Mad #311 (Nick Meglin and John Ficarra) - Phil Donahue Issue - June 1992

Phil Donahue received the ultimate compliment when Mad associate editors Charlie Kadau and Joe Raiola created 23 potential Donahue show promotions that were placed in margins with the usual marginal drawings by Sergio Aragones.  "Next Donahues" included "Nurses with saxophones!" and "The Congressman who was defeated by a hand puppet!"  Donahue's national television show ran from 1970 to 1996 when the right-wing-controlled media forced him off the air for his liberal viewpoint and left-wing special guests.  Donahue is often given credit for initiating the talk-show format.

Richard Williams (cover) and Mort Drucker ("The Adnauseam Family") drew excellent parodies of The Addams Family created by Charles Addams (1912-1988) who drew the gruesome family as cartoons primarily for The New Yorker.  The Addams Family became a television series (1964-1966 and 1998-1999), an animated series (1973-1975 and 1992-1993), and major motion pictures (1977, 1991, 1993 and 1998). [JAM 3/4/2012]

"Horrifying Political Cliches" are Sam Donaldson, Ted Kennedy (1932-2009), Dan Quayle, Jesse Helms (1921-2008), Bob Dole, Poppy Bush, Clarence Thomas, Mario Cuomo and two others ("Twisting a Fact" and "Breaking a Pledge").

Look for Fozzy Bear ("The Adnauseam Family"), a pterodactyl ("Mad's Suggestions for Gulf War Memorials") and Gumby ("Gnome Improvement").

Departments: :
Corn on Macabre - The Annauseam Family
Tales From the Duck Side - The Horrendous Homeless Heartbreak; The Soggy Sea Saga; The Shocking Sundown Showdown
Back to the Futile - It Never Works But You Gotta Try
Serge-In General - A Mad Look at Gardening
All Jaffee - Mad's Suggestions for Gulf War Memorials
Election Fright Returns - Horrifying Political Cliches
Uttered Nonsense - If You Never Hear Anyone Say
Joke And Dagger - Spy vs. Spy
Nuts And Dolts - Gnome Improvement
Putting on the Old Feedback - Customer Satisfaction Surveys We'd Really Like to See
Berg's-Eye View - The Lighter Side
Search-In General - You've Been Looking for Waldo ... Now Where's
Oscar-Mired Winner - An Academy Award Scene We'd Like to See
Disc-Claimers - Still More Badly Needed Warning Labels for Rock Albums
Crashing Symbols - More Obituaries for Merchandising Characters
Film Flam - Not Playing (The Sequel)

Fold-In - George H.W. Bush