Mad #201 (Albert Feldstein) - Disco Issue - September 1978

The disco era peaked in 1977 with the release of Saturday Night Fever and way too many falsetto songs by The Bee Gees.  This film also launched the movie career of scientologist, John Travolta who was also in the middle of his Welcome Back, Kotter career.  The Mad parody ("Saturday Night Feeble") by Arnie Kogen and Mort Drucker follows the movie with few surprises and a rather twist at the end.  Drucker delivers over 30 caricatures of Travolta that are right on the money.  Drucker should have also done the cover since Jack Rickard's Travolta is not the best.  The disco theme continued with "A Mad Look at Disco" by Dick DeBartolo and Harry North.  All of these efforts prove that the short-lived disco phase fell short as a humor subject as well.  [JAM 9/20/2010]

Look for Lucy Van Pelt, the Bowery Boys and Fred Astaire in Saturday Night Feeble; Richard Nixon and publisher Gaines in "A Mad Look at the Changing Face of Crime;" and, Mad staffers Nick Meglin & Leonard Brenner on the tennis court in "Eight Is Too Rough."

Departments:
High Travoltage - Saturday Night Feeble
The Brandwriting Is on the Wall - Trademark Graffiti
Don Martin - One Friday Morning; One Saturday Afternoon; One Sunday Evening; One Thursday Afternoon at the Edge of a Meadow
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side of Summer Problems
As the Underworld Turns - A Mad Look a the Changing Face of Crime
Redeeming Feature - Discount Coupons We Really Need
Lapping It Up - Mad Goes to a Buffet Supper
Adolessons - How To Teenage
Tripping with the Lights Is on the Wall - Trademark Graffiti
No Confidence Game - How Can You Trust ...?
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Brood Force - Eight Is Too Rough

Fold-In - Elvis Presley