The Era -- Day By Day

[3fingers]

As a public employee I've heard or been accosted with various ridiculous things people believe. Like every profession, there are always a few that cause difficulty for the rest. I can say though, if I had known to be doing what the some of the public believes me to be doing I would have stolen enough by now to be retired. Alas, I was not informed.

 

[vitanola]

In truth, each night, we just go into the vault, take whatever money we need and go home.

I thought that no matter how much the boss likes you, you can’t take home samples!

 

[LizzieMaine]

The forced resignation of British War Minister Leslie Hore-Belisha from the Cabinet is drawing fire from all political factions in the British press. The preliminary view in the majority of papers seems to be that Hore-Belisha was ousted under pressure from "reactionary elements in the fighting services and politics," and that the result of the move might lead to a larger and more sensational shift in Cabinet personnel. It is reported that Hore-Belisha did not know he would "resign" until he was summoned yesterday to No. 10 Downing Street and offered an "alternative position" on the Board of Trade.

Reaction to the removal of Hore-Belisha in the Nazi press was swift and jubilant. German commentators pointed to the situation as evidence of dissension at the highest levels of the British Government, and emphasized that Hore-Belisha is Jewish. Well-informed Nazis are reportedly dismissing the idea that the move is a precursor to peace overtures from Britian.

Reports in the Danish press state that a fresh Soviet division clashed today with Finns pursuing the remnants of the Russian force retreating from the central front near Lake Kinata. The reports further state that the arrival of reinforcements caused the retreating troops to reverse and begin offering strong resistance.

King Carol of Rumania warns that his people will "fight as one living wall" any incursion by Soviet armies into Bessarabia. The province, which was Russian territory until the end of the World War, is populated by German, Ukrainian, and Russian minorities along with Rumanians, and Rumanian sovereignty over the territory has never been formally recognized by Russia.

Parks Commissioner Robert Moses will seek to consolidate control over five important bridges thru a merger of the Triborough Bridge Authority and the New York City Parkway Authority. A bill providing for such a consolidation will be presented in the State Legislature. The Triborough Bridge Authority operates the Triborough and Bronx-Whitestone bridges, and is headed by Commissioner Moses. The Parkway Authority operates the Henry Hudson, Cross Bay Parkway, and Marine Parkway bridges. The merged body, to be headed by Moses, would be a new Triborough Bridge Authority.

The dean of Brooklyn clubwomen has died at the age of 103. Mrs. Amorette Fraser was active in the Women's Guild of the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, and the Cambridge Club, which recently made her honorary president in recognition of her forty-nine years of service to the organization. Mrs. Fraser died late last night at her Quincy Street home after a long illness.

The chief clerk of Queens Traffic Court and his assistant have been charged with mulcting the public out of hundreds of dollars in excess penalities for traffic violations. 64-year-old George Scholze and his 44-year-old assistant clerk Stephen L. O'Brien will appear in Flushing Court to answer charges of collecting fines in excess amounts of those levied in court records. The two are free on their own recognizance after their arraignment on the misdemeanor charge of making false entries in public documents. The charges come following an investigation of complaints by nineteen motorists questioning the amount of their fines.

The cold spell shows no sign of abating, with last night's low of 15 degrees within three degrees of the season low for this winter. Temperatures rose to 29 degrees by noon today. There is ice skating in Prospect Park, on the flooded tennis courts at Fort Greene Park, and on the flooded parking lots at the World's Fair.

George "Romeo" Lowther is getting the cold shoulder from his new in-laws following his elopement with Eileen "Juliet" Herrick. As the newlyweds honeymoon in New Hampshire, the parents of the bride are refusing to bless the union. At the Herrick residence, Mrs Herrick declared that her daughter is always welcome in the home -- but not her son-in-law.

A Queens judge denounced as "stupid, inconsistent, and hypocritical" the state ban on bingo. Judge Thomas Downs made the statement today as he was forced against his will to uphold the indictment of three men charged with running a bingo game for charitable purposes. Judge Downs pointed to the legality of race track betting in the state, and the practice of drawing jury members by lot, as inconsistent with the bingo ban. The Judge stated that he had never played bingo himself, or even seen a game of it, but he sees no reason why those who enjoy it should be denied the pleasure in view of other forms of legal gambling.

(Five minutes later, the kid spit up all over his mother.)

Never put eye-shadow beneath your eyes. It makes you look like you have dark circles under your eyes, and that might have been interesting in the days when women were supposed to be fragile creatures, but nowadays the point of makeup is to make you look healthy.

"Four Wives," now showing at the Brooklyn Fox, is a pleasant romance, says Herbert Cohn, but it's missing the spark of lively humor that characterized earlier installments in the Lemp Family series that began with "Four Daughters." The three Lane Sisters are fine once again as three-fourths of the family, as is Gale Page as the fourth Lemp daughter and Claude Rains as their father, and Eddie Albert, Jeffrey Lynn and Frank McHugh in support. John Garfield, whose character was killed off earlier in the series, makes a brief flashback appearance using footage from "Four Daughters."

Fred Apostoli's victory on points over Melio Bettina in a non-title heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden last night is raising dissension among boxing fans, but Apostoli is hoping the victory will give him another crack at Billy Conn. Meanwhile, a displeased fan faces felonious assault charges after hitting a fellow spectator in the head with a bottle in the aftermath of the fight. George Schlegel
flung a beer bottle out of the Garden gallery to declare his views on the decision, and the bottle struck one I. S. Greenfield in the forehead.

Bing Crosby will cut in on his brother Bob during tonight's Camel Caravan broadcast, at 10 pm over WEAF. Bing will appear with John Scott Trotter and his Orchestra in a segment cut in from Hollywood, while Bob and his Bobcats, featuring Mildred Bailey, will broadcast as usual from New York.

I can't wait till I get a chance to call someone a "gimlet eyed faker."

"Leona has been disinherited. The Stockpools left their entire estate to their loyal butler, a man called Murdock. By the way, where is he?"

"I'll follow him, right after I make this three-corner bank shot. *click* *plunk* Damn, scratched again."

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Am I doing the right thing? Am I? What if I'm not? Well, it's too late now..."

The phony name isn't fooling anybody, Mrs. Herrick. You gimlet eyed faker.

BOM-BIDDY-BOM! BOM-BIDDY-BOM! Just once I'd like to meet an international warlord who isn't a megalomaniac.

*snif*

The propellor would have been more impressive. Just sayin'.

Twitter, 1940 style -- with actual twits.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Parks Commissioner Robert Moses will seek to consolidate control over five important bridges thru a merger of the Triborough Bridge Authority and the New York City Parkway Authority. A bill providing for such a consolidation will be presented in the State Legislature. The Triborough Bridge Authority operates the Triborough and Bronx-Whitestone bridges, and is headed by Commissioner Moses. The Parkway Authority operates the Henry Hudson, Cross Bay Parkway, and Marine Parkway bridges. The merged body, to be headed by Moses, would be a new Triborough Bridge Authority....

He's always grabbing for more power.

..."Four Wives," now showing at the Brooklyn Fox, is a pleasant romance, says Herbert Cohn, but it's missing the spark of lively humor that characterized earlier installments in the Lemp Family series that began with "Four Daughters." The three Lane Sisters are fine once again as three-fourths of the family, as is Gale Page as the fourth Lemp daughter and Claude Rains as their father, and Eddie Albert, Jeffrey Lynn and Frank McHugh in support. John Garfield, whose character was killed off earlier in the series, makes a brief flashback appearance using footage from "Four Daughters."....

While technically not part of the series, I'd argue that "Daughters Courageous" is the better '39 entry - in addition to the three Lane Sisters and Rains, you get Garfield's full participation (and the wonderful Donald Crisp thrown in for good measure).

... I can't wait till I get a chance to call someone a "gimlet eyed faker."

"Leona has been disinherited. The Stockpools left their entire estate to their loyal butler, a man called Murdock. By the way, where is he?"...

I don't care, I can't wait to meet Hartford Oakdale (heck of a name).

Isn't it time Leona got out of her singer-in-a-cocktail-lounge dress considering her parents just past away. On second thought, she might soon need to earn a living, so maybe she might just want to keep what little there is of that dress on.

... BOM-BIDDY-BOM! BOM-BIDDY-BOM! Just once I'd like to meet an international warlord who isn't a megalomaniac.....

I believe the skills necessary to become an international warlord are inherently linked to the megalomania gene.

... *snif*....

Tracy just saved a life; meanwhile, Dan Dunn is on day, what(?), 300 of trying to find one car thief.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Netherlands and Rumania have issued strong warnings against any moves by warring powers to violate their neutrality, with the Dutch Government declaring that any violator of its territory will be met by the "most severe power" of its weapons.
The statement from the Netherlands follows a similar declaration by King Carol of Rumania, warning of military reprisals against any border incursions by the Soviet Union.

Reports from Helsinki claim that 22 Russian warplanes were shot down down by Finnish air defense forces. The reports, said to come from "military circles," followed an official Army communique declaring that eight Soviet machines were destroyed at the railroad town of Mikkeli, about 135 miles northwest of the Karelian Isthmus frontier. Unofficial "but reliable" sources add that eight more planes were downed today at Utti, ninety miles southwest of Mikkeli. It is also claimed that anti-aircraft batteries at Savio destroyed six additional aircraft. Several civilians were reported killed in the raids on Mikkeli. Official Soviet sources counter the Finnish claims with a report that ten Finnish planes were brought down in air combat, but states that other acitivity along the front was limited to routine patrols.

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is facing demands from all political quarters for an explanation of the resignation this week of war secretary Leslie Hore-Belisha, with the London press also demanding that the Prime Minister explain why "dead wood" wasn't also cleared out of his Cabinet. The Prime Minister is scheduled to begin a series of war speeches intended to "stir the war spirit" among the people on Tuesday.

A proposal for the creation of a twenty-four member committee drawn from the House and Senate Appropriations and Revenue committees for the review of President Roosevelt's proposed 1940 budget has the tacit support of the President. Senator James Byrnes (D-- S. C.) lunched with the President yesterday and found him amenable to the suggestion.

Brooklyn State Senator Edward J. Coughlin is proposing repeal of the state cigarette tax, and its replacement by a new state tax on all tobacco products. The proposal also includes the formation of a new five-member Tobacco Control Board to oversee all sale and distribution of tobacco products in the state, and to license all manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers of tobacco goods, with an annual retail license fee in New York, Kings, Queens, and Bronx counties of $250 a year, and a $200 annual retail license fee in Richmond County.

The ongoing cold snap will bring a full-fledged Ice Carnival to the frozen lake in Prospect Park tomorrow, with hockey, figure skating exhibitions, lessons, races, ice stunts, and an Ice King and Queen pulled before the audience on a sled. The last such Ice Carnival in the borough was held in 1936.

State Assemblyman Robert J. Crews is in conference with Parks Commissioner Robert Moses to draft legislation calling for consolidation of the Triborough Bridge and New York City Parkways Authorities as a first step in securing financing for the proposed Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel project. Assemblyman Crews declares that the new plan will put the tube project on a self-supporting financial basis, and that the city will not be required "to spend a five-cent piece" to construct the required approaches to the tunnel.

The case of a Brooklyn man denied unemployment benefits because his total earnings for the highest quarter of his most recent period of employment exceeded the limit by a single penny has led to a proposal in the State Legislature to revise the way in which the law is administered. Albert Lent of 336 72nd Street, who earned a total of $216 from employment in the base year under consideration, was denied his application for $8 a week in unemployment benefits when officials determined that he had earned $195 in the highest quarter of that year -- one cent over the $194.99 ceiling. Brooklyn assemblyman Edward F. Moran has taken up Lent's case and has introduced a bill to remedy such "absurd" situations.

Americans are the healthiest people in the world, claims a report by the U. S. Surgeon General -- but still there are concerns. Surgeon General Thomas Parran states in the report that the US death rate of 10.6 persons per thousand recorded in 1938 was the lowest in history, with heart disease, cancer, strokes, kidney problems, accidents, pneumonia, digestive ailments, and tuberculosis the leading causes of death, with cancer and heart disease showing an increase in 1938 over 1937 figures. But America falls far short in one respect -- smallpox cases exceeding 22,000 were reported during the 1938-39 period, putting the US second only to India for the greatest number of cases of the disease in the civilized world. Parran attributes the spread of the disease to "a curious public indifference" to the easy availability of vaccine to prevent the infection.

(Oh, my aching feet...)

Little Baby Jean, adopted daughter of a Long Island religious cult determined to make her a guinea pig for its theories on human immortality turned six months old today, and was presented with a diamond and pearl ring by Mrs. Ann Tomlinson of Monte Carlo, France, a member of the Royal Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians, the organization which took custody of the child last year and is raising her at "Peace Haven," its compound on the former Vanderbilt estate.

A former showgirl lost $40,000 worth of stock certificates while on a shopping trip in Flatbush yesterday. Miss Olive Lindsay, who appeared on stage in such productions as "Big Boy," with Al Jolson, was shopping with her aunt when she lost an envelope containing the securities somewhere near the intersection of Flatbush and Church Avenues. The certificates, covering 5000 shares of stock in Tampax, Inc., are made out in Miss Lindsay's name, and are negotiable only by her.

The Euthanasia Society of of America Inc. will hold its second annual dinner on Tuesday January 16th at the Town Hall Club, 123 W. 43rd Street. The organization, which promotes painless death for persons suffering from incurable disease, will feature such speakers as author Fannie Hurst, Dr. Oscar Riddle of the Carnegie Institute, and novelist Sherwood Anderson at the banquet.

Six year old Albert Bendiner of Queens is a unique musical prodigy -- he can name any musical composition on hearing only a few bars. The boy was recently featured on the CBS "So You Think You Know Music?" program, where his skill at tune-identification caused many listeners to believe he must be a fake. Young Albert was recently withdrawn from his kindergarten class because "it bored him," and is now being educated at home by his mother, a professional teacher.

Tyrone Power, Joan Bennett, and Humphrey Bogart appear tonight in "The Petrified Forest," on the Gulf Screen Guild Theatre, 7:30 pm over WABC.

(No thanks.)

Oooooooweeeeeeeeeeeeee......

James Madison High School won its 32nd straight schoolboy basketball game yesterday, defeating Erasmus Hall, 32-30.

In collegiate cage action, NYU edged out Manhattan, 31 to 27.

Tommy Holmes picks the Reds to repeat in the National League in 1940, on the strength of their outstanding pitching. Watch for young Willard Hershberger to take on a more important role behind the plate as age catches up with Ernie Lombardi.

The Yankees have announced that no player will ever wear their Number 4 uniform again. Yankee General Manager Ed Barrow announced that the number will be retired -- a first for any major league team -- in honor of Lou Gehrig, whose career was ended last year due to a form of infantile paralysis. Barrow states that Gehrig's locker will be maintained in perpetuity in the Yankee clubhouse -- and that Gehrig himself will not receive an unconditional release from the team. Rather, he will remain for the rest of his days on the "voluntarily retired" list.

Seabiscuit will try again for the Santa Anita crown in the upcoming Handicap race in March. The 'Biscuit, whose racing career was threatened by a snapped ligament in training for the Santa Anita race last year, will return to the turf this spring after missing out on the Handicap crown by a nose in the 1937 and 1938 races.

On the Old Timers Page, John Guilfoyle remembers walking up the gangplank and standing on the deck of the historic ironclad Monitor on the day the famous ship was launched at the old Morgan & Allaire Iron Works in Greenpoint. Top that, whippersnappers.

Y'know, when they call a horse "Mankiller," there's usually a pretty good reason why.

This strip is fascinating to me, because "gool" is a very obscure New England dialect word for "goal." It isn't used much now, but it was very common in the early years of the 20th Century, particularly in connection with a kids' game called "Gools," and its use here is clear proof that Bill Biff's lines should be imagined in a flat Boston accent. Probably from Southie or Da'chesta.

Now just a minute here. This kid tells you he is TURNING TRICKS on the street --a phrase that meant the same thing in 1940 that it does today -- and you hand him a couple of bucks? Just like that? Just what kind of "investigation" are you up to here, Dan? No wonder Kay gets frustrated.

It'd be even funnier if this guy turned out to be Oakdale in one of his many clever disguises.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Sunday News...

Smile, kids!

Fedora Lounge post, 1940 style.

Stooge dies because his own daughter shoots him. "Hey kids, comics!"

"On the other hand, if I marry Truck, at least I won't have to put up with this kind of crap..."

If Marcel Duchamp drew a comic strip, it'd look a lot like "Smokey Stover."

In a rare dramatic role, the part of Singh-Singh will be played by Jerry Colonna.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
(Oh, my aching feet...)....

I've had flat feet since my 40s and have worn Dr. Scholl's inserts ever since. It proved to be one of the rare times that a solution to a painful medical problem was simple, effective and cheap. However, I didn't know Dr. Scholl's made actual shoes (I thought it was all about inserts, etc.). I checked, the company still makes shoes today. That said, I don't remember ever walking into a store or seeing an on-line offering (before searching for them today) of its shoes.

...Little Baby Jean, adopted daughter of a Long Island religious cult determined to make her a guinea pig for its theories on human immortality turned six months old today, and was presented with a diamond and pearl ring by Mrs. Ann Tomlinson of Monte Carlo, France, a member of the Royal Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians, the organization which took custody of the child last year and is raising her at "Peace Haven," its compound on the former Vanderbilt estate.....

Can't see anything going wrong here.

...A former showgirl lost $40,000 worth of stock certificates while on a shopping trip in Flatbush yesterday. Miss Olive Lindsay, who appeared on stage in such productions as "Big Boy," with Al Jolson, was shopping with her aunt when she lost an envelope containing the securities somewhere near the intersection of Flatbush and Church Avenues. The certificates, covering 5000 shares of stock in Tampax, Inc., are made out in Miss Lindsay's name, and are negotiable only by her.....

That $40,000 is ~$735,000 in 2020 dollars - who the heck carries $735,000 around with them? Since they are (it appears) registered securities, she should have been able to get the certificates reissued, but still - what was she thinking?

...Tyrone Power, Joan Bennett, and Humphrey Bogart appear tonight in "The Petrified Forest," on the Gulf Screen Guild Theatre, 7:30 pm over WABC.....

So, since the movie version of "The Petrified Forest" came out in '35 (with Boggie, but not Power or Bennett), what exactly was this radio show promoting - a revival showing or just generally trying to keep the stars in the public eye...or was it purely profitable on its own as a radio show?

...
Oooooooweeeeeeeeeeeeee..........

The Mitford Sisters is the gift that just keeps giving.

...Seabiscuit will try again for the Santa Anita crown in the upcoming Handicap race in March. The 'Biscuit, whose racing career was threatened by a snapped ligament in training for the Santa Anita race last year, will return to the turf this spring after missing out on the Handicap crown by a nose in the 1937 and 1938 races.....

Since the day you started doing these day-by-day reports Lizzie, I've been waiting for Seabiscuit to pop up. I believe we will be hearing a lot more about him this year (1940).

... View attachment 204512
Now just a minute here. This kid tells you he is TURNING TRICKS on the street --a phrase that meant the same thing in 1940 that it does today -- and you hand him a couple of bucks? Just like that? Just what kind of "investigation" are you up to here, Dan? No wonder Kay gets frustrated.... .

Holy Smokes, that phrase meant the same thing (as noted, comic strips were for adults) and Dan just brushed it off. That said, at least he's after the ring and not just one car thief.

...
Stooge dies because his own daughter shoots him. "Hey kids, comics!"....

So he promises to stay out of his daughter's life forever and, then, two panels later goes back on that promise when he tells her he'll see her when he gets out of prison - sheesh!

...
In a rare dramatic role, the part of Singh-Singh will be played by Jerry Colonna.

Very MGM - like a MGM movie spectacle in comic pages' form.

 

[David Conwill]

"gool" is a very obscure New England dialect word for "goal."

Incredible! When I was a little kid and I used to play hide-and-go-seek tag with my neighbors there was always a safe spot to try to reach after you were found. It was called "gool."

I guess somebody must have had an old-time New Englander for a parent, because this was West Michigan in the late '80s.

 

[LizzieMaine]

If you always stuck close to the gool in a game, you'd be condemned as a "gool-sticka!"

 

[LizzieMaine]

Most of these movie radio adaptations were of pictures a few years old -- I think the studios saw it as a way of keeping the properties alive in the minds of listeners, and bringing in a few dollars on films that otherwise were just sitting in the vault pending any future reissues -- and also a chance for the actors to try their hands at different types of roles. Tyrone Power is no Leslie Howard, but he could be for half an hour on Sunday night, just to see how it might work out.

The Screen Guild show was a special case -- it was a charity program for the Motion Picture Relief Fund, set up by SAG as a way to help indigent members of the movie profession, and all performers waived payment, with the sponsors paying their usual fees into the fund as a donation. The Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills was built entirely thru funding provided via the Screen Guild broadcasts -- unlike, say, the "Lux Radio Theatre," which existed only for the greater glory of Lever Brothers.

As for Mr. Singh-Singh, I don't know what I was expecting, really, but I wasn't expecting someone with a hilarious comedy moustache. We'll have to see.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A special Finnish army communique claims that Finnish forces today wiped out the 44th Russian Division near Suomussalmi, killing thousands and taking more than a thousand prisoners. The communique further states that large quantities of arms, over a thousand horses, and 43 tanks were captured. The communique is the first mention of the 44th Division despite reports of heavy fighting in the Suomussalmi region over several days.

Reports from Budapest state that the Foreign Ministers of Hungary and Italy have reached agreement on a defensive military alliance that assures Hungary of military support from Italy in the event of an invasion of Hungary by Russia or Germany. An authoritative Fascist source in Rome denies that such an agreement has been finalized, but high-ranked members of the Fascist Party do state that Italy is willing to recognize Hungarian territorial ambitions in return for aid in checking Russia in the Balkans.

Insisting that "vilification of the courts by highly paid inquisitors has reached the status of a racket," Kings County Judge Franklin Taylor today challenged Assistant Attorney General John T. Amen to a public debate over recent statements made in the Amen report on the operation of the Kings County probation system that Judge Taylor is guilty of more than fifty violations of the state penal code. The Amen report charged that Judge Taylor failed to observe required consultations with probation officials before passing sentence in the cases under question, while Judge Taylor insists that those consultations are not, in fact, required by any law. The Judge declared in his challenge that he is willing to hire a hall for the debate and arrange for a mutually-agreeable moderator, and will donate $100 to any charity Mr. Amen names if the Assistant Attorney General accepts the challenge and can prove his claims, and he insists that the debate take place within no more than two weeks from today. Mr. Amen's reply was terse, declaring that he sees no useful purpose in such a debate, and that he has no time to participate in such a debate, or to continue with such correspondence.

The Faculty Council at Brooklyn College is expected to spike a plan for the voluntary establishment of a Reserve Officers' Training Corps program on campus, with the Eagle having learned that the Council has recommended denial of a student petition seeking to establish such a unit when it meets on Wednesday. The majority of students at the college oppose ROTC, but a minority mounted the petition campaign, and Brooklyn College President Harry Gideonese supports that effort in recognition of minority rights. The issue has deeply divided the students and faculty for the past five years.

An Eagle editorial criticizing the distributors of "Gone With The Wind" for their failure to schedule the Selznick superproduction for a Brooklyn showing in 1940 has achieved its purpose, with Loew's Theatres announcing that the four-hour adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel will have its Brooklyn debut at the Metropolitan on February 1st. The film will be shown on a strictly reserved-seat basis on opening night, with gala premiere parties already being planned for downtown hotels, and prominent Brooklyn residents expected to attend. (Will Durocher be there? Please tell me Lippy will be there.)

The captain of a 60-foot barge and his wife, are hospitalized after two Swedish sailors pulled them from the icy water. 60-year-old Captain Alfred Smith and his 55-year-old wife Mary were aboard the barge "Hartford," moored in New York Bay off Red Hook, when Mrs. Smith slipped on the ice-covered deck and fell into the water. Captain Smith leaped in to rescue her, but was unable to do so. Their cries for help reached 25-year-old Charles Neilsen and 50-year-old Olaf Olsen, aboard the Swedish freighter Astri, tied up at the Red Hook pier, and the two sailors immediately plunged into the bay and swam to the rescue.

Forty-two prime Hereford steers were killed yesterday in a fire at a Johnson Street abattoir. The blaze at the M. H. Nagle Company destroyed two one-story sheds where the cattle had been kept pending slaughter for distribution to kosher meat markets. The herd was valued at $10,000.

(Brrrrr.)

Now showing at the Patio, it's James Cagney and Priscilla Lane in "The Roaring Twenties," with co-feature "Tower Of London," starring Basil Rathbone.

"Tommy" writes to Helen Worth wondering what to do about his relationship with his girlfriend. The two have religious differences, and his mother doesn't like her, and is trying to make him feel guilty about marrying her and leaving her all alone. Helen grabs Tommy by the shoulders and gives him a firm shake and says religious differences are a matter only for the parties involved and are no business of mothers or anyone else. As for leaving Ma alone, what's keeping her from going out and getting a job?

Writes the Eagle editorialist...

(In Bensonhurst, Joe slaps the paper down on the table with a sneer. "This guy!" he snorts. "This Nugg-ent. Who's he? What'd he do that he should talk? I ask ya. I bet he ain't so smart." And Sally looks up from sewing a button on Joe's underwear and says, "Smart. You know who's smart? Oscar Levant. He's smart. On the radio I hear him talk about music, 'n art, 'n plays, 'n culture, 'n all like that. I bet Oscar Levant and me, we could have some good convasations." And Joe mumbles under his breath dire words about Oscar Levant and Elliot Nugg-ent, and snaps the paper open with force, scanning down the page to find "Dan Dunn.")

The composer of the famous lullaby "Rock-A-Bye Baby" died a pauper yesterday in Boston. Mrs. Effie Canning Carlton, a former actress, was impoverished and died of a cerebral hemorrhage in a hospital room furnished by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. Mrs. Carlton composed the music to the old Mother Goose rhyme more than fifty years ago, and the composition sold more than 300,000 copies shortly after it was published by a Boston firm. Mrs. Carlton received few royalties.

You can fly to LaGuardia Field from Boston, Syracuse, or Washington D. C. in less time than it takes you to get there by subway, trolley or bus from any point in Brooklyn, and borough residents are demanding a direct link to the super-airport their taxes helped build. A timed trip from Borough Hall to the airport takes one hour and thirty one minutes, and requires a subway trip to Manhattan, a connection to Corona, and then a trolley ride to the field itself. Using the IRT crosstown line from Downtown Brooklyn takes just as long.

The Rangers ran their National Hockey League winning streak to seventeen games last night with a 3-0 win over Detroit.

300,000 homing pigeons are available for mobilization in the United States if the Army calls for their services.

Bette Davis and Spencer Tracy star in "Dark Victory" on tonight's Lux Radio Theatre, 9 pm on WABC.

Peggy's expression in panel three says it all. Jo puts the "mother" in "smother."

That nose, those glasses, that collar and tie, that thin-lipped sneer. I believe we've found our next villain.

"Bill and Davey" isn't a strip we follow, but I had to pass this one along. Bill is a sort of low-rent Pat Ryan, a freelance adventurer who trots the globe with his young pal Terry, er, Davey, but they're between capers right now, living in a Moon Mullins-like boardinghouse with a bunch of odd characters. This one fellow is a weird tramp who showed up on their doorstep claiming to need "bodyguards" for a dangerous mission, and is fast making himself a nuisance. But whoever he really is, he has a unique gift for invective. I can't imagine, say, Cheery Blaze calling anyone a "slab sided booger," but I suspect that they would make for an interesting couple...

Don't worry, Irwin -- if you're as good a crook as you are a detective, you'll have no problems at all.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News....

I don't like any of these people. Leave the poor dog out of it.

Yeah. Go throw bricks at the Herricks.

Again, *snif.*

Um.

"Wait, what do you mean the dog can't come??"

 

[Fading Fast]

...Reports from Budapest state that the Foreign Ministers of Hungary and Italy have reached agreement on a defensive military alliance that assures Hungary of military support from Italy in the event of an invasion of Hungary by Russia or Germany. An authoritative Fascist source in Rome denies that such an agreement has been finalized, but high-ranked members of the Fascist Party do state that Italy is willing to recognize Hungarian territorial ambitions in return for aid in checking Russia in the Balkans....

Seems like there is a little confusion as to who is on whose team.

...The Faculty Council at Brooklyn College is expected to spike a plan for the voluntary establishment of a Reserve Officers' Training Corps program on campus, with the Eagle having learned that the Council has recommended denial of a student petition seeking to establish such a unit when it meets on Wednesday. The majority of students at the college oppose ROTC, but a minority mounted the petition campaign, and Brooklyn College President Harry Gideonese supports that effort in recognition of minority rights. The issue has deeply divided the students and faculty for the past five years....

A foreshadowing of the '60s. As we note often at FL, most historical events have long fuses.

...Now showing at the Patio, it's James Cagney and Priscilla Lane in "The Roaring Twenties,"....

James Cagney and Priscilla Lane in The Roaring Twenties (1939)

...(In Bensonhurst, Joe slaps the paper down on the table with a sneer. "This guy!" he snorts. "This Nugg-ent. Who's he? What'd he do that he should talk? I ask ya. I bet he ain't so smart." And Sally looks up from sewing a button on Joe's underwear and says, "Smart. You know who's smart? Oscar Levant. He's smart. On the radio I hear him talk about music, 'n art, 'n plays, 'n culture, 'n all like that. I bet Oscar Levant and me, we could have some good convasations." And Joe mumbles under his breath dire words about Oscar Levant and Elliot Nugg-ent, and snaps the paper open with force, scanning down the page to find "Dan Dunn.")....

...You can fly to LaGuardia Field from Boston, Syracuse, or Washington D. C. in less time than it takes you to get there by subway, trolley or bus from any point in Brooklyn, and borough residents are demanding a direct link to the super-airport their taxes helped build. A timed trip from Borough Hall to the airport takes one hour and thirty one minutes, and requires a subway trip to Manhattan, a connection to Corona, and then a trolley ride to the field itself. Using the IRT crosstown line from Downtown Brooklyn takes just as long.....

Eighty years later and still no direct subway from Brooklyn (or Manhattan) to LaGuardia. It's one of my pet peeves as, look, we are taxed to all hell in this city - fine, it's expensive to run the city, but come on, no subway to the closest airport? I think we need Attorney General John T. Amen to come back and look into this corruption.

... That nose, those glasses, that collar and tie, that thin-lipped sneer. I believe we've found our next villain.....

Again, the illustration skill is incredible. Pre all the entertainment options we have today, you can see how much effort went into these strips. [Edit add: meant this in reference to the Mary Worth strip today - it got really complicated when I tried to switch out the wrong strip and put in the right one after having already posted the reply.]

... "Bill and Davey" isn't a strip we follow, but I had to pass this one along. Bill is a sort of low-rent Pat Ryan, a freelance adventurer who trots the globe with his young pal Terry, er, Davey, but they're between capers right now, living in a Moon Mullins-like boardinghouse with a bunch of odd characters. This one fellow is a weird tramp who showed up on their doorstep claiming to need "bodyguards" for a dangerous mission, and is fast making himself a nuisance. But whoever he really is, he has a unique gift for invective. I can't imagine, say, Cheery Blaze calling anyone a "slab sided booger," but I suspect that they would make for an interesting couple....

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery - do you know which strip came first?

... Don't worry, Irwin -- if you're as good a crook as you are a detective, you'll have no problems at all.

And, apparently, we're all still good with Snooker living out the most horrifying scene in "Boogie Nights" as long as he can help break up the car-stealing ring.

 

[Fading Fast]

...

I don't like any of these people. Leave the poor dog out of it....

I'm always suspicious when people seem all too happy to live their private lives out loud in newspapers (or the internet, today).

...
Again, *snif.*....

Tell the kid the truth for God's sake.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Bill and Davey" started almost exactly eleven months after "Terry" started in the Daily News, so obviously there was no connection at all...

It's not a terrible strip as knockoffs go, but the sketchiness of the art style gets really distracting, and the lettering is so scratchy that it's often hard to read, especially when there's a lot going on. I'll dip in and out of it depending on where the story of the moment seems to be headed, but it doesn't tend to hold my interest the way other strips will, perhaps because the characterizations just don't tend to be as vivid as you get in "Terry."

I really hope that Judge Taylor and Mr. Amen both show up at the Gone With The Wind premiere at the Metropolitan, and that they get into a vicious spat in the lobby when it turns out whoever was in charge of assigning seats put them right next to each other. In fact, if I worked at that theatre, I'd take steps to ensure that this happens......

 

[LizzieMaine]

Nazi planes attacked eleven ships off the British coast today, sinking a Danish steamer off the Scottish coast with a bomb, and wounding thirty-three persons aboard a lightship with machine gun fire. The attacks come as Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain began a series of speeches to the British people urging a more vigorous war against Germany. "The powers of wickedness will fight in vain," the Prime Minister declared, "against the strength of Allied arms."

Meanwhile, outgoing War Minister Leslie Hore-Belisha turned in the seals of his office to King George VI at Buckingham Palace, even as British security is investigating the circulation of a letter on War Office stationery attacking Hore-Belisha and the Jews.

Rightist forces today fought with members of the banned Communist Party on the floor of the French Parliament, as a new session of the legislative body convened in Paris. Twelve Communists who were expelled from Parliament when their party was banned, some of them in uniform, refused to leave the chamber, and were attacked by Rightists in a riotous start to the new session that led to its suspension. Premier Daladier did not attend the opening due to a broken foot.

Reports from Finland claim that Finnish ski patrols have destroyed a Russian base at Jordanfoss. The base is reported to be headquarters for two battalions of motorized cavalry, and it is claimed that the Finnish ski troops burned its buildings. The report, relayed via the Copenhagen press, also claims that Finnish forces have advanced as far as Petsamo, but this portion carries a warning from the United Press that it should be taken with "great reserve" based on the last known position of the Finnish lines.

Meanwhile, the Student Council at Brooklyn College has passed by a 19 to 4 vote a resolution condemning the Soviet Union as "an aggressor" in the current undeclared Russo-Finnish war, but urged the United States to avoid becoming enmeshed in the conflict by refusing credit to either side. The resolution also criticizes Britain and France for their actions leading up to the conflict.

Another of the judges criticized by name in the latest Amen Report on the Kings County probation system is lashing back at the Assistant Attorney General. Kings County Judge John J. Fitzgerald declared that the city should continue to fund John H. Amen's investigations at the rate of $1000 a day because the probes will solve the overcrowding problems at the Raymond Street Jail by letting all the prisoners go. "Mr Amen does not put people in jail," declared Judge Fitzgerald. "He turns them out." Judge Fitzgerald was accused in the Amen Report of "complacency" in the face of widespread incompetence and corruption in the handling of probation cases, although he was not himself accused of being incompetent or corrupt. Mr. Amen declined comment on Judge Fitzgerald's remarks.

The local Republican Party's economy drive extends as far as the telephone at its Bushwick headquarters. Officers of the 20th Assembly District Republican Club at 929 Bushwick Avenue have had their regular office phone disconnected -- and replaced by a coin-box phone. The party will receive a percentage of the take from the operation of this telephone, and will save approximately ten dollars a month.

A move to draft President Roosevelt as a candidate for a third term in the White House is picking up force in Washington, in the aftermath of speeches at the Democratic Party's annual Jackson Day dinner in support of such a drive. The speech by the President himself -- speaking as Vice President John Garner, who has already declared his own candidacy for the nomination, looked on -- contained no commitment either way on the question, with Mr. Roosevelt confining his remarks to a philosophical commentary on the responsibilities of high office.

A bill to set up a system to administer pari-mutuel wagering at New York racetracks is stalled in Albany, and appears unlikely to pass in its present form. The so-called Dunnigan Bill, which makes provision for a ten percent take for the State and establishes various regulations to govern the operation of betting, appears doomed to defeat, and it appears likely that implementation of any such law may be deferred into 1941. Voters in November approved legalizing pari-mutuel racetrack betting in the State, but left the matter of administering such a program to the Legislature.

(Lamont Cranston is forced to turn to shady means to keep up his fiction of being a carefree playboy while by night he acts as a grim avenger of the underworld. How sad. Does Margot know?)

A 31-year-old inmate at the Raymond Street Jail told a magistrate in Bridge Plaza Court that he didn't mind the jail so much as he did having cockroaches for cellmates. Lester Johnson of 549 Carlton Avenue, jailed on a disorderly conduct charge after he "annoyed his wife," was told by Magistrate Jeanette Brill that she'd like to get rid of the roaches as well -- and the best way to do that is to get a new jail.

In Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday the persistent cry of a cat interrupted proceedings, with courthouse staff unable to trace the cries to their source. A crew from the ASPCA was summoned, and discovered the cat -- one of several employed in the court building as mousers -- trapped in a ventilation duct. The feline was freed and allowed to resume his duties.

Women of Forest Hills and Kew Gardens today declared their plans to form vigilante street patrols unless the Police Department does something about crime in their neighborhoods. Thirty women who have been molested by hoodlums in the area have submitted a petition demanding increased presence of foot patrolmen in the area, arguing that the present police force is inadequate for the job.

"His Girl Friday," newspaper comedy starring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant, will have its New York premiere at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday.

The Max Fleischer cartoon adaptation of "Gulliver's Travels" opens tomorrow at the Brooklyn Paramount, alongside co-feature "The Cisco Kid and the Lady," starring Cesar Romero and Marjorie Weaver.

The Eagle editorialist is pleased that Brooklyn will be getting "Gone With The Wind" on February 1st, but still thinks it's more important for the borough to regularly receive new first run films simultaneous with their Broadway openings. A city of more than 2,800,000 people deserves as much.

Mayor LaGuardia agrees with the Eagle's call for a direct transportation link between Brooklyn and LaGuardia Field, and says the first step should be for the airlines using the field to set up dedicated coach lines serving the borough. The Mayor maintains that such a system would be temporary, but that until a public solution can be found, he would welcome any applications for a bus franchise that would provide such service.

While the New York Rangers ride high atop the National Hockey League on the strength of a seventeen-game winning streak, the Americans "grovel in the basement." But the Amerks can do a good turn for their big brothers by softening up the Toronto Maple Leafs, who along with the Boston Bruins, are in hot pursuit of the Blueshirts for the NHL lead. The A's take on the Leafs at the Garden tonight.

All-American halfback Nile Kinnick of Iowa has refused an offer from the Football Dodgers for the 1940 season. "Uh-uh," declared Kinnick, deemed the nation's top college grid star for 1939. "No pro football for me. I plan to go to law school."

Dizzy Dean says he'd rather stay in Dallas than sign with the Cubs for 1940 at $10,000. Tommy Holmes suggests that Ol' Diz oughtn't to say that too loud, or the Cubs might take him up on it.

As work continues clearing the space formerly occupied by the Soviet Pavillion at the World's Fair, Fair President Harvey D. Gibson is hoping to bring in the Dionne Quintuplets as an attraction to fill the vacancy. Gibson is said to be negotiating for a Quints Pavillion for the new season, expecting that such an exhibit would outdraw the Soviet Pavillion -- which attracted more than 16 million persons in 1939.

Novelist Edna Ferber joins John Kieran, Franklin P. Adams, Oscar Levant, and moderator Clifton Fadiman for tonight's "Information Please," 8:30 pm over WJZ.

Paulette Goddard joins Bob Hope and company, tonight at 10 pm over WEAF.

If Oakdale's hypnotized anyone, it's George. His dreams are so vivid they come with foreground extras to give them atmosphere.

Looks like it's time for Mary to get out the old apple cart. "Don't worry, my dear, I'm sure we'll get by."

Meanwhile, back in the hotel room, Dan finds only emptiness and a note: "DAN -- Had enough of this. Took the kid and left. Don't try to find us, not that you could. I know what kind of a "detective" you are. Dook sends his love. KAY.
PS -- Took the dog, too."

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

YEAH MAN! Ten weeks till spring!

Only in New York...

"Call for Mr. Amen! Mr. John H. Amen!"

Well, the Cap'n *did* tell Pat that Singh-Singh used to be a pro rassler in New York...

Tracy works hard, and he parties hard. The cake will have a severed head baked in it.

Peggy Bungle's mother is just overbearing. Lillums Lovewell's mother is plain creepy.

 

[Fading Fast]

...A bill to set up a system to administer pari-mutuel wagering at New York racetracks is stalled in Albany, and appears unlikely to pass in its present form. The so-called Dunnigan Bill, which makes provision for a ten percent take for the State and establishes various regulations to govern the operation of betting, appears doomed to defeat, and it appears likely that implementation of any such law may be deferred into 1941. Voters in November approved legalizing pari-mutuel racetrack betting in the State, but left the matter of administering such a program to the Legislature....

The pari-mutuel system is one of the greatest money-making (for the house, in this case, the state) betting systems ever devised. It is, effectively, a process for taking in a dollar and handing back (in this case) 90 cents, Every. Single. Time. The odds adjust automatically and the betters don't see or feel it (other than when the real pros start to recognize the "leakage" from their pockets overtime). It's similar to the slot machine, but the slot machine is more brazen as it's obvious what's going on there - pari-mutuel betting hides its skimming / vig much better.

..."His Girl Friday," newspaper comedy starring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant, will have its New York premiere at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday....

Best screwball comedy ever, in my top-five of all '30s movies and top-ten of all time.

...Mayor LaGuardia agrees with the Eagle's call for a direct transportation link between Brooklyn and LaGuardia Field, and says the first step should be for the airlines using the field to set up dedicated coach lines serving the borough. The Mayor maintains that such a system would be temporary, but that until a public solution can be found, he would welcome any applications for a bus franchise that would provide such service....

And still no direct link 80 years later.

...
If Oakdale's hypnotized anyone, it's George. His dreams are so vivid they come with foreground extras to give them atmosphere....

... Looks like it's time for Mary to get out the old apple cart. "Don't worry, my dear, I'm sure we'll get by."....

The "shock" lines shooting out of Leona's head are particularly effective - whoever thought of those the first time, was on his/her game.

... Meanwhile, back in the hotel room, Dan finds only emptiness and a note: "DAN -- Had enough of this. Took the kid and left. Don't try to find us, not that you could. I know what kind of a "detective" you are. Dook sends his love. KAY.
PS -- Took the dog, too."

"I know what kind of 'detective' you are." Perfect.

...
Only in New York.....

1/6/20: Borden Dairy Co., a 163-year-old milk producer known for its spokes-cow Elsie, has filed for bankruptcy with plans to erase millions of dollars in debt from its books, becoming the second major player in the industry to seek protection from creditors in two months.

... Peggy Bungle's mother is just overbearing. Lillums Lovewell's mother is plain creepy.

One thing I've noticed from watching way too many movies from the '30s and '40s is that (at least in the movies) it was not uncommon for teenage and adult children to regularly kiss their parents on the lips with some intensity and for teenage and adult siblings to do so too (women kissing women or men and women kissing, but not men kissing men - just noting what I've seen, and, of course, I'm sure there is an exception or two out there somewhere, there always is). Seems, as you note, creepy to us today, but it must have been a thing as it pops up in movies regularly and it's usually not part of the story/plot, just an, apparently, normal behavior of the time.

 

[LizzieMaine]

British planes continue heavy air raids over Nazi bases along the North Sea. Reports from the Danish border say explosions were heard in the direction of the German bases at Sylt and Helgoland. Official reports from Berlin state that three British planes were shot down over Helgoland Bay, and that no German planes were last. Nazi sources also deny any British raids on the Sylt and Helgoland bases,claiming that the British planes failed to reach their objective. There are also reports in Nazi circles that the German government will accuse the British of violating Danish neutrality, because a British bomb fell on the Danish island of Roem.

Meanwhile, the British Admiralty confirms that Nazi bombs sunk the 1985-ton steamer Oak Grove, bringing to fifteen the number of British ships attacked by German planes over the past 36 hours. Total number of casualties in the Oak Grove sinking is not known, although twenty-two crew members are reported safely landed.

Reports from Finland claim a third Red Army division has been surrounded by Finnish forces south of Kukkammo. There are no details supporting the claim, but the Associated Press reports that the Finns now control the border directly east of Lake Kinata.

A bill to abolish the five-judge Kings County Court is before the State Legislature. The bill would abolish individual borough courts in all five of the city's boroughs, consolidating Municipal Court and City Court operations into one office thru the Supreme Court, and would also empower the Court of Appeals to remove judges from office. In addition, the bill would prohibit any serving judge from taking on extrajudicial cases as an "umpire" or "arbitrator."

A 6th Avenue woman charges that her city relief benefits were cut after she resigned her membership in the Worker's Alliance organization, and claims that Alliance members receive preferential treatment from city welfare administrators. Mrs. Sadie Gordine of 5206 6th Avenue made the accusation when appearing before a magistrate in Bay Ridge Court on charges of disorderly conduct after she raised a disturbance in a Department of Welfare relief station. Mrs. Gordine claimed that she had belonged to the Alliance in 1937, and received ample relief benefits for herself and her husband, a former chef who is ill and unable to work, but when she resigned from the organization because she could no longer afford to pay dues, her benefits were reduced. Magistrate Matthew Troy ordered an investigation of her claims. She tells the Eagle her husband, who wants her to drop the case, gets ample medicine thru the relief office, but what he really needs is a warm coat. Mrs. Gordine insists she is not a Communist. "There's a lot of their ways I believe in," she tells the Eagle, "and a lot that I don't."

A suit against tin-plate heir Henry J. Topping Jr filed by a private detective who had gathered information for Topping's recent divorce case has been thrown out of court by Federal Judge Clarence G. Galston. The $5235 suit filed by Harold G. Mayhew accused Topping of reneging on an oral agreement to pay him $5000 for evidence proving infidelity on the part of his former wife, Jayne Shadduck Topping, in her relationship with aviator Frank Cordova. Topping never used the evidence in court, and Mrs. Topping subsequently divorced him on the grounds of cruelty. The judge ruled that no express contract existed in the matter, and that Mayhew admitted to receiving $1750 for the services he had performed.

Henry Topping's brother Dan Topping, owner of the Football Dodgers, has court troubles of his own. He is being sued by a liquor importer for a bill of $572.40 for 10 cases of Krug 1921 champagne ordered in 1934 and never paid for. A claim against Topping was filed yesterday in Manhattan Municipal Court by the firm of Nicholas & Company, which states that two cases of the champagne were delivered to Topping's home, with the remaining eight delivered to his mother.

The presumed widow of Judge Joseph Force Crater, missing since 1930 and presumed dead, will be paid her full insurance indemnity of $20,500. Mrs. Stella Crater Kunz, who remarried in 1938, will receive the payment on the condition that she post a $23,000 bond against the possibility of Judge Crater turning up alive.

Two dogs were rescued from an ice floe in the Hudson River thanks to a third dog who swam out to them and alerted police and Coast Guardsmen to their position by barking. The two trapped dogs, described as fox terriers, were brought to safety and are being treated at the ASPCA shelter at East 22nd Street. The third dog disappeared during the excitement, and was last seen running up and down and barking at the foot of 125th Street.

Brooklyn needs better publicity, says the secretary of the borough's Chamber of Commerce. Speaking before a dinner at the Bossert Hotel, Ivan Boxell told members of the Young Men's C of C that one of the real problems facing Brooklyn is the attitude toward the borough shown by the metropolitan press and the radio, which tend to show only those elements of Brooklyn life that are "not constructive in character." More emphasis, he declares, needs to be given to the positive business, civic and cultural aspects of borough life. (In Bensonhurst, Sally nudges Joe, who is dozing again in a kitchen chair with his suspenders hanging down and his feet in the oven, and says "Yeah, like he says.")

("Twenny bucks," says Sally. "Some slenderizing.")

The New York City Board of Health is considering revising its regulations on the grading of beverage milk to eliminate the current Grade A and Grade B designations into a single approved grade. The two grades currently differ under the Sanitary Code on the basis of butterfat and solids content, but it has not yet been determined whether the current Grade A or B standard will prevail. The new regulations, if approved, would take effect on September 1st.

The new James Thurber-Elliot Nugent play "The Male Animal," which opened this week on Broadway at the Cort Theatre is "a gleeful comedy," says Arthur Pollock. Nugent himself plays the male lead, an embattled English professor at a small midwestern university who is beset on the one hand by political censorship in his classroom and on the other by the arrival for a visit by his wife's former football-hero beau. All parties, and all ideas, come in for good-natured ribbing in a smooth, well-directed production.

Singing trumpeter Johnny "Scat" Davis and his Orchestra head the next vaudeville bill at the Flatbush Theatre. Also featured is Patricia Norman, hot vocalist who was responsible for *that version* of "Old Man Mose." (Buck-buck-bucket!)

Ray Tucker reports that four other possible Democratic Party presidential hopefuls, including Postmaster General James Farley and Senator Burton K. Wheeler, have huddled in recent days with Vice President John Garner, himself considered the front-running candidate for the 1940 nomination -- assuming the President himself does not run for a third term. The Vice President reportedly believes that Mr. Roosevelt is waiting to be drafted for a third term, and Mr. Garner is believed to be running specifically to prevent this from happening. Mr. Garner's conferences with other potential candidates suggest that he is encouraging others into the race in order to build an anti-Roosevelt coalition within the party.

Brooklyn Works Commissioner Arthur R. Ebel believes that a workable direct bus route from the borough to LaGuardia Field can be created using existing highways. The Commissioner demonstrated his belief by driving from Queens to Borough Hall in 25 minutes. A trip from central Queens to the airport would add approximately 20 minutes to this drive -- making the total trip less than half the current travel time by subway, trolley, and local bus service.

The National Hockey League has reached the midway point of the 1939-40 season with the Rangers, Bruins, and Maple Leafs in a three-way tie for first place. The Rangers can regain sole custody of the lead by defeating Detroit tomorrow night at the Garden.

With Spring Training just six weeks away, the Dodger office staff is busy lining up contracts for 1940 -- and President Larry MacPhail is keeping the lid clamped down on news of any holdouts, considering such publicity to be "poisonous" for the club. But news of one holdout has escaped -- Professor Artie McGowan, who was in charge of Dodger physical conditioning at Hot Springs and Clearwater last spring, is said to be at odds with Mr. MacPhail over his contract for the coming season, and reportedly argue about the muscle-molder's fee every day when MacPhail works out at McGowan's Pine Street gym. McGowan had the Dodgers on a serious muscle-building, fat-shedding regimen last year, and Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons, to use the most notable example, lost twenty-five pounds under the program.

The Associated Press has named Lou Gehrig as baseball's Man of the Decade for the 1930s. The Iron Horse dominated the game during most of the ten years just past, proving him to be not just the most durable player in baseball, but the most durable athlete in all of sports.

Billy Conn faces Henry Cooper in a ten-round non-title bout this evening. Sam Taub and Bill Stern will describe the action at 10 pm over WJZ.

BOM-BIDDY-BOM! BOM-BIDDY-BOM! HART-FORD! OAK-DALE! BOM-BIDDY-BOM!

Actually, Mr. Stockpool made sure to transfer all of his liquid assets into a numbered Swiss bank account before leaving for Europe. Always one step ahead of his creditors -- and of you too, Mr. Fyles. Ivor Kreuger couldn't get away with it, Samuel Insull couldn't get away with it -- but Mr. Stockpool, untamed lion of Wall Street, laughs at them all.

"What would he be doin' wit' the likes of you?" You don't wanna know, Mom. You don't wanna know.