The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

And in the Daily News...

 

[Harp]

And in the Daily News..

We must be patient. Lizzie really is a godsend barkeep and all she does for this thread. and forum...

 

[LizzieMaine]

(Apologies for the delay. Joe had to check several trolley cars today to find a good copy of the News under a seat.)

And in the Daily News...

There's so much weird about this story I hardly know where to begin. But aren't they a cute couple?

All those months ignoring the Asian front, and now this. OK, Caniff, try to catch up.

Jimmy Powers shares this item:

Watch your mouth, Higbe -- you're not in Philadelphia anymore.

"Psst, Terry -- teach me to talk like that."

Yeah, yeah, but let's see you crush Tracy's hand in a vise.

"AND DON'T CALL ME DADDY!" Well, it's a better catchphrase than "Isn't Bill Slagg Wonderful?"

"Skeezix?" laughs Trixie. "Just a childhood thing. Puppy love, that's all. Now if you'll excuse me, I seem to have something in my eye..."

Actually, it isn't hair at all, it's some kind of terrible skin fungus.

Two lost souls who somehow managed to find each other. *snif*

Who's foxing whom?

 

[Fading Fast]

We must be patient. Lizzie really is a godsend barkeep and all she does for this thread. and forum...

Could not agree more. She knows it's all meant in good fun (at least I hope she knows). What she does for FL overall and for this thread is both generous and irreplaceable.

 

[Harp]

Could not agree more. She knows it's all meant in good fun (at least I hope she knows). What she does for FL overall and for this thread is both generous and irreplaceable.

And of course chief catfight commentator. And all the southpaw stuff too.

 

[Fading Fast]

(Apologies for the delay. Joe had to check several trolley cars today to find a good copy of the News under a seat.)...

(... There's so much weird about this story I hardly know where to begin. But aren't they a cute couple?...

Wonder if Monty Python was familiar with the "Body Identified" story when they wrote their famous "Not dead yet" bit in their movie.

Nothing focuses the mind like t̵h̵e̵ ̵s̵i̵g̵h̵t̵ ̵o̵f̵ ̵t̵h̵e̵ ̵g̵a̵l̵l̵o̵w̵s̵ having bombs dropped on your ship.

...[ All those months ignoring the Asian front, and now this. OK, Caniff, try to catch up....

No kidding, but talk about being in the right storyline at the right time.

(... "Psst, Terry -- teach me to talk like that."...

"She looks like Mrs. Astor's Horse."

... "AND DON'T CALL ME DADDY!" Well, it's a better catchphrase than "Isn't Bill Slagg Wonderful?"...

I'd rather look at four completely blank panels than one more day of the "Bill Slagg is Wonderful" show.

I genuinely believe Gray meant it without subtext, but the "don't call me daddy" line does feel a bit awkward in today's world.

... Actually, it isn't hair at all, it's some kind of terrible skin fungus....

Ms. Snipe: "Mr. Chigger, you're wanted on line 2."
Mr. Chigger: "I'm reading the com, umm, business section in the paper, I'll call them back."
Ms. Snipe: "The man says it's very important."
Mr. Chigger: "I said I'd call him back!"

.. Who's foxing whom?

Sadly, it's taking hate to make a man out of Harold.

 

[LizzieMaine]

While millions of motorists along the East Coast are checking their gasoline gauges with keener interest than usual, efforts are well underway for the implementation of the 7 PM to 7 AM filling-station blackout that takes effect this Sunday night. In Brooklyn, it is reported that federal petroleum co-ordinator Harold Ickes will establish a regional office here to enforce the conservation edict, as well as to field questions and suggestions concerning the new rules. In Washington, it is noted that public sentiment noted so far endorses the shutdown, although it is also noted that the shutdown has been made necessary by the public's failure to cooperate with voluntary conservation measures. It is also noted that if consumer hoarding of gasoline defeats the purpose of the nighttime closing edict, federal authorities will be forced to impose formal rationing.

It is believed in Brooklyn and Queens, meanwhile, that increased daytime purchases at filling stations will help preserve jobs that would otherwise be lost. But officials of oil companies doing business in the metropolitan area say they were taken by surprise by Secretary Ickes' abrupt imposition of the order, which was not expected to take effect until after Labor Day, and several indicated that they have no idea at this point how they are going to enforce the regulation. An official of the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company stated today that all filling stations directly owned by that firm will adhere to the order, but the company has no authority to enforce the order against the many independent Socony dealers doing business in the city. An official of the Shell Oil Company observed that it has binding contracts with its independent dealers requiring it to sell them gasoline, and that the firm does not see how it can comply with Mr. Ickes' order without violating those agreements. An official of the Texas Company stated that his firm has "received no such order" at this time, and is "uncertain what to do."

Judge George Martin, who narrowly avoided removal from office two years ago after his impeachment on corruption charges brought by the Amen Office, will not be a candidate for reelection this fall, after the Kings County Democratic Committee declined to nominate him as its candidate for the $25,000-a-year seat, instead putting forward City Court Justice Louis Goldstein as its candidate. Following an executive session today, Kings County Democratic Leader Frank Kelly declined to elaborate on the decision, other than to state that it was reached by unanimous vote of the party committee. Judge Martin has held the seat since 1920, but was accused in June of 1939 by Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen of accepting a $1000 bribe in connection with the Brooklyn abortion racket. Judge Martin was acquitted on the criminal charges, and a subsequent vote by the State Senate declined to remove him from office.

A Brooklyn-born journalist held since March by the Gestapo on suspicion of espionage is finally back on U.S. soil. United Press orrespondent Richard C. Hottelet of 1726 Bath Avenue arrived today aboard the naval transport West Point after three and a half months of German captivity, along with 387 other passengers, most of them staff of the now-closed American consulates in German, Italy, and the various nations of Nazi-occupied Europe. Mr. Hottelet did not speak to reporters as he came ashore, but other passengers related stories of the horrors seen in Germany in the wake of RAF bombings there. "The politicians want the war to go on," declared one passenger, "but the people want to get out of it. The number of casualities is great and growing, but the Germans never list them, or not often."

Heavy fighting on the fronts facing Leningrad, Moscow, and Kiev continued thru the night, and though the Germans now claim to be in control of Smolensk, Soviet reports state that all attacks there are being repelled with "heavy losses to the Nazis."

Senator Burton K. Wheeler (D-Montana), leader of the Senate isolationist bloc, predicts that a new isolationist party will form in the United States in time for the 1944 election, and that he anticipates leaving the Democratic Party to join it. The Senator declined, however, to state whether or not he would intend to lead such a movement.

("Here," says Sally, handing Joe an eyebrow pencil. "Ya gonna hafta do it." "Hah?" hahs Joe. Sally rolls her eyes. "Do I look like I c'n toin aroun' an bend ova right now? I ask ya!" Joe sighs and obliges, starts to draw a line, squints, and rubs it out with his shirt sleeve. "T'is ain' easy! Whereza rula?" "Hey!" snaps Sally. "You sayin' my legs ain' straight?" "Well, it ain'nat," sputters Joe. "It's jus' t'at t'is floor ain't!")

An outbreak of anti-Japanese violence rocked Shanghai, China today as a Chinese guerilla threw a bomb into a Japanese military parade, killing nine persons and injuring forty. The parade was being held in the occupied city to celebrate the formal recognition by Germany and Italy of the Japanese-backed government in Nanking. The bomb-thrower was believed to have been one of the nine persons killed.

(All that and we don't even get to see the mug shot?)

(Noting Mr. Benny's hip-swaying walk and flouncy mannerisms, Phil Harris used to say "you could put a dress on that guy and take him anywhere." Well, I guess he was right.)

(Yeah, about those gasoline sales to Japan...)

(Yeah, but on the other hand, you'll never have to worry about peeling potatoes.)

(So at least we know this Tatum guy has a first name. But the really exciting pickup here is Johnny Allen, whose arm is almost as strong as his temper, and a guy who should fit right in with Leo in his willingness to do anything to win. Allen won't make the Hall of Fame, but his sweatshirt will.)

(Somewhere, Hedy sobs gently.)

(And when he really gets going you can see his hair dye run in streaks down his face.)

("Editorial? Yeah, whatever. Now pass the funnies.")

(We've been pushing for a new title for a while now, but I don't think this is quite it.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Yeah, well, considering that John J. Anthony himself came up with the idea for his program while doing a stretch in alimony jail, I'd say Mr. Carter fits right in.

I know it's tough to sell fancy chocolates in the middle of summer, but there's such a thing as trying too hard. And hey, whatever happened with that contest?

At this point, my grandfather was working sixteen hours a day. I imagine he'll be glad to get some time off.

Punjab is the guy I most respect in this entire strip. Look how committed he is to staying in character, even if that character is now "Tonto."

If Andy catches the mange, I will laugh and laugh.

"It would seem," came a low voice from the shadows, "that the Yellow Haired One has forgotten his lessons..."

Yeah, watch your blood pressure Chief. It isn't Tracy's fault he forgot your birthday again this year.

Aww, the old gang together again. Gootch was Skeez's best boyhood pal (other than Trixie, of course) but I always had a soft spot for Spud, who was the neighborhood "poor kid." Don't party too hard, fellas.

I wonder if Lena and Veronica's ma belong to the same health club?

And if they do, I bet Mamie is the instructor.

 

[Harp]

Catfight Chess-at the highest level.

Raven has opened WASP Waist Queen's pawn 2; Burma has two strategies to counter her adversary,
either advance her Queen's pawn forward deuce or shift focus to flank and advance Bishop pawn two squares;
initiating the Sicilian defense and avoiding Raven's inevitable Queen's Gambit in the centre board.
Should Burma retain center focus and advance her Queen's pawn forward deuce she should decline
Raven's Queen's Gambit and opt for the Slav Defense by advancing her Sovereign's pawn forward one square.

Obviously, Burma's blouse will be decolletage irrespective of centre or flank tactical maneuver.

_________

Burma has accepted Queen's Gambit and will play centre dance floor board against Raven.
Raven's Bishop pawn advanced two squares, Burma moved Sovereign pawn one square, and while
the music played Raven advanced Knight, prone to attack Burma's Queen pawn.

A complete blouse decolletage.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
("Here," says Sally, handing Joe an eyebrow pencil. "Ya gonna hafta do it." "Hah?" hahs Joe. Sally rolls her eyes. "Do I look like I c'n toin aroun' an bend ova right now? I ask ya!" Joe sighs and obliges, starts to draw a line, squints, and rubs it out with his shirt sleeve. "T'is ain' easy! Whereza rula?" "Hey!" snaps Sally. "You sayin' my legs ain' straight?" "Well, it ain'nat," sputters Joe. "It's jus' t'at t'is floor ain't!")...

I'd bet you conversations like this really did go on at the time. This strategy is only going to work on young firm legs; it's going to go horribly wrong on any other type.

...
(All that and we don't even get to see the mug shot?)...

Page Four should give us a before and after pic.

Hollywood did not miss out on the story potential of the face lift, which pops up in plenty of '30s and '40s movie. It is the driving plot devise of 1947's Bogie-and-Bacall effort "Dark Passage."

... (Noting Mr. Benny's hip-swaying walk and flouncy mannerisms, Phil Harris used to say "you could put a dress on that guy and take him anywhere." Well, I guess he was right.)...

It's funny how, sometimes, Hollywood can't wait an hour to bring a hit play to the big screen, then others, like "Pal Joey" (assuming this is the play behind the 1957 movie of the same name) didn't make it to the movie theaters for many years.

...
(Yeah, but on the other hand, you'll never have to worry about peeling potatoes.)...

So, what do we think, are those real stockings or just eyebrow-pencil lines on the girl on the right?

... View attachment 351102 (So at least we know this Tatum guy has a first name. But the really exciting pickup here is Johnny Allen, whose arm is almost as strong as his temper, and a guy who should fit right in with Leo in his willingness to do anything to win. Allen won't make the Hall of Fame, but his sweatshirt will.)...

Nice to see our friend Freddie get a win. An old pro like him can be quite an asset for a pennant run.

... (We've been pushing for a new title for a while now, but I don't think this is quite it.)

That's a big oops by somebody. Worse, Tarzan's going to be none too please to be called "Dan Dunn." "Me Dan Dunn, you Jane" just doesn't have the same ring.

... Yeah, well, considering that John J. Anthony himself came up with the idea for his program while doing a stretch in alimony jail, I'd say Mr. Carter fits right in.....

Funny to see how little fuss was made about Benjamin (Bugsy) Siegal being set free.

How eerie is it how much Robert Decker (left) looks like Robert Chambers, the 1980s "Preppie Killer?"

...
I know it's tough to sell fancy chocolates in the middle of summer, but there's such a thing as trying too hard. And hey, whatever happened with that contest?....

What you say is true, but here's the thing: if it was 1941, I'd be on my way to Loft today as I'd want to try the new (horribly named) Cocoanut Gems (they really need a new marketing team), love chocolate-covered cherries and am a sucker for anything marshmallow. It appears, Loft quietly retired the world's most-confusing contest.

...
"It would seem," came a low voice from the shadows, "that the Yellow Haired One has forgotten his lessons..."...

Terry has an unbelievable ability to fumble the ball on the two-yard line. It's two girls, two guys, loneliness, isolation, liquor and opportunity - don't walk away kid as it's all but in the bag.

...
Yeah, watch your blood pressure Chief. It isn't Tracy's fault he forgot your birthday again this year....

Has it been a year already? Done properly, Tracy should buy him a new bag each year so that by the end of the war, the chief would have a full matching set.

 

[Harp]

Terry has an unbelievable ability to fumble the ball on the two-yard line. It's two girls, two guys, loneliness, isolation, liquor and opportunity - don't walk away kid as it's all but in the bag.

Caniff clearly rewrote Terry's character to absurd extent. This 180* is ridiculous even with said turn around.
On the udderand, Burma's shoved him aside, Raven's hot for Hennick, Sky King's has his primary objective
wide -open target of opportunity focused, soss it does seem as if our boy is odd man o.u.t.!!!!

And I don't mind sayin that Raven's too much the rich bitch for my taste. But Burma's the gal for me.
She's playin the game right down the middle centre board.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Soviet troops have routed an entire German infantry division in fierce hand-to-hand combat on the vital Smolensk front, according to a Red Army communique monitored in London. The engagement, described as one of the most ferocious of the war, followed a Russian artillery attack on the 137th German Infantry Division that "ripped the formation to tatters." It is stated that German soldiers who survived the attack dropped their weapons and fled in panic, abandoning their dead and wounded on the field. It is also reported in private communications to Soviet authorities in Moscow that the Red Army has stalled German attacks on Leningrad from both the north and south, and that the Soviet Union's second-largest city is no longer in danger at present.

German occupation authorities in Norway today declared a state of civil emergency, in anticipation of an invasion by British forces. It is also reported that Norwegian civilians have been ordered by German military authorities to keep watch for British parachutists.

Japan has been reported sending heavy troop movements to Manchukuo, with forces there, and in Korea, possibly being massed for an attack on the Soviet port at Vladivostok. It is believed in informed circles that Germany is working to convince the Japanese government to "stir up a disturbance" on the Siberian front.

The Tokio government is expected today to ban all exports of silk to the United States, the latest move in the economic war between Japan and the U. S.. That step is expected even as the U. S. Government has banned the use of silk in hosiery and other civilian goods in order to free up existing supplies for the manufacture of powder bags and parachutes for the Armed Forces. Military authorities have stated that supplies presently on hand in the U. S. are sufficient to last two years if all civilian use of the material is halted.

Queens Borough President George U. Harvey today urged filling station operators in that borough to flout the new Federal curfew banning the sale of gasoline between the hours of 7 PM and 7 AM when it takes effect tomorrow night. Mr. Harvey condemned the order issued this week by Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, in his role as Federal petroleum co-ordinator, as "an unconstitutional restraint of trade," and further called it "the worst lame brain idea ever concocted in the name of national defense."

Meanwhile, the Colonlal-Beacon Oil Company, a Standard Oil Company of New Jersey affiliate that operates Esso stations in New York and New England, has ordered all of its district managers to close all of the stations under their control in compliance with the Ickes order. That follows a similar announcement earlier this week by the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company. The two Standard companies are together the largest wholesale and retail gasoline dealers in the metropolitan area, with other firms expected to follow their example.

The former head of the General Electric Company and the Radio Corporation of America, now an upstate dairy farmer, came to Brooklyn today to warn that milk prices must go up if dairy farmers in the state are to earn a living wage. Owen D. Young addressed a conference of dairymen at the St. George Hotel, where he pushed for adoption of the $3 per hundredweight price for blended milk sought in the week-long milk strike last month. "The price they are asking would give them only forty cents an hour their labor," declared Young, "and out of that must come not just their living expenses but also the cost of maintaining their property and their equipment. The farmers are asking less than a WPA worker receives."

(Fortunately for Mr. Hottelet, he had the luxury suite. Had his name been Richard C. Rosenblatt, he would not have been so lucky.)

A Queens watchmaker with a taste for money is in the prison ward at Bellevue Hospital today, as doctors try to figure out how to retrieve a $100 bill he swallowed as a barroom stunt. Anthony Haen of 92-69 Winchester Boulevard is well known to his friends for his habit of swallowing small change, but when a friend ostentatiously peeled a $100 note off his roll to settle his tab in a Manhattan bar last night, Mr. Haen reportedly snapped it up and gulped it down. Mr. Haen was to be examined with a fluoroscope today to determine the present whereabouts of the bill, but hospital authorities declined to elaborate.

A rhesus monkey went on a rampage across Manhattan last night after escaping the New York University College of Medicine, leading six police patrolmen on a wild chase along building roofs and ledges and snarling traffic for two and a half hours before he was recaptured. The monkey was finally overtaken by a representative of the ASPCA, and was returned to the college, where he is destined for "experimental uses."

(I mean, can you BLAME him???)

(The Brooklyn A's? IT COULD STILL HAPPEN!)

(Show people will always take care of their own, even if it's too little too late. *snif*)

("Bald Bros. Fine Footwear thanks you for your business.")

Declaring that the demolition work on the Fulton St. L has "bogged down," Borough President John Cashmore demanded today in a letter to Board of Transportation John Delaney that a full explanation be given for why the remaining portion of the structure has not yet come down. Remnants of the L, mostly supporting pillars that hold up trolley wires, cannot be removed until all the trolley lines affected have been replaced by motor buses, and that cannot happen, Cashmore notes, unless the Government issues a priority order to push the project thru the current backups existing due to National Defense. The Borough President is calling on the Board of Transportation to take steps to see that that order is obtained.

(Well now, that's more like it. And I look forward to seeing what the Judge will have to say about the Phelps situation, but I also continue to insist that something be done to get the poor man the help he clearly needs. Remember Willard Hershberger.)

The Philadelphia Stars invade Dexter Park tomorrow for a Sunday twinbill against the Bushwicks, and this time wily Stars manager Oscar Charleston is confident his team will sweep the locals. The Stars are in high spirits as they arrive in Woodhaven, with several members of the squad having contributed to the Negro National League's 8-3 trouncing of the Negro American League in the annual East-West All Star Game, played last Sunday at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Last night it was the Bushwicks who rode high, blanking the Cuban Stars 10-0.

(Yeah, wait'll the cosmic rays wear off and he starts to shrink.)

("No, I take that back, I'm not sorry at all.")

(Behold Chekhov's Gasoline Stove.)

(FACE LICKING DOG! FACE LICKING DOG! FACE LICKING DOG!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Eugene Talmadge lived his entire life on the wrong side of history, and his boy Herman wasn't much better. The ignominy attached to their names was well and truly earned.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

On the other hand, they don't get much ice cream in Russia...

"I mean, I can't even afford some new buttons!"

Seriously, you can really tell that Punj is having the time of his life.

Yeah, those monogrammed hankies'll get you every time.

I wonder whatever became of Tula?

Oh, pull it in, gooseface. Twelve hairs don't make you Barrymore.

Next Week: Gramps goes ten rounds in the Golden Gloves, Senior Division.

Y'know, old men just don't get a very fair shake in the funnies.

 

[Harp]

_________

Catfight Chess-at the highest level.

Raven has opened WASP Waist Queen's pawn 2; Burma has two strategies to counter her adversary,
either advance her Queen's pawn forward deuce or shift focus to flank and advance Bishop pawn two squares;
initiating the Sicilian defense and avoiding Raven's inevitable Queen's Gambit in the centre board.
Should Burma retain center focus and advance her Queen's pawn forward deuce she should decline
Raven's Queen's Gambit and opt for the Slav Defense by advancing her Sovereign's pawn forward one square.

Obviously, Burma's blouse will be decolletage irrespective of centre or flank tactical maneuver.

Burma has accepted Queen's Gambit and will play centre dance floor board against Raven.
Raven's Bishop pawn advanced two squares, Burma moved Sovereign pawn one square, and while
the music played Raven advanced Knight, prone to attack Burma's Queen pawn.

A complete blouse decolletage.

Burma advances King's Knight to counter opponent Knight threat to Her Queen pawn.
Raven elects Queen's Bishop advance diagonal five.
Burma advances Rook's pawn one square to threaten White Bishop.
White Bishop is moved back by Raven but only a single square.

Sartorial discussion betwixt ladies requires no further comment.

 

[Fading Fast]

...The Tokio government is expected today to ban all exports of silk to the United States, the latest move in the economic war between Japan and the U. S.. That step is expected even as the U. S. Government has banned the use of silk in hosiery and other civilian goods in order to free up existing supplies for the manufacture of powder bags and parachutes for the Armed Forces. Military authorities have stated that supplies presently on hand in the U. S. are sufficient to last two years if all civilian use of the material is halted....

Anyone know the why/how/when of the apparent change in the English spelling of "Tokio" to "Tokyo?"

...A Queens watchmaker with a taste for money is in the prison ward at Bellevue Hospital today, as doctors try to figure out how to retrieve a $100 bill he swallowed as a barroom stunt. Anthony Haen of 92-69 Winchester Boulevard is well known to his friends for his habit of swallowing small change, but when a friend ostentatiously peeled a $100 note off his roll to settle his tab in a Manhattan bar last night, Mr. Haen reportedly snapped it up and gulped it down. Mr. Haen was to be examined with a fluoroscope today to determine the present whereabouts of the bill, but hospital authorities declined to elaborate....

Oh, they know what they have to do to retrieve the bill, they just don't like it.

Also, $100 is about $1800 today, that's quite a bar bill.

...
(Yeah, wait'll the cosmic rays wear off and he starts to shrink.)...

Lizzie, this is a family website you don't need to be so graphic; oh, wait, you actually do mean that Sparky himself will shrink when his cosmic rays wear off. Never mind.

Ms. Hotchkiss is a contemptible woman. Leona was never half as bad as that even at her worst.

...
("No, I take that back, I'm not sorry at all.")...

Kudos to Tuthill for making Oakdale such a believable and recognizable character as he "overuses" grammar in that incorrect yet pretentious way many blowhards do. I worked with a guy who used to do that; it creates many cringe-worthy moments.

... Eugene Talmadge lived his entire life on the wrong side of history, and his boy Herman wasn't much better. The ignominy attached to their names was well and truly earned.....

Witney Williard Straight and his wife have so much highfalutin pedigree in their background that it almost sounds like a Hollywood parody. But good on him for really joining the fight as you know he could have wrangled a desk job somewhere.

..
On the other hand, they don't get much ice cream in Russia.......

Shadow and Pop Jenks take umbrage at the "ice cream-guzzling" comment. I completely get the propaganda behind "The Greatest Generation" stuff, but one fact does remain, Germany lost.

...
"I mean, I can't even afford some new buttons!"....

... I wonder whatever became of Tula?....

"...engaged to be engaged." Reductio ad absurdum.

... Next Week: Gramps goes ten rounds in the Golden Gloves, Senior Division....

What the heck, this boxing thing came out of nowhere, right?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Moscow is jubilant today following an official Soviet war communique declaring that Nazi invaders have been smashed back on all fronts during six weeks of brutal warfare that have left 1,500,000 men dead, wounded, or captured. Reports of heavy German casualties came swiftly on the heels of dispatches from the front asserting that 300 Nazi tanks, two entire infantry divisions of German soldiers, and two regiments have been destroyed in the most recent fighting. In addition, Russian naval and air forces have combined to sink a German destroyer and transport, and have damaged two large destroyers and a transport in the Baltic Sea. The Soviet vice-commissar of foreign affairs declared that "the Reichswehr has bogged down on the Eastern Front, suffering immense losses in men and materiel. Each day of fighting brings nearer the defeat of the German army, and expedites catastrophe for the Third Reich."

The U. S. Government responded yesterday to the Vichy Government's actions allowing Japan into Indo-China with a blistering denunciation of French policy, and warned that unless Vichy takes steps to keep its colonial empire from falling under Axis control, the United States will be forced in self-defense to take action of its own in cases where American interests are threatened by Axis incursion into French possessions. The strongest hints of U.S. intervention fell upon Dakar and French Morocco, two French North African possessions facing pressure from Germany.

Observers in Japan are warning of a "Far Eastern explosion" as the Japanese government continues its military build-up and the Japanese press warns of further southward expansion by Japanese forces. A Sunday editorial in the Tokio newspaper Hochi accused the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union of "laying every possible plot in an effort to oppress Japan," and further warned that "it is all too obvious that Japan faces bitter failure in its efforts to establish a co-prosperity sphere thru peaceful economic measures."

About ten percent of filling stations in Brooklyn and Queens are expected to remain open after 7 PM tonight, as the region-wide suspension of gasoline sales ordered by Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes takes effect, but it is emphasized by the business director of the Gasoline Merchants Association of Brooklyn and Queens that these dealers will operate only to offer repair and accessory service. Louis Kimmel emphasized that he "wouldn't say that gasoline will be sold in violation of Secretary Ickes' dictum." Mr. Kimmel took issue with Queens Borough President George U. Harvey's call for station operators to defy the conservation order. "There is no doubt in the world that there is a serious shortage of oil supplies," he stressed, "but Mr. Ickes is doing the best he knows how to find a way out of the situation, and there is no need for Mr. Harvey to orate about 'the worst lame brain scheme ever concocted.'" The major oil firms doing business in the metropolitan area have distributed large posters to their dealers advertising that no gasoline may be sold after 7 PM, but police in the city acknowledge that they are concerned that motorists running out of fuel in the middle of crowded highways may lead to traffic difficulties.

Meanwhile, motorists are being advised to make adjustments in their driving habits to cope with the new restrictions. William A. Thibodeau, general manager of the Automobile Legal Association today urged drivers to ensure that their cars are kept in good mechanical condition to avoid increased fuel consumption, to eliminate all joy riding, and to reduce speeds. "If all unnecessary driving were eliminated and if all cars were immediately put in good mechanical condition," he stated, "it is the consensus that sufficient gasoline would be saved to take us over the critical period until new transportation facilities are available.

(Yeah, those buses on Fulton Street are looking like a pretty bad idea right now. Careful what you wish for, Mr. Cashmore.)

Film star Gary Cooper earns the highest salary of any American, with a total pay check of $482,821, according to figures for the tax year of 1939 released today by Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau. Cooper out-earned the heads of the International Business Machines Corporation, the American Tobacco Company, General Motors, and Lever Bros. Inc, soap manufacturers, in order to take the crown. Actor James Cagney, at $368,333 placed sixth on the list. Skater-actress Sonja Heine is the top-earning woman on the list, at $249,166. Mr. Cooper won't hold his top spot on the list for very long, however -- the Securities and Exchange Commission reports that figures for 1940 will show Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production chief Louis B. Mayer moving into first place at $697,048.

President Roosevelt will leave Washington today for "an Atlantic vacation cruise," which, for the first time since he took office, will be shrouded in complete secrecy. Navy Secretary Frank Knox and White House press secretary Stephen Early today imposed a strict news blackout on any press or radio coverage of the President's exact whereabouts.

(Nice to see the Whimsical Chef is working for A&S now. Much classier than Childs.)

Actress Merle Oberon will head the bill in a Bundles For Britain gala to be held Tuesday evening on the Marine Roof of the Hotel Bossert. Miss Oberon, who was born of English parents in Tasmania, Australia, will make a personal appeal in support of the aid campaign, along with other celebrities to be announced. As a special feature of the program, Brooklyn residents whose names begin with "V" have been sent special invitations to attend.

("Hmph," hmphs Sally. "'At Voina Vickinson I wenna Erasmus wit' is pro'ly gonna be t'ere, wit'at p'roxide hair an'nat secon-han' chinchilla coat. Hah! I hope it's hot t'at night, she'll roast!" "Vinnie Valentinetti downa plant got one'a t'em invites," says Joe. "He says he ain' goin 'less Sheridan shows up.")

("The Last Peacetime Summer.")

The Eagle Editorialist muses that paint applied to womens' legs in lieu of silk stockings may at least offer more protection from wind and rain -- but wonders what will happen if paint also ends up on the priority list? Maybe a light coat of varnish or shellac will do.

(Very funny, Schroth. How 'bout we paint the top of your head while we're at it?)

(Aw, Durocher vs. Magerkurth and no blows were struck? Frankie ought to make road trips. And speaking of Lippy, maybe Landis should ask Phelps what he thinks of him. I bet that's the real root of what's going on.)

(Hey Doug, tell us how brave you were at the Battle of the Anacostia Flats.)

Old Timer G. H. Strickland now resides in Far Rockaway, but his heart remains in Old Flatbush, where he has fond memories of his school days in the 1870s. "I was a good boy," he recalls. "I never got whipped more than twice a week."

(AND HE DOESN'T NEED COSMIC RAYS TO DO IT!)

("So I remembered you both like ball players.." WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING, TOOTS?)

(It's even funnier if you imagine Adolf saying it in the voice of Mortimer Snerd. "Uhhh, nope, nope, nope..")

(Jeez, poor little Sunny. Just three years old, and already she has arch enemies. And if this FACE LICKING thing is going to be permanent, will I be sore.)

("It's wonderful to be gifted!")

(Doris is Kay's grandmother.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Honeychile, as they say, got around. She was a socialite without money, a nightclub celebrity without portfolio, Bob Hope's comedy partner, and an international playgirl whose companions ranged from Lucky Luciano to King Farouk to Prince Alexander of Poland to John Fitzgerald Kennedy. She was never an international spy. That we know of.

Few things make me want to kick, hard, than that smarmy hand-patty handshake.

Little Face, enormous hat.

Hey Punj...I mean, "Chief" -- didja bring the rug? Oh, and the International League? Well, Newark's out in front now, but if Mungo gets going Montreal will be right up there.

I never knew how much I wanted to see Bull Moose vs. a Tyrannosaurus until right now.

Well now.

Shadow's a dope. Don't you know you're not supposed to go in the water for two hours after eating?

Well, we never did see the body.

Think hard, you two. You might have kids of your own someday.

Some people should just stay away from the water.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Film star Gary Cooper earns the highest salary of any American, with a total pay check of $482,821, according to figures for the tax year of 1939 released today by Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau. Cooper out-earned the heads of the International Business Machines Corporation, the American Tobacco Company, General Motors, and Lever Bros. Inc, soap manufacturers, in order to take the crown. Actor James Cagney, at $368,333 placed sixth on the list. Skater-actress Sonja Heine is the top-earning woman on the list, at $249,166. Mr. Cooper won't hold his top spot on the list for very long, however -- the Securities and Exchange Commission reports that figures for 1940 will show Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer production chief Louis B. Mayer moving into first place at $697,048....

Cooper's salary of $482,821/year is about $9,000,000 in 2021 dollars, enough to keep him off the streets but well below the $20,000,000 per movie plus, sometimes, a percentage of the gross that today's top stars can make.

...Actress Merle Oberon will head the bill in a Bundles For Britain gala to be held Tuesday evening on the Marine Roof of the Hotel Bossert. Miss Oberon, who was born of English parents in Tasmania, Australia, will make a personal appeal in support of the aid campaign, along with other celebrities to be announced. As a special feature of the program, Brooklyn residents whose names begin with "V" have been sent special invitations to attend.

("Hmph," hmphs Sally. "'At Voina Vickinson I wenna Erasmus wit' is pro'ly gonna be t'ere, wit'at p'roxide hair an'nat secon-han' chinchilla coat. Hah! I hope it's hot t'at night, she'll roast!" "Vinnie Valentinetti downa plant got one'a t'em invites," says Joe. "He says he ain' goin 'less Sheridan shows up.")...

I agree with Vinnie Valentinetti Re Ms. Sheridan.

"Thank you boys."

...
(AND HE DOESN'T NEED COSMIC RAYS TO DO IT!)...

"He grasp the gallows' rope as if it where a vine in his jungle homeland."

Once again: The Fedora Lounge Rulebook for Killing a TV, Movie or Comic-Strip Enemy, which states: "Always kill your enemy as fast as you can and, then, check carefully to make sure he or she is dead."

...
("So I remembered you both like ball players.." WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING, TOOTS?)...

Basically, Invisible Scarlett just procured two baseball groupies for the players. They ain't writing that plot line today.

...
(Jeez, poor little Sunny. Just three years old, and already she has arch enemies. And if this FACE LICKING thing is going to be permanent, will I be sore.)...

Kay, it's decision time. Think hard about your life with Dan Dunn and without? Saying nothing is an option.

Lizzie, at you meeting with the counselor this week, tell him you like the "FACE LICKING DOG," it might help to end these sessions. Whatever you do, don't bring up the "HIT HIM WITH THE TIRE IRON" thing.

... Honeychile, as they say, got around. She was a socialite without money, a nightclub celebrity without portfolio, Bob Hope's comedy partner, and an international playgirl whose companions ranged from Lucky Luciano to King Farouk to Prince Alexander of Poland to John Fitzgerald Kennedy. She was never an international spy. That we know of.....

A very Page-Four Page Four today, except for the stupid War Review stuff.

...
Little Face, enormous hat.....

"You can't do that, stop, stop!"

"Oh, okay."

... Well, we never did see the bod.

So she married Donald Meeks with a mustache. Smilin' Jack is no prize, but...

 

[Harp]

Burma advances King's Knight to counter opponent Knight threat to Her Queen pawn.
Raven elects Queen's Bishop advance diagonal five.
Burma advances Rook's pawn one square to threaten White Bishop.
White Bishop is moved back by Raven but only a single square.

Sartorial discussion betwixt ladies requires no further comment.

Sky King crashed the board ending Catfight Chess; however, Burma awarded honorary successful pin-opponent
Bishop; although subsequent inchoate tort of battery prior to air raid later nullified said award.

 

[LizzieMaine]

All sailings of Japanese ships to the United States have been suspended indefinitely, leaving many Americans stranded in their attempts to leave Japan during the present international crisis. It is understood that the order also applies to all ships sailing from Japan to South America, "pending clarification of the attitude of the South American republics toward Japan." A group of more than 100 Americans had been scheduled to sail for home today aboard the Japanese liner Nitta Maru, and many of these had already disposed of homes, furniture, autos, and food supplies in anticipation of leaving for the US. They are now essentially refugees, left with the problem of providing for themselves in a land where all their assets are frozen. Reports seeping thru Japanese censorship indicate "the food problem is already becoming serious." Americans attempting to book passage for Shanghai are finding that it is almost impossible, with all space on available ships booked weeks in advance, and foreigners not permitted aboard vessels sailing thru the inland sea adjacent to Kobe.

Persistent unconfirmed reports circulated in Shanghai state that Japanese and Soviet forces are engaged in large-scale fighting along the Amur River frontier of Manchuko and Siberia, and that Japan has suffered at least 1500 casualties.

The southern Soviet army under the command of Marshal Semyon Budenny is reported in a Russian war communique to be checking a German pincer offensive aimed at Kiev, with the fighting at Zhitomer, 50 miles southwest of Kiev said to have cost the Nazis two regiments.

President Roosevelt may confer today with the commander of the Atlantic fleet as he leaves Washington for an ocean cruise being conducted under conditions of utmost secrecy. Carrying his dog Fala, the President last night boarded the Presidential yacht Potomac, which made for waters off Southern New England on the first leg of a voyage in which all details have been withheld. It is suspected, however, that the Potomac may rendezvous at sea with a vessel carrying Rear Admiral Ernest J. King for a strategic conference. All information concerning the cruise will be cleared thru the Navy Department, and it was indicated that, while the President will release a broad daily summary of his activities, at no time will his precise location be revealed.

Little gasoline was saved in the metropolitan area, in the first night of the overnight shutdown of filling stations mandated by Interior Secretary Harold Ickes along the East Coast. Although "general compliance" with the shutdown order was observed, surveys indicated that motorists dealt with the situation by stocking up on gasoline before the stations closed last night at 7 PM. Few motorists were heard to grumble as they lined up to buy fuel just before the shutdown, and only a few independent dealers were seen to be in defiance of the request to close. Police, who had no authority to enforce compliance with the order, were supplying small quantities of gasoline in cans to motorists whose tanks ran dry on highways.

The disappointing results of the first night of the shutdown are expected to lead to formal and legally-enforced gasoline rationing along the East Coast in the near future, with some observers speculating that it could be put into effect after Labor Day. Officials are meeting today in Washington to discuss the fuel situation and what further measures may have to be taken to ensure that fuel consumption is reduced.

Two sisters of the late Long Island oyster king William Randolph of West Sayville will appear in court today to contest his will, which left most of the pioneer oyster planter's $500,000 estate to George R. Coydes, "commonly known as his son." Mr. Randolph's sisters, Mrs. Rebecca DeGraff and Miss Christina Rudolph, both of West Sayville, claim their 87-year-old brother was "unduly influenced" by Mr. Coydes in the preparation of that will prior to his death on July 20th. Mrs. DeGraff was cut off with $5 in the will, "for reasons best known to myself, my family, and my friends," while Miss Randolph received a $10,000 trust fund. Other small bequests were left to various friends and employees and to five Long Island churches.

In a courtroom bristling with guards, Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and three criminal associates were placed on trial today for the 1936 murder of candy-store operator Jacob Rosen, who was shot down in his shop in Brownsville just days before he was due to testify before Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey in an investigation of Lepke's trucking racket. On trial with Buchhalter in Kings County Court are Emanuel "Mendy" Weiss, Philip "Little Farvel" Cohen, and Louis Capone, with the latter three accused of being the actual gunmen in the assassination carried out under Lepke's direction. A pool of 250 talesmen has been assembled for the start of blue-ribbon jury selection this morning.

Angered because she had made a disorderly conduct complaint against him, a 50-year-old Astoria man shot and killed his 42-year-old wife last night and then turned his rifle on himself. Police say Mrs. Elizabeth Gastic was killed by her husband Louis Gastic in the ground-floor apartment they shared at 25-50 41st Street, shortly after she had filed the charge, which was to be returnable tomorrow in Long Island City Magistrate's Court.

("I'm tellin' ya," said Joe as the IND train rattled onward, "t'is long-haih music, it's t'stuff! Dincha jus' HEAH MacPhail tawkin' wennat fella went ta' tootin' onnat t'ing made a noise like a kazoo! Whassat called again?" "'At's a bassoon," sighs Sally, upon whom the late hour is weighing heavily. "A bazoon? Zat like a bazooka? Like Bob Boins onna radio?" "CHOICH AVENEH!" bellows the conductor, "TRANSFA HEAH FA T' B-M-T!" The car rocks to a screechy halt, and Sally wearily braces herself against the splintery wicker seat in an effort to rise, but her path is blocked by a beefy gentleman in a sweat-stained polo shirt, with the stump of a cigar in his teeth. "MOVE IT, FATS," growls Sally. "Comin' t'rough!" "Hey!" says the beefy gentleman, turning on Joe. "Whatchoo say, bud? You callin' me fat?" "Nah," sweats Joe. "Downeah." "Oh," says the beefy gentlemen, shifting his cigar to the other side of his mouth. "Jeez, you ain'no sylph yaself," he mutters as he waddles toward the door. "Say lissen," growls Joe. "Ah, nevamin'," sighs Sally, as she pushes herself out of the seat. "One mont' left. JUS' ONE MONT' LEFT.")

(Will we win the war? More to the point, will we *survive* it?)

The Eagle Editorialst observes with interest the course in professional umpiring now being taught at Columbia University by former National League Head of Umpires Ernie Quigley, but warns that no academic course can convey the necessary character and personality traits required for a successful arbiter. An umpire needs to "have been born with an abiding faith in his own judgement, eyesight, incorruptibility, knowledge of the rules, and above all, utter scorn for the opinions of others." Isn't that right, Leo?

(Junior doesn't dare to tell the old man he's been selected for OCS.)

(How 'bout we spend the next seven weeks just playing the Phillies?)

(Williams hitting .410 is pretty impressive, but so is the fact that Johnny Cooney of the Braves is hitting .319. Mr. Cooney is four months older than Fred Fitzsimmons.)

(I'd like to know exactly where they are, geographically speaking. Because if the island they land on turns out to be Long Island, well, I'll be disappointed.)

(Peggy's mind flashed back to another starlit night, a night in 1923. She was eighteen then, a young girl full of hope and romance. Now, at the bitter age of 36, she looked deep into J. Hartford Oakdale's heavy-lidded eyes, squinting so as not to see the crows-feet, and took a deep, deliberate breath....)

(Well that certainly didn't take long.)

(And as she gazed at the face before her, Kay Fields realized her life, too, stood at a crossroads. She too was 36, going on 37, and for the first time in her life she had known accomplishment, excitement, a sense of purpose. And as she stared into the watery eyes and the simple-minded grin of the man before her, she made a decision. "Sorry, mister," she whispered. "Thought you were somebody else. Hey Irwin, did you bring that corned-beef sandwich I ordered?")