The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Glory is like a circle in the water, which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, till, by broad spreading, it disperse to naught."

And at the moment of his supposed greatest triumph, John Tecum fervently wished for the floor to open and swallow him whole.

What are you gonna do, Mama? Peck her to death?

Wait, what laboratory? What experiment? Do you have a secret room under your garage too?

"What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?"

Once again, future US Senator Wilmer Bobble.

Lord Plushbottom *used* to have all kinds of money, before he married Emmy Schmaltz and moved into her boardinghouse. British nobility has never really ever been all that smart.

Poor Harold. From heartache -- to heartburn.

 

[Fading Fast]

Kings County Judge Franklin Taylor says he'll appear before Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen's grand jury only if he is subpoenaed to do so. In a bitter letter to Amen, the Judge all but admitted that he had no evidence to support his statement before a Flatbush luncheon club that the "smell of a frame-up" hung over the case of Lt. Cuthbert Behan, but he also declared that he fully stands by that statement, noting that he "followed the Behan case in the press," and that in his opinion, "it has that characteristic odor." Judge Taylor further stated that if he does receive any evidence to support his claim, he will present it to District Attorney William O'Dwyer, as the "only proper official" to receive such information, and not to the Amen Office. The Judge also dismissed Amen's invitation for him to appear before the grand jury as "an abortive publicity attempt," and declared his belief that such an inquiry "shouldn't be stifled within the secrecy of the grand jury chamber," and that it should not be conducted by "the inquisitor whose failure to obtain conviction stares in the face of the public."

There is no response yet to Judge Taylor's letter from Mr. Amen, who was reported to be conferring to a late hour with his associates....

I don't have evidence, but I believe what I believe anyway / I won't testify unless forced too / If I find evidence (which I don't have now), I'll be petty and not give it to Amen - yup, he's looking good.

...Communist Party secretary Earl Browder, free on bail pending appeal of his conviction on passport conviction charges, cannot be legally barred from the ballot in the coming election for a Manhattan Congressional seat. So ruled both the City Board of Elections and the Manhattan Supreme Court in dismissing complaints about Browder's candidacy from former Democratic/anti-New-Deal Congressman John O'Connor and former Republican alderman Lambert Fairchild. The Court and the Board, in rejecting the petition to strike Browder's name from the ballot found no Constitutional basis for such an action. Browder will be opposed in the election in the 14th Congressional District by Democratic and American Labor Party candidate Michael Edelstein and Republican Louis J. Lefokowitz.....

America (like every country ever) falls short of its ideals often - but not always.

...A Brownsville gang leader reputed to be "as bad as Dillinger" has been indicted on first-degree murder charges for a slaying six years ago. Abe Reles was arrested yesterday for the 1933 killing of 19-year-old Alex "Red" Alpert. Reles, a notorious Brownsville figure, has been arrested a total of 44 times in a long criminal career, and had been out on $1000 bail on a vagrancy charge when police picked him up early this morning. Also arrested and indicted in connection with the Alpert murder were two other suspects, Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein and Anthony "Duke" Maffetori. The three are charged with killing Alpert on the night of November 25, 1933, and dumping his body in the yard of a house on Van Silven Avenue. The killing is believed to have been in reprisal for Alpert's having squealed on four men caught in a holdup. In the six years since the murder, Alpert's mother has appeared almost daily at the Miller Street police station, beseeching police to catch the killers of her son....

All those gangster movies (Robinson, Cagney, etc.) and books (even the much later "The Godfather") came right from the headlines.

...John Barrymore's co-star in his current play "Too Many Children" expects to be fired any day now -- and replaced by Barrymore's on-again off-again on-again wife Elaine Barrie. Doris Dudley, who plays the daughter Barrymore's character spanks in the production now playing at Manhattan's Belasco Theatre, told reporters at the 21 Club that she anticipates being replaced by Miss Barrie within the week. Miss Dudley, a "Barrymore protege," was originally given the role during the play's Chicago tryout run, after Miss Barrie quit the cast because Barrymore spanked her "too realisitically." Miss Dudley called Miss Barrie "a very ambitious young lady," and when asked if she herself was also an ambitious young lady, admitted that she was. "But my name," she noted, "is not Elaine Barrie." Asked about her feelings about Barrymore himself, Miss Dudley noted that "he needs somebody so badly. He's a very lonely old -- no, I won't say old -- he's a very lonely man, and he has a spent mind."....

There's a lot to unpack here, but clearly, Old Hollywood could give modern-day Hollywood a run for its money in salacious headlines and all-around bad behavior.

...ooking for something new in nightclub entertainment? Enjoy the stylings of psychoanalyst Miss H. Van, appearing nightly at the Morillon, smartest restaurant and cocktail lounge in Brooklyn!


(Psychic readings too!)....

More from headlines to movies: See Tyrone Power in "Nightmare Alley."

...Larry MacPhail says baseball better get its financial house in order, or it risks losing its place as America's preeminent sport to pro football ....

Took longer than he probably thought, but prescient.

... "Bug-eyed fake adventure fans." Why, Josephine, of whomever might you be speaking?....

She might lose herself like Ahab in her quest for revenge, but she's going after the whale, costs be damned.

...


"Glory is like a circle in the water, which never ceaseth to enlarge itself, till, by broad spreading, it disperse to naught."....

"...a night in which emotions were being sloshed around more freely than Scotch." And "...she was something to look at too, with an extremely low-cut gold lame dress that clung to her like a fresh suntan."

Those two Daily News writer were channeling their inner Raymond Chandler.

...
What are you gonna do, Mama? Peck her to death?....

We all know where this is going ⇨ $$$

... Wait, what laboratory? What experiment? Do you have a secret room under your garage too?....

...[ "What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?"....

Rule #1 for "Terry and the Pirates" characters, never take your eyes off of what Cheery is up to, never.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The arrest of three Brownsville gangland figures for a 1933 street murder is the start of an all-out war on all Brooklyn rackets. So declared District Attorney William O'Dwyer in a statement today. The District Attorney promised to "clean out the whole racketeering mess" in the Brownsville-East New York districts, with the arrests of Abe Reles, Martin "Buggsy" Goldstein, and Anthony "The Duke" Maffetore the "opening wedge" of the campaign. The District Attorney declared that he has an airtight case against the three "punks" arrested for the slaying six years ago of "an obscure gangster," Alec "Red" Alpert, and they are being held without bail at the Raymond Street Jail. The information leading to the arrests, noted the DA, was received by his office about ten days ago.

Assistant Attorney General John T. Amen today made good on his promise to bring Judge Franklin Taylor before a grand jury to explain his recent allegations of a "frame-up" in the matter of Police Lieutenant Cuthbert Behan. A process server handed the Judge a subpoena as he dined this afternoon in the luncheon room at the Crescent Athletic Club on Pierrepont Street. Neither Judge Taylor nor Mr. Amen would comment on the subpoena, which requires the Judge to appear before the grand jury next Tuesday at 11 AM. In a statement earlier this week, Judge Taylor indicated that he will question the Amen Office's year-long delay in prosecuting Behan, will note alleged discrepancies in the testimony of Patrolman James Sweeney, who committed suicide after testifying against Behan, and will point out "contradictory testimony" from confessed bail bond racketeer Abraham Frosch.

Press dispatches in Denmark today claimed that Finnish forces halted a Russian offensive against the Mannerheim line, after Soviet attempts to use so-called "Trojan Horse" sledges and parachute troops to breach the line were repelled. Official Soviet communiques from the Leningrad military area today issued a series of denials to the published reports, stating that no such offensive took place. Meanwhile, Soviet planes were active near the Finnish capital of Helsinki, with air raid sirens sounding thru much of the day, although few bombs were dropped.

Two or possible three German bombers were downed today by RAF pursuit planes as Nazi air forces continue their campaign of raids against British coastal shipping. One plane crashed near a farmhouse in Yorkshire after a battle with three British fighters over the town.

Nearlya month of picketing by the Painters' Union against the St. George Hotel, begun when hotel management allegedly locked out 16 union members, has ended with an agreement between the hotel and the union that all 16 workers will be returned to their jobs. The situation was resolved after hundreds of pickets surrounded all of the hotel's entrances last night, with over three thousand persons who had come to attend the Keystone Club's annual dance in the hotel's ballroom refusing to cross the picket lines.

(Sorry, I gave up licensed Disney merchandise for Lent.)

The Dies Committee has exonerated four Congressmen from charges that they conspired to destroy the Dies Committee. The controversy began last week when Representative Frank Hook of Michigan accused Chairman Martin Dies of conspiring to ensure that William Dudley Pelley, leader of the fascist Silver Shirts, would not be brought before the Commitee. The Committee charges that letters on Pelley's stationery and bearing his signature read into the Congressional Record by Hook are forgeries prepared by one David Mayne of Washington. Representative Joseph Starnes of Alabama, acting as chairman in the absence of Representative Dies, stated that an investigation of a meeting involving Rep. Hook and five other Congressmen during which a plot to discredit the Committee was discussed revealed that four of the Congressmen were not involved in any conspiracy. Rep. Stearns did not exonerate Rep. Hook or Representative Joseph Casey of Massachusetts in his statement.

The 1940 edition of the Brooklyn Dodgers Official Roster and Schedule is out, and lists a total of 38 players, only 17 of whom appeared with the club in 1939. Prominent newcomers on the roster are pitchers Wes Ferrell and Tex Carleton, acquired over the off-season, veteran catcher Gus Mancuso, picked up in a deal with the Cubs, and outstanding rookie prospects "Peewee" Reese and Charley Gilbert. More than one scout believes that 19-year-old Reese, who starred at shortstop with Louisville in the American Association last year, will make a bench manager out of Leo Durocher.

The Americans' playoff hopes are on the line tomorrow in Boston when the Star-Shirts skate against the Bruins. Eddie Shore will not play against his old club, appearing instead in a minor-league game for his Springfield Indians.

Fred Apostoli is finished as a boxer after a brutal thrashing at the hands of Melio Bettina at the Garden last night landed him in the hospital. Referee Arthur Donovan stopped the fight after the twelfth round, and Apostoli was taken to Polyclinic Hospital with a post-cranial concussion, compounded by shock and exhaustion. Upon recovering consciousness, the 25-year-old Apostoli declared he was through with boxing, bringing a once-promising fight career to a sudden close.

Four thousand persons in gala evening wear turned out at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for the 100th annual Emerald Ball, raising over $25,000 to benefit Brooklyn's Roman Catholic orphans. Governor and Mrs. Herbert Lehman and Mrs. and Mrs. John H. Amen were among the prominent citizens attending the event.

The Eagle Editorialist approves of the trend among telephone operators to respond with "more personal" phrases upon being given telephone numbers. "Certainly" and "Surely" give a more friendly feel to the interaction than an impersonal "Thank you," but the Editorialist does wonder how far it will go, suggesting the day might come when telephone users hear such responses as "Okay, kid," "You betcha, sweetheart" or "Quick as a lick, Mister!"

(Kids Today...)

A 20th Street junk dealer was fined $20 for contributing to the delinquency of minors after a Domestic Relation Court Justice turned the tables on a complaint the junkman had filed against two boys for stealing brass from his shop to sell to another dealer. Mario Palmiotto had filed charges against the boys, ages 13 and 14, but after he admitted to Justice Jacob Pankin that he had given the boys a cart to load up with scrap metal for him to sell -- without being too particular about the source of that scrap, the Justice turned the tables and fined him, pointing out that he hadn't asked any questions about where the boys were getting the metal until his own shop was robbed. (Dan Dunn was not called as a witness, since he's busy poking around George Arliss's garage.)

Martin Block celebrates the fifth anniversary of his "Make Believe Ballroom" program on WNEW at 5:30 pm. Guests will be Sammy Kaye, Glenn Miller, and their Orchestras.

A famous speaker who's been all over the world? H. V. Kaltenborn? Dorothy Thompson? Lowell Thomas? No, it couldn't be them. Could it be.....NO, NOT HIM.

Go to the police? No, wait, not in this town. How about Mr. O'Dwyer? I hear he's going to get VERY TOUGH on racketeers.

"So, what, I just stand here holding it? Is that what I do, Dan?" "That's right, Irwin. Just hold it steady. I'll be outside here watching..."

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

So -- hasn't anybody thought to ask Equity what they think about all this?

People take the comics very seriously.

The sad thing is, Bim would have much more respect for Mama if he knew she'd been a dishwasher.

Wheels within wheels -- just be careful, Nick, that you don't get ground between them.

It's *your* baby, isn't it Father?

Let's see now. We have Cue-Ball and Singh-Singh plotting against Blaze, Pat, and April. We have Blaze, Pat, and April plotting against Singh-Singh. And we have Cheery plotting against everybody. This will be an interesting night.

Well, here's what you do. First, you put on a disguise like a bum. Oh wait, I forgot. Willie *is* a bum. Maybe he should disguise himself as an incompetent detective and we'll see how that goes.

Depression, sleep deprivation, delusional behavior, and a meat cleaver. Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick....

 

[Fading Fast]

...
(Sorry, I gave up licensed Disney merchandise for Lent.)....

While I know it's still sold, cottage cheese could be in our "Vintage Things That's Disappeared" thread as, even into the '80s, it was a staple of many diet plans. I may be confusing this, but you'd often see "cottage cheese and fruit salad" combinations listed in a "diet" section of diner and coffeehouse menus.

...The Eagle Editorialist approves of the trend among telephone operators to respond with "more personal" phrases upon being given telephone numbers. "Certainly" and "Surely" give a more friendly feel to the interaction than an impersonal "Thank you," but the Editorialist does wonder how far it will go, suggesting the day might come when telephone users hear such responses as "Okay, kid," "You betcha, sweetheart" or "Quick as a lick, Mister!"....

The Eagle Editorialist was right in anticipating this horse-and-barn-door outcome.

...A 20th Street junk dealer was fined $20 for contributing to the delinquency of minors after a Domestic Relation Court Justice turned the tables on a complaint the junkman had filed against two boys for stealing brass from his shop to sell to another dealer. Mario Palmiotto had filed charges against the boys, ages 13 and 14, but after he admitted to Justice Jacob Pankin that he had given the boys a cart to load up with scrap metal for him to sell -- without being too particular about the source of that scrap, the Justice turned the tables and fined him, pointing out that he hadn't asked any questions about where the boys were getting the metal until his own shop was robbed. (Dan Dunn was not called as a witness, since he's busy poking around George Arliss's garage.)....

... A famous speaker who's been all over the world? H. V. Kaltenborn? Dorothy Thompson? Lowell Thomas? No, it couldn't be them. Could it be.....NO, NOT HIM....

Oh yeah, and Jo's head is going to explode.

... View attachment 210603
"So, what, I just stand here holding it? Is that what I do, Dan?" "That's right, Irwin. Just hold it steady. I'll be outside here watching..."

What an absolutely stupid plan: Dan Dunn channelling his inner Wile E. Coyote.

...

So -- hasn't anybody thought to ask Equity what they think about all this?.....

"...and thereby get a paddling from John at every performance." and "Doris who has been taking the third act spanking with considerable verve..."

The Daily News just can't help itself.

Also, "And nuts to Bayside generally...I want an apartment overlooking the East River or Central Park." You can feel the love.

... Wheels within wheels -- just be careful, Nick, that you don't get ground between them.....

This is well done - really adult stuff. I never paid Orphan Annie any attention until now, but wow, that "sun will come up tomorrow" image I had from the TV commercials for the show and movie gave me a very wrong impression.

... It's *your* baby, isn't it Father?...

... Let's see now. We have Cue-Ball and Singh-Singh plotting against Blaze, Pat, and April. We have Blaze, Pat, and April plotting against Singh-Singh. And we have Cheery plotting against everybody. This will be an interesting night......

Sorry, but it calls for one more from Kermit:

 

[LizzieMaine]

The standard lunch served at the White House during FDR's entire presidency was a ten-cent plate of creamed cottage cheese and canned fruit cocktail. It was the President's favorite lunch, and he was only too happy to share it with his guests.

I'm a big fan of large-curd cottage cheese, but it's increasingly difficult to find -- only one store here carries it, and I have to drive all the way to the other side of town if I want some. Very frustrating.

Of all the newspaper strips ever published over the last hundred and twenty years, I don't think there was ever one that did more to stretch the boundaries of the medium than "Little Orphan Annie." It could go from homely Victorian melodrama to hard-fisted crime drama to militantly anti-Roosevelt political allegory (especially when Daddy Warbucks is on the scene) to quasi-Lovecraftian fantasy-horror, all without ever betraying the essential nature of the strip. And it does so in a way that absolutely demands that you take it seriously. Look at all the other News strips we follow -- they all at one time or another give us moments where you sense that the artist is tipping us the wink, inviting us to have a laugh at the artifice of it all.

But Harold Gray didn't do this. Everything about his strip -- the way it's plotted, the way the characters speak, the blocky, frozen poses, the cold and crabbed linework, even the shape of the balloons and the style of lettering *demand* to be taken seriously. I've never encountered another cartoonist more committed to the "reality" of the world he created than Mr. Gray, and it makes his strip, no matter where he takes it, and no matter how I might feel about what he's saying in the strip, something that's absolutely impossible to stop reading. I was actually *scared* of "Annie" as a kid because it looked so eerie comparied to everything else on the page, but as an adult, it fascinates me.

 

[LizzieMaine]

German raiding planes today sunk nine British merchant ships, four patrol boats, and a minesweeper in far-ranging attacks, the latest in a series of raids against British shipping. The reports from the German DNB news agency also stated that three Nazi bombers were lost in the attacks.

Soviet air attacks on Finland continued yesterday with a total of 78 planes reported over the Finnish city of Kuopio. Finnish reports state that fifty persons were killed in these attacks with a hundred wounded. Meanwhile. big Russian guns pounded the Mannerheim Line "from one end to the other" after two days of direct attacks had broken off near Summa.

Representative Frank Hook of Michigan is demanding a Federal grand jury investigation of charges of "forgery, perjury, collusion, and conspiracy" surrounding his ongoing dispute with the Dies Committee. In a request to Attorney General Robert Jackson. Rep. Hook stated that he believes there is sufficient ground for criminal action in connection with the charges, and is calling for "all angles of the affair" to be aired. The request to the Attorney General followed a fast-moving series of charges and counter-charges, in which the Committee's claim that letters on the stationery and over the signature of Silver Shirts leader William Dudley Pelley purporting to show an understanding that Pelley would not be brought before the Committee were forgeries produced by Pelley's Washington agent David Mayne was followed by the revelation by Rep. Hook that Mayne had been employed by the Dies Committee itself. Mayne had testified to the Committee that he sold the letters for $105 to a former member of the LaFollette Committee, and that they then made their way via a CIO representative into Rep. Hook's possession.

The leader of the American Federation of Labor is demanding curtailment of the power of the National Labor Relations Board on the grounds that the body is biased against the AFL. Federation president William Green charges that the NLRB slants its rulings in favor of the rival Congress of Industrial Organizations in an attempt to destroy his organization, and claims that labor, industry, and the public have all lost confidence in the Board.

A loudspeaker system will be installed in the courtroom tomorrow for the trial of Dr. Abraham Ditchik, Manhattan dentist accused by the Amen Office of extortion, conspiracy, attempted bribery, and acceptance of an unlawful fee in connection with the Brooklyn abortion racket. Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen will personally prosecute the case, and the sound system will be used to ensure that the "faulty acoustics" of the trial room do not interfere with the testimony. Dr. Ditchik was indicted last summer for allegedly extorting $27,200 from several physicians, and attempting to extort an additional $13,500 from others. A superseding indictment handed up last September charged Dr. Ditchik with extorting a total of $47,500 from several physicians in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, and attempting to extort an additional $7500 from another man who had been charged with practicing medicine without a license.

The chairman of the Taxpayers' Federation, leading the campaign against Gov. Herbert H. Lehman's proposed 1940 budget, says his group is prepared to submit recommendations for reducing expenditures. Chairman Herbert L. Carpenter declares that the plan will not eliminate "essential state services," but calls for "eliminating useless or non-essential bureaucracy" and will "empower municipal governments to make reasonable adjustments under mandatory salary statutes."

A 34-year-old Astoria man is in custody after attacking his elderly parents with a club and a knife in the house they shared. Louis Mascella of 24-06 23rd Street was taken to Kings County Hospital in a "restraining jacket" after police overpowered him in his bedroom.

(And Joe says to Sally, "Grover Whalen, he ain't gonna like this. Ain't no place to put a gardenia." And Sally says "Looks like she waits tables at Schrafft's.")

The President of the International Catholic Truth Society lashed out last night at the birth control movement. Speaking before the Ladies Auxiliary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians of Kings County, Dr. Edward Lodge Curran attacked "flighty politicians, pagan educators, and overpaid columnists" and "the wives and mothers of those who occupy high places in government" for their support of birth control, declaring that "pagan artificial birth control is a violation of the natural law of Almighty God." Dr. Curran also had high praise for the Dies Committee, urging Catholic women to "repudiate the Washington whispering campaign and leftist smear campaigns, all of which are attempting to consign the Dies Commitee to oblivion."

A survey of Times Square hotels finds that the most popular spots for disposing of used chewing gum are: under the overhang of the bar, under the dining room chair, in potted plants, ground into rugs in the lobby, stuck to window draperies, plastered on telephone booth walls, and behind picture frames. Commenting on the findings, the Eagle Editorialist suggests that maybe the gum industry needs to concentrate on developing a self-dissolving product, since gum chewers can't be relied upon to properly dispose of their quids.

Clifton Fadiman will narrate a scene from "The Grapes of Wrath," as adapted for radio by Norman Corwin and starring Burgess Meredith, on today's "Pursuit of Happiness" program, 4:30 PM over WABC.

Bill Stern interviews heavyweight champion Joe Louis on the Colgate Sports Newsreel program, 9:45 pm on WJZ.

"Befuddled" writes to Helen Worth wanting to know if it's possible to fall in true love at the age of fourteen, and what she should do about her boyfriend's pushy stepsister who says it's all just puppy love. Helen says true love is possible, but not common, at that age, and that it's none of stepsister's business what her stepbrother does with his social life. As for "Befuddled" herself, Helen says to go on as you are. Either you'll get tired of each other and move on, or not, but either way there's no point at your age to worry about it.

("Trend" gives us the only reference I have ever seen to "ample-bosomed Jane Addams." Oooweee.)

Arthur Pollock has a field day with all the John Barrymore news this week, and uses his Trend column as a forum to vent his long-standing dislike for Mr. Barrymore's art:

(You just wait, Mr. P. They say Jawn is going to make a picture with Kay Kyser soon. And he might even go on the air as a stooge for Rudy Vallee. And won't THAT be fun!)

Dancing comedian Gene Kelly is hot stuff in the current production of Mr. Saroyan's "The Time Of Your Life" at the Guild Theatre. Forget about Barrymore, and go see him.

At the Patio, Garbo's laughing in "Ninotchka," and Walter Pidgeon is detecting in "Nick Carter, Master Detective."

Leo Durocher is back in town, and Lippy is all fired up about Jimmy Ripple, who has lost weight and is ready to make up for his sloppy performance in 1939. Jimmy faces a "suet-shaving" exercise regimen supervised by Dodger team conditioner Dr. Artie McGovern before reporting to training camp in Clearwater later this month.

Joe Louis will face quite a challenge when he defends his title Friday night against Arturo Godoy, who has never been knocked off his feet in 65 bouts. It'll be the Champ's first title defense since he knocked Two Ton Tony Galento off the map last summer.

(Smile kids! People will be looking at you fifty-seven years later. And again eighty years after that!)

Red Ryder vs. an escaped circus monkey? Now we're getting somewhere.

Dennie Worth, pioneering challenger of gender norms.

Next time, Mr. Arliss, hire a guy who knows how to make a percussion fuse.

Like a cat toys with a mouse.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

What would Helen Worth say about this?

What would Dr. Edward Lodge Curran say about this?

What would Dan Dunn say about this?

(Just to be clear, my name was never Mary Belle, and I never cut class to go see a Disney film.)

Ok, so I'm now officially intrigued.

The truth, Jill? You can't handle the truth.

And if Chester's dad were here, he'd say "Why, my boy, don't you know we Gumps come from a long line of Aztec gods? Why, we trace our line all the way back to Quetzalcoatl Gump, who drove off hordes of invading conquistadores with just a snap of his fingers and a ray of fire from his throne!" Which is why Chester doesn't do so well in school.

In his lonely furnished room 700 miles from home, Harold dreams of happier times, when -- he was pretty much a doormat for a bratty little kid.

I really wish they'd scanned these Sunday comic sections in color, because I bet this one is spectacular. I presume that Pat is the one tipping over the barrels.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
Representative Frank Hook of Michigan is demanding a Federal grand jury investigation of charges of "forgery, perjury, collusion, and conspiracy" surrounding his ongoing dispute with the Dies Committee. In a request to Attorney General Robert Jackson. Rep. Hook stated that he believes there is sufficient ground for criminal action in connection with the charges, and is calling for "all angles of the affair" to be aired. The request to the Attorney General followed a fast-moving series of charges and counter-charges, in which the Committee's claim that letters on the stationery and over the signature of Silver Shirts leader William Dudley Pelley purporting to show an understanding that Pelley would not be brought before the Committee were forgeries produced by Pelley's Washington agent David Mayne was followed by the revelation by Rep. Hook that Mayne had been employed by the Dies Committee itself. Mayne had testified to the Committee that he sold the letters for $105 to a former member of the LaFollette Committee, and that they then made their way via a CIO representative into Rep. Hook's possession.....

And the diagramed version of this story:

...
(And Joe says to Sally, "Grover Whalen, he ain't gonna like this. Ain't no place to put a gardenia." And Sally says "Looks like she waits tables at Schrafft's.")....

She looks like an extra in every MGM musical from the '30s - '50s. How come we don't get to see the jacket being modeled?

...
("Trend" gives us the only reference I have ever seen to "ample-bosomed Jane Addams." Oooweee.)...

No kidding, that line jumped out - what the heck? But in truth, the writer couldn't really decide how serious or flippant to be and ended up with a very uneven style.

... Next time, Mr. Arliss, hire a guy who knows how to make a percussion fuse.....

Irwin can have all the work he wants, shortly, if he's willing to move to Europe and become an unexploded bomb defuser.

Re the last panel - as you often say, "it was a gentler time." Willie got screwed - it's not his fault those bombs didn't go off.

... View attachment 210843
What would Helen Worth say about this?....

And the diagramed version of this story:

...
What would Dan Dunn say about this?....

Gotta believe technology has long since done away with that job.

... (Just to be clear, my name was never Mary Belle, and I never cut class to go see a Disney film.)....

The resemblance is amazing.

Also, I'm not so sure Mr. Timid Bachelor is scared out of his wits, he looks more to me like he's trying to figure out a way to translate his good fortune into action.

... Ok, so I'm now officially intrigued....

One, your call on granddad there being the father is looking pretty good.

Two, Kress Kroywen, really, that's a name?

Three, Kress is underaged? He looks 35.

... The truth, Jill? You can't handle the truth....

The bit about fixing the ticket is perfect.

....

Painful to all but lose the last few panels.

Nice tie back to the peppermint.

 

[LizzieMaine]

World's Fair uniform, 1940. The jacket is khaki-colored with orange trim at the cuffs and epaulets.

I wonder if Hartford Oakdale got his at a liquidation sale of the 1939 models. Jo should check for a trylon-and-perisphere logo on the buttons.

 

[Fading Fast]

World's Fair uniform, 1940. The jacket is khaki-colored with orange trim at the cuffs and epaulets.

I wonder if Hartford Oakdale got his at a liquidation sale of the 1939 models. Jo should check for a trylon-and-perisphere logo on the buttons.

Thank you for the pic - quite the military vibe they have working.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Democratic National Committee, meeting today to select a site for the party's 1940 convention, felt a push toward drafting President Roosevelt for a third term from several key members of the committee. Those members shared the President's antipathy toward a New York convention, with sentiment leaning strongly toward Philadelphia, which has already submitted a $125,000 bid to host the convention. It was agreed that the Democrats will not finalize their decision on a date for the convention until the Republicans have announced theirs.

In another broadside directed at Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen, Judge Franklin Taylor today released a statement accusing Amen of "a shocking attempt to intimidate an entire Kings County jury panel." Judge Taylor, who has been subpoenaed to appear before a special grand jury tomorrow to explain statements he made concerning the recent Behan case, claimed that Amen has also issued subpoenas for members of the jury that acquitted Lt. Cuthbert Behan in his recent trial on charges of theft of police records. "Something is wrong," Judge Taylor declared, "if a judge cannot express his opinion about a case without being called before a grand jury." The Judge further states that he resents the Amen investigation for "blackening the name of the borough," leading to quips like "as honest as a judge in Brooklyn" from the public. Mr. Amen declined to comment on Taylor's latest blast, but when asked if he had subpoenaed members of the Behan jury he stated "Suppose I did. Nothing wrong in that."

The murder case against Long Beach Patrolman Alvin J. Dooley is expected to go to the jury today, with a verdict expected by tonight. The defense case for Dooley, accused in the November 15th murder of Mayor Louis Edwards, has contented that Dooley was insane at the time of the shooting.

The trial of Manhattan dentist Dr. Abraham Ditchick on extortion charges connected to the abortion racket began today in Brooklyn Supreme Court before Justice John MacCrate. Jury selection in the trial has included questions revolving around the recent conflict between Assistant Attorney General Amen and Judge Franklin Taylor, with potential jurors asked if
they had followed that story, and if so, if they were prejudiced against the Amen investigations. Jurors were also asked for their views on abortionists.

A 33-year-old German citizen who works as a part-time waiter at the Knickerbocker Yacht Club is in custody for the beating and robbery of a Brooklyn woman doctor last week. Police say Gerhard Kruger had appeared in a police lineup wearing makeup to conceal scratches and bruises he had received during his assault on Dr. Elizabeth G. Sunners at her home in Sunnyside, Queens. Dr. Sunners was bound and gagged, beaten into unconsciousness, and robbed of $40 in the attack. After police removed his makeup, Kruger confessed to the crime, stating that he lived in the same apartment building where Dr. Sunners lived, and found that his key worked in her lock as well. Kruger, who had done painting work in Dr. Sunners apartment, apologized profusely to her when she identified him as her assailant.

The unexpected absence of Father Charles E. Coughlin from his regular Sunday afternoon radio broadcast yesterday has mystified his followers, with no explanation from Coughlin himself for why he failed to appear. Listeners to the Coughlin program heard a cryptic announcement that Father Coughlin would not speak, and that the announcer was "not authorized" to explain further. After a period of music, the announcer returned to advise listeners to "pay no attention to idle rumors" and that "Father Coughlin knows what he is doing," adding that "probably events occuring this week will enlighten you." The musical program then resumed to fill out the balance of the hour. Although there is speculation by the United Press that Coughlin's scheduled talk was muzzled by order of ecclesiastical authorities in Detroit, church officials in the city have declined comment. The management of station WJR in Detroit, which feeds the Coughlin program to a special network, stated that it did not know why Coughlin failed to appear for the broadcast, and that they were taken by surprise by his absence.

A scheduled court appearance by the seventeen defendants in the Christian Front seditious conspiracy case was postponed until tomorrow, amidst speculation that indictments against the defendants will be handed up when the court resumes. Last night, more than 3000 supporters of the defendants rallied in Prospect Hall to hear a speech by former Magsitrate Leo Healy urging Americans to "withhold judgment" against the seventeen until all the facts are heard. Copies of Father Coughlin's "Social Justice" magazine along with the official paper of the German-American Bund and "Christian Front" buttons were sold to the audience during the rally.

John Barrymore's antics over the past week could be made into a motion picture, if producer Darryl F. Zanuck can negotiate a deal with the flamboyant actor. Zanuck wired Barrymore today to propose a film to be called "The Great Lover," with Barrymore appearing as "a famous actor who becomes involved in difficulties with his fourth wife and his daughter by his first wife." Producer Zanuck does not state if he will compound the realism of the project by offering roles to Elaine Barrie and Diana Blythe Barrymore.

Support for Mayor LaGuardia's plan to establish a single grade of milk for retail sale in New York was declared by members of the United Independent Retail Food Dealers and Grocers at a meeting at the Hotel Astor. The resolution followed a message summarizing the Mayor's position read by Commissioner of Markets William Fellowes Jr. The plan is opposed by the city's major milk distributors.

A seventy-year-old woman captured a burglar with a lengthy criminal record when the robber tried to get away with her watch and $29 in cash. Mrs. Mary Baumel was at her home at 1637 St. Marks Place on Saturday when a man and woman called at her door. While the woman engaged her in conversation, the man slipped into the house and rifled Mrs. Baumel's bedroom -- but Mrs. Baumel realized what was going on, and before the man could escape, she grabbed him and held on "for dear life" while screaming loudly for help. Her neighbor, Benjamin Talbin of 1635 St. Marks Place, came to her aid and subdued the man. The woman, however, escaped in the excitement. Appearing before Magistrate Charles Solomon today, the suspect identified himself as 57-year-old Jake Feldman of 189 Henry Street in Manhattan, whose criminal record includes multiple convictions for felonious assault. He will be held for the grand jury without bail.

(Which is great until he's trying to get her up into a lift there and goes into a spin only to collapse with a hacking, ragged cough. Judges knock points right off for that.)

The "naturalistic trend in literature" exemplified by such books as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Kitty Foyle" is "an affront to decency." So argued the Rev. Charles E. Diviney, professor of religion at St. Joseph's College for Women. Speaking before a meeting of The Committee on Catholic Interests at Columbus Hall, Rev. Diviney stated that the naturalistic trend has resulted in "the degradation and despoiling of much that might be true and beautiful," and has reduced authors to "mere reporters and fact-gatherers who have delved into sewers and slime until their pens have dripped with the muck and foulness of the bestiality that is a part of nature, but only a part." (Hey Rev, did you read "The Nazarene" yet?)

The ugliest statue in the city -- "Fat Boy," or, as it's formally known, "Civic Virtue," is on its way to Queens, and Manhattan's gain will be Queens' loss, says the Eagle Editorialist. The sculpture of a pudgy nude warrior with his foot stomping on the neck of a woman supposed to represent "civic corruption" has been a blight on City Hall Plaza for years, and is "not art." If the sculpture, to be erected in a parking lot behind the Queens Borough Hall, is intended to, in the words of Queens Borough President Harvey, "give the boys something to think about," then the boys in Queens are worse off than anyone ever thought.

("Hey Sal," says Joe. "How d'ya make a Venetian blind? Ya poke his eyes out! Hahahahahaha!" And Sally just shakes her head and looks out the window, wondering if this really is all there is to life.)

The Dodgers didn't get free agent Benny McCoy, but they did peel off a cool $25,000 to sign outfielder Roy Cullenbine, one of several Detroit Tiger possessions to be liberated last month by Commissioner Landis. Cullenbine, who hit .240 in a part time role for the Tigers last year, is confident that he can improve his performance and hopefully live up to the size of his bonus. Dodger President Larry MacPhail says one factor that determined the high price paid for Cullenbine is that that St. Louis Browns offered $20,000, and would have gone higher if they'd had the money. Cullenbine says Brooklyn was his first choice all along, and is looking forward to poking balls over the right field wall at Ebbets Field in 1940.

The Rangers went on a rampage last night at the Garden, drubbing the Canadiens 9-0. The Americans, minus Springfield Eddie Shore, lost to Boston, 7-1.

Oh, do try for a better seat down front, Jo. I'm sure you'll find the speaker stimulating.

I can't wait to see the headline in the Daily News: HOLD EX-DEB IN CLUB FRACAS -- B'WAY SCRIBE TAKES LOW KNOCK FROM HIGH HEEL.

Hey, is this other thug none other than John Barrymore Dook himself, making a surprise return engagement? But what happened to your nose there? Did Elaine Barrie punch you in it?

 

[LizzieMaine]

And speaking of the Daily News...

If there's nothing to say, just say it.

There's something just too too endearing about the fact that mean old social-climbing Mama keeps her personal poke in an old sock.

So Nick pulls John's strings. But who pulls Nick's strings? Annie, would you have any thoughts on that?

And just think, none of this would have come to light if Tracy had decided to buy the Chief a new hat.

Blaze as a two-fisted brawler? That's new.

Yep, kid -- you won't be mooching any free sodas anymore. Still wanna go thru with this?

Why didn't Jimmy Cagney ever make a "Moon Mullins" movie?

 

[Fading Fast]

T...In another broadside directed at Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen, Judge Franklin Taylor today released a statement accusing Amen of "a shocking attempt to intimidate an entire Kings County jury panel." Judge Taylor, who has been subpoenaed to appear before a special grand jury tomorrow to explain statements he made concerning the recent Behan case, claimed that Amen has also issued subpoenas for members of the jury that acquitted Lt. Cuthbert Behan in his recent trial on charges of theft of police records. "Something is wrong," Judge Taylor declared, "if a judge cannot express his opinion about a case without being called before a grand jury." The Judge further states that he resents the Amen investigation for "blackening the name of the borough," leading to quips like "as honest as a judge in Brooklyn" from the public. Mr. Amen declined to comment on Taylor's latest blast, but when asked if he had subpoenaed members of the Behan jury he stated "Suppose I did. Nothing wrong in that."....

It's not often that an Assistant Attorney General and a Judge have this public a gun battle.

...The murder case against Long Beach Patrolman Alvin J. Dooley is expected to go to the jury today, with a verdict expected by tonight. The defense case for Dooley, accused in the November 15th murder of Mayor Louis Edwards, has contented that Dooley was insane at the time of the shooting.....

What's your call? I'm going with guilty, but it's a close one.

...The "naturalistic trend in literature" exemplified by such books as "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Kitty Foyle" is "an affront to decency." So argued the Rev. Charles E. Diviney, professor of religion at St. Joseph's College for Women. Speaking before a meeting of The Committee on Catholic Interests at Columbus Hall, Rev. Diviney stated that the naturalistic trend has resulted in "the degradation and despoiling of much that might be true and beautiful," and has reduced authors to "mere reporters and fact-gatherers who have delved into sewers and slime until their pens have dripped with the muck and foulness of the bestiality that is a part of nature, but only a part." (Hey Rev, did you read "The Nazarene" yet?)....

If it wasn't for the "naturalistic" literature, our view of the past would be impaired as the movies of the Era - owing to the production code - give a distorted view. To be sure, novels from that time aren't perfect either, but you see a lot more of real life - sex, alcohol, drugs, violence, crime, etc. - in novels than on screen. Also, social issues like racism, antisemitism and sexism are addressed in ways that rarely make it to the big screen - and, at times, are much closer, adjusting for the particulars, to how we look at them today than one would believe just from the movies.

...The ugliest statue in the city -- "Fat Boy," or, as it's formally known, "Civic Virtue," is on its way to Queens, and Manhattan's gain will be Queens' loss, says the Eagle Editorialist. The sculpture of a pudgy nude warrior with his foot stomping on the neck of a woman supposed to represent "civic corruption" has been a blight on City Hall Plaza for years, and is "not art." If the sculpture, to be erected in a parking lot behind the Queens Borough Hall, is intended to, in the words of Queens Borough President Harvey, "give the boys something to think about," then the boys in Queens are worse off than anyone ever thought....

I'm not seeing him as fat; maybe we really are a heavier population today if this guy was considered "Fat Boy" back then.

Some more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civic_Virtue

... I can't wait to see the headline in the Daily News: HOLD EX-DEB IN CLUB FRACAS -- B'WAY SCRIBE TAKES LOW KNOCK FROM HIGH HEEL....

Like so many things, once you are aware of it - like soft-core porn in comics - you see it popping up often, as in panel one and three today.

... So Nick pulls John's strings. But who pulls Nick's strings? Annie, would you have any thoughts on that?....

I'm curious to see exactly how Nick is going to pull John's strings. That's always been an assumption on Nick's part, but I don't, yet, see how it will work.

... Blaze as a two-fisted brawler? That's new....

Blaze is also spitting out the alliteration "Blawsted Blinkin' Blighters!"

... Why didn't Jimmy Cagney ever make a "Moon Mullins" movie?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Judge Taylor is letting it get personal, and Mr. Amen seems to be deliberately trolling him. Imagine a world where something like that might happen.

I think it's pretty clear Dooley was drunk out of his head when the shooting happened, but "drunk" does not equal "insane," even if you have the best defense lawyer in the country, which is what Mr. Leibowitz is, arguing your case. I don't think Dooley will get the chair, but my bet is that he's going upstate for a long, long time.

That is a positively hideous statue, no matter where they put it. Mayor LaGuardia gave it the "fat boy" name after getting sick of seeing its big naked backside shoved in his face as he left City Hall each day. Apparently the unpleasant imagery of a thuggish character with his foot on a supine woman's neck was poorly received even when it was first installed, and the years have not enhanced its reputation.

If Mr. Gatt is going to make a fatal mistake here, it'll be that of believing too completely in his own invulnerability. Although, given Harold Gray's taste for "strong man of action" characters in the Warbucks mode, it also wouldn't surprise me for him to turn into a heroic figure before this storyline is over.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Finnish reports claim that a series of five strong Russian attacks have been thrown back along the Karelian Isthmus in fighting that ran thru the day and into the night. The reports state that Finnish warplanes bombed Russian troop concentrations at night using Soviet campfires as beacons. Meanwhile, there are reports that Russian paratroopers have landed in northern sections of Finland, but that "their landing places are known." None of these reports are officially confirmed.

Judge Franklin Taylor spent two and a half hours today before Assistant Attorney General John Amen's grand jury, where he was summoned to explain what he meant by his claim that the prosecution of Police Lieutentant Cuthbert J. Behan "smelled of a frame-up." The Judge arrived for his testimony this morning, pausing only to ask reporters if "his tumbrel was ready," and shared a limerick he'd composed for the occasion: "Judge Taylor came in a bit late -- He said 'twas because of the date. -- The foxy old sinner -- Hadn't even had dinner -- But he made the grand jurymen wait." Taylor emerged from the jury room after his testimony to state only that the grand jury was "fair and impartial," and that he didn't expect to be called again. He declined to say if he had shared his limerick with the panel, but did state that he had received a threatening anonymous letter, scrawled on a newspaper clipping of an editorial unfavorable to him, which read "You'll get yours, you louse."

Confessed bail-bond racketeer Abraham Frosch spent the night in Bellevue Hospital "under mental observation" after apparently threatening to kill himself. Police say the 24-year-old Frosch became hysterical in his cell shortly before 7pm last night, and after that outbreak, he calmed down until 9:30 pm, when he began kicking at his cell door and screaming that he wanted to hang himself. Frosch was to have testified today in the departmental trial of police Lieutenant Albert Smith, but that trial was postponed this morning, with Special Deputy Commissioner Jeremiah T. Mahoney declaring that the trial will instead begin tomorrow.

A bill to provide funding for a highway connection to the proposed Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was unanimously approved in the State Legislature today. The bill will also authorize Parks Commissioner Robert Moses to go forward with his plan to consolidate the Triborough Bridge and New York City Parkways Authorities into a single unit. The bill goes now to Governor Lehman for his signature.

The first woman ever to serve on a Blue Ribbon Jury in Brooklyn will be a 40-year-old housekeeper. Miss Ida May Denehy was approved by Assistant Attorney General Amen to serve in the trial of Dr. Abraham Ditichick, accused extortionist and abortion racketeer. Miss Denehy is the first woman ever to be approved by Amen on any jury.

The leader of the fascist Silver Shirts appeared before the Dies Committee today, but not to offer testimony about his organization. The reclusive, goatee-wearing William Dudley Pelley appeared before the panel in closed session to tell what he knew about letters presented by Representative Frank Hook of Michigan claimed to show an "agreement" between Pelley and Chairman Martin Dies that Pelley would not be summoned to appear before the committee. Pelley declined to discuss his testimony in depth after the session, but did state that he had given Dies "a clean bill of health" in pronouncing the letters to be forgeries.

Eleven persons were arrested today in Detroit by the FBI on charges that they recruited Americans to serve on the Loyalist side during the Spanish Civil War. The defendants were accused of violating a law that prohibits American citizens from recruiting on behalf of any foreign army.

A three year old boy is fighting for his life at Cumberland Hospital after being shot with a .25 caliber pistol by an elderly family friend. 84-year-old Gaetano Abbate was showing little Anthony Del Farra of 130 Ashland Place the gun he'd found in a sewer excavation last summer when the pistol discharged, shooting the boy through the head. Abbate has been charged with felonious assault and violation of the Sullivan Law, and will, if the boy dies, be charged with homicide.

Helen Worth has no advice today, but she does go on at some length about how much fun she used to have as a young lass on the loose during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Well, it was in 1937, and she wasn't so young, but she still had a good time. "It's great to be crazy!" Helen declares.

Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne star in "The Taming of the Shrew" at the Alvin Theatre, and Arthur Pollock made the trip to see the premiere, declaring it perhaps slow and labored to those who have seen it before, but a picnic for those who haven't. Among the supporting cast, Sydney Greenstreet stands out as the old man Baptista, "played with the usual Greenstreet unction." But the slapstick elements are less satisfying, with Mr. Pollock declaring that Mr. Lunt and Miss Fontanne are best advised to leave such to actual slapstick artists. (Let's get John Barrymore and Elaine Barrie into this show. I would pay a great deal to see that.)

Mrs. John Bell of Greenpoint, at 90, claims to be the oldest Greenpoint-born resident still living in the district, and says she eats whatever she wants whenever she wants it, goes to bed whenever she wants, and has never missed a chance to do anything "women are allowed to do," and sometimes even things they aren't.

Giant manager Bill Terry thinks the Dodgers will be "up there" in 1940, but declines to say exactly where. Nor will Memphis William venture to predict where his own threadbare boys will finish in the new season. He does predict that the Cardinals will carry away the National League flag, but he doesn't even think the Reds will make it to second place.

While Joe Louis and Arturo Godoy finish training for their upcoming heavyweight championship fight on Friday, Pittsburgh's Billy Conn is calling himself "the man of destiny" who will take Louis's crown. "He'll still be around when I'm ready for him," vows the 175-pound Irishman.

Fred Allen tells the story of Belvedere Trawl, "inventor of the tea bag" in his Mighty Allen Art Players sketch, tomorrow night at 9 over WEAF.

"Peggy, dear, run out and find a pushcart and get me a bag of soft tomatoes. Not green ones, they bounce. Nice, fat red ones, with lots of pulp and maybe a worm or two."

And in the Mary Worth movie, Milt Lewis will be played by Charles Lane.

So -- ahhhh -- the secret door under the garage leads to a tunnel that leads to -- the cellar. So, what -- so George Arliss can get to his car without getting wet in the rain? This is not as sinister as I'd hoped.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

And this is the beginning of the end for Father Coughlin. Francis Chase of Movie-Radio Guide magazine is even as we speak writing an absolutely devastating expose of this whole affair that will peel off a whole big chunk of the Father's veneer. The News better hurry if it wants to keep up.

H&H's new campaign targeting compulsive gamblers is a bit risky. Maybe they should install levers on the sides of their machines to give an added fillip.

So Marty -- your thoughts on Singh-Singh?

Well, John, you *could* quit. What could happen?

Blaze must weigh, what, 250 pounds, at least, and seems to be in pretty good shape in spite of it to be leaping around like this. So what I'm saying, Singh-Singh, is why mess around with treacherous minions, when you could have the steel-cage match of a lifetime?

OK, so Dad Kroywen's stooge looked a lot like Manny Pep. And now we have a cabbie who looks like Moe Pep. So the question is, Mr. Chester Gould, where's Jack?

That's right, Maisie. How does South America sound? Hey, look up my friend Judge Harpe.

I bet Moon is a swell dancer. Look at those moves.

*snif*

 

[Fading Fast]

...While Joe Louis and Arturo Godoy finish training for their upcoming heavyweight championship fight on Friday, Pittsburgh's Billy Conn is calling himself "the man of destiny" who will take Louis's crown. "He'll still be around when I'm ready for him," vows the 175-pound Irishman.....

Oh but for twenty more pounds and Conn's career could have been so different (the plaint of many a light heavyweight champion). That said, in his first fight with Louis, and despite being outweighed by (from memory) 20-plus pounds, most argued he had it won if he hadn't gone for a late-round knockout only to be knocked out by Louis.

... And in the Mary Worth movie, Milt Lewis will be played by Charles Lane.....

Maybe a bit too young, but Zachary Scott could also play Milt Lewis.

...
H&H's new campaign targeting compulsive gamblers is a bit risky. Maybe they should install levers on the sides of their machines to give an added fillip....

What exactly does this mean? Is it some sort of promotion where a certain number of customers "win" two nickels back or is H&H arguing its food is worth more than you pay for it?

...
So Marty -- your thoughts on Singh-Singh?....

I believe Marty would've been quite active had he lived in the age of social media.

... Well, John, you *could* quit. What could happen?....

I'm basically new to LOA, so I don't know the backstory, but it's nice to see a female law partner.

... View attachment 211282
Blaze must weigh, what, 250 pounds, at least, and seems to be in pretty good shape in spite of it to be leaping around like this. So what I'm saying, Singh-Singh, is why mess around with treacherous minions, when you could have the steel-cage match of a lifetime?...

In "Boardwalk Empire," Steve Buscemi plays gangster Nucky Thompson and for the first several seasons he comes off as an almost effeminate gangster - fancy clothes, lives in a hotel with a butler, picky about his meals, etc. - and while he's good as a high-level mafia man, you often wondered how he got there. Then, in a later season, he's forced back to battle in the streets and darn it if he doesn't surprise you with grit, fight and street cunning you didn't think he had in him. Sure that's TV, like this is comics, but it's all based on real life and the hoods who make it up from the street, still have the street in them.

...[ OK, so Dad Kroywen's stooge looked a lot like Manny Pep. And now we have a cabbie who looks like Moe Pep. So the question is, Mr. Chester Gould, where's Jack?...

Showing the path of the bullet bouncing off the building with the aid of the "zing" sound effect is wonderful.

... *snif*

That's dark.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"He can run -- but he can't hide," as declared by Louis before the Conn fight, has to be one of the greatest sports quotes of all.

I think the idea H&H is going for here is "don't throw your nickels away in some slot machine in the back room of a bar. Go have a slice of pie and you'll never be a loser." Words to live by.

John's law partner there is named "Tally Rand," and she started out as a sharp-eared secretary with a law degree, only to gain a partnership when Judge Harpe's shady dealings came to the fore and he was pushed out of the firm.

If we don't get a throwdown between Blaze and Singh before this is over, I for one am going to be terribly disappointed. The Cap'n will clean Singh's clock.

I can remember when the biggest thing young Harold had to worry about was where he was going to get the money to buy a pair of two-toned corduroy pants. Growing up sucks.

 

[Fading Fast]

"He can run -- but he can't hide," as declared by Louis before the Conn fight, has to be one of the greatest sports quotes of all.....

This isn't a bad Louis quote either referring to Conn's bad decision to go for a knockout instead of taking an all but assured decision in his favor (from Wikipedia):

Later he [Conn] would joke with Louis, "Why couldn't you let me hold the title for a year or so?", to which the Brown Bomber responded, "You had the title for twelve rounds and you couldn't hold on to it."


Separately, Tally Rand - awesome name.