The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

Annie's actual real-world strip was cancelled by the Tribune syndicate in 2010 --it was down to less than 30 papers, which is hard to imagine from the perspective of 1943, when it appears in hundreds of papers around the world. The storyline ended on a cliffhanger -- Annie and Sandy were presumed lost at sea -- and the story wasn't resolved until Daddy Warbucks showed up in "Dick Tracy" a year or so later to get Tracy in on the case. Since then, Annie and company have shown up in Tracy once a year or so to engage in joint adventures with Tracy, and, as noted, other Tribune syndicate characters occasionally turn up as well. One such crossover even brought in a non-Tribune character, "The Spirit." (Tracy has also fought alongside the Green Hornet, which means that, since the Hornet is the Lone Ranger's grand-nephew, this shared universe goes back to frontier times...)

I remember, in the 70s, after Harold Gray died, that Annie fell on very hard times. There were a couple of different artists who tried to carry on, none of whom could ever capture the feeling of the strip, and eventually the syndicate canned the replacements and went to Harold Gray reruns from the '30s. I remember picking up my Sunday News at the drugstore, and being amazed how much of an improvement there was with the reprints compared to what we'd been getting. They started the reruns with strips from 1937 or so, and I seem to remember them running up until around the start of the Nick Gatt story before they gave the strip to Leonard Starr, who rebooted it to be more in line with the movie. He did a fine job, but for my fifty cents a week, it was never the "real" Annie.

Got it, thank you - I was way off on the timeline you were talking about.

 

[EngProf]

Skeezix and his crew hiding in slit trenches and hoping that the next one doesn't hit them is giving a much more realistic picture of real-life WWII than any of the other comics, and a better idea than most of the real "news".

 

[LizzieMaine]

Frank King should have won a Pulitzer Prize for his war sequences, but nobody thought comic strips were worthy of such recognition.

 

[EngProf]

Frank King should have won a Pulitzer Prize for his war sequences, but nobody thought comic strips were worthy of such recognition.

King certainly should have!
Soldiers hiding in slit trenches and hoping for the best would have made a good candidate for that. Military reality - not rah-rah enthusiasm...

Bill Mauldin did get a Pulitzer for one of his cartoons, but that's a couple of years in the future (1945).
Editorial Cartooning

Sergeant Bill Mauldin of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.​

For distinguished service as a cartoonist, as exemplified by the cartoon entitled, "Fresh, spirited American troops, flushed with victory, are bringing in thousands of hungry, ragged, battle-weary prisoners," in the series entitled, "Up Front With Mauldin."

Find that cartoon and you'll see it's definitely realistic in the Frank King sense. Get a copy of the book "Up Front" and you'll see what I mean. The prize-winning cartoon is a direct reaction to the "news" being published in the papers.

 

[EngProf]

King certainly should have!
Soldiers hiding in slit trenches and hoping for the best would have made a good candidate for that. Military reality - not rah-rah enthusiasm...

Bill Mauldin did get a Pulitzer for one of his cartoons, but that's a couple of years in the future (1945).
Editorial Cartooning

Sergeant Bill Mauldin of United Feature Syndicate, Inc.​

For distinguished service as a cartoonist, as exemplified by the cartoon entitled, "Fresh, spirited American troops, flushed with victory, are bringing in thousands of hungry, ragged, battle-weary prisoners," in the series entitled, "Up Front With Mauldin."

Find that cartoon and you'll see it's definitely realistic in the Frank King sense. Get a copy of the book "Up Front" and you'll see what I mean. The prize-winning cartoon is a direct reaction to the "news" being published in the papers.

Correction of myself:
There is a difference between editorial cartoons and cartoons in the "funny papers"...
Still, Frank King deserves one!

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Nah," says Alice Dooley as the Jersey-bound train rumbles onward. "You'n' lit'l Leonoreh go sing 'Hail Brooklyn' if ya wanna, I got plans." "Y'know," frowns Sally, "he's married. I read it!" "Aw, t'at's a misprint," dismisses Alice. "Hig is as free as a boid. Y'c'n tell. B'sides, I ain' goin' out wit' him t'night, I'm gonna go t' Abraham 'n Straus, an' meet t'at Powehs Model guy. He's gonna tell me howta be chawrmin'!" "Ya plenny chawrmin' awready," scoffs Sally. "If you was any moeh chawrmin', Durocheh woulda pres't chawrges!" "Ahhhhh, don' be like t'at," chuckles Sally. "So it didn' woik out wit' Petey. I got a new plan, we get t' Pittsboigs t'putt'im on waivehs, an' t'Dodgehs c'n claim 'im off t'wieh!" "I don' like t'sounda t'at," replies Sally with a sharp shake of the head. "B'sides., Frisch'd neveh go f'r it. Petey's too whatcha cawl valuable. Him an' Gustine is a betteh double-play'n anybody we got. Why'd t'ey wanna get ridduv'im?" "What if I s'duce 'im?" grins Alice. " What if I toin me chawrm onnim? Frisch wouln' stan' f't'at. It'd be whatcha cawl moral toipentine." "HE'S MARRIED!" yells Sally, causing dozens of heads to jerk. "He's married," she continues, in a harsh whisper. "An' he's got a kid! He's a decent guy! Y'ain' wreckin' 'is home! An' if ya know what's good fawr'ya, y'll stay away f'm Higbe befoeh YOU get wrecked!" "Aw," mutters Alice. "Ya no fun.")

Allied experts believed today that an Axis-Soviet peace balloon floated in the Stockholm press is nothing but another piece of Goebbels propaganda. No credence is given the report printed in the Stockholm newspaper Allehanda detailing an alleged Russo-German peace conference, given the repeated expression by the Soviet leadership of their intention to fight the Nazis to the bitter end. But that does not mean, suggest experts, that there may not have been attempts by the Germans to make contact with the Soviets thru intermediaries, given Goebbels' habit of including a tiny kernel of truth in his statements in order to make his vast lies more believable.

King George VI was treated to a demonstration of Allied street fighting techniques today during his continuing tour of the North African theatre of operations. The demonstration took place in a simulated Arab village constructed especially for the occasion, and live ammunition was used. The King and his party observed from a nearby vineyard as the bullets kicked up clouds of dust in the streets. Following the display, the King asked Major James D. Johnston how the soldiers managed to keep their uniforms so clean in such a dusty environment. "Plenty of soap and elbow grease, Your Majesty," commented the Major. The King spent most of his day in the company of General Mark Clark, commander of the 5th Army, and other Allied military leaders.

A Congressional committee today called on the Federal Government to aid the present manpower shortage by firing 300,000 "nonessential Government employees" so that they may be absorbed into war work. The Joint Congressional Committee on Nonessential Expenditures announced its conclusion today that less than 45 percent of current Government employees are engaged in work essential to the war effort.

With winter just six months away, it is anticipated that an order will be issued requiring all remaining public buildings in New York City currently heated with fuel oil be converted to coal heat. With the Office of Price Administration yesterday mailing out fuel oil ration renewal forms for the 1943-44 heating season it was made clear that stricter rationing policies can be expected over the coming winter months, it was made plain that only private homes will be assured of receiving oil rations, and that all other oil burning buildings should make plans now to convert to coal or face the prospect of a winter without heat. Joel Dean, national director of the OPA fuel rationing division, stressed that the amount of fuel oil to be available this winter on the East Coast depends heavily on military needs, transportation, and the weather, and consumers should take steps now to avoid difficulties ahead. It is warned that commercial users of fuel oil in the New York area who do not convert now to coal are in for a harsh surprise when they appear before their ration boards and are asked "why not?"

Seventy-five thousand Brooklyn families have been cut off from their laundry service in recent weeks, as the manpower crisis in the laundry business daily becomes more acute. Commercial laundries are able to operate at no more than 50 percent of usual capacity, with 65 percent fewer laundry workers available to staff their plants. It is now estimated that 1500 or so of the borough's remaining neighborhood hand laundries that have not already gone out of business may be forced to discontinue accepting new orders for a week or two just to get caught up on the backlog of work. It is also expected that laundries may soon be forced to impose limited on the number of shirts accepted for cleaning due to the labor demand involved in shirt pressing. It is warned that, as the laundry crisis continues to worsen, it may develop into a full-blown threat to public health, and laundry industry spokesmen today renewed their plea for the Government to designate commercial laundry work as an essential industry, thus freezing laundry workers in their present jobs for the duration.

("Dewey!" scoffs Sally. "None f'me, t'anks! I voted f'r Alfange!" "Sppppppppt!" adds Leonora.)

(I would dare say that Charlie needs two things: a psychiatrist, and a better press agent.)

Replacement of ration stamps by tokens is under consideration by the Office of Price Administration. The tokens, to be made of some durable but non-critical material, would be used for making change on purchases of point-rationed goods. The tokens would be issued in small point denominations, with stamps to be used to represent only large, whole denominations.

The Merchants Council of the Greater Flatbush Chamber of Commerce has declared its opposition to any government proposal to abolish the use of brand names on consumer goods for the duration of the war, until and unless all other alternatives for keeping prices down should fail. "Standardization should be considered only after all other means have been tried and found wanting," declared chamber chairman Herman Colin in a letter to the House Select Committee on Small Business. Colin argued that regulations allowing the sale only of standardized, unbranded goods would benefit only the chain stores, who would be able to purchase such goods in bulk quantities, for resale below ceiling prices, thus forcing neighborhood retailers out of business.

Fats Waller's new Broadway musical comedy "Early To Bed" opens tonight at the Broadhurst Theatre. Produced by Richard Kollmar, with a book by George Marion Jr, the production stars Kollmar himself, Muriel Angelus, Mary Small, Bob Howard, George Zorich, Jeni LeGon, Jane Kean, and John Lund.

The Eagle Editorialist approves of the new hair-color stick recently introduced on the women's page, and expresses the hope that some clever cosmetologist will soon come up with a similar product designed to erase the deep furrows that appear on a man's brow after he has overdrawn his bank account to pay the second installment on his income tax.

("Lowered Physical Standards.")

(Hmph. MacPhail would've had fifty shortstops lined up by now. Forty-nine of them would've been bums, but still...)

The Fort Riley Centaurs of Fort Riley, Kansas can expect to generate some excitement in this year's National Semi-Pro Baseball Tournament being held in Wichita. The Fort Riley squad is paced by none other than our own Pete Reiser, who has been tearing up the service circuit this summer. Two hundred Army teams are expected to compete in the tournament.

The Philadelphia Stars return to Dexter Park this Sunday to play two with the Bushwicks, who are now in something of a slump after their fourteen-game winning stream was snapped by the Homestead Grays. The Dexters have now lost four straight games, and the Stars are promising to make it six.

("Oh, sorry, thought you were rum-runners. Carry on!")

(Poor Irwin. Busted to patrolman, and now this.)

("HA HA ON YOU MISS HOT SHOT POLICE SCIENTIST!" "Oh yeah, well enjoy your epsom salts, you contstipated son of a...")

("Get Back You're Tipping The Raft!" hums Frank Loesser. "No, that's not it...")

("Coney Island is no place for tenderfoots, son..")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

No, those aren't Oona's parents.

You might remember how the Murder for Money boys did this to a stoolie in Brownsville some years back. This is not some casual clip-joint crime.

C'mon, Pat, you're slipping.

Maybe you should wear the turban a bit lower.

FZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZOOOOOOOOPSPPPPPT! (Sound effects provided at no extra charge.)

Ewwwww.

"Or I could be a sniper -- and we could have steak tonight!"

"And save the empty casings, I'm making vases to sell back home."

Enjoy it while you can, you prime hunk of unmarried childless 3-A you.

I don't even want to think about it.

 

[Fading Fast]

...

King George VI was treated to a demonstration of Allied street fighting techniques today during his continuing tour of the North African theatre of operations. The demonstration took place in a simulated Arab village constructed especially for the occasion, and live ammunition was used. The King and his party observed from a nearby vineyard as the bullets kicked up clouds of dust in the streets. Following the display, the King asked Major James D. Johnston how the soldiers managed to keep their uniforms so clean in such a dusty environment. "Plenty of soap and elbow grease, Your Majesty," commented the Major. The King spent most of his day in the company of General Mark Clark, commander of the 5th Army, and other Allied military leaders.
...

Hard to believe the Brits wasted the time and resources needed to do this. There is a war on.

...

(I would dare say that Charlie needs two things: a psychiatrist, and a better press agent.)
...

I'm still stunned he did this IN. THE. MIDDLE. OF. HIS. PATERNITY. SUIT! He clearly isn't worried.

I agree that he needs a psychiatrist and a better press agent, but we know one thing that works just fine for him.

...

The Eagle Editorialist approves of the new hair-color stick recently introduced on the women's page, and expresses the hope that some clever cosmetologist will soon come up with a similar product designed to erase the deep furrows that appear on a man's brow after he has overdrawn his bank account to pay the second installment on his income tax.
..

The EE is feeling a bit sassy today.

...

(Poor Irwin. Busted to patrolman, and now this.)
...

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" 1943 style.

...

Maybe you should wear the turban a bit lower.
...

Yes, the poor palm-reading skill is going to be the big tell.

Does he even listen to himself?

...

I don't even want to think about it.

These two are some of the least-qualified people to be parents ever. And heck, they don't even need to have a kid, he's already 4-F.

I'm tired of both of them, what's Harold been up to?

 

[LizzieMaine]

("What's that ye readin', Joseph?" inquires Ma Sweeney, as Leonora slurps her ice cream and Joe ponders a small once-folded sheet covered with blurry scrawl. "V-Mail," replies Joe. "Letteh f'm Solly Pincus -- you remembeh him, he was bes' man when me'n Sal got married. Useta woik wit' me at t' pickle woiks. We been pals since we was kids. I eveh tell ye about t' Awrmistice? We was just lit'l kids an' we took some cloes b'longta Solly's pa, made'm inta t'is dummy of t' Kaiseh an' we tried t'hang it f'm a lamp post on Lennid Street t'eah. But we coul'n getta rope up high e'nuf, so we wen'n foun'is laddeh an' since I was talleh, I was t'one to clim' up t'string t'rope, an' -- well, I got kin'a scaieht, an' din' daeh t'come downa laddeh. An' awlese people was downeah laughin' an' somebody wen' an' gotta cop, a big fat one, an' he tries t'come up't laddeh afteh me, an' it's t'is junky ol' laddeh, see, an' it breaks, an' we fawl off." "Maaarcy," chuckles Ma. "Waaar ye harrt?" "Nah," nahs Joe. "I lan'ed onna cop. He din' come out too good t'ough. Hadda steeh cleeh'ra him f'ra while afteh. An' nen Solly got a whippin' f'stealin' 'is Pa's cloe's. Yeah, we been pals f'm way back. Says inna letteh, he says "Deeh Joe an' Sal, jus' t'ought I would write ya a few lines while I'm waitin' around. Ya do a lotta waitin' aroun' inna Awrmy. An'nen when somethin' happ'ns, you t'ink about awlat time y'wasted wait'n, an' ya wondeh if t'eah ain' a way t' make betteh use'a ya time. Remembeh t'at time at Crown Pickle when'ney brought in'nat eff-i-shen-sy expoit t'speed up t'line an' he taught us awl how t'breat'e in rh'yt'm wit' t'woik? I wonneh if t'at guy is inna Awrmy. If he is I hope he is wait'n aroun' woikin' on his breat'in'. Ha. Ha. Me shouldeh is doin' fine..' See, Solly got shot inna shouldeh while back, he was laid up f'ra while." "Ah," replies Ma with a sober nod. "He's OK now, t'ough. Says heeh, 'I guess t'em Dodgehs awr not doin' so hot now. We heeh t'games onna shawrtwave now an'nen, an' I awrways lissen f' Sal yellin', but t' re-cep-shin is not awrways too cleeh. Some of t'ese British boys aroun' heeh awr curious about baseball, so I been teachin'm. T'ey awr not so good wit' playin', but t'ey unnehstan' enough to bet. Ha. Ha. Did Sal get a jawb yet? How is t' baby? She mus' be about ready to loin how to dance jus' like her folks. Well, Pal, t'ey awr blowin' mess cawl, an' I don' wanna miss t'at. T'food is awl right, but what I would'n give f'ra good Williamsboig pickle right now. Ha. Ha. Write soon. Ya pal, PFC S. J. Pincus.""That's a foine letter," declares Ma. "Hey," interjects Joe. "You had any woid f'm Mickey?" "Ahhh," sighs Ma, "No, not yet. He's probably vaaaary busy.""Yeh," shrugs Joe. "T'at mus' be it...")

Governor Dewey today declined Mayor LaGuardia's call for a special legislative session before June 25th in order to enact legislation permitting the city to levy new taxes. Requests for an extraordinary session were made in two letters to the Governor in which the Mayor declared that "the city must have permanently additional revue other than the tax from real estate." The Mayor pointed out that the legislature had defeated an additional sales tax for the city during its last regular session. In his reply, the Governor told the Mayor that "no basic revision of the tax structure would be possible at this time at such a session, particularly since it should completed as you indicated by June 25." The Governor noted that past attempts to determine the city's tax needs and solve its problems failted because of the wide difference between public and private estimates of the sums needed. The Governor added that the need to shift the municipal tax burden from owners of real estate to other groups is a problem that has existed for more than twenty years, and a special committee is currently studying this question.

German propagandists seeking a clue to Allied invasion plans today shifted their attention to the Eastern Mediterranean, where Greek sources reported guerillas had ignored a Nazi ultimatum to lay down their arms and had siezed almost all the province of Thessaly, in eastern Greece. Greek claims of new guerilla successes coincided with a German Trans-Ocean News Agency broadcast speculating on why British attention was being centered more and more on the eastern Mediterranean. The dispatch quoted Swedish correspondents or Stockholm sources, adding that "everything now is pointing to a coming Balkan offensive in an attempt to conquer Crete and the Dodecanese Islands."

Red Army Troops seized enemy trenches on a fortified height in a suprise assault south of Lake ilmen, and held firmly to a river bridgehead above Orel today, as a prominent Soviet observer reported signs that the Germans have reached a strategic dead end in Russia. Mikhail Galaktionov, writing in the new review "War And The Working Class," reported indications that the German Army is contemplating the abandoment of its "bankrupted blitzkrieg startegy" to prepare for a long drawn-out positional campaign as a result of its failure to defeat either Britain or Russia.

(If they make it to Coney Island, I do hope a photographer is present to capture the moment when they pass thru the Blow Hole Theatre.)

The Court of Appeals in Albany today denied a motion to re-argue the first degree murder convictions of ex-crime king Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and his two Murder For Money henchmen, Emmanuel Weiss and Louis Capone, for the1936 murder of Brooklyn storekeeper Joseph Rosen. Lepke and his henchmen will be re-sentenced by the state's highest tribunal on July 20th, marking the first time in thirty years that the high court has pronounced sentence in its chambers for first-degree murder. The date of execution will be fixed by Chief Judge Irving Lehman. Despite the recent affirmation by the United States Supreme Court of the trio's conviction, Buchalter's attorney I. Maurice Wormser, in a new fight to save Lepke from the Sing Sing electric chair, submitted a brief claiming that due process of the law under the State Constitution was not followed during the trial in Kings County Court. The state Court of Appeals had previously upheld the convictions against the three men, and with all legal doors to escape their death sentence slammed in their faces, the last hope left for the three murderers is a plea to Governor Dewey for executive clemency. Meanwhile, acting Kings County District Attorney Thomas Craddock is preparing to present briefs to President Roosevelt calling for the commutaton of Lepke's Federal narcotics sentence to time served so that he may be transferred to the Sing Sing death house.

("...even offered to involve himself in the case to clear his friend." Gawdawmighty.)

A 38 year old Flatbush woman faces charges of maintaining her apartment as a gambling house, after a police raid on the Lenox Road residence sent eight men and women scrambling under beds and into closets. Patrolman Christopher Penther at the arraginment before Magistrate John F. X. Masterson of Mrs. Pearl Kaufman that he had lurked on the fire escape outside the apartment and observed nine people playing stud poker, with money changing hands as they made bets. Patrolman Richard Sohl rang the doorbell, and in answer to Mrs. Kaufman's query identified himself as a policeman. Penther then saw Mrs. Kaufman grab up two decks of cards and toss them out the fire-escape window -- right into his hands. The game broke up immediately with the players scattering around the apartment and the money disappearing. When the two patrolmen entered the apartment they found only Mrs. Kaufman and her husband, who was pretending to sleep under the bed. A brief search of the premises found all of the alleged players, but Patrolman Penther told the magistrate that he didn't arrest them too because "he felt sorry for them." One of the women, he noted, "was only partly under the bed."

(Coming Events Cast Their Shadows Before...)

("Hig loses anot'eh one," sneers Sally. "He was a bum awready, but now you really roont'im!" "We din' even go out las' night!" protests Alice. "T'at don't mean," comments Sally from beneath a pointedly arched eyebrow, "t'at he didn' go out." "Hmph!" hmphs Alice, flicking open a compact and spilling powder on Sally's shoulder as the train jitters onward. "Hig ain' steppin' out on me," Alice proclaims. "Why would'e? Y'know what t'at Powehs Model guy said t'me las' night? He said I'm a d'lightful woman wit' a smilin' poisonality!" "How much he chawrge ya f'tat?" cracks Sally, brushing off the powder. "An' y'know what else he says? He says I got whatchacawl ya fiery red haieh an' ya mischievious freckles, an' he says I got a poit Irish nose! How'ya like t'at! A poit Irish nose!" "It's be-you-ti-ful," enunciates Sally, her eyes rolling ferociously. "You got a Irish nose too," notes Alice. "But it ain' poit like mine. Lookit f'm t'side, at's as poit as ya c'n get f'ra nose, ain' it?" "Yeh, ya got a swell nose," sighs Sally. "Too bad ya can't stop stickin' it in wheah it don't belong." "What?" "Nut'n.")

(Because the Coast Guard, a branch of the armed forces, allows, during wartime, random newspaper columnists to take over their duties.)

("KICK HIM AGAIN!" says Alfred Andriola.)

("Ask for Mex-Lax -- the new coffee-flavored laxative!")

(AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE HERO DOG GOES INTO ACTION! HEY, WHERE'S THE NEWSREELS?)

(Aw, he's a cute puppy, you rotten kid! TAKE HIM HOME YOUR MA WILL LOVE HIM!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Ah, I do love browsing the Social Register. Honeychile Wilder is a professional Southern Belle who was once Bob Hope's lover/comedy partner for whom "Broadway glowworm" is a nicely-turned description. You may remember a Page Four incident a while back where she punched out real estate heiress Beverly Paterno during a particularly revelrous evening at the Cafe Pierre. Let's take up a collection and help the gal out!

The News knows its readership.

Nah, too conspicuous.

Aw, smarten up, kid. Soybeans are the future.

WUFF! Just how many knives does Big George carry?

We've seen felons frozen to death and scalded to death and just plain shot to death, but I do believe that Mr. Gould is about to outdo himself.

Clown?? Andy's the whole circus!

"Friendly, courteous service!"

"You'll look sweet, upon the seat..."

"Don't be silly!" Remember who you married, Hon.

 

[Trenchfriend]

@LizzieMaine

Gloria Vanderbilt!

I think, she must had an influence on style. Didn't many female proms in the late 80s and early 90s look like her on the picture?

 

[Fading Fast]

("What's that ye readin', Joseph?" inquires Ma Sweeney, as Leonora slurps her ice cream and Joe ponders a small once-folded sheet covered with blurry scrawl. "V-Mail," replies Joe. "Letteh f'm Solly Pincus -- you remembeh him, he was bes' man when me'n Sal got married. Useta woik wit' me at t' pickle woiks. We been pals since we was kids. I eveh tell ye about t' Awrmistice? We was just lit'l kids an' we took some cloes b'longta Solly's pa, made'm inta t'is dummy of t' Kaiseh an' we tried t'hang it f'm a lamp post on Lennid Street t'eah. But we coul'n getta rope up high e'nuf, so we wen'n foun'is laddeh an' since I was talleh, I was t'one to clim' up t'string t'rope, an' -- well, I got kin'a scaieht, an' din' daeh t'come downa laddeh. An' awlese people was downeah laughin' an' somebody wen' an' gotta cop, a big fat one, an' he tries t'come up't laddeh afteh me, an' it's t'is junky ol' laddeh, see, an' it breaks, an' we fawl off." "Maaarcy," chuckles Ma. "Waaar ye harrt?" "Nah," nahs Joe. "I lan'ed onna cop. He din' come out too good t'ough. Hadda steeh cleeh'ra him f'ra while afteh. An' nen Solly got a whippin' f'stealin' 'is Pa's cloe's. Yeah, we been pals f'm way back. Says inna letteh, he says "Deeh Joe an' Sal, jus' t'ought I would write ya a few lines while I'm waitin' around. Ya do a lotta waitin' aroun' inna Awrmy. An'nen when somethin' happ'ns, you t'ink about awlat time y'wasted wait'n, an' ya wondeh if t'eah ain' a way t' make betteh use'a ya time. Remembeh t'at time at Crown Pickle when'ney brought in'nat eff-i-shen-sy expoit t'speed up t'line an' he taught us awl how t'breat'e in rh'yt'm wit' t'woik? I wonneh if t'at guy is inna Awrmy. If he is I hope he is wait'n aroun' woikin' on his breat'in'. Ha. Ha. Me shouldeh is doin' fine..' See, Solly got shot inna shouldeh while back, he was laid up f'ra while." "Ah," replies Ma with a sober nod. "He's OK now, t'ough. Says heeh, 'I guess t'em Dodgehs awr not doin' so hot now. We heeh t'games onna shawrtwave now an'nen, an' I awrways lissen f' Sal yellin', but t' re-cep-shin is not awrways too cleeh. Some of t'ese British boys aroun' heeh awr curious about baseball, so I been teachin'm. T'ey awr not so good wit' playin', but t'ey unnehstan' enough to bet. Ha. Ha. Did Sal get a jawb yet? How is t' baby? She mus' be about ready to loin how to dance jus' like her folks. Well, Pal, t'ey awr blowin' mess cawl, an' I don' wanna miss t'at. T'food is awl right, but what I would'n give f'ra good Williamsboig pickle right now. Ha. Ha. Write soon. Ya pal, PFC S. J. Pincus.""That's a foine letter," declares Ma. "Hey," interjects Joe. "You had any woid f'm Mickey?" "Ahhh," sighs Ma, "No, not yet. He's probably vaaaary busy.""Yeh," shrugs Joe. "T'at mus' be it...")
...

"He din' come out too good t'ough. Hadda steeh cleeh'ra him f'ra while afteh."

"If he is I hope he is wait'n aroun' woikin' on his breat'in'"

...

The Court of Appeals in Albany today denied a motion to re-argue the first degree murder convictions of ex-crime king Louis "Lepke" Buchalter and his two Murder For Money henchmen, Emmanuel Weiss and Louis Capone, for the1936 murder of Brooklyn storekeeper Joseph Rosen. Lepke and his henchmen will be re-sentenced by the state's highest tribunal on July 20th, marking the first time in thirty years that the high court has pronounced sentence in its chambers for first-degree murder. The date of execution will be fixed by Chief Judge Irving Lehman. Despite the recent affirmation by the United States Supreme Court of the trio's conviction, Buchalter's attorney I. Maurice Wormser, in a new fight to save Lepke from the Sing Sing electric chair, submitted a brief claiming that due process of the law under the State Constitution was not followed during the trial in Kings County Court. The state Court of Appeals had previously upheld the convictions against the three men, and with all legal doors to escape their death sentence slammed in their faces, the last hope left for the three murderers is a plea to Governor Dewey for executive clemency. Meanwhile, acting Kings County District Attorney Thomas Craddock is preparing to present briefs to President Roosevelt calling for the commutaton of Lepke's Federal narcotics sentence to time served so that he may be transferred to the Sing Sing death house.
...

Lepke's lawyers are throwing every heavy piece of metal they can into the wheels of justice, but still, they are grinding forward toward Sing Sing and the chair.

...

(Coming Events Cast Their Shadows Before...)
..

Note the saddle shoes.

...
("Hig loses anot'eh one," sneers Sally. "He was a bum awready, but now you really roont'im!" "We din' even go out las' night!" protests Alice. "T'at don't mean," comments Sally from beneath a pointedly arched eyebrow, "t'at he didn' go out." "Hmph!" hmphs Alice, flicking open a compact and spilling powder on Sally's shoulder as the train jitters onward. "Hig ain' steppin' out on me," Alice proclaims. "Why would'e? Y'know what t'at Powehs Model guy said t'me las' night? He said I'm a d'lightful woman wit' a smilin' poisonality!" "How much he chawrge ya f'tat?" cracks Sally, brushing off the powder. "An' y'know what else he says? He says I got whatchacawl ya fiery red haieh an' ya mischievious freckles, an' he says I got a poit Irish nose! How'ya like t'at! A poit Irish nose!" "It's be-you-ti-ful," enunciates Sally, her eyes rolling ferociously. "You got an Irish nose too," notes Alice. "But it ain' poit like mine. Lookit f'm t'side, at's as poit as ya c'n get f'ra nose, ain' it?" "Yeh, ya got a swell nose," sighs Sally. "Too bad ya can't stop stickin' it in wheah it don't belong." "What?" "Nut'n.")
...

You know Sally's getting exasperated when she's using Joe's go-to line.

...

("KICK HIM AGAIN!" says Alfred Andriola.)
...

...

("Ask for Mex-Lax -- the new coffee-flavored laxative!")
...

I guess entrapment laws were different back then.

And in the Daily News...

Ah, I do love browsing the Social Register. Honeychile Wilder is a professional Southern Belle who was once Bob Hope's lover/comedy partner for whom "Broadway glowworm" is a nicely-turned description. You may remember a Page Four incident a while back where she punched out real estate heiress Beverly Paterno during a particularly revelrous evening at the Cafe Pierre. Let's take up a collection and help the gal out!
...

That wonderful name sounded familiar, thank you, Lizzie, for filling in the memory blank.

Even in that terrible picture you can tell that the also wonderfully named and occasional Page Four girl, Brenda Diana Duff Frazier is a particularly pretty woman.

What is Marlene Dietrich doing owing $50 (~$900 today) to anyone? Pay your darn bills. Movie stars, harrumph!

The News knows its readership.
...

Grown-ups should lead free lives: But even dictators, if they are wise, know that it is necessary to allow the people some freedom of choice in their private lives, in matter of sex, drinking, gambling and the like, even if those pursuits seem sinful and foolish to the governing powers.

There's so much wisdom there, these words should be inscribe above the door into every legislative body ever.

...

Aw, smarten up, kid. Soybeans are the future.
...

What an excellent and era-iconic illustration.

...

"Don't be silly!" Remember who you married, Hon.

This makes so much more sense as I didn't think he had it in him in the first place.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Joe was five and a half years old when he climbed that ladder. It Was A Gentler Time...

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Y'wanna go t'night?" inquires Sally, nibbling with distaste at a sandwich little more than two slices of day-old bread divided by a paper-thin slice of Spam. "I'm gonna take Leonoreh. Y'know, I useta sing when I was at Erasmus, inna goil's chorus. T'ey useta say I sounded like Libby Holman, 'til she shot t'at guy, an'nen'ney didn' cawl me t'at no moeh." "Nah," replies Alice. "Me'n Hig gonna go out steppin'." "What!" whats Sally. "YOU? Dancin'? Wit' t'at dumb clodhoppeh? Since when d'YOU dance?" "Oh, I guess I know me way aroun'," says Alice. "Dinc'hoo know I uset'a be a taxi danceh, one'a t'em places on Flatbush Aveneh? 'Ten cents a dance, t'at's what t'ey pay me, gosh how t'ey weeeah me down..." "HMPH!" hmphs Sally, putting down the crusts of her sandwich. "You can't sing no moehn' you c'n dance! It goes like t'is. Lis'n heeh. 'Tennnn cennnts'a daaaance, t'aaaaat's whaaat t'ey pay meeeeee, gosh how t'ey wheeeaah me dowwwwwwn...' See, y'gotta put ya v'brato inneah, like Rut' Ett'n. T'ey useta say I sung like Rut' Ett'n, you know, till t'at guy tried t'shoot'eh an'nen he got shot instead." "At's pretty good," nods Alice. "Aw," shrugs Sally, "I'm outa practice." "Ahhh, g'head," urges Alice. "Awright," concedes Sally. She clears her throat, rises from the lunch bench, clasps her hands before her in a plaintive gesture, and thrusts out her chest. "Tennnn cents a dance, pannnsies an' rough guys, tough guys who teaaaaaah me gown! Seven t' midniiiiight I heaaaaaaah drums, looooooudly t' sax-a-phonnnne bloooows! Trummmpets'a breakin' me eeeeeahdrums! Cuuuuust-a-mehs cru-ush me toes... Sommmetimes I t'ink, I foun' me heero, but it's a queeh ro-maaaance -- awwwwlt'at'cha neeeed is a tiiiick-ETTTTTT -- COME AWN BIG BOY, TEN CENTS A DAAAAAAAAAAAAANCE!" Sally lowers her head, throws out her arms and steps back to take a small bow, as scattered applause erupts from across the Western Electric cafeteria and a carnation made from a wadded-up paper napkin arcs across the room to bounce at her feet. With a flourish of acknowledgement, the chanteuse of the Kearny Works again takes her seat and resumes nibbling the remnants of her sandwich. "Wow," nods Alice. "Hail Brooklyn," nods back Sally.)

("Sigh," sighs Joe.)

Mrs. Ellen Olsen writes in to agree with Magistrate Abner Surpless's recent criticism of Mrs. Roosevelt and the youth organizations she supports. "Everyone knows," she sniffs, "that Mrs. Roosevelt encourages organizations that tend to make the youth of our nation too self-reliant and beyond parental control." Mrs. Olsen asserts that such organizations may not practice actual Communism, but that most youth organizations are "swayed and guided by its methods."

(Such independent-minded youths today! We might as well be living in Moscow right now!)

(Gawdawmighty. The PHILLIES. GAWDAWMIGHTY.)

(Powers Elephants? Wow, that Powers guy gets around. Incidentally, at only 12 pages this is the thinnest edition of the Eagle we've encountered in the three years we've been doing this. No news is good news?)

("Sorry, we don't have any openings just now, but we'll keep your application on file.")

(And just like that "Invisible Scarlet O'Neil" transformed into "They'll Do It Every Time.")

(Not only is Dan committing a Federal crime by adulterating a food product, he's also going to get a damning review from Consumers Union.)

(NOTE MY HEROIC PROFILE AS I SWIM TO THE RESCUE! POSITIVELY NO STUNT DOGS EVER USED BY AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE HERO DOG!)

(It's like living in a hardware store.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

But they're not ROLLER SKATING BEARS, now ARE they?

ELAINE BARRIE?????? "I gotta get in on this! What? WHAT?" Oh, and Childs is bankrupt? Shoulda fired that lousy advertising manager.

Ever notice whenever we meet a friend of Pat's, he's as much of a dawg as Pat is? No wonder Terry grew up feeling inadequate.

99 percent of the stockholders vote that 1 percent of the stockholders should be taken out in the alley and beaten senseless. Oh wait, he's already senseless.

Well, you can't say he doesn't deserve what's coming.

"Swim? Hey, you guys never talked to Axel, did you?"

****

Mr. Clark sure does spend a lot of time hanging around lunch counters.

The Fourth Ward? Hey Mamie, send this story in to the Old Timer's Page.

My ma would've just used the book.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Oh, and...

If "Harpies and Sharpies" isn't Gyps' and Bobby's sequel to "Star and Garter," then somebody is asleep at the switch.

 

[Fading Fast]

...

("Sigh," sighs Joe.)
...

With Davega involved, it's hard to believe there is a smooth, customer-friendly process in place for collecting on the guarantee.

...

(And just like that "Invisible Scarlet O'Neil" transformed into "They'll Do It Every Time.")
...

...

(NOTE MY HEROIC PROFILE AS I SWIM TO THE RESCUE! POSITIVELY NO STUNT DOGS EVER USED BY AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE HERO DOG!)
...

"Strips only hire stunt dogs when they have talented thespians who are too valuable to risk losing. Poverty Row comicstrips don't have such actors, so they don't hire stunt dogs. It's not something to brag about."

"Thespian, really?"
"Shut up!"

...

ELAINE BARRIE?????? "I gotta get in on this! What? WHAT?" Oh, and Childs is bankrupt? Shoulda fired that lousy advertising manager.
...

Wow! Unless I missed it, this is the first I remember learning about the Elaine Barrie connection. Small world the crazies live in. Was she the one whose bottom Barrymore paddled on stage each night or was that the mistress' bottom he was teaching a lesson to? It's really hard to keep all of Barrymore wives and lovers straight.

No wonder we haven't seen any Childs advertising recently. Without knowing more than what's in this brief article, it looks like the old story of a business expanding too quickly by taking on too much debt. Then, business slows (WWII) and, even though, in this case, the restaurants are probably still profitable on an operating basis, they aren't bringing in enough to service the debt.

...

99 percent of the stockholders vote that 1 percent of the stockholders should be taken out in the alley and beaten senseless. Oh wait, he's already senseless.
...

Allow me to solve that problem: "99 percent of the stockholders vote that 1 percent of the stockholders should be taken out in the alley and beaten senseless." Carry on ladies.

 

[LizzieMaine]

ELaine was the one who chased John across the country to the amusement of the entire country, separated from him any number of times, and then co-starred with him a Broadway show where he did, indeed, give her a public spanking six nights a week and twice on Sundays and Wednesdays. They were finally divorced not long after that, to the surprise of absolutely no one. I miss poor old Jawn. He was a tormented soul who left the stage too soon.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Y'know," sighs Sally as she and Joe stroll hand-in-hand up Rogers Avenue toward Ebbets Field, "t'way t'ings'eh goin', t'eh might not be too many moeh Sundays lef' weh we c'n do t'is." Joe is silent for a long moment. "I know," he finally agrees. "Sooneh'a lateh t'eh gonna draf' me. I mean, look -- it's a wawr, right? I mean, Solly's oveh t'eah gettn' shot, ya brut'teh's oveh t'eh doin' Gawd knows what, y'go'twa bawlgame, t'stans is half empty 'cause so many utteh guys is oveh t'eh. What right've I got not t'be oveh t'eh? I mean, we got a baby, an' I got whatchacawl'n essential jawb, an' I don' know t'fois' t'ing about shoot'n people, I can' even empty a mouse trap, I mean, t'ank Gawd we got Stella -- but if woise comes t'shove, I mean, a' co'ese I gotta go. I dunno what's gonna hap'n, but, I guess, neit'eh d'anyuvvus. So, I mean, yeh, maybe by t'enna t'is summeh I'll be off in a hole someplace, an' you'll still be heeh, but les' not t'ink about it , OK? Le's jus' be t'ankful t'day f'what we got left." Now it's Sally's turn to walk along in silence for a long moment. "Yeh, I guess," she finally sighs. "But I wasn' 'zackly tawkin' 'bout 't'at. What I was sayin' was it might not be too much longeh befoeh t'ey put me away. F'killin' Alice Dooley, y'know? Y'know what she done? T'is mawrnin' I foun'a piece'a tablet papeh inna was'ebasket, awl covehed wit' writin'. 'Alice Higbe,' it says. 'Alice D. Higbe,' it says. 'Mr. an' Mrs. W. K. Higbe' it says. "What's t' 'W?" interjects Joe. "Walteh," explains Sally, her mouth curling with distaste. "She says his real fois' name is Walteh." "Gawdawmighty," snickers Joe. "An'nat ain'a wois'," continues Sally, her voice rising. "Awla writin' is wit' lit'l hawrts wit'' arrehs t'rough 'em awl aroun' like she's in 8-B. 'Alice Higbe!' I ASK YA! I tell ya, Joe, t'time is comin'..." "Maybe t'ey otta draft YOU," chuckles Joe, as Empire Boulevard looms into view and the brick bulk of the ballpark rises to the west..)

No immediate solution to the meat shortage could be foreseen yesterday, according to a local spokesman for the War Food Administration. "There is a definite shortage," acknowledged that official, "and it is entirely due to quibbling with the OPA over price rollbacks." It was pointed out that there is no nationwide shortage of beef -- rather, it is a disappearance of beef, because the cattle raisers are not sending their animals to market. Last weekend, the official observed, the packing houses dumped their entire current supplies on the retail market, flooding the stores with beef, but the packers have not since replenished their stock, hence the sudden disappearance of beef from retail dealers. The War Food Administration has also noted that veal and lamb have also vanished from retail stores, but there remains an adequate supply of dried and cured meat products such as sausage, ham, and bacon. The War Meat Board has indicated that a greater share of the existing beef supply is to be channeled to the Armed Forces, while large quantities of pork and lamb will be shuttled into channels for civilian consumption.

A ten percent rollback in the prices of beef, veal, mutton, lamb, and most cuts of pork goes into effect tomorrow at most retail stores, it was announced yesterday by the Office of Price Administration. A similar reduction in the price of cured and processed pork will take effect on July 5. The action of reducing the cost of meat to the housewife is in line with the OPA's "hold the line" policy against inflation, and follows by 11 days a similar reduction in the price of butter.

The manpower shortage is growing more acute in New York City, with statistics from the United States Employment Service indicating that there are only 68,000 unemployed persons in the five boroughs, compared to 400,000 last July. It is indicated that the so-called "Victory Shift" program requiring white-collar employees to take short shifts working on the production floor in war plants may soon be required in the metropolitan area. That program has been used to some success in Buffalo and Cleveland, with office workers brought into factories for a few nights each week to supplement the regular factory workforce. Government authorities are said to be in favor of the plan, but it is less popular with experts who manage skilled production, who doubt that office workers posses the necessary skills for factory tasks.

(Awwwwww....)

"Brooklynite" writes in to complain that the premiere of the new picture "Coney Island" did not occur as it should have in Brooklyn. Which is all the more reason why MGM's upcoming Red Skelton picture "Whistling in Brooklyn," filmed in part at Ebbets Field, SHOULD have a Brooklyn premiere. "If possible let it take place while the Dodgers are at home."

(BLESS YOU FITZ!!!!!!)

(No, that is not a regulation uniform.)

"Star and Garter" marks its first anniversary Wednesday night at the Music Box Theatre. The Gypsy Rose Lee-Bobby Clark gag-n-gal revue shows no sign of slowing down.

A B-26 bomber named after tennis-playing model screen star Jinx Falkenburg took part recently in the sinking of 22 Japanese ships and the downing of 80 Japanese planes in aerial combat at the Bismarck Sea off New Guinea. The fliers crewing the plane adopted Miss Falkenburg as their mascot when they stopped off in Hollywood before shipping out.

(I know who deserves to get a face full of porcupine before this is over.)

(Given recent news from the west coast, is it really all that wise for this guy to be walking around dressed like that?)

(NO I WON'T SING "ME AND MY SHADOW!" And here I thought all along that flamingoes were SUPPOSED to be pale pink!)

(Poor Bill. They call him back in, promise him a big role, and it's the same old comedy relief. Hey Irwin, good thing it wasn't you. Anyway, Dan is gonna do hard time for this, you just watch.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

They never caught whoever was poisoning the elephants, and now this????

I miss teller cages. It made you feel like you were in an OFFICIAL PLACE instead of in the break room at a small-town industrial park.

"Yeah, I know." TURN ON THE MACHINE.

Ever notice that Bim is much more competent in the Sunday pages than he is in the dailies? He must get extra sleep on Saturday nights.

The Slither Sisters? Wow, they've fallen on hard times.

Besides, Skeezix tried this same stunt in 1929.

Nothing suspicious looking about THAT.

"Sigh," sighs Harold, making the most of his logo-panel walk-on. "I can remember when I used to be a regular in this strip."

2-1 that the Coral Princess turns out to be Joy.

PUNJAB!!!!!!!! Give'm the rug!!!