Summary
“The Dinner Bell” is a satire of the New York art world, a grasping family, a lawyer, art appraisers and manipulators, and a buyer for an Arab prince, all ready to pounce upon an old woman to relieve her of a valuable painting.
Author Archives: thelaughingsatirist5358
Episode 4 – Crobson’s Syndrome
Summary
“Crobson’s Syndrome” is an autobiographical sketch by Anthony Crobson, M.D., the greatest pharmaceutical inventor and marketer of all time. Dr. Crobson invented “Crobson’s Syndrome” to have a disease to treat with Crobson’s Elixir, a combination of stimulants he created that became the most widely prescribed medication in history. A marketing genius, he created the “Ask your doctor” ads to avoid disclosing its alarming side effects. He is best known for warning consumers not to crush and sniff his popular pain killer pellets, thereby suggesting that crushing the pellets produced an overwhelming high.
Episode 3 – The Landfill
Summary
“The Landfill”is a satire of waste management, crater dynamics, construction economics, and technological progress. Butch Siegel, the contractor from “Recycled Glass” in Episode 2, makes a cameo appearance as the contractor for an enormous plastic dome set over the landfill to channel methane gas to nearby homes for fuel. When Siegel blows up the dome looking for a leak with his Zippo lighter, he sets off a process that leads the world to turn inside out.
Episode 2 – Recycled Glass
Summary
“Recycled Glass” is a satire of kitchen remodeling, orthopedic surgery, marriage, and Russian gangsters. Months into remodeling their kitchen, the recycled glass countertop has still not arrived, and narrator Walter’s wife Joyce demands action from contractor Butch Siegel. Both Joyce and Walter are surprised when the countertop is delivered with the contractor’s arm embedded in it. Enraged, Joyce confronts Tudomir Vlascev, the manufacturer. He takes her criticism personally, leading her to consult orthopedic surgeon Felix Mexta, M.D. for finger replacement surgery. After a difficult start to their relationship, Walter and Tudi Vlascev become collaborators feeding severed limbs to Dr. Mexta to build his practice.
Episode 1 – The Butterfly Collector
Summary
Episode 1 is “The Butterfly Collector.” On the surface it is the familiar story of a miraculous healing followed by a terrifying relapse. A butterfly follows an elderly man out of a butterfly exhibit and shares its dreams with him. Beneath the surface, it is a gentle satiric exposé of our desire to avoid other people’s visions by labeling them with a diagnosis. I will not comment on the author’s descriptions of a long term marriage.
The Laughing Satirist 