
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side of the Generation Gap
A Pitch in Time May Save Nine - The Mad Plan for Combatting the Boredom of Baseball
Spooking from Pictures - Horrifying Cliches
God Save McQueen - Bullbit

Fold-In - Radio