The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Coast Guard search party on a rescue mission for the British freighter Coulmore has been advised that the ship successfully eluded a German submarine, and is safe, but is continuing the search just the same. A wireless station in Nova Scotia reported receiving a message from the Coulmore, but the Canadian Naval Service says that message was incomplete, and official sources say they don't "put too much stock" in the report. The US Coast Guard cutter Duane is now patrolling the an area about 680 miles east of New York pending positive confirmation of the Coulmore's status.

The House is racing toward a vote as early as two days from now on the amended Neutrality Act. House Majority Leader Sam Rayburn anticipates passage on the bill, and says its approval will remove the causes "which got the country into another war like this 22 years ago."

The chairman of the Dies Committee says he believes testimony from a New York man alleging that the US shipping industry is under Communist control. Representative Martin Dies endorsed views expressed by Frederick C. Phillips of New York, who told the committee that "80 percent of the leadership of the National Maritime Union is Communist." Dies says this means the US shipping is essentially controlled by the Soviet Union, and that in the event of war, the Navy would be crippled. Phillips further claimed that his views on the matter have left him open to murder by political opponents, echoing fears expressed earlier in the week by former NMU official William McCuistion -- who immediately following his testimony was arrested and charged in the murder of a political opponent in the union.

The Federal kidnapping case against former New Jersey detective Ellis Parker and his son was thrown out today by a US Circuit Court Judge. Parker and Parker, Jr. were convicted last year in the kidnap-torture of Brooklyn attorney Paul Wendel in an attempt to force Wendel to falsely confess to being the true kidnapper-killer of the Lindbergh baby. The Parkers remain under indictment in Kings County, and DA Gehogan reaffirmed that they will be tried here when they are released from prison, regardless of what Federal authorities decide.

Fifty-three municipal court judges who saw their pay cut in Mayor LaGuardia's economy drive have filed suit to receive nearly $123,000 in back pay. The jurists are also seeking an injunction to force an amendment to the 1940 budget returning their salaries to the $12,000 level where they stood before the latest wave of salary cuts.

The City Of Flint is still making its way along the coast of Norway. The vessel, escorted by two Norwegian destroyers, is en route to Germany at a speed of about 14 knots. It will pass Bergen this evening.

A $40,000 shortage in funds to be applied to the accounts of incompetent persons under his supervision has cost a prominent Brooklyn attorney his membership in the Bar. Louis Voso, who formerly kept offices on Montague Street, today resigned from the Bar in the face of an investigation. Voso stated that he resigned because he couldn't afford an attorney to represent him in the probe.

A Wall Street banker plunged to his death this morning from the 25th floor of the Hotel New Yorker. 48-year-old Otto Alden, assistant secretary of the Bank of New York, leaped from a window about an hour after checking into the hotel without baggage just before 5 am. Bank officials say there has been no reason to investigate Alden's affairs, but there will be an investigation now. Alden's suicide comes almost exactly 24 hours after a Detroit couple jumped from a 27th floor window at the same hotel. Like them, Alden's body landed on the fifth floor roof of an extension of the hotel.

The wife of gangland figure Louis "Lepke" Buchalter testified today in Manhattan Federal Court against five individuals and two corporations charged with shielding Buchalter when he was a fugitive from justice.

With the election just five days away, campaign spending in Brooklyn finds the Democratic Party outpacing its major rivals, with Democrats spending just under $8200 in the promotion of local candidates. The Republican Party has spent just under $5800, with the American Labor Party putting forth just over $2200. Many individual candidates report receiving no contributions and spending no money for campaign purposes.

The Devany Law, which prohibits any person who advocates the overthrow of the government by force or violence from teaching in the public schools, will have its first test in the case of an unnamed Bronx man who has applied for a student-teacher's license while acknowledging membership in the Young Communist League. The applicant denies that his organization advocates overthrow of the government by force or violence.

The removal proceedings against Kings County Judge George Martin are nearing a climax, with State Senate leaders requiring all members to be in attendance for the presentation of the final charges of corruption against the embattled jurist on Wednesday.

Mayor LaGuardia has thrown his support in the race for Brooklyn District Attorney to Chief Special Sessions Justice William R. Bayes, stating that Bayes will clean up the corrupt conditions in Brooklyn law enforcement.

A rabbit whose father was a test tube was born in Manhattan this week. The New York Academy of Medicine reports that the rabbit was born as a result of a scientific procedure in which an ovum of one rabbit was fertilized with a "simple salt solution" and then implanted in the womb of another rabbit. The procedure is expected to provide knowledge which could lead to the birth of healthier human beings.

Dress-Detailed Zipper Princess Coats -- just $1.19 at Loeser's!

A 72-year-old immigrant from Greece, just arrived in New York, triggered a fire alarm outside Pennsylvania Station when he pulled an alarm box. Gus Madronis told authorities he was trying to mail a letter, and assumed the alarm box was a mail receptacle. He didn't know that in the United States mailboxes are dull green, not bright red.

Only A Few Days More And You Can Get 1940's Finest Refrigeration -- the 1940 Servel Electrolux GAS Refrigerator. No moving parts! $9.50 allowance on your old ice-box!

Ever See 2000 Bargains? Come To A&P -- See and Save! Pork loins, 17 cents/pound. Legs of Lamb, 22 cents/lb. Prime Rib of Beef, 22 cents/lb. Fresh prunes -- a real buy! No. 2 1/2 can, 10 cents. Two large loaves famous Soft-Twist Bread 15 cents. Ann Page Prepared Spaghetti, 4 cans for 15 cents. Florida Oranges, 18 for 25 cents.

Helen Worth hears from a mother shocked to discover that her son is sexually involved with a young woman. She advises her to read some of the recent books on the subject and understand that sex is one of the most dominant factors in life., and that she should not be judgemental. If it's possible for the couple to marry, they should, but either way if she values her happiness she must not question the young woman. Doing so may cause her to suffer for the rest of her life.

The latest adaptation of a Lloyd C. Douglas novel, "Disputed Passage," is on the screen at the Brooklyn Paramount. Herbert Cohn finds it less preachy than past Douglas stories, with Dorothy Lamour, John Howard, and Akim Tamiroff giving fine performances in this tale of love and racial tensions in war-torn China. The second feature is "On Your Toes," which isn't as good, although Eddie Albert, Leonid Kinsky, and Alan Hale offer comedy highlights.

The National Horse Show opens Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

The Eagle endorses the Democratic candidate, Judge William O'Dwyer, for District Attorney, calling him a man of courage, ability, confidence, experience and character

Lovable bushy-browed character of stage and screen Claude Gillingwater has taken his own life in Hollywood. He was 69 and in poor health.

Mayor LaGuardia won't be staying at his summer headquarters in Queens for the rest of his term after all. With the closing of the World's Fair, the Mayor was notified that his lease had run out and he was being forthwith disposessed.

Al Davis made short work of Tony Canzoneri last night in the bantamweight championship fight at Madison Square Garden. Davis won in the third round on a T-KO, and Canzoneri immediately announced his retirement from the ring.

Reader Ray Boden writes in to sports editor Jimmy Wood to complain about football players trying to show off by playing without helmets. He calls them silly and inexcusable, and says coaches who allow this should be hooted out of the profession.

Incubator babies who spent the summer on exhibit at the World's Fair aren't merchandise, and do not require formal bills of lading before they can be removed from the grounds. So Fair security staff had to be advised yesterday after a confrontation with parents who had come to reclaim their children.

Mr. Bungle is annoyed -- as usual -- to find that Uncle Booboo's visit was prompted by a letter from Zooie in which that worthy claimed to be living high on the hog with a butler and a cook and lots of money. George doesn't even know where Zooie is. AND WHAT ABOUT THE CATS IN THE WALL? ARE WE JUST GONNA LET THAT DROP????

Leona flounces around gloating to Cousin Sue about going off to a swanky party, but complains she'd really like to meet an INTERESTING man. Cue Murdock the Butler, lurking around the corner and thinking that this will happen SOON.

John Barrymore Dook makes another date with Kay, and as soon as she's out of earshot he mumbles about how he'd better not excite suspicion. Well, given how bright Kay seems to be, I doubt that'll be a problem, but watch out for Babs. She's the kind of kid who eavesdrops on people who talk to themselves.

 

[Fading Fast]

...A $40,000 shortage in funds to be applied to the accounts of incompetent persons under his supervision has cost a prominent Brooklyn attorney his membership in the Bar. Louis Voso, who formerly kept offices on Montague Street, today resigned from the Bar in the face of an investigation. Voso stated that he resigned because he couldn't afford an attorney to represent him in the probe.

A Wall Street banker plunged to his death this morning from the 25th floor of the Hotel New Yorker. 48-year-old Otto Alden, assistant secretary of the Bank of New York, leaped from a window about an hour after checking into the hotel without baggage just before 5 am. Bank officials say there has been no reason to investigate Alden's affairs, but there will be an investigation now. Alden's suicide comes almost exactly 24 hours after a Detroit couple jumped from a 27th floor window at the same hotel. Like them, Alden's body landed on the fifth floor roof of an extension of the hotel....

Hmm, I know it's usually not a good idea, but in this case, why didn't Voso represent himself? Methinks the man isn't innocent.

And, maybe, he was "washing" the $40,000 with the help of Otto Alden.

Finally, "...there will be an investigation now." Ya think!

...A rabbit whose father was a test tube was born in Manhattan this week. The New York Academy of Medicine reports that the rabbit was born as a result of a scientific procedure in which an ovum of one rabbit was fertilized with a "simple salt solution" and then implanted in the womb of another rabbit. The procedure is expected to provide knowledge which could lead to the birth of healthier human beings....

Very cool - early test-tube baby stuff.

...Dress-Detailed Zipper Princess Coats -- just $1.19 at Loeser's!...

That sounds cheap even for '39, it's about $22 in today's dollars.

...Helen Worth hears from a mother shocked to discover that her son is sexually involved with a young woman. She advises her to read some of the recent books on the subject and understand that sex is one of the most dominant factors in life., and that she should not be judgemental. If it's possible for the couple to marry, they should, but either way if she values her happiness she must not question the young woman. Doing so may cause her to suffer for the rest of her life....

As we see time and again, the period's attitude toward sex was much broader than it was, in general, presented in the movies of the time.

...Lovable bushy-browed character of stage and screen Claude Gillingwater has taken his own life in Hollywood. He was 69 and in poor health....

He pops up now and again in early '30s movies on TCM

 

[LizzieMaine]

I once broke my toe at the Hotel New Yorker. The place is cursed.

 

[Fading Fast]

I once broke my toe at the Hotel New Yorker. The place is cursed.

But what an iconic sign and building - classic NYC skyline:

Take the sign off and it's a perfect Superman building.

 

[Farace]

Only A Few Days More And You Can Get 1940's Finest Refrigeration -- the 1940 Servel Electrolux GAS Refrigerator. No moving parts! $9.50 allowance on your old ice-box!

Those old Servels are still highly prized in some places. I believe my parents had one when they got married in the '50s, and then it went to my great-grandmother if I have the story right. Around '66 or '67 my grandparents bought a 200-year-old farmhouse in Wayne, Maine that served as a family summer spot for years. Nearest electricity was over a mile away, and the power company was not interested in running poles and wires down the highway for one customer. So the old Servel ended up at the farmhouse, and after they sold the place sometime in the '80s or '90s I suspect the fridge went on somewhere else and remains useful. Here at home, there is a small island in the harbor dotted with summer cottages. No electric lines run out there (and there's only water in the summer; the supply line is taken up in the winter), but propane is delivered by boat, so Servels are sought after out there, too.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Finland's foreign minister says there's nothing provocative toward Russia in his country's refusal to exchange territories with the Soviets. Minister J. E. Erkko maintained there was nothing in his most recent speech that could be interpreted as a threat toward the Russians, and that there is still room for negotiation between the countries.

Meanwhile, Germany is observing the Soviet-Finland situation with concern, with reports from Stockholm that "anxiety is building" among the German leadership, even as it puts up a public front of disinterest. The average German on the street is said to be in full sympathy with Finland and ready to take up arms to fight for the Nordic countries against any Soviet incursion.

Final approval for the new Neutrality Act, repealing the Arms Embargo, is expected today or tomorrow after a joint House and Senate committee today passed the bill out of conference.

Germany had an immediate reaction to news of the Neutrality Act's impending approval, with angry statements in the Nazi press that America is looking forward to profiting from the European War. A front page editorial in the Boersen Zeitung blamed Mrs. Roosevelt for the action, suggesting that a "family quarrel" with her husband over American policy is leading the United States toward full participation in the war.

New airplane orders totalling $159,000,000 have been received by American aircraft manufacturers in anticipation of the end of the Arms Embargo, with reports that another $339,000,000 in orders are expected within the next few weeks.

The German government has given the US full assurance of the safety of the crew on board the freighter City Of Flint. The seized vessel is still making its way on a slow course toward Germany.

A star member of the Princeton football team lost his left leg as a result of injuries he suffered in the Princeton-Brown game last week. 21-year-old Don Herring underwent amputation surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore this morning, and doctors say "he took it like a man." Although his football career is now over, Herring is reportedly looking forward to continuing his studies toward a career in geology.

The president of the AFL-affiliated International Longshoreman's Union has rejected an offer of Federal mediation in a strike against nine shipping lines that has idled 5000 dockworkers on the East Coast. Union chief Joseph Ryan says he has no confidence in the Federal Maritime Labor Board, which he claims is aligned with the "communistic" longshoremen's association on the West Coast, and is confident that the strike can be settled without outside intervention.

A Georgia Avenue man who faces a lengthy list of charges in connection with bail bond fraud found himself on the other side of the law today in Brooklyn Felony Court. Israel Frosch appeared in court to testify on behalf of his daughter and against the 21-year-old man who allegedly stole her car. Frosch told the court he was the man who intervened to stop the theft and recover the car. John Belmont of 15 Belmont Avenue faces a grand larceny charge.

The wife of gangland figure Louis "Lepke" Buchalter has switched her story, claiming now she had nothing to do with aiding her husband in any way in his flight from the law, and had nothing to do with the various individuals and corporations accused of shielding him during his time as a fugitive. Mrs. Beatrice Buchalter had previously testified for the prosecution before switching to the defense in the trial, which is expected to end today in Manhattan Federal Court.

The First Lady has nothing to say about whether President Roosevelt will seek a third term in 1940. Asked by a member of the audience at a Kansas convention hall where she was speaking last night about her husband's future plans, Mrs Roosevelt demurred. "I don't know," she said. "I haven't asked him."

The Dies Committe is calling for an investigation into alleged Communist activity in the Panama Canal Zone, after a witness claimed that CIO union organizers operating in the Zone are under Communist influence, with the direct support of John L. Lewis and Joseph Curran. Witness Frederick C. Phillips claims he was expelled from the National Maritime Union for his opposition to Red influence.

The American Labor Party candidate for Kings County Sherrif is taking a firm line against incumbent Sherrif Joseph Mangano's plan to establish vigilante patrols to stop subversive activitiy in the borough. Candidate Joseph Tuvim says the plan is "a vicious attempt to destroy democratic rights," and went on to ridicule Mangano for his attempt to halt the playing of night baseball at Ebbets Field, a failed effort which Tuvim called the Sherrif's Department's only accomplishment last year.

Helen Worth says no one should feel obligated to drink liquor at a party, but one should be tactful in refusing alcohol. But that doesn't mean the hostess was justified in slipping some gin in your ginger ale after you told her you didn't want any liquor because you think of it as something that causes a lot of harm to others, and then she said, well, liquor killed my brother but that doesn't mean I don't like a drink now and then myself, and you didn't have anything to say after that.

Get PRESTONE Anti-Freeze! One Shot is Good Till Spring! (Just not in my ginger ale, please.)

A cabaret operator from Forest Hills and his assistant face $70,000 in fines and prison time after evading $600 in taxes. Herbert R. Moss, owner of the Forest Bar at 107-28 71st Street, and his accountant George Andreola changed their plea to guilty as their trial was nearing its end in Felony Court. Moss could draw a 13 year prison term. Andreola could be jailed for 3 years.

Hollywood Gossip from Hy Gardner: W. C. Fields walks that way on screen because he takes the heels off his shoes... On the set of "Grapes Of Wrath," actors are being warned not to wash their shirts. "They're supposed to be dirty!"... Al Jolson is planning a new Broadway show to get his mind off his marital woes.

The Patio finally gets "The Wizard Of Oz," opening today along with Ann Sheridan in "Winter Carnival."

A placement agency for displaced World's Fair employees has already found work for more than a thousand people. Those who worked at the Fair in 1939 will also receive first priority when jobs open up again in 1940.

City Fusion Party candidate for City Council Edward W. Wright says politics are keeping the Raymond Street Jail open despite the "black hole of Calcutta" conditions that prevail there. Wright demands to know why Manhattan has a renovated Tombs, why the Bronx has a new jail, why Queens has a new jail, and yet Brooklyn still has its "Little Devils' Island," an institution he calls a "nursery of crime."

Contemporary Art on your Christmas Cards this year -- the American Artists Group offers over a thousand modern artistic subjects on its cards this year, including works by Rockwell Kent, Waldo Peirce, Thomas Benton, and John Sloan.

Dodger pitcher Whitlow Wyatt, sidelined with a mid-season knee injury this year, will be ready to go in 1940 after surgery today at Johns Hopkins Hospital. So reports Dodger President Larry MacPhail, who was at Wyatt's bedside before the operation. Wyatt had won eight straight games in 1939 before the injury finished his season.

MacPhail also reports there's nothing to report on the matter of Joe Medwick -- and dismisses all talk that the Dodgers will pry Al Lopez and Max West away from the Boston Bees.

A football doubleheader at Ebbets Field tomorrow offers high school action between Madison and New Utrecht, followed by college ball with Long Island University versus West Virginia.

Max Schmeling wants another shot at Joe Louis. So spoke the German heavyweight during a visit to Spain, where he is said to be scouting locations for a film to star his wife, actress Anny Ondra.

Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda offer a scene from "Drums Along The Mohawk," on the Kate Smith Hour, tonight at 8 over WABC.

Zooie is as flat as a man trying to sell slow music to jitterbugs, explains Mr. Bungle to Uncle Boohoo -- but there might yet be a chance for Uncle to make some change out of his visit: if he can figure out how to get those cats out of the wall. See how neatly this all ties together?

Bill Biff chauffeurs Murdock The Butler into town for a visit to an employment agency, supposedly to recruit a new maid. But Bill thinks skulduggery is afoot, and he's gonna follow "old Frozen Face" to find out exactly what is up.

Dan Dunn explains his findings to Sherrif Nigel Bruce, prattling on about mud. Kay is up to gawdknowswhat with John Barrymore Dook, and Dan is -- well, talk about clueless....

 

[Fading Fast]

...The wife of gangland figure Louis "Lepke" Buchalter has switched her story, claiming now she had nothing to do with aiding her husband in any way in his flight from the law, and had nothing to do with the various individuals and corporations accused of shielding him during his time as a fugitive. Mrs. Beatrice Buchalter had previously testified for the prosecution before switching to the defense in the trial, which is expected to end today in Manhattan Federal Court....

It sounds as if - overnight - someone was made and offer she couldn't refuse.

...Helen Worth says no one should feel obligated to drink liquor at a party, but one should be tactful in refusing alcohol. But that doesn't mean the hostess was justified in slipping some gin in your ginger ale after you told her you didn't want any liquor because you think of it as something that causes a lot of harm to others, and then she said, well, liquor killed my brother but that doesn't mean I don't like a drink now and then myself, and you didn't have anything to say after that......

What the h*ll - that's never okay.

...MacPhail also reports there's nothing to report on the matter of Joe Medwick -- and dismisses all talk that the Dodgers will pry Al Lopez and Max West away from the Boston Bees....

Very disappointed to learn that the Boston Bees did not seem to have the image of a bee on their uniform. I did find the below logo, but again, it doesn't appear that a bee was actually on the uniform (couldn't find a pic of the back of the uniform, but I doubt it's there). Lizzie?

...Max Schmeling wants another shot at Joe Louis. So spoke the German heavyweight during a visit to Spain, where he is said to be scouting locations for a film to star his wife, actress Anny Ondra.....

Joe Louis was too much of a gentleman to say this, but when I read Schmeling's comment, Clubber Lang's response in "Rocky III" to Rocky's request for a rematch came to mind:

I reject the challenge because Balboa [Schmeling] is no challenge.

But I'd be happy to beat up on him some more.​

 

[LizzieMaine]

Schmeling probably figured if he could beat Louis in a re-rematch, he wouldn't have to go to The Front.

"Bees" never really caught on, in part because they really didn't do anything to promote it -- there was no aggressive sneering-bee logo or any other kind of bee motif on field, other than the highly-resistable renaming of Braves Field to "The Beehive." They wore a bright-yellow capital letter "B" on the home uniforms, which was a change, I suppose -- bright yellow wasn't a common color on baseball uniforms at the time -- but they could have gone a step further and had black-and-yellow bee-striped socks and didn't. Something tells me their heart really wasn't in it, and they were just marking time till they could go back to being the Braves again.

Somebody pulled that business with a drink on me once, sort of. I was in a stage show, and a scene called for me to pick up a glass and slam down a shot -- the glass of course was full of water, until some backstage joker filled it with gin. I had it in my mouth before I knew what it was, and immediately sprayed it out onto the stage floor. The varnish immediately began to dissolve. Fortunately, this wasn't during a performance, just a rehearsal, but it was enough for me to reconsider a stage career.

 

[Fading Fast]

Schmeling probably figured if he could beat Louis in a re-rematch, he wouldn't have to go to The Front.

"Bees" never really caught on, in part because they really didn't do anything to promote it -- there was no aggressive sneering-bee logo or any other kind of bee motif on field, other than the highly-resistable renaming of Braves Field to "The Beehive." They wore a bright-yellow capital letter "B" on the home uniforms, which was a change, I suppose -- bright yellow wasn't a common color on baseball uniforms at the time -- but they could have gone a step further and had black-and-yellow bee-striped socks and didn't. Something tells me their heart really wasn't in it, and they were just marking time till they could go back to being the Braves again.

Somebody pulled that business with a drink on me once, sort of. I was in a stage show, and a scene called for me to pick up a glass and slam down a shot -- the glass of course was full of water, until some backstage joker filled it with gin. I had it in my mouth before I knew what it was, and immediately sprayed it out onto the stage floor. The varnish immediately began to dissolve. Fortunately, this wasn't during a performance, just a rehearsal, but it was enough for me to reconsider a stage career.

The drink hustle was tried on me by a quite attractive woman when I was young and new to NYC. I caught on and got away quickly. No idea what her (or her team's) game was, but I knew enough not to hang around to find out.

The idea of the Bees was also out of synch with the era's vibe - it might have more success today if promoted.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The City Of Flint has been released to its American crew after the Norwegian government seized the ship from the German prize crew sailing it to a German port as a contraband vessel. The German Charge d'Affairs at Oslo filed an immediate protest over the Norwegian intervention in the matter, which the Norwegians are expected to reject on the grounds that the German seizure of the ship was not conducted according to international law. The Norwegians cite the 31st article of the 21st chapter of the Hague Convention, which states that a prize ship may be taken to a neutral port only if it is unseaworthy. The Soviets cited the same clause in forcing the ship to leave Murmansk.

The future destination of the City Of Flint may be Glasgow, under escort from a British convoy, with the American crew reported to be worried that ship may now be a "marked vessel," targeted for German attack. Meanwhile, the German prize crew has been interned in Norway pending further action in the case.

President Roosevelt will sign the new Neutrality Act today following approval yesterday by the House. The signing ceremony takes place at noon, and will immediately lift the embargo on sales of armaments to belligerents on a cash-and-carry basis, and will also establish war zones into which American ships may not legally travel.

That latter clause of the new law is raising concerns about the legal status of the City Of Flint, which is being described as an "orphan vessel," despite having sailed before the new law went into effect. The United States Maritime Commission reports it has had no official word from the ship, but officials speculate that it would be "logical" for it to eventually make its way to Kirkwall, England, its original destination, to unload its cargo.

The biggest New York football crowd of the year is expected at Yankee Stadium today when Notre Dame meets Army. Over 75,600 tickets have been sold for the contest.

Postmaster General James Farley has endorsed William O'Dwyer for the office of Brooklyn District Attorney, as the local campaign moves into its final leg.

The strike by the AFL International Longshoremen's Union is spreading down the entire Eastern seaboard, with predictions of up to 20,000 workers to be idled by the walkout.

The wife of an American citizen executed by the Nazis after the invasion of Warsaw is protesting the death of her husband. 55-year-old Josef Sadowski, a cleaner and dyer by trade, was executed last month after being convicted by a court-martial of concealing arms and ammunition. Sadowski reportedly acknowledged being commandant of a Polish civil guard battallion, and gave no indicaation to the Germans of being an American citizen. His widow, Mrs. Stephania Sadowski of Chicago, will file a formal protest with the State Department, but Washington officials doubt that anything can be done, noting that by enlisting in a foreign military organization, Sadowski forfeited his rights as an American citizen.

Borough President Raymond Ingersoll denounced the proposed legalization of parimutual wagering in New York City by calling it a "partnership with gambling." In a statement to be read to a mass meeting of Brooklyn churches, Ingersoll called the measure both economically and morally unsound, and urged that it be rejected at the polls.

Properties owned by the B.M.T. and associated transit companies will see their assessed value slashed by $85,000,000 following a court ruling today that will clear up litigation over property valuations dating back twenty years. The companies had refused to pay special franchise taxes levied between 1918 and 1928 on grounds that they were excessive.

The Eagle editorialist is pleased to learn that the Dionne Quintuplets have not been told about the war, and hopes that they won't have to be.

Brooklyn resident Stockton Stevens writes in to praise City Council candidate Edward Wright for supporting a greater emphasis on Latin-American history and culture and the teaching of Spanish in the public schools. Wright is calling for Spanish education beginning in the elementary grades, and for emphasizing the contributions of Latin-Americans to our national culture, and Stevens believes this is a gesture toward greater friendship among the states of the Western Hemisphere.

Only one felony was committed at the World's Fair this year, a fraud case involving $50 -- and that case was dismissed yesterday in Queens County Court. In dismissing the matter, Judge Charles S. Colden noted that it was a remarkable feat for an event attracting 30,000,000 people to produce not one case for the grand jury.

Seven out of nine business establishments visted yesterday by the city Markets Commissioner cheated him in some way. Commissioner William F. Morgan Jr. reported being sold shoddy substitute goods or short weight for items ranging from silk stockings to chickens. The two businesses that were on the level were a fuel oil dealer on Long Island and a coal yard on the West Side of Manhattan.

If you're setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner, remember that the dinner fork is on the outside, the salad fork is on the inside, and the oyster fork goes on the right, next to the spoons. (Joe Punchclock down in Bensonhurst yells out to Sally in the kitchen "HEY KID, WE HAVIN' ERSTERS THIS YEAR?")

Brooklyn's unofficial betting commissioner Fred Schumm says the odds are 8 to 1 that William O'Dwyer will be the next DA, and that Sherrif Mangano has only a 2 to 1 chance of being reelected.

A 22 year old man is being held without bail after he beat and robbed a 90 year old man. Michael Gennone of 130 N. 3rd Street was arraigned in Felony Court on a robbery charge stemming from an attack on Morris Weinberg of 149 S. 9th Street. Weinberg, who appeared "typically patriarchal" in his long white beard despite two black eyes, told the court that he was walking to his synagogue last Sunday when he was thrown to the ground, beaten, and robbed of 85 cents and a pack of cigarettes at the corner of 2nd and Roebling Streets.

No major league pitcher has ever been retired because of a knee injury. So reports Tommy Holmes in his review of Whit Wyatt's status. The Dodger right-hander is recovering from knee surgery performed yesterday in Baltimore. Wyatt is expected to remain in a cast for at least three weeks, and it'll be a month more before he can put his knee to a real test. Holmes notes that knee injuries have been career-enders for many infielders over the years, but pitchers have been lucky.

The National Hockey League season opens tonight, with the Boston Bruins facing the Maple Leafs in Toronto. The New York Rangers open tomorrow night against Detroit. The New York Americans don't open their season until next Thursday.

Dead End Kid Billy Halop flexes his dramatic skills tonight in Arch Oboler's play "Young Mr. Trouble," at 9pm over WEAF. Sounds like typecasting to me.

Tomorrow's television schedule features another Dodger football game, as Brooklyn faces the Pirates at Ebbets Field. There will also be a variety hour headlined by Irene Bordoni, with Paul Wing's Spelling Bee, the harmonica team of Jim and Mildred Mulcahy, and the skating team The Four Comets.

George and Uncle Boohoo work out a deal -- 35 cents a cat to get the cats out of the wall.

Bill Biff sees Murdock The Butler slinking into a hotel and eavesdrops on his conversation with "Fritz." "I promise the girl will be there! And now I must hurry back before that stupid chauffeur suspects something!" Ah, Bill, you know the old saying, eavesdroppers never hear well of themselves.

Dan comes swanking in asking Kay with a smarmy smile if she's over her mad yet, and boy does she let him have it about the SWELL TIME she's had while he was gone. Dan doesn't care a lick for that. "Stepping out on me, eh?" he smirks, and Kay glares at him. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WAIT AROUND FOR YOU, YOU GREASY BRILLIANTINED MANNEQUIN! Well, that's what she would've said if I was writing this strip.

 

[Fading Fast]

The City Of Flint has been released to its American crew after the Norwegian government seized the ship from the German prize crew sailing it to a German port as a contraband vessel. The German Charge d'Affairs at Oslo filed an immediate protest over the Norwegian intervention in the matter, which the Norwegians are expected to reject on the grounds that the German seizure of the ship was not conducted according to international law. The Norwegians cite the 31st article of the 21st chapter of the Hague Convention, which states that a prize ship may be taken to a neutral port only if it is unseaworthy. The Soviets cited the same clause in forcing the ship to leave Murmansk.

The future destination of the City Of Flint may be Glasgow, under escort from a British convoy, with the American crew reported to be worried that ship may now be a "marked vessel," targeted for German attack. Meanwhile, the German prize crew has been interned in Norway pending further action in the case.....

Well now, Norway didn't waver, did it.

...Borough President Raymond Ingersoll denounced the proposed legalization of parimutual wagering in New York City by calling it a "partnership with gambling." In a statement to be read to a mass meeting of Brooklyn churches, Ingersoll called the measure both economically and morally unsound, and urged that it be rejected at the polls....

Breaking this into its two components, one, should the state be in the gambling business (today we know the state decided yes as it's become a giant bookie that takes a bigger vig [fee] than the old-time hoods did) and, two, parimutuel betting is economically and morally sound if you accept gambling as a legitimate endeavor - it's an Occam's Razor elegant and brilliant solution.

...Only one felony was committed at the World's Fair this year, a fraud case involving $50 -- and that case was dismissed yesterday in Queens County Court. In dismissing the matter, Judge Charles S. Colden noted that it was a remarkable feat for an event attracting 30,000,000 people to produce not one case for the grand jury...

The good (hard to believe)⇧

and the bad⇩

[/QUOTE]...Seven out of nine business establishments visted yesterday by the city Markets Commissioner cheated him in some way. Commissioner William F. Morgan Jr. reported being sold shoddy substitute goods or short weight for items ranging from silk stockings to chickens. The two businesses that were on the level were a fuel oil dealer on Long Island and a coal yard on the West Side of Manhattan.....[/QUOTE]

...If you're setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner, remember that the dinner fork is on the outside, the salad fork is on the inside, and the oyster fork goes on the right, next to the spoons. (Joe Punchclock down in Bensonhurst yells out to Sally in the kitchen "HEY KID, WE HAVIN' ERSTERS THIS YEAR?")....

We solved that conundrum in my house growing up by having one magic fork that worked for all foods and dishes. Today, I'm happiest if we have a plastic fork from food picked up or delivered, which means one less thing to wash afterward.

...No major league pitcher has ever been retired because of a knee injury. So reports Tommy Holmes in his review of Whit Wyatt's status. The Dodger right-hander is recovering from knee surgery performed yesterday in Baltimore. Wyatt is expected to remain in a cast for at least three weeks, and it'll be a month more before he can put his knee to a real test. Holmes notes that knee injuries have been career-enders for many infielders over the years, but pitchers have been lucky....

And, yet, CC Sabathia would most likely pitch another season if not for his gimpy knee.

...Tomorrow's television schedule features another Dodger football game, as Brooklyn faces the Pirates at Ebbets Field. There will also be a variety hour headlined by Irene Bordoni, with Paul Wing's Spelling Bee, the harmonica team of Jim and Mildred Mulcahy, and the skating team The Four Comets.....

80 years later and sports is still the most profitable and popular thing on TV.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm kind of disappointed that televised spelling bees aren't popular anymore. Maybe ESPN should get on it -- they'd be great in HD, you could see all the beads of sweat breaking out on some poor kid's upper lip as they try to spell "acetylcholinesterase."

I bet every Thanskgiving at the Mulcahy household for the next seventy years the kids had to hear that same story about how Mom and Pop were on TV that time.

 

[3fingers]

A 22 year old man is being held without bail after he beat and robbed a 90 year old man. Michael Gennone of 130 N. 3rd Street was arraigned in Felony Court on a robbery charge stemming from an attack on Morris Weinberg of 149 S. 9th Street.

Apparently he hadn't heard about the lack of competition at the fair. A stay at Sing Sing is a tough knock for 65 cents and a pack of smokes.

 

[LizzieMaine]

An order issued today by President Roosevelt puts nearly all European ports off limits to American-registered ships under the new Neutrality Law. The only exceptions are those ports of neutral nations located along the Mediterranean Sea and the Arctic Ocean. The order also excludes vessels flying the American flag from a designated war zone, where the risk of submarine or surface attack exists.

The German government continues to protest the internment of the prize crew that seized the City Of Flint, accusing the Norwegian government of an "exceptionally unfriendly act" and "an error of tact." Meanwhile, the ship itself is moored off Bergen awaiting a further decision on its ultimate destination.

A thrilling play-by-play description of the aerial bombardment of a U-Boat was picked up in London, as RAF planes radioed the progress of an assault on German raiders off the coast of Kent. The attack sunk a German submarine a few hours after several bodies of German sailors washed ashore, apparent casualities of another U-Boat sinking.

French fliers reportedly broke up a mass air attack by German planes deep into France.

Reports from Finland are now hopeful of a resolution to the standoff between Finnish and Russian negotiators over Soviet demands for bases on the Hangoe Peninsula and at Petamo Port.

An expected business boom for Brooklyn resulting from the shipment of arms to Europe as a result of the end of the Arms Embargo appears to be underway, with two more Lockheed bomber planes destined for Great Britain having arrived at Floyd Bennett Field. The two planes joined six others that arrived last week, and were transported to a holding area on Staten Island pending delivery to a foreign freighter. A shipment of corned beef destined for Britain is also in storage awaiting pickup.

Mayor LaGuardia is pushing plans for a Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel as an alternative to the stalled bridge project. The Mayor outlined his proposal in a speech in Manhattan yesterday, stressing that the outlook for such a tunnel is better than it has been in quite some time. The Mayor expects a series of conference in the week ahead to firm up the plans.

With the election two days away, political observers anticipate that the Democratic Party will retain a plurality in Brooklyn, but that margin will be reduced. A moderate voter turnout is anticipated on Tuesday for what's being called an unexciting off-year election.

The Green Bus Line strike in Queens has been settled, with 200 drivers going back to work. The union and the company settled on a ten percent pay increase and a week's paid vacation, along with settling questions of seniority and the status of owner-drivers in the union.

Notre Dame blanked Army 14-0 in the highly-anticipated, heavily-attended game at Yankee Stadium. Illinois upset Michgan 16-7 in the only surprise of the weekend college grid slate.

A 32 year old woman has been exonerated of charges that she stabbed a man with a pair of scissors. Charges were dismissed against Miss Josephine G. Mellon of 19 Marine Avenue in Felony Court. The complaint had alleged that Miss Mellon had stabbed 38-year-old Frank McKee of the same address, inflicting injuries that required 15 stitches. (Didn't we actually see this happen a couple weeks back in "The Bungle Family?")

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce has denounced overassessment of real estate in the borough as "jeopardizing the welfare of all business activity and the future of the city itself," and is calling on city officials to correct the "ridiculously high" assessments of properties at once. The Chamber charges that assessments of some business properties in Brooklyn are 200 to 300 percent of actual market value.

You're sure to select a winner at Aeolian's ELECTION DAY PIANO SALE! One Day Only! Tuesday November 7th! $10 Down! Easy Monthly Installments!

Seven new projects totalling nearly $400,000 were begun in Brooklyn yesterday by the Works Progress Administration. The repavement of the Greenpoint Avenue bridge and the installation of new sewers in the Sheepshead Bay area head the WPA agenda for the winter months. Improvements and repairs will also be undertaken in several area hospitals.

Deluxe Barbara Lee stockings -- 84 cents, 92 cents, and $1.04 a pair in the big Semi-Annual Sale at Abraham & Straus. In these days of short skirts -- shortest in ten years -- it is terribly important that stockings be fine, flattering, in the right colors!

SPECIAL FIVE WEEK COURSE IN ELECTROLYSIS! In five short weeks you can have a career of prestige and profit! BEAUTIDERM INSTITUTE, 1451 Broadway, NYC. Phone WIsconsin 7-0043.

Cookies Selling Like Hot Cakes in Queens Girl Scout Campaign. (I wonder if they ever considered just selling hot cakes?)

Specimen ballots are presented for Brooklyn and Queens -- Remember, you vote for City Council by putting a number in front of a candidate's name in the order in which you want your choice registered. It is suggested you vote for at least half the candidates on the ballot to ensure your vote being counted. Don't forget to ask for the paper ballot with the Council candidates after you have voted on the machines.

The Eagle editorialist strongly endorses the re-election of Genevieve Earle to the City Council, calling the council's lone woman member one of the outstanding members of that body.

The Eagle also urges a "Yes" vote on the parimutual amendment, despite the fact that the paper's sports editor opposes the amendment.

Brooklyn is allocated $34,445,607 in the $117,240,763.02 city budget for 1940. (I wonder what the two cents is for? Somebody wants to buy a copy of the Daily News? Don't you know you can always find a copy for free under a seat on the subway?)

Remember -- At Loeser's you can Buy In November -- Pay In January!

Helen Worth tells the story of a woman of her acquaintance who was in a speakeasy the night Thomas Edison died, and when the lights went out in his honor, she thought it was a raid. The embarassment!

Sail American! On American Flag Steamers! To Uncle Sam's Island of PUERTO RICO! And the neutral port of Trujillo City in the Dominican Republic. 11 days -- all expenses -- $120 minimum! Ask your travel agent or visit the PORTO RICO LINE!

French Generalissimo Maurice Gustave Gamelin is the cover boy in TREND this week -- and ha ha ha, look how short he is! 5 foot 4! Put him next to this 6 foot 7 English general and it's like Mutt and Jeff! Ha ha ha!

Deanna Durbin, no longer the little girl on Eddie Cantor's program, receives her first kiss in "First Love." The kisser? Handsome Robert Stack.

Halloween pranksters in Haverhill, Massachusetts put a "For Sale" sign in front of City Hall, and the city was annoyed to receive a flood of inquiries.

The Trapp Family Choir, famous Vienna vocal organization, gives a Bach recital tomorrow at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

"Life With Father," based on the stories of Clarence Day, opens this week on Broadway at the Empire Theatre. It's likely to be a success.

Imogene Coca is a big hit in the "Water Sprite" number in The Straw Hat Revue, but she's tired of having to re-set her hair after each performance. She also gives a winning impersonation of Carmen Miranda in "The Souse American Way" number.

Rising tough-guy actor Broderick Crawford swears he's nothing like his mother, comedienne Helen Broderick.

The football Pirates have never won a game at Ebbets Field, and the Dodgers will today try to keep them from winning their first. Attendance should be brisk, with the Giants playing on the road in Detroit.

"A Guy Named Duke" reminisces on the Old Timers Page about his old cronies, including Neil Hesterberg, "The Huckleberry Finn of Flatbush", and Johnny "Gold Tooth" Johnson.

And in the Sunday funnies, Red Ryder is under arrest, and Ace Hanlon helpfully suggests that he ought to hang. Mr. Hanlon immediately sends his men out to build a real snazzy looking gallows, and they grab torches and head for the jail. But Little Beaver is watching from the shadows and overhears all the nefarious plotting.

Jane Arden, Girl Reporter gets slugged by the evil ship captain, a brawl with Jim results -- and Jane, as gawd is my witness, lets the captain have it right between the legs. OW! he says! GOOD GIRL JANE, cheers Jim.

And Dan and Irwin get a glimpse of John Barrymore Dook, and Irwin wants to punch him in the face. Better you should get Jane Arden in on this case.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Mayor LaGuardia is pushing plans for a Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel as an alternative to the stalled bridge project. The Mayor outlined his proposal in a speech in Manhattan yesterday, stressing that the outlook for such a tunnel is better than it has been in quite some time. The Mayor expects a series of conference in the week ahead to firm up the plans.....

Where there's a will, there's a way.

...A 32 year old woman has been exonerated of charges that she stabbed a man with a pair of scissors. Charges were dismissed against Miss Josephine G. Mellon of 19 Marine Avenue in Felony Court. The complaint had alleged that Miss Mellon had stabbed 38-year-old Frank McKee of the same address, inflicting injuries that required 15 stitches. (Didn't we actually see this happen a couple weeks back in "The Bungle Family?")....

Ripped from today's headlines...

...Deluxe Barbara Lee stockings -- 84 cents, 92 cents, and $1.04 a pair in the big Semi-Annual Sale at Abraham & Straus. In these days of short skirts -- shortest in ten years -- it is terribly important that stockings be fine, flattering, in the right colors!....

Stockings went from a must-have for many women to an all-but-never-used item in an amazingly fast period of time.

...Cookies Selling Like Hot Cakes in Queens Girl Scout Campaign. (I wonder if they ever considered just selling hot cakes?)....

Somebody had her Wheaties this morning.

...Brooklyn is allocated $34,445,607 in the $117,240,763.02 city budget for 1940. (I wonder what the two cents is for? Somebody wants to buy a copy of the Daily News? Don't you know you can always find a copy for free under a seat on the subway?)....

Have to love the exactness of the numbers when you know the play is probably in the hundreds of thousands if not millions. Nothing's changed as I've been in meetings where we discuss the last few thousand dollars in a north-of-a-hundred-million-dollar budget - as if it ever plays out anywhere near that exact.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The repeal of the Arms Embargo has brought a sharp riposte from the Soviet Union, with Foreign Commissar Molotov issuing a harsh criticism of American profiteering from the war. In a four column manifesto published on the front page of the official Communist Party newspaper Pravda, Molotov accused "the bourgeois of the neutral countries" of "warming their hands over the fires of war. The commissar also insisted that the Soviet Union will maintain its own neutrality, and will not allow itself to be drawn into the European conflict -- but at the same time he called on the workers of the world to defend the embattled Chinese people. Molotov also had sharp words for Britain and France, whom he charged with keeping half the world under the chains of colonial slavery, and charged that Italy is only waiting for its chance to "throw itself on the oppressed and have its share of the spoils."

The next move for the City Of Flint may be homeward, although no decision has yet been reached on the future destination of the American freighter after its liberation from the German prize crew that seized it earlier this month. The Germans continue to protest Norwegian intervention in the affair, even as the destination of the ship and its cargo remain a matter of debate. There are thoughts now that the cargo will be unloaded in Norway and the ship sent back to the United States, but there has been no official word from any source. The City Of Flint's captain, Joseph A. Gainard, in a talk broadcast via shortwave over the National Broadcasting Company, contradicted claims by the Germans that the vessel put in to a Norwegian port because an American seaman required medical attention, and stated that he has been advised not to discuss the ultimate disposition of the crew and cargo, other than to say that no decision has been made on when the ship will sail from Bergen.

French troops are holding their line after four days of artillery fire from German forces along the Forbach salient, overlooking the Saar basin.

Economic sanctions against Japan in 1940 are likely according to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Chairman Pittman (D-Nevada) predicts that unless conditions between the US and Tokio improve drastically between now and the expiration of current trade agreements on January 26th, Congress will "undoubtedly" enact his resolution empowering the President to embargo "any and all" exports to Japan. Pittman advises Japan to "be warned of the ides of January," stating that "Japan's entire attitude in China has been total disregard of the rights of the United States and other countries."

Four persons were injured today when a bridge under construction at the foot of Emmons Avenue in the Sheepshead Bay section collapsed. An ambulance and a police emergency squad are at the scene.

The local campaign season moves into its final day with a prominent foe of Tammany corruption endorsing Chief Special Sessions Justice William R. Bayes for Brooklyn District Attorney. Judge Samuel Seabury, dean of the city's independent civic and political forces, called on voters to place the DA's office in "independent and capable hands."

A Brooklyn College student who has led a campaign to abolish the school's football program was tossed into the icy waters of a campus lily pond this morning by members of the football team. Bert Morton of 80 Avenue P, a 19-year-old sophomore, was seized by members of the Kingsmen squad, celebrating Saturday's 12-6 win over City College, carried atop a snake-dancing crowd of more than 500 students, and taken to the three-foot deep pond. Morton was given a chance to repudiate his views, but when asked if he still wanted to abolish football, he looked his captors in the eye and said "Yes." He was then dropped into the water, pulled out, stripped, smeared with a fiery liniment, and dressed in a football uniform while his clothes dried.

Burglars who stole a 240-pound safe containing at least $15,000 in gems from the second floor of a house in Flatbush must've known the layout well. So theorize police detectives, as they invesitgated the theft of the gems and a $500 fur coat from the home of furrier Simon Hecht at 1101 E. 17th Street. An open downstairs window was the only clue. (They ought to call in Dan Dunn, I bet there's some clumps of mud.)

A 23-year-old Belmont Avenue man faces charges of felonious assault in connection with a shooting incident that wounded a young couple last month at a Chinese restaurant in Brownsville. Albert Mazzeli is being held without bail. The victims have recovered from their injuries.

A recurrence of diabetes may delay the final stages in the removal hearings for Judge George Martin. The Judge, accused of widespread corruption, is reported to have been hospitalized on Saturday.

Borough President Raymond Ingersoll tells Brooklyn voters they have no excuse to stay away from the polls tomorrow, charging that mismanagement in the District Attorney's office must be corrected. He also reminds residents that under the proportional-representation system, the number of Brooklyn residents who vote will determine how many seats the borough will hold on the City Council.

Mayor LaGuardia has issued a strong condemnation of the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize parimutual betting in the State of New York, insisting that bookmakers will be taken care of even if the amendment passes. "The same gambling touts and tinhorns who now infest the tracks will continue to be there doing business," argued the Mayor. "I suppose," he continued, "instead of calling them punks, if the constitutional amdendment should be approved I will have to call them 'Mister.'"

The America-France line freighter Independence Hall made port in New York yesterday with a dramatic story of rescue at sea. The ship participated in the rescue of 300 survivors of British ships sunk by German u-boats

Nothing says "Election Day" like a new coat, and you can take your pick of sales at Martin's, Oppenheim-Collins, and Loeser's.

Film star Leslie Howard is recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident during the blackout near his home in Surrey. Howard suffered a broken jaw, three broken teeth, and minor forehead and chest injuries in the collision.

VOTE ROW B -- PULL LEVER OVER (star symbol) FOR THE STRAIGHT DEMOCRATIC TICKET!

BROOKLYN AWAKE! SMASH CRIME! PULL EVERY LEVER ON ROW A (eagle symbol) FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT!

(The Democratic Party was marked on NYC voting machines by a star logo, the Republicans used an eagle, and the American Labor Party has two hands clasped in a gear wheel. Not a donkey nor an elephant nor any shades of blue or red to be found anywhere.)

Toscanini's current series of broadcasts with the NBC Symphony Orchestra are calling attention to the "minor works" of Beethoven. They are heard Saturday nights at 10pm over WJZ. (80 years later, this entire series is available on You Tube. Who'd have ever imagined?)

Ben Bernie has a new vocalist -- Brooklyn's own Edna Dittus, who auditioned for The Ol' Maestro during his recent vaudeville stop at the Flatbush Theatre, and he was so impressed he signed her up. She can be heard during Bernie's current engagement at the Windsor Theatre in the Bronx.

Gay 'Isolationist' Mode Pervades New Modes! Smart Togs Seem To Say "Keep The Boys At Home!" Here's society favorite Brenda Frazier with her decolletage covered by a jacket matching her grey-blue frock. (I fail to see the political implications.)

The ex-wife of comedian Stan Laurel confirms that her child is not his. Vera Illena Laurel acknowledged today in a hearing over her request to set aside the couple's divorce decree that she was the mother of an illegitimate child before marrying the screen comic, but added that Laurel was fully aware of the situation. She charges that the divorce was obtained under pressure from Mr. Laurel, who threatened to expose and publicly humilate her if his demand was not met. Mrs. Laurel also claims she was threatened with severe bodily harm if she opposed the divorce.

Brownie the cocker spaniel squats miserably in the death cell at the Brooklyn ASPCA kennels, even as calls flood his owners asking to adopt the condemned dog to save his life. Brownie, owned by the Fucelli family of 3910 4th Avenue, was sentenced to die after biting three people, but Mrs. Lorraine Fucelli insists he was only defending his home when he nipped -- not bit -- the three.

The Dodger-Pirate football game postponed due to yesterday's heavy rain and high winds will be played tonight at Ebbets Field. The park's groundskeeper had no choice to call the game yesterday because the tarpaulin covering the field was so heavy with accumulated water that there weren't enough men available to pull it off.

Barbara Stanwyck stars tonight in "Only Yesterday," the Lux Radio Theatre presentation at 9pm over WABC.

George shoves Uncle Boohoo into the wall to go after the cats, just before Jo informs him that all the cats just emerged from the hole he cut in the kitchen. Maybe George should go find a bill collector and shove him in the hole to get Uncle Boohoo out.

Bill Biff rushes back to the house to inform Mary Worth of what Murdock is up to -- even as Murdock himself returns, declaring with his usual supercilious sneer that he has something of great interest to tell Miss Leona.

Dan Dunn has tracked down a pair of shoes that match the trademark in the mud clumps and can't wait to tell Irwin. No wonder Kay's bored.

 

[Fading Fast]

The repeal of the Arms Embargo has brought a sharp riposte from the Soviet Union, with Foreign Commissar Molotov issuing a harsh criticism of American profiteering from the war. In a four column manifesto published on the front page of the official Communist Party newspaper Pravda, Molotov accused "the bourgeois of the neutral countries" of "warming their hands over the fires of war. The commissar also insisted that the Soviet Union will maintain its own neutrality, and will not allow itself to be drawn into the European conflict -- but at the same time he called on the workers of the world to defend the embattled Chinese people. Molotov also had sharp words for Britain and France, whom he charged with keeping half the world under the chains of colonial slavery, and charged that Italy is only waiting for its chance to "throw itself on the oppressed and have its share of the spoils."....

"warming their hands over the fires of war -" a more-poetic turn of phrase than the usually very direct Soviet style.

...Economic sanctions against Japan in 1940 are likely according to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Chairman Pittman (D-Nevada) predicts that unless conditions between the US and Tokio improve drastically between now and the expiration of current trade agreements on January 26th, Congress will "undoubtedly" enact his resolution empowering the President to embargo "any and all" exports to Japan. Pittman advises Japan to "be warned of the ides of January," stating that "Japan's entire attitude in China has been total disregard of the rights of the United States and other countries."....

As with many things in this fantastic effort of Lizzie's, it's jarring to see the long fuse of things like, in this case, Pearl Harbor burning. Somehow, reading it in these newspaper summaries, where you know the readers did not know what was coming as we do, makes it more impactful.

...Four persons were injured today when a bridge under construction at the foot of Emmons Avenue in the Sheepshead Bay section collapsed. An ambulance and a police emergency squad are at the scene....

You don't think that LaGuardia and Moses were trying to sneak start the building of the Brooklyn-Battery bridge?

...Mayor LaGuardia has issued a strong condemnation of the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize parimutual betting in the State of New York, insisting that bookmakers will be taken care of even if the amendment passes. "The same gambling touts and tinhorns who now infest the tracks will continue to be there doing business," argued the Mayor. "I suppose," he continued, "instead of calling them punks, if the constitutional amdendment should be approved I will have to call them 'Mister.'"....

I believe (from memory, don't have any sources to cite) that parimutuel betting eliminated the bookies LaGuardia wanted to protect. It would be hard for a bookie to consistently offer better odds than parimutuel without putting himself out of business. Also, smart gamblers could arbitrage a bookie out of business by laying off his mis-priced odds against the parimutuel ones - it would take some effort, but we know what humans are capable of when there's a profit at the end of an effort.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm intrigued by the story of poor Bert Morton, Brooklyn College Class of 1942. He appears to have gone on to become "Bert Morton, a goateed poet of quiet manners," living in the 1950s as an expatriate on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. But before this, he did a stretch in the Army, and one of his buddies, a fellow by the name of Leo Bogart, had this to say about Bert, in his book "How I Earned The Ruptured Duck From Brooklyn to Berchtesgaden:"

"Bert Morton...looks exactly like a German Stalingrad prisoner, and his psychic state is also similar. His nose is red and swollen, and is perpetually draining snot. His lower lip is always jutting forward, revealing his front teeth. He seems to be developing a hunchback. When one of the fellows asked him what he did in civilian life, he lowered his eyelashes shyly and said 'I'm a poet!' He doesn't talk or laugh or sing or do anything but blow his nose. He is unfortunately posessed of a very sensitive soul."

Sheesh. With friends like that, who could blame poor Bert for skipping the country?

Bert wrote an essay for the Brooklyn College magazine in 1940 on the topic "Conscription and Defense," but an online link to it is frustratingly broken. I can't find any examples of his postwar poetry anywhere, but there is an Albert Morton who wrote a lugubrious poem in a 1937 issue of "New Masses" entitled "A Sonnet for Dave on His 23rd Birthday," which laments Dave's desperate unemployment while his kid brother -- presumably Albert -- lingers in high school and their grandmother is slowly going blind. I'm willing to bet this is our Bert.

 

[Fading Fast]

I'm intrigued by the story of poor Bert Morton, Brooklyn College Class of 1942. He appears to have gone on to become "Bert Morton, a goateed poet of quiet manners," living in the 1950s as an expatriate on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca. But before this, he did a stretch in the Army, and one of his buddies, a fellow by the name of Leo Bogart, had this to say about Bert, in his book "How I Earned The Ruptured Duck From Brooklyn to Berchtesgaden:"

"Bert Morton...looks exactly like a German Stalingrad prisoner, and his psychic state is also similar. His nose is red and swollen, and is perpetually draining snot. His lower lip is always jutting forward, revealing his front teeth. He seems to be developing a hunchback. When one of the fellows asked him what he did in civilian life, he lowered his eyelashes shyly and said 'I'm a poet!' He doesn't talk or laugh or sing or do anything but blow his nose. He is unfortunately posessed of a very sensitive soul."

Sheesh. With friends like that, who could blame poor Bert for skipping the country?

Bert wrote an essay for the Brooklyn College magazine in 1940 on the topic "Conscription and Defense," but an online link to it is frustratingly broken. I can't find any examples of his postwar poetry anywhere, but there is an Albert Morton who wrote a lugubrious poem in a 1937 issue of "New Masses" entitled "A Sonnet for Dave on His 23rd Birthday," which laments Dave's desperate unemployment while his kid brother -- presumably Albert -- lingers in high school and their grandmother is slowly going blind. I'm willing to bet this is our Bert.

Smart dot connecting.