McCALL'S MONSTERS

Discovered in and amongst my voluminous clippings and other ephemera moldering away here in the basement of the Mysterious Mansion, I came across something unimaginably horrible -- a woman's magazine!

This issue of McCALL'S , a popular magazine from March 1970 was a special occult and metaphysical issue, the subject matter fitting right in as trendy with the times. Included in the "Sight & Sound" column was a piece on monster movies and their enduring popularity.

As was usual with the "straight" magazines, the article was written with a touch of tongue-in-cheek which wavered on ridicule. Also included in the column was a discussion of the then-popular Astrology LP's that were appearing in record stores like magic mushrooms and an occult primer that lists a number of books on Astrology, Tarot, I Ching and other similar subjects to get a housewife started on building her own, groovy suburban occult library.

McCALL'S was a popular women's magazine that began as THE QUEEN in 1873. Circulation was at its highest in the 1960's. The editor for the article from the issue shown today was Shana Alexander, the journalist who later became famous for her role in the "Point-Counterpoint" segment on 60 MINUTES. Alexander explained, although she accepted the appointment, she had no experience in magazine editing. She threw in the apron in 1971. Following in Alexander's footsteps was comedienne/activist Rosie O'Donnell, who became editor of the magazine in 2000. O'Donnell declared, "I wanted a magazine that celebrates real women, that understands that they care about more than waistlines or the latest makeup styles or fashions, that they want to be relevant and help each other and care about the world." Consequently, she renamed the magazine, ROSIE, and systematically gutted the periodical in her image. Not surprisingly, the title folded the next year.