MAD publisher William M Gaines on TO TELL THE TRUTH

Zack sez, "William M. Gaines, publisher of TALES FROM THE CRYPT, WEIRD SCIENCE and MAD appears on the game show TO TELL THE TRUTH. This video links to a number of other classic TO TELL THE TRUTH appearances by some oddballs, including con man Frank Abagnale Jr. (in a scene later recreated for CATCH ME IF YOU CAN)."

To Tell the Truth - William M Gaines (Thanks,Zack!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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holtt

#3 is Joey’s dad
InsertFingerHere

That was pretty neat, those guys knew their lines!

I forgot wigs were a big thing back then.
cory

Huh, so anyone can appropriate Alfred E. Neumann’s image and use it for whatever they want, and MAD Magazine’s original editor gives his blessing.
- nanuq
  
  Gaines and his company probably appreciated the publicity. This looks to date back to when his other magazines had been shut down in the Great Comics Crusade during the 1950s.
  
  http://drvitelli.typepad.com/providentia/2009/11/protecting-the-children.html
  
  http://drvitelli.typepad.com/providentia/2009/11/protecting-the-children-part-2.html
- Hools Verne
  
  He never owned the image to begin with.
geech

Oh you know he did love the freebie! Didn’t he pick up $500 for fooling them all too?
This is just another great reason to love the intertubes. I used to watch that show all the time as a kid and I’ve not seen Bill, Kitty & Peggy in quite some time!
Anonymous

If you watch to the bitter end, I appear during the closing credits. I was writing for The Match Game & finding guests for To Tell The Truth back then. I convinced Gaines he’d have fun stumping the panel. I worked for Mark Goodson – Bill Todman Productions — and worked for Gaines at the same time. (I’m still writing for MAD – it’s the only work I can find while waiting for The Match Game to come back.)Gene Rayburn points me out during the closing credits. Minus the ‘stache.
Dick De
Dick DeBartolo
MAD’s Maddest Writer.
bbbaldie

nanuq: you’re dead on. The dreaded Comics Code Authority: NOBODY expects the Spanish inquisition!

Not sure how MAD survived that mess. But it did, and I read dozens of issues in the late 60′s-early 70′s. :-D
Anonymous

Did anybody else ID the real Gaines the second he took the stage? And I promise, I had no previous knowledge of him til now. It was simply a case of “spot the comic book guy”.

I wonder if this show had been produced today, the judges might have chosen differently.
- cory
  
  Bill Gaines’ image appeared in MAD many times, so yeah, I spotted him immediately. No points for me. :-)
Tony Moore

@#6: MAD didn’t “survive” that mess, it was born from it. Gaines folded all his talent from EC into one Magazine, and as a magazine, didn’t have to adhere to the restrictions comic books were imposing upon themselves at the time.

awesome clip, man. great find!
If you can locate it, there’s a surreal clip out there of a young Hunter S. Thompson on To Tell The Truth, as well.
- Diamond Jim
  
  If memory serves, that clip of Dr. Thompson appears in the documentary GONZO.
Johnny Cat

Well, that was pretty awesome. Better than, say, QUIZ SHOW.
Tony Moore

although, don’t get me wrong, Mad was one of EC’s comics before the Code, i was just pointing out how the magazine as we know it was born from those ashes.
David Carroll

I have to admit that I did not know who William M Gaines was until today. This is probably grounds to have me banned from Boing Boing for life, but I digress.

The YouTube thumbnail kind of telegraphs his identity, but I would have picked #1 right away. As for #3 who the panel picked, the fact that he was a professional BS artist (AKA Lawyer) was not a shock either.
Hools Verne

Gaines is one of my heroes so I knew in advance but still the first thought that crossed my mind was “It’s obviously the dude with the crazy beard”
Anonymous

I remember once years ago meeting Mr. Gaines in an elevator. We spoke about Mad Magazine. I told him I used to read it all the time when I was a kid. “why does everybody say that?!” he replied. He wanted everybody to keep reading it into adulthood.
I was reminded (but didn’t mention) the famous National Lampoon Mad Magazine parody, which contained “you know you’ve outgrown Mad Magazine when…”