# Humor/satire of the 1950s and 1960s **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [October 28, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348 "2024-10-28T13:33:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ggf.nyc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ggf.nyc/32/17864_2.png) [@ggf.nyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ggf.nyc)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/1 "2024-10-28T13:33:43Z")
I’m hoping to get some suggestions of humorists and satirists from the '50s and '60s (and I’ll even take the '70s!). I recently finished Peter Devries’s “Without a Stitch in Time,” which left me wanting more. I’m a big fan of Dawn Powell’s New York novels, Mary McCarthy, Randall Jarrell’s “Pictures from an Institution,” and New Yorker-style writing in general. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/2 "2024-10-28T13:41:07Z")
Well, there’s Jules Feiffer’s collections of cartoons for a starter… ---
**Author:** ![ggf.nyc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ggf.nyc/32/17864_2.png) [@ggf.nyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ggf.nyc)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/3 "2024-10-28T13:56:55Z")
Oh yes, I have his collection “The Explainers” and even got him to sign it! But I’m hoping to find essays and stories rather than cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/4 "2024-10-28T13:58:39Z")
Paul Krassner! ---
**Author:** ![JohnnyEcks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnnyecks/32/18197_2.png) [@JohnnyEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnnyEcks)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/5 "2024-10-28T14:00:36Z")
You’re probably looking for something more highbrow, but old issues of Mad magazine are available online. It’s definitely satire, and the 1950s issues are very much of their time. ---
**Author:** ![ggf.nyc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ggf.nyc/32/17864_2.png) [@ggf.nyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ggf.nyc)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/6 "2024-10-28T14:13:40Z")
Mad Magazine is great! ---
**Author:** ![ggf.nyc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ggf.nyc/32/17864_2.png) [@ggf.nyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ggf.nyc)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/7 "2024-10-28T14:14:23Z")
Any particular title you’d recommend? ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/8 "2024-10-28T14:16:53Z")
He may not be exactly what you’re looking for, but one of the most prolific humorists of the 1960s was Jean Shepherd, as a writer and radio personality. People know him best from “A Christmas Story,” which was adapted from a collection of his stories reflecting on his childhood in the 1940s, but many of his writings (in Playboy and other magazines) and radio broadcasts were topical to the 1960s. Shepherd held court nightly on New York’s WOR for years, and many of his broadcasts are available online. I would also put in a vote for MAD, which greatly shaped my sense of humor, along with Ernie Kovacs and the great satirical recordings of Stan Freberg. ---
**Author:** ![ggf.nyc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ggf.nyc/32/17864_2.png) [@ggf.nyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ggf.nyc)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/9 "2024-10-28T14:30:01Z")
I’ve been meaning to take a look at Jean Shepherd, thanks! A Christmas Story is still one of the top-three funniest movies ever! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/10 "2024-10-28T14:30:25Z")
Max Shulman may be best known as the creator of Dobie Gillis and the TV show based on the character. He started his writing career in the late 40s and continued into the 50s and 60s with satire based on the post-war college dating scene and middle class culture in short stories and novels that were turned into several movies in addition to the well known TV show. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/11 "2024-10-28T14:33:32Z")
All of them. My first was How I became a Yippie Conspirstor in Ten Easy Years. ---
**Author:** ![ggf.nyc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ggf.nyc/32/17864_2.png) [@ggf.nyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ggf.nyc)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/12 "2024-10-28T14:43:24Z")
Ooh yeah, this sounds very much like what I’m looking for, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/13 "2024-10-28T14:46:04Z")
Art Buchwald, Mort Sahl, Mike Nichols and Elaine May. Of course, no list is complete without Lenny Bruce. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/14 "2024-10-28T16:51:37Z")
Harvard Lampoon did great satire that went beyond the local magazine. Besides the wonderful **Bored of the Ring** , they also did a spot-on satire of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels (they even packaged it as a signet paperback, with the titles other J_M_S B\*ND novels), **Alligator**. And they did a Playboy parody, too. > **[Bored of the Rings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bored_of_the_Rings)** > > Bored of the Rings is a 1969 parody of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. This short novel was written by Henry Beard and Douglas Kenney, who later founded National Lampoon. It was published in 1969 by Signet for The Harvard Lampoon, and, unusually for a parody, has remained in print for over 50 years. It has been translated into at least twelve languages. > The parody steps through The Lord of the Rings, in turn mocking the prologue, the map, and the main text. The text combines slapst... > **[Alligator (A Harvard Lampoon Parody): I\*n Fl\*m\*ng \[Ian Fleming\]: Amazon.com:...](https://www.amazon.com/Alligator-Ian-FL-NG-Fleming/dp/B000KPEXO4)** > > Alligator (A Harvard Lampoon Parody) \[I\*n Fl\*m\*ng \[Ian Fleming\]\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Alligator (A Harvard Lampoon Parody) > **[Playboy : Entertainment for Men - Special Parody Issue - Vol. 1, No. 1 1966 /...](https://www.amazon.com/Playboy-Entertainment-Special-Parody-Issue/dp/B008Y1PFPW)** > > Playboy : Entertainment for Men - Special Parody Issue - Vol. 1, No. 1 1966 / PL\*YB\*Y \[HARVARD LAMPOON\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Playboy : Entertainment for Men - Special Parody Issue - Vol. 1, No. 1 1966 / PL\*YB\*Y ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/15 "2024-10-28T17:01:50Z")
No love for Steve Allen? I was shocked when I heard he’d died after a fender-bender 20-odd years ago. I thought he was going to be around forever. ---
**Author:** ![ggf.nyc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ggf.nyc/32/17864_2.png) [@ggf.nyc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ggf.nyc)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/16 "2024-10-28T17:17:26Z")
I’ll give his collection “Schmock-Schmock” a try! ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/17 "2024-10-28T17:28:54Z")
Erma Bombeck (something my mother loved) Allan Sherman (taught me about summer camp and King Louie) Vaughn Meader (a career cut drastically short by an assassin’s bullet) ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/18 "2024-10-28T17:36:03Z")
Allan Sherman had _The Rape of the APE_ (American Puritan Ethic). In the 50s and 60s _The New Yorker_ had articles by an up-and-coming guy named Woody Allen, along with Morris Bishop, Peter DeVries, Wolcott Gibbs, Geoffrey T. Hellman [Talk of the Town], film critic Pauline Kael, John O’Hara (short stories), Calvin Trillin, and E. B. White. Then there’s Joan Didion, Hunter S. Thompson, Gay Talese and Tom Wolfe. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/19 "2024-10-28T17:37:29Z")
What, no love for [Tom Lehrer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Lehrer)? Granted, his ouevre was songs, but for humor and gentle satire he can’t be beat, IMHO. If you sample nothing else of his, you MUST check out his “[Vatican Rag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhYqeGp_Do).” Every time I listen to it I have get up and dance around cackling. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348/20 "2024-10-28T17:38:20Z")
Al Capp (Lil’ Abner) Walt Kelly (Pogo) Kurt Vonnegut (he wrote some of his best books in the 60s) Joseph Heller Stan Freberg [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humor-satire-of-the-1950s-and-1960s/1009348.md?page=2)