PI's 45th ANNIVERSARY -- The Lighter Side

IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD MAGAZINE WORLD: Yes, it is true, a PI reporter trekked to Madison Avenue in New York City to speak with Bill Gaines, publisher of Mad magazine, during the straight-laced 1960s (from the business world perspective, at least).

Writer Marjory Weiner told the tale of Gaines, who inherited Educational Comics from his father, Max, who died in an accident. The elder Gaines had been publishing more sedate offerings, such as "Picture Stories from the Bible," and "Tiny Tot Comics," but his son found a larger audience with tales of crime, horror, war and science fiction.