In this book, journalist Ellin Stein provides a history of the iconoclastic 'National Lampoon' magazine, and the movies, television shows, publications, etc. it spawned or inspired. Stein did extensive research and conducted myriad interviews, and her coverage of the topic - and all the people involved - is very thorough.
An iconic National Lampoon cover
*****
At the end of the 1960s, Harvard graduates Henry Beard and Doug Kenney moved to New York to be the chief editors of a magazine called the 'National Lampoon' (NL), an outgrowth of the iconoclastic 'Harvard Lampoon' (HL).
Henry Beard
Doug Kenney
A Harvard Lampoon cover
The HL prided itself on fun parodies, like a story called 'Alligator' that riffed on the suave James Bond (007) character, who orders his martinis 'shaken not stirred'. Alligator's James Bond is meticulous about his food, and in his BLT sandwich, "the bacon must be crisp, not however over-cooked; lettuce from the inside please, but not the heart."
Cartoon of James Bond (007)
One of HL's big successes was a parody of 'Playboy' magazine, which was endorsed by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner himself. The Poonies (HL writers) came up with the ideal playmate, a sort of female Tarzan from a Carolina coastal island whose English is restricted to 'My name is Oona. Mama and Papa dive into sea. Berries and herbs, herbs and berries'.
The Harvard Lampoon's parody of Playboy Magazine
Stein writes, "The Poonies had stumbled onto the trick that would be the financial cornerstone of their subsequent parodies and later the National Lampoon: because the naked ladies were presented in a joke context, the reader could feel superior to his sweaty-palmed brethren who genuinely sought out this kind of fantasy stimulant without having to deny himself any of their voyeuristic gratification."
Another HL project was a parody of J.R.R Tolkien's heroic epic 'Lord of the Rings', called 'Bored of the Rings', in which "cowardice, confusion, and passing the buck are the order of the day."
The Harvard Lampoon's parody of Lord of the Rings
With several popular publications under their belt, HL writers Beard and Kenney "just knew they wanted to create a humor magazine and it would be big and glossy and wonderful and they would have a great time doing it and would be a great success." This new magazine would be called the National Lampoon.
To get the NL going, Beard and Kenney hired Harvard Poonies to be writers, HL alumni to be advisors, and outside artists and caricaturists to supply pictures to go with the words. This resulted in a kind of 'boys club', where meetings were held in restaurants, and irreverence ruled the roost.
Some staff members at the Natonal Lampoon
When outsider Michael O'Donoghue came on board, he wanted to do some damage, search and destroy....that's the kind of comedy he liked. O'Donoghue observed, "The Harvard people fought with the épée. They made little digs in the wrist you know - 'Ha ha! Have at you!' I taught them to fight with the truncheon. It was just a more brutal form of humor - less sport, more murder."
Michael O'Donoghue
The NL also segued into politics. For instance, when the Vietnam war expanded into Cambodia amidst increasing antiwar protests, Kenney wrote a satirical editorial that suggested Cambodia would soon enjoy he same benefits as South Vietnam, "Once an underdeveloped Asian sump full of mosquitoes, overcooked rice and foreigners, [South Vietnam] has blossomed under our tutelage into a veritable Eden of rusted tanks, Coca-Cola bottles and highly decorative half-breeds."
The National Lampoon's first big success featured a cover of Minnie Mouse in pasties, which spurred the Disney organization to sue for $11 million.
National Lampoon's cover of Minnie Mouse with pasties
Among the magazines most popular features were parodies of other types of publications, for instance, 'Pethouse' - which featured photos of furry animals in provocative poses; 'Stupid News and World Report'; Gun Lust magazine; Third Base - the Dating Newspaper; and more.
Examples of Harvard Lampoon parodies
The NL writers and artists collaborated to formulate content, and tried to think of every possible joke on a subject. For example, the writers' room came up with a story about a convicted Watergate burglar doing time at a light security prison: there's a moment when the prisoners, "pushed beyond endurance by a selection of inferior vintages, bang their tin cups and call for 'Montrachet'."
There weren't many women working for the the NL, and women weren't especially welcome. For example, NL comedy writer Anne Beatts got the distinct impression that neither Henry Beard or Doug Kenney wanted her to be there. Stein writes, "However, because the editors had been brought up to be polite, they weren't about to run to Michel Chobette [a Lampoon contributor and Beatts' boyfriend at the time] and say, 'Can't you just leave her at home?' "
Anne Beatts
In time, the NL staff expanded to include refugees from advertising and Canadians, and Stein describes their differing personalities and styles of comedy. Some of the magazine's Canadiana included bumper stickers like 'My Country, Correct or Misinformed'; and translations into Canadian: 'Up against the wall you motherf***ingpig turns into 'Now wait a minute officer, let's be reasonable'.
Regardless of their provenance, once writers/editors were admitted to the club, it became the most important thing in their lives. A Lampoon editor was a Lampoon editor twenty-four hours a day, and the Lampooners appreciated having kindred spirits to bounce their ideas off. Stein notes, "The Lampoon writers had found more than drinking buddies: they had joined a sort of gym for the intellect, where their creativity could be stimulated and stretched."
Relations among the NL personnel wasn't all sweetness and light, however, and Stein documents the numerous jealousies and rivalries as well as the collaborations and alliances.
In addition to contributing to the NL, many comedy writers went on to work in radio, movies, records, live theater, television, publishing, etc. Stein gives examples of celebrities like Gilda Radnor, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis and others, who went from the NL to Saturday Night Live.....and on to big success, often in movies.
1975 cast of Saturday Night Live. From left, Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, John Belushi, Laraine Newman, Dan Akroyd, Gilda Radnor, Bill Murray
NL writers penned the script for the film 'National Lampoon's Animal House' (1978), which started out as a raunchy juvenile story set in high school. The movie took many rewrites, many writers, and many years to come to fruition. NL also spawned successul movies like 'Caddyshack' (1980), 'National Lampoon's Vacation' (1983), and 'Ghostbusters' (1984). Moreover, the NL changed the face of popular culture by inspiring The Simpsons, The Onion, This is Spinal Tap, South Park, SCTV, The Blues Brothers, and more.
In a way, the NL was responsible for its own demise, because its audience moved on to other comical fare inspired by the magazine.
Unfortunately, one of the NL's founders, Doug Kenney, came to a sad end. Kenney grew insecure about his talent, succumbed to cocaine addiction, and in 1980 - at the age of 33 - Doug was found dead at the bottom of a cliff in Hawaii.
At over 400 pages, author Ellin Stein relates everything you'd ever want to know about the National Lampoon; its editors, writers, and artists; the movies it sponsored inspired; and its HUGE influence on popular culture.
FYI: The 2018 movie 'A Futile and Stupid Gesture' tells the story of the founding of the National
Lampoon, and relates the troubled life and sad end of Doug Kenney.
Rating: 4 stars
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