Tyme (Tom Jones) - California Pelican - February 1947 - 40 pages

https://madcoversite.com/modern_magazine_parodies.html

This parody of Time magazine features a drawing of UC Berkeley President Robert Gordon Sproul (1891-1975) on the cover with the caption: "Bobby Stayed."  This apparently refers to the rumor that Sproul had been offered the presidency at Columbia University which he declined.  Sproul continued with UCB through 1958.  As with most college magazine parodies of the 1940s, The Pelican used mostly real advertisements to go with their content silliness.  However, I find the real ads to be more bizarre than their attempts at humor.  Full-color, full-page cigarette ads dominate the issue on the inside-front cover and the back cover.  R.J. Reynolds tells us that "More Doctors Smoke Camels" based on "113,597" doctor interviews, and that "Cigarette shortage [during WWII] ... taught millions the differences in cigarette quality."  This ad also shows a female smoker demonstrating the "T-Zone" - "T for taste ... T for throat ..."  On the back, actress Ann Sheridan (1915-1967) teaches the ABCs of smoking: "Always Milder ... Better Tasting ... Cooler Smoking ..." and "Always Buy Chesterfield."  Ms. Sheridan died of cancer at the age of 51.

The issue starts with 17 well-written fake letters from the likes of "Throckmorton P. Whistleworth,"  "Thanatopsis Schtunck" and others in a format that would later be used by National Lampoon.  The editors then take us through the national and world news.  Harry Truman stubbed his toe while playing the piano, and the tiny nation states of Andorra and Lichtenstein have declared war on each other.  This mini-war is a running joke throughout the parody.  After the news, other departments include "Radio" (not Television), "Music," "Art," "Cinema," "Books" etc.  Painter "Henri Pierre de Shapiro" was currently showing his artwork that included "Crystalline Formations of Vacuum-Cleaner Sweat."  And, one of the book reviewers found a place for the word "antidisestablishmentarianistic" in the review of "Cantankerous Anthropologist" by "Busby Limpshake."  This college humor magazine actually holds its own during the reading unlike others of the era that I have read.  There are too many photos of small children but the original artwork is very good - especially the map of the "Andorra-Lichtenstein Denoument" by Don Meighan who also drew the cover.  I would say that the underclass folks of UC Berkeley received a good value for their 20 cents. [JAM 9/13/2011]

Front Cover - Bobby Stayed (painting by Don Meighan)
Inside Front Cover - Camel cigarettes (real ad)
1  Parfums Pellee (ad parody)
2  Letters
7  A Letter from the Publisher by John A. Cotton
9  National Affairs
11 International
13 Foreign News
15 The Tasmanian Medical Association (ad parody)
16 People
18 Science
22 Radio
23 Education
24 Music
25 The Press
26 Medicine
28 Art
31 Millstones
33 Business & Finance
36 Cinema
37 Missallany; Triex Cough Syrup (ad parody)
38 Books
Back Cover - Chesterfield cigarettes (real ad)