The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News, more unedifying coverage of Mr. Topping's divorce...

George Bungle, Private Eye.

Why bother to come up with new material when you can just swipe somebody else's act?

"It was a gentler time."

"We stuff them in the trunks when they get too noisy. Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

Ah! Ah! I've figured out who this Singh-Singh really is!

Mullins Family Values.

"So you always say."

 

[Fading Fast]

...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....

I think we have enough evidence to say that if you do business with the Toppings, it should be on a pay-in-advance or, at minimum, COD basis. Oh, and that Krug champagne, in 2020 dollars, that works out to ~$90 a bottle. Not bad (I guess) considering that today (for most Krug vintages) it's closer to $175 (and up) a bottle.

...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....

Something seems off here. So, you can have access to the $20,500 insurance payout if you put up $23,000 against it - what? To be sure, maybe she can get the $20,500 in hard dollars and pay a bondsman a fee to put up the $23,000, so it might give her liquidity - but really? One, the bond amount seems oddly high, and, two, at some point, and it's been ten years, isn't there legal precedent for declaring someone dead?

...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.")....

And if successful, maybe Brooklyn would then get those first-run movies without having to beg.

...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.....

Arguing that some do achieve a modicum of immortality, the James A. Farley Post Office in NYC has been in the news for years now as it is, one, an credibly beautiful historic building and, two, is being incorporated into the current Penn Station renovation and will serve as part of the train terminal. Thus, it will bring some iconic architecture back to Penn that was lost when the original station was torn down in '64.

That's a freakin' Post Office that wants to be taken seriously.

...
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.

The Bungle Family: I know I could cheat and Google it, but I haven't, so I have to admit, I am very excited to finally meet Hartford Oakdale.

Mary Worth: Might be time for Leona to slip on that backless number again and get to work.

Dan Dunn: JHC, a scruffy looking older man shows up at your door asking to "see" your son whom he gave a dollar to and mom's radar isn't lighting up like a Christmas Tree?

 

[Fading Fast]

And in the Daily News, more unedifying coverage of Mr. Topping's divorce...


George Bungle, Private Eye....

I want to see a picture of the wife now.

...
Why bother to come up with new material when you can just swipe somebody else's act?....

And, again, no surprise why so many versions of this story were popping up in the movies back then.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The happy couple, plus one.

The body language here says it all.

 

[Fading Fast]

The happy couple, plus one.


The body language here says it all.

Thank you. As expected, very Hollywood.

Could be a Margaret Lindsay double:

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Public Enemy's Wife?" Please tell me she gets to squish a grapefruit into Pat O'Brien's face...

 

[Fading Fast]

"Public Enemy's Wife?" Please tell me she gets to squish a grapefruit into Pat O'Brien's face...

I think I've seen it, but have no memory of it, so maybe not. Lindsay is one of my favorite '30s actresses who never became a "big" star. I think she could have been one, but it just didn't happen for her.

 

[LizzieMaine]

German planes bombed British targets from Scotland to the southeast coast today in the third day of stepped-up air attacks. No bombs hit land, no air-raid alerts sounded, and the only loss was a small coastal vessel set on fire by a bomber. But Nazi planes threatening Newcastle and key points along Firth of Forth were driven off by anti-aircraft fire and British fighters.

Reports from Copenhagen claim that more than a hundred Soviet officers have been recalled from the Finnish front to face discipline. The reports may be fueled by news that Russian air commissar Mikhail Kaganovich has been removed from his post and reassigned to another position.

Eighty-five miners, many feared dead, are trapped today in a collapsed coal mine in Bartley, West Virginia. A rescue crew of sixty men, selected for their strength and endurance, is digging its way toward the miners, who have been trapped since an explosion in the mine owned by the Pocahontas Coal Company detonated five hundred feet below ground. The bodies of four dead miners have been recovered, but it may be dusk before the rescue crew reaches most of the trapped workers.

President Roosevelt supports the idea of a ten percent "super-tax" in addition to the regular Federal income tax as a source of funding for emergency national defense costs, but he is waiting for Congress to take the initiative in putting forward such a plan.

City Welfare Commissioner William Hodson has responded angrily to the article in yesterday's Eagle reporting on the case of Mrs. Sadie Gordine, who claims her relief benefits were cut after she discontinued her membership in the Workers' Alliance. Commissioner Hodson declared that the official policy of the department is that the Alliance has no influence whatsoever in determining benefits, and signs to that effect are posted in all relief offices. Hodson also pointed out that while Mrs. Gordine was speaking to the Eagle's reporter, she had a relief check for $8 in her pocket. The Commissioner states that Mrs. Gordine's claims are being fully investigated, and if it is determined that her status as a former Alliance member had any influence over how her case was treated, the department staff involved will be fired. He added that such articles serve more as virtual advertisements for the Alliance than anything else. Norman Schrank, executive secretary of the Alliance itself says he only wishes that the group had influence with the Welfare Department -- it might help cut thru the red tape when people need help.

There will be no ROTC program at Brooklyn College, following an off-the-record vote of the Faculty Council. Following an angry debate among Council members, the panel reportedly agreed to uphold the recommendation of the Curriculum Committee barring the military traning program from the campus. It is reported that the majority of Council members agreed with Dean of Students Ralph Bridgman's view that there is no place for a military science program at a liberal arts college, and that in any event, there is insufficient space on campus to conduct such a class. Dr. Bridgman also has declared that any student desiring military training can easily receive it in the National Guard or in technical schools.

A city marshal who refused to act on a seizure order involving a $142 lien on a poor man's furniture was within his rights, according to a Brooklyn Supreme Court ruling. Marshal Samuel Gross refused to act on an order by the Brooklyn Loan Company to seize household furnishings from the Rochester Avenue residence of Olin John Belfiore after Belfiore defaulted on a $200 loan for which he had put up the furniture as a chattel mortgage. Marshal Gross declined to act on the order, contending that under the Civil Practice Act, furniture essential to the operation of a household is exempt from attachment and seizure, and that if the loan company wishes to foreclose on the chattel mortgage, it must do so thru the full legal procedure stipulated by law. Company officials protested that to do so would take too much time and expense, but the Court agreed with Marshal Gross, noting that a creditor is not authorized to disregard the Civil Practice Act in an attempt to recover a debt.


A former Brooklyn magistrate and a prominent local attorney are calling on Governor Herbert H. Lehman to cut off funding for the Amen investigations, arguing that the ongoing probe of law enforcement corruption is harming the prestige of the borough. Former magistrate Joseph Goldstein and attorney Emil Katzka argue that the Amen office is doing nothing that cannot be done by District Attorney O'Dwyer, and that the publicity surrounding Mr. Amen's activities is giving Brooklyn a bad name. Meanwhile, a application by the Assistant Attorney General for $175,000 in municipal funding to continue the investigations for another six months is being held in abeyance by the Board of Estimate. Mr. Amen is scheduled to meet with Mayor LaGuardia tomorrow, at which meeting funding for his investigations is expected to be the subject.

(And in Bensonhurst, Joe asks Sally, "Hey, broiled grapefruit. Let's try that. Whattaya say, kid?" And Sally says to Joe, "Broil? In that oven? It'll taste like your feet!"

The grime-covered statue of Henry Ward Beecher at Borough Hall Park is a disgrace to Brooklyn, says Borough Hall's chief custodian, and he's determined to do something about it. James H. Fletcher says a good scrubbing with soap and water and a judicious application of anti-vermin powder is long overdue for the statue, which hasn't been cleaned in at least two years. In 1930, Mr. Fletcher was instrumental in rescuing a statue of Robert Fulton, which once stood in front of the old Fulton Ferry House, from the ash heap where it had been abandoned, and placing it at its current location in Fulton Park.

("See," says Joe. "Right there. Grapefruit, 4 cents apiece. Whattaya say?" And Sally replies, "I hate grapefruit. You know I hate grapefruit. I don't wanna talk about grapefruit." And Joe mumbles under his breath, "I never get grapefruit.")

Straws In The Wind Are Harbingers Of Spring! Yes indeed, the spring hat season isn't far off, and local milliners are already featuring new straw creations -- some so flexible you can roll them up and stuff them in your handbag!

"Gulliver's Travels," now showing at the Brooklyn Paramount will be more enjoyable for the kids than "Snow White," predicts Herbert Cohn, who notes that the Max Fleischer cartoon feature is sprightlier and jollier than the Disney spectacular, and there is no Wicked Queen to terrorize the younger set. While not as smooth as Disney's film the Fleischer effort is more fun.

A spectacular pie fight is the highlight of "Mexican Spitfire," now showing at the Rialto, where Mr. Cohn gets a kick out of Leon Errol's reaction to the gooey missiles. Lupe Velez, as Errol's hot-blooded south-of-the-border wife, also keeps the laughter coming.

At the Patio, bandleader Kay Kyser and his whole radio gang star in "That's Right -- You're Wrong," accompanied by Alice Faye and Warner Baxter in "Barricade."

Paul Robeson is stunning as "John Henry," in the play of the same title by Roark Bradford and Jacques Wolfe, now at the
44th Street Theatre. Arthur Pollock says the play is more of an opera than a musical, and while the score isn't quite up to the standard demanded by Robeson's voice, Robeson's skill as an actor more than overcomes any shortcomings.

A Brooklyn landmark is breathing its last on Fulton Street, as the old Werba's Brooklyn Theatre building falls to the wrecking crew. Opened as the Montauk in 1895, the theatre reached the zenith of its importance to Brooklyn's cultural milieu in the 1920s, when it hosted full-scale Broadway-quality productions by the likes of Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Ed Wynn, George White, Jeanne Eagels, Otis Skinner, and other top personalities of the day. The Depression brought that period to the end, and the theatre lived out its last, sad days as a Minsky's Burlesque house. The building has stood empty since Mayor LaGuardia shut down girlie shows in the city in 1937, and when the Dime Savings Bank foreclosed its mortgage last year, the building's fate was sealed. Plans for the future development of the site have not been announced.

The New York Rangers, undefeated since November 19th, take on the Chicago Blackhawks tonight in search of their eighteenth straight victory.

The Dodgers picked up veteran American League pitcher Wes Ferrell today and hope the 32-year-old hurler still has some wins left in his powerful right arm. Ferrell was released by the Yankees last spring, and sat out most of the 1939 season. Ferrell has had arm problems since a shoulder injury while with the Indians in 1933, but has a lifetime record of 195-125.

Maureen O'Hara, Alan Hale, and Hilda Burke are Bing Crosby's guests tonight at 10 pm on WEAF.

"Ha on you, potato nose. Who's doing the trolling now?"

"Oh, you'll love selling apples, you truly will. So many kind people, out in the fresh air. And Bill can always pick a few pockets if he has to -- no, we'll not starve."

Mr. Marsh is going out of his way to make Dan as creepy and disturbing as possible. "What I wanted to see you about is PRIVATE." Yeah, you know what he means, kid. You're not so dumb.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Why is newlywed Mr. Dodge playing with dynamite on a speedboat during his honeymoon? Did James M. Cain write this story?

The News editorialist predicts that Thomas E. Dewey will be the Republican nominee for president in 1940. He's only 37, but a man of 37 is not a child, and remember -- half our voters are under 37.

Let's see now. Back in October or November, Andy Gump's mother in law introduced the family to "Cousin Baby," a war refugee from Europe who came to stay with them, but left the Gump abode when she overheard Andy and wife Min arguing about money. (They always argue about money, that's how it is.) So she ran off and got a job as a waitress, and did so well she was framed by a fellow waitress on a shoplifting charge to get her out of the way. Andy's fabulously wealthy Uncle Bim got involved, promising the best detective money could buy to help Baby out of the crisis, but that detective fell in love with the evil waitress who has more money herself than she lets on, for reasons that are as yet obscure, and may possibly involve gangsters. All this leads to Andy and Uncle Bim enjoying an extended debate on whether or not man is a free moral agent, or if his actions are predetermined by forces beyond his control. "Hey kids, comics!"

A deranged Chinese-Russian warlord with a comedy moustache, a peppermint fetish, and an uncontrollable hunger for roast pork trades quips with a fat international gun-running pimp. "Sure, it doesn't sound so good when you spell it out like that, but trust me, it'll work!"

Never mind the kid, close the sale. Remember, Specs, you're working on commission.

That's how it goes in a town with no public transportation.

 

[Fading Fast]

...[
(And in Bensonhurst, Joe asks Sally, "Hey, broiled grapefruit. Let's try that. Whattaya say, kid?" And Sally says to Joe, "Broil? In that oven? It'll taste like your feet!"... View attachment 205309
("See," says Joe. "Right there. Grapefruit, 4 cents apiece. Whattaya say?" And Sally replies, "I hate grapefruit. You know I hate grapefruit. I don't wanna talk about grapefruit." And Joe mumbles under his breath, "I never get grapefruit.")....

Nobody was broiling grapefruit in my house when I was growing up. But an interesting thing when you parter up is learning about things your significant other's (in this case, my girlfriend's) family does - and, yes, they broil grapefruit just that way - her mom made it for us several times over the years.

It doesn't taste like, I imagine, feet would taste, but basically, it tastes like warm grapefruit with a caramelized butter, sugar-and-cinnamon mix on top. It can taste a bit more bitter from the broiler, but overall, it's fine. IMHO, not worth the effort. That said, I have noticed broiled grapefruit on menus, in some fancy places too, from the period.

To Joe's grumble, I know orange juice, in particular, has fallen out of favor with the younger generation - I wonder how grapefruit demand is holding up these days?

N.B., Doesn't the guy scarfing down his acid-producing overindulgence look like Raymond Burr?

...The building has stood empty since Mayor LaGuardia shut down girlie shows in the city in 1937.....

LaGuardia definitely didn't like some of the tawdry forms of entertainment New Yorkers engaged in (Bloomberg was a bit like that as mayor, too).

Fun to see Jeanne Eagels' name pop up as we just recently chatted about her performance in "The Letter" in the movie thread.

And said theater itself in its burlesque days:

...
"Ha on you, potato nose. Who's doing the trolling now?"

"Oh, you'll love selling apples, you truly will. So many kind people, out in the fresh air. And Bill can always pick a few pockets if he has to -- no, we'll not starve."....

And the crowd chants: "We want Oakdale! We Want Oakdale!"

IRL (as the kid's say), Leona will be selling something on the streets, but it ain't going to be apples.

...
Why is newlywed Mr. Dodge playing with dynamite on a speedboat during his honeymoon? Did James M. Cain write this story?....

That wasn't lost on me either - what the heck!? And as you imply, these novel and screenplay writers weren't pulling their stories purely from imagination.

... Let's see now. Back in October or November, Andy Gump's mother in law introduced the family to "Cousin Baby," a war refugee from Europe who came to stay with them, but left the Gump abode when she overheard Andy and wife Min arguing about money. (They always argue about money, that's how it is.) So she ran off and got a job as a waitress, and did so well she was framed by a fellow waitress on a shoplifting charge to get her out of the way. Andy's fabulously wealthy Uncle Bim got involved, promising the best detective money could buy to help Baby out of the crisis, but that detective fell in love with the evil waitress who has more money herself than she lets on, for reasons that are as yet obscure, and may possibly involve gangsters. All this leads to Andy and Uncle Bim enjoying an extended debate on whether or not man is a free moral agent, or if his actions are predetermined by forces beyond his control. "Hey kids, comics!"....

That's a really good story line - I'm looking forward to more.

... A deranged Chinese-Russian warlord with a comedy moustache, a peppermint fetish, and an uncontrollable hunger for roast pork trades quips with a fat international gun-running pimp. "Sure, it doesn't sound so good when you spell it out like that, but trust me, it'll work!"....

Definitely some crazy going on here - and, as we can assume, peppermint is not his only fetish - but, heck, I'm hooked.

 

[3fingers]

Why is newlywed Mr. Dodge playing with dynamite on a speedboat during his honeymoon?

Fishing accident.

 

[ChazfromCali]

Fishing accident.

Dynamite fishing is..... a thing. Not so much with socialites though. And yes, alcohol is usually involved.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A key figure in the Amen office's investigation of the Brooklyn abortion racket has been arrested in Manhattan, and is being held under an indictment obtained by Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey. Dr. Abraham M. Ditchik, a dentist, already facing charges in Brooklyn of extortion and attempted bribery, is accused in Manhattan of attempting to extort $4400 from Dr. George Rothenberg of 4 E. 95th Street in 1935. Dr. Rothenberg himself is also under indictment on a charge of performing an abortion on 30 year old Miss Jennie Furman of 1773 E. 8th Street. Miss Furman is currently in critical condition at Caledonian Hospital as a consequence of that operation. Dr. Rothenberg faced charges of abortion and homicide stemming from abortion in 1936, but both charges were dismissed.

Meanwhile, Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen is meeting this afternoon with Mayor LaGuardia in an attempt to secure funding to continue the operation of his office for the next six months. Without the funds, the Amen office will be unable to meet its January 15th payroll.

Claims by a Brooklyn woman that relief distribution in the borough is determined by whether or not the applicant is a member of the Workers' Alliance or the Communist Party have been dismissed following an investigation by Magistrate Michael Troy in Bay Ridge Court. Magistrate Troy told Mrs. Sadie Gordine, who had been brought before him on charges of disorderly conduct after threatening to attack a relief office worker with a bottle after she was given only $8 instead of the $15 she had requested, that his probe of her accusations found no basis in fact. The Magistrate noted that he assigned the investigation to two war veterans specially selected for their hostility to Communists, and they found nothing to support her claim that she was being discriminated against because she had resigned her membership in the Workers' Alliance last year, or that, in general, relief apportionments were governed by the political affiliation of the applicants. The Magistrate also dismissed the disorderly conduct charge.

A 46 year old butcher was fined $50 and threatened with the workhouse after he was found guilty of animal cruelty for tossing two malformed puppies into a bonfire while they were still alive. Anthony Prano of 579 17th Street left the courtroom sniveling after paying the fine, and receiving a stern admonishment from Magistrate Troy. Prano claimed he thought the puppies were already dead when he tossed them into the fire, but a bystander heard them crying, pulled them out of the flames, and put them out of their misery.

Finnish sharpshooters killed Russian parachutists in mid-air as they attempted to land behind the lines on the Karelian Isthmus. Reports claim that several groups of fifty men were "annihilated" before they hit the ground.

German bombers scouted British territory today for the fourth straight day, drawing fierce bursts of anti-aircraft fire as they passed over the Thames estuary, the Suffolk coast, and off Yorkshire. No bombs were dropped, and no air raid warnings sounded.

The House of Representatives today passed by an overwhelming margin an appropriation of $264,611,252 to fund emergency national defense. The funds will be distributed among the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The package goes now to the Senate.

The Brooklyn Bar Association voted today by a two-vote margin to maintain its ban against membership for women. In sustaining the prohibition against female lawyers in the group, members noted that times may change, as may the position of the Association, but for now, women lawyers have their own association and, while they may rent the Bar Association's building on Remsen Street for their meetings, full membership in the Association will remain closed to them. Strongest support for maintaining the ban came from Association members whose wives are also lawyers. (Times are changing, fellas, and they're changing fast.)

Leaders of Brooklyn National Guard units are urging Brooklyn College students who supported ROTC training on campus to join up now -- there's plenty of room, as the Guard continues its local recruiting drive. Brooklyn Guard units have a quota of 5000 members to fill, and a borough-wide campaign to promote enlistment is underway.

Two men who broke into an Bath Beach residence last night were there to get money to pay for a wedding. So stated the suspects to the detective who caught them in the act of robbing the residence of Jerry Casha at 1803 81st Street. 22-year-old Leonard Cohen told Detective Harry Buckley that he needed $25 to pay the rabbi for his wedding service tomorrow, and that his best man, 22-year-old William Bluman, agreed to help him get it. The two will miss the wedding, and are being held pending trial in General Sessions Court.

A survey ordered by Mayor LaGuardia to consider options for direct bus service from Brooklyn to LaGuardia Field is underway among the airlines using the new airport. The Mayor has called for the airlines to set up a private coach service serving Brooklyn as a first step toward a more permanent solution to the transportation problem.

(Don't you have anything in a nice tweed? Whattaya mean, "Go to Namm's?")

A 26-year-old Linden Street man is charged with embezzling over $9000 from the Postal Telegraph Company to gamble on horse races and dice games. Peter Lauria, a married man with one child who is employed in the company's credit department, earned only $18 a week after twelve years of service with the company, and told police gambling was the only way he felt he'd ever get ahead.

(In Bensonhurst, Joe asks Sally, "Hey, what's a p-sy-chick reading?" And Sally says "It's when somebody tells ya future." And Joe says "We oughta go. Be nice to know ya future." And Sally replies, "You go spendin' 75 cents a throw for dinna, you ain't gonna have no future.")

"His Girl Friday," now showing at Radio City Music Hall, is less ribald than its ancestor "The Front Page," notes Herbert Cohn, but it's still a polished example of the screwball school of comedy at its merriest, with Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant heading a first-rate cast and snappy direction from Howard Hawks.

Reader Phil Ludwig protests the use of cheap red brick to build the new high school going up at the site of the old Crescent Club. Such brick will make the school look like a factory, not the dignified building it should be, and such an ugly structure will reflect poorly on Brooklyn. "Can you find a red brick high school in Manhattan?" he asks, and yet Brooklyn is full of them. The Civic Associations of Fort Hamilton and Bay Ridge need to stand up and do something about this.

Four persons were injured in a trolley collision on Flatbush Avenue last night, between Fifth and Atlantic Avenues. The accident occured when a Flatbush Avenue car failed to stop on slippery tracks, and crashed into the rear end of a 7th Avenue car. None of the injuries were reported to be serious.

When MGM star Ann Sothern had her appendix out recently, she asked the surgeon to make sure the scar was "cute," asking for an artistic crescent shape. The actress hastens to add that she doesn't plan to show off the scar, promising to "contemplate its artistry in private."

The Rangers tied the all-time National Hockey League record by winning their eighteenth straight game, beating the Blackhawks 5 to 3. They go for the record-breaker tomorrow afternoon in Toronto.

Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley has admitted for the first time that he knew Dizzy Dean was past his prime even when he laid out $185,000 in cash to buy him from the Cardinals. Wrigley says he figured Dean would always give the fans "a good show," and expected that he had enough "in his head" to help his team, even if his arm was no longer up to his prior standard. He doesn't regret the purchase, even though Dean has won only 13 games for the Cubs since joining the club in 1938.

Meanwhile, Ol' Diz has just had two infected teeth pulled after being advised that his arm problems in recent years might have their roots in his mouth.

Skater Sonja Heine denies charges that her victories in the 1936 Olympics were the result of rigged judges. The ice queen turned movie star called "ridiculous" claims made in New York Supreme Court by her former agent and manager that he had taken steps to ensure that judges favorable to his client scored the competition.

Socialist Party head Norman Thomas speaks tonight on the topic "America Faces 1940," at 9:45 pm over WEAF.

She's out in the kitchen, looking for a heavy iron skillet.

"Yes, Bill -- you used to be in vaudeville, didn't you? Leona here can dance and ride a horse. Do you think the two of you could work up an act? We're going into SHOW BUSINESS!

"Actually, Irwin, old friend, I was thinking maybe you could let them tie you up. You know, like we practiced that time? Oh, don't worry. I'll be in the next room -- watching. You know?"

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"See, Leona -- this is how you do it."

They let anybody into the Rainbow Room these days.

See, the thing with poor Uncle Bim here is that, not only is he unbelievably rich, he's also kind of a sap.

"Blast it!" thinks the Cap'n. "I knew I should have poisoned the candy canes!"

"Yeah, right, whatever. Listen, mister, do you want to buy that bag or not? I don't have all day here."

Cheer up, emo kid.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And as a special bonus for Bungle fans, here is Mr. Oakdale's very first encounter with Peggy and Josephine, nearly seventeen years ago. This is May 15, 1923...

Peggy is just a teenager here, and is immediately swept up by Mr. Oakdale's oily sheen, and Jo is too, at first -- until dear Hartford convinces George to part with $5000 out of a recent inheritance for an investment in dubious oil stock Hartford just happens to have available. And in hopes of getting the rest of the money, Mr. Oakdale really turns on the charm...

But come the night before the wedding, Hartford Dear's colorful past catches up with him...

And so...

..And that's why Jo hates J. Hartford Oakdale like fire.

Hartford has reappeared repeatedly in the years since, most recently about five years ago, when he claimed to involved in a secret government rocket project that led to George being cast five thousand years into the future to a society ruled by gigantic Amazon women (or was it all a dream?). It will be most interesting to see what he's up to now.

 

[Fading Fast]

..."His Girl Friday," now showing at Radio City Music Hall, is less ribald than its ancestor "The Front Page," notes Herbert Cohn, but it's still a polished example of the screwball school of comedy at its merriest, with Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant heading a first-rate cast and snappy direction from Howard Hawks....

Pretty familiar with both movies and, while "The Front Page" was made before the movie production code was seriously enforced, I don't remember it being particular "ribald." While I haven't until now thought of comparing the two movies in that manner, because "His Gal Friday" changed the key reporter role from male to female and made her the paper's editor's ex-wife, I thought there was more sexual tension and double entendres in "His Gal Friday."

...Reader Phil Ludwig protests the use of cheap red brick to build the new high school going up at the site of the old Crescent Club. Such brick will make the school look like a factory, not the dignified building it should be, and such an ugly structure will reflect poorly on Brooklyn. "Can you find a red brick high school in Manhattan?" he asks, and yet Brooklyn is full of them. The Civic Associations of Fort Hamilton and Bay Ridge need to stand up and do something about this.....

Judge for yourself, the new school:

And it's still standing:

And the Crescent Athletic Club it replaced:

You can read more here: https://www.brownstoner.com/history/past-and-present-the-crescent-athletic-club-bay-ridge/

...Four persons were injured in a trolley collision on Flatbush Avenue last night, between Fifth and Atlantic Avenues. The accident occured when a Flatbush Avenue car failed to stop on slippery tracks, and crashed into the rear end of a 7th Avenue car. None of the injuries were reported to be serious....

The trolley itself might beg to differ as that sounded unpleasant for the trolley .

...When MGM star Ann Sothern had her appendix out recently, she asked the surgeon to make sure the scar was "cute," asking for an artistic crescent shape. The actress hastens to add that she doesn't plan to show off the scar, promising to "contemplate its artistry in private."....

Occasionally, it really was a more genteel time as today pictures of that scar and God knows what else about Ann Sothern would be all over the internet.

...
She's out in the kitchen, looking for a heavy iron skillet....

Is that a monk's outfit? It's early, but I'm disappointed in HO so far.

...
"Yes, Bill -- you used to be in vaudeville, didn't you? Leona here can dance and ride a horse. Do you think the two of you could work up an act? We're going into SHOW BUSINESS!....

I've seen enough pre-code '30s movie to know what would really happen to a former wealthy socialite who loses all her money (see Mary Astor in "Men of Chance" as just one example of many) - and it wasn't Vaudeville. Heck, even in 1940's "Waterloo Bridge," it's pretty clear what Vivien Leigh had to do for a living when the money ran out (Rhett really did get his revenge on Scarlett, but he had to wait for another movie).

...
"See, Leona -- this is how you do it."....

I'm going with there's more to this story.

And as a special bonus for Bungle fans, here is Mr. Oakdale's very first encounter with Peggy and Josephine, nearly seventeen years ago. This is May 15, 1923...

View attachment 205589
Peggy is just a teenager here, and is immediately swept up by Mr. Oakdale's oily sheen, and Jo is too, at first -- until dear Hartford convinces George to part with $5000 out of a recent inheritance for an investment in dubious oil stock Hartford just happens to have available. And in hopes of getting the rest of the money, Mr. Oakdale really turns on the charm...

View attachment 205591

But come the night before the wedding, Hartford Dear's colorful past catches up with him...
View attachment 205592

And so...
View attachment 205593

..And that's why Jo hates J. Hartford Oakdale like fire.

Hartford has reappeared repeatedly in the years since, most recently about five years ago, when he claimed to involved in a secret government rocket project that led to George being cast five thousand years into the future to a society ruled by gigantic Amazon women (or was it all a dream?). It will be most interesting to see what he's up to now.

Really good stuff - thank you for posting all of it. It's nice to know the history. I like the illustration style of the old version in the '20s better than the new one in the '30s. And, in the '20s, HO looks much closer to how I imagined he would.

There's something very cool about how Peggy has handled it. As I mentioned when this first came up, I went to a wedding where, effectively, the groom bailed on the day of the wedding. Even in our much-more anything-goes times, it was pretty darn dramatic.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Peggy's in her thirties now, and I imagine she's seen an awful lot in life. But George is still as much of a gullible chump as he ever was. I think that's just a long overcoat that Hartford is wearing, but if his new scheme involves posing as a man of the cloth, that's definitely a new angle.

The difference in art between the twenties and 1940 is largely a function of the reduction in size of the original artwork to accomodate the shrinking size of the strips as reproduced in print. In the 20s, single strips often ran across an entire eight-column page, and the originals were huge -- something like nine inches high by twenty inches wide, and the artist had a lot more space for fine detail. Around the middle of the thirties, the syndicate handling the Bungles ordered the originals cut down in size by a considerable amount, because the strips were being printed much smaller due to newspapers cramming more of them onto a single page as a way of cutting costs. This hit Mr. Tuthill particularly hard -- he didn't have room for the luxurious dialogue that had characterized the strip, and he had to get away from the fine crosshatching that he'd used to create detail, because the lines blurred out when reproduced in small size. He also switched to a pen that gave a broader, heavier line that was easier to reproduce, and began using "Craftint" paper, which used a special chemical wash to create a dot pattern for shading, instead of crosshatching.

The strips in the Daily News, by contrast, are still reproduced at full page width, so you still see a lot of fine detail work in those. But when the war gets going, that will end as well, and there will be no more long soliloquies for Uncle Bim and company.

There were supposed to be plans to start putting the Bungles out in collected hardcover volumes, but I haven't heard anything about that lately. But there was a single volume put out a few years ago, containing all the daily strips for 1930, which is well worth looking for -- it has a fine Hartford Oakdale story in it, along with more scheming and bumbling for George and more cold sarcasm from Jo. A fine review of this volume is here.

If anybody would have had a novelty appendix scar, it would be Ann Sothern, if her screen roles were any indication. She always seemed the type.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
The difference in art between the twenties and 1940 is largely a function of the reduction in size of the original artwork to accomodate the shrinking size of the strips as reproduced in print. In the 20s, single strips often ran across an entire eight-column page, and the originals were huge -- something like nine inches high by twenty inches wide, and the artist had a lot more space for fine detail. Around the middle of the thirties, the syndicate handling the Bungles ordered the originals cut down in size by a considerable amount, because the strips were being printed much smaller due to newspapers cramming more of them onto a single page as a way of cutting costs. This hit Mr. Tuthill particularly hard -- he didn't have room for the luxurious dialogue that had characterized the strip, and he had to get away from the fine crosshatching that he'd used to create detail, because the lines blurred out when reproduced in small size. He also switched to a pen that gave a broader, heavier line that was easier to reproduce, and began using "Craftint" paper, which used a special chemical wash to create a dot pattern for shading, instead of crosshatching.....

If you don't know, just say so. Obviously, just kidding, that's an incredibly detailed and logical explanation - thank you.

...If anybody would have had a novelty appendix scar, it would be Ann Sothern, if her screen roles were any indication. She always seemed the type.

I've seen a few of her movies, but don't have a real well-formed opinion of her image. Now, based on screen image, Harlow would be a scar-and-tattoo-showing girl if around today.

 

[LizzieMaine]

British fliers "on survey flights" penetrated Bohemia and Austria today, and attacked German destroyers and an air raider off Firth of Forth. The scouting expedition into the southeastern portion of Greater Germany was the deepest penetration yet by British planes behind German lines. The expedition launched from French bases. Meanwhile, German planes continued their own scouting missions over the east coast of Britain.

Press reports from Stockholm today claimed that Russian troops are threatening Finnish positions along the "waist" of central Finland, with Red Army forces advancing to within Kemijaervi. The reports claim that Russian penetration of Finnish lines is deeper than previously reported.

The Amen Office will continue its operations for another six months, following a conference between Assistant Attorney General John T. Amen and Mayor LaGuardia yesterday. With funding secured, Mr. Amen announced that trials of two police lieutenants accused of complicity in the bail bond racket will take place within the next two weeks.

The city's economy campaign has forced the cancellation of one of Brooklyn's most popular traditions, with the annual Washington's Birthday parade of old-time volunteer fireman of the City of Brooklyn having been called off for the first time since the tradition began forty-eight years ago. In the past, the Kings County Volunteer Firemen's Association, which sponsors the parade, has received a $1500 appropriation from the city to hire bands for the event and to cover the cost of transporting equipment, but this year, the Board of Estimate declined to authorize the funds, and an appeal to Mayor LaGuardia was unsuccessful.

The Mayor is calling on New York housewives to buy Grade B milk, noting that such a move away from Grade A milk could save city consumers a total of $4,000,000 a year. In a broadcast over WNYC, the Mayor argued that the Board of Health ensures that Grade B milk is as healthy and as wholesome as Grade A, and there is no reason why consumers should pay a five-cent-a-quart premium for a label he denounced as "a deluxe moneymaker established by high-pressure propaganda."

A neighborhood feud over loud swing music spilled over into Flushing Court this week after a family on Utopia Parkway accused its neighbors of disturbing the peace. The Fitzpatrick family, represented by Police Patrolman James P. Fitzpatrick, who filed the complaint, claims that the Murphy family next door is disrupting the peace of the neighborhood by allowing its three teen-age children to organize a swing band, which practices constantly. Patrolman Fitzpatrick says the music is too much for his wife, who only recently returned home after a nervous breakdown, and the magistrate assigned a probation officer to monitor the situation and report back for a court date on January 26th.

Three Boys' High students resigned from a local chapter of the American Students Union this week in a dispute over the organization's position on the Russo-Finnish War. Fourteen members of the local group voted on a resolution opposing US aid to Finland, with the resolution passing 13 to 4, with three of the opponents subsequently quitting the group. Supporters of the resolution argued that providing economic and material support to Finland in the conflict would violate the spirit of American neutrality.

Congress today debated the question of aid to Finland, with Congressional leaders shying away from President Roosevelt's call for formal US aid to the Finns to the tune of $60,000,000 via a loan thru the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Critics of the proposal warned that it could be seen as a step toward drawing the United States into the European War.

The 24-year-old Coney Island man who was ordered by a magistrate to learn to cook after he complained that his wife refused to do so is back in court on disorderly conduct charges. Alex White of 2927 W. 19th Street is accused by William Halprin, in whose rooming house Mrs. White and the couple's child live, of breaking a window and threatening to break others after Mrs. White refused to allow him in to see his baby son. White told the court that Mrs. White recently moved to the rooming house and ordered him to leave, and that he wants to come back to her. White was found guilty on the disorderly conduct charge, with an investigation ordered pending sentence.

A Manhattan realtor is calling for a ten percent across-the-board pay cut for all teachers in the city, arguing that the average teacher salary is higher than it was in 1929, and that more than 75 percent of teachers are earning over $3000 a year. J. Newman Carey, vice president of the Midtown Real Estate Association, made his recommendation in a letter to H. C. Turner, chairman of the finance committee of the Board of Education.

(Just the thing to go with your broiled grapefruit.)

KETCHUP ADDS ZEST TO SALADS! To spice up the flavor of a mid-season menu, serve a bowl of greens and garnishments tossed with a smartly-spiced dressing laced with ketchup!

The Eagle editorialist is amused at the news of wild fur-bearing animals running rampant in the Bronx, noting that a trapper arrested in Pelham Bay Park is having excellent luck catching mink and ermine, and this might prove a source of new revenue for the city.

Sixteen young men from Brooklyn will spend five months in the woods of Quoddy, Maine under the auspices of the National Youth Administration, where they will study a variety of trades in a program designed to make landing their first jobs easier. The youths are among a group of 71 from all parts of the city who will leave this afternoon from Grand Central Station, and not return until June.

The New York Rangers go for the all-time National Hockey League record for a winning streak tonight, as they shoot for their nineteenth straight win in Toronto.

Slugging first baseman Rudy York of the Tigers could become a free agent if Commissioner Landis so rules in a contract dispute between the player and the club. The Yankees and Red Sox are expected to rush to sign the hard-hitting first-sacker with bidding expected to go as high as $75,000.

Larry MacPhail now says a deal to bring Joe Medwick to Brooklyn is "utterly impossible," which leads Tommy Holmes to note that Leo Durocher is said to be offering his betting pals even money that Medwick will be at Ebbets Field in 1940.

Two plays highlight the W2XBS television schedule for the week ahead. "The Gorilla" will be offered on Friday January 19th at 8:30, and Sunday night at 8:30, a one-hour condensation of the hit musical "Babes in Arms." Highlighting the film schedule for the week, television viewers can see Douglas Fairbanks and Bebe Daniels in "Reaching For The Moon," Saturday afternoon at 2:30, and "Schools for Husbands," with Rex Harrison, Diana Churchill, June Clyde, and Romney Brent on Sunday afternoon at 2:30. Wrestling on Thursday night and boxing on Saturday night will round out the televiewers' schedule.

"Bow down lower, you oily man, so I can kick you in the teeth." That looks like a military coat Hartford is wearing -- either that or he has a job as a doorman.

"See, my dear? That's what we call a 'pratfall.' Before we put you on the stage, Bill will teach you how to do that yourself. Won't that be grand?"

"Dan Dunn" takes an unexpected turn into German Expressionism as we discover that this "Boris" is really -- Nosferatu.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Prince Frederic is at it again.

The formidable lady in the fourth panel is none other than Mama DeStross, Uncle Bim's mother-in-law. Y'see, in 1933, Bim fell in love with and married one Millie DeStross, a fluffy round-eyed innocent half his age, and Mama immediately realized that her ship had at last come in. She moved in with the newlyweds, to ensure that fortune hunters kept far far away from her, uh, Bim and Millie's money -- and suspects poor Cousin Baby of being exactly such a manipulator, out for a big slice of the family purse. Despite efforts by Bim to keep the facts from her, she has now learned of the shoplifting case, and she is ready to move in for the kill. She hates Andy Gump as well, seeing him as her primary rival for the Gump fortune, and is always glad to see him sizzling on the fire.

Sure, Johnny, sure. That's exactly how it happened.

Who needs the Amen Office when you've got Nick Gatt?

"Hey, wanna wrassle?"

"Nuts, there goes my commission."

Some friends you guys are. You stand there bickering about sodas, when this kid clearly needs an intervention before he does something drastic.