Mad #231 (Albert Feldstein) - Tom Koch Issue - June 1982

Tom Koch is probably best known as the sketch writer for the great radio comedy team of Bob Elliot and Ray Goulding (1922-1990).  Koch wrote over 3,000 sketches for Bob & Ray.  He was also writing for Fibber McGee & Molly, George Gobel, Jonathan Winters, Pat Paulson, The Smothers Brothers and Lucille Ball at the time.  The Mad editors brought twelve of those Bob & Ray radio sketches to print with drawings by Mort Drucker starting with issue number 34.  Soon thereafter, Koch became a regular Mad writer until his retirement in 1995 (last article - "The Mad Nasty File - Volume VIII" in Mad #335).  He currently ranks fourth among non-artistic contributors behind Dick DeBartolo, Frank Jacobs and Stan Hart with articles appearing in 180 issues.  The best-known of his Mad articles is "43-Man Squamish" with drawings by George Woodbridge (Mad #95).  Ironically, the "Squamish" article sat on editor Feldstein's desk for two years before he agreed to publish it.  In Mad #231, Koch had three articles (14 pages): "Nasty Book Volume III", a "TV Guise" parody and the seven-page parody of Hill Street Blues.  The best writing of the three was in the "Truly Honest and Informative Listings" for television (February 30, 1982).  For example, the "Flat Feet Telethon" shows on channel 15 at 7:30 p.m. wherein "McLean Stevenson hosts this evening-long drive to buy arch supports for the needy ..."  Koch wrote 80 television jokes for this article alone.  An excellent interview of Mr. Koch was published in The Journal of MADness #8 (November 1999) edited by John E. Hett.  Additional Koch material was published in JoM #8.5 (June 2000) reprinting some of Koch's early drafts, notes and comments from Mad editors.  He admitted in the interview that he felt that he had lost touch with the core Mad audience by the 1980s but continued to submit ideas at the urging of the editors.  [JAM 12/8/2010]

This issue featured the one and only appearance by National Lampoon artist, Rick Meyerowitz ("What Disc Jockeys Say ... And What They Mean")

Departments:
Statue of Limitations - The Mad Academy Awards Show
Don Martin - One Fine Day Downtown; One Fine Day Uptown; One Fine Day Crosstown
The Missing Lincoln - Ronald Reagan's Gettysburg Address
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
From Fad to Verse - The Cube and I
Slap Shots - If Photograph Albums Told the Whole Truth
Microphonies - What Disc Jockeys Say ... And What They Mean
Flushing the John - A TV Ad We'd Like to See
Video Fare Comment - TV Guise's Special Issue of Truly Honest and Informative Listings
Bullet-Proof Jest - Mad Visits a Local Gun Club Picnic
Extreme Write-In - The Mad Application for Membership in the Moral Majority
Stinging in the Gain - Even When You Win ... You Lose
A Put-Down Book You Can't Put Down - The Mad Nasty Book - Volume III
Law And Disorder - Swill Street Blues

Fold-In - Ninety Cents