Working in the Scholastic archive, we sometimes discover materials in the stacks that take us on a walk down memory lane. Today that material is... issue #1 of Bananas.
Editor: Jovial Bob Stine (a.k.a. R.L. Stine!)
Cover Illustrator: Alex Ebel
Publication Date: 1975
Main articles:
- Cover story – “Chico vs. J.J.”
- Interviews – Don Martin (of MAD Magazine), Barry Manilow, Lori Payne
- “Dress for Cheap at the Army-Navy Store”
- “Flashback! Robert Redford”
- “Sports: Who is a Superstar?”
Contents:
This cover story combines commentary from Freddie Prinze and Jimmie Walker, stars of Chico and the Man and Good Times, respectively, with analysis of their impact on comedy and television. It explains their backgrounds growing up in New York City, how they got into comedy, and compares and contrasts the characters they played on TV. This first issue of Bananas also features activities, comics, humor, satirical advice columns, a Robert Redford poster, a contest for an electric typewriter, and… banana split recipes!
Comments:
One third of the cover story talks about racial humor and stereotypes, and it’s interesting to read what these well-known individuals thought when they were young and cast as characters telling jokes that some found offensive. Talking about playing J.J., Jimmy Walker said that he tried to make his jokes funny to everyone; and self-described 'Hungarican' Freddie Prinze (Hungarian + Puerto Rican) commented the protests of his casting, saying that he understood why folks were upset, “some people would prefer a real Mexican-American actor in the part”. Another feature article profiles motocross racer Jodi Payne, who reflected on taking a lot of kidding at school for being of the few women racing motorcycles at the time. “I don’t pay attention... If they knew how much fun it is, they wouldn’t say anything. They’d be out there on the track doing it themselves!”
Readalikes:
Scholastic Action magazine
The MAD Student Survival Guide for Those Bored of Education, by Usual Gang of Idiots
Real Bios, series from Scholastic Library Publishing
Banana split hits illustrated by Doug Taylor
