The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Seriously, though, have you seen the cost of eggs lately?

Ursula Parrott, Secret Operative No. 48.

That's good, boy. Bristle your fur! SAY, THIS NEW DOG HAS REAL TALENT!

??? Townsend Zander? ALIVE? THAT FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE?? Oh please let it be Townsend Zander!

Terry's been bumming around China since he was twelve years old, so I imagine he's picked up some language and customs along the way.

Ah, of course.

You know, in all the years we've known Wilmer, I think this is the first time he ever really got what was coming to him. War, the great leveler.

"Dear Mr. Clark. We wish to protest your offensive comic. Signed, Thousands of Corporals Everywhere."

Poor Emmy. Trapped in a hell of her own making.

Yes, but are those steel-toed pumps?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Oh, and...

The big advantage in playing all the characters yourselves is that you don't have to divide the paycheck 550 ways.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
The Navy announced today the destruction under dramatic circumstances of two Axis submarines, but Secretary of War Frank Knox warned that Germany is continuing to build U-boars "much faster than we can sink them." Knox's warning was made at a press conference in Washington shortly after disclosing that a U. S. destroyer had blasted one submarine to the bottom of the Atlantic, and that a merchantman's armed crew had sunk a Japanese submarine in the Pacific....

"I'm sure it was just an oversight by the Eagle, but I too, singlehandedly, destroyed an Axis submarine and never said anything about it."

"Oh, look, an hour almost went by without you mentioning it. That would have been a first."
"Shut up!"

...

A Brooklyn bombshell destined for Berlin or Tokio was autographed today by purchasers of War Bonds, as five persons alone purchased $29,000 worth of bonds in just the first five minutes of a rally on the steps of Borough Hall. First to place his name on the 2-ton shell was Brooklyn borough president John Cashmore, who purchased a $1000 bond and stepped up to sign the bomb, adding above his name "Not Kindest Regards." The largest single purchase of the morning was by Milton Damman, president of the American Safety Razor Company, 315 Jay Street, who added above his name the toast "Here's how!" The Kingsway Jewish Community Center added a $5000 purchase. The bomb will be escorted to banks in each of Brooklyn's 40 communities today by radio actor Arthur Boran, who impersonates President Roosevelt on "The March of Time" broadcasts over WEAF. Mr. Boran will act as official auctioneer for bond and stamp sales during the tour. A quota of $14,000,000 in bond sales is set for the campaign, which will continue thru March 15th.
....

Good stuff, but wouldn't it be more fun to wait until you've saved more and then you could get an actual bomber named after your group?

...

A fake radio broadcast convinced a 42-year-old Manhattan man accused of trafficking in stolen gasoline rationing coupons to confess his crimes this morning at Police Headquarters. Louis Mongno was under questioning by detectives concerning the theft of a vast quantity of gasoline coupons from a Long Island City ration board office, as a radio in the room played soft music in the background, when suddenly a voice interrupted the music to announce that American boys are dying in Tunisia because of a shortage of fuel to operate planes and tanks, a situation, the voice went on accusingly, brought about by the reckless waste by civilians of gasoline. Mongno heard those words and cried out "I didn't realize this! I didn't realize this when I stole the stamps! I'm a traitor!" Mongno then led police to his apartment at 215 W. 18th Street where stamps worth more than 11,000,000 gallons of gasoline were hidden, out of more than 15,000,000 gallons worth stolen in the burglary. Little did Mongno realize that the broadcast that motivated his confession wasn't a broadcast at all -- but rather the voice of a policeman in the next room, Lt. Raymond McGuire of the Safe and Loft Squad, injecting his voice over a microphone wired to the radio set.
The coupon thief and his accomplice, 30 year old Jack Steineck, will be arraigned today in Brooklyn Federal Court.
...

Bet this guy has a story to tell about what happened to him in 1938 when Welles did his "The War of the Worlds" broadcast.

...
A veteran pickpocket who has dipped in cities from coast to coast admitted to being arrested 34 times and convicted 31 of them, when arraigned today in Long Island City Court. Asked by Judge Joseph M. Conroy if he had a trade, 47-year-old William Brown of Jamaica declared that he considers picking pockets less a trade than "an art." "It's a lost art to you," replied Judge Conroy in remanding Brown to Queens city prison for sentencing on March 5th.
...

Thirty-one convictions and he's not in jail. Once again the "belief" that justice was so much tougher back then is brought into question.

And in the Daily News...

Seriously, though, have you seen the cost of eggs lately?
...

That is a heck of an odd story. There's got to be something more to it.

...

Ursula Parrott, Secret Operative No. 48.
...

And this story just got a whole lot more interesting.

...

That's good, boy. Bristle your fur! SAY, THIS NEW DOG HAS REAL TALENT!
....

"Talent, please, every flea-bit dog in summer stock can bristle his/her fur on cue. Unrelatedly, my tummy's feeling better, so I can jump in from here."

"Unrelatedly? Somebody seems a bit nervous."
"Shut up!"

...

Terry's been bumming around China since he was twelve years old, so I imagine he's picked up some language and customs along the way.
...

Hu Shee tried to educate the boy, he was just an unwilling student.

...

You know, in all the years we've known Wilmer, I think this is the first time he ever really got what was coming to him. War, the great leveler.
...

Oddly, I gained a small amount of grudging respect for Wilmer for not asking for help when he needed it.

That said, Wilmer better straighten up or Col. Jessep is going to order a "code red."

Oh, and...

The big advantage in playing all the characters yourselves is that you don't have to divide the paycheck 550 ways.

Will they be allowed to keep any more than $25,000 of it?

 

[PrivateEye]

Oddly, I gained a small amount of grudging respect for Wilmer for not asking for help when he needed it

Makes you wonder he did that he would rather take the beating than have Skeezix know the truth of it..

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

The Terrence story board seems chalked deliberately so to delay and dawdle with all the man-to-man talk.
And that captain, major, or colonel needs to learn how to fill a pipe bowl and keep it lit. I recently rummaged found
my old bulldog briar which I haven't smoked since my last Trinity at Cambridge. Now needs to buy more shag and cut a potato slice or two to keep leaf moist. I need to get on the stick myself so I shouldn't criticize the pencil.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("I'm gonna be t'fois' on line t'marra," promises Sally, "when 'ney op'na door. Guaranteed." "Uncle Frank gonna send one'a t'boys oveh t'hol' ya place?" suggests Joe. "Hah," scoffs Sally. "How c'd a foinace repaieh guy do t'at? Hones'ly, t'tings you come up wit'." "Ain' a bad ideaeh t'ough," returns Joe. "I mean, t'eoretically.")

The owners of a Brooklyn aircraft corporation that held subcontracts for the manufacture of war material are under indictment today on a charge of obtaining $78,000 from two banks by misrepresentation and the use of fictitious invoices. Sigmund Spier and his three sons Martin, Nathan, and Bernhard, principals of the Spier Aircraft Corporation, with offices at 26 Court Street and a plant in Jersey City, were investigated by Lt. Colonel William O'Dwyer, Brooklyn District Attorney presently on a leave of absence of the Army, after the firm filed a petition for bankruptcy. Col. O'Dwyer's probe alleges that the Spiers pocketed revenue received on invoices paid by the Ford Motor Company and the Hays Manufacturing Company while taking their company into bankruptcy. Martin and Nathan Spier are free on $5000 bail after pleading not guilty at their arraignments yesterday before Kings County Judge Franklin Taylor. Sigmund and Bernhard Spier are to be arraigned today.

In Cavan, Ireland, 36 girls perished in a fire that swept thru an orphanage early today. Workers digging thru the smoldering rubble fear the death toll may approach 40, out of a total population of 82. The fire at the orphanage 63 miles northwest of Dublin brought the entire town rushing to the aid of the girls, whose screams tore thru the night as the second floor of the building collapsed.

(Well, there sure are a lot of bingo games going on.)

The former principal of New Utrecht High School in Bensonhurst has been exonerated of forgery charges connected to the disappearance of $18,000 of the school's general fund. Dr. Maurice Rogalin was cleared after County Judge Peter Brancato instructed the jury to find him not guilty, declaring the principal witness against him, former teacher Max L. Cohen, a man who had "deceived everybody, including his friends," and declared that it would be the "height of injustice to convict anyone on his testimony." Cohen, who recently pleaded guilty of forgery in the theft of the funds, is awaiting sentencing before County Judge Louis Goldstein.

Tuffy the Bear must leave Queens within 48 hours, by order of Magistrate Horn in Adolescent Court, who yesterday pronounced a sentence of exile on the roller-skating bruin after the animal went on a romp thru Rosedale on Sunday. "It is my feeling," declared the Magistrate, "that it is not a safe thing to have a bear in the streets. Who knows what these wild animals are going to do? A bear causes havoc in the community, and someone is liable to have a heart attack." Seventeen year old Thomas George of 136-32 231st Street, who is acting as the guardian of the bear in the absence of his father, has been ordered to report back to the court once he has found a new home for Tuffy, who was trained by Stanley George, Thomas's father, who is presently in Maine. The youth indicated that he would try to get in touch with his father for advice before taking any steps concerning the bear.

(Look, it's really not that complicated.)

The Eagle Editorialist praises Premier Joseph Stalin and President Roosevelt for their candor this week in acknowledging this week that the war is still far from won. The warnings from these two great leaders of the United Nations have aptly demonstrated that "the war will not be one by a burst of emotional enthusiasm or by the brilliant actions of a heroic few, but by drudgery, grinding sacrifice, and by the dogged resolution of a whole people to sacrifice everything rather than be cheated of victory."

("Grinding sacrifice.")

(Philadelphia? Poor Chuck.)

(Awwww.)

(Aren't you cold?)

("No sign of a basement entrance anywhere?" Just how carefully do they train these agents?)

(As always, the cat is the best judge of character.)

(Hopefully they frisked the Zoot Suit guy before letting him in.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Transatlantic air travel may not have to worry about U-Boats but it's still far from 100 percent safe.

Wow.

"SIC 'EM BOY!" "Wait, is that in my contract? I don't remember agreeing to that."

These snowstorms never work out well.

Well, it could be Henrietta Zander, supposed widow of Townsend, who sued Bim for breach of promise twenty years ago, and created a tremendous scandal. But she's been happily married to Tom Carr for more than ten years now. Hmmmmm....

"What's this place, anyway? 'Rick's Cafe?' Hey, they've got a pretty good piano player..."

("And besides, what's a BA in accounting mean anyway?)

Beefcake.

The Marines are taking women now. Just sayin'.

Judging from their posture, in twenty years, the Slither Sisters are going to look just like Mamie. So there.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Oh, and...

This is better than a soap opera.

 

[Fading Fast]

...

The owners of a Brooklyn aircraft corporation that held subcontracts for the manufacture of war material are under indictment today on a charge of obtaining $78,000 from two banks by misrepresentation and the use of fictitious invoices. Sigmund Spier and his three sons Martin, Nathan, and Bernhard, principals of the Spier Aircraft Corporation, with offices at 26 Court Street and a plant in Jersey City, were investigated by Lt. Colonel William O'Dwyer, Brooklyn District Attorney presently on a leave of absence of the Army, after the firm filed a petition for bankruptcy. Col. O'Dwyer's probe alleges that the Spiers pocketed revenue received on invoices paid by the Ford Motor Company and the Hays Manufacturing Company while taking their company into bankruptcy. Martin and Nathan Spier are free on $5000 bail after pleading not guilty at their arraignments yesterday before Kings County Judge Franklin Taylor. Sigmund and Bernhard Spier are to be arraigned today.
...

Today, we need to turn a thousand O'Dwyers loose on all the US Government's contracts with businesses. The jails would be overflowing with crooked businessmen/women and crooked politicians (ditto for the US Government's contracts with "charities") as there is no way today's massively larger government that spends (adjusted for inflation) a massively larger amount of money on so many more programs than it did in '43 has better controls. Heck, in New York City, every year - every single year - politicians, businessmen/women and people running "charitable" organization are caught stealing from government contracts and you know it's only the tip of the iceberg.

...

(Well, there sure are a lot of bingo games going on.)
...

And let's not forget all those antique Belgian paving stones the city can't account for.

...

Tuffy the Bear must leave Queens within 48 hours, by order of Magistrate Horn in Adolescent Court, who yesterday pronounced a sentence of exile on the roller-skating bruin after the animal went on a romp thru Rosedale on Sunday. "It is my feeling," declared the Magistrate, "that it is not a safe thing to have a bear in the streets. Who knows what these wild animals are going to do? A bear causes havoc in the community, and someone is liable to have a heart attack." Seventeen year old Thomas George of 136-32 231st Street, who is acting as the guardian of the bear in the absence of his father, has been ordered to report back to the court once he has found a new home for Tuffy, who was trained by Stanley George, Thomas's father, who is presently in Maine. The youth indicated that he would try to get in touch with his father for advice before taking any steps concerning the bear.
...

Yet still no pictures.

I love his name.

...

("No sign of a basement entrance anywhere?" Just how carefully do they train these agents?)
...

When Basements 'r Us promises a secret entrance, it delivers a secret entrance. Thousands of satisfied comicstrip customers can't be wrong.

...

Wow.
...

Yet even after the war, many hotels, clubs, businesses and neighborhoods were still "restricted" to, well you know, "those" people.

...

"SIC 'EM BOY!" "Wait, is that in my contract? I don't remember agreeing to that."
...

Sandy: "The real dramatic play here is for Annie and me, me first, to race up the stairs, lock ourselves in our room and then call the police."
Gray: "When I want script advice, I'll ask for it."

...

Well, it could be Henrietta Zander, supposed widow of Townsend, who sued Bim for breach of promise twenty years ago, and created a tremendous scandal. But she's been happily married to Tom Carr for more than ten years now. Hmmmmm....
...

For those wondering, I checked, Bim's soliloquy is not in iambic pentameter.

....

"What's this place, anyway? 'Rick's Cafe?' Hey, they've got a pretty good piano player..."
...

Yes he is, but never mind him, keep your eyes peeled for the cute French tart who canoodled with the Germans, but who is about to find her conscience again during the playing of the Marseillaise. Perfectly name Yvonne is the one to focus on for a night of, umm, fun.

...

("And besides, what's a BA in accounting mean anyway?)
...

One thing it means is you spent a mind-numbing amount of time with T-accounts and cost-accounting spreadsheets in college, which is why I am not an accountant after having briefly considered it for a career.

...

Judging from their posture, in twenty years, the Slither Sisters are going to look just like Mamie. So there.

Or they might be tracking Bette Davis:

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

Casablanca always hits my heart.
Terrence is probably infantry whether he makes the grade in flight school or cashiers himself.
And Harold keeps digging his own hole. For a deferred gentleman he seems too preoccupied.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Magistrate Horn must've sat up all night coming up with that anti-bear speech.

Remember a few years ago, that whole long imbroglio over Bob the Dog from Flatbush and the campaign to save his life and keep him from being sent away? Somebody needs to get something like that going now for Tuffy the Bear.

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

Magistrate Horn must've sat up all night coming up with that anti-bear speech.
Somebody needs to get something like that going now for Tuffy the Bear.

It's just unbearable.

 

[Fading Fast]

It's just unbearable.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Awright," says Sally. "I got my ration book, an' I got Leonoreh's ration book, an' I got ya ra -- waitaminnit. What happ'nta ya ration book?" "Oh," says Joe. "I took it t'woik yes'day -- I waw'ned t' stop off an' lookit a new paieh a' woik boots at Davega's." "Well, hannit oveh. I gotta have awla ration books t' get t'new ones, an' I'm head'n oveht' school now t'get a good place onna line." "It's in my dinnehpail." "Well, wheah's ya dinneh pail." "Oh,"Joe hesitates, his face draining of its usual ruddy glow. 'It's -- uh --in my lockeh at woik." "Oh," says Sally. "Oh," says Joe. "Oh oh," summarizes Leonora.)

British long-range bombers resumed their offensive against the great German naval base at Wilhelmshaven last night, leaving great fires glowing thru the clouds at the end of the blockbuster bombardment, which was concentrated into about twenty minutes. Despite bolstered Nazi defenses around Wilhelmshaven since the last attack, all British bombers returned safely to base from the mission. Objectives in western Germany were also attacked.

Allied sources stated today that Adolf Hitler plans to raise conscript armies in France and other slave nations and intends to "massacre" all who oppose him. A survey of governments-in-exile in London indicated that such a conscript army could be drawn from a pool of about 6,000,000 men, whom he might use for actual fighting as well as for slave labor. Spokesmen for those governments agreed, however, that Hitler would have a hard time forcing such men to fight for Germany, asserting that any such draft would set off an immediate revolution in the occupied territories of Europe. Evidence that huge losses suffered by Germany and its satellites in Russia have forced Hitler to consider taking the dangerous step of arming the men whose nations he has conquered was seen in recent remarks made by Hitler in a proclamation to the Nazi Party, declaring that Germany "shall not hesitate to demand a contribution to this struggle from those countries which are responsible for this war."

The governmental division director of the War Production Board today lashed out at those who sneer at Russia's sacrifices, declaring that those who cast aspersions on the Soviet Union and its motives in the present war and in the postwar days to come are "close to treason." Speaking before the annual meeting of the Hospital Bureau of Standards and Supplies at the Hotel McAlpin in Manhattan, director Maury Maverick, a former congressman from Texas, denounced the "smug attitude" many Americans are now showing toward our Allies, especially Russia. "Sometimes private conversations," he noted, "either thoughtless or inspired by Nazi propaganda, indicate we 'had better be suspicious of the Russians' -- who are saving our self-satisfied hides with their blood, instead of our fighting the Germans, who are trying to skin us dead." He added, "our national life, our liberty, and our freedom have been saved on the blood-stained streets of Stalingrad. Those millions who died there were Russians, and may God rest their souls in peace -- and may America never forget it." Mr. Maverick warned against developing "a false sense of security" that victory is imminent, and predicted we must now prepare adequate hospital facilities to care for at least 1,000,000 who will be wounded before the war is won.

Congressional cloakroom gossip today has it that Captain Eddie Rickenbacker will be invited to address a joint session of Congress, because some members "would like to have a look at Eddie as presidential material." Captain Rickenbacker, who has roused controversy recently for his comments on labor, has repeatedly denied having presidential aspirations for 1944, and Representative John Rankin (D-Mississippi), who introduced the resolution inviting Rickenbacker to speak declared that the rumors of a presidential bid are "being circulated by people who want to knock down all the good that Rick is doing for the country."

The State Legislature is divided on the question of lowering the voting age in New York State from 21 to 18, thus adding hundreds of thousands of youths to the state voting pool. With Republican majority leadership and the Senate and Assembly judiciary committees well aware of the seriousness of the proposals and of the support mobilized in their favor, no decisive action has yet been taken on any of five bills now pending that would amend the constitution in favor of 18-year-olds voting. Lowering of the voting age is a part of the platforms of both the Democratic and American Labor parties, and also has considerable support among Republicans, with the contention being made that if 18-year-olds are mature enough to bear arms in the present war, they are mature enough to vote. Opponents of the change argue that "physical prowess" is no test of fitness for the elective franchise, and note that many 18-to-20 year olds have not the experience in "politics and business and the problems that confront those who are more mature" necessary to vote "wisely and with good judgement" against "political and economic theories which are widespread in the world but which are contrary to our most sacred traditions."

New Jersey Governor Charles Edison today accused Mayor Frank Hague of Jersey City of using the Hudson County Jail as a "concentration camp" for his political enemies. Speaking in his regular weekly radio broadcast, Governor Edison declared his intention to "destroy, not Hague and his henchmen as individuals, but the things they stand for, the tyrannies they promote, and the stifling of democracy they foster." The Governor accused the Jersey City mayor of controlling "courts, judges, prosecutors, and grand juries" in Hudson County, and accused Hague of sending his political foes to jail where they "languish for months" without the benefit of counsel or contact with their families.

(Yeah, nice try.)

In Baton Rouge, Louisana co-eds at Louisiana State University are reacting with outrage to an edict by the Dean of Women that only those women with "shapely figures" will be permitted to wear slacks on campus. When 3000 co-eds at LSU mounted a petition drive to permit the free wearing of slacks, Dean of Women Nora Neill Power summoned them to appear before a "personality forum" conducted by the dormitory house commitee which ruled that only slacks of "suitable, well-cut material" will be permitted, and only those women who are "well-proportioned" will be permitted to appear on campus wearing them. Adding to the furor over the "Slacks for the Slim" ruling is the fact that several hundred LSU men have interjected their own opinions into the debate.

(Where else but Brooklyn would Noel Coward share the bill with William Bendix? I ASK YA! Oh, and, yes, there's a movie out there featuring both Marlene Dietrich and Shemp Howard. Who knew?)

That Jack of All Culinary Trades the soy bean is doing its part to help out in the butter shortage, with soy butter now offered as a wholesome and flavorful spread for bread. This creamy blend of soy flour, soy oil, salt, and almond flavoring looks a bit like "peanut butter that has lost much of its tan," and while it offers much in the way of vitamins and minerals, it is, joy of joys, non-fattening.

One hundred medical field packs will be sent to the Soviet Union in memory of Sgt. Meyer Levin, Brooklyn war hero, by the United Jewish War Effort. Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, chairman of the organization, indicated that five affiliated organizations have already contributed $5000 for the purchase of the packs, which will bear Sgt. Levin's name, and which will be distributed to Red Army units in need of essential medical supplies for the immediate treatment of wounded troops.

("Why couldn't he listen to "Superman" instead?)

The Legion of Decency today announced its condemnation of the motion picture "The Outlaw," a Howard Hughes production. The condemnation notice states that the film "glorifies crime and immoral actions," and that for much of its length, the costuming is "indecent."

(If you've ever wondered what it would be like to see the annihilation of matter and anti-matter up close, please try to imagine the crowd's reaction to Bill Terry walking out of the dugout at Ebbets Field in a Dodger uniform.)

A recent press release sent out by WJZ promoting Alec Templeton's new five-minute Monday-thru-Friday musical feature over the Blue Network is notable for its failure to refer to him as "the famous blind pianist." Mr. Templeton has gone so far, and so well, for so long that it's really time to "forget the struggle and remember the victory."

("Really? And just what do YOU know about it? BAH!")

(Meet cute.)

("WHEW! When was the last time she had this sheet cleaned?")

(THATS RIGHT AMERICAS NUMBER ONE HERO DOG IS PROUD TO DO HIS PART FOR THE WAR EFFORT WITHOUT STUNT DOGS AT ALL EVER.)

("Look, can't we get out of here and go to a nice quiet nightclub?")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

That's OK, we don't have any butter anyway.

Huh, not one of them said "globaloney."

You know who we need right now? We need Driftwood right now, that clever little scamp of a merciless assassin.

"Education? Well, Pat tried to teach me, but somehow I never quite caught on."

"Wait, look -- under the bridge! Isn't that some woman trapped under the ice? Oh well, not my problem."

"Ahhh, these bloody Yanks. *Every* time."

"Lepke, my dear boy. A fine lad of such promise, that you should come this!"

NO FRATERNIZATION

"Secret bomb?" We're doomed.

First time he ever actually paid off a debt.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Oh, and...

Well, it isn't William Bendix...

 

[Fading Fast]

("Awright," says Sally. "I got my ration book, an' I got Leonoreh's ration book, an' I got ya ra -- waitaminnit. What happ'nta ya ration book?" "Oh," says Joe. "I took it t'woik yes'day -- I waw'ned t' stop off an' lookit a new paieh a' woik boots at Davega's." "Well, hannit oveh. I gotta have awla ration books t' get t'new ones, an' I'm head'n oveht' school now t'get a good place onna line." "It's in my dinnehpail." "Well, wheah's ya dinneh pail." "Oh,"Joe hesitates, his face draining of its usual ruddy glow. 'It's -- uh --in my lockeh at woik." "Oh," says Sally. "Oh," says Joe. "Oh oh," summarizes Leonora.)
....

Oh Joe, you know things work out better when you let Sally run them.

...

British long-range bombers resumed their offensive against the great German naval base at Wilhelmshaven last night, leaving great fires glowing thru the clouds at the end of the blockbuster bombardment, which was concentrated into about twenty minutes. Despite bolstered Nazi defenses around Wilhelmshaven since the last attack, all British bombers returned safely to base from the mission. Objectives in western Germany were also attacked.
...

Obviously, we can't tick and tie to a daily report in an eighty-year-old newspaper, but based on what we've learned about the war since, I question the accuracy of all these reports we've been reading in the paper, like today's, that say "all planes returned safely to base." It seems like the German flack and fighters were aggressive and, rarely, did all the planes truly return safely to base.

...

The governmental division director of the War Production Board today lashed out at those who sneer at Russia's sacrifices, declaring that those who cast aspersions on the Soviet Union and its motives in the present war and in the postwar days to come are "close to treason." Speaking before the annual meeting of the Hospital Bureau of Standards and Supplies at the Hotel McAlpin in Manhattan, director Maury Maverick, a former congressman from Texas, denounced the "smug attitude" many Americans are now showing toward our Allies, especially Russia. "Sometimes private conversations," he noted, "either thoughtless or inspired by Nazi propaganda, indicate we 'had better be suspicious of the Russians' -- who are saving our self-satisfied hides with their blood, instead of our fighting the Germans, who are trying to skin us dead." He added, "our national life, our liberty, and our freedom have been saved on the blood-stained streets of Stalingrad. Those millions who died there were Russians, and may God rest their souls in peace -- and may America never forget it." Mr. Maverick warned against developing "a false sense of security" that victory is imminent, and predicted we must now prepare adequate hospital facilities to care for at least 1,000,000 who will be wounded before the war is won.
...

Sometimes, since the arguments don't really align, both sides are correct.

...

(Where else but Brooklyn would Noel Coward share the bill with William Bendix? I ASK YA! Oh, and, yes, there's a movie out there featuring both Marlene Dietrich and Shemp Howard. Who knew?)
...

"Hitler's Children" is a powerful and moving film that, even to this day, will make you uncomfortable, sad and angry at the same time.

...

That Jack of All Culinary Trades the soy bean is doing its part to help out in the butter shortage, with soy butter now offered as a wholesome and flavorful spread for bread. This creamy blend of soy flour, soy oil, salt, and almond flavoring looks a bit like "peanut butter that has lost much of its tan," and while it offers much in the way of vitamins and minerals, it is, joy of joys, non-fattening.
...

There is a reason though why, after the war, people quickly went back to eating good old-fashioned fattening butter.

...

("Why couldn't he listen to "Superman" instead?)
...

You really want to see this guy in a leotard?

...

The Legion of Decency today announced its condemnation of the motion picture "The Outlaw," a Howard Hughes production. The condemnation notice states that the film "glorifies crime and immoral actions," and that for much of its length, the costuming is "indecent."
...

...

(THATS RIGHT AMERICAS NUMBER ONE HERO DOG IS PROUD TO DO HIS PART FOR THE WAR EFFORT WITHOUT STUNT DOGS AT ALL EVER.)
...

"I can pull a dinky cart too. Let's see you lead a raiding party to blow up a Nazi sub or resolutely discover a torture chamber in the dungeon of a castle and then talk to me."

"Umm, excuse me, but you had a stunt dog do those thing for you and even he didn't 'lead a raiding party'."

"My point is still valid."

"No it isn't."

"Shut up!"

And in the Daily News...

That's OK, we don't have any butter anyway.
...

Interesting Page Four today.

Mme. Chiang is a woman to be reckoned with.

Saroyan, a talented as all heck writer, is not stable enough to have a lasting marriage.

Parrott's Hail Mary failed, so we'll see how she does at trial.

...

Huh, not one of them said "globaloney."
...

I thought the answers were going to be all or almost all against her comments. I was really surprised.

...

You know who we need right now? We need Driftwood right now, that clever little scamp of a merciless assassin.
....

"Sandy, they are heading back upstair, you're on in a moment."
"Can you slow it down a bit, I'm in the middle of a tea-tree-oil massage and my paws are still slippery."
"Cut! [sotto voce] effin' prima donna dog."

 

[FOXTROT LAMONT]

The Latin Review and Jane Russell.
Terrence, Hugh and Harold I forgot what I was intending to write.
and Linda Darnell. I love anything with Miss Deanna Durbin, always on the lookout for her.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("No, I ain' givin' ya ya ration books," insists Sally. "I'm keepin' alla ration books right heeh, an'nen'ey won' get lawst." "It wasn' los'," argues Joe. "It was right wheah I said it was, in my lockeh. What I wanna know is how you tawked y'way inn'eah wit'out a pass or a badge a'nut'n!" "It's easy," comments Sally, "when y'know how." "Whassat mean?" replies Joe. Sally raises a finger to her lips and shushes her husband's further inquiries. "Oh," she adds, "when ya go inta woik t'is aftehnoon, take t'is clipbo'ed I borra'd back wit'cha.")

Governor Thomas E. Dewey, in a round-the-clock series of radio broadcasts today, is continuing his appeal for volunteers to help solve the impending farm labor crisis in New York State, unfolding a four point program for mustering and training needed farm workers, stressing that many businessmen, women, and others unaccustomed to hard labor will need to shut up shop temporarily and pitch in to do their part in the fields -- or go hungry next winter. "We are going to help raise and harvest that food, each according to their capacity," declared the Governor. "We are going to turn out and do that job, or we are all going to go hungry. Worse than that, our army and our allies will go hungry. No hungry nation, nor hungry armies, can win a war." The first phase of the Governor's program calls for thousands of persons from all walks of life to step forward and receive training that will allow them take up duties in the fields and in the barns, especially on dairy farms,. The second phase will involve the training of high school students, especially high school boys, for heavy field work this summer. The third phase will involve intensive work for vegetable and fruit growers this September, for which thousands of high school boys and girls, some as young as 14, will be needed. The fourth phase of the program will urge every citizen with access to a plot of soil, no matter how small, to begin cultivation of whatever vegetable crops are possible on that land. The Governor warned that full implementation of the farm program may mean there will be instances where entire towns may have to cease all other forms of commerce and essentially shut down for a few days until the necessary work is done. He urges citizens to volunteer now for farm service at their local offices of the State Manpower Service or the United States Employment Service. The governor's speech last night was broadcast over a statewide network of 19 stations, and a dozen other stations have been rebroadcasting the speech from transrciptions on a frequent basis thruout the day.

The Governor meanwhile has put the skids on rumors that he will seek the Republican Presidential nomination in 1944, and vowed that he will "seek no other office" while serving his term as Governor. The Governor's secretary acknowledged today that thousands of letters have been received in Albany urging Mr. Dewey to run for President next year, and indicated that he has begun sending out letters in reply stressing that his services are "exclusively at the service of the State of New York" in an effort to discourage any Dewey presidential boom next year.

With 6,688,884 copies of War Ration Book No. 2 now having been distributed to residents of the five boroughs of New York City, the Office of Price Administration today announced that an additional one-day distribution period will be scheduled for next week to allow those who missed out this week on the new book because they failed to bring their copies of Ration Book No. 1 with them to the distribution points, or had obtained that book too late to qualify for the new one. An estimated 400,000 New Yorkers fall into those groups, and will have their opportunity to get the new book, which covers meats and processed foods. Although millions turned out at elementary and parochial schools around the city over the past three days to get their No. 2 books, the crowds were for the most part well-behaved, with only one ration-line arrest reported in Brooklyn yesterday. Forty-three year old Charles Williams of Brooklyn Heights was fined $5 on disorderly conduct charges in Brooklyn-Queens Night Court after he became belligerent when he was turned away from a distribution center at Henry and Middagh Streets because he had arrived after the posted closing hour of 7pm. Williams explained to Magistrate Nicholas Pinto that he had seen the large crowd at the school while returning home from work, and decided to come back for his ration book after taking time to stop at a bar for a cocktail. He told the Magistrate that he thought he "still had time" when he arrived to find the doors closed, and when confronted by a patrolman, "insisted he must get his ration book." When the patrolman told him to move on, Williams admitted, he "insisted upon being arrested."

Brooklyn's 1943 Red Cross campaign got off to a rousing start yesterday with a rally attended by 2700 persons at the St. George Hotel. Red Barber, broadcaster for the Dodgers, inaugurated the festivities as master of ceremonies by introducing Red Cross field director Joseph Lippincott, just back from seven months' work in England, who declared that Allied servicemen are "gratified" by the strong support given the Red Cross by those at home. Dr. Harry Gideonse of Brooklyn College, who will head the first months' phase of the $1,930,000 campaign, called it "the largest single appeal by any group in the borough since the last war." All Brooklyn residents and merchants should expect a personal call from a Red Cross representative in the weeks ahead, in the largest house-to-house canvass ever attempted in the borough.

(Keep 'em flying, neighbors.)

A proposal by Mayor LaGuardia for the city government to take over the Staten Island Edison Corporation at an estimated cost not to exceed $16,000,000 has been rejected by vote of the City Council. The Council Finance Committee called the proposal "a wanton and flagrant misuse of city funds," and the Council's Democratic majority accused the Mayor of "a lack of faith in the consumers of electricity." Vice Chairman Joseph T. Sharkey (D-Brooklyn) called the plan the Mayor's "$16,000,000 lemon," but stressed that his party is not opposed on principle to a municipal takeover of electric power plants in the city, but merely to the particulars of the proposed Staten Island deal. Other opponents of the plan doubted that the Mayor could live up to a pledge of keeping electric rates at their present level, given the constant rumors of fare increases for the municipally owned subway system.

("Son, for the last time, I'm the Sergeant of the Guard at the Roxy.")

(No more whiskey ads on the outfield walls?? Understandable, given Mr. Rickey's well-known teetotalism. For most of the past decade, the right field corner at Ebbets Field has displayed a big electric clock next to the slogan TIME FOR CALVERT. Which, unfortunately, some on the club -- hello Mr. Casey -- did take a bit literally.)

("Oy, is dus a leben!" You ain't kiddin', kid.)

(Well aren't we Mr. Gerald P. McCynical!)

(Thank gawd for funny drunks.)

(Shipping live animals without a permit? WE'VE GOTCHA NOW!)

("Because *I* won't!")

(Yeah, figures Hugh would be an ickie.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

An embarrassment of riches today, with the emphasis on the embarrassment.

(Gawdblessya, boys.)

"CUT! You looked at the camera again. Look, I'm sorry, pooch, this isn't working out. Somebody get Sandy's agent on the phone and get him back in here. I don't care what it costs!"

(Doesn't anybody around here know about tire chains?)

"And whatever you do, don't try to drive it yourself! Remember what happened LAST time!"

If it's Zander, he also swore to kill Andy. But then, a lot of people can say that.

You'll either get a court martial or a promotion out of this.

"Holes in my shoes? But, sir, they aren't MY shoes at all!"

This from a kid who spent his high school science classes daydreaming about two-toned corduroy pants.

Why aren't you in the Commandos, kid?