The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

("Esther!" calls Mr. Ginsburg, standing in the foyer and leaning toward the open apartment door. "The mailbox key! I thought I had -- must be in my coat, the brown one, the brown coat pocket please!" "Hey pop," calls a uniformed young woman descending the stairs from the second floor. "Oh yes," replies Mr. Ginsburg, with a courteous nod. "May I help?" "Yeh," nods the messenger. "I got a telegram heeh f'ra Mrs. Sally -- ah -- Petra-skass? Sump'n like t'at. Anyways, t'ez no answeh." "Oh no," replies Mr. Ginsburg, "She's at woik, a war woikeh she is." "Yeh," shrugs the messenger. "Y'wanna sign fawr it?" "Of course," agrees Mr. Ginsburg, producing his fountain pen and placing his signature in the proffered notebook. He fishes in his pocket for the obligatory quarter, and the messenger hands him the yellow envelope and makes her exit. Mr. Ginsburg examines the envelope, nervously turning it in his fingers. "Esther..." he calls, as the apartment door closes behind him...)

A sixteen-minute speech over the Berlin radio by Adolf Hitler broadcast yesterday to mark the 13th anniversary of his ascent to power was seen as a warning that Germany intends to fight on even after the fall of Berlin, regardless of consequences, for as long as the Nazi regime can control its army and its restless hordes of war workers. Hitler served blunt notice that his government will show no mercy toward any who waver from his policy of resistance to the enemy, and the public execution "for cowardice" of the Mayor of Breslau was believed to be symbolic of bloodbaths to come, perhaps even already underway.

(The voice of Lowell Thomas relating the latest developments on the Eastern front goes unheard in the Krause apartment, as Mr. Ginsburg displays the telegram. "This morning it came," he relates. "Sally was not home, so I accepted. And all day I wonder..." "Never is it good news, a telegram," worries Mrs. Ginsburg. "Never these days." "News of Yussel," continues Mr. Ginsburg. "It must be. Unless you could maybe think of..." "I dunno," exhales Alice. "Maybe sump'n about Mickey, but t'at'd go to t' ol' lady foist, woul'ncha t'ink?" "Yeh," agrees Krause. "Of course, I could not open..." inserts Mr. Ginsburg. "And to give it to her now..." "Only so much can a woman take," sighs Mrs. Ginsburg. "Yesterday with the coal. All her worries, always so afraid, always to carry on, and yet always so afraid..." "Yeh," agree the Krauses. The conversation is interrupted from the kitchen by the whistle of the tea kettle. "Have a cup?" offers Alice. The Ginsburgs nod in acceptance and Alice starts for the kitchen. She halts before the door, and turns to Mr. Ginsburg. "Hey. Misteh G," she hesitates. "Han' me t'at telegram, woul'ja?")

Heavy rail shipments from gutted upstate coal yards only now being cleared of snow promised relief for New York City, but Governor Thomas E. Dewey has declared a statewide emergency as upstate communities face a continuing shortage of fuel. The War Manpower Commission has put out a call for more rail workers to assist in the movement of coal and to relieve jammed rail lines across the state.

("Free cigarettes!" frowns Ma. "And hoo'da THEY rate?" "Oi have noo ideaaar," smirks Uncle Frank.)

(Oh, they'll get their turn.)

(Shocked. SHOCKED.)

(HIT HIM AGAIN!)

(Nothing good ever comes out of a compulsory meeting with the boss.)

(The line between jaunty and tacky is exceedingly fine.)

(I had no idea Don Ameche could be such a sleaze. "You know the type.")

(AMERICA'S NUMBER ONE AND ONE AND ONE HALF HERO DOGS.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Hmph." -- Chas. Chaplin.

Going someplace?

Yeah, yeah, we've all got plans.

Oh You Kid!

Awwwwwwww...

"What a stupid wig!" -- Junior

Yep, that's management's favorite game. Trash your reputation.

SHE'S BACK!!!!!!!

"Can I hang a fox tail off the exhaust pipe?"

Gambling on credit is a very bad habit. Plus I wouldn't touch those pants with red-hot pincers.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And also...

There's a very fine line.

 

[Fading Fast]

One, I thought this movie had already come out last year - that's a bet I would have lost.

Two, not a great movie as a movie, but as a WWII curio chock full of Warner Bros. stars, it's a fun watch.

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Poor Errol, so lonely on his solitary vacations.

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SHE'S BACK!!!!!!!

She is indeed. I love Hu Shee, but Caniff isn't drawing her quite the same way:

New Hu Shee

Old Hu Shee

I hate when they have to get a new actor to play the same character.

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What a bad idea.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Canteen" opened in The City at the end of last year, but is only now making its way to Brooklyn. I miss the days when the Eagle would crusade about that.

I suspect Sally will rush to see it. John Garfield, you know.

 

[Fading Fast]

"Canteen" opened in The City at the end of last year, but is only now making its way to Brooklyn. I miss the days when the Eagle would crusade about that.

I suspect Sally will rush to see it. John Garfield, you know.

If she isn't in jail or handcuffed to Ebbets Field or a coal depot in protest of something.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Wait'll the season starts, there'll probably be plenty to protest.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("An' ye say she hasn't seen it?' exhales Ma, gazing at the unfolded telegram on the counter before her. "No," affirms Alice. "An' I neveh meant t' open it, y'unnehstan. I had it in me han' when I was poehrin' hawt wawteh f' tea. I guess, y'know, t' steam kinda..." "Thoose things happen," nods Uncle Frank." "'Regret t' infarrrm ye,' re-reads Ma, 'yarr hoosband Technician Fifth Claaaas Joseph Petrauskas on Twenty-Faaarst January slightly wounded in action in Fraaance. You will be advoised as repaaarts of coondition are received..." "Gaaahd have marrcy,' mutters Uncle Frank. "SLOIGHTLY wounded," emphasizes Ma. "Yeh," nods Alice. "But whassat mean? Howcome t'ey gotta send a telegram like t'at wit'out tellin'a rest've it? An' who shoots at a cook?" "Doos anybaaahdy else knoow?" queries Uncle Frank. "Well," shrugs Alice, "I kinda hollehed when'nit -- um --fell outa t'envelope t'eh. An' Siddy hoid me, an' Misteh'r'n Missis Ginsboig was t'eh. Willie mighta hoid. But nobody else, I sweeah." "Well," declares Ma. "We can't tell'arr. Not till we knoo maaar'a 'boot 'it." "Yeh," agrees Alice. "But what if t'ey send anot'eh telegram an' she gets it?" "We gaaatta see that she doon't," proclaims Ma. "An' thaat means," she continues, staring Alice in the eye, "thaaat YOU gaaatt see that she doon't." "Yeh," nods Alice, gnawing her lip as she considers how she might accomplish that assignment...)

Mayor LaGuardia will appear today in Washington before the Senate War Investigations Committee to tell what he knows about Surplus Liquidators, Incorporated, and its president, Jacob Goldberg. The bulky, white-haired Goldberg leaned on his elbow and listened with keen interest yesterday as a Defense Plant Corporation engineer testified that Goldberg had tried to "buy" him with an offer of a $15,000-a-year job in August 1944. The engineer, John V. Ginhoven, stated that he had been "invited up to Jake's room" in a Cleveland hotel, and told that a $15,000 to $20,000 salary awaited him if he would give Defense Plant Corporation a "favorable report" on Surplus Liquidators, Incorporated. He stated that Goldberg wanted him to use that firm to dispose of DPC surplus thru auctions. A month later, Ginhoven's employer has acknowledged, DPC awarded an auction contract to Surplus Liquidators.

("Ya too easy awn'm," chuckles Sally to herself. "I'd knocked 'm fr'm hell t' breakfas'" "You tell'm, toots" agrees Leonora, looking up from a copy of True Detective. "Gimme t'at," frowns her mother. "How many times I gotta tell Ma not t'let you have t'ese books?" "Sppppppt," frowns Leonora...)

(Well, at least Pepsi's not rationed.)

("Oh, quit complaining! I left you the Lichty cartoon!")

(You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet.)

(Is Evans Krehbiel really Boody Rogers?)

(Never mind this cheap gig, Tony -- you have a big future ahead of you as a pizza-box spokesman!)

(See, it's just this easy!)

(Remember, kids -- avoid unlawful schemes!)

(Well, we've known that for years.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

No words.

"A MAN drivin' a pleasueh cawr," fumes Bink Scanlan. "I like T'AT!"

I hope at least he threw in one of the puppies.

"Oh, I think your husband is old enough to cross the street by himself."

A descendant of Viking warriors? That's something new.

#MeToo1945

The Yellow Haired One has always been a bit obtuse.

Yep, it's not what you are that counts, it's what they SAY you are.

Sure, that's it.

"Yeah you can get pretty dependent on that paregoric..."

 

[LizzieMaine]

You don't say.

 

[Fading Fast]

"An' thaat means," she continues, staring Alice in the eye, "thaaat YOU gaaatt see that she doon't." "Yeh," nods Alice, gnawing her lip as she considers how she might accomplish that assignment...

No easy task - Sally is half insane, but whip-smart.

I missed it, how did Alice and Frank get out of jail? Are the charges dropped?

And it does seem like a poor policy to send a telegram like that without any real details.

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"Ya too easy awn'm," chuckles Sally to herself. "I'd knocked 'm fr'm hell t' breakfas'" "You tell'm, toots" agrees Leonora, looking up from a copy of True Detective. "Gimme t'at," frowns her mother. "How many times I gotta tell Ma not t'let you have t'ese books?" "Sppppppt," frowns Leonora...

I was thinking of Sally the entire time and thought she'd have taken a swing at them. Kidding aside, kudos to Ms. Lichtenstein for some real courage under fire.

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Well, at least Pepsi's not rationed.

I assume Ma's contract with Coke precludes her using Pepsi syrup even if Coke can't supply her, and after the recent, ahem, "event," it's probably good not to push the point.

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We know Leonora is going to grow up fighting the system all the way, but if she wanted to, she could be graduating medical school at twenty-one (!!!) like Ms. Broussard here.

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That's Hu Shee all right: she calls 'em how she sees 'em.

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Screw the families; good for the boys if they got a little joy that way before dying defending their country.

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A lot of heads looking down with eyes darting away from the camera amongst our favorite comicstrip authors.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm sure Harold Gray will find a way to work that allegation into a future storyline.

You may recall that Uncle Frank mentioned that Buttons Durgin introduced him to the Suffolk County Sherriff. I'm not sure, but it is entirely likely that a plumber's truck containing certain rare items made a discreet delivery at his office once the charges were dropped. "Obviously a case of mistaken identity. Have a cigarette?"