Mad #240 (Albert Feldstein) - Tootsie Role Issue - July 1983

That Dustin Hoffman sure does make a handsome woman.  NOT!  This was one of the most popular movies of 1982 but I just do not get it.  Hoffman was not believable as a woman in this role.  I guess he was just trying to prove that he was a complete actor.  And why would he bother with Jessica Lange when Teri Garr was available?  This obligatory Mad parody by Larry Siegel was not one of the best but I did enjoy the Mort Drucker caricatures.  He was able to capture several character actors including Bill Murray as well as any artist could.  However, "Tootsie Role" was better than Dick DeBartolo's parody of Gimme A Break ("Give Us A Break").  I doubt that DeBartolo was proud of that one.  He managed to write a parody that was not as good as a typical episode of this terrible television situation comedy, if that was possible.  The best parodies in the issue were "Don Martin Looks at the Dark Crystal" and "Mother Goose Around the World" by the ever reliable Frank Jacobs. [JAM 1/7/2011]

Look for Fred Flintstone, Olive Oyl and King Kong in "Tootsie Role," and Batman in "Give Us A Break."

Departments:
Hoff-Man/Hoff-Woman - Tootsie Role
A Symbol-Minded Idea - Picture Signs for All Occasions
Sick Humor - Little-Known And Rarely Diagnosed Mad Ailments Contracted at Fast-Food Restaurants
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
Expanse Account - The Evolution of a TV Situation Comedy
Err Apparent - What's Wrong with This Picture (of a School Prom)?
Crock Around the Rock - Don Martin Looks into "The Dark Crystal"
Learning a Living - A Catalogue of Courses of the State College of Adulthood Training
Visa Verses - Mother Goose Around the World
Off the Wall - A High School Bulletin Board
For Repeat's Sake - Instant Replays We'd Rather Not Have to See
Nell And Void - Give Us A Break!
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy

Fold-In - Prayer