On Judgment Day’s “Pocket Sized Fun,” we take a look at Global Star / TDK Mediactive’s Mad Magazine inspired video game Spy Vs. Spy. On Electric Playground's episode, “The Elite,” we investigate the latest and greatest spy games. On top of the porcelain toilet in my house lies a vintage issue of Mad Magazine from the golden era of the 1970s. All this got me thinking about Mad’s popular, long-running signature ode to violence and the Cold War, Spy Vs. Spy.

Spy Vs. Spy illustrates the antics of WWII era two spies--one black, one white, otherwise identical--out to foil each other’s plots, top other’s inventions, and generally make each other’s lives a living hell, albeit in comical fashion involving lots of gadgets and zany contraptions. With these lovable characters making appearances on Mad TV since its 1995 debut, Americans of all ages have gotten to know and love these classic characters.

What many do not know is that this dynamic duo did NOT make their boob tube debut on Mad TV. Nope! Their auspicious debut was much earlier, and much more obscure. Spy Vs. Spy actually first appeared on an unaired animated Mad TV Special pilot TV show in the early ‘70s. Although the show never actually aired, it has been widely bootlegged and talked about over the years, and can be found on DVD or video on eBay or elsewhere. So even though many have/did not see it, and it’s only been available unofficially, this shelved special -- based entirely on Mad articles from 1963 to 1973 -- is indeed the TV debut of Spy Vs. Spy, Don Martin, and many other classic Mad artists, characters and gags.

Since this one-off is so obscure, very little has been written about it on the net, and no one I know but me owns it, I decided to dissect and break it down scenes by scene, sketch by sketch for you, so the fans will have some sort of reference to this lost treasure.

OVERVIEW:

This show was intended to be a 30-minute special and the tape I have has a big, blank spot at the beginning for local sponsor information to be inserted. Clocking in at 22 minutes, the tone was very close to the tone of Mad at the time: irreverent, offbeat, satirical, and timely. Overseen by the magazine's editorial staff (Larry Siegel, Stan Hart, Tom Koch, Earle Doud, and Don Edwing), the skits feature many of the classic characters from the magazine, as well as satirical bits about popular programming of the time. One big drag, though, is that the wonderful artwork of Sergio Aragones, Al Jaffe and Dick De Bartolo is nowhere to be found, but it's forgiven since they weren't on staff yet. But the presence of Don Martin’s long-chinned, buggy-eyed characters and the Spy Vs. Spy routines more than make up for it.

HISTORY:

The rumor is that some executive commissioned Mad to do a special, but apparently was not familiar with the satire and tone of their humor, deemed it too crude and adult, and had it pulled off the schedule to languish in the “whatever happened to” files for all eternity. No one really knows the year this was made. I have read three different dates (’71, ’73, ’75) on three different websites. My copy does not include a date. So, knowing that the last issue covered in the special is from 1973, I would assume that either ’73 or ’75. The animation is limited, but properly reflects the look of the magazine at the time, so nothing is really lost.

 
BREAKDOWN:

Opening Title Sequence – We see a large urban apartment with Alfred E. Newman’s face plastered across the top and a neon sign that spells out the title. The camera peers into each window, which contains a clip from an upcoming sketch. The last shot is a Don Martin construction worker falling into frame and freezing where the local sponsor info would be inserted or voiced-over. One subtle funny bit is that while the rest of the frame has apparently frozen, Martin’s goofball keeps blinking his eyes.

Auto Manufacturer Of The Year – Taken from issue #155, written by Tom Koch, illustrated by George Woodbridge, this classic bitch-slaps the American automotive industry quite hard, accusing them of jacking up prices, skirting safety regulations, and generally making crappy cars. A Walter Cronkite-a-like interviews a fat-cat car manufacturer and reveals the company’s many shortcomings, including that their safety research team is housed in small shack outside his lavish offices and that the many safety belts ordered for the cars really just hold the parts together. There’s a great line about how it doesn’t matter how well the cars run because with traffic being as bad as it is, no one is going anywhere anyway (ain’t that the friggin’ truth!). But the best line comes from the swarthy car maker who, when asked what the great Henry Ford would think of his business practices, calls the automotive titan “a commie radical.”

Don Martin’s Bath time – In Don’s twisted world, the parents are concerned that their real-life duck is getting too much water, and deflate their rubber child. Gary Larson’s Far Side owes much debut to Martin’s surreal comedic view.

X-Rayvings and other stuff – An abbreviated version of a running gag that spanned many issues, this "X-Rayvings" is based on bits from issue #144. Written by the great Don “Duck” Edwing (who would not start illustrating his own work for several more years) and illustrated by Bob Clarke, this is a behind-the-scenes peek at what is really going on in the doctor’s office waiting room (golf in the back room), a plane (party in the cockpit), a gas station (regular and premium coming from the same tank), fancy restaurant (scummy kitchen), and so on. This is followed by a one-off joke about a trailer park (that isn’t very funny), and a brief Don Martin gag where a patient is sent flying through a hospital window for check-in, that is.

Academy Awards For Parents – Based on a terrific teen-verses-parents sketch from issue #80, written by Stan Hart, and illustrated by Drucker, this one finds a Hollywood-type personality hosting an award ceremony from a living room, where he hands out awards to moms for stuff like the “I could drop dead” speech, the “Upset? Who’s upset” manifesto, and the seeing your kids off to camp and pretending you’ll miss ‘em routine. Watch out for a brief Alfred E Newman appearance as a school kid with a thick Southern drawl. (The only other animated Alfred can be seen in the opening title sequence of the otherwise lame Mad film Up the Academy.)

Don Martin's Shipwrecked – Right out of issue #83 (the others may be from past issue too, just ones I don’t have and can’t ID), this is the classic bit where the lonely guy trapped on a tiny desert island with only one flower, plucks the flower and sinks the island. Short, to the point, and funny.

Tarzan – This is a quick one note joke where good ol’ white boy Tarzan is swinging through the jungle when he passes a hip, afro’d African American swinging by and darts back home to hammer up a “For Sale” sign. Yes, Tarzan is a racist who is gonna move out of the jungle because a black dude moved in. Yowza! No wonder the networks killed this special. Presumably, the writers are lampooning racism and white flight, yet the sketch is so quick and has so little context, it is a bit shocking upon initial viewing.

Spy Vs. Spy – The one that started it all, the OG of Spy Vs. Spy animated cartoons, this is the first example of those two wacky international terrorists killing each other with fluid movement. In this one, the spies are fighting around a brick house and a big mousetrap and, well, the ultra-violence and skull-crushing hilarity are as winning and effective as ever. This sketch gets what the next one (The Oddfather) doesn’t: that a short, sweet and punchy (literally) one-note mallet over the head type gag is way more effective in an animated sketch show than a long, drawn out, plot-driven satire (a lesson The Simpsons could be reminded of these days, eh?). Here, you get two spies, quick action, lots of movement, and BANG!, it’s over. It’s like a Ramones songs: 1-2-3 KKEERRAANNGG!!!!! The end.

The Oddfather – By far the longest and most boring thing here, this detailed parody of the Francis Ford Coppola epic is straight outta the pages of #155 (written by Larry Siegel, illustrated by Drucker). On paper, this moment by moment (practically scene by scene!) parody kinda works because you don’t have to read it all in one sitting. But as an animated sketch that you have to sit through for what feels like 15 minutes, it gets really old really quick. Lots of Italian stereotypes abound. Lots of pasta jokes. Marlo Brandon? Don Vido Minestroni? C’mon, dudes, you guys coulda done better than that! I can understand why this was included, though, as The Godfather was SUCH a huge milestone movie. It woulda have been like making a 1977 Mad special and not including a Star Wars satire. Criminal. Though maybe not as criminal as making a really bad Star Wars parody…

Ending Credits – A wrecking ball destroys the Mad building and the credits appear where the top floors once stood.

OVERALL:
This retro-tacular special is definitely worth tracking down as it is a one-of-a kind affair and one that is never likely to be aired, released, or repeated. It’s really cool to see early animated attempts at Spy Vs. Spy and Don Martin, even if not every bit is as effective and funny as those two. The Oddfather is far too long and kinda kills the otherwise brisk pace, but is not a reason to avoid this. Fans of Mad Magazine and Mad TV would be wise to seek this out, invite over your likeminded friends and have a popcorn party to celebrate the special that never was…which of course makes it all the more special.

Thanks to these sites for some background info and pics: collectmad.com, moviesunlimited.com and bcdb.com.