The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

...
(No matter how old you are, "Dumbo" will make you cry.)...

I haven't seen "You'll Never Get Rich" in a long time, but from memory and from having seen their other pairing more recently, "You Were Never More Lovely," Rita fully holds her own with Astaire, which is pretty darn impressive. Astaire and Rogers were some kind of special magic, but still, Rita was another strong partner.

...
(Kids Today!)...

Even more to the point, Parents Today!

...
("You bold creature! How dare you challenge my worldview!")...

So what's going on here: Is George hallucinating that Peggy is seeing the little guy or is Peggy placating George by saying she's seeing him even though she isn't or is she really seeing him, which means he's either real or Peggy is smoking the same thing George is?

... "Dear Duke: Please Go Away And Leave Us Alone. Sincerely, America."...

What's our strategy? If that note doesn't work, we take out the "Dear" and "Sincerely" in the next one. And if that doesn't work, we shut off his access to steam baths.

Kudos to Rosalind Russell for defying the Hollywood-marriage carousel: her marriage to Mr. Brisson was her first and only lasting until her death in 1976.

...
CANE HIM ANYWAY! CANE HIM ANYWAY! CANE HIM ANYWAY!...

I overlooked it yesterday, but after today, we're going to have to report the "CANE HIM!" chant to your school counselor, Lizzie. It's a shame, too, as you haven't mentioned a "FACE EATING DOG" once recently.

... Cane this guy too! Cane everybody!

Umm, Lizzie, your counselor is on the phone. He'd like you come in first thing tomorrow, he'll have a note to give you excusing you from class.

 

[Harp]

Dude's bereavement will be mitigated to some extent by circumstance, poor chap.

I didn't see a report on Caniff's broadcast, perhaps tomorrow, but it is a portent of things to come,
and this particular strip will continue to show the harsh realities of war torn China-principals included
in the mix. The public's seemingly insular perspective and Caniff's response will make for notable reading.

 

[LizzieMaine]

There doesn't seem to be a lot available on the Caniff broadcast, although at least a written transcript is known to exist among his papers at Ohio State. From what I've been able to come up with from fragementary quotes in various biographies, the basic thrust of his explanation was that he felt somebody *had to* die if the strip was to be kept in any way realistic. And he also suggested that it was important for him to challenge the already-too-common convention in serial fiction that nobody dies forever. In essence his argument was that "there was no way out for Raven -- so there wasn't."

There's an entire academic paper that's been written about the death of Raven and the reaction to it -- I don't have access to it, but for those with academic credentials to download it, it's here: "Attachment and Grief: The Case of the Death of Raven Sherman," published in 2018 by Francisco Saez de Adama in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics.

As for Uncle Bim, well, at least when he threatens to CANE YOU, it's not a figure of speech. He keeps an actual cane right close at hand and he's READY TO USE IT. Somebody ought to write a paper on that, too.

 

[Fading Fast]

There doesn't seem to be a lot available on the Caniff broadcast, although at least a written transcript is known to exist among his papers at Ohio State. From what I've been able to come up with from fragementary quotes in various biographies, the basic thrust of his explanation was that he felt somebody *had to* die if the strip was to be kept in any way realistic. And he also suggested that it was important for him to challenge the already-too-common convention in serial fiction that nobody dies forever. In essence his argument was that "there was no way out for Raven -- so there wasn't."

There's an entire academic paper that's been written about the death of Raven and the reaction to it -- I don't have access to it, but for those with academic credentials to download it, it's here: "Attachment and Grief: The Case of the Death of Raven Sherman," published in 2018 by Francisco Saez de Adama in the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics.

As for Uncle Bim, well, at least when he threatens to CANE YOU, it's not a figure of speech. He keeps an actual cane right close at hand and he's READY TO USE IT. Somebody ought to write a paper on that, too.

If we got ambitious, we could write or email Ohio State and they might send us a copy. I did that years ago for a paper I was writing that needed information on an author. The author's papers were at some college (I don't remember which one now) and they were incredibly helpful and sent me a copy.

That said, Lizzie, your summary tells us what I think we need to know - Caniff did it for realism. China was a dangerous place at that time and it makes sense that a character would die.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Timothy, this is not the hill you want to die upon. Recall the not- quite- so- old saying: "Never run after a woman or a bus. Another one will be along soon enough."

 

[EngProf]

I'm not sure if I can access the whole paper but here is the abstract and author's bio.
I'll see if I can get any more.
ABSTRACT
This paper applies the theory of attachment to explain the reaction of readers to one of the most important deaths in comic strips: the death of Raven Sherman in Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff. The readers’ attachment to the character is shown in their letters preserved in the author’s collection at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. This attachment produces grief when an important character, such as Raven Sherman, dies. The collective grief involves the four phases presented by John Bowlby in relation to the loss of a close person, demonstrating readers’ attachment to the character in the strip. The paper also discusses how the possibility of grieving for a comic character has been lost because, among other reasons, death has lost significance in superhero comics.
Francisco Saez de Adana

Francisco Saez de Adana is Professor at the Franklin Institute of American Studies of the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain and works at the Department of Communication of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. He works as a comic scholar and focuses mainly on American comics. He has published five chapters in books; seven papers in Spanish and international journals, including Studies in Comics and Metode; and several conference papers. He conducted a seminar on Milton Caniff and American culture at the University of Salerno in Italy. He organises a summer course on comics at the Universidad de Alcalá.

 

[Fading Fast]

I'm not sure if I can access the whole paper but here is the abstract and author's bio.
I'll see if I can get any more.
ABSTRACT
This paper applies the theory of attachment to explain the reaction of readers to one of the most important deaths in comic strips: the death of Raven Sherman in Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff. The readers’ attachment to the character is shown in their letters preserved in the author’s collection at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. This attachment produces grief when an important character, such as Raven Sherman, dies. The collective grief involves the four phases presented by John Bowlby in relation to the loss of a close person, demonstrating readers’ attachment to the character in the strip. The paper also discusses how the possibility of grieving for a comic character has been lost because, among other reasons, death has lost significance in superhero comics.
Francisco Saez de Adana

Francisco Saez de Adana is Professor at the Franklin Institute of American Studies of the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain and works at the Department of Communication of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. He works as a comic scholar and focuses mainly on American comics. He has published five chapters in books; seven papers in Spanish and international journals, including Studies in Comics and Metode; and several conference papers. He conducted a seminar on Milton Caniff and American culture at the University of Salerno in Italy. He organises a summer course on comics at the Universidad de Alcalá.

"The paper also discusses how the possibility of grieving for a comic character has been lost because, among other reasons..." death has lost significance in superhero comics."

Interesting thought.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Yep. Caniff was specifically reacting against the fake deaths that were even then rampant in radio soap opera, but superhero comics, and modern pop culture's thirty-year obsession with superhero comics, have made it much worse. Even the 60s-era rule, "nobody stays dead but Bucky and Uncle Ben," no longer applies -- as long as there's a market for retcons, reboots, and "reimaginings," there really isn't much point in becoming emotionally invested in comics anymore, because there will come a time when everything you followed and cared about will be swept away.

The Terryverse, by contrast, remained constant thruout its original run -- Terry was a twelve-year-old boy when he first appeared, and he was in his early fifties when he went away, but he remained, despite Caniff himself eventually leaving the strip, consistently and recognizably, the same character with the same life history all the way from 1934 to 1973. And then when they "rebooted" the strip in the '90s, they started over. But because the original was so inextricably linked to a specific time and place, there was no way it could possibly succeed. and it didn't.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A three-alarm fire swept a section of the Robins Dry Dock and Repair Company on the Brooklyn waterfront this morning, damaging three drydocks and two ships berthed there. Quick action by yard and city firemen prevented the flames from spreading further, and an immediate investigation was ordered by Fire Marshal Thomas P. Brophy to determine the cause. Thirty other British and American ships docket at the foot of Dwight Street in Red Hook escaped damage in the conflagration, and no injuries were reported. The fire erupted aboard the 10,000-ton oil tanker P. W. Abrams, owned by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, which was undergoing repair work at the yard. Flames leapt across the drydock to damage the British freighter Empire Coral as well. The crew of the latter vessel spread chemicals across its deck, preventing extensive damage, but the superstructure of the Abrams, and its lifeboats, were badly burned.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted this afternoon to amend the House-approved ship-arming bill to remove all restrictions under the Neutrality Act on the movement of all American ships into belligerent ports and combat zones.

The German High Command today announced the capture of the Soviet industrial city of Kharkov, and the railroad town of Belgrood in the Ukraine. The seizure of Kharkov, steel-manufacturing center known as "the Soviet Pittsburgh," followed heavy bombing that left much of that city in flames. No progress was reported today from Berlin on the Moscow front.

An independent inquiry requested by Mayor LaGuardia into the cost of his reelection campaign has produced a figure "of less than $185,000," following a review of figures today in the office of former Appeals Court Chief Judge Frederick Crane. Presented with the figures this afternoon, Robert Daru of the O'Dwyer campaign committe acknowledged that District Attorney O'Dwyer's allegations that the Mayor's reelection campaign was costing in excess of $1,000,000 "had made without specific information to support them."

Governor Herbert H. Lehman and former Postmaster General James A. Farley will speak next week in support of the O'Dwyer campaign in an attempt to counter the endorsement of Mayor LaGuardia by President Roosevelt. The Governor will speak Monday night at a Democratic rally at the Hunts Point Palace in the Bronx, while Mr. Farley is scheduled to appear at a rally Wednesday night at the Manhattan Center, 34th Street near 8th Avenue.

("A hunne'd yeahs," marvels Joe. "Cheez, att'us back in Buffalo Bill's time, wa'nnit?" "I wonneh what it'll be like aroun'heah a hunne'd yeahs f'm now?" says Sally. "We won' be heah, but maybe Leonora might. An' our gran'kids, t'ey'll be 'roun heah t'en, f'soiten. Betcha it'll be diffn't. Betcha Ebbets Feel wil have a hunne'd-t'ousan seats, an' t'ey'll have robots t'come bring ya hot dogs." "Wonna if, in a hunne'd yeahs," adds Joe, "t' supeh willa fixed t'radiata pipes innis jernt? I'm cold. Wherezat wrench?")

Five thousand seven hundred filling station attendants thruout the city are threatening to strike if the nighttime curfew on the sale of gasoline is not lifted. Members of Local 917 of the Gasoline Station and Parking Attendants Union AFL warned today that a walkout may occur if normal operating hours are not resumed now that Federal petroleum czar Harold Ickes has determined that the conditions that made it necessary have ended. Members of the Gasoline Station Owners Council of Metropolitan New York have suggested they may continue the curfew on a voluntary basis as a way of reducing labor costs.

Navy Day is being marked today by parades in the various boroughs and by ceremonies conducted by patriotic and civic groups. Civilians are, however, barred from touring Navy ships and bases in the city, as a security measure to prevent sabotage and maintain necessary secrecy.

(SIT UP STRAIGHT AND GET THOSE DESKS LINED RIGHT UP WITH THE FLOOR TILES!)

(No, what's really shocking is that it isn't shocking at all.)

(Look at these bums. Covina High would mop the field with them.)

(You've got to feel bad for Phelps and Mungo, two guys who were full-time contributors for years, and now cut off without a nickel, thanks to phobias in the first case and libido in the second, especially since Albosta got $1200 for, basically, just being there for the team photo.)

(When Fitz finally gets his alley going, he's going to make a fortune.)

(Aw, don't gape, you guys, this is far from the weirdest thing he's ever done.)

("I'm still not convinced by this bold freak!" DOOR OPENS. "Mother! Father! Guess what! You're going to be GRANDPARENTS!" "By Jove, Colonel, what a stroke of luck, eh?""Well, I hardly know what to...did you hear a scream? Why is the kitchen window open?")

(Meanwhile, at the Governor's Mansion, Leona snickers...)

("You sent for me, Chief?" "Ah, Kay, thanks for coming in so quickly. I'm happy to inform you that you've been promoted.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

The News has been pushing this "sex selection" campaign for a couple of years now, but this is the first we've heard of it in a while. Oh, and to paraphrase Dr. Seuss, "EDWARD J. WINDSOR, WILL YOU PLEASE GO HOME!"

Fried Boneless Chicken.

May the best candidate win...

Kinda late for a crisis of conscience, innit?

Yes, the Asp has many titles. Also "deputy medical examiner" just in case there are any questions raised.

Dude REALLY DOESN'T NEED THIS.

"From the Halls of Observation to the floors of basement three.."

If my brother's reading this, he'll sue.

...and it's definitely "pre-code."

Well, he'll fit right in...

 

[Fading Fast]

...
An independent inquiry requested by Mayor LaGuardia into the cost of his reelection campaign has produced a figure "of less than $185,000," following a review of figures today in the office of former Appeals Court Chief Judge Frederick Crane. Presented with the figures this afternoon, Robert Daru of the O'Dwyer campaign committe acknowledged that District Attorney O'Dwyer's allegations that the Mayor's reelection campaign was costing in excess of $1,000,000 "had made without specific information to support them."...

"...[allegations] had made [sic] without specific information to support them."

Look at that, even in 1941 politicians had found creative ways to say they lied without saying they lied.

...
("A hunne'd yeahs," marvels Joe. "Cheez, att'us back in Buffalo Bill's time, wa'nnit?" "I wonneh what it'll be like aroun'heah a hunne'd yeahs f'm now?" says Sally. "We won' be heah, but maybe Leonora might. An' our gran'kids, t'ey'll be 'roun heah t'en, f'soiten. Betcha it'll be diffn't. Betcha Ebbets Feel wil have a hunne'd-t'ousan seats, an' t'ey'll have robots t'come bring ya hot dogs." "Wonna if, in a hunne'd yeahs," adds Joe, "t' supeh willa fixed t'radiata pipes innis jernt? I'm cold. Wherezat wrench?")...

Kinda related in that it hints at the Eagle's place in history, this was the picture in a Barron's article this weekend on the 1929 crash.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle headline on “Black Thursday,” Oct. 24, 1929, proclaims, “Wall St. In Panic As Stocks Crash.”

Here's the article (it is behind a paywall, though): stock-market-crash-1929-51634717700

...Five thousand seven hundred filling station attendants thruout the city are threatening to strike if the nighttime curfew on the sale of gasoline is not lifted. Members of Local 917 of the Gasoline Station and Parking Attendants Union AFL warned today that a walkout may occur if normal operating hours are not resumed now that Federal petroleum czar Harold Ickes has determined that the conditions that made it necessary have ended. Members of the Gasoline Station Owners Council of Metropolitan New York have suggested they may continue the curfew on a voluntary basis as a way of reducing labor costs....

This was handled poorly from the start and, not surprisingly, it's only morphed into a bigger mess since.

.... (You've got to feel bad for Phelps and Mungo, two guys who were full-time contributors for years, and now cut off without a nickel, thanks to phobias in the first case and libido in the second, especially since Albosta got $1200 for, basically, just being there for the team photo.)...

"...wo na game" Are Joe and Sally ghost writing?

... (Aw, don't gape, you guys, this is far from the weirdest thing he's ever done.)...

Kudos, Lizzie, another spot on call. A quick annulment and then maybe Sparky should find Hotchkiss and marry for the money. Heck, Sue can marry the old man and, then, Sparky's mother-in-law will also be his sister. But this way, none of the kids should come out with two heads, so at least they won't have that problem.

... (Meanwhile, at the Governor's Mansion, Leona snickers...)...

Lana Turner is considering suing for royalties. Also, I'd like to put in a word for butterscotch pudding with whipped cream as it did not deserve that slam.

...
Yes, the Asp has many titles. Also "deputy medical examiner" just in case there are any questions raised.....

Am I the only one worried about the water from the dam?

...
Dude REALLY DOESN'T NEED THIS.....

We did get a "Bless Bess!" out of him, that's a good sign.

Since Big Stoop, apparently, can find people in remote parts of China, once he returns Terry and Dude to Pat, can we send him in search of Hu Shee?

 

[Harp]

^I was thinking Burma is the strip's little lost sheep and in need of rescue-or redemption.

 

[Fading Fast]

^I was thinking Burma is the strip's little lost sheep and in need of rescue-or redemption.

We'll put Big Stoop on it as soon as he's done finding Hu Shee.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Assuming Burms survived she's going to want to get medical help where she knows no questions will be asked. If Pat's in Hong Kong, that would seem to rule him out, since she's still wanted by the British on an old piracy charge, but on the other hand, she has been known to use disguises..

 

[Harp]

since she's still wanted by the British on an old piracy charge, but on the other hand, she has been known to use disguises..

Jolly Roger piracy or other chicanery committed beneath rubric wherein riparian right owns no currency?

 

[ChiTownScion]

You don't have to be the Great Carnac to predict that tomorrow's (Sunday) Harold Teen strip will, odds on, have Shadow peddling Sizzle Pups.... but I could be wrong. I've been wrong before.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I believe what the Authorities want Burma for involves certain activities she was involved with several years ago as an accomplice of the presumably late Captain Judas, at least some of which did occur on the high seas. But no doubt there are plenty of other things she was mixed up in on dry land as well, enough to keep Interpol on the hop for quite a while. Best she keeps a low profile for a while.

If Shadow doesn't watch out, he's going to get an ulcer, a social disease, or both.

 

[Harp]

Caniff appears ready to move plot and principals to Hong Kong, which fell I believe either December '40
or January '41 thereabout. A window is closing for Terry and Burma to make a run or stay stuck for the
duration either inside the crown colony or at large in the hustings. The latter rustic would grow stale for
the strip; whereas Hong Kong is more feasible as a place of intrigue and prolonged stay.

I admire the cartoonist's skill and bravado in crafting a comic strip that is actual literature,
not simple pulp sap with pedestrian tripe tossed in for good innocuous measure.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Happy Boit'day!")

German dispatches today stated that a terrific land and air offensive has been launched against the Crimea, that Nazi pressure toward Kharkov and Rostov is increasing, and a three-day Nazi attempt to break thru toward Moscow in the Mozhaisk sector has failed. Soviet front-line reports indicated intense action along the entire 1800-mile front from the Baltic to the Black Sea, except in the Leningrad area where Red Army forces are now said to "hold the initiative." Increasingly heavy Luftwaffe attacks against Moscow are also reported, with Nazi fighter planes now acting as escorts for bombing raids on the capital.

President Roosevelt is reported to be "not pleased" with the action of Democratic National Committee Chairman Edward J. Flynn of the Bronx in declaring his support of District Attorney William O'Dwyer in the New York City mayoral race. That the President was "disturbed" by the Flynn endorsement of O'Dwyer was reported yesterday to Mayor LaGuardia in a joint message from Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska, Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold, and former Ambassador to Russia and Belgium Joseph T. Davies. That message was released to the public by the Independent Committee to Rebuild the Democratic Party in New York City, a group of dissident Democrats who have bucked the party establishment to support the Mayor in his bid for a third term.

The Mayor devoted much of his day yesterday to a full schedule of campaign speeches, including an appearance at a mass rally against Hitler at Madison Square Park. Sharing the platform at that event with Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, City Council President Newbold Morris, and CIO Vice President Joseph Curran, the Mayor prophesied that Hitler will be defeated "in thirteen months" if the United States increases its production of war materials and takes steps to ensure their safe delivery to Europe. The Mayor also appealed to AFL and CIO unionists to settle all differences without strikes or stoppages that may interfere with defense production.

Five thousand veterans marched yesterday in early celebration of Navy Day, as 100,000 spectators lined 5th Avenue in Manhattan to watch the procession. The Mayor from the reviewing stand issued an official proclamation designating Monday as Navy Day thruout the city and ordered flags flown from all public buildings. Navy Day is traditionally celebrated on the birthday of the late President Theodore Roosevelt.

Brooklyn's little businessmen are feeling the pinch of wartime priorities, according to a survey conducted this week by the Eagle. Among the shortages reported are clocks -- because clockmakers are devoting most of their production facilities to the production of bomb fuses; men's felt hats -- which are in short supply because of war-related reductions in imports of Australian rabbit fur used in the manufacture of felt; and women's coats -- production of which is hampered by shortages of all types of fur. Any goods made from stainless steel are almost impossible to find, including such obscure items as jewelers' saws. That shortage has therefore caused a shortage in the availability of precious and semi-precious gems, which can't be cut without those vital tools. Drugstore commodities are also on the short supply list, ranging from chemicals used behind the pharmacy counter to the usual rubber goods, adhesive tapes, first aid supplies, and similar articles sold from the front of the store.

Chang the Elephant's recent rampage at the Central Park Zoo has been revealed by her keepers to have been the result of a common problem -- the mating urge. Two keepers were injured this month as Chang stomped around her enclosure, and last Tuesday, two Brooklyn boys who were jeering at the elephant were doused with water fired point-blank from her trunk. "Chang'll be okay after this month," said her keeper, as he leaned against a fence post smoking a cigarette. "I think Chang's the dumbest elephant I ever met," he continued, "but she don't forget who's kind to her."

Borough President John Cashmore is calling for brighter lights downtown, to show off the newly L-free section of Fulton Street, from Borough Hall to Flatbush Avenue. Mr. Cashmore demanded that the Department of Water Supply and Electricity install stronger bulbs in the decorative light fixtures along the street in order to "enhance the appearance of the street in the evening hours."

Two thousand orphans will watch the Football Dodgers battle the Philadelphia Eagles at Ebbets Field next week, complete with hot dogs, soda, and all the trimmings, courtesy of District Tax Supervisor David F. Soden. Mr. Soden has funded a similar outing every year for the past eleven to celebrate the birthday of the late Charles H. Ebbets, former owner of the baseball Dodgers and builder of the ballpark that bears his name. In addition to game tickets, food and drink, Dodger star Ace Parker will present an autographed football to each of the orphanages participating in the outing.

("Hah!" laughs Joe. "Didja eveh heah t'joke about t'is guy walkin' aroun' wit' a toot'brush in'niz but'nhole? 'It'sa college pin,' he says. "I went ta Pepsodent!" "Colgate," corrects Sally. "Huh?" huhs Joe. "He wenta Colgate," explains Sally with an eye-roll. "See, 'at'sa college an' a toot'paste bot'. At's t'joke." "Well, it don't soun' funny at all whenya 'splain it like t'at. B'sides, when Bob Hope said it onna radio, he said 'Pepsodent.' "'At's cause Pepsodent's his sponsa. You know, he woiks f' Pepsodent. But Pepsodent ain' a college, see, so' t'joke on'y woiks like t'at if ya Bob Hope. Y'see?" "Huh!" snorts Joe. "Dames ain' got no sensa humah!")

The Football Giants invade Ebbets Field this afternoon to take on the Dodgers, and fans are reminded once again that these are not Bill Terry's Giants. Please be kind to the visitors.

(Mr. Camilli can afford to fool around with planes because he's the reigning king of baseball draft exemptions, with six of them running around the room and, if he can land long enough, probably more on the way.)

The most feared bogeyman to the city's young schoolchildren? Adolf Hitler, declared a recent survey of kindergarteners and first-graders conducted by the Oberlin School in Manhattan. Five years ago the most feared figure among young children was Frankenstein's Monster.

(I don't know who chooses the cover personalities for TREND each week, but how about somebody who doesn't wear a uniform?)

(That's 'running Hanlon and One-Eye out of town?' The donkeys are a nice touch, but where's the rail?)

(Look, Scarlet, instead of messing around with kids, why not go to Europe? You need to pull this act on Adolf.)

(Cheer up, Fred, you can use the ones you don't like for belts.)

(Ha ha, Bill's an idiot. And "Yes -- riding would be a lot better than listening to you whine and moan for the next ten miles. Oh, did I say that out loud?")

("I always liked you personally, in a way...")

("The Bedouins are dangerous! You must not venture among them!" "I'll go. You want anything?" "Yeah, bring me a pack of Camels. HA HA! Get it?")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And a special bonus this week -- selections from the Eagle's Centennial Supplement. They put a lotta work in this, so enjoy...