One of the all-time classic radio promotions was Jack McCoy’s “Last Contest.”
This piece (written by Russ Wittberger, voiced by McCoy) demonstrates the key elements of great parody, including:
– Writing it exactly in the style of the original work being parodied
– Performing it exactly in the style of the original work (which in this case wasn’t too hard, inasmuch as McCoy simply stuck to his usual, Rod Serling-ish dramatic delivery)
– Ending it with a brilliant payoff that made it feel complete (rather than just continuing until they ran out of jokes)
