Lampoon's Parody of 'People' Appears Nationally Tomorrow

Excerpts from the Harvard Lampoon's spoof on "People" magazine--due to hit newsstands across the nation tomorrow morning--appeared in the New York Post yesterday.

A picture of actress Bo Derek on her knees at the end of a leash held by her husband, John, has spurred international interest in the upcoming special, the Lampoon's president, Jeff S. Martin '82, said yesterday.

After the early release of the Derek picture in the Post, the Lampoon received calls from the French paper Le Monde the London Daily Mail and two Australian papers, Martin said.

The Lampoon will distribute a first printing of at least a million copies of the parody, its largest project in 105 years of humor writing. The last Lampoon parody, of Cosmopolitan magazine, appeared nationwide in 1973 and sold more than a million copies.

Lampoon editors will appear tomorrow on NBC's "Today Show" and "Tomorrow Show," and arts critic Gene Shalit will also interview Martin on NBC radio. Shalit will interview actress Brooke Shields, who appears on the parody's cover, for next Tuesday's "Today Show."

Martin refused to give any details on the contents of the special issue, saying only that the cover features Shields "as you've never seen her before."

The parody will sell for $2 a copy, but Martin says he does not know how much profit the Lampoon will make. Howard Greene, the Lampoon's New York public relations representative, said he expects the issue to do "extremely well."

Profits from the Lampoon's special issues support the magazine's regular operations, Martin said. The Lampoon ordinarily comes out five times a year and is distributed for free at Harvard.

People magazine cooperated with the Lampoon in the spoof project, as did the celebrities who appear in the issue.