Talk about friends in high places! I was recently contacted by the woman who appeared on the cover of Vol. 1, No. 1, April 1970 (Sex) issue of National Lampoon, who now lives in the mountains of a western state. She graciously let me in on the story of how she happened to get on that cover. (I promised I wouldn’t reveal her name, to protect her privacy.) Here is how it happened, in her own words:

“In New York, models take their portfolios around to different photographers . . . it’s called ‘making the rounds.’ If the photographers are in need of models, sometimes one can pick up a quick shoot rather than waiting to be booked. The day the cover was shot was such a day. I had been to about ten studios, picked up a few free test photos that I would use for my book, but no paying job. I was not yet well known, but had done a fair amount of catalog work and some paperback book covers and such . . .

 “When I entered the studio, the photographer (and I am sorry, but I cannot remember his name; I have tried) was in a shoot. He had a busty blonde model in a bikini against a backdrop and he kept saying, “I want you to look sexy . . . real sexy. She was posing, and I suppose trying. Good looking gal; no passion coming across. I watched for a few more minutes and could hear the frustration in his voice . . .

 “I don’t know exactly what possessed me to do this, but I went behind the changing drape and put on the leather suit seen in the shot. A girlfriend had loaned it to me, as I had wanted some photos taken in it; I was to return it that day. The suit was a whole size too small and of no use to me . . . I thought. Nonetheless, it is all that I had with me. I wiggled into this suit—could not come close to buttoning it up—quietly walked across the studio until I was almost in view. The photographer was still engrossed in, ‘No, look really sexy.’

 “I waited until he looked up from the camera, the look of a long sigh on his face. I stepped onto the backdrop paper—hit the pose and said, ‘He means like this.’ The photographer got that ‘YES’ look on his face and he shot the picture without ever looking through the lens. One shot. I am afraid my baroque sense of humor took over because I walked away, redressed and left. No release, no name . . . he did not even know who I was; hence, ‘the model is unidentified.’

 “I did not know that they had used my picture for that cover shot until photographers who knew me started to call my agent and request me as a model.”

Speaking of Michael O’Donoghue… I finally went out and bought the Dennis Perrin biography, “Mr. Mike:The Life and Work of Michael O’Donoghue, Man Who Made Comedy Dangerous,” and am about half way through. Very fascinating book! Knowing his history prior to his NatLamp days really sheds light on his work at the magazine. His pieces in National Lampoon make a even more sense when you see they are part of a much larger picture. The book also reveals O’Donoghue’s importance in setting the tone and personality of the magazine in contrast to its more restrained Harvard Lampoon roots.

Reader Michael A. Simon passed on a link to a site that has a “pretty decent tribute/bio” of Michael O’Donoghue, and reprints of the articles “How to Write Good” and “The Churchill Wit.” Update: It appears that website no longer exists.

According to reader Dave Pullano, the next issue is due out in November 1998.

I have received so many messages from readers looking to either buy, sell, or trade various National Lampoon items that I have decided to add a special page devoted to such requests. As a result, this type of item will no longer appear on this News page. The inaugural edition features requests I have received over the last year, many of which I have not been able to follow up on–until now. If your query appears but is no longer valid, let me know. If you sent me a request and it does not appear, let me know (it’s difficult to keep track of them all). Any future queries to me regarding buying or selling items will automatically appear on the Classifieds page. This new page is a free service to readers of this site and should work much better than the hit-or-miss manner I have been handling them until now. (Thanks to Dave Meredith for the suggestion.)

12/3/15 Update: I stopped taking ads for the Classifieds page in March of 2012. It is now removed from the site. Sorry, everybody. It was taking too much of my time. If you have something to sell, there is eBay and Craig’s list. If you are looking for old Lampoon stuff, check out the Where To Find Stuff page.

Thanks to everyone who has given me tips, leads, offers (and even issues), I now have completed my collection of early National Lampoons. This will be a great resource for this site and I will no longer need to apologize on the Intro page for the gaps in my collection. However, I recently realized I am missing one other item: the 1972 paperback anthology of political humor Would You Buy a Used War From This Man? If anyone knows where I can get a copy, let me know…. Update: Never mind. Got it.

In a bizarre turn of events, J2 Communications (current owner of the National Lampoon empire) has signed a deal with the Fox Family Channel cable network (formerly Pat Robertson’s Family Channel) to produce two made-for-TV movies, one of which, “Men In White,” recently aired. Check it out. Update: The linked page no longer exists.

Reader “SGos” notes that several former NatLamp contributors, including Shary Flenniken (“Trots and Bonnie”), B.K. Taylor (“The Appletons” and “Timberland Tales”), and Drew Friedman , have surfaced in Mad magazine recently.

Q. Where can I find the P.J. O’Rourke piece “Foreigners Around the World”?

A. This highly offensive but popular article appeared in the May 1976 (Foreigners) issue. It also was reprinted in the National Lampoon Tenth Anniversary Anthology (1979).

Q. Where can I buy a copy of the 1964 Yearbook Parody?

A. The National Lampoon High School Yearbook Parody shouldn’t be too hard to find—it was very popular and went into several printings. Your best bet would be a used comic book/magazine store. Most larger cities have them. And if they don’t have it they should be able to point you in the right direction. Check the Resources page for more tips.

Q. Can you tell me where “Kit ‘n’ Kaboodle” appeared? What if any connection is does it have with “Itchy and Scratchy,” the cartoon-within-a-cartoon which is featured on “The Simpsons?”

A. “Kit ‘n’ Kaboodle,” by Brian McConnachie, was a “funny animal” comic book parody apparently based on the “Tom ‘n’ Jerry” cartoons except the violence inflicted by the cat and mouse on each other is treated realistically—think Tex Avery meets Sam Peckinpah. It first appeared in the June ’73 (Violence) issue. It also appeared in The Best of #4 and Tenth Anniversary anthologies. It’s quite possible that it was the inspiration for “Itchy and Scratchy,” the concept is quite similar. Or it could just be a coincidence. If anyone reading this knows the definitive answer, drop me a line.

Cartoonist and writer Chris Browne, who contributed regularly in the late ’70s and early ’80s, including the “Funny the Bunny” comic strip, wants to know whatever happened to Danielle, the Foto Funnies girl. The best info I have is that she got married and moved to Connecticut in the late ’70s. If you have more info, let me know.

Richard Levinson wrote for the “Letters” section in the ’80s and wrote songs for the Class of ’86 Review. He notes that Lampoon insiders he became aquainted with seemed to be less aware of the magazine’s impact on modern humor than do the fans. He is currently involved in a project which involves several early Lampoon alumni, but doubts it will ever be produced.

Jim Wilson, who specializes in prop humor, did a museum catalog parody for Lampoon in the late ’70s under P.J. O’Rourke. I checked out his website and was surprised (and pleased) to see a link to Mark’s Very Large National Lampoon Site. Thanks Jim! Update: Jim’s website no longer exists.