Film on Bill Gaines Gaining Steam

It’s been a while since news of the proposed bio-pic of the life of MAD publisher William M. Gaines saw any light of day. It’s been in the rumor mill for about 4 years now. About three years ago The MAD Blog linked to reports that Joel Eisenberg and his Iron Mountain Media had picked up the film “life rights” of Gaines and planned to co-produce a biopic based on his life. tentatively titled, “Ghoulishly Yours, William M. Gaines”. A year later director John Landis (Animal House, Blues Brothers, Trading Places, etc.) was attached to the project.

Just this past week the film project reared it’s head again, with reports that Landis was indeed gathering up funds to direct a film about the life of Gaines.

The obvious drama of Gaines’ testimony before the senate hearings that stemmed from Fredrick Wertham‘s misguided book Seduction of the Innocent aside, there will be plenty of story to fill up a film based on his life. If you’ve ever read the book “The MAD World of William M. Gaines” by longtime MAD scribe Frank Jacobs, you’ll know although he was one of the giants of innovation in the comic’s world, Gaines didn’t want to have anything to do with the business when it was thrust upon him after his father’s untimely death in a boating accident, and the stories his antics while producing of the different comics from the E.C days to MAD are full of hysterical moments. Gaines became quite an eccentric as well, and he will be quite a colorful character for the big screen…. assuming this ever gets made, of course.