TITLE: Cracked Magazine Issue #164
YEAR: November 1979
COMPANY: Major Magazines/Candar Publishing Corp
Publisher: Robert C. Sproul
Editor: Bill Sproul
Contributig Editor: Joe Catalano
Writers: George Gladir, Randy Epley, Daniel Gutman, Leo Daveson, David Allikas, Charles Brown, Gary Tallman, Elaine Ozimok
Artists: John Severin, Sururi G, Bill Ward, Warren Sattler, Don Orehek, Bill Ward, Samuel Whitehead, Howard Nostrand
Proof Reader: Rita Righta
Janitor: Sylvester P. Smythe
I’ve written about my enjoyment of “Cracked Magazine” as a child and why I had more “Cracked Magazine” than “Mad Magazine”.
Back in 1979, Ridley Scott’s “Alien” took American by storm. The film won numerous awards, received critical acclaim and was a box office success, the American Film Institute even ranked the film as the seventh best film in the sci-fi genre and Empire Magazine considered it as the 33rd Greatest Film of All Time.
The scare factor of the film was probably something one heard often back at the time and Cracked Magazine wanted to give a different take on “Alien” for its 164th issue. Tired of the gory, bloody, horror films, “Cracked Magazine” decided to feature their parody story titled “Allien” without the gore.
As a kid, I remember reading this and wondering why are some words “bolded”. Does that mean there is an emphasis on the word? It never made sense to me as a child and reading this issue again as an adult, it makes no sense to me as well. But the story is less about Sigourney Weaver’s popular character but more of the various deaths that each character will meet and how the magazine tries to tell a story without the violence/horror. A fun parody nevertheless.
There are also humorous sections such as “When Gambling Becomes Legal in Everyday Life”, “The Cracked World of Ambition”, “Cracked Tips for Economizing”, “The Cracked World of Marriage”, “The Cracked Lens”, “You’re Going a Little Too Far When…”, “The Cracked World of Disco”, “Ten Little Drivers”, “One Afternoon in a Plastic Surgeon’s Office”, “Shut-Ups” and continuing to capitalize on Robin Williams popularity as Mork from Ork, “If Mork Appeared in Other TV Shows and Movies”.
Overall, a humorous issue and an interesting way “Cracked Magazine” covered “Alien” back in 1979.