Atomic Junk Shop

Celebrating the Unpopular Arts
 

Al Jaffee R.I.P.

Al Jaffee, the genius behind many great features at MAD Magazine, as died at age 102. I consider him the man who installed my sense of humor. In 1968, I was 9-1/2 years old when I was sent to spend the summer with my grandparents in Massachusetts. One fine summer day, my uncle Dickie cane home and handed me a copy of MAD #121, featuring Alfred E. Neuman done up as Guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi being carried by the Beatles. I was a MAD devotee from then on through my childhood and young adulthood. One of the artist-writers I quickly began to look for in every issue was Al Jaffee.

TV Musicals

When ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ got the ax, I was reminded of the many other attempts to create a TV series in the form of a musical over the past some years. Usually they end up unsuccessful, and sometimes cringy. As I’ve previously mentioned, I have a fondness for musicals, so I’ve watched many of the shows below with varying degrees of enjoyment and disappointment. Let’s take a look at the best of them.