The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

...A veteran pickpocket with a record going back more than thirty years was caught in the act by a photographer at a wedding in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Murray Winters, well-known Manhattan dip, denied he was in New Jersey on April 28th, or that he lifted a walled containing $36 from the father of the bride during a wedding at St. Anthony's R. C. Church. But wedding photographs obtained by police clearly revealed Winters with his hand in Angelo Caprio's pocket. Winters, whose first pocket-picking conviction dates to 1909, was struck speechless when police showed him the photos. "What the hell," he finally replied, "can I say now?"...

And yes, there's a movie about pickpockets, "Pickup on South Street" from 1953.

Richard Widmark facing us on the right as the dip with his mark, Jean Peters, on the left.

My comments on the movie here #26953

... (Why walk a mile when you can fly?)...

If I'm reading this right (not at all sure that I am), that's some bold BS even for the Boys as they are claiming that, because Camels "burn slower," you get the equivalent of 5 extra cigarettes per pack which, effectively, is the same as not having to pay state and local taxes. As noted, maybe I'm confused, but that's how I read this ad. I have to believe the other cigarette companies were screaming mad over it.

... View attachment 235185
("Half Southern fried chicken?" wonders Joe. "Where's the other half from, Tuckahoe?" "Be nice to eat out once in a while in a place where ya don't hafta put a nickel in a slot," hints Sally.)...

Is Sally disparaging H&H? Dems fightin' words.

...
(Guess who's gonna get a hole 'accidentally' burned in her best bloomers next time?)....

That's one round-house right she threw.

...Hundreds of Brooklyn women thronged local stores today to get their first glimpse of the new nylon stockings. Made of the synthetic duPont "miracle fiber," the nylon hosiery sells in three different grades at $1.15, $1.25, and $1.35 per pair. Most stores are limiting initial sales to two pairs per customer due to limited supplies. One department store buyer estimates that there are not 30,000 dozen pairs of nylon hose in the entire city. Manufacturers stress that the new stockings are not invulnerable to snags or runs -- but they should snag and run somewhat less easily than silk, and should also hold their shape better providing that care instructions are followed....

Had a fugue moment there when they were talking about limiting it to two per customer - thought they were talking about hand sanitizers or toilet paper rolls.

... (As soon as Leona is out of Mary's sphere of influence, the old passive-aggressiveness returns. Panel two is priceless.)...

No kidding, that belongs in the dictionary next to "passive aggressive."

... (Well, perfect order other than that SMASHED OUT WINDOW, but who'd notice a small detail like that?)

No kidding (again), hard to miss that window or the still-wet blood-stained rug (no way water cleaned that up entirely).

...
I dunno if I'd recommend making any long-term plans that involve Italy right now, even if they did have a nifty pavilion. And George Clark must have a teen-age daughter of his own, because his portraits and portrayals are just perfect.....

Nice to see a little Hanky-panky back in the Daily News. And our boy Barrymore at least got a reference.

... View attachment 235206 I imagine Nick will get plenty out of Mr. Fedor here, but I'd rather they'd put the bag on Ivan, just because of his spectacular moustache....

You can really see and hear Sydney Greenstreet in Nick today.

... Skeezix would have been better served by going into full social isolation until all this publicity blows over.....

Again, what's with this town, has everyone lost their minds over $175?

And just a note, the one thing that is really, really hard and expensive to alter (and never comes out right anyway) is taking in the shoulders on a suit jacket or sport coat. In that day, any okay store (not just the high-end ones) carried those jacket in size increments of 1 inch. So one, find another store and, two, don't buy it anyway (save your money).

... Are you sure Mama didn't have him rubbed out?...

She has been noticeably absent.

...[ Well, the Yankees aren't doing so good this year.

Think Senga - don't get distracted - you need a marriage license a lot more than $200

 

[LizzieMaine]

Camel ads were consistently the most egregious when it came to making all manner of bogus claims. Where Lucky Strike was satisfied to honk the same old horn about "fine tobacco" ad infnitum, Camels were always firstest with the mostest when it came to creative prevarication. The Camel advertising files at the Tobacco Industry Database make for fascinating and damning reading.

I love that even when he heads out for what surely must figure to be an evening of dirty bloody business, Nick takes the time to get a fresh carnation for his lapel. It's the little things that count.

EAT AT JOE'S!

 

[LizzieMaine]

President Roosevelt today asked a hastily-summoned special session of Congress to approve a $1.182 billion dollar appropriation intended to strengthen the US defenses against "the brutal force of modern offensive war" now raging in Europe. "I believe at this time," declared the President, "that this nation should plan at this time a program that would provide us with 50,000 military and naval planes," although the appropriation sought does not specifically provide for such a fleet. Coupled with a previous request for $2 billion, the program proposed by the President would represent defense spending unparalleled since the World War. "These are ominous days," warned the President, "days whose swift and shocking developments force every neutral nation to look to its defenses" because "the brutal force of modern offensive war has been unleashed in all its horror."

With the veil of secrecy surrounding the Government's stockpiling of vast quantities of crude rubber having been lifted, the Eagle can now recall that more than 10,000 tons of rubber are in storage at an Army terminal in Bay Ridge, with another 33,000 tons on the way. The rubber is part of a vast cotton-rubber exchange deal arranged last year with Great Britain, and will help ensure a supply of the vital material in the event that the war interrupts global production. In addition to the rubber to be stored in Brooklyn, additional supplies are to be laid up at military ports in Boston, Baltimore, and New Orleans.

An eyewitness to the icepick murder of George Rudnick today testified in support of Abe "Kid Twist" Reles' story implicating defendants Harry "Happy" Malone and Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando in the brutal 1937 gangland rub-out. Low-level mobster Julie Catalano took the stand in Kings County Court to corroborate Reles' account of the gruesome slaying, adding that when Malone split open Rudnick's head with a meat cleaver after watching Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss hack the victim up, he said "Let me hit the _______ for luck."

Three successful counterattacks by British forces today drove German invasion troops from Louvain, but elsewhere the Germans are throwing three fresh mechanized divisions against the Maginot Line in the Sedan sector, as French Premier Paul Reynaud warns that the Allies may be forced to "change men and methods" to stem the Nazi offensive. The German divisions numbering approximately 45,000 men appear to be making a frenzied effort to crush the French lines after crossing the Meuse River and gaining a foothold in the Maginot Line defense system.

French officials report that German planes today bombed the Meuse-Argonne cemetery at Romagne, the largest American World War cemetery in Europe. Nearly 15,000 American casualties of the battle of the Argonne Forest are buried in the 136-acre cemetery. American authorities say they have not received confirmation of the bombing.

American diplomatic officials today advised all American citizens to leave Italy as soon as possible, following a declaration by Italian Foreign Minister Ciano that Italy is "no longer interested in expanding Italo-American trade." The remark is interpreted as a strong suggestion that Italy is about to enter the war. Authoritative sources in Rome also state that President Roosevelt's recent plea for peace is unlikely to have any effect on Premier Mussolini.

(A new Page Two feature in the Eagle? Don't know. But I do know that seven years from now, when Milton Caniff resigns from "Terry and the Pirates" to create a new strip, "Steve Canyon," the adventures of Terry, Pat, and their friends will be taken over by the fellow who drew the above. George Wunder will continue TATP from 1947 until it ends in 1973.)

(Yum.)

The proprietors of a Bedford-Stuyvesant manufacturer of shade pulls and lamp tassels will be required to step up the payment of restitution to employees they defrauded of wages guaranteed under the Federal Wage-Hour Law or face prison and additional fines. Irving and Ada Rosen of 168 Walworth Street, owners of the Rose Manufacturing Company, were ordered to pay a total of more than $3000 in resitution to over 200 women who were paid as little as three cents an hour, and whose time cards were regularly falsified to cheat them out of even that small sum. The couple has paid a total of $1117 to the workers since they were ordered to do so in February of this year, and Judge Matthew T. Abruzzo today ordered the Rosens to pay the rest of the remaining $2151 on the basis of $300 a month, along with outstanding fines, or be subject to additional penalties. Judge Abruzzo warned Mr. Rosen that he faces a year in prison and a $20,000 fine if he defaults on the requirement, and his wife will face an additional $20,000 fine of her own.

(Just what I look for in meat -- tissue decomposition hastened by patented Westinghouse Research. But this seems to be the first ad that Bohack has chosen to run in the Eagle in a very long time, so it must be something, right?)

("Yes I did, Professor. A somewhat elementary exposition, but nonetheless interesting. And isn't it a sad commentary on the times we live in that even with my advanced degree in mathematics from Spelman College, the only job I can get is cleaning up after your pudgy white backside? Something to think about, sir.")

The most ardent Brooklyn Dodger fan in Amityville died yesterday at his home, as the result of a stroke suffered while listening to the radio broadcast of Tex Carleton's recent no-hitter against the Reds. Seventy-eight year old Frank W. Gardiner, the son of a whaling captain who, in his youth, played shortstop for the Amityville village baseball team, was a regular visitor to Ebbets Field since it opened in 1913, frequently attending games in recent years as a guest of the Amityville Police Department.

An impressive relief performance by Mr. Van Lingle Mungo almost overshadowed yesterday's 5-2 Dodger loss to the Reds. Starter Whit Wyatt got his walking papers from the Rhineland boys in the very first inning, with Bill Werber opening the game with a home run, and events going downhill from there. Leo summoned Mr. Mungo from the bullpen after the Reds had pasted the unfortunate Mr. Wyatt for four runs, and Van not only closed down the scoring but held the Cincinnatians scoreless for the next seven frames. The Flock failed to produce the offense necessary to support Mungo's fine pitching effort, but Durocher says he's so pleased with Van's performance that he's going to slot him in the starting rotation for a while to see what happens. As for Mr. Wyatt, who has been pounded in his last two outings, Lippy says he'll send the big Georgian out again tomorrow against the Cardinals since he didn't get much of a workout yesterday.

Today the Dodgers and Reds close out their series at Ebbets Field in a game that will determine first place in the National League. Luke Hamlin is likely to get the nod today with Paul Derringer set to go for Cincinnati.

Joe DiMaggio denies reports that he has hired boxing manager Joe Gould and former heavyweight champion James Braddock in an unspecified capacity and says that he is not paying Gould and Braddock twelve percent of his gross salary. DiMaggio was summoned to the office of Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis in Chicago to explain the reports, and will say only that he told the Commissioner they were not true. Asked if the Commissioner ordered him not to discuss the details of the meeting, DiMaggio smiled and said "Well, he sort of indicated that much."

Clifford Evans says "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss has decided not to sing to District Attorney William O'Dwyer after all, having provided the DA with information that was either untrue or useless in exchange for being tried separately from "Happy" Malone" and "Dasher" Abbandando. O'Dwyer is now through with Strauss, and will offer him no further deals as the dapper Murder For Hire operative prepares to go on trial for the incineration of Puggy Feinstein.

Opening today at Loew's Metropolitan, it's Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell in "Broadway Melody of 1940," paired with Pat O'Brien and Edward Arnold in "Slightly Honorable." Coming soon to the Met: "Rebecca."

At the Patio, meanwhile, it's Anne Sheridan and John Garfield in "Castle on the Hudson," paired with W. C. Fields and Mae West in "My Little Chickadee."

Fred Allen will decamp from New York after his June 5th broadcast to finish out his radio season in Hollywood, where he'll be starting work on his upcoming "feud" picture for Paramount with Jack Benny. Mr. Allen is looking forward to working with his favorite friendly enemy, noting that "Benny is so vain, he puts salt on his toupee so people will think he has dandruff."

(This storyline wore thin a while ago, but I still can't get enough of the way Mr. Tuthill draws elephant faces. I'd pay to see a Bungle crossover with Babar.)

(The part of John Blackston will be played today by Dennis O'Keefe. Put your eyes back in your head, fella.)

(This sentry wouldn't last five minutes at Nick Gatt's farm.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News..

The News loves it a good gangland trial. And somehow with the war going like it is now, having Zasu Pitts presiding over the Court of Peace is somehow fitting. "Ohhhhh dearrrrrrrrr...."

1940 is The Year of Superman, and the licensed-merchandisers are on the ball as we move toward summer. But this just doesn't cut it. What kid would want a Superman suit with PICTURES OF SUPERMAN printed on the groin? To say nothing of the weird outlines of the legs on the pants. And sleeves are 11 cents extra? Who came up with this, Luthor?

Well now, that was quick.

Gee, thanks for the help, Mr. Dog Food Store Clerk. Don't you have a whistle you can blow or something?

"Where's that bottle of paregoric?"

HEY PAT! HEY BLAZE! HEY SCOTTISH CAPTAIN-TYPE GUY! ANYBODY!

Skeezix posts in the "What Are You Wearing Today" thread.

The Bank of Senga. "Substantial Penalties for Early..."

"Nice Ink, dude."

 

[Fading Fast]

... View attachment 235490 (A new Page Two feature in the Eagle? Don't know. But I do know that seven years from now, when Milton Caniff resigns from "Terry and the Pirates" to create a new strip, "Steve Canyon," the adventures of Terry, Pat, and their friends will be taken over by the fellow who drew the above. George Wunder will continue TATP from 1947 until it ends in 1973.)...

Since I only think I know the name "Steve Canyon," I'm assuming it wasn't nearly as successful as TATP?

...
(Yum.)...

What no indirect (and, hence, uncompensated) tie to a famous person drinking it? A&S' advertising department is slipping or developing a conscience.

...
(Just what I look for in meat -- tissue decomposition hastened by patented Westinghouse Research. But this seems to be the first ad that Bohack has chosen to run in the Eagle in a very long time, so it must be something, right?)...

The ad does have a bit of a modern touch with the "no chemicals are added to the meat; there is no precooking and no mechanical treatment."

...An impressive relief performance by Mr. Van Lingle Mungo almost overshadowed yesterday's 5-2 Dodger loss to the Reds. Starter Whit Wyatt got his walking papers from the Rhineland boys in the very first inning, with Bill Werber opening the game with a home run, and events going downhill from there. Leo summoned Mr. Mungo from the bullpen after the Reds had pasted the unfortunate Mr. Wyatt for four runs, and Van not only closed down the scoring but held the Cincinnatians scoreless for the next seven frames. The Flock failed to produce the offense necessary to support Mungo's fine pitching effort, but Durocher says he's so pleased with Van's performance that he's going to slot him in the starting rotation for a while to see what happens. As for Mr. Wyatt, who has been pounded in his last two outings, Lippy says he'll send the big Georgian out again tomorrow against the Cardinals since he didn't get much of a workout yesterday....

Wheaties won't be renewing Whit's contract (nor will The Dodgers) if he doesn't start pitching better.

...
1940 is The Year of Superman, and the licensed-merchandisers are on the ball as we move toward summer. But this just doesn't cut it. What kid would want a Superman suit with PICTURES OF SUPERMAN printed on the groin? To say nothing of the weird outlines of the legs on the pants. And sleeves are 11 cents extra? Who came up with this, Luthor?...

And "navy" colored pants - I don't think so.

... The Bank of Senga. "Substantial Penalties for Early..."...

Now Lizzie, behave.


Extra: The Eagle vs. The Daily News in Today's Comic Strip Soft Porn Contest.
Vote for your favorite: The Eagle's "Mary Worth" panel 3 or The Daily New's "Harold Teen" panel 3?



Winner announced in tomorrow's paper.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Caniff stayed with "Canyon" until he died in 1988, and our local paper here carried it for a good part of that time, but it was never a strip that really appealed to me -- Steve was an Air Force pilot, and seemed like an awfully stern, straight-laced type of establishment figure. The art was gorgeous, of course, but I never cared for the stories -- there was little of the rollicking never-know-what's-coming-next quality that TATP had in its prime.

Of course, Wunder's take on Terry wasn't as much fun as Caniff's either, having long since gotten bogged down in tedious Cold War military stuff (Terry grew to become a Colonel in the Air Force just like Steve Canyon, and Pat was a Commander in Naval Intelligence, and there were just too many uniforms for it to be much fun.)

I can't believe Siegel and Shuster signed off on that cheesy Superman promotion, but on the other hand, they probably never saw it until the deal was done. Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz were like that.

I guess Dressen and Fitzsimmons didn't get their point across to Mr. Wyatt, or his knee is acting up more than he wants to admit. Durocher doesn't sound too pleased with him either -- I don't imagine a manager today would take a pitcher who got his brains knocked out in the first inning and stick him right back out there again two days later. It Was A Gentler Time.

These have been a couple of interesting days for Lippy. That business in the first game of the Reds series where they were saying the ball hit the umpire must be the first -- and only -- time in his career that Mr. Durocher got into a situation where he was arguing *in defense* of an umpire.

Some days the cheesecake is just too much. I wish Mr. Willard would stick Mamie Mullins in a pose like that sometime just to take the p.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Allied troops were reported tonight to have fallen back along a 115-mile front from Antwerp to Sedan, with the British Government issuing an official warning to the public that "the situation is grave." The German High Command claims tonight that its armored speed columns have blasted thru the central Allied lines in Belgium, and that the last Allied resistance in Brussels "has been crushed." The Belgian Government has fled the capital to establish a base at Ostrand on Belgium's North Sea coast. The whereabouts of King Leopold, who had been reported earlier to have taken personal command of his troops, are not presently known.

German reports from France claim that Nazi troops have penetrated the Maginot Line along a sixty-two mile front, with two French generals, 12,000 troops, and "much booty" having been captured southeast of Sedan. Meanwhile, Luftwaffe raids are reported to have destroyed railroad lines in France and Belgium, and that troop trains, troop concentrations, and lines of marching men have been "devastatingly" cut down from the air.

President Roosevelt today revealed that the Navy may recommission all thirty-five destroyers remaining from the World War that have not already been restored to active service. The President in a news conference at the White House also stated that consideration is being given to the question of Government financing for new defense-production plants. These plants would be privately owned, but directly operated by the Government. The Presdient's statements today came as Congress rushed thru consideration of his proposed billion-dollar defense program, with the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee endorsing the plan after three hours of debate. The package will be take up by the full committee on Monday.

A wave of violent liquidation swept thru the stock market today in the wake of discouraging war news from Europe, with some leaders down by 5 to 10 points, and steels down an average of 8 points, in heavy trading. The market recovered somewhat before closing this afternoon, with some recoveries in the range of 3 points.

Firemen rescued a 42-year-old English-born porter who was threatening to leap to his death from a third-floor ledge at Brooklyn Hospital. Thomas Watson was pulled to safety this afternoon by men lowered from the fourth floor, as rescuers on the ground put up a net and a ladder. A handful of students on their way to classes at Brooklyn Technical High School were the only witnesses to the incident. Patients in the hospital itself were entirely unaware of the excitement outside. Watson had gained access to the ledge by kicking out a large plate-glass window in the hospital solarium and threatened to slash his wrists with a fragment as he climbed outside. He is now being treated in the emergency room , and will be transferred to Kings County Hospital for observation.

A 25-year-old unemployed former U. S. Marine was ordered to get down on his knees in Bridge Plaza Court today and apologize to his mother. Nick Tedesco had been brought before Magistrate Jacob Eilperin on a disorderly conduct charge filed by his mother, Mrs. Frances Tedesco of 863 Dean Street, who claimed that her son had shouted at her and thrown things around the house. Asked by the Magistrate why he did these things, Tedesco replied "I guess it was human nature." "Is it human nature," roared the Magistrate, "to abuse your mother? Abuse is fostered by hatred, and hatred is destroying civilization abroad. I command you to get down on your knees and beg forgiveness of your mother!" Chastened, Tedesco did so, and when the Magsitrate further ordered him to kiss his mother, he complied. As the Tedescos were leaving the courtroom, Magistrate Eilperin commanded the young man to take his mother's arm, and he did so.

The escalation of the war in Belgium has disrupted plans for the dedication of the Belgian Pavilion at the World's Fair, with all Belgian military officers now in the United States for that ceremony ordered to return to their homeland at once for active service at the front. In addition, male Belgian citizens of military age who had been engaged to work at the Pavilion restaurant, including eight cooks, are expected to be given their mobilization orders soon. Dedication ceremonies at the pavilion were to have taken place tomorrow.

("They get a radio star to crown me -- and it's Henry Aldrich?? What a gyp!")

The New York East Conference of the Methodist Church, continuing its 93rd Annual Session at St. John's Methodist Church on Bedford Avenue, issued a resolution today condemning war as un-Christian, and proclaiming its support for Methodist youth who declare themselves conscientious objectors to military service. Ministers and lay delegates from 280 churches are attending the conference, which continues thru Monday.

Cool heads will prevail for Brooklyn gentlemen this summer, with Leghorn straw hats all the mode -- worn with interchangeable puggee bands in an assortment of bright colors. Hopsack Panamas will also be popular, with colorful tied-on bands in the Nassau fashion of decorating a hat with a bandana. Women, you'd better go along with your husbands when they buy, to make sure they pick a shape that's becoming to their faces.

"Gone With The Wind" continues its tour of the better neighborhood theatres around the borough, opening Sunday at the Harbor Theatre in Bay Ridge. All evening and Sunday matinee performances will be reserved-seat only, with reservations now being accepted. Continuous weekday matinees will be available on a general admission basis.

Out in Valley Stream, the Sunrise Hiway Drive-In offers Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart in "Next Time We Love." "His Girl Friday" opens at the Sunrise next week.

John "The Baker" Liberto, a man who by his own admission "only reads the pictures in the newspapers," testified today in the trial of Harry "Happy" Malone and Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando that he was playing cards across the street the night George Rudnick was hacked to death. Liberto told the court he saw Rudnick enter the garage at 2310 Atlantic Avenue accompanied by the defendants, and said he was "puzzled" when he didn't see Rudnick come out. "I soiched all over the place for him when they left." Liberto stated, "but I didn't find him. Dat night, I seen his picture in the papers."

The principal of Samuel Tilden High School is outraged by the treatment of a group of his students by gate attendants at Ebbets Field, who turned away a large group of girls who tried to attend a game Wednesday afternoon using free tickets provided by the team thru the Brooklyn Dodger Knot-Hole Gang. Dr. Abraham Lefkowitz protested the refusal to admit the girls in a strongly-worded letter to team president Larry MacPhail, who has not responded. Team secretary Jack Collins, who administers the Knot Hole promotion for the Dodgers, would only state that girls have generally not been allowed to participate in the club, noting that they are taken care of during the team's regular Ladies Day promotions, and he blamed the situation on 'an unfortunate misunderstanding' on the part of the school, which should have distributed the tickets only to boys.

(Sally crumples the paper and flings it across the table. "The NOIVE o' that guy!" she spits. "I'm goin' downa candy store right now an' I'm gonna call th' big cheese himself, that MacPhail! He's gonna hear it! No! No! Better'n that! I'm gonna go right up there ta Montague Street right now, an' I'm gonna go right in that office, an' I'm gonna tell him what for right to his face! Th' big BUM! He ain't gettin' away with this!" For a brief instant, Joe considers rolling his eyes, but immediately thinks better of it.)

(Mary and Bill, the untold story.)

(Sally will not be swayed by a Ladies Day ticket.)

Yesterday's afternoon rain halted the final game of the Dodgers-Reds series at Ebbets Field, and that contest will be rescheduled as a doubleheader the next time the Reds come to town. Manager Leo Durocher theorizes that a big part of the problem with his pitching staff is that, with so many rainouts over the first month of the season, his hurlers just haven't been getting enough work. Today, Durocher remains committed to using Whit Wyatt, who was pounded out of the box by the Reds without retiring a batter in his last outing, to open the series against the Cardinals. Leo says there is nothing fundamentally wrong with Wyatt, with his arm strong and his knee not giving him trouble, and that all the big Georgian needs is time to work out the kinks in his motion.

A month into the campaign, the Dodgers lead the National League in home attendance, with 145,763 having paid their way into Ebbets Field since Opening Day, an average of 16,186 fans a game.

Fred Allen's last program this season, on June 28th will be his last for Bristol-Myers Company, with the New England comedian opening for an oil company sponsor in the fall, likely on CBS. The drug firm, meanwhile, has signed Eddie Cantor to do a half-hour Wednesday night show starting in October, instead of the full hour Allen has been doing for them since 1934. The drug firm may present another program in the remaining half hour of the period, or may relinquish it to another sponsor. Cantor has been off the air since last year, when remarks made by the comedian criticizing Father Coughlin caused his then-sponsor, a cigarette firm, to drop his program.

(The poor elephant has been thru this all before.)

(Leona and Raven Sherman are long lost sisters. Please let it be so.)

(Another fortress in the woods. Seriously? I mean, don't any of the bad guys in the Dan Dunn Universe have their bases in the back room of a candy store?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Check in again in a month.

Never marry anybody called "Count" anything. Good advice to live by.

"PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETEEEEEEEEEEEEY!"

Nick's hoods always take pride in a job well done.

There are no Bad Dogs. Only Bad Dog Owners.

I'd forgotten all about Sanjak -- who is a hard-boiled cross-dressing monocle-wearing French lesbian criminal who had designs on April. "Hey kids, comics!"

When you've got somewhat less now than $175 in your pocket, you have all the friends you could ever want.

You coulda mailed yourself parcel post to Hollywood and been there by now. Just sayin'.

I don't think we've ever been told exactly where Senga comes from, but her last name is "LaFleur," and if she's French, I can certainly understand why she wouldn't want to go home just now.

 

[Fading Fast]

..."Gone With The Wind" continues its tour of the better neighborhood theatres around the borough, opening Sunday at the Harbor Theatre in Bay Ridge. All evening and Sunday matinee performances will be reserved-seat only, with reservations now being accepted. Continuous weekday matinees will be available on a general admission basis....

...Out in Valley Stream, the Sunrise Hiway Drive-In offers Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart in "Next Time We Love." ...

"Next Time We Love" is based on the Ursula Parrott book "Next Time We Live" (IMBD's info is only partly right on this one). Parrott was a successful author of the '20s and '30s who wrote romantic page turners that are still enjoyable to read today just as stories, but also, for their time-travel.

And, as opposed to period novels today, which bring modern biases, books of the period are free of those, but have plenty of their own of-the-day biases (which is a window into the period). What you get from Parrott is that relationships and roles back then were much more complex than code-enforced movies would have us believe. Women had careers then and didn't always want to give them up for marriage, etc.

If you are new to Parrott, I'd recommend starting with her book "Ex-wife." It's a fun read that was also made into the very good (and risqué) pre-code movie "The Divorcee."

...
(Sally will not be swayed by a Ladies Day ticket.)...

I was surprised to learn that "Ladies Day" was every Friday that had a home game, I assumed it was one game during the season. Also, since they give the tickets away, why is there a tax due on them? Usually, a tax is based on a sale price.

Note the Trylon and Perisphere in the the pamphlet in the man's hands: A&S can't help itself and has to glam some free Fair shine.

... (Leona and Raven Sherman are long lost sisters. Please let it be so.)...

That would be awesome: twins separated at birth with Raven having had the, obviously, tougher upbringing.

...
Never marry anybody called "Count" anything. Good advice to live by....

Agreed. That said, in this case, when a woman has four divorces under her belt before she is 30, I'm thinking the problem isn't just with the husbands.

... Nick's hoods always take pride in a job well done.....

And kudos to Gray as good story telling often mixes two different cultures to see how they interact and today you have the true-believer fanatic who wants to slowly expound on the brilliance of Axel's takeover-of-the-United-States plan juxtaposed with Nick's New-Yorker-ordering-a-sandwich-in-a-hurry approach to getting information. It's beautiful to see.

... I'd forgotten all about Sanjak -- who is a hard-boiled cross-dressing monocle-wearing French lesbian criminal who had designs on April. "Hey kids, comics!"....

Hopefully Sanjak will pop up again - her I'd like to meet (as, I'd bet, would Raven).

Also, note to Mr. March, do you see how effective thought bubbles can be when the author wants us to know what a character is thinking, but they don't want him or her to speak out loud?

... When you've got somewhat less now than $175 in your pocket, you have all the friends you could ever want....

All this over $175

... I don't think we've ever been told exactly where Senga comes from, but her last name is "LaFleur," and if she's French, I can certainly understand why she wouldn't want to go home just now.

From where exactly is Senga's voicing coming from in panel 3 based on the talk line? I don't think that's an accident as she knows what she needs to do to execute on her plan.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I actually have a Dodger Ladies Day ticket in my hand right now -- for the June 10, 1942 game against the Cardinals. It's a gray card about the size of abusiness card that says "This Ticket is Good For General Admission to One Lady to Main Grand Stand -- upon payment of 10 cents Federal Tax and 25 cents Service Charge." Signed, L. S. MacPhail.

The Federal tax is an amusement tax that applied at that time to all tickets to all ticketed events -- movies, shows, sports, etc. The only tickets of the Era that I've seen without it shown are tickets to radio shows. And of course, the Service Charge goes to help pay the cost of those fine turnstile guards who turn away little girls with a smile.

THe back of the ticket also notes that it may be exchanged for Reserved or Box Seat sections upon the payment of the price differential at the exchange windows on the first and third base sides. In other words, if you get in and can't find a decent seat, Laughing Larry will be happy to sell you a good seat at the regular price, and you might as well because you're already here.

Ladies Day was a very popular promotion in Brooklyn in spite of the chicanery -- especially after radio broadcasts of Dodger games began in 1939, they probably had the biggest female fanbase in the league. And also the best-looking infield, but I guess that's a subjective judgement.

Sanjak in action, in March 1939. She was posing as the manager of a Shanghai hotel when she took notice of April, who was working as Pat's secretary, and abducted her along with a shipment of gold passing thru the hotel. April was eventually rescued, but the experience was highly traumatic. Pat and Terry rescued April, but Sanjak escaped and hasn't been seen since. Which means, as the rules of the Terryverse have it, that she is still out there and will eventually reappear, probably when least expected.

And you will note just how clever Mr. Caniff is when you consider that the Island of Lesbos was part of a "sanjak," or administrative district, under the Ottoman Empire.

 

[Fading Fast]

I actually have a Dodger Ladies Day ticket in my hand right now -- for the June 10, 1942 game against the Cardinals. It's a gray card about the size of abusiness card that says "This Ticket is Good For General Admission to One Lady to Main Grand Stand -- upon payment of 10 cents Federal Tax and 25 cents Service Charge." Signed, L. S. MacPhail.

The Federal tax is an amusement tax that applied at that time to all tickets to all ticketed events -- movies, shows, sports, etc. The only tickets of the Era that I've seen without it shown are tickets to radio shows. And of course, the Service Charge goes to help pay the cost of those fine turnstile guards who turn away little girls with a smile.

THe back of the ticket also notes that it may be exchanged for Reserved or Box Seat sections upon the payment of the price differential at the exchange windows on the first and third base sides. In other words, if you get in and can't find a decent seat, Laughing Larry will be happy to sell you a good seat at the regular price, and you might as well because you're already here.

Ladies Day was a very popular promotion in Brooklyn in spite of the chicanery -- especially after radio broadcasts of Dodger games began in 1939, they probably had the biggest female fanbase in the league. And also the best-looking infield, but I guess that's a subjective judgement.

View attachment 235841
Sanjak in action, in March 1939. She was posing as the manager of a Shanghai hotel when she took notice of April, who was working as Pat's secretary, and abducted her along with a shipment of gold passing thru the hotel. April was eventually rescued, but the experience was highly traumatic. Pat and Terry rescued April, but Sanjak escaped and hasn't been seen since. Which means, as the rules of the Terryverse have it, that she is still out there and will eventually reappear, probably when least expected.

And you will note just how clever Mr. Caniff is when you consider that the Island of Lesbos was part of a "sanjak," or administrative district, under the Ottoman Empire.

Neat that you have the ticket. And good tax info - thank you.

I'm not defending Larry in any small- or big-picture way, but as long as you only had to pay the differential for the more expensive ticket, then it seems fair to me as you are still getting the economic benefit of the Ladies Day Ticket. Unless, of course, he made sure there were no or only a few available GA seats.

Thank you for the Sanjak comic strip - nothing subtle going on there. TT&P, LOA and MW continue to shine for complex adult story telling.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Antwerp has fallen to the Nazis. The swastika flag is flying today over the Belgian city, as well as Brussels, Malines, and Louvain. German reports state that heavy aerial bombardment has turned the Allied withdrawal into a retreat "which at a number of places resembles a rout."

Meanwhile, the left wing of the German invasion force has pushed even deeper into France, with its advance guard now reported to have penetrated to within sixty miles of Paris, with the bulk of the force now within a hundred miles of the French capital. French reports dispute the former claim, stating that no part of the German line has come closer than a hundred miles to Paris. Thousands of French 75s, famous three-inch guns of World War days, were rushed to the Meuse salient today to fire at point-blank range upon the thirty-and-seventy-ton armored vehicles that are closing in on the capital. The guns are accompanied by front-line French shock troops, who are dashing in at the German infantry protecting the oncoming tanks.

An air raid alert sounded in Paris today at 4:20 pm local time -- 11:20 am Brooklyn time.

In a sudden reconstruction of the French Cabinet, Premier Paul Reynaud has taken charge of the War Ministry, and has appointed World War hero Marshal Henri Philippe Petain Vice-Premier, and Edouard Deladier, former Premier, Foreign Minister.

Former President Herbert Hoover, Belgian ambassador to the United States Robert van der Straaten-Ponthoz, and Dr. Joseph Gevaert, Belgian Commissioner General To The Fair, will dedicate the Belgian Pavilion at the World's Fair this afternoon. Because of the unprecedented interest in world events, war news bulletins will be broadcast each hour on the hour over 117 outlets of the Fair's public address system, allowing Fair visitors to follow the progress of events on the Western Front.

The first of fifteen defense witnesses who will try to establish an alibi for two Brownsville gangsters accused in the 1937 Murder-for-Hire elimination of petty hoodlum George "Whitey" Rudnick will testify on Monday. The alibi for defendant Harry "Happy" Malone will state that he was attending his grandmother's wake at the time Rudnick was hacked to death in an Atlantic Avenue garage. The alibi for co-defendant Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando has not yet been revealed. The prosecution rested its case today after presenting twenty-six witnesses, including two eye-witnesses who told the court they saw the two committing the murder.

The recent realignment of the British Cabinet under Prime Minister Winston Churchill is seen by knowledgeable observers as leading toward a "more friendly" attitude toward the Soviet Union. Inclusion of the Labor and Liberal Parties in the new coalition government is expected to open the way to expanded trade and diplomatic initiatives toward Russia in place of the "stiff necked" policy pursued by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and his Conservative government. A softening of attacks against the Soviet government in the London press has already been noted.

The president of Brooklyn College stated in an address today that America's future may depend on its people's willingness to accept a lower standard of living. President Harry Gideonse, speaking before the 46th annual convention of the New Jersey Federation of Women's Clubs in Atlantic City, warned that the continuing rush for higher living standards has forced Americans into "specialized jobs," which leave their "abilities and emotions open to the exploitation of the quack with his 'isms'." Dr. Gideonse argued that "Democracy must be saved by regaining our old cohesion, our likemindedness, agreement on principles and goals."

The Eagle Editorialist is skeptical that the "nylon revolution" will amount to much, noting that most of the women swarming stores this week to buy stockings made from the new "miracle fiber" seemed to pay no notice at all to signs warning that the new hose will snag and run just like regular silk stockings.

(1940 -- the Golden Age of the Armchair General.)

One of Brooklyn's few remaining veterans of the Civil War died in his sleep yesterday at his Glenwood Road home. Peter Bender was 94 years old, and had served as a fifer in Company B of the 173rd New York Volunteers. Mr. Bender was present at the famous Battle of Cedar Creek, and had vivid memories of "Sheridan's Ride," although he always insisted that the ride began six miles away from the battle, and not twenty as claimed in the famous poem.

The Dodgers have found their bats again, slugging their way to a 4-3 win over the Cardinals yesterday, with homers by Phelps and Camilli pacing the attack. Rookie shortstop Pee Wee Reese snagged a hard-hit liner off the bat of Jimmy Brown to squelch a St. Louis threat and end the game. Whit Wyatt went the distance for his third win of the season against two losses, and appears to have solved his striding problem, coming down firmly on his front foot with each delivery.

Joe Vosmik may be back in the lineup as early as tomorrow in left field, wearing a corset to protect his injured back, and that will force Durocher to move the red-hot Dixie Walker to right field. Dixie's bat is too torrid to come out of the lineup, with Walker having hit in seven straight games since joining the regulars during the Cubs series in Chicago.

Luke Hamlin will get the start today to close out the Cardinal series, with Tex Carleton expected to face the Cubs tomorrow.

The Cardinals don't like the Dodgers, and St. Louis manager Ray Blades has made that official team policy. Any Cardinal who so much as speaks to any Dodger will be fined $5.

Alice Faye portrays the idol of the Gay 90s in "Lillian Russell," now showing at the Roxy, and Herbert Cohn says that while Miss Faye brings her own personal charm to the role, she is nothing whatsoever like the real Miss Russell.

At the Patio this week, it's Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, and Melvyn Douglas in "Too Many Husbands," along with Charles Laughton and Vivien Leigh in "Sidewalks of London."

("Sure, bud, anything ya want. Them pink ones are very distractin'."

(If Harold Teen grows up to become a lawyer, he'll be John Blackston.)

(TIED TO A CHAIR IN THE CELLAR?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Torso Murders" were common enough at the time to have a distinctive name, especially after the "Torso Murderer of Cleveland," who terrorized that city in the mid-thirties.

Odds that Raven is now coming down with the cholera stand at 1-1.

Nick in panel 3: Gangland's Buddha.

"Big Witch?" Come now, Junior, you can speak more plainly than that.

Salvador Dali finds work as a window-dresser.

Well, if Andy thinks so, then that can't possibly be it.

"Well, since you've got all my money, I can't go home -- so, um, I guess so, maybe..."

It's tough to be a kid.

 

[Fading Fast]

Antwerp has fallen to the Nazis. The swastika flag is flying today over the Belgian city, as well as Brussels, Malines, and Louvain. German reports state that heavy aerial bombardment has turned the Allied withdrawal into a retreat "which at a number of places resembles a rout."

Meanwhile, the left wing of the German invasion force has pushed even deeper into France, with its advance guard now reported to have penetrated to within sixty miles of Paris, with the bulk of the force now within a hundred miles of the French capital. French reports dispute the former claim, stating that no part of the German line has come closer than a hundred miles to Paris. Thousands of French 75s, famous three-inch guns of World War days, were rushed to the Meuse salient today to fire at point-blank range upon the thirty-and-seventy-ton armored vehicles that are closing in on the capital. The guns are accompanied by front-line French shock troops, who are dashing in at the German infantry protecting the oncoming tanks....

And when the Germans get 25 miles closer, this famous couple will have this exchange in a Paris bar:

Ilsa: Was that cannon fire or is it my heart pounding?
Rick: Ah, that's the new German 77, and judging by the sound, only about thirty-five miles away - and getting closer every minute.


This cocktail was named for the famous French 75 gun:

French 75 is a cocktail made from gin, Champagne, lemon juice, and sugar. It is also called a 75 Cocktail, or in French simply a Soixante Quinze (Seventy Five).

The drink dates to World War I, and an early form was created in 1915 at the New York Bar in Paris—later Harry's New York Bar—by barman Harry MacElhone. The combination was said to have such a kick that it felt like being shelled with the powerful French 75mm field gun. (From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_75_(cocktail))

...Whit Wyatt went the distance for his third win of the season against two losses, and appears to have solved his striding problem, coming down firmly on his front foot with each delivery....

A quick clip of Kermit's relief after Wyatt successfully went the distance with his knee:

But he's still worried about that knee; it's early in a long season.

...At the Patio this week, it's Jean Arthur, Fred MacMurray, and Melvyn Douglas in "Too Many Husbands," "...

Hollywood made a few movies with a man or woman having one too many spouses. Another good example, also from 1940, is '"My Favorite Wife." Like today, Hollywood will beat any idea to death.

... (TIED TO A CHAIR IN THE CELLAR?)

Any self-respecting nefarious organization that builds an electric fence around its compound will also cut down any overhanging trees - just saying.

... Nick in panel 3: Gangland's Buddha....

Yes, and I will resist the urge to post the Sydney Greenstreet GIF again.

Also, another wonderful day of fanatical-believer-passionate speech meets New-Yorker argot.

...[
Salvador Dali finds work as a window-dresser.....

No kidding about the windows. Also, wait until Tula finds out he's spending some of "the most important $175 in the world" on Nina.

...
Well, if Andy thinks so, then that can't possibly be it.....

I'm staying with Jefferson doesn't think he's worthy of her until he's made good in the world and he's gone off to make his fortune.

...
"Well, since you've got all my money, I can't go home -- so, um, I guess so, maybe..."...

Say "no," cheapest $200 you'll ever lose kid.

 

[LizzieMaine]

German forces are within 85 miles of Paris, but the pace of their advance has slowed somewhat in continued bloody fighting. One French officer told an Associated Press correspondent "two hours of this is worse than two days of the Battle of Verdun." One wing of the German attack is approaching St. Quintin and Cambral, another is en route toward Rhiems and Soissons. German bombers again struck at Paris today, with four of sixteen planes reported shot down. It is unclear from the reports whether any of the bombers managed to drop their cargo over the city.

President Roosevelt is said by authoritative sources today to have decided to put the full force of his Administration behind efforts to speed deliveries of American-made warplanes to the hard-pressed Allies. Means to complete the construction of more than 4000 planes ordered by Britain and France since the start of the war will be discussed in a conference of industrial leaders and Government officials on Monday. It is also anticipated that the possibility of turning planes under construction for the US Army over to the Allies will also be considered.

A 62-year-old German-born American citizen killed himself in a Manhattan hotel room today after writing an impassioned note pleading for the United States to stay out of the war. Before shooting himself thru the head with a .45 German-made pistol, Franz Oscar Wolf wrote "Please do not send the boys again to Europe. They come back only dead, crippled, or gassed. Also insane and diseased. Whatfore? Wherefore? Democracy and liberty? What a hypocrisy! See the results of the last war."

Four persons were reported killed yesterday in an earthquake that struck the Imperial Valley in California. Buildings in the towns of El Centro, Brawley, and Imperal collapsed during the tremor, and power and light service were disrupted, interfering with an accurate count of the injured and the dead. The quake was felt as far away as San Bernadino, but no damage was reported in that city.

The New York Annual Conference of the Methodist Church yesterday denounced Father Charles E. Coughlin, charging the radio priest with provoking "the alarming growth of a new, vicious, anti-Semitic, anti-democratic movement in the United States through his 'storm-troop' movement, the Christian Front." The Conference, meeting this week at St. John's Methodist Church, Bedford Avenue and Wilson Street, argued that "this is not the usual 'polite anti-Semitism' to which we have become accustomed in the United States. It is a militant, hate-breeding drive not alone against the Jews, but also against the labor movement and our Democratic form of government," and stated that in New York City, in connection with Christian Front activity, "Jews have been insulted, assaulted, and even stabbed. Jewish neighborhoods have been terrorized by Coughlinite hoodlums. Jewish girls walking along the streets have been spat upon." The resolution concluded by declaring the Christian Front "the Catholic Klan."

(I wonder if they allow women in denim on the grounds at the Fresh Meadows Country Club? I mean, without shovels, rakes, or lawn mowers in their hands.)

A 61-year-old Camden, New Jersey man was hauled before Camden Police Court on a charge of disorderly conduct after he was spotted walking the streets with the top of his head painted bright red. James Williams explained to Magistrate Gene R. Mariano that "some smart alecks tried to have some fun" by applying the paint to his bald scalp while he was napping. The charge was dismissed, and Mr. Williams was advised to scrub off the paint.

Charles Hooper, Eagle reader all the way out in San Francisco, California, writes with great passion of his anger over the nation's postage stamps, especially the profusion of pointless commemmoratives that are "too large to lick," and that confuse postal authorities in other countries because they "don't look like U. S. stamps," and thus America loses prestige. Plus, he argues, "our stamps are shabby looking, not high-class work, and the colors smear off."

Dr. Martin A. Couney is back at the World's Fair this year with his Infant Incubator exhibit, complete with a personal ambulance to carry premature babies from the hospitals to his machines. Dr. Couney has been exhibiting incubator babies in a Coney Island hall for more twenty-five years, and later this year will hold an "alumni reunion" for the 45 babies who were shown in his exhibit at the 1939 Fair, all of whom are reported to be healthy and well. In August, Dr. Couney is hoping to host a mass renunion of more than 8000 of his alumni, most now grown to healthy adulthood.

Old Timer "Old Brooklynite" writes to the Old Timers page to remember the days when the water-meter reader made his rounds wearing a top hat and a Prince Albert coat. And what of Old Man Riley, who kept a pig farm in Flatbush, and used to collect garbage to feed them with a one-horse wagon. And he would ride proudly on that garbage wagon wearing a top hat and a Prince Albert coat.

Five home runs spelled doom for the Dodgers yesterday, as the Cardinals pounded their way to a 6-2 victory. Big Johnny Mize paced the Redbird attack with two homers and a triple, raising his league-leading home run total to 11. Terry Moore contributed two more round-trippers, and Ducky Medwick hit only one. Luke Hamlin, whose home-run ball has always proven a weakness, gave up half the St. Louis run total, with youthful Carl Doyle, sent in by Durocher to mop up in the 9th, gave up the remaining three. Bill McGee started and got the win for the Cards. Just under 23,000 fans, one of the largest Saturday crowds in recent memory, went home bitterly disappointed.

(Trudging slowly along Empire Boulevard toward the Prospect Park station, Joe grumbles "That Hamlin! Tha bum! Couldn't throw one by my gran'mudda!" And Sally tries to look on the bright side. "Petey got two hits," she observes with pleasure, consulting her meticulously-kept scorecard. "Two for four he went." And Joe, feeling reckless, mutters "He's a bum too. .224 he's hittin'. A bum!" And Sally scowls silently as they head down the subway steps for the long, icy ride back to Bensonhurst.)

The Cubs come to Ebbets Field today to open a three-game series. Leo will send Tex Carleton to the mound against Larry French for the opener.

Three-year-old bay colt Corydon beat out the mighty Bimilech in the 65th running of the Withers Stake at Belmont Park by a length in a half, a victory described by observers as "the turf upset of the season." Nearly 30,000 racing fans stood nearly speechless as Corydon surged up from the outside to the win, paying $87 on every $2 ticket bet.

(The Tablet was the primary mouthpiece for Father Edward Lodge Curran, Father Coughlin's chief operative in Brooklyn. Persons of Hebrew ancestry need not apply. Methodists won't be too welcome either.)

(Leopold, King Of The Belgians heads the Trend section this week. At least he's not another phony count.)

(Red Ryder -- Cowboy Diplomat!)

(A new Sunday-funnies feature for the Eagle! If you ever wanted to see Gandhi giving himself a haircut or Hitler with glasses on, this is your page!)

(Someone just read George Seldes' "Lords Of The Press.")

("BOY THAT SOUNDS BAD!" Hammett only wishes he could write dialogue like this.)

("Hypothetical or simulated performance is not indicative of actual results.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Wait, what? Pat Ryan??? Does April know? Does April know your real name's BASIL?

And here I spent my Sunday just doing the washing.

Leave it to Tracy to come up with a CUNNING PLAN.

Real Invader planes weren't too meticulous about hospital ships.

"Yeah? Wanta bet?" Nick is suave too, in his own way. And Maw, when you get done with this guy, go have a talk with Geo. Bungle.

Maybe they'll get lucky, and Bim will send Mama to check things out first.

Well, it worked for Whit Wyatt.

And someday you wake up, and the animals can't talk anymore. And that's what growing up is all about.

Maybe next time, try cutting the weenies apart before you stick them in the basket.

 

[Fading Fast]

... (I wonder if they allow women in denim on the grounds at the Fresh Meadows Country Club? I mean, without shovels, rakes, or lawn mowers in their hands.)...

Another piece of evidence in the "denim was worn for more than just work clothes pre the '60s" discussion. I know I've mentioned this before, but my mom, born in '32 and Depression poor in New Jersey (in a dense town, not country) wore jeans as, she said, did many of the teenage girls. She said they just didn't think much about them as opposed to their much-discussed status in the late '60s. And if she wore them, they must have been affordable.

...Five home runs spelled doom for the Dodgers yesterday, as the Cardinals pounded their way to a 6-2 victory. Big Johnny Mize paced the Redbird attack with two homers and a triple, raising his league-leading home run total to 11. Terry Moore contributed two more round-trippers, and Ducky Medwick hit only one. Luke Hamlin, whose home-run ball has always proven a weakness, gave up half the St. Louis run total, with youthful Carl Doyle, sent in by Durocher to mop up in the 9th, gave up the remaining three. Bill McGee started and got the win for the Cards. Just under 23,000 fans, one of the largest Saturday crowds in recent memory, went home bitterly disappointed....

Only to himself, Whit Wyatt quietly expresses relief that he pitched yesterday as, some days, the bats are just connecting with the balls no matter what you do or who's pitching.

...(Trudging slowly along Empire Boulevard toward the Prospect Park station, Joe grumbles "That Hamlin! Tha bum! Couldn't throw one by my gran'mudda!" And Sally tries to look on the bright side. "Petey got two hits," she observes with pleasure, consulting her meticulously-kept scorecard. "Two for four he went." And Joe, feeling reckless, mutters "He's a bum too. .224 he's hittin'. A bum!" And Sally scowls silently as they head down the subway steps for the long, icy ride back to Bensonhurst.)...

...Three-year-old bay colt Corydon beat out the mighty Bimilech in the 65th running of the Withers Stake at Belmont Park by a length in a half, a victory described by observers as "the turf upset of the season." Nearly 30,000 racing fans stood nearly speechless as Corydon surged up from the outside to the win, paying $87 on every $2 ticket bet....

Did the handicappers not learn anything from his recent Kentucky Derby upset?

... ("BOY THAT SOUNDS BAD!" Hammett only wishes he could write dialogue like this.)....

I also think some of the physics of Dan's escape plan with the unconscious Black Hood might prove more challenging in real life than on paper.

... Wait, what? Pat Ryan??? Does April know? Does April know your real name's BASIL?...

Had the exact same thought. Also, good to see this page is back up to its marital woes and tawdry affairs standards.

... Real Invader planes weren't too meticulous about hospital ships....

A little more insight into Raven's past and psyche: "You don't understand...if those kids die, I'll have flopped again..."

... "Yeah? Wanta bet?" Nick is suave too, in his own way. And Maw, when you get done with this guy, go have a talk with Geo. Bungle....

You know how I feel, no argument about Nick. Also, wouldn't Fedor be happy to know all his loyalty and life was worth was this tossed-off line: "Ah, well - another will take his place."

 

[LizzieMaine]

The German drive across France today veered toward the English Channel, with the apparent aim of destroying the British Army. Although the Nazi high command did not definitely state its objectives, a German communique pointed out that Nazi forces had struck westward off the road to Paris, and had gained twenty to thirty miles on a line northward from St. Quentin between Perrone and Cambrai. The communique also states that Allied counterattacks along the St. Quentin salient -- the approximate location of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 -- have been driven back.

Meanwhile, reports from France state that the German advance toward Paris has been checked, with Allied armies "fighting back strongly" against an intensified mechanized thrust across Northern France. Counterattacking under the direction of General Maxime Weygand, the French report that they have driven the Germans back on the Aisne River front near Rethel, and were "strongly defending" the important railroad centers in the St. Quentin and La Fere sectors of the Somme and Olme Rivers. A French Information Ministry spokesman this afternoon told the Associated Press that St. Quentin itself has been evacuated in the face of the German advance.

The Senate Appropriations Committee today gave fast approval to a National Defense spending bill totaling nearly $2,000,000,000, even as the nation's military chieftains are calling for immediate action to realize President Roosevelt's plan for a vastly expanded air armada of 50,000 planes. Debate on the defense bill in the full Senate is expected to begin tomorrow, with amendments going to the House as early as next week.

Police Lieutenant Cuthbert J. Behan has been dismissed from the force, effective at 2:30 pm today. The dismissal order from Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine followed a departmental trial before Special Deputy Commissioner Jeremiah T. Mahoney on charges that Behan destroyed arrest records at the Bergen Street station in connection with the Brooklyn bail-bond racket. Behan was acquitted of criminal theft charges connected to the 1938 incident, but the departmental trial concluded that he was in fact responsible for the disappearance of the documents. His dismissal from the force means the loss of his police pension, with the board of the Police Pension Fund having already denied Behan's appeal of that decision.

The mother of accused Murder For Hire slayer Harry "Happy" Malone says her son spent the entire night of May 24th-25th 1937 weeping at the bedside of his late grandmother, and therefore could not have been present in the garage at 2310 Atlantic Avenue that night where George "Whitey" Rudnick was hacked to death with over sixty blows from an ice pick. Mrs. Jennie Malone headed a procession of four aunts and two cousins in Kings County Court today, all of whom swore that "Happy" spent that evening at his grandmother's three-room apartment at 2125 Atlantic Avenue, and didn't leave her bedside until 9 o'clock the following morning. Mrs. Malone told the court that "Happy" was his grandmother's "favorite and pet."

The Sage of Greenpoint is ready to go to war against Fifth Columnists in Brooklyn, and is calling on all five New York City sheriffs to join his crusade. Says burly Peter J. McGuinness, register of Kings County, and holder of opinions on all topics of public interest, "the Kaiser once told Teddy Roosevelt that he had 2,000,000 of his people over here. And Teddy said 'We've got 2,000,000 lamp posts.'"

Col. Charles A. Lindbergh says Americans have nothing to fear from a foreign invasion -- "unless the American people bring it on through their own quarreling and meddling in affairs abroad." Speaking last night in a radio broadcast, the aviator declared that there needs to be "an end to hysterical chatter of calamity and invasion," and stated that there must be unity among the powers of the Western Hemisphere in order to provide a unified defense. "We cannot hold this hemisphere free from foreign wars," he stated, "if nations which lie within it declare war on foreign powers." The Columbia Broadcasting System, which carried the broadcast, stated that it did so on Lindbergh's personal request for the radio time.

("That's right -- you're wrong! I'm *not* Kay Kyser, but don't I look like him!")

Dodger president Larry MacPhail, enraged over criticism from Samuel Tilden High School principal Dr. Abraham Lefkowitz over the administration of the Knot Hole Gang ticket promotion, is warning he might abolish the Knot Hole pass program over the dispute. Dr. Lefkowitz called the matter to MacPhail's attention after a group of Tilden High girls were turned away from Ebbets Field last week because, according to a team official, girls are not eligible to use Knot Hole passes. MacPhail insists he'll abolish the program entirely rather than open it to girls, arguing that to make the club co-educational would discriminate against boys. Girls, he insists, have their own free-pass program under the "Ladies Day" promotion.

Today is the last day Brooklyn residents can purchase special combination tickets to tomorrow's World's Fair "Brooklyn Day" promotion. The bargain books, selling for $1, include admission to the grounds, to a performance of the "American Jubilee," and the "Winter Wonderland," as well as to the special Brooklyn Quiz featuring an assortment of popular local celebrities, including Dodger president Larry MacPhail, radio serial writer Elaine Carrington, operatic baritone Reinhold Werrenrath, and actor Leslie Ostrander -- who portrays the Fair's mascot "Elmer the Great American" -- answering questions about Brooklyn history submitted by residents.

(The deli I worked at sold tongue sandwiches. It was always a delight to open up those five gallon pails and see the tongues lalling up at you.)

Famed British author W. H. Auden is a Brooklyn man these days -- he lives on Montague Terrace -- and he'll be making a splash on the radio scene when the Columbia Workshop presents a new "political fable" from his pen next Sunday night at 10:30. Dame May Whitty stars in the half-hour play, and in fact hers is the only voice heard other than that of a "fat goose." CBS producer Brewster Morgan promises that the play will be "provocative."

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer has announced its program for the 1940-41 season, which will include among the usual 52 new features, productions for Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Norma Shearer, Spencer Tracy, and Clark Gable, along with a "promising musical in the Ziegfeld tradition."

(But what can you expect from a man who has a portrait of Lord Plushbottom on his living room wall?)

It needs to be said, and Tommy Holmes is here to say it: the Dodgers' bats have gone soft. It was obvious in yesterday's 7-6 ten-inning loss to the Cubs, in which the Flock gathered no home runs, and it is obvious when you look at their record for May -- only two round-trippers since May 6th. Charley Gilbert, Dixie Walker, Pete Coscarart, Cookie Lavagetto, Dolph Camilli, Ernie Koy, and Roy Cullenbine are all either slumping or showing signs of it, and all three Dodger catchers -- Phelps, Franks, and Mancuso -- are swinging limp bats.

Pete Coscarart will be out of the lineup for at least a week after he was spiked above the left knee by Dominic Dallesandro of the Cubs during a close play in the ninth inning yesterday.

("NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" bellows Sally, throwing a frying pan across the kitchen. Joe looks up. "Yeah," he says mildly. "I seen that too.")

The Cubs raised some Brooklyn eyebrows with their snazzy new 1940 uniforms. The Wrigleymen have done away with the regular short-sleeved jerseys, and now venture forth onto the field in natty flannel vests, worn over dark-blue sweatshirts.

Hugh Casey gets the start this afternoon in game two of the Chicago set, and none other than Van Mungo will take the hill to close out the series on Tuesday, as a reward for his fine relief appearance last week against the Cardinals.

(Earl Scheib, The Early Years.)

(John's so cute when he balls up his little fist like that.)

(Point of order: I can buy a fenced-off compound in the woods as a "secret headquarters," but how secret can it be if you've got fifty men swarming around in it? The logistics of supplying such an operation would require frequent delivery trucks, an extensive electrical grid, and a network of service and access roads. So what I'm sayin' is any minute now the Coca-Cola route salesman is gonna show up and blow the whole cover.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Royalty flooding into Canada? Herr Lindbergh won't like this!

Pee Wee's just a kid, so an endorsement deal just a month into his rookie year is pretty impressive work. And Vosmik must be saying to himself "wow, things was never like this in Boston!"

Hey Nick, give Pete McGuinness a call over in Greenpernt. He's got some ideas.

How many ways can this go wrong?

Those aren't Chinese hands.

On the long list of "Bad Andy Gump Ideas," this one has to be one of the baddest.

And on top of that, that suit makes you look like a four-a-day vaudeville hoofer.

The Presidential Suite at the Hotel de Raymondie.

Senga used to have scruples, but she treated them with witch-hazel and they went away.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
("That's right -- you're wrong! I'm *not* Kay Kyser, but don't I look like him!")...

So this is kinda interesting. In 1940, a six-and-a-half-ounce bottle of Coke and a subway ride in NYC each cost 5 cents.

Today, based on a 12oz bottle, a 6.5oz bottle of Coke (purchased individual in NYC) would cost between 50 cents and $1, while a subway ride costs $2.75.

...
(The deli I worked at sold tongue sandwiches. It was always a delight to open up those five gallon pails and see the tongues lalling up at you.)...

My high schools cafeteria had a vending machine that sold sandwiches just like that (don't remember the brand name).

The only people I remember eating them were kids after gym or sports games when the main cafeteria was closed.

The freshness was highly suspicious.

...("NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" bellows Sally, throwing a frying pan across the kitchen. Joe looks up. "Yeah," he says mildly. "I seen that too.")...

A 1940 frying pan sailing across a room is going to do some damage.

...The Cubs raised some Brooklyn eyebrows with their snazzy new 1940 uniforms. The Wrigleymen have done away with the regular short-sleeved jerseys, and now venture forth onto the field in natty flannel vests, worn over dark-blue sweatshirts....

Let's see how natty those new uniforms look in the, um, warmer temperatures of July and August.

... (John's so cute when he balls up his little fist like that.)...

Leona has the brains in that marriage.

... (Point of order: I can buy a fenced-off compound in the woods as a "secret headquarters," but how secret can it be if you've got fifty men swarming around in it? The logistics of supplying such an operation would require frequent delivery trucks, an extensive electrical grid, and a network of service and access roads. So what I'm sayin' is any minute now the Coca-Cola route salesman is gonna show up and blow the whole cover.)

In the real world, they'd need a darn good front / cover story to explain away all you point out, which they don't seem to have created. Also, playing small ball, I'm still very, very suspicious of the physics of Dan's body-hurl effort.

...
Royalty flooding into Canada? Herr Lindbergh won't like this!....

Also, I have to believe that Henny Youngman did not miss the one-liner opportunity of "dressed poultry."

...
Pee Wee's just a kid, so an endorsement deal just a month into his rookie year is pretty impressive work. And Vosmik must be saying to himself "wow, things was never like this in Boston!"...

Even then, in good ways and bad, the New York media market amped everything up. Some thrive in the pressure; others can't get out of it fast enough.

... Hey Nick, give Pete McGuinness a call over in Greenpernt. He's got some ideas....

Love Nick quoting Thorpe's "Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight." That is just freakin' awesome. There's a lot to Nick. Still chuckling over his wording, "as the dame said in that poem..."

N.B., Katherine Hepburn's character also quotes the Curfew line, quite effectively, in the movie "Desk Set."

... Those aren't Chinese hands....

Just concerned - how's April doing? Last we saw her, she didn't look good.

... Senga used to have scruples, but she treated them with witch-hazel and they went away.

Yeh, what happened to "Even if I trick him into marrying me, I'm going to make him a good wife."

And a few other points, beating a "deportation rap" by flying to Mexico is some seriously confused thinking. Also, $231 in '40 is about $4200 today. Just like in "Gasoline Alley," these people need to think a little harder about the value of a dollar.