The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

(No, it isn't going well at all. And it turns out the O'Dwyer-LaGuardia Feud was based on nothing. Which political feuds often are.)

The former commander of the Garibaldi Brigade that fought on behalf of Loyalist Spain during the Spanish Civil War arrived in America today to begin the formation of a Free Italian Army in the United States, along the lines of the Free French. Lieutenant Colonel Randolfo Pacciardi landed at Stapleton, Staten Island this morning, where he was greeted by cheers from a delegation representing the Mazzini Society, an anti-Fascist Italian organization with headquarters in Manhattan. Speaking thru an interpreter, Colonel Pacciardi vowed that the unit he intends to form will fight alongside the Allies to free Italy from Fascism, and to prevent a Nazi victory in Europe. Should the Nazis win the war, predicted Col. Pacciardi, Italy would be reduced to a mere "vassal state" of Germany. Col. Pacciardi successfully led his brigade against Fascist Italian forces at the Battle of Guadalajara in 1937.

Six thousand Nazi troops were killed between December 18th and Christmas Day as Soviet forces routed German units in the Volkhov sector of Leningrad, with thirty-two villages recaptured and "the usual booty" taken. On the Moscow front it was reported in official communiques that Soviet armies have killed over 10,000 "shivering Germans" in just the past four days. The recapture of the important railway junction at Kaluga seemed imminent, and tanks under the command of General Gregori Zhukov were reported to be making significant advances toward another key rail junction at Orel.

Sixty-five motion picture theatres in the Loew's chain across the city may be shut down by a strike by Local 306 of the Motion Picture Machine Operators Union, AFL against Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Incorporated. The union is demanding that M-G-M halt the distribution of its films to independent theatres using non-union projectionists as a condition of a new contract for twenty union projectionsts employed by the company's New York City film exchange.

(And the worst part of it is, he manufactures antacids.)

(Camilli struck out 115 times this season, and by 1941 standards that's bad. But by 2021 standards, he'd be a real contact hitter. And if they can't get tennis balls anymore, maybe Bobby Riggs and Fred Perry could go into wrestling. I bet the television people would go for that.)

Tickets for the pro football All Star Game pitting the champion Chicago Bears against the cream of the rest of the National Football League are now on sale. The game will be played at the Polo Grounds on January 4th, and may be purchased at the Manhattan offices of both the football and baseball Giants, at the Dodgers ticket office at 215 Montague Street, at the Thorp Sporting Goods store at 452 5th Avenue, and at all Western Union offices in the city. Prices are $2.20, $3.30, and $4.40.

Dodger favorite Freddie Fitzsimmons is going ahead with plans for his own bowling alley after all, with a new building now going up on Empire Boulevard in the very shadow of Ebbets Field. Fitz hopes to open the new venture in January, and when he does so he'll become only the latest baseball star to venture into the kegling business. Among his new colleagues are Harry Danning and Billy Jurges of the Giants, Ted Lyons of the White Sox, Ben Chapman formerly of the Yankees and Red Sox, and Lefty Grove recently released by the Red Sox. Many retired baseball greats also operate bowling centers, among them Ray Schalk, Red Faber, Jimmy Dykes, and the greatest of all Dodgers, Zack Wheat -- who now runs his own alleys in Kansas City.

(Sure, we're scraping the barrel, but at least it's baseball news. Medwick only struck out 35 times? Wow.)

(And yes, the art is indeed by Milton Caniff, in the first of many contributions he'll make to the war effort. Is that Burma in the first panel, with Pat right behind her? Is that Dude with the fire hose in the second, and gawdblessusall, *Raven* playing mom in the fifth?)

(Fibber and Molly aren't exactly new to movies -- they made a picture in 1937 that sank without a trace -- but this one does capture quite a bit of the flavor of their radio program. But like most radio-star movies, it still doesn't seem quite right to actually *see* them.)

Air raid wardens from Brooklyn and Manhattan will face off on the "Battle of the Boroughs" broadcast, tonight at 9:45 over WABC.

(Don't you have to go thru the town government to do something like this?)

(Not only did Wilbur steal the lamp, he also stole some poor Russian soldier's fur hat.)

(It's surprisingly easy to sell your soul, once you put your mind to it.)

(So I guess the Enigma machine must be broken?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And from the Out Of Town Newsstand...

I had this exact scene in a dream once, but I didn't win anything.

First industry to see a homefront war boom: the map companies.

DAMMIT WHY DOES TRACY GET ALL THE PRESENTS

Hands on the wheel, eyes on the road.

"A raft! Alone on a raft in the middle of the Atlantic with submarines everywhere, no provisions, no drinking water, and nobody but the two of you for company! We're goners sure!" "Pardon, Sahib, but what do you mean 'we?'" "My blade is at the ready. I shall be merciful, Sahib -- and quick!" "Why, by the prophets! I seem to have a bottle of ketchup in my belt. Truly fortune shines upon us this day!"

Love's Young Dream.

"Worms? No, just one worm."

Sorry, no new gun without putting down a deposit. The Boss knows you're a bad risk.

Profits make strange bedfellows.

 

[Fading Fast]

.. (Camilli struck out 115 times this season, and by 1941 standards that's bad. But by 2021 standards, he'd be a real contact hitter. And if they can't get tennis balls anymore, maybe Bobby Riggs and Fred Perry could go into wrestling. I bet the television people would go for that.)...

Hugh Ray sounds like the Moneyball guy of his era.

...Tickets for the pro football All Star Game pitting the champion Chicago Bears against the cream of the rest of the National Football League are now on sale. The game will be played at the Polo Grounds on January 4th, and may be purchased at the Manhattan offices of both the football and baseball Giants, at the Dodgers ticket office at 215 Montague Street, at the Thorp Sporting Goods store at 452 5th Avenue, and at all Western Union offices in the city. Prices are $2.20, $3.30, and $4.40....

That's a different approach to an All Star game.

...Dodger favorite Freddie Fitzsimmons is going ahead with plans for his own bowling alley after all, with a new building now going up on Empire Boulevard in the very shadow of Ebbets Field. Fitz hopes to open the new venture in January, and when he does so he'll become only the latest baseball star to venture into the kegling business. Among his new colleagues are Harry Danning and Billy Jurges of the Giants, Ted Lyons of the White Sox, Ben Chapman formerly of the Yankees and Red Sox, and Lefty Grove recently released by the Red Sox. Many retired baseball greats also operate bowling centers, among them Ray Schalk, Red Faber, Jimmy Dykes, and the greatest of all Dodgers, Zack Wheat -- who now runs his own alleys in Kansas City....

It's back on. Today, a pitcher with Fitz's career, would be insanely wealthy, back then, he needed this bowling alley to be successful.

...
(And yes, the art is indeed by Milton Caniff, in the first of many contributions he'll make to the war effort. Is that Burma in the first panel, with Pat right behind her? Is that Dude with the fire hose in the second, and gawdblessusall, *Raven* playing mom in the fifth?)...

It's very cool that it's Caniff. While I didn't guess it was him, I was impressed with the illustrations as I read through the notice before I read your comment. The man is a talent.

... (Don't you have to go thru the town government to do something like this?)...

How great would it be to have Treetop around when it's time to clean the gutters?

...
(Not only did Wilbur steal the lamp, he also stole some poor Russian soldier's fur hat.)...

Where's George's hat in the first panel? And doesn't George have a full head of hair? Something's off, right?

...
(It's surprisingly easy to sell your soul, once you put your mind to it.)...

Heaven has no rage like love to hate turned, nor hell a fury..."

...
DAMMIT WHY DOES TRACY GET ALL THE PRESENTS.....

"John I've been wanting to see you?" It's been thirty years and this is supposedly an accidental encounter, that line makes no real sense in this context.

Regardless, make the gift she has for Tracy be a beautiful leather Gladstone, please.

... "A raft! Alone on a raft in the middle of the Atlantic with submarines everywhere, no provisions, no drinking water, and nobody but the two of you for company! We're goners sure!" "Pardon, Sahib, but what do you mean 'we?'" "My blade is at the ready. I shall be merciful, Sahib -- and quick!" "Why, by the prophets! I seem to have a bottle of ketchup in my belt. Truly fortune shines upon us this day!"....

"I know they met it bravely, casually, with a smile -- like the men they were..."

The Asp and Punjab (and Annie had she been there) sure, but Daddy Warbucks was in the fetal position crying asking God to take The Asp and Punjab in exchange for saving him.

...
Profits make strange bedfellows.

Good for Andy, it took him a moment to remember, but he knows the way to her heart is through her pocketbook.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think what's happening there is that George has his head tilted way back in order to look down his nose at Wilbur. With George's nose, he has to tilt way, way back.

One of my favorite treats in Tuthill's work is the faces of random passers-by in the foreground. They always look like actual people who must have real stories of their own.

Is Dr. Zee reading a newspaper in panel one there, or a rolled-up rug? Maybe Punjab left him a loaner.

Fitz's bowling alley will be very successful for a very long time, and will go down in history as the last bowling center in Brooklyn to use pinboys. That's big-hearted Fitz, always looking out for the little guys.

 

[Harp]

Pearl Harbor herald of the Second World War dried up all divorce, homicide, intestate millionaire deaths,
contested affairs de la coeur; although Lizzie did comment that someone-presumably a certain Miss Barclay
had sold her soul-to which I cautiously tender remark that contractual obligation beyond one year or above
$1,000.00 need be written, dated, signed; also properly notarized by a certified notary public possessing
current valid commission, seal affix, signature said notary within state and municipal jurisdiction.

And, I hasten to add beneath the light of a full moon, just prior to the stroke of midnight.

Now Lucifer is the Prince of Lawyers, so this bill of particulars per Miss Barclay should be in strict
order; yet did not Methusela whisper Faustus veiled conceit imprimatur? Vae victus veritas Miss Barclay.

What I am looking for is the Eagle or Trib to hawk a real tight legal Gordian Knot to untangle, slice or dice.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, I myself am an actual notary, duly commissioned by the Secretary of the State of Maine (commission expires 2/26/28), but I have to say that this particular type of transaction is not covered in the manual. Maybe it'd fall under the same procedure as witnessing an oath?

I hope when we get the Daily News back, on February 5th, that it brings Page Four with it. The war has made 1941 a lot less entertaining.

 

[Fading Fast]

Well, I myself am an actual notary, duly commissioned by the Secretary of the State of Maine (commission expires 2/26/28), but I have to say that this particular type of transaction is not covered in the manual. Maybe it'd fall under the same procedure as witnessing an oath?

I hope when we get the Daily News back, on February 5th, that it brings Page Four with it. The war has made 1941 a lot less entertaining.

I miss Page Four too. Hopefully, when it returns, it will, mainly, be back to its old beat.

 

[Harp]

The war has made 1941 a lot less entertaining.

Newspapers account a horrific toll already taken. The Russian is a winter soldier seasonal predator,
quite capable in the snow as Napoleon and the French learned, and the German is reliving the error
of the First World War. Japan runs wild for six months. Staggering casualties.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Great fires crackled thru the historic buildings of Manila's ancient walled city this morning, as the angry populace demanded that the United States Army return for a "last man" stand after the murderous Japanese air bombardment of the "open" Philippine capital. "We can take it, like London did," was the watchword today in Manilia's narrow, debris-spattered streets. The death toll in the raid was feared heavy, with a preliminary survey showing 40 civilians killed and at least 142 wounded in the old walled city, many of them nuns whose bodies were still being removed this morning from the ruined religious edifices which bore the brunt of the savage Japanese assault. That attack occured only 30 hours after General Douglas MacArthur declared the captial "an open city" and withdrew from Manila with all American and Philippine forces, along with President Manuel Quezon and leading figures of the Philippine Government.

The bombs Japan is raining on Manila "will be repaid tenfold" on Japan's defended cities, it was predicted last night in Washington, with the fortified cities of Tokio, Yokohama, Osaka, and Kobe likely to be struck in reprisal attacks. Secretary of State Cordell Hull condemned the attack on Manila as "a continuation of the techniques" Japan has used in China, while Senator Burton K. Wheeler (D-Montana) declared that the attack proved the Japanese to be "an inhuman and half-civilized race who in the future will have to be treated as such."

John J. McCloskey, 38-year-old Brooklyn lawyer and arch-foe of the policy racket was named yesterday by Mayor LaGuardia as the first city-wide sheriff, following the abolition of the office of county sheriff in each of the five boroughs by referendum vote in November. The appointment marks the end of the system of political patronage that existed in the county sheriffs' departments, with 410 appointed deputies to be dropped and replaced by deputies appointed on the basis of civil service examinations. McCloskey, a 5 foot 7 inch, 140 pound powerhouse, was responsible for the city-wide expose of the policy racket that led to the disbarment and imprisonment of Dixie Davis, Harlem attorney who took over the numbers racket following the murder of Dutch Schultz, and the conviction on racketeering charges of Tammany Hall chieftain James J. Hines.

The Mayor also appointed disabled war veteran Henry W. Ralph of Queens to the newly created position of city-wide register, removing all five county registers per the outcome of the November vote. Among those unseated is the long-time "King of Greenpoint" Peter McGuinness, along with all of his appointed subordinates.

A man identified only as "a prominent Brooklyn politician" was accused today of having taken $4000 in bribes from two associations of pinball machine manufacturers in exchange for his vote against proposed legislation that would ban the machines in the State of New York. The charge by Commissioner of Investigations William B. Herlands asserts that the payments made to the unnamed politician were made in 1937 and 1938, and were recorded on that politician's books as "payments for legal services." The Herlands report presented to Mayor LaGuardia states that the pinball associations at first denied making the payments at all, and when they did admit to having made them, they offered inconsistent and conflicting explanations. The Commissioner's findings have been transmitted to Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen for further examination.

(Mr. Geoghan, is that you?)

In Malmay, New Jersey a 102-year-old veteran of the Civil War celebrated his birthday yesterday by declaring he's "ready to go" against Hitler. Vigorously chomping at a chaw of tobacco, Samuel Morey shook his fist and declared that he and his G. A. R. buddies "would show 'em!"

Screen actor Tony Martin was accused today in a Federal warrant of "willfully and feloniously" refusing to report to his Selective Service board in Beverly Hills for a physical examination. The charge against the star, who is married to actress Alice Faye, states that he was summoned to appear for examination on October 23rd preparatory to entering Army service, but was temporarily deferred after his employers at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios stated that his induction at that time would disrupt production of a motion picture in which he was contracted to appear. A delay was granted, but it expired yesterday -- and when the Beverly Hills draft board learned that Martin had, instead of reporting as required, registered that day in a Chicago hotel, an immediate warrant was issued for his arrest.

("I WAS TRYING TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE! HONEST!!")

The war is casting a pall over the customary New Years' festivities in the city, including the traditional swearing-in ceremonies for office holders. Borough President John Cashmore, who is to be sworn in for a full four-year term tomorrow, stated yesterday that he will dispense with the customary celebrations at Borough Hall, which will instead remain open for business thruout the day as usual, with no special observance given to the start of the new administrative year.

(NOW WILLYA GET OFF OUR BACKS???)

(SPRING TRAINING IS EIGHT WEEKS AWAY)

("Awww," growls Joe, shoving his feet deeper into the oven on a cold afternoon, "Who wantsta lookit'at pan on a Sunday? I ask ya!" He wads up the page, crunches it into a small ball, and aims for the pail in which Sally is rinsing out diapers. It bounces off the rim and drops to the floor, where Stella the Cat seizes it and gnaws off a large piece. "Nah," says Sally. "Ya get sick ya swalla t'at. Gimme." And with a smooth motion, she flips it into the diaper pail and plunges it deep.)

Old Timer Joseph Pasano writes in to remember all the great plays he saw on Brooklyn's bygone stages. Remember "No Mother To Guide Her?" "The King Of the Opium Ring?" "The Outlaw's Christmas?" And of course, his personal favorite, "Ten Nights In A Bar-Room." And don't forget all those wonderful vaudeville acts that passed thru town so long ago. Willard Sims, the Performing Paper Hanger. Edmund Hays and Bozo Snyder, the Two Piano Movers. Dare Devil Costellano and his Bicycle. The Three Keatons -- including little Buster. Bob Fitzsimmons in "A Man Is A Man At That." The Avon Comedy Four. Jim Mandy, the "Man With The Iron Skull." Perry the Frog Man. You sure you don't remember? How about Fred Allen, W. C. Fields. and Ed Wynn? "We saw them all at the good old Orpheum down on Fulton Street."

Mischa Auer may be one of the screen's favorite zanies, as witness his current performance in the picture version of "Hellzapoppin," but he's got a serious side too, especially when it comes to dogs. Mischa's crazy about them, especially his kennel full of Great Danes, each of them as tall as he is. He also keeps a kennel full of hounds, but they are not as tall as he is.

Olsen and Johnson, meanwhile, have gotten very businesslike since they returned to town from Hollywood. Backstage at the Winter Garden, where they now star in their new revue "Sons o' Fun," you'll find little of the chaos of the old Hellzapoppin days. Ole Olsen no longer has his pet skunk chained up in his dressing room, nor will you encounter a camel roaming backstage. And Ole is as busy with the new sporting goods store he's opened on 5th Avenue as he is with the new show. Not to say the old O&J spirit has been lost -- at Olsen's store, at 550 5th Avenue, last week roamed a full band of genuine Indians to give the camping department "atmosphere." "Had to get rid of them, though," says Ole sadly. "Attracted too many kids."

Herbert Cohn chooses "The Little Foxes" as the Best Film of 1941, with "Citizen Kane" coming in second and "Meet John Doe" third. The rest of the top ten come in as, in order, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," "How Green Was My Valley," "A Woman's Face," "Sergeant York," "One Foot In Heaven," "Tom, Dick, and Harry," and "Ladies In Retirement."

(Fred Harman was probably the most gifted comics artist ever to work in the western genre, and we lose a lot when we lose the color in his Sunday pages. This one in its original form must've been very impressive.)

(Enjoy it while you can, hon, because there'll be a place for you in the OSS.)

(Hey Topping, get busy building that new Brooklyn ice arena.)

(Dan ought to consider a few resolutions of his own. "I will not talk out loud to myself. Especially when I'm supposed to be a spy.")

(Well, at least it's not rationed. Yet.)

("THIS NEVER HAPPENS TO JOHNNY WEISSMULLER!")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And from the Out Of Town Newsstand...

"Radio Demand Met With Laughter." Well, I suppose that's one way to put it.

DIE DIE DIE

Is it wrong of me wanting to see what Sam the Presser is up to? Crawling behind enemy lines as a commando, a dagger clutched in his teeth? Killing his enemies and then raising them from the dead just so he can kill them again? Wouldn't that be a neat strip?

"I don't ever want kids, Nina." "That's fine with me."

"The Midget?" You mean JEROME TROHS? HE HAD A NAME YOU KNOW. And I'd forgotten all about Deafy. But what about Krome? Remember? With the crime-committing toys? Got shot in the arm and had to have it amputated by that crooked doctor with the psychotic nurse? Stumbled off into a blizzard with a raging infection and froze to death in the snow while reaching for his gun? HOW CAN YOU FORGET THAT?

"Moon will outfumble you for the check." Yeah, I know people like that.

I hope, Chester, that if you plan on taking your new pet home with you, that you at least see that he's box trained.

Beezie on Ice? You should sell tickets.

Yeah, we don't take your racist crap here.

 

[Fading Fast]

...A man identified only as "a prominent Brooklyn politician" was accused today of having taken $4000 in bribes from two associations of pinball machine manufacturers in exchange for his vote against proposed legislation that would ban the machines in the State of New York. The charge by Commissioner of Investigations William B. Herlands asserts that the payments made to the unnamed politician were made in 1937 and 1938, and were recorded on that politician's books as "payments for legal services." The Herlands report presented to Mayor LaGuardia states that the pinball associations at first denied making the payments at all, and when they did admit to having made them, they offered inconsistent and conflicting explanations. The Commissioner's findings have been transmitted to Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen for further examination....

Have these people ever heard of a thing called "cash?" Use it, and then you don't have to come up with phony ways to record bribes.

...
("I WAS TRYING TO STAY OUT OF TROUBLE! HONEST!!")...

"I really did try to leave, but my 'friends' brought me back. Listen, do you have any female judges in this joint I could talk to?"

"It doesn't work that way Mr. Flynn."

...Herbert Cohn chooses "The Little Foxes" as the Best Film of 1941, with "Citizen Kane" coming in second and "Meet John Doe" third. The rest of the top ten come in as, in order, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," "How Green Was My Valley," "A Woman's Face," "Sergeant York," "One Foot In Heaven," "Tom, Dick, and Harry," and "Ladies In Retirement."...

Apparently, he forgot that "The Maltese Falcon" and "Suspicion" were released this year as well. I'll also note that "Sullivan's Travels," "The Sea Wolf," and "The Lady Eve" premiered in 1941. And "Tom, Dick and Harry" should not be in anyone's top-ten list even if only ten movies had been released that year.

...
DIE DIE DIE....

Not the arrow pointing to the ball again, anything but that.

... Is it wrong of me wanting to see what Sam the Presser is up to? Crawling behind enemy lines as a commando, a dagger clutched in his teeth? Killing his enemies and then raising them from the dead just so he can kill them again? Wouldn't that be a neat strip?....

"This new agent is alright. He said he'd get me into more panels and a few more lines and he has. Still, 15% is a lot, but heck, he's doing his job. With this new exposure, he promised me a few promotional deals for 1942. That would be good as I'd like to replenish the bank account a bit and a dog's gotta think about his retirement years, can't act forever."

... "The Midget?" You mean JEROME TROHS? HE HAD A NAME YOU KNOW. And I'd forgotten all about Deafy. But what about Krome? Remember? With the crime-committing toys? Got shot in the arm and had to have it amputated by that crooked doctor with the psychotic nurse? Stumbled off into a blizzard with a raging infection and froze to death in the snow while reaching for his gun? HOW CAN YOU FORGET THAT?...

That one was awful. Seeing these altogether makes you really wonder about Gould.

...
Beezie on Ice? You should sell tickets.....

The winter version of Sunday's "Shadow outfoxes the other boys and gets the girl" story.

... Yeah, we don't take your racist crap here.

"That's it, I quit. I need a new line of work." - Sammy

 

[LizzieMaine]

The item about the confiscation of shortwave radios is very interesting -- this didn't just mean ham-radio stuff, but any home radio capable of receiving the shortwave bands. These sets had been very popular since the mid-thirties, and there were few homes in 1941 that didn't have at least one set capable of "all wave reception."

Occasionally, radios from this period will be found and restored by collectors who end up puzzled why the shortwave bands don't work. They'll take a closer look at the chassis and find that the shortwave coils have been disconnected, crushed, or totally removed from the set. These radios are usually found in neighborhoods which were once German, Italian, or Japanese in character, and the alterations were made by radio repair workers hired by the Army or local police to disable all sets that were turned in before returning them to their owners.

 

[LizzieMaine]

American and Philippine troops successfully stood off heightened Japanese pressure north and south of Manila today, according to a communique from the headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur, while unofficial reports claimed at least four north Luzon towns have been recaptured by American forces. The MacArthur communique, issued at 9:15 pm local time from the U. S. Far Eastern Command, reported "no material change" either to the north, where American forces are holding the line at the Agno River, 85 miles from Manila, or to the south where the lines run along the Talong River, 63 miles from the capital.

Japanese air squadrons today lost a number of planes in a two-hour bombing attack on the fortress of Corregidor, but avoided any new air attacks on the undefended city of Manila, where demands for retaliatory bombing of Japanese cities swept the local population after the first bombless day since Christmas Eve. The lull over Manila found the Japanese concentrating their efforts on the fortress -- known as "the Gibraltar of the Philippines" -- located about thirty miles from the capital city. There is no indication whether this attack is preparatory to an attempted naval assault on the city by way of Manila Bay.

The Navy announced today that U. S. submarines have sunk a Japanese transport and a supply ship, and that while an American destroyer has sustained bomb damage, it remains afloat. The location of the sea action was not disclosed.

Draft dodgers are fueling the recent flood of applications for marriage licenses in New York City, warned the local head of Selective Service today. Colonel Arthur V. McDermott, speaking at a joint meeting of the National Conference on Family Relations and the New York State Conference on Marriage and the Family at the Park Central Hotel in Manhattan, reminded the recently-and-soon-to-be-wed that under Selective Service regulations amended last summer, recently married draft registrants do not qualify for a deferment unless they can prove that their marriage was entered into "in the ordinary course of human affairs" and was not simply an attempt to justify a claim for a dependency deferment. "It has been evident," declared the Colonel, "that the guiding motivation of many recent last-minute marriages has been to evade military service."

Forty women from Queens, aged 18 to 40, will assist police in patrolling LaGuardia Field. The volunteers, selected on the basis of "intelligence and attractiveness," will guard the airport's entrances, handle crowds, and assist in emergencies under the authority of the Greater New York Civilian Defense Volunteer Office. The women, to be issued appropriate uniforms, are now undergoing training under the supervision of Policewoman Theresa Schwartz of the Mayor's Office, and will go on active duty by next week.

("No fear of Stalin?" "Who?" "Big moustache, smokes a pipe?" "Never heard of him. No. Never heard of him at all. GUARDS!")

(America's Biggest Small Town.)

Movie actress Rosemary Lane married Hollywood makeup man Hamilton "Buddy" Westmore yesterday at the First Congregational Church in Flushing. The 24-year-old bride, who is currently starring on Broadway in "Best Foot Forward" at the Barrymore Theatre, selected the Flushing church because she is a descendant of the Hicks family, early Quaker settlers of Long Island.

In Hollywood, seventeen-year-old Gloria Vanderbilt, heiress to $4,000,000, left for Mexico City today with her new husband, Pasquale J. DiCicco Jr., heir to Long Island's broccoli king. The wedding party departed in a parade of automobiles containing relatives, movie stars Bruce Cabot and Franchot Tone, aviator-millionaire Howard Hughes, and "bogus Russian prince Mike Romanoff." Under California's rigorous education laws, the bride will be required to resume her schooling upon her return to the state, until she reaches the age of 18.

(Move those fruitcakes!)

(So much going on. Tallulah doing an Odets play, the king of modern dance teaming up with the king of the harmonica, and Eddie Cantor not quite sensing that blackface is going out of style. Oh, and one of the stars of the "Sweater Girl Revue" is Miss Barbara Pepper, who twenty-five years from now will be Mrs. Doris Ziffel, mother of Arnold the Pig, on "Green Acres.")

The Eagle Editorialist points to the sudden resignation of Markets Commissioner William Fellowes Morgan Jr. as proof that the Mayor's dual position as head of city government and of the national Civilian Defense program is untenable. The departing Commissioner was critical of the Mayor in giving the reasons for his departure, noting that "he is so darned busy with other matters that he has no time to sit down and talk things over with his commissioners." The EE contends that the Mayor's resignation as Civilian Defense Director would be "the wisest move of his career."

(Remember the days when all they did was get you overexcited about soap?)

In Hartford, Connecticut, a 19-year-old Army private from Brooklyn faces assault and battery charges for an attack on two Chinese men he and a fellow soldier mistook for Japanese. Private Michael Carista, who is stationed at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, is charged with beating Eng See Lai and and Wong Yuen of Hartford, both of whom suffered minor injuries in the assault. The two Chinese charged that Carista and the second soldier, Private Stanley Frye, attacked them even though they both wore buttons identifying themselves as Chinese.

(CUP FEVER GRIPS BORO! Well, no, but at least they won.)

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Joe Louis is once again Fighter Of the Year in the annual ratings published by The Ring Magazine. The Brown Bomber's seven successful title defenses in 1941 placed him far ahead of runners-up Billy Conn and welterweight champion Freddie Cochrane in the magazine's yearly poll of 202 boxing experts. Buddy Baer, who will face Louis at Madison Square Garden on January 9th, rated fifth in the heavyweight division.

(And we have our new plotline.)

(You could move to a new building, in a new city, and a new state.)

(As the chess pieces move into position...)

(Meanwhile, Kay sits impatiently in the waiting room...)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And from the Out Of Town Newsstand...

"Don't You Know There's A War On?"

Sorry, Charlie.

A whimsical Knight of The Road, come to elevate everyone with his unique philosophy and his vast grasp of the human experience? Throw a pail of water on him quick.

Is this even legal? This can't be legal.

"That's it, Tapper. From now on you buy your OWN guns!"

"You know, kid, you could do a lot better for yourself. Think it over."

Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Lift 'em up an' lay 'em down!

"I have thyroid disease, but thanks for asking!"

 

[Fading Fast]

...
("No fear of Stalin?" "Who?" "Big moustache, smokes a pipe?" "Never heard of him. No. Never heard of him at all. GUARDS!")...

Less interview than opinion piece, but still a fascinating read. Huss couldn't have had a better perch from which to view history at that moment.

...
(Remember the days when all they did was get you overexcited about soap?)...

Several times during covid, especially in the first year, I remember officials or news reporters saying "now is not the time to panic," and thinking that doesn't really unwind well as it implies, one, maybe it is the time to panic or, two, you'll actually tell us when it is "the time to panic." "Keep calm," isn't as bad, but it has some of the same challenges.

... (And we have our new plotline.)...

I love alliterative comicstrip character names and Dotty Dash is a good one, but that makes her father General Dash...just noting.

... Is this even legal? This can't be legal....

Silly as it is, I think it would be legal as long as she isn't placed somewhere at race time that she shouldn't be. It's not doping or playing with the weights, etc. Effectively, it could be construed as a training technique to motivate the horse.

...
"You know, kid, you could do a lot better for yourself. Think it over."...

"Yup, I'm getting my 15% worth. Heck, he even got Gray to show my good profile, as in my new portfolio pic below"

...
Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Lift 'em up an' lay 'em down!...

It's "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" in four panels, but without the paradise moment.


It feels surprisingly odd to read "Dick Tracy" as the last strip of the day. How silly is that, why should it matter?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Yeah, the Tribune's setup is weird. You're supposed to start with Tracy or Annie, work thru Terry, the Gumps, and Skeezix & Co., and wind up with either Moon or Harold. IT'S THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS. They do things strange in the Midwest.

I had a fixed sequence for reading the comics in the Bangor Daily News when I was a kid. Always start at top left with Peanuts, work down thru the Jackson Twins, Grandma, Henry, Snuffy Smith, and Donald Duck, until you hit Nancy at the bottom of the column, and then over to the right with Tracy and Annie, going down thru Buz Sawyer and the Phantom, until you hit Scamp and BC as the last strips on the page. Then there was Lichty, and "They'll Do It Every Time," and you'd do the Jumble, and then you were done. It always felt unsettling when they dropped a strip and added a new one, like something fundamental in the universe had shifted.

 

[Fading Fast]

Yeah, the Tribune's setup is weird. You're supposed to start with Tracy or Annie, work thru Terry, the Gumps, and Skeezix & Co., and wind up with either Moon or Harold. IT'S THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS. They do things strange in the Midwest.

I had a fixed sequence for reading the comics in the Bangor Daily News when I was a kid. Always start at top left with Peanuts, work down thru the Jackson Twins, Grandma, Henry, Snuffy Smith, and Donald Duck, until you hit Nancy at the bottom of the column, and then over to the right with Tracy and Annie, going down thru Buz Sawyer and the Phantom, until you hit Scamp and BC as the last strips on the page. Then there was Lichty, and "They'll Do It Every Time," and you'd do the Jumble, and then you were done. It always felt unsettling when they dropped a strip and added a new one, like something fundamental in the universe had shifted.

Exactly.

 

[Harp]

Yeah, the Tribune's setup is weird. You're supposed to start with Tracy or Annie, work thru Terry, the Gumps, and Skeezix & Co., and wind up with either Moon or Harold. IT'S THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS. They do things strange in the Midwest.

In 'Chicaga' Dickie boy leads n' has the right of way cause he's a cop sees, n' Moon, then Terry
in the battin orderin. N' only bottom ofa Niner playz we gots is the cemetery precincts. Unnerstand?

 

[LizzieMaine]

A month ago, most Americans only knew Manila for paper and rope.

Projection.

The "Mad Dog Killers" may escape the electric chair, following an official psychiatric report concluding that they really are insane. The report on William and Anthony Esposito, whose criminal rampage thru midtown Manhattan last winter led to the deaths of a payroll courier and a police patrolman, states that the two men are not sane -- although, the report emphasizes, that conclusion applies only to their present mental state and not to their condition at the time of their violent spree last January. Convicted killers found to be insane are usually transferred to Matteawan or Dannemora Prison for confinement, but if they are subsequently ruled to be sane, they would be returned to Sing Sing's death house for execution.

The former Lindbergh Park in Sea Gate has been officially renamed in honor of war hero Colin Kelly, and the renamed Colin Kelly Park will be offered to the U. S. Government by the Sea Gate Association as an observation post. The park was originally named for Col. Charles A. Lindbergh following his transatlantic flight in 1927, but the Association in charge of its management unanimously agreed to strip his name from the park in view of his prewar isolationist political statements.

A Brighton, Massachusetts youth who deserted from the Army in September has been turned over to military authorities by his own father. Private Andrew Link Jr. was assigned to Battery E of the 26th Division, 108th Field Artillery at Camp Edwards in Falmouth, Massachusetts when he deserted, and had not been heard from until a friend of the family reported to Andrew Link Sr. that his son had been sighted in the Times Square section of New York. The elder Link came to New York himself and patrolled Times Square until he found another friend who advised him that his boy was working in a poolroom in the Bronx. Link Sr., who served two enlistments in the Navy and is a veteran of the First World War, immediately began patrolling the neighborhood around that poolroom, around 174th Street and the Boston Road, with two detectives, until he finally spotted his son. "That's my son!" declared Mr. Link. "A deserter from the Army! Take him away!"

("Hey," says Joe, brandishing an envelope. "I got a letter from Solly!" "He a general yet?" eyerollls Sally. "Lemme read ya. Says heeeh, 'Deah Joe. Inna envelope is a pictsha a' me, in uniform. Fits kin'a tight 'roun'a ahmholes, an'nat belt inna back is awful corny, but what kin'ya do. Ha ha. But seriously, t'is Army life ain' so bad once ya get use ta it. Te'y blow a bugle ta get ya up, anney blow a bugle ta tellya whenta eat, anney blow a bugle ta tell ya when ta go ta bed. In between tey don' need no bugle, 'cause t'ey got sergeants wit' plenny loud voices, I'm tellin' ya. It ain' like 'at foreman at t' good ol' Crown Pickle Woiks, y'know what I'm tellin' ya? Ya can't give t'ese sergeants t'razz like ya could him. No sensa humeh at all. But t'ey're pretty good guys if ya do what t'ey tell ya an' don' try no wise guy stuff. Am I behavin' myse'f? I'll tell t' woild I am! I do'wanna peel no moeh potatas'n I hafta. Did you eveh get t'at job at Sperry's? If ya did I betcha sittin' pretty! How's Sal anna Baby? Hope ya had a good Chris'mas, an' ya mot'er-in-law...' "Um, an' he goes on' an' on, you know Solly." "Yeh," nods Sally." "He goes on an' on." "Sez here 'one more t'ing, you still got t'em dice Sal's brut'ta give ya? How bout you do me a faveh, ol' man, an' sen' 'em out heah. T'ere is lots of action, an' I wanna get my piece of it. Ha ha. Keep 'em flyin'! Ya pal, Private Solomon J. Pincus, U. S. A.' Oh, t'at Solly." "Yeah, don' send 'em no dice," laughs Sally. "Heah -- heah's a patata peeleh. Sen'nim'n'at!")

The fate of Paris's famed Eiffel Tower has been "rendered uncertain" according to German reports by a Nazi scrap-metal drive that could see the iron structure demolished in the interests of the war effort. An endorsement of the fifty-two-year-old tower's demolition came from Henry Bordeaux, famed French novelist and member of the French Academy, who called the structure, built for the Paris World Exposition of 1889, "an insult to the aesthetic taste of the city," and declared it "incompatible with architectural harmony."

(Just ahead -- the Golden Age of the Recapped Tire.)

The war will mean no shortage of movies, at least for 1942. An industry survey published by Jack Alicoate, editor of Film Daily, reveals that approximately 275 features have already been completed for the 1941-42 exhibition season and are awaiting release in the months to come. This represents about 69 percent of the usual annual feature output.

("Louisiana Purchase" shares with "Hellzapoppin" the idea of filming an unfilmable play -- but "Purchase" wasn't considered unfilmable because it was too zany, it was considered unfilmable because it would violate Breen Office restrictions on political satire. And so the film opens with an elaborate disclaimer insisting that everything to be shown is entirely fictitious -- staged as a musical number. Olsen and Johnson would approve.)

The latest thing in millinery is the new "blackout hat" by Sally Victor, a headpiece inspired by an air raid warden's helmet, complete with a flashlight concealed in its pert red bow.

(No long lead times for Lichty!)

(There now, I bet the Daily News doesn't cover college chess.)

It's been a hectic year in the radio field, starting with the ASCAP squabble and ending with the war, and with the Federal Communications Commission's crackdown on chain broadcasting that will force the NBC to divest itself of one of its two networks, with the process of divorcing from the Blue Network already underway, and the CBS to divest itself of its artists' management bureau, just sold to the Music Corporation of America. But it was the impressive development of war coverage that stands out as the highlight of the year, with well over 4000 overseas pickups conducted by the major networks during the twelve months just past. Perhaps the year's single most outstanding broadcast was the eyewitness account by NBC's Bert Silen of the Japanese bombing of Manila, a broadcast which brought into every listener's home the direct horror of war.

("Ah, so you're a freak then? I think freaks are fascinating, don't you?")

(Theoreticians speculating on the nature of a black hole, a cosmic phenomenon so dense that it consumes the very fabric of time and space, could learn much from observing Mrs. Josephine Bungle.)

("The way some women collect pitchers?" "I resent that!" thunders Van Lingle Mungo.)

("I'd like you to meet Mr. Axel...")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And from the Out Of Town Newsstand...

Make way for the WAACs!

Slip lip, sink ship.

All right, kid. Come clean.

Five C's? Is that all? Here's another hundred, get the shoes too.

Yeah, I'm sure Chigger would be very willing to help.

Wherever Annie lands, tragedy always follows. Kid's a regular hoodoo.

"Paying?"

Mama's an old hand at this.

All right, time to enlist. No, not you, you simp. Honey.