After 67 years, MAD magazine will stop printing original material after its August issue, and only

After 67 years, MAD magazine will stop printing original material after its August issue, and only issue reprinted material. To mark the end of the era, the mentalfloss website has compiled a list of MAD magazine facts.

v Alfred E. Neuman’s origin: In a nutshell, nobody knows who created the magazine’s mascot. MAD creator Harvey Kurtzman saw the grinning, gap-toothed imbecile staring on a bulletin board and adopted it. The unnamed figure was ubiquitous in the early 20th century, appearing in everything from dentistry ads to depictions of diseases.

v Spy Vs. Spy: Cuban cartoonist Antonio Prohias was disenchanted with the regime of Fidel Castro when he began working on what would become “Spy vs. Spy.” Fearing that the Cuban government suspected him of working for the CIA, Prohias came to America in 1960 and submitted his work to MAD. The sneaky, triangle-headed spies became regulars.

v The Fold-In that never ran: The famous fold-ins – the back covers that reveal a new picture when doubled over – have run since 1964 but editors had to kill one that referenced a mass shooting in 2013. Citing poor taste, they destroyed over 600,000 copies.

v Disaster movie: With the exception of Fox’s 1994 sketch series “MAD TV,” attempts to translate the MAD brand into other media have been underwhelming. The 1980 film “Mad Presents Up the Academy” was so awful that publisher William Gaines demanded its name be taken off of it.

v Adding ads: From the beginning, Gaines felt that printing advertisements next to the products they were lampooning was hypocritical. Faced with dwindling circulation, MAD finally relented and began taking ads in 2001.

Major League baseball All-Star Game (FOX, 7:30 P.M.): The National and American leagues square off live from Progressive Field in Cleveland.

tv listings, B5

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Brownlee tickets are now on sale

YOUNGSTOWN

Tickets for the March 7 concert by Lawrence Brownlee and the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra at Powers Auditorium range from $50 to $75 and are available at youngstownsymphony.com, by phone at 330-744-0264, and at the DeYor Performing Arts Center box office, downtown.

It will be the first time that Brownlee, an internationally recognized opera singer and a native of Youngstown, will perform with the YSO. Titled “Spiritual Journey,” the concert will feature excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, the Singers Together and Simple Gifts combined choirs, and the Youngstown Connection.

Vindy appreciation at Wick concert

YOUNGSTOWN

Wednesday’s free Music in the Park concert at Wick Park will feature Greg Johnson From Youngstown’s Total Package Band, Jody B and Steve Moses in a performance that will show appreciation to The Vindicator.

All area musicians and singers are welcome to take part in the open mic segment from 5 to 8 p.m. There also will be line dancing and a food vendor.