Poonsters Parody Dartmouth Review

The Dartmouth Review has threatened to sue the Harvard Lampoon for producing a parody of the controversial conservative weekly, according to Lampoon Business Manager Jennifer M. Paley '93.

She and five other Lampoon members distributed the eight-page spoof at Dartmouth Friday. The Lampoon will issue the parody to Harvard students today.

The satire features pictures of Hitler modeling for the Review's "Spring Fashion Issue," an editorial titled "Campaign '92: Democrats Suck Eggs," and a Hitler quote as the Review's credo.

Paley said Review staffers asked police to escort the 'Poonsters off the Dartmouth campus.

"They called the police on us," she said. "Three security guards and three cop cars."

Review members accused Lampoon staffers of throwing out the original Review issues and replacing then with the parodies. Paley said the Review threatened to sue.

"They wanted to get a lawsuit for trespassing into Dartmouth dorms and for destruction of property," Paley said.

Ken I. Weissman, editor-in-chief of the Review, declined to say whether the magazine will sue but said he called the police.

"When we were made aware that substitutions of the Dartmouth Review were taking place, we contacted both the Dartmouth and the Hanover Police," Weissman said.

"We were being misrepresented and the issues that we worked on were thrown away," he explained.

Paley, however, said the Lampoon was not responsible for discarding the Dartmouth Review issues.

"No one knows who threw out their issues," Paley said. "They believe that the Lampoon [did], but as far as I know nobody with the Lampoon did that."

Lampoon members added that under no circumstances is a lawsuit appropriate.

"We did not feel that any laws had been broken," Paley said. "We were advised [by our lawyers] that it was okay to print the parody as long as it wasn't exactly like the Dartmouth Review."

According to Geoffrey W. Rodkey '92, editor of the parody, a caller from the Review told the Lampoon that it

would hear form the Review's lawyers today.

"It's probably libel, but that's anybody'sguess," he said.

Weissman, however, said Review stafferstelephoned the Lampoon only "to confirm that itwas the Lampoon that did this."

Lampoon Editor Lewis N. Morton '93 said theLampoon has received calls of support from theDartmouth campus.

"we've been getting tremendous numbers of callsfrom Dartmouth students who appreciated theparody," Morton said.

One of those students is Jeff R. Kursman, apublic relations manager for the Dartmouth StudentAssembly.

"We found it amusing," he said. "The DartmouthReview has been our arch-nemesis for as long as Ican remember."

Kursman said students who participated in lastyear's rally against hate speech in the DartmouthReview were especially tickled by the parody.

"People who have a good sense ofhumor...thought it was extremely hilarious," hesaid

would hear form the Review's lawyers today.

"It's probably libel, but that's anybody'sguess," he said.

Weissman, however, said Review stafferstelephoned the Lampoon only "to confirm that itwas the Lampoon that did this."

Lampoon Editor Lewis N. Morton '93 said theLampoon has received calls of support from theDartmouth campus.

"we've been getting tremendous numbers of callsfrom Dartmouth students who appreciated theparody," Morton said.

One of those students is Jeff R. Kursman, apublic relations manager for the Dartmouth StudentAssembly.

"We found it amusing," he said. "The DartmouthReview has been our arch-nemesis for as long as Ican remember."

Kursman said students who participated in lastyear's rally against hate speech in the DartmouthReview were especially tickled by the parody.

"People who have a good sense ofhumor...thought it was extremely hilarious," hesaid