The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Hey Dan Dunn, when you get thru with the Scottish Sweepstakes...

Guinea pigs are OK until one bites you on the finger while you're trying to give him a peanut.

"Due diligence."

"But they just want to know if their horse meat came in yet?"

Yeah, Pat, for once in your life try to be tactful.

Oh there's plenty enough of him to go around.

Don't fight over his Luger, boys, you'll have plenty of other chances.

You sap.

Mr. Rickey was thinking of Willie for first base this year, but now he's changed his mind.

You know, North Africa's nice this time of year.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
("T' docteh stuck a needle inneh eeahdrum so it'd drain," explains Sally, as she injects a slow stream of peroxide in Leonora's aching ear with a rubber syringe. "DO'WANT,"wriggles Leonora as the fluid froths out and runs down her cheek. "STOPPIT!" "It's gonna be awright," Sally comforts. "I'm gonna kill 'at lan'lowehd." "KI'LAN'LUD," sniffles Leonora. "It don' seem so cold to'day, " observes Joe. "I hadda get up' an' take off 'at sweatshoit I had on unneh my ovehcoat, I was feelin' wawrm." "T'at rat lan'loehd knew t'is was comin'. He coulda switched back t'coal. He on'y switched t'erl inna fois' place so he c'd raise t'rent!" "RAT!" agrees Leonora. "My feet's still pretty col'," sighs Joe, gazing longingly at the oven. "Don' even t'ink of it," interrupts Sally. "You know what t'gas comp'ny said." "Ya ma's buildin' boins coal," notes Joe. "We ain' been oveh t'eah t'visit inna while." "Put ya sweatshoit back on," counsels Sally. "I t'ink ya gettin' a feveh.")
...

Joe is clearly suffering greatly if he's suggesting a trip to his mother-in-law's just to warm up.

...
The "28-year-old Negro mother" who assaulted a Brooklyn teacher in a misunderstanding concerning her son at Public School 93 in Crown Heights has been given a suspended sentence and placed on probation for one year. Mrs. Alice Thompson of 149 Halsey Street was warned by Magistrate Nicholas Pinto warned that the leniency should not be construed as approval of the actions of the defendant, who had been "properly charged and convicted." Mrs. Thompson was arrested December 11th after striking the teacher, Mrs. Zelda Meisels, with her fists and handbag after an argument over the treatment of her son. An assault charge was subsequently reduced in Felony Court to disorderly conduct.
...

I did not expect 1942 justice to show leniency in this case. Very good to see, but unexpected. As we say all the time, the past was not as cut and dry as some, today, like to believe it was.

...

The Office of Price Administration today announced a crackdown on black-market meat in the city, questioning butchers and retail grocers who charged that wholesalers are buying Western meat at prices above wholesale ceilings, and are then reselling it, at inflated prices, to retailers who are forced, in turn, to violate ceiling prices themselves. The OPA noted that these practices do not involve the transfer of meat by "underground routes," but rather bookkeeping methods are used by wholesalers to cover their tracks, and retailers are given no choice but to break ceilings in order to survive. No charges are contemplated against retailers, but all meat wholesalers will be investigated and those found in violation will face criminal prosecution. But the wholesalers, speaking thru Ben Cohen, technical editor of the trade journal "Butchers' Advocate," charged that if all ceiling codes are strictly followed, "there will be no movement of meat in the city," with a cargo of Western meat imported into New York at present ceiling prices results in a loss of up to $900.
...

In a free market, prices are determined by supply and demand. In a regulated market, they are set exogenously by fiat, but that doesn't change the underlying supply and demand curves of the market, which will still try to assert themselves as we see here. This is a job for the OPA's forensic accountants.

...

Tickets to "Star and Garter," Michael Todd's Gypsy Rose Lee-Bobby Clark revue at the Music Box Theatre, set a new record for the most expensive theatre tickets sold in Broadway history during a recent special War Bond sale. Choice seats to the production were awarded to purchasers of $2000 worth of bonds, and ten such buyers stepped forward.
...

Gypsy's still riding high in '43, but now, apparently, she's stripping the customers of their money.

...

Gangland figure Albert Anastasia, who figured prominently in District Attorney William O'Dwyer's investigation of the Brooklyn Murder for Money Gang, has been promoted to the rank of Staff Sergeant in the Army. Anastasia, described by police as the former "boss of the Brooklyn waterfront," entered the Army about a year ago. Authorities at the Kings County Court House indicated today that there are no charges pending against Sgt. Anastasia.
...

The army might just want to take a look-see into what he's doing, especially if he is in charge of any kind of procurement or warehouse management.

...

("That handsome foreign-looking woman.." Oh Mary, be true to yourself.)
...

(copy and paste) Let's see, seventeen years ago, Mary was in her early 40s, our mystery woman was in her early 20s, it was a lonely time in Mary's life and...

...

("Uh, all right." Nothing like an enthusiastic accomplice.)
...

Scale has never been his thing, but today, Stamm completely lost control of it by panel four.

And in the Daily News...

Hey Dan Dunn, when you get thru with the Scottish Sweepstakes...
...

That's a reasonably elaborate scheme.

...

You sap.
...

"All ees needed for love ess man an' woman!"

(copy and paste) The story Caniff is dying to write has Flip and Rogue getting it on and Flip falling for Rogue only to, then, learn who she really is.

Raven shimmying herself along a window ledge for a little late-night canoodling with Dude, HuShee offering herself up to a wounded Terry, night after night, as she dragged him across half of China, Burma's inability to button her blouse and, now, Rogue's "no-formalities-needed" approach to love making - Maybe it's something in the water, but women seem to behave differently in China.

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

^Fast, thanks for the film web address.
The Yank with Rouge is probably struck dumb over some woman. Women outside the UK and London particularly aren't so class conscious as upper crusties here. Rouge plays for advantage. Match, point and set. Fine what, honour amidst thief and troubadour. Terrence I take is similar suited by Rouge.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Mittens!" huffs Sally, as she applies a fresh bandage to Leonora's ear. "I'd tell'at judge wheah t'get off, an' I wouldn' have a mitten on when I done it!" "I wisht we hadda refrigehrateh," sighs Joe, cinching a blanket around his overcoat for added insulation. "We c'd op'n it t'get wawrm.")

The critical fuel situation in the metropolitan area spread out in all inclusive fashion today with the Board of Education considering a one-week shutdown of all schools in the city beginning February 1st, and churches announcing plans to sharply curtail fuel consumption. Dr. Robert W. Searle of the New York Federation of Churches, representing Protestant denominations, stated that a questionnaire has gone out to 1000 member churches to determine fuel use, and to prepare recommendations for closing off portions of church buildings to reduce fuel consumption by 25 percent. Member churches are also being asked if that much of a reduction will cause curtailment of scheduled activities. The unscheduled school closing would, according to the Board of Education, be required to be made up by canceling the usual Easter-week vacation. All evening school sessions and all after-school activities held in oil-heated school buildings have been suspended until further notice. It was also announced today that all Loew's theatres in the metropolitan area have been converted to coal heat.

The crisis is also affecting schools on Long Island, with authorities in Suffolk County announcing that the school day there will be shortened, effective immediately, and three elementary schools in Nassau County will now operate only on a part-time basis as of next Monday, with morning sessions only for at least the next six weeks. This, it is stated, will allow time for the conversion of those schools from oil to coal heat.

Republican sources in Albany have indicated that a plan to abolish the Democratic-controlled New York City Transit Commission is under consideration by the legislature, under a broad program for overhaul of numerous agencies of state government. The plan calls for the Transit Commission to be dissolved, and its authority transferred to the state Public Service Commission, thus relieving New York City of the expense of maintaining the Transit Commission's operations. Mayor LaGuardia has pushed for several years to abolish the Transit Commission, arguing that with transit unification having finally been accomplished, so has the purpose for which that commission was established.

A 19-year-old soldier from Brooklyn Heights was killed in action in the South Pacific -- before his last letter home was received by his mother. Corporal Howard Russell Benson was serving with a bomber squadron in New Guinea when he was killed, and his stepmother, Mrs. Ann Benson of 97 Henry Street, had already received the wire from the War Department notifying her of his death when his last letter arrived. "All his letters were cheerful," said Mrs. Benson today. The young corporal wrote that he was "happy, healthy, and waiting for the day when we are all together again." Corporal Benson joined the Army immediately after graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School last year. "He did not go to work after graduation, and he would not go to college," continued his stepmother. "He saw no point in anything like that with the country at war. He wanted to get in the fight, and so he did."

Ten proprietors of stores near the Brooklyn Navy Yard have been charged with possession and sale of official military insignia without a permit from the War Department. The violation carries a misdemeanor penalty of six months in jail or a fine of $250.

("We ain' got a fiehplace," sighs Joe. "People shop at Loeseh's got fiehplaces," shrugs Sally. "Not us.")

The U. S. flag has been lowered over Guadalcanal, out of concerns that Japanese bombers are using it as a landmark. The tattered banner had flown from a rough-hewn pole over Henderson Field for four and a half months.

("Damaged Lives" is a hokey ten-year-old exploitation film about venereal disease. Is this the best we can do?)

Reader William F. Devine congratulates the War Department and the Quartermaster General for the fine work they've done in providing today's servicemen with good boots, especially compared to the poor job done along those lines during the First World War. "Every selectee in World War II, " he declares, "has a 100 percent better chance of securing a perfect fit than those of 1918." He notes that the Army today offers its new men footwear in a total of 234 different sizes and widths, compared to only 92 sizes stocked at the start of the war, a better assortment with a better chance of a good fit than you'll find at any civilian shoe store.

The Eagle Editorialist takes a positive view of the recent ruling that baseball teams must take their spring training in the North this year. Mr. Rickey's athletes are "not such orchids that they can't get the kinks out of their muscles save on Florida or Cuba's salubrious sands." He adds that the usual Southern training camps have been "more productive of publicity than of conditioning" anyway.

("Just don't come empty handed.")

The electrical genius who "discovered the fundamental principle of radio" was found dead yesterday in his hotel room at the Hotel New Yorker. Nikola Tesla was 86. He was the first man to discover an effective method for utilizing alternating current, and in 1886 patented an induction motor that converted electrical energy into mechanical energy more efficiently than direct current. He also invented the arc light and the Tesla coil. Tesla often proclaimed his dislike for the radio. "It's a nuisance," he said. "I never listen to it." Several years ago, he announced that he had invented a death ray that would make war impossible. "Evidently he did a lot of thinking that never materialized." Tesla never married, and "never cared for money." He lived alone at the hotel, where the management said they were unsure if he had any living relatives.

(Well, what about those armories where they had the indoor baseball league? Or are they full of basketball players now? And Mr. Rickey, why must you be so mean to Mr. Newsom? Someday you'll want to trade him and you'll want to get top value, now won't you?)

The old Baron Munchausen, comedian Jack Pearl, whose latest radio comeback found him starring on the WOR Carnival program, has left that slot to try his luck, they say, at a Broadway show. The program will go on without him, shifting to a new format built around dramatic sketches and famous guest stars. Inaugurating the new policy this Wednesday will be Benny Goodman, Oscar Levant, and a futuristic play by Norman Corwin entitled "2043."

("Hmm. She wasn't a countess when I knew her back in Poughkeepsie.")

("Because, um, the truth is, uh, I don't know any actual women myself, and, uhhhh....")

("WAIT WHATTAYA MEAN THEY'RE REDECORATING THE ROOM???")

(DON'T WORRY FOLKS, I HAVE A CRACK LEGAL TEAM!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And incidentally...

(Clip and save.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Hello, Lana? Tommy. Say, what are you doing this weekend?"

Bring back the Times Square trolleys!

HEY SANDY MENTION MY NAME AND THEY MIGHT LET YOU RIDE IN THE CLUB COACH

See, this is why you guys are losing the war. Spies are supposed to be INCONSPICUOUS.

"Burning wood? No, I just use it to practice swinging the axe."

IT"S A TRICK -- HE'S GOT A GRENADE!

Poor, poor Tilda.

All right then, just so we understand each other.

Willie's had plenty of careers, he just can't seem to hold on to any of them.

Not much of a high kick, kid. Work a little harder and you'll get there.

 

[Fading Fast]

...

Ten proprietors of stores near the Brooklyn Navy Yard have been charged with possession and sale of official military insignia without a permit from the War Department. The violation carries a misdemeanor penalty of six months in jail or a fine of $250.
...

Well, at least we now know where all the pretend officers that keep popping up buy their insignias.

...

("Damaged Lives" is a hokey ten-year-old exploitation film about venereal disease. Is this the best we can do?)
...

The typesetter forgot to put quotes around the word "kiss" in the "Damaged Lives" ad.

It doesn't matter in what context Ethel Merman's name is mentioned, when ever it comes up, it only reminds me that she had a long affair with Sherman Billingsley, the owner of the Stork Club.

...

Reader William F. Devine congratulates the War Department and the Quartermaster General for the fine work they've done in providing today's servicemen with good boots, especially compared to the poor job done along those lines during the First World War. "Every selectee in World War II, " he declares, "has a 100 percent better chance of securing a perfect fit than those of 1918." He notes that the Army today offers its new men footwear in a total of 234 different sizes and widths, compared to only 92 sizes stocked at the start of the war, a better assortment with a better chance of a good fit than you'll find at any civilian shoe store.
...

This is why I always laugh in war movies when somebody takes somebody else's boots (say when an American, behind German lines, knocks out a German soldier and puts on his uniform) and the boots always fit. Now we know there really is a one in 234 chance of those boots fitting.

...

The Eagle Editorialist takes a positive view of the recent ruling that baseball teams must take their spring training in the North this year. Mr. Rickey's athletes are "not such orchids that they can't get the kinks out of their muscles save on Florida or Cuba's salubrious sands." He adds that the usual Southern training camps have been "more productive of publicity than of conditioning" anyway.
...

Reporter: "Van Mungo?"
Van Mungo: [sighing] "No comment."

...

("Hmm. She wasn't a countess when I knew her back in Poughkeepsie.")
...

Mary thinks to herself, "She always liked to be a countess when we, umm, role-played. I wonder if her safe word is still "flapper?"

...

("WAIT WHATTAYA MEAN THEY'RE REDECORATING THE ROOM???")
...

"Irwin and I, who have been friends and CONFIDANTS a long time, have no idea how that crazy $3,251,921, umm, $3,200,000 rumor got started, do we, Irwin, LOOK AT ME, IRWIN, do we?"


Has the Eagle smartly given up on "Hugh Striver?"

And in the Daily News...

"Hello, Lana? Tommy. Say, what are you doing this weekend?"
...

If likes attract, you're spot on, Lizzie, as young Miss Turner would eventually end her matrimonial career with seven divorces and one annulment, still shy of Tommy's eleven, but a respectable number even in Hollywood.

...

HEY SANDY MENTION MY NAME AND THEY MIGHT LET YOU RIDE IN THE CLUB COACH
...

"Hey, Bo, telephone for you, it's one of your three fans [sotto voce] *ashole."

 

[LizzieMaine]

Got distracted while posting today, but never fear....

"Look," says the Editor, "when I suggested you look at some of the top comic strip authors and see how they do it, I specifically DIDN'T mean Chester Gould, OK?"

Oh, and if one doesn't have a chance to get over to the Majestic Theatre -- which has clearly fallen on times that belie its adjective -- you can view "Damaged Lives" here:

This is corny stuff for 1933, so one can imagine how it will go over in 1943.

 

[Fading Fast]

...

Oh, and if one doesn't have a chance to get over to the Majestic Theatre -- which has clearly fallen on times that belie its adjective -- you can view "Damaged Lives" here:

This is corny stuff for 1933, so one can imagine how it will go over in 1943.

That's pretty bad, especially if you go in hoping for a little pre-code naughtiness. Heck, pick a random pre-code movie and you'd have a better chance at that, but of course, they couldn't show the "good" pre-code movies in '42.

If they could, they'd have probably sold out 1934's "Tarzan and his Mate," with its nude swimming scene:

(Josephine McKim is doubling for Maureen O'Sullivan in this scene).

That kind of nakedness didn't make it back to movie screens until the late 1960s.

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

Thought better of my earlier post this afternoon with temper shown Captain His Royal Highness,
so deleted said scribble forthright. I retain reserve commission and insubordinate foolishness is wrong.
And the above Fast is ample reward. Not much for Burroughs I'm ashamed but this snippet is eyeful.

 

[LizzieMaine]

(One might suggest that sending Mr. Flynn to Australia at this particular moment in history is less a reward than a banishment.)

President Roosevelt is expected to submit to Congress on Monday a war budget of at least $100,000,000,000 -- only $42,000,000,000 short of equaling the total expenditures over the ten years since he took office. Members of the House Appropriations Committee today warned today that every item in the budget, irrespective of the amount, will have to be validated by "competent persons." Democrats and Republicans alike called for a close check of requested expenditures for the second war year, and Rep. Usher L. Burdick (R-North Dakota) introduced a bill to restore to Congress all purse-string controls across the Government.

Former State Senator Joseph A. Esquirol, testifying in his own behalf yesterday at disbarment hearings before Official Referee Leander B. Faber, told of how one man was appointed to a State Senate clerkship but did no work and turned over his pay to another man who did. Esquirol, ordered to testify by the Appellate Division after charges of corruption were filed by the Amen Grand Jury, admitted under questioning that he had secured for Walter A. Burns the appointment as Senate Investigator of Perishable Fruits, and other, similar posts, between November 1, 1934 and March 30, 1940, but that Burns did not actually perform the duties of those positions. The work was actually done by Hyman Rosenblum, Esquirol's former campaign manager, and that Burns turned funds from checks issued to him over to Rosenblum. Esquirol stated that he would have felt "embarrassed" to directly appoint Rosenblum to the job. Esquirol firmly denied that he himself had received any money for appointing anyone to a Senate clerkship.

A 34-year-old former bank teller admitted in Kings County Court yesterday to the theft of more than $6000 from the Brooklyn Savings Bank, funds he used for gambling. Michael Angelo Scudero, 261 Danhill Road, stated that he would take sums from his cash drawer and cover the thefts by crediting the funds to "dormant accounts." He stated that he committed his first such theft because of worries about loans and medical bills for his wife and family, and made subsequent thefts to bet on horses in hopes of covering the thefts with his winnings. The scheme was uncovered when one of the "dormant account" owners noticed irregularities in his interest payments. Judge Franklin Taylor ordered Scudero held on $5000 bail pending sentence.

("Whassis?" puzzles Joe, picking up a small bottle from the breakfast table. "Coca-Cola," sighs Sally. "I c'n see t'at," returns Joe. "Whassa pernt of it?" "No cawffee," shrugs Sally. "We gotta improvise. An' ya lucky t'get t'at. Tomorrow it might be Pepsi-Cola." "But it's cold," mutters Joe. "Yeah," acknowledges Sally, "but ya oatmeal's hot. Pour t' Coca-Cola on'neah, an' it'll be jus' like maple syrup awmos'." *BURP*, interjects Leonora. "See? Leonora likes it!")

("Wait, all these books are by Ursula Parrott!")

The Eagle Editorialist calls on the women of Brooklyn to rise to the challenge and do their part to enable the Girl Scouts of America to carry out their plans to train for war activities 1535 girls now waiting to join Scout troops. Another 150 women are needed to volunteer as leaders for these new troops before they may be formed, with classes for new troop leaders scheduled to begin the third week of this month. "The Girl Scout war program is most constructive, and deserves support!"

(WAR IS HECK)

Muggers and footpads have apparently moved into the most exclusive portions of Manhattan, with word that dramatic critic George Jean Nathan was set upon and beaten by two thugs on a 5th Avenue sidewalk early New Years' morning. Mr. Nathan sustained rib injuries in the assault, but was not robbed, and the muggers fled upon the approach of a pedestrian. The attack, just south of 53rd Street, occured around 2 AM on January 1st. A second such incident occurred Thursday night in the same general area, just west of the intersection of 53rd and 5th, with muggers attacking and robbing radio and stage actress Zina Provendie, who was walking her patrol as an air raid warden about 9 PM on January 7th. She is listed in critical condition at Roosevelt Hospital with a fractured skull. The actress, who is, in private life, Mrs. John Hampshire, also lost her purse in the assault, containing a radio script, identification papers, and fifteen cents in coins.

("Yeah," mutters Ducky, fingering his pocket knife. "That's what I meant." "Very good, Joseph," nods a smiling Mr. Rickey. "And of course you understand the consequences if you do not. I have traded you before, young man, and I shall not hesitate to do so again." "Yessir," mutters Ducky, flicking his eyes about the hotel room to scope out possible exits.)

("So -- we meet again.")

(If she jumps off, isn't the driver going to notice a - shift in the weight distribution of his load?)

(You're not going to use it to buy War Bonds? SLACKER!)

(Never trust a process server.)

("LOOK!" bellows Chester Gould. "I JUST GAVE YOU THAT AS AN EXAMPLE! I DIDN'T MEAN YOU SHOULD *DO* IT!")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Bathroom movies?" EW.

I'd forgotten all about this story, but you know how it is in a busy wartime world.

Check.

"Yes, he is called Prune Face. And you may call me Fig Head."

"Ohhhhh please Mister Conduc-tor ....don't put me off of the trayyyyyyun...."

Four's a crowd.

("They're sending me to New Guinea next week -- I don't know where that is, but they tell me the climate's just as nice!")

Hey Hortie, what do you hear from "Hash House Maisie?"

"And now it's too cold in here, so I'm goin' back to my room and my own bureau drawer!"

"Her real name's Laura, but she calls herself 'Lana.'"

 

[Fading Fast]

(One might suggest that sending Mr. Flynn to Australia at this particular moment in history is less a reward than a banishment.)
...

Maybe, but the guy's a crook who stole from the taxpayers. I doubt you or I would be appointed ambassador to anywhere if we did the same thing. To be fair, though, I think you are correct that the Dems probably want to get the guy off the Brooklyn voters' radar and this was a good way to do it.

...

A 34-year-old former bank teller admitted in Kings County Court yesterday to the theft of more than $6000 from the Brooklyn Savings Bank, funds he used for gambling. Michael Angelo Scudero, 261 Danhill Road, stated that he would take sums from his cash drawer and cover the thefts by crediting the funds to "dormant accounts." He stated that he committed his first such theft because of worries about loans and medical bills for his wife and family, and made subsequent thefts to bet on horses in hopes of covering the thefts with his winnings. The scheme was uncovered when one of the "dormant account" owners noticed irregularities in his interest payments. Judge Franklin Taylor ordered Scudero held on $5000 bail pending sentence.
...

"...made subsequent thefts to bet on horses in hopes of covering the thefts with his winnings"

Has that ever once worked in the recorded history of time? It never does in the movies.

...

("Wait, all these books are by Ursula Parrott!")
...

Good one, Lizzie. Kidding aside, there was a large effort to print special paperback, pocket-sized editions of books for the enlisted men, especially for the ones in the field who needed an easy way to carry books, during WWII. It's a neat story, which I read about when this book "When Books Went to War" came out: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22715829-when-books-went-to-war
It's a good read.

...

(If she jumps off, isn't the driver going to notice a - shift in the weight distribution of his load?)
...

Now is that nice, Lizzie?

And in the Daily News...

"Bathroom movies?" EW.
...

It might not be a proud 1942 moment for her, but Parrott, in response to charges of "subversive activities in undermining the loyalty, discipline or morale of the armed forces," might try the "I just wanted to get laid" defense.

...

Hey Hortie, what do you hear from "Hash House Maisie?"
...

The irony is if this guy was decent, he'd want no part of either of these two nutcases.

...


"Her real name's Laura, but she calls herself 'Lana.'"

Doesn't it feel like we skipped forward a day in this one, "The Gumps," "Little Orphan Annie" and, possibly, "Terry..." today?

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

^ Fast, I also noted the fast forward tense in Terrence what with crack Corklin and Catherine Deneuve behind bars. Joe Jitsu looks ready to collect that bargain.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The datelines on the strips all match up, but we'll see if things seemed switched tomorrow.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Wait!" shivers Joe, pulling the blankets tighter. "I t'ink I heah t'raddiateh hissin' -- lissen!" "T'at ain' t' raddieteh," sighs Sally, as she huddles Leonora tighter. "It's Stella. She don' like t'col' neiteh." "C'meah, cat," chatters Joe. "Jump up 'n bed heeah -- if we gotta freeze, we might as well freeze as a fam'ly." )

American-built Vega Ventura B-34 bombers raided the iron and steel works at Ijmuiden, Holland yesterday, following up on another heavy attack on German industry in the Ruhr by the Royal Air Force last night. "Bursts were seen in the furnaces and the coke ovens," stated a communique from the Air Ministry, which further reported that Fighting French pilots participating in the raids escorted the bombers in Spitfire F-9 fighter planes, a newly-introduced model, and fended off attacks by 14 German Focke-Wulf 190s.

Reports received by the Polish Government-in-Exile have indicated that the Germans are trying to erect "human barriers" along Poland's eastern border in order to ward off a possible Soviet attack on the Reich. General Wladislaw Sikorski, Prime Minister and commander of the Polish armed forces, stated that the information provided him revealed that Nazi authorities have expelled 12,500 Polish families from their farms to make room for German families, with every able-bodied Pole from the east sent to Germany as slave laborers. Children were reported torn from their mothers to be sent to Germany, while the aged were "killed on the spot." During a reception at City Hall in General Sikorski's honor, the General urged action soon on a Second Front, stating that "the massed hatred of the oppressed peoples, released at the right moment thru the invasion of Europe, would give such an impetus to the final blow dealt by the United Nations that Germany's defeat would be inevitable.

Men required to register for Selective Service who have not yet done so have one last chance to comply with the law before a Federal roundup of slackers begins on February 1st. With the exception of those men who are already under prosecution for draft violations, unregistered men, and men who have registered but have not yet completed their draft questionnaires, will be given three weeks to meet their obligations, and will not be prosecuted if they come forward now to complete the registration process. Those who remain uncompliant after January 31st will be subject to immediate arrest by Federal agents. New York City Selective Service Administrator Arthur V. McDermott did not elaborate on enforcement plans, but he did indicate that men should not be surprised if they are stopped while coming out of subway stations and other public facilities by G-Men demanding to see their draft registration and classification cards. Col. McDermott estimates that there are approximately 7500 men of draft age in the city who have not complied with the draft law, and he emphasized that he believes most of them have failed to comply out of "carlessness." He further stressed that as of February 1st, it will be advisable for all men between the ages of 18 and 45 to carry their Selective Service documents on their person at all times.

("Yeah, the bathtubs are nice, but mostly it was to get away from the Cossacks.")

A 20-year-old Marine corporal from Flatbush is recovering in an Oakland, California naval hospital from wounds suffered at Guadalcanal. Corporal Charles "Chuck" Benner of 267 Maple Street said in a letter to his buddy, Bob Lescroart of 155 Lefferts Avenue, that the Japanese shells that wounded him were made from "some of that scrap iron we sold them," suggesting that he had "caught two pieces from somebody's old washing machine," and that the other piece was "maybe from a Model T Ford." Corporal Benner is plenty experienced in facing down the enemy -- as the only Giant fan living on a block full of Dodger rooters.

Notables ranging from Parks Commissioner Robert Moses to former District Attorney, now Lt. Col. William O'Dwyer, to Dodger president Branch Rickey will assemble at the St. George Hotel on Thursday evening, January 14th for a testimonial dinner in honor of Brooklyn Trust Company president George V. McLaughlin. Other dignitaries expected to attend include Borough President John Cashmore, Consolodated Edison Co. president Col. Oscar Fogg, brewing company executive George Trommer, frankfurter manufacturer Max Trunz, Army Lt. General Hugh A. Drum, and Brooklyn Eagle publisher Frank D. Schroth. Many other leaders in Brooklyn's commercial and political spheres will likewise be present.

Dr. Brady says if you're cold you're probably also too dry. Increasing the humidity of a room, as by placing a kettle of water atop a stove or radiator, can help you feel warmer. A self-addressed stamped envelope will bring you Dr. Brady's pamphlet on how to humidify one room or an entire building. Increased humidity, he further notes, "makes one better humored and easier to live with."

The Eagle Editorialist deplores recent revelations that "political pull" was brought to bear to secure draft exemptions for members of the "Moral Rearmament Association," otherwise known as the "Oxford Group" or the "Buchmanites," after their leader, Lutheran clergyman Rev. Frank Buchman. That organization, whose members refuse to serve in combat, or in military service of any type, has been challenged by the New York Selective Service Appeals Board after its members were awarded exemptions. "No cult or movement," declares the EE, "whether claiming or disclaiming religious exemption, should exercise or seem to exercise social, political, or economic influence on behalf of its members to enable them to dodge the responsibilities of military service."

(We didn't talk much about it during the season, being distracted by other things, but the fact that the Browns finished third in the American League last year, behind only the Red Sox and Yankees, is right up there with the raising of Lazarus. And they might have even finished second if they'd held onto Roy Cullenbine.)

"Constant Reader" writes in to the Old Timers page wondering if it's really true that kids were happier in the Old Times -- and remembers the days of watching the waffle man go by in his white wagon yelling "WAFFLES WITH POWDERED SUGAR THREE CENTS," and of wintertimes where men sold snowballs covered with chocolate, strawberry, or lemon-flavored syrup until the Health Department made them stop, and of slices of watermelon for a penny a piece, and all the rest. "Were we really happier in those days before the radio and the talking movies? Seems like children today listen to and watch fun, while we went out and made it."

(So. General. Ever tried scungilli?)

Actor Leon Ames, starring at the Guild Theatre as a Soviet taxi driver turned Red Army captain in "The Russian People" says you could transplant the average Russian to the American midwest and he'd fit right in. Ames, whose grandfather was a Russian immigrant, and whose birth certificate reads "Leon Vokorv," says Americans have a lot of phony ideas about Russians. "They expect 'em to have spade beards and sad dignity. This new crop -- and I've met some of them -- aren't like that. You could set a bunch of them down in a tank town in Ohio, and except for their language they'd be just like anyone else, simple and natural, trying to do their jobs as best they could. That's what the author, Simonov, is trying to say in this play -- these are little people winning a war in one-night stands. The taxi driver doesn't want to command troops. The girl doesn't want to be a spy. They, and all the others, have been sucked into a situation that's a bad job -- but it has to be cleaned up."

Orson Welles has been appointed chairman of the Duke Ellington 20th Anniversary Committee, which will present an all-Ellington concert at Carnegie Hall on Saturday evening, January 23rd, with all proceeds of the event going to Russian War Relief. A highlight of the program will be Ellington's presentation of his own tone poem, "Black, Brown, and Beige," which tells in descriptive music the entire history of the American Negro.

None other than Jack Benny will be Fred Allen's guest on the Texaco Star Theatre program tonight at 9:30 pm over WABC. The fur, between the two ever-feuding comics, can be expected to fly.

(See what happens when you're a mean fat jerk??)

("That's nice, Henry, but I've been trying to tell you -- our house is across the street!")

(You can't die, huh? Wait'll you try to book this act at the Flatbush.)

(Um, where is this restaurant again? I'll be back in about an hour.)

("Don't worry, son. Maybe Sgt. Anastasia can pull some strings for you." And maybe Irwin should just stick to pinball.)

("It's a good thing," says Mr. Hix, "that we aren't like those savages. Now where's my cigarettes?")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"She got into the movies," did she? Are you sure that's a good idea? And here's to Edna Maria Stillwell Skelton, who singlehandedly built, as his writer and his manager since she was sixteen years old, Red Skelton's entire career while remaining, except for a brief run as his radio sidekick, almost entirely in the shadows. You deserved better.

"Hmph," says Margie. "That doesn't look like me at all."

Doc is having a really bad day. And he doesn't even know about his dog yet.

Meanwhile, the real Malcolm Mitt reposes under a small mound in the garden, free at last from those terrible book critics.

Well now, isn't this horrifying.

Light Dawns Over Marblehead.

HE"S A PHONY JACK! FLATBUSH AVENUE IS NOWHERE NEAR GREENPERNT!

When Goofy does finally get drafted, he's going to have to learn the right way to do KP.

No Fats Waller? You're too young to be an ickie.

It's really a wonder this house didn't burn down years ago.

 

[Fading Fast]

...

Dr. Brady says if you're cold you're probably also too dry. Increasing the humidity of a room, as by placing a kettle of water atop a stove or radiator, can help you feel warmer. A self-addressed stamped envelope will bring you Dr. Brady's pamphlet on how to humidify one room or an entire building. Increased humidity, he further notes, "makes one better humored and easier to live with."
...

Not if there's no heat coming from the radiator.

...

"Constant Reader" writes in to the Old Timers page wondering if it's really true that kids were happier in the Old Times -- and remembers the days of watching the waffle man go by in his white wagon yelling "WAFFLES WITH POWDERED SUGAR THREE CENTS," and of wintertimes where men sold snowballs covered with chocolate, strawberry, or lemon-flavored syrup until the Health Department made them stop, and of slices of watermelon for a penny a piece, and all the rest. "Were we really happier in those days before the radio and the talking movies? Seems like children today listen to and watch fun, while we went out and made it."
...

I don't quite see how buying a a sugared waffle is about "making fun," but I like the idea of the sugared waffle either way.

...

("That's nice, Henry, but I've been trying to tell you -- our house is across the street!")
...

Meanwhile, the rest of us are just happy if the contractor shows up two days in a row.

And in the Daily News...

"She got into the movies," did she? Are you sure that's a good idea? And here's to Edna Maria Stillwell Skelton, who singlehandedly built, as his writer and his manager since she was sixteen years old, Red Skelton's entire career while remaining, except for a brief run as his radio sidekick, almost entirely in the shadows. You deserved better.
...

It's surprising how the public in 1942 is responding to the the charges against Flynn, but public opinion, as always, is hard to predict. This is one public response I would have guessed wrong ahead of time.

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

Honourable mention for Pvt Wakenshaw, VC. Sacrifice of life for valour against death.

Corky is certainly sharp stick chalked this evening. Snookers Rouge.
And Errol's predict--what gives with Flynn, why isn't he doing Clark Gable or Robert Montgomery in service.
The last name, ahh, Elizabeth. Her Bewitched all the rage here and daughters christened Elizabeth and not for our late Queen--or Samantha. And I recall her opposite Cooper and the Hawaii 5-0 man in a film now. Help me I've a slip here for tag....maybe tomorrow I will have it.

 

[Tiki Tom]

When I was young and impressionable, Errol Flynn was a hero of mine. I loved all that swashbuckling stuff. My father once met him in Jamaica and had nothing but good to say about him. I even read Mr Flynn’s autobiography, “My Wicked, Wicked Ways”, when I was a teen. (amazes me that I somehow turned out okay.) It was only later that I learned how seriously creepy Flynn was —even by the different standards of his day. I seem to recall something about how, after his death, when they were selling his house, they discovered two way mirrors so he could spy on his guests. Ugh. Terrible when heroes fall.