Mad #157 (Albert Feldstein) - Planet of the Apes Issue - March 1973

Do you remember when movies did not have sequels?  I do.  One of the first series to have sequels was Planet of the Apes.  This was so unusual that the star, Charlton Heston (1923-2008) refused to participate except for one cameo in the second movie.  Instead, he chose to make The Hawaiians and Skyjacked.  Good move, Chuck.  Mad also avoided the apes for several years but finally could not resist after the third marginal sequel.  The Mad parody throws all four ape movies into one story written by Arnie Kogen ("The Milking of the Planet that Went Ape").  Mort Drucker drew the apes and humans with his usual gift of caricature, and he found room for Charlie Brown, Tiny Tim, Beetle Bailey and Killer Diller.

Other than the apes, the topics of the other articles in this issue were quite depressing.  Frank Jacobs wrote about bigots ("You Never Can Win with a Bigot!").  Al Jaffee wrote about schmucks ("Don't You Feel Like a Schmuck?!").  Dave Berg (1920-2002) seemed to be obsessed with drug-abusing teenagers ("The Lighter Side of Permissiveness"). Lloyd Gola wrote about poverty ("Middle Class Poverty Is ...").  Tom Koch offered a prison magazine parody ("Your Monthly Pen Pal").  And then we had Spiro Agnew's golf game and a Sonny & Cher parody (What is the purpose of that?).  Bigots, schmucks, drug abuse, poverty, Spiro Agnew (1918-2006) and Sonny Bono (1935-1998) are just not that funny. [JAM 3/31/2010]

The prison television night that was scheduled for February 30 has been rescheduled for June 31. (page 32)

Departments:
Monkey Big Business - The Milking of the Planet that Went Ape
Mint Conditioning - A Mad Look at Money
Don Martin - One Day on the Highway; One Dark and Scary Night
In the Ire of the Beholder - You Never Can Win with a Bigot
Misfortune Kookie - Don't You Feel Like a Schmuck When
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side of Permissiveness
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Tightening the Money Belt - Middle Class Poverty Is
Captive Audience - "Pen" Pal Magazine
Let George Do It! - Some Really Dangerous Jobs for George Plimpton
Gee, Wizard! - Oz - Revisited
The Mod Couple - The Funny And Glare Show

Fold-In - Parachute