The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

Ever wonder what it might be like to have the Era unfold for you day by day, in real time? It's possible, thanks to the online availability of long continuous runs of daily newspapers. If you're a paid subscriber to Newspapers.com you can have your choice of dailies, but there's a wonderful free resource right here, thanks to the Brooklyn Public Library -- which has made available the full run of the Brooklyn Eagle, from 1841 until the paper folded in January 1955.

The Eagle was as close to a "typical American newspaper" as you could get during the Era -- despite its role as the voice of a borough of 3 million people, it reads like a small-town paper, without any of the portentious historicity of the New York Times, the hysterical political slanting of the Chicago Tribune, or the yellow sensationalism of a Hearst sheet. That being so, you get a real sense of what mattered, not to the movers and shakers of the world, but to Joe Dinnerpail and Sally Punchclock and all the rest of the ordinary workaday people of the time. It's relentlessly middlebrow in its style, completely unremarkable in its politics, and if it has a point of view at all, it's one of local boosterism. It won't challenge you in any way, no matter what your point of view, but it'll give you a real feel for the baseline mood of the time.

After using this resource for years as a research tool, I decided to try something different. I read one full issue every day, front to back, corresponding to today's date eighty years ago. Front page, editorials, features, sports section, comics. It's a fascinating window into daily life -- not just the unfolding of the War In Europe or the "National Whirligig" but the story of the unknown little girl found strangled to death on the roof of an apartment house on Ocean Avenue, or the Dodgers demolishing the Phillies 22 to 4 -- Lavagetto went 6 for 7! -- or the funeral of a World's Fair employee trampled to death by a cart horse at the "Little Old New York" exhibit, to the latest doings of The Bungle Family. All the little fragments of the Era playing out as they happened -- without the corrupting filter of nostalgia.

Anyone else ever try anything like this? If you haven't I strongly recommend it. Pick a year, and start in.

 

[scotrace]

Front page, Aug. 11, 1939. Interesting that FDR is just "F.D."

Headlines:
Woman C-Respodent Atones, Aids Wife in Divorce
Queens Bitter Over F.D. Veto of Postal Cut
Sandshark Fights Three Dogs, Injures Prize Retriever

 

[LizzieMaine]

Another interesting thing to note about the Eagle is that it got nearly all its national and international news off the Associated Press and United Press wires -- at one time they had used foreign and national correspondents, but when Frank Schroth took over the paper in 1938, he cut those operations in favor of beefing up local coverage of Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island and really playing up local news, hence a relatively minor local graft investigation getting more dramatic play than developments in Europe. This is the model many surviving metropolitan broadsheets follow today.

Today's headlines from 1939 emphasize wire-service reports on the European War, with the French pounding the Siegfried Line, and conflicting reports on whether British and French air raids caused significant damage at the Zeppelin Works. But on the local front that little girl found murdered on that Ocean Avenue roof has been identified as Elaine Joan Morris of Avenue J, and an eight-state search is on for her 59-year-old grandmother, in whose care she was left while her father attended Yom Kippur services. The grandmother is said to suffer from a "persecution complex," and had quarreled with the child's mother the day before the killing.

And speaking of crimes, a tiny item buried on the movie page notes that five year old Michael Gubitosi has been signed by MGM as a new member of "Our Gang." You know him better as Robert Blake.

Also out in Hollywood comes word that the founder and former head of Universal Pictures, Uncle Carl Laemmle, has died at the age of 72. He leaves behind a very large faemmle. And so too has passed the famous fast-talking newsman and radio commentator Floyd Gibbons, victim of a sudden heart attack at the age of 52. Tomorrow will see the funeral of Dr. Sigmund Freud, who died two days ago at 83. They come in threes, as they say.

If you visit the Brooklyn Zoo, you'll find that they've filled in the moat around the elephant enclosure, after Bill the Elephant pushed in his mate Hilda, and stood by while she drowned. Bill is now living happily with his new mate Astra..

The Dodgers are off today, but they play a doubleheader against the Giants tomorrow at the Polo Grounds. Durocher is confident that they've got a lock on third place as the season winds down. Out at Dexter Park, the Bushwicks lost both ends of a doubleheader to a group of minor league all stars with one of the highlights a home run for the All Stars by Yankee farmhand Phil Rizzuto. At Erasmus Field, the Bay Parkways wrapped up their season by splitting two with the Springfield Grays. One-armed outfielder Pete Gray, the star of the Parkways lineup for 1939, received a traveling bag as a tribute from the club president. And the Football Dodgers of the NFL got slapped around in Detroit by the Lions yesterday, 27 to 7, and are hoping for better luck when they take on Washington next week.

 

[Tiki Tom]

I might try it for a week. Thanks for the tip.

For example, today's headline from eighty years ago today (26 Sept 1939) is in giant typeface: "France Dissolves Communist Party in Reprisal for Soviet-Reich Pact."

Knowing now how it plays out, that the Nazi's break the pact and that its the communists in France who largely organize the resistance, it's a bit ironic. Interesting stuff!

 

[LizzieMaine]

A grand-slam for Cookie! Go Bums! 5 to 5 in the bottom of the 6th in the first of two. Think I'll turn on the radio and see what Red and Brother Al have to say about it all.

Out in Cincinnati the battle for the pennant goes on with the Reds topping the Cardinals 3 to 1. This one's coming right down to the wire.

Meanwhile, there's no trace of Elaine Morris's grandmother, identified as Stephanie Waldman Straus. Mrs. Straus was the last person to be seen with Elaine, and is reported to have been very fond of her.

And then there's this 49 year old woman who jumped out a window on the 7th floor of the St. George Hotel -- and she wasn't aiming for the famous Salt Water Pool. Mrs. Rose Kemp is the sister of Abraham Judwin of W. 13th St, but that's all they have to say about her.

And there's Harold Christiansen of Ridge Boulevard who was shot to death after getting involved in a fight with an unidentified man at a bar in Greenwich Village. Mr. Christainsen was a veteran of the World War and an accomplished amateur boxer, so whoever shot him must've been a pretty tough character.

And how about the pajama-clad model fined $25 for the brawl in an executive's home out in Westbury. Mr. Ford Collins, with scratches all over his face, is going to have some tall explaining to do.

Hey, Glenda Farrell -- you know, from the movies -- is doing a stage show at the Brighton. "Brief Moment," by Behrman, some Theatre Guild-type stuff. Supposed to be pretty funny. Fifty cent top for a matinee -- we should go. And then tonight, go into The City and see Artie Shaw playing at the Strand. I don't care about the picture, some Joel McCrea thing about spies, but ARTIE SHAW. C'mon!

It's snowing upstate, with temperatures having dropped 40 degrees overnight. It's supposed to be in the 70s today, but may drop to 55 tomorrow. The man from the Weather Bureau is confident there will be no local snow. "It never did happen in September," he says.

 

[Tiki Tom]

And how about the pajama-clad model fined $25 for the brawl in an executive's home out in Westbury. Mr. Ford Collins, with scratches all over his face, is going to have some tall explaining to do.

Some things never change.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Warsaw surrendered today -- or so the Germans claim. Meanwhile, Nazi air attacks against the British fleet in the North Sea are the topic of conflicting reports from Berlin and London. The British say no ships were hit, the Germans claim to have sunk a carrier.

Closer to home, Assistant D. A. Alexander R. Baldwin will face a disbarrment hearing, despite his acquittal on a charge that he accepted an $800 bribe from Isadore "I Paid Plenty" Juffe, reputed fur racketeer.

The court martial of a notorious World War draft dodger on Governor's Island took a twist today when defendant Grover Cleveland Bergdoll claimed he'd snuck into the US twice during the years he was supposedly living in exile in Germany, in order to tap a hidden cache of gold totalling $150,000.

An eight year old Ridgewood girl given a year to live after being diagnosed with bone cancer is holding on after the amputation of her right leg. Dorothy Lewis told doctors that, despite the operation, she's "feeling swell."

The overcrowded conditions at the notorious Raymond Street Jail get worse every day. With 44 new prisoners added to the population today, the current population stands at 541 -- 77 above the listed capacity. Jail officials blame rainy weather for the current crush.

Seventy-two year old Simon Weir of 595 Stone Avenue, described as a "Jewish Sexton," was killed yesterday when he fell off a hearse en route to Monteflore Cemetery, and was crushed by a truck.

Out in Lapeer, Michigan, the Associated Press reports that two couples are on trial for "lewd and lascivious cohabitation" after two men, 34-year-old factory worker George Davis and 39-year-old farmer Clarence June agreed to swap their wives and families. Their wives, Mildred Davis and Edith June, both aged 28, are also facing charges.

Aviatrix Laura Ingalls is in trouble in Washington after dropping a load of "Keep America Out Of War" pamphlets over the capital. Charges indicate she flew over the Capitol building and the White House, airspace that has been legally restricted since 1935.

In the Feature section, Jane Corby's series of metropolitan romance stories tells the true tale of Bill and Dottie Harrison of Jamacia, currently honeymooning at Niagara Falls -- two years after their marriage. Neither one of them had any money when they wed -- but why wait when you're in love? Bill is a security guard for the Holmes Detective Agency, and Dottie works an office job for Metropolitan Life.

The Dodgers are off today after splitting a twinbill with the Giants yesterday. Tomorrow they're in Boston, meeting the Bees for two more doubleheaders. Then they're back at Ebbets Field to close out the season with doubleheaders against the Phillies. (Who drew up this schedule, anyway? Insane.) Meantime, excitement is building for the "Get The Dodgers Over A Million" attendance contest, with a car being awarded to the fan who comes the closest to guessing the team's final gate total for the season. The final twinbill against the Phillies will feature between-games entertainment by Olsen and Johnson, stars of the Broadway smash "Hellzapoppin."

The National League pennant chase remains unresolved, but the Reds are building their lead which now stands at 3 1/2 games over the Cardinals. The teams split a pair yesterday, and meet again today at Crosley Field. Eagle sports columnist Harold Conrad contends that the Cardinals' failure to land Cookie Lavagetto last winter in a proposed trade with Brooklyn for Don Gutteridge will cost them the flag -- Lavagetto is currently hitting a cool .300, while the slumping Gutteridge is slogging along for the Cards at .285.

If you want to sign up for this winter's Brooklyn Eagle Bowling League, you better hurry -- rosters close on October 4th. Sections will form for teams representing Borough Hall, Bay Ridge, Bushwick, and Flatbush.

George Bungle's cousin Elmer remains bedridden after hitting his head against a door, and is looking forward to squeezing some cash out of the situation. Ah, relatives.

 

[tonyb]

Keepin’ yer chops in shape, are ya?

It’s a good exercise, at the very least. An old J school teacher of my acquaintance assigned her students to write what newsworthy events transpired on their dates of birth, as told in the local newspaper. This was back before such resources were available online, so the assignment involved some time in the library looking through microfilm.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Meanwhile, Nazi air attacks against the British fleet in the North Sea are the topic of conflicting reports from Berlin and London. The British say no ships were hit, the Germans claim to have sunk a carrier.....

Not much different from the reporting of several MidEast events this year - each country has a completely different version of events/casualties/damage/etc.

...Out in Lapeer, Michigan, the Associated Press reports that two couples are on trial for "lewd and lascivious cohabitation" after two men, 34-year-old factory worker George Davis and 39-year-old farmer Clarence June agreed to swap their wives and families. Their wives, Mildred Davis and Edith June, both aged 28, are also facing charges.....

WTH? The wife swapping is not something new - but "...and families."

 

[LizzieMaine]

The AP story didn't go into any depth on this rather intriguing bit of tid, but Time magazine was right on the ball -- according to their reporter, the swap happened because the Davises and the Junes were "bored." The swap lasted for over a month before the law intervened. The Junes lived in a one room house with ten children and a cow, so you can see how time might weigh heavily on their hands. The Davises had only four kids, so the terms of the deal sent Mrs. June, seven of the kids, and the cow to the Davis side in exchange for Mrs. Davis and her four daughters. There was no mention of any In-Laws To Be Named Later.

And heavens to Betsy, here's the actual case law -- People vs. Davis, 1940. Charges dismissed.

Thirty-three years later, two New York Yankees pitchers -- Fritz Peterson and Mike Kekich -- would make news by arranging a similar trade of wives, kids, and all appurtenances thereto. I wonder what the Junes and the Davises thought of that?

 

[tonyb]

I’m married, and happily so, often enough to call it good. But I never conflate that legal status with the health of the relationship.

I’ve long been receptive to arguments that the state ought just get out of the business of recognizing some personal relationships, and conferring its blessings thereon, to the exclusion of others. There was a time when the institution’s social utility (ascribing responsibility for the offspring produced through these blessed unions, as one obvious example) was clear, but those times are past. Few if any people of my acquaintance (not a one comes to mind) restricted their sexual activity to their one and only, and only then after the I do’s were exchanged. Likewise, not a woman of reproductive age of my acquaintance didn’t concern herself with contraception unless she was actively looking to get knocked up. Even in those latter cases, marriage didn’t necessarily figure in the decision-making.

I got no objection in principle to plural marriage, either, although to be consistent I wouldn’t ask for the state’s imprimatur on such arrangements. This is not to say that polygamy as it is practiced in some communities isn’t abusive at base (assigning 12-year-old girls to be eventually “married” to men much their senior, for instance), but it’s really none of my concern if more than two consenting adults wish to think themselves married to one another. Nor should it be the state’s concern.

I recall some same-sex couples referring to their partners as spouses long before the Obergefell v. Hodges decision. It took some getting used to, this hearing a woman refer to another person as her wife, but get used to it I did. Ain’t no skin off my ass.

 

[LizzieMaine]

People have no idea how common "common law marriages" were before WWII. It was extremely easy for a man and a woman to declare themselves "married," however they cared to personally interpret that, and have that relationship recognized as a bona fide marriage by the world at large. Nobody was checking paperwork, and nobody, except professional bluenoses, particularly cared. In some states, it was a matter of civil law that if you lived with a partner for a stated period of years, you were legally considered "married," and that was that. The prominent columnist Walter Winchell lived in such a relationship for the last forty-odd years of his life, and no one was ever the wiser.

Same-sex partnerships didn't have that status, of course, but they were far from uncommon in the Era. Everybody had a "confirmed bachelor" or "maiden aunt" somewhere in the family who was living happily with a "companion." You'll often find obituaries where Mr. or Miss Nevermarried was survived by "a longtime friend." It isn't hard to read between the lines unless one deliberately refuses to do so.

 

[tonyb]

^^^^^^
It is not to dispute any of that to note that same-sex relationships were essentially illegal (provided sex acts themselves were involved) in many jurisdictions prior to the Lawrence decision of 2003, as were interracial marriages prior to the Loving decision of 1967.

I'm happy for the maiden aunts and the confirmed bachelor uncles that they are no longer legally obligated to live in the shadows, as though there were something disreputable if not downright shameful in their hearts' desires. Socially and familially, though, it's still another matter for many.

Lest we get to patting ourselves on the back over what great progress we've made, I'm confident that many of us can point to characters of our own acquaintance who keep their romantic lives on the down-low. A lesbian cousin "doesn't date," in the words of her mother and father. A fairly recently deceased friend, a former sister-in-law's sister, was as gay as a sunny Sunday in May, yet her other sisters would never openly acknowledge what was obvious to any adult of any worldliness at all, even if the woman herself never quite came out. A preacher of some local celebrity, whom I once interviewed, characterized his out-and-proud son (also of some local celebrity) as "a member of the gay community." He couldn't quite bring himself to say his son was gay.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Show business in the Era tended to be one of the more accepting communities for those of "other inclinations," even though one was expected to keep it out of the papers. The omnisexual Tallulah Bankhead once propositioned a friend of mine, who was appearing with her in "The Little Foxes," and she was such a naive young thing that she had no idea what was being suggested until a more experienced cast member explained. In later years she acknowledged she was a bit flattered by the suggestion after she got to know La Bankhead a little better.

That run of "The Little Foxes" was going on during the very period we're considering in this thread. Wish we could all hop on the BMT and head for the National Theatre and take it in. Balcony seats are 55 cents, plus a dime for carfare to The City and back. Who says you can't have a cheap night out?

 

[Tiki Tom]

Sept 28, 1939 - On page 13 there is an article speculating that “men’s handbags” will be the next fashion trend. Interesting because that topic still occasionally comes up right here at the Lounge, some eighty years later. Underlines the notion that what we imagine as original thinking has already been around the block; usually several times.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Fashion, in particular, is a field that continually eats itself. Right now in 1939 we women are being sold hard on the idea that boned corsets, such as our mothers wore before they wised up, are an essentiall component of the narrow-waisted fall look. Those of us with pendulous midsections, who nonetheless enjoy being able to sit comfortably in a chair, remain skeptical.

Elsewhere in today's Eagle...

President Roosevelt's proposed repeal of the Arms Embargo has received the endorsement of the Senate Armed Services Committee, with the bill due to go before the full senate on October 2nd. The plan would impose a "cash and carry" requirement on all purchases of war materiel by belligerents.

The Committee meeting was not without its moments. Aviatrix Laura Ingalls and an associate, Catherine Curtis of the Women's National Committee to Keep the United States Out of War, tried to crash the proceedings, but were intercepted by a committee clerk before they coud force their way into the committee room.

Berlin now claims that the last suburb of Warsaw has surrendered, but the Polish Embassy in Paris denies the report, and contends that fighting was till going on as of 4AM Brooklyn time.

A United Press correspondent who visited the Western Front today reports that German troops are relaxing with a game of football behind the West Wall, about 25 miles from the French border.

Closer to home, the debate over the construction of the proposed Brooklyn-Battery Bridge is again raging, with Secretary of War Woodring telling the Brooklyn congressional delegation that the issues raised by the Army that led to the failure of the plan in July could still be surmounted.

It appears that the BMT will soon be no more -- stockholders of the Brooklyn-Manhattan Transit Corporation have agreed to sell the subway line to the City for $175,000,000. A vocal minority of stockholders opposed the vote, accusing the majority of high-handedly ramming the deal thru.

Out on Governor's Island, the Bergdoll trial continues, with the accused draft dodger's two children on the witness stand. Both told the court that their father had spent years in Philadelphia while he was being sought by investigators in Europe.

Further details are emerging in the case of disgraced Assistant DA Alexander Baldwin, charging that he had lied under oath in his application for admission to the Bar Association in 1926.

600 people jammed a meeting room at Borough Hall demanding approval of a $213,000 sewer improvement plan for Marine Park. Give people what they want and they'll come out for it.

A letter signed by 38 disgruntled passengers has arrived at the offices of the United States Lines, steamship operators, protesting the presence of large numbers of "aliens" aboard ships recently arriving in the US from Europe. The American passengers claim that not only did the presence of these refugees on board the ships cause uncomfortable overcrowding, but also denied passage to Americans seeking to return home, and saw those with priority registration of bookings ignored. (Cue the weepy violin music.)

In Philadelphia, two women face the electric chair on charges of poisoning their husbands as part of an insurance racket, one which allegedly spanned four Eastern states and claimed up to a hundred lives. And we haven't seen a movie of this yet?

I wonder what's happening with that woman they think killed that kid? Not a word to be found.

Good deal on bacon at your neighborhood A&P right now -- two half-pound packages for 23 cents. Price good only at "self service" stores and super-markets.

Milton Berle is a riot in "See My Lawyer," George Abbott's latest play at the Biltmore. It's directed by young Ezra Stone, who you know as Henry Aldrich of the radio and movies.

Oooh! I'm going to this. Cab Calloway and his troupe head the vaudeville bill at the Flatbush Theatre, featuring Sister Tharpe "swingin' the spirituals," Chu Berry, Cozy Cole on drums, the Three Chocolateers, the Four Cab Jivers, and "other star acts." The feature picture is the sea drama "SOS Tidal Wave," which isn't anything I care about, but the rest of the bill is well worth the 40 cents.

Lamb is the meat of many uses. Good served hot as a rolled roast shoulder, and you can slice up the cold leftovers tomorrow for the dinnerpail.

Red is the tone for fall makeup, but I'll be damned if I'll put anything orange on my cheeks.

Ray Tucker of the "National Whirligig" column thinks Henry Wallace will be a front runner for the Democratic nomination next year. I read his book, "New Frontiers" a few years ago, and I liked what he had to say. We'll see.

Whether or not the Dodgers finish third seems to be up to the Reds -- if they beat the Cardinals today to clinch the pennant, they figure to demoralize the Cubs who are pushing hard to bounce the Dodgers down to fourth. The schedule favors Brooklyn, with the Dodgers closing out their season against seventh-place Boston and cellar-dwelling Philadelphia. Today's doubleheader in Boston is off to a tense start, with the Bees and Bums tied 1 to 1 at press time, in the bottom of the eighth.

Mr. Bungle's no-good cousin is still milking his injury for all it's worth. "What crust!" And who's this glamour-puss whose plane crash landed on Apple Mary's farm? Why, it's none other than celebrity debutante Leona Stockpool, who is clearly not as well-bred as she thinks she is.

 

[Fading Fast]

F...Closer to home, the debate over the construction of the proposed Brooklyn-Battery Bridge is again raging, with Secretary of War Woodring telling the Brooklyn congressional delegation that the issues raised by the Army that led to the failure of the plan in July could still be surmounted....

Neat crazy tunnel. People drive way too fast in its curving lanes with tight walls, poor lighting and always leaking walls and ceiling. Unless slowed by traffic, it's like a mash-up of a slalom and toboggan race with cars.

Full disclosure, I haven't been in it in years, so maybe they've done things to make it better.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Neat crazy tunnel. People drive way too fast in its curving lanes with tight walls, poor lighting and always leaking walls and ceiling. Unless slowed by traffic, it's like a mash-up of a slalom and toboggan race with cars.

Full disclosure, I haven't been in it in years, so maybe they've done things to make it better.

None other than Eleanor Roosevelt opposed the original idea for an above-ground bridge -- who says nobody could stare Robert Moses down. It was the first really big historic preservation controversy of the time -- it seems that Moses wanted to obliterate Battery Park in favor of the bridge, and that was, as they say, a bridge too far. The Brooklyn Heights contingent also got their backs up because the project would have spoiled their view of the Manhattan skyline. Nobody could stop Moses when he was eradicating working-class neighborhoods over there in Red Hook, but the burghers of Olde Brueckelen had their standards.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The banner headline today announces a joint call from Germany and the Soviet Union for peace in Europe -- but the big news for Brooklyn is that the confessed killer of Elaine Jean Morris is in custody. 58-year-old Stephanie Waldman Strauss was apprehended in Paterson, New Jersey last night and, having waived extradition, is on her way back to Brooklyn where she is expected to face a murder charge. Mrs. Strauss is reported to have admitted to detectives that she killed her four-year-old granddaughter, whose body was found earlier this week on an Ocean Avenue rooftop, but no motive has been revealed. The reported confession followed a night of interrogation which she at first denied harming the child, although she did admit to having had many fights with the child's mother. Mrs. Strauss initially told police she had gone to Paterson to get away from the fights, and was looking for a job there. Elaine Morris's body was found atop the roof by a group of boys, and bore the marks of a ligature around the neck.

In Europe, a new agreeement has been announced by the German and Soviet governments partitoning Poland, and calling on Britain and France to end hostilities. The pact divides Poland into two territories of roughly equal size, although the Soviets are required to give up territories they had claimed in the suburbs of Warsaw, with the new boundary drawn fifty miles outside the city. The Soviets were also denied a small wedge of territory between Germany and Lithuania, which instead will become a part of East Prussia. The agreement also requires the USSR to provide "raw materials" to Germany, to be paid for with industrial goods "to be supplied over an extended period."

Meanwhile, German reports say five British planes were shot down off Helgoland. British sources confirm the raid, but only state that "some planes" did not return home.

Today is the first anniversay of the Munich Agreement. "Peace in our time."

At a meeting today in the office of Kings County Sherrif James Magnano, FBI agents and members of the Army Intelligence Service offered training to "vigilantes" in the hunting of spies. About a hundred people representing veterans' organizations and civic groups turned out for the session, which also featured police fingerprint and pistol experts. A similar meeting in Queens drew over 900 people, who were warned not to be "peeping Toms" in the pursuit of foreigh agents.

The Board of Estimate has refused a request from the Board of Education to fund a band program at Lafayette High School, rejecting a $5500 appropriation for the purchase of musical instruments. The Board of Estimate also turned away a request from the new Brooklyn High School of Homemaking for $4318 to construct and install a soda fountain.

Bail on German-American Bund leader Fritz Kuhn has been increased to $50,000 after claims were made that he plans to flee the area. Kuhn faces charges of grand larceny and third degree forgery stemming from the misappropriation of Bund funds.

A Woodside man facing attempted rape charges may be freed after a medical examination revealed that the "bearded lady" he assaulted is a man. 31 year old John Durkin was arrested earlier this week after charges brought by 26-year-old Frances Murphy of Manhattan. The victim, who performs as "The Gorilla Lady" at the World's Fair, was found by a medical examination to be physically male, although she considers herself a woman and attended the University of California for two years as such. The doctor also indicated that she has authorization from a California court to live as a female.

Sob-sister columnist Helen Worth says that when one begins to analyze the other, it's a sign that love is on the wane.

The big Sears store at Bedford and Beverly has a deal going on furniture -- rebuild and reupholster your current living room suite for $39. (That store is still a Sears, and still looks just as it did in 1939.)

Coats are on sale at Russek's, but I can get another year out of my old tweed, I think.

"Brave Spangles Gleam Amid Wartime's Glory." Aw, give it a rest.

The Reds are in as National League pennant winners, "wheezing and staggering over the line" after a desperate struggle with the Cardinals. The Yankees, rested and ready, await in the World Series.

The Dodgers are still holding onto third place by percentage points after a 2 to 1 loss to the Bees in the first of two at Boston. Durocher was kicked out of the game in the 7th after a friendly discussion with his good pal, umpire George Magerkurth.

If the Dodgers manage to clinch third place before the final game of the season they will wear experimental batting helmets during that game, "Buck Rogers equipment" favored by team president Larry MacPhail as protection against beanballs.

Meanwhile, the Dodger Attendance Contest is generating plenty of excitement. Among the celebrities submitting entries are Babe Ruth, Al Schacht, James Roosevelt, Jack Dempsey, and Olsen & Johnson, all of whom are confident that the Bums will crack the million mark. A new car goes to the fan who comes closest to the final 1939 gate.

Tonight at Ebbets Field, it's college football action between Long Island University and City College, a contest promised to be "replete with thrills."

Cousin Elmer's gotten out of bed long enough to go see lawyers "Gouger & Gyp."

Leona Stockpool can't stand the thought of eating Apple Mary's coarse, greasy food. Maybe it'd taste better if you'd wash that cheap makeup off your face. Floozy.

 

[tonyb]

Little Elaine Morris, if she were still with us, would be quite close in age to my dear old Ma, who is still very much of this world and who reports that her life at present is every bit as enjoyable as it has ever been. More so, even, most days.

It speaks to the vanity and/or insecurity of the Author and His worldly translators that the injunction against homicide merits only the sixth spot in the Decalogue, while four of the preceding five entries deal with the devotion to be accorded the Author Himself. It might leave a person pondering just how seriously they ever took that “sanctity of life” business.