Pratt Porch Project – Day 19
The cedar shingle is done!
2 comments September 20th, 2007
Archive for September 20th, 2007
When Arnie Kogen Went MAD
Here’s an interesting factoid about comedy writer Arnie Kogen, to whom I am eternally grateful. He went from selling typewriters to banging them — so to speak! This comes from a book I referred to previously, Completely MAD, A History of Mad the Comic Book and Magazine, by Maria Reidelbach.
For over thirty years Kogen has been one of Mad’s most consistent contributors of television, movie, and celebtiry satire, and for almost as long he has been one of the most active television comedy writers in the business. Kogen was selling typewriters on the Lower East Side when he was introduced to Gaines and Feldstein by Paul Krasser, who published The Realist in an office adjacent to Mad’s at 225 Lafayette. Kogen’s start at Mad led to writing for a number of prominent stand up comedians and performers, including Carol Burnett, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Ronald Reagan. He’s also received many awards for his television writing, including three Emmys.
The book is from 1991, so Kogen has now been a Mad contributor for over 45 years! In fact, he wrote the Spider-Man 3 parody in the latest issue. In addition to Ronald Reagan, the list of prominent stand up comics includes, of course, Morty Gunty.
3 comments September 20th, 2007
Stop Pats!
This poster was inserted in this week’s Boston Sunday Globe. It’s New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Before Brady broke up with his actress girlfriend he got her pregnant. She had the baby, but Mr. Perfect is staying with his new girlfriend, the supermodel. Hey, he can afford it.
Pats coach Bill Belichick apparently felt he needed to cheat to guarantee victory. He’s been fined half a million bucks but, hey, he can afford it, and the team will undoubtedly cover it anyway. I really don’t care, but I’m glad people are seeing these guys as they really are — arrogant and self-centered.
6 comments September 20th, 2007