The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

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(The start of the present pay-as-you-go system. Before now, you were expected to pay any taxes due, in full, by March 15th.)
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If you are in favor of the government being able to tax its citizens' income at high rates, this was a brilliant move.

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(All candy, no contests. They've learned their lesson.)
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What was worse, Loft's insanely complicated contest or the Tribune's insanely puerile comicstrip "puzzles?" I'm very glad the News is back, but I miss the connect to the Tribune (plus its comicstrip images were clearer).

Loft's new store design and, even this ad, are already, anticipating the mid-century modern look.

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(There's a "sweet moment" in Kings Row? Must've been when I was out getting popcorn.)
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I missed it too. Must have been when I stepped out to find a razor blade.

Dildo Cay? "Perhaps we should change our name?" "Why?" "Seriously?"

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($5000 apart on the contract is a lot of money in 1942, and in 1942 a holdout is the only weapon a player has.)

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Yes, but also, a big issue is "resetting" the pay scale higher. Larry would probably pay Wyatt the $5000 if he could do it in a secret envelope, but publicly, tell everyone he's only paying hm $15,000.

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("For gawdsake, child -- I've been living with Bill Biff for six years now! The man's an idiot! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT'S LIKE? Oh, wait, I'm sorry. Of course you do.")
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"As you young people put it, 'so what?'" Other than being worded differently, that could be said in 2022. Just this week, a friend of mind recounted to me how she, basically, through a modern version of that line right back in her kid's face. Apparently, it's evergreen.

And in the Daily News..


No more zoot suits for the duration, boys!
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The really smart guys stayed on dry land and waited to get a full look at a dripping-wet Susan Hayward.

Getting rid of the two-pants-per-suit combo could use more material in the long run as some men wear their pants out quickly and, now, instead of being able to keep the same suit jacket with the second pair of pants, they'll have to buy an entire new suit when that happens.

 

[Fading Fast]

Forgot to mention, "Uncle Harrington, " is perfect.

 

[LizzieMaine]

(The world is burning.)

The Japanese radio reported today that 30 United Nations planes had raided Japanese-held Marcus Island about 1100 miles southeast of Japan, and midway between Tokio and the Marshall Islands, raided by Americans two weeks ago. Broadcasts recorded by the United Press in New York and London admitted some damage, but quoted the official Domei news agency as stating that "some Allied planes" were shot down. Eight persons were reported killed, and one building destroyed.

In Honolulu, well-informed quarters state that an apparent Japanese air attack in which four bombs were dropped in the tree-studded hills behind the Hawaiian city is the first in a series of forays which may be expected at any time. Sources indicated that the attack was of a hit-and-run character, and that the blackout, which has been observed since December 7th, spoiled the raider's aim.

Russian troops besieging Orel, southwest of Moscow, were reported today to be preparing "a wholesale slaughter" of the stubborn Nazi garrison there, while their comrades, surrounding Staraya Russa, are now reported to have annihilated about one third of the encircled German 16th Army. Dispatches from neutral Stockholm stated that the Red Army is ready for a great frontal attack on Orel, where 2400 Germans, under siege for two months, have refused a Soviet demand for their surrender.

A "marching compass" manufactured in Brooklyn for the Army engineers by the Sperry Gyroscope Company was found among contraband seized by FBI agents in a raid in Yorkville, Manhattan in which 30 German and 3 Italian aliens were arrested for violation of Federal orders requiring all enemy aliens to turn in all cameras, shortwave radios, and firearms in their possession. Along with the military compass, agents confiscated 30 radios capable of receiving shortwave broadcasts, a shortwave transmitter, 30 cameras, eight rifles, eight shotguns, five pistols, a blackjack, a bayonet, a dagger, and several boxes of ammunition. The suspects have been interned at Ellis Island, and bring to 675 the total of enemy aliens taken into custody since December 7th. Several score have been processed at Camp Upton en route to undisclosed internment camps in the Midwest.

(Wasn't this a Peter Lorre movie? If it wasn't, it should've been.)

The manufacture of rubber training pants for babies has been banned by the War Production Board as the latest attempt to conserve raw rubber for the war effort. Textile manufacturers are now said to be experimenting with a plastic-coated silk or rayon fabric designed to take the place of rubber in baby clothes, which may be on the market by this spring or summer. "It will be an inconvenience for mothers perhaps," commented Dr. Marian M. Crane, acting director of the Division of Research of the US Children's Bureau, "but not for the babies."

("Whattaya doin'?" asks Sally, as she observes Joe fumbling with a large pair of kitchen shears. "I'm cuttin' up t'is hot wateh bot'l," he replies. "Howcumya cuttin' uppa hot wateh' bot'l?" continues Sally, her eyes just on the edge of rolling. "I'm makin' rubbeh pants f' Leonora," says Joe, sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth as he saws away at the floppy rubber object. "It's f' t' wawr effit -- "use it up, weah it out, make it do, or do wit'out.'" "Ya all wet," notes Sally. "No I ain't," insists Joe. "It's gonna woik, you wait'n see." "No, I mean ya awl wet!" declares Sally. "Lookit, ya got wateh all oveh ya lap!" "Oh," groans Joe. "Guess I f'got t'dump t'wateh outa t'bot'l foist....")

At least 100 policemen, declaring they are tired of the administrative bickering between the Police Department and the Air Raid Warden Service, indicated this week that they will file for retirement when the Police Department Pension Board meets next on March 16th. Although Mayor LaGuardia has urged the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association to try to avert mass requests for retirement, his efforts have not been entirely successful.

("The Lady Has Plans" is another one of the many Paramount programmers buried in Universal's vaults, and rarely seen on television since the '80s, but between its interesting cast and the fact that the talented and funny Harry Tugend wrote the screenplay, it's deserving of a revival.)

("Cereal-based dog food? That'll keep us from eating faces!!!")

(Donald Meek talks to his agent.)

(And if by "the big dippermouths" you mean the Boston sports press, you're right -- the Knights of the Keyboard will hound Terrible Ted about this incident for the rest of his career.)

(There's so little to smirk about in Berlin these days.)

(When there's a roll of counterfeit money at stake, George is a fighting tiger!)

(Whoa, deja vu!)

(If you really want to impress people, Chief, you need a bigger globe than that.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Now THIS is Page Four the way it's meant to be -- the way it NEEDS to be!!

That's one way around it.

How's your malpractice insurance?

Wartime efficiency.

Oh no, she popped her seams!

"Look, it's late, and if you wake up again in the middle of the night you'll want someone to talk to..."

Idiot, you forgot to show two forms of ID!

If Normandie doesn't personally shank the fat Axis pig before this is over, I will be sorely disappointed.

"Damn, the drive shaft is in the way!"

C'mon now, we've never seen Willie do ANY of those entirely legitimate jobs.

 

[Fading Fast]

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A "marching compass" manufactured in Brooklyn for the Army engineers by the Sperry Gyroscope Company was found among contraband seized by FBI agents in a raid in Yorkville, Manhattan in which 30 German and 3 Italian aliens were arrested for violation of Federal orders requiring all enemy aliens to turn in all cameras, shortwave radios, and firearms in their possession. Along with the military compass, agents confiscated 30 radios capable of receiving shortwave broadcasts, a shortwave transmitter, 30 cameras, eight rifles, eight shotguns, five pistols, a blackjack, a bayonet, a dagger, and several boxes of ammunition. The suspects have been interned at Ellis Island, and bring to 675 the total of enemy aliens taken into custody since December 7th. Several score have been processed at Camp Upton en route to undisclosed internment camps in the Midwest.
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Paraphrasing Ricky, they have some splainin' to do.

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("The Lady Has Plans" is another one of the many Paramount programmers buried in Universal's vaults, and rarely seen on television since the '80s, but between its interesting cast and the fact that the talented and funny Harry Tugend wrote the screenplay, it's deserving of a revival.)
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It's such a shame about those Paramount movies.

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("Cereal-based dog food? That'll keep us from eating faces!!!")
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(If you really want to impress people, Chief, you need a bigger globe than that.)

And get a globe that's shape like the earth not an egg.

So it seems that Dan is coming to Brooklyn. I expect extra coverage on this from the Eagle.

And in the Daily News...

Now THIS is Page Four the way it's meant to be -- the way it NEEDS to be!!
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In the, as you note, top-notch Page Four today, the award for best story has to go to the fist-throwing female bar owner punching the supposed Nazi agent in the face.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Thin Man?" snorts Dashiell Hammett, as he dials his lawyer.)

Persons who do not have to pay any income tax have nevertheless been remitting sums ranging from $5 to $25, according to James D. Olson, Chief Deputy Collector for the District Of New York. So far between seventy and eighty returns have been received from New York residents who legally owed nothing in income taxes, but who have included checks designated as contributions toward winning the war. Mr. Olson notes that the pace of returns being filed as the March 15th deadline approaches is running substantially ahead of last year's pace, with four times as many returns, totalling about 40 percent of the expected total, have already been received by his office.

Federal officials are making every effort today to find a source of relief from the national rubber shortage which, if unresolved, will force up to a million automobiles off the roads by June 1st. On the basis of an "appalling" report to the Senate from Price Administrator Leon Henderson, high priorities have already been granted to contractors seeking to construct plants for the manufacture of synthetic rubber substitutes, and it appears from all indications that if any relief to present conditions does come, it will have to come in the form of ersatz rubber. Mr. Henderson further warned that if there is not substantial improvement soon, the Government may be forced to seize tires from private owners to ensure that necessary civilian users have the tires they need to carry on essential war work.

In Hollywood today, Shirley Temple received her first romantic movie kiss from fellow grown-up child actor Dickie Moore, on whose brow sweat was seen to bead as he administered the kiss. Miss Temple, who will be fourteen years old when the kiss hit the nation's screens, was undisturbed by the moment. Her mother, however, squirmed in a chair off camera as Master Moore embraced her daughter, and expressed the opinion that she would have preferred the kissing scene wait for another couple of years.

(The Boys have already figured out how to resolve the two-pants crisis.)

Pauline Arnold White is the vice-president of a Manhattan marketing research organization -- but she's also got a vital war job running her husband's machine shop. When Percival White was called to Washington for government service, Mrs. White had the choice of liquidating the machine shop or finding someone else to run it -- and that someone turned out to be herself. She oversees a staff of skilled machinists, handles all the dealings with defense authorities in Washington, and even sweeps the shop floor when occasion demands. All this she does while maintaining her regular job in Manhattan and also managing the Whites' farm in Stamford, Connecticut.

(Honeychile Wilder! Who was last heard from threatening to kick Beverly Paterno's teeth in. How'd that work out, kid?)

(C'mon now, you small-time counterfeiters. Putting a sign that says "US MINT" on your door doesn't make it so.)

(I've never understood hockey, where a sixth place club gets excited about the playoffs. And an on-page roast of Mr. Parrott? The office politics in the Eagle sports department must be fascinating. And now Higbe has a phobia of planes? Gad, the drama.)

"I'll never be able to kidnap Hitler with half the German Army tagging along!" Where's TImoshenko when you need him?

("HEY YOU GUYS! GOT ANY RADIOS OR CAMERAS TO DECLARE?")

(I don't know why I didn't see it before -- the Colonel is Hartford Oakdale's father.)

(That sub base out in the woods is getting a real workout.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"COPS BAG ARTIST WOOING BEAUTY IN NEWARK DUMP." I do so love the Daily News.

Coming Soon -- The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.

See, those reflector headband things really DO have a purpose!

Twenty-five and still living at home. What's this world coming to?

"Whattaya mean? She just left!"

Hmmmmmm.

This car sure has a lot of headroom. Must be a Chrysler.

Always a couple of gabby love birds to ruin the picture for everyone else.

Always get a receipt.

Jiggs and Maggie say "HEY STOP STEALING OUR ACT!"

 

[Fading Fast]

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Persons who do not have to pay any income tax have nevertheless been remitting sums ranging from $5 to $25, according to James D. Olson, Chief Deputy Collector for the District Of New York. So far between seventy and eighty returns have been received from New York residents who legally owed nothing in income taxes, but who have included checks designated as contributions toward winning the war. Mr. Olson notes that the pace of returns being filed as the March 15th deadline approaches is running substantially ahead of last year's pace, with four times as many returns, totalling about 40 percent of the expected total, have already been received by his office.
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When the inevitable black marketeer stories start popping up, we have to remember these ⇧ people as well.

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Pauline Arnold White is the vice-president of a Manhattan marketing research organization -- but she's also got a vital war job running her husband's machine shop. When Percival White was called to Washington for government service, Mrs. White had the choice of liquidating the machine shop or finding someone else to run it -- and that someone turned out to be herself. She oversees a staff of skilled machinists, handles all the dealings with defense authorities in Washington, and even sweeps the shop floor when occasion demands. All this she does while maintaining her regular job in Manhattan and also managing the Whites' farm in Stamford, Connecticut.
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Looks like one heck of a female role model. Like my small-business-owning, single-parent, widowed-early grandmother, there were more female role models back then than today's SJWs care to acknowledge.

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(I don't know why I didn't see it before -- the Colonel is Hartford Oakdale's father.)
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Great call, Lizzie, and the Colonel will be played by C. Aubrey Smith in the movie.

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(That sub base out in the woods is getting a real workout.)

I have to agree with Irwin here. He could do much more to help the Allies war effort by enlisting...in the German army.

And in the Daily News...

"COPS BAG ARTIST WOOING BEAUTY IN NEWARK DUMP." I do so love the Daily News.
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Everything was always there: "Bartram also had a hobby which annoyed her, Miss Compton added, he would attire himself as a woman and photograph himself. She said he 'had a complete bride's outfit and a veil and a long train and a white tulie dress. He used my wigs and artificial eyelashes from the studio and made himself up as a woman with false busts....'"

"...which annoyed her." I can see that.

My God, not just dressing up as a woman, but the entire wedding-fantasy thing - this guy was so ahead of his time.

And in the Daily News...

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Coming Soon -- The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.
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Everything was always there.

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See, those reflector headband things really DO have a purpose!
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As we'd call it today, the meme of "experience!" was powerful up until the '90s when technology made older people look behind the times and young kids look smart as heck.

If you didn't live through it, it's hard to appreciate how powerful the meme of "experience!" was - older doctors, lawyers, plumbers, mechanics, etc., all were valued and trusted for their "experience!" versus the young kids who needed to "learn" first.

I've been on the wrong side of the old and new meme my entire life. First, when I was young, I was told to "shut up" and listen to the old guys who knew, then when I got to middle age, I was told to "shut up" and learn from the younger workers who "understand today's technology."

And in the Daily News...

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Twenty-five and still living at home. What's this world coming to?
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Not to worry, Constance Bennett played the single, older-daughter-living-at-home role into her mid thirties and she always got the cute guy at the end of the picture.

And in the Daily News...
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Always a couple of gabby love birds to ruin the picture for everyone else.
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I never went to a school nor had a job where you could come home for lunch, but unless it was next door, I would think the stress of getting there, eating in time and getting back would make that a horrible lunch break.

 

[LizzieMaine]

(Given today's headlines, I submit that the one thing 1942 does NOT need is an "excitement meter.")

Virtually the entire fleet of 12,000 taxicabs now operating in the city may be immobilized within six months if Price Administrator Leon Henderson does not reconsider his order banning the sale of both new and recapped tires to taxi operators. So warned several fleet operators today in the wake of a letter to Mr. Henderson from Mayor LaGuardia, as revealed by Jules Becker, editor of the trade journal Taxi Age. Mr. Becker notes that the Mayor's letter emphasized the importance of taxicabs to national defense in relieving the burden on public transportation. Mr. Becker also revelaed that he has written to Mr. Henderson himself, outlining the possible use of taxicabs in the evacuation of wounded civilians, or as improvised ambulances, in the event of an attack on the city. John Kelly, manager of the Independent Taxi Owners Association, further warned that all of the city's independent cabbies will be forced out of business by year's end if the tire ban holds, depriving most of them of their sole means of earning a living for themselves and their families. E. A. Danneman, president of the National Transportation Company, operators of the 2000-cab Parmalee fleet, the city's largest, suggested that an allocation of 2000 tons of rubber per year would be sufficient to keep every taxi in the country in operation.

Neutral reports indicated today that Marshal Semyon Timoshenko's army of the Ukraine is now within 20 miles of Dnepropetrovsk, just above the gigantic Dnieper River dam, blown up by the Red Army last August to keep it out of the hands of the invading Germans. Nazi forces are reported to have retreated to a town 14 miles northwest of Dnepropetrovsk. The advance by Marshal Timoshenko's forces marks the southernmost point achieved by Soviet forces since they were pushed back by the advancing German invasion force last August.

Japan's drive to smash remaining Allied resistance on Java and in Burma raised the possibility today that additional hordes may be released to take action against General Douglas MacArthur in the Phillippines. There has been increasing evidence that Japan has concentrated its air power in the Dutch East Indies and Burma, "bypassing" General MacArthur's badly-outnumbered but firmly entrenched troops until reinforcements are available for the long-awaited "all out offensive."

A reporter for a Long Island City newspaper was arrested last night in Newark on charges of "misrepresentation to secure a pass to a restricted defense area under the supervision of the United States Army." Twenty-nine-year-old Thomas Henry Finnegan of the Long Island Star-Journal is accused of presenting a false letter of introduction from a fictitious lighting company in an effort to obtain an Army pass allowing him to inspect various lumber firms in Newark's restricted port zone. Both Finnegan and representatives of his paper declared that he had sought the pass in order to prove how easy it is to secure such a pass with false credentials.

("Huh," observes Joe. "He dowanna try t'at at Sperry's. T'ey got guards wit' guns, anney ain' afraid t'use 'em. Las' night t'ey almos' shot my dinneh pail! Toins out brisket ain' aut'orized onna premises." "But I bet ham is," eyerolls Sally. "Yeah," says Joe with barely-concealed enthusiasm. "'At's right! Ham is aut'orized an' encouraged, an' anybody makin' a ham lunch f'a woikeh t' bring gets a 'E' pennan'! We could hang it right out t'windeh t'ere, show t'neighbehs an' evy'ting!" "I'll keep'at in min'," sighs Sally. "I'll see'f I c'n win anot'eh ham. Anyt'ing f't'wawr effut.")

(Jeez, Doc. Must you be such a bringdown?)

(Hey, whattaya want for a nickel?)

The Eagle Editorialist bristles at Magistrate John F. X. Masterson's recent ruling that a zither is not a musical instrument. "Have the pagan blares and the savage rhythms of the swing band corrupted the taste even of the modern bench?"

(NAB CADWELL IN SENATE LOVE NEST -- Senator Protests "But I Voted No!")

Four men, three from Manhattan and one from Astoria, charged with selling counterfeit olive oil will be continued for trial in Special Sessions Court after arraignment yesterday in Flatbush Court before Magistrate Frances W. Lehrich. The four are charged with distributing cottonseed oil, flavored and colored to resemble genuine olive oil, under false labels. A fifth defendant, a truck driver, was released after it was demonstrated that he didn't know the oil he was transporting was spurious.

(I wish I'd known, when I met him, that Clyde Sukeforth had been thrown out of a game in Cuba that his team wasn't even playing in. There's gotta be a story there.)

("To Be or Not To Be" is not just a great Lombard picture, it's also the capstone of Jack Benny's movie career -- and every time I see it I feel like I want to see Mr. Benny do "Hamlet" for real. And the thing about Mr Cantor in blackface is that he wasn't really playing, or even suggesting, a "black character." He was playing a jittery Jewish comedian in blackface, which is a distinction audiences in 1942 would have understood, even if it's meaningless 80 years later.)

(We've seen Boody work out quite a few of his personal kinks in this strip over the past two years, but I'm afraid there's nowhere to go from here...)

("Well, caruka nastivo chirga zos to you too!!")

(Point of Order: isn't the hotel right in the middle of Boomville, which appears to be a town of some size, with paved streets and everything? Except for a back door that opens onto a rugged Yukon wilderness?)

("That musta been a sub!" You don't say! Hey, definite officer material here.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Real-life noir.

"Without separating the liquid from the glass." In pro-level champagne tossing, it's all about the technique.

I can understand the need for an elaborate scheme, but you know what Pat really wants to do is beat THE RAT to a pulp with no preliminaries at all.

And in a daring bit of experimental casting, Dr. Dubb will be played today by Maw Green.

It's always relaxing to sleep in the back seat of a car.

"And speaking of money, it's getting late and I've got just enough for a hotel room."

It's just a laundry ticket -- those bandages were getting a little crusty.

"Not me, though -- I get allergic smelling hay."

The kid will go far.

"Cause of death was recorded as a bundle of asparagus pounded thru the victim's heart."

 

[Fading Fast]

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Neutral reports indicated today that Marshal Semyon Timoshenko's army of the Ukraine is now within 20 miles of Dnepropetrovsk, just above the gigantic Dnieper River dam, blown up by the Red Army last August to keep it out of the hands of the invading Germans. Nazi forces are reported to have retreated to a town 14 miles northwest of Dnepropetrovsk. The advance by Marshal Timoshenko's forces marks the southernmost point achieved by Soviet forces since they were pushed back by the advancing German invasion force last August.
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Ukraine cannot catch a historical break.

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A reporter for a Long Island City newspaper was arrested last night in Newark on charges of "misrepresentation to secure a pass to a restricted defense area under the supervision of the United States Army." Twenty-nine-year-old Thomas Henry Finnegan of the Long Island Star-Journal is accused of presenting a false letter of introduction from a fictitious lighting company in an effort to obtain an Army pass allowing him to inspect various lumber firms in Newark's restricted port zone. Both Finnegan and representatives of his paper declared that he had sought the pass in order to prove how easy it is to secure such a pass with false credentials.
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The Press does its thing and the military does its. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Does the military press charges / does Finnegan do time / is it all "swept" away with a small fine?

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View attachment 407696
(Jeez, Doc. Must you be such a bringdown?)
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He's often snarky. Heck, he actually chose this letter to be printed so that he could respond the way he did. It's hard to believe he didn't have better choices.

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The Eagle Editorialist bristles at Magistrate John F. X. Masterson's recent ruling that a zither is not a musical instrument. "Have the pagan blares and the savage rhythms of the swing band corrupted the taste even of the modern bench?"
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First-world problems 1942 stye.

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("To Be or Not To Be" is not just a great Lombard picture, it's also the capstone of Jack Benny's movie career -- and every time I see it I feel like I want to see Mr. Benny do "Hamlet" for real. And the thing about Mr Cantor in blackface is that he wasn't really playing, or even suggesting, a "black character." He was playing a jittery Jewish comedian in blackface, which is a distinction audiences in 1942 would have understood, even if it's meaningless 80 years later.)
,,,

Agreed, Jack Benny showed he can really act in this one.

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(We've seen Boody work out quite a few of his personal kinks in this strip over the past two years, but I'm afraid there's nowhere to go from here...)
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No kidding, I thought he had topped out when he had Hitler dragging the bomb between his and Sparky's legs.

I don't know if it was known in '42, but Hitler (at least what I've read) was all but a non drinker.

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(Point of Order: isn't the hotel right in the middle of Boomville, which appears to be a town of some size, with paved streets and everything? Except for a back door that opens onto a rugged Yukon wilderness?)
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I believe you are correct, but Dale Allen have been inconsistent in their portrayal of Boomville since the start. It's been everything from a backwater little town to a good-sized metropolis depending on the immediate needs of the story.

And in the Daily News...

Real-life noir.
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"Willowy inamorata." Kudos Page Four

It's not hard to believe that the Sutton Hotel murder inspired the 1948 movie "The Naked City" as there are some clear plot overlaps. Also, why the heck is a guy like Shonbrun not already serving time as he should have been? Light sentencing, "prosecutorial discretion," etc., sound lovely, unless you're the future murder victim.

It's a shame Ms. Hayward hadn't taken this experience as an opportunity to swear off marriage.

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"Without separating the liquid from the glass." In pro-level champagne tossing, it's all about the technique.
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On the subject of people who belong behind bars, this guy Andres should be doing time for battery not serving as an "under sheriff."

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I can understand the need for an elaborate scheme, but you know what Pat really wants to do is beat THE RAT to a pulp with no preliminaries at all.
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It's what Sandhurst deserves. But what it seems Pat is planing is to escape another way while the Japanese look for him at the well. If it works, Pat and all will be free while the Japanese will believe Sandhurst, who they are holding, deceived them. Neat plan if it works.

And in the Daily News...

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View attachment 407749
"Not me, though -- I get allergic smelling hay."
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[LizzieMaine]

(The blackout is about to get a whole lot darker.)

The War Production Board has set a deadline of April 22nd for the conversion of all radio and phonograph manufacturing facilities in the United States to the production of war goods. The order affects 55 companies employing an estimated 30,000 persons, with gross sales of more than $240,000,000 during 1941. The WPB order allows the firms to complete the assembly of units already in production before the final deadline, and requires the continued production of replacement parts required to keep existing sets functional. The firm affected by the order already have military production contracts exceeding $1,000,000,000, and it is not expected that the end of civilian production will result in any unemployment.

(The decline of real swing is sadly evident, with the shift to wartime schmaltz and hokey novelties already well underway. "Deep In The Heart Of Texas," with its idiotic clap-clap-clap, will be inescapable in the weeks to come. )

Free sand will be issued to residents of Brooklyn Heights and the Navy Yard district next week by the 84th Precinct Civilian Defense Council. The distribution of the sand will follow public meetings explaining how the sand is to be used to extinguish incendiary bombs. Instructional motion pictures on "Fighting the Fire Bomb" will be screened as part of the program.

A Bay Ridge air raid warden resorted to direct action to extinguish a street light that had no emergency shut-off switch. Encountering the light at the corner of 94th Street and Marine Avenue last week while making his rounds, Warden Bernard Shatzkin of Zone 3 in the 64th Precinct took matters into his own hand, and put the light out with a well-aimed rock after discovering that the required switch had not been installed. Warden Thomas A. Fellini of 101 Marine Avenue, who lives on the corner where the offending light stands, has been issued a bag of rocks to use to put it out whenever necessary, until a shutoff switch can be installed.

Slacks are the dominant mode at Hunter College, where an increasing number of students have foresworn skirts and stockings for the duration. "Somehow none of us care if we get our slacks dirty," explains nineteen-year-old Alice Lassem, a Hunter junior from Park Slope ."When we wear slacks, a stylish sloppiness is in order." Miss Lassem also notes that another advantage is that the garments give their wearers "a feeling of being a man's equal." Having enlisted herself in the new "farmerette" program, where city girls will be sent to serve on farms at a rate of $21 a month, Miss Lassem advocates drafting women for war labor, declaring that "wearing men's clothes is not enough. It's important that we do men's work."

(How 'bout we leave Albosta in Havana, and bring the Cuban All Stars north? Oh, and Billy, what's the matter, father-in-law on your case again?)

Dolph Camilli paid a visit recently to a Havana museum where he confronted a stuffed gorilla. The Dodger captain beat his chest and glared at the taxidermied ape, but the gorilla outstared him.

DIxie Walker's 1942 contract contains bonus clauses tied to the number of games the outfielder plays. Walker will receive the same base salary he earned in 1941, but will receive a bonus for playing 90 games, and another bonus if he plays 115. Last year, Walker batted .311 in 148 games.

Model-actress Jinx Falkenburg has added another athletic accomplishment to her career. Already a skilled tennis player, swimmer, and horseback rider, Miss Falkenburg, the feminine lead in Columbia's "Sweetheart of the Fleet," has now taken up bowling.

("Huh," huhs Joe .'As inna'cent a' high finance as a soph'more at Erasmus.' Izzat a dig?" "Hmph," hmphs Sally. "When I was a soph'more I had a bank account an' ev'yt'ing. One'a t'em little books t'ey give ya t'put dimes in. An' I put'm in ev'y week, 'til my brut'a...um, ain' you got a train t'catch?" "Oh yeah," replies Joe. "I wonneh if Mo'gent'aw got a brut'a?")

Old Timer Fred L. Eckels may live now in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but his heart remains in Brooklyn, among fond memories of "those belles of the '90s" who used to ice skate on Steamer Pond, near Prospect Park, where he used to watch his future wife, "a grand skater," from a passing trolley car.

Arthur Pollock reports that one day last week he took in a matinee performance of Olsen and Johnson's "Sons of Fun," and an evening performance of modern dance created by Martha Graham, which says something about the times in which we live.

("Handling these colts is man's work!" "Nertz to you, cowpoke -- I got pants on!")

(Whattaya bet Scarlet spent the whole past week hanging around the hospital cafeteria terrorizing the staff. "Hones'ta gawd an' fa true, Gladys, I seen t'at meat loaf annat fruit cup float right acrosta room!" "Ah, ya batty. Ya need t'stop sniffin'at eetha inna bat'room, at's whatcha need ta do.")

(No offense intended to the Prime Minister, but I find it hard to believe that he could fit into the same coat that he wore 28 years ago. I mean, come on....)

(Alright Dale Allen, you can put down "The Big Book of Rube Humor" any time now. And Irwin loves these disguise cases, because he doesn't have to take a bath.)

(Don't be an ickie, George, 1 AM is when the real hot bands come on!)

("LOAD THE SHELL AND PREPARE TO FIRE! Wait, you didn't bring the shells? I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO BRING THE SHELLS!")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Between the guy with the police record and the hooked nose and the dancer whose beauty is fading, this is the most passive-aggressive murder story ever. Oh, and "she is 28, not 27."


Those annoying cousins who came to spend Christmas with the Hills still haven't left, and things are getting tense.

"You want topical? I'll give you topical!"

Mr. Gray slips a "damn" right by the censor. Mr. Caniff says "oh come on!"

You know, it's funny, but I can't find any evidence that Mr. Willard was ever actually married.

Always one step ahead.

Little Judy will grow up to run a donut shop, and it might be this incident that set her on that path.

Speaking of the draft, what if I told you that just twenty-seven months from now, Lilacs will storm the beach at Normandy?

Nah, a gun isn't Cindy's style. She'd beat the guy to death with her bare hands.

The Gump family clearly has a leak in its gene pool.

 

[Fading Fast]

...

(How 'bout we leave Albosta in Havana, and bring the Cuban All Stars north? Oh, and Billy, what's the matter, father-in-law on your case again?)
...

I had the same thought about Conn, but to be fair to him, he didn't go the easier chief-petty-officer route.

...

Model-actress Jinx Falkenburg has added another athletic accomplishment to her career. Already a skilled tennis player, swimmer, and horseback rider, Miss Falkenburg, the feminine lead in Columbia's "Sweetheart of the Fleet," has now taken up bowling.
...

If Jinx Falkenburg (I thought she legally got rid of the Falkenburg?) went bowling at Freddie Fitzsimmon's alley, you'd have two of my favorite 1940s people coming together.

Jinx and Freddie

...

Old Timer Fred L. Eckels may live now in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but his heart remains in Brooklyn, among fond memories of "those belles of the '90s" who used to ice skate on Steamer Pond, near Prospect Park, where he used to watch his future wife, "a grand skater," from a passing trolley car.
...

So New Yorkers retiring to Florida dates back to at least the 1940s.

...

(No offense intended to the Prime Minister, but I find it hard to believe that he could fit into the same coat that he wore 28 years ago. I mean, come on....)
...

Turns out Churchill sewed the old label into the new coat.

"You, see, it's the same coat, same size."

"Sure Winston, sure."

...


(Alright Dale Allen, you can put down "The Big Book of Rube Humor" any time now. And Irwin loves these disguise cases, because he doesn't have to take a bath.)
...

We're going to have to throw the flag on Marsh if Dan Dunn meets Mata Hari by chance in, literally, his first waterfront encounter.

And in the Daily News...

Between the guy with the police record and the hooked nose and the dancer whose beauty is fading, this is the most passive-aggressive murder story ever. Oh, and "she is 28, not 27."
...

No kidding, Page Four is going all in Page Four on this one. "...was a buxom woman and might have made it difficult for a slim man like Shonbrun and slender girl like Madeline to bind her hand and foot and tape her mouth and neck."

...

View attachment 407997
Speaking of the draft, what if I told you that just twenty-seven months from now, Lilacs will storm the beach at Normandy?
...

Notice from the Eagle: Going forward, on Sunday, the comicstrip "Harold Teen" will now be known as "How Shadow gets Susie Q away from all the other Guys."

And in the Daily News...

...


Nah, a gun isn't Cindy's style. She'd beat the guy to death with her bare hands.
...

"Cindy, th' incendiary blonde...a regular wildcat."

"She's a mechanized panther."

I think Page Four is writing copy for "Smilin' Jack."

 

[LizzieMaine]

Fitz would let Miss Falkenburg bowl for free, knowing she'd help sell a lot of Rheingold at the snack bar.

A few years from now, Jinx will be a television star, co-hosting with her husband Tex McCrary, a daytime talk show that will set the pattern for all daytime television talk shows to follow. Here, from 1947, is four minutes of that show -- a recording that happens to be one of the earliest surviving moving-image records of live TV:

 

[Fading Fast]

Fitz would let Miss Falkenburg bowl for free, knowing she'd help sell a lot of Rheingold at the snack bar.

A few years from now, Jinx will be a television star, co-hosting with her husband Tex McCrary, a daytime talk show that will set the pattern for all daytime television talk shows to follow. Here, from 1947, is four minutes of that show -- a recording that happens to be one of the earliest surviving moving-image records of live TV:

Heck, I wanted to see what happened to the spot.

It's stunning to hear TV hosts stumble over words.

In 1947 was 5'5" and under really short for women?

Based on what we've seen of Jinx in the early '40s, I don't think this show is fully utilizing her talents.

Kudos to Jinx and Tex, they stayed married for 58 years until his death. As Quint from "Jaws" would say, "Not a bad record for this vicinity."

 

[LizzieMaine]

5-4 and under was considered "petite" according to the size charts of the time. I'm 5-6 and am right on the edge of the "tall" chart, so I guess there isn't much room in the middle.

Tex and Jinx had a long run on New York TV and radio, starting with this show and continuing on in various formats thru the fifties. They were NBC's answer to Dorothy KIlgallen and Dick Kollmar on WOR, and positioned themselves as the thinking-listener's alternative to the Broadway/nightclub chitchat favored by Dorothy and Dick. Given the choice, you can guess who Sally will prefer.

1947 is still television's stone age, and it's fascinating to see this clip -- it's slick, it's fast-paced, nothing lingers on screen too long, and the bit with the "eyes of beauty" is more imaginative than the hokey fashion-show stuff you got in the newsreels of the time. The TelePrompter hasn't been invented yet, so the talent has a choice of reading off cue cards held up by a stagehand, memorizing the copy, or completely winging it. I have a feeling that Tex and Jinx are operating with a combination of the first and third options here.

 

[Fading Fast]

On TCM right now, on the East Coast anyway, is 1944s "Cover Girl" with Jinx Falkenburg.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And another bonus today -- as the Dodgers wrap up their Havana idyll for another year, Life Magazine was on hand to chronicle the story. The original piece can be read here, featuring a whole portfolio of really wonderful photos. Here, for example, we see Fitz "playfully wrestling" with Pee Wee Reese, who is inexplicably garbed only in satin boxer shorts:

And here we see Pee Wee and Pete Reiser collapsing in abject terror at the sight of a shirtless Chuck Dressen.

Camilli, Herman, Reese, and the new guy Arky Vaughan -- your infield for 1942. Apparently not everybody remembered to bring their socks.

And Ducky Medwick is looking -- ah -- very very ducky.

Oh put your shirt on, Leo.

Hig burns one in. There are no pictures of Hugh Casey, because he still can't stand up.

It's been a pretty lousy year so far, but in 1942, at least, there's still baseball.

 

[LizzieMaine]

(It's got to get better sometime, but not, I guess, today. Although I think I might be cheered up a bit by the sight of 5-9 230 lb. sewing-machine bandit Benjamin Rockower scrambling across the rooftops. And didn't they used to call Max Golob "Maxie the Jerk?" )

Soviet troops have "almost completely destroyed" Germany's 48th infantry division in a bloody two-day battle for Sychevka, strategic rail city midway between Rzhev and Vyazma, reports from the front stated today. The capture of Sychevka creates a new Soviet threat against the German garrisons occupying the two larger cities along the rail line. The destroyed 48th Division consisted largely of Poles, many of whom deserted wholesale to the Soviets when the fighting began. 1500 dead Germans lay scattered on the battelfield as the Soviets secured the city.

Thirty-two of the city's fifty-one plumbing inspectors are under suspension today as the result of an inquiry by Commission of Inspections William B. Herlands into widespread graft in the Department of Housing and Buildings. The Herlands report, recently submitted to Mayor LaGuardia, alleges that sworn confessions from a hundred contractors supplied sufficient evidence to suspend the inspectors, and it is possible that more suspensions may occur. In his broadcast yesterday over station WNYC, the Mayor stated that the suspended inspectors were charged with accepting gratuities from pluming contractors ranging from $3 to $25. The Mayor called the thirty-two accused men "greedy" and "chiselers" who did not appreciate good city jobs. "We'll not stand for it," he vowed. "Not even the acceptance of a 5 cent cigar. They can't do it. The city pays them, and pays them well."

(Now if they could do something about that moustache. I think it's a moustache. Is it a moustache?)

(A Sturges picture about the discovery of ether? Um, are you sure?)

(Hey Skeezix, clip and save.)

It is not unpatriotic to buy canned foods, even with the present tin can shortage, but it *is* unpatriotic to hoard. The new tin conservaton order issued by the War Production Board following the loss of the tin supply from Malaya requires that anything that can be shipped dry must not be canned, meaning that the use of tin cans for such products as baking powder, spices, and cleaning powder has been banned, and the only canned soups on the market will be those of the condensed variety. It is also expected that the canning of beans will soon be restricted to military needs only, meaning a return to the old-fashioned home-baked variety for the civilian market. Canned fruits and vegetables will be available, but provisions of the WPB order requiring that tin be used as efficiently as possible will mean the elimination of small-sized cans. The canning of "convenience foods," such as canned desserts, has been eliminated, with tin restricted to basic necessities only.

(Come now, Mr. Lichty. Is that patriotic?)

Funeral services for Tony Sarg, notable artist, cartoonist, and creator of marionettes, will be held tomorrow in Cincinnati. Mr. Sarg, creator of the giant grotesque balloon figures featured each year in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, died Saturday night at Manhattan General Hospital, of pneumonia, which set in following an appendectomy last month. Mr. Sarg, who was also a noted author of childrens' books, and who hosted a popular attraction at the World's Fair, was fifty-nine years old.

(Spring training was invented as a vacation for the writers? Well yeah, I thought everybody knew that.)

("Stop hogging the bed!")

(Hope they get Magistrate Solomon.)

(I've had to walk to the grocery store in a blinding blizzard to buy cat food, and there was never any such drama as this.)

(You can tell she's a professional, because she's wearing a suit.)