Frank Jacobs

Frank Jacobs
BornFranklin Jacobs[1]
(1929-05-30)May 30, 1929
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.[2]
DiedApril 5, 2021(2021-04-05) (aged 91)
Tarzana, California, U.S.
OccupationSatirist
LanguageEnglish
GenreSatire, music
Years active1957-2014
Notable worksMad

Franklin Jacobs (May 30, 1929 – April 5, 2021[3][4]) was an American author of satires, known primarily for his work in Mad, to which he contributed from 1957 to 2014. Jacobs wrote a wide variety of lampoons and spoof, but was best known as a versifier who contributed parodies of famous song lyrics and poems.[5] In 2009, Jacobs described himself as "the least-known writer of hysterical light verse in the United States."[6]

In 2021, musical parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic told the Washington Post, “I absolutely devoured every issue [of Mad], and Frank Jacobs was a big reason for that obsession. I can’t swear that Frank’s work was my first-ever exposure to the art form of parody, but it was definitely the first time I had seen the craft approached with that much skill, wit and attention to detail. Frank laid out the template for me — he irrevocably changed my DNA.”[7]

Jacobs appeared in the sixth chapter of PBS' comedy documentary, Make 'em Laugh: The Funny Business of America singing "Blue Cross", his own 1961 parody of Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies". That lyric was one of 25 that were the subject of Berlin v. E.C. Publications, Inc., a precedent-setting case that was appealed to the Supreme Court and helped to define the boundaries of parody in American law.[8][9]

  1. ^ Sandomir, Richard (April 14, 2021). "Frank Jacobs, Mad Magazine Writer with a Lyrical Touch, Dies at 91". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Frank Jacobs | Nebraska Authors".
  3. ^ "Frank Jacobs : five decades of his greatest works". Toronto Public Library. Archived from the original on February 10, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016. Jacobs, Frank, 1929-
  4. ^ Mad zaps the human race and other horrors through the twisted mind of ... United States Library of Congress. 1984. Archived from the original on November 15, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2016. Jacobs, Frank, 1929-
  5. ^ Bill Finger Award Archived May 9, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Rudolph, Joyce (February 18, 2009). "What, Me Retire?". Burbank Leader. California. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011.
  7. ^ "Remembering Frank Jacobs, the 'poet lauridiot' of Mad magazine who inspired comics like 'Weird Al' Yankovic - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
  8. ^ Irving Berlin et al. v. E.C. Publications, Inc. Archived November 24, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Rudolph, p. 2.