The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

I ache to do a "Joe and Sally" radio serial -- there were a few comedy-oriented daytime strips, as a change-of-pace among all the tears and tragedy, and I think they'd have worked really well in that kind of a format. And if it were 1941 and I was a bit younger, I would want very much to play Sally myself a la Myrtle Vail, Gertrude Berg, Peg Lynch, and other women who created, produced, and appeared in their own shows. I actually knew Peg (creator of "Ethel and Albert" and "The Couple Next Door"), and if she could do it I could have done it.

Sigh. And then I could move in next door to Elaine Carrington, and wouldn't we carry on.

I actually have no idea what's going to happen with J&S as things go on -- we'll just have to see where history takes them.

If you take Eve Arden, put her in that awful wig Stanwyck wears in "Double Indemnity," dyed black, she would be just about perfect.

I have seen "The Maltese Falcon" about six times in the past year -- it has a way of always being on whenever I happened to flip past TCM -- and I'm at the stage now where I'm just waiting for Terry to turn to Kiel and say "keep on ridin' me an' they're gonna be pickin' iron out of your liver." Except it's hard to get away with that when your gun is full of blanks.

 

[Fading Fast]

I ache to do a "Joe and Sally" radio serial -- there were a few comedy-oriented daytime strips, as a change-of-pace among all the tears and tragedy, and I think they'd have worked really well in that kind of a format. And if it were 1941 and I was a bit younger, I would want very much to play Sally myself a la Myrtle Vail, Gertrude Berg, Peg Lynch, and other women who created, produced, and appeared in their own shows. I actually knew Peg (creator of "Ethel and Albert" and "The Couple Next Door"), and if she could do it I could have done it.

Sigh. And then I could move in next door to Elaine Carrington, and wouldn't we carry on.

I actually have no idea what's going to happen with J&S as things go on -- we'll just have to see where history takes them.

If you take Eve Arden, put her in that awful wig Stanwyck wears in "Double Indemnity," dyed black, she would be just about perfect.

I have seen "The Maltese Falcon" about six times in the past year -- it has a way of always being on whenever I happened to flip past TCM -- and I'm at the stage now where I'm just waiting for Terry to turn to Kiel and say "keep on ridin' me an' they're gonna be pickin' iron out of your liver." Except it's hard to get away with that when your gun is full of blanks.

TCM's been running the hell out of TMF this past year, I think, in part at least, because they did a movie theater showing of it, which I would have seen if not for Covid. I was bumming for a bit as God knows when that opportunity will come around again as almost all the revival theaters have closed in NYC (and that was pre-Covid).

That is an awful wig on Stanwyck, but that movie, for me, has become all about Edward G. deboning MacMurray like he's a small chicken.

A J&S radio show would be great too, but maybe because we are reading the comics everyday, I can see how perfectly they'd fit into the '40s comic-strip landscape.

 

[Farace]

View attachment 321853 (Miss Mervyn, with her distinctive haircut, long face, and eyes too far apart, reminds me of some personality of the Era -- an actress, a glamour-girl, some kind of celebrity -- but I cannot for the very life of me think of who it is. And every time I see her it annoys me.)

The haircut reminds me of Bettie Page, but she wouldn’t come along for another ten years.

 

[LizzieMaine]

*That* is who I was thinking of. Which adds a whole new dimension to Ted, I must say.

 

[EngProf]

The haircut reminds me of Bettie Page, but she wouldn’t come along for another ten years.

I'm surprised everyone didn't catch the distinctive Bettie Page hairstyle. At the real-world time of this comic strip Bettie would have been a freshman in college, so she may have seen it then and gotten the idea.
(She is from Nashville and graduated in 1944 from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. She and I are/were Vanderbilt co-alums. She and my niece are co-alums from her high school.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

The new government of Yugoslavia today proclaimed its political independence and mobilized more than a million men to guard its borders against any military incursion. The declaration by the new government under King Peter II and Premier Gen. Dusan Simovic, installed in the wake of a coup d'etat against the former Regency, is understood as a repudiation of the previous regime's policy of alignment with the Rome-Berlin-Tokyo Axis, and is expected to reflect the institution of a pro-British "peace and friendship" foreign policy.

Meanwhile, Germany today lodged a formal protest against anti-German demonstrations in the Yugoslav capital city of Belgrade. A spokesman for the German Propaganda Ministry flatly denied that the new Yugoslav government has repudiated the prior regime's affiliation with the Axis.

A four point program evolved by the CIO Steel Worker's Organizing Committee has led to resolution of the strike against the Bethlehem Steel Company's main plant in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania -- but a new strike has been called at Bethlehem's Cambria plant in Johnstonw, Pennsylvania. Approximately 15,000 workers at the Cambria factory walked off the job after an alleged "company union" began balloting for officers on company property, an action deemed illegal under the terms of the Wagner Act. The strike at the Bethlehem plant was ended after the company agreed to the primary term demanded by the union -- that all striking workers be rehired immediately, without discrimination, and with all seniority retained -- while negotiation on the three remaining points relating to union representation and recognition continues.

Eight teachers in the public school system face dismissal from their jobs pending a full investigation of their political activities by the Rapp-Coudert Committee. Meanwhile, charges have been raised that a process server hired by the Committee invaded the home of a Brooklyn College co-ed, hurling a subpoena at her and screaming abuse at her while she stood half-dressed in her bedroom. The Brooklyn College Committee for the Defense of Student Rights raised the charge today, but Committee counsel dismissed that charge as "a silly childish story."

(Cartoonist John Groth, who created the above, went on to become, according to his obituary, an artist "best known for his illustrations of combat." Well, obviously.)

The Metropolitan Board of Conscientious Objectors has lodged a formal protest with the Selective Service Administration over the forcible induction into the Army of Frank Moncada, Brooklyn Jehovah's Witness who was "literally dragged into an Army truck" and taken to Camp Upton after refusing to take the oath of induction. "Neither the Army nor the morale of the nation can profit by such exhibitions as occured in the case of Moncada," stated the organization in its letter, and attributed the incident to "the ignorance of those involved." Moncada is now being held for psychological observation at a military hospital after refusing to cooperate with Army authorities at Camp Upton.

(It's good to see them making up for lost time.)

(In case you weren't paying attention.)

(She's all over the poster, but she's sixth-billed in the cast. Somebody's agent has somebody's studio right over the barrel.)

(Now I ask you, Mr. Lichty, is that nice? You're gonna need a lawyer someday, and what if they remember this cartoon?)

The Dodgers may be wavering in their commitment to air travel after an increasing number of players this spring have expressed their objections to flying. Umpire Butch Henline, traveling on the team plane to Texas yesterday with the Flock, recalled his days as a catcher under Uncle Wilbert Robinson back in the days of the Daffiness Boys, and observed that ol' Robbie, who had a pathological fear of airplanes, would be completely lost with the new regime. There are other members of the presdent Brooklyn squad who are of a similar view -- Babe the Reluctant Blimp Phelps being the most notable, but he is not alone, and it is likely that team pressure will force the front office to consider other travel arrangements once the regular season begins.

Phelps, meanwhile, may be poking his snoot ever so slightly out of Leo Durocher's doghouse. Lippy has made no secret of his desire to trade away the veteran catcher, who held out for most of the spring due to "personal reasons," but he now acknowledges that the bottom third of the batting order -- what with Pete Coscarart's wilting at the plate and Mickey Owen never having been any great shakes with a bat -- is in desperate need of somebody capable of actually hitting the ball. Phelps, it seems, might be that man.

The Dodger B squad under Chuck Dressen fell to the Tigers 10-9 at Lakeland, Florida. Hank Greenberg and Rudy York knocked early home runs off Dodger starter "Guess Who," and Greenberg poled out a second for good measure in the ninth.

(Is there anything in the rule book against an invisible pitcher?)

(Well, the obvious answer here is for Jo to repeatedly beat George over the head with heavy objects until he can tell her how to work the paper right. Easy peasy.)

(Aunt Mary says "that's right, child. Play dumb. Look how well it worked out for me!")

(Sure, he's been hit -- but it ought to take a while for him to deflate. THAT'S ALL THE TIME WE'LL NEED!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Abe "Misfit" Landau says "guys, that isn't nice."

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Nah, Andy is probably the guy who runs the meat-irradiation department down at Bohack's. That explains why he looks like he does.

"Will you be using the blanket again, or shall I just shank the poor bastards? I haven't shanked anyone in a while, and I fear I'm getting out of practice."

Wait, Kiel was a wine salesman? Boy, that explains a lot.

Granny DePool will be played today by our special guest star, Mr. Barry Fitzgerald.

"Dear Helen Worth, it's like this. My wife got a new hairstyle that makes her look like Olive Oyl, and I didn't say anything. But when I bought this really snazzy new suit, well..."

Well, there's certainly nothing shady going on here.

It's sure a good thing the District Attorney has nothing better to do right now...

The hole just keeps getting deeper.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
(She's all over the poster, but she's sixth-billed in the cast. Somebody's agent has somebody's studio right over the barrel.)...

Part of it was the studio realized after the fact the lightning in a bottle Lake's blonde looks were. This promotional shot (below) from "I Wanted Wings" happened unintentionally as the propellor's wash wrapped her skirt around her. The studio, then, realized, "hmm, we have something here, don't we?" So it released the promo pic, which was very popular and propelled Lake to fame and her first staring role in "Sullivan's Travels." I learned all this recently from her autobiography, "Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake." (My comments on the book here: #8581)

... (Is there anything in the rule book against an invisible pitcher?)...

While he says "transparent," Rogers draws the guys as if they are invisible; whereas, "Invisible Scarlet" is drawn as if she's transparent.

... (Aunt Mary says "that's right, child. Play dumb. Look how well it worked out for me!")...

And while you're doing nice things for Ted, buy him a new coat that doesn't look like an ugly sofa.

... Abe "Misfit" Landau says "guys, that isn't nice."...

"I hate my mob name, I want a new one."

While I know it's a different canal, just make sure you make it wide as these ships will just keep getting bigger.

...
"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."...

The way it's going, Harold will soon be able to legitimately claim two wives. Won't that be good for him?

... "Will you be using the blanket again, or shall I just shank the poor bastards? I haven't shanked anyone in a while, and I fear I'm getting out of practice."...

Panel two explains how so many security and other check-type protocols, that work perfectly on paper, break down in the real world.

... Wait, Kiel was a wine salesman? Boy, that explains a lot....

Caniff understood a lot for 1941.

... Granny DePool will be played today by our special guest star, Mr. Barry Fitzgerald....

Good call Lizzie, he wouldn't even have to alter his voice, his high-pitched gravel would fit her character perfectly.

... Well, there's certainly nothing shady going on here....

Why not just give him the combo to the safe over the phone - why the first trip to the restaurant?

Many years ago, I was working on a trading desk and got a call at lunchtime from the head trader who asked me to "quietly as possible, try not to be seen" get a female assistant's backpack from under her desk and bring it to them at a nearby, but obscure, restaurant. Heck, I wasn't committing a crime or cheating the company (and this was before all the rules about office affairs came into being) so off I went. It did make my relationship with my boss better, but man was that uncomfortable.

... View attachment 322099 The hole just keeps getting deeper.

"...that pert nose of yours has been up in th' air too long..." Nice.

 

[Harp]

Many years ago, I was working on a trading desk and got a call at lunchtime from the head trader who asked me to "quietly as possible, try not to be seen" get a female assistant's backpack from under her desk and bring it to them at a nearby, but obscure, restaurant. Heck, I wasn't committing a crime or cheating the company (and this was before all the rules about office affairs came into being) so off I went. It did make my relationship with my boss better, but man was that uncomfortable.

I once received a telephone call, answered it, and a familiar female voice inquired if I wanted to …. her.
"Excuse me?" and the question poised again.
I did what any other red blooded American male with a no floor but no ceiling trade desk job would do.
"One moment," ….I transferred the call to the floor boss.

 

[LizzieMaine]

In naval battles in the Mediterranean yesterday, a 35,000 ton Italian battleship of the Littorio class was severely damaged under attack from British warships, while two enemy cruisers also sustained serious damage. The British Admiralty reported today that the skirmish took place in the eastern Mediterranean region.

Plans have been drafted for a U. S. Naval convoy of merchant ships carrying Lease-Lend supplies for Britain, and await only final approval from President Roosevelt. A high-ranking Administration official told the International News Service that the plan is expected to receive easy approval from the White House, and that it will be implemented "within the next two or three weeks."

A German "blitz" against rebellious Yugoslavia may be near, as German radio today denounced "terroristic street mobs" in the capital city of Belgrade. After the coup d'etat this week that unseated the former Axis-friendly Yugoslav regency government and replaced with a pro-British regime under 18-year-old King Peter II, German nationals living in Yugoslavia began evacuating the country aboard chartered Danube steamers.

Union members at two Brooklyn shipyards operated as subsidiaries of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation have apparently rejected a proposed strike against the firm, itself a subsidiary of the strike-bound Bethlehem Steel Corporation. A majority of workers from the Crane Shipbuilding Company and the Morse Shipbuilding Company left a closed-door meeting at Tivoli Hall declaring "we don't want to strike."

Militant leaders in the campaign to rid Brooklyn of the filthy pesthole that is the Raymond Street Jail were on the air last night over Flatbush radio station WCNW declaring that the state legislature must enact, as soon as possible, the Beckinella Bill to allow the use of $5,000,000 in surplus municipal relief funds to construct a replacement for "Brooklyn's Black Hole." In a round-table discussion moderated by Kings County Sheriff James V. Magnano, civic and municipal leaders agreed that immediate action must be taken to rid the borough of the "human pig pen" that has long brought disrepute and discredit on the community. Sheriff Magnano pointed out during the discussion that there has surfaced no organized opposition to the campaign to demolish and replace the 105-year-old Raymond Street building.

The best-selling author who wrote dramatically of his adventures as a Communist spy infiltrating the Nazi Gestapo in Germany has been released on $5000 bond posted in the form of World War Liberty Bonds after being charged with entering the United States illegally in 1938. German-born Richard Herman Julius Krebs, who wrote the story of his life under the pseudonym "Jan Valtin" in the current best-seller "Out Of The Night," admitted to immigration authorities that he entered the country by jumping ship at Norfolk Virginia on March 6, 1938, and that during a previous period of illegal residency in the United States he served a stretch in San Quentin Prison in California on an assault charge. Mr. Krebs is fighting efforts to deport him to Germany, where he would almost certainly be executed, and his attorney believes that he will be permitted to stay in the US because "it is not the policy of this country to send a man back to a country that plans to string him up." Mr. Krebs charged that "enemy Communists" with whom he has political differences turned him in to US authorities.

(Not only did stewardesses have to be RNs, they also had to be identical in height and weight. The airlines said that made calculating fuel consumption charts easier, but I have always suspect the real reason was they got a deal on the uniforms if they all came in one size.)

The management of Loew's Coney Island Theatre will pay $5000 to the mother of a Brooklyn patrolman who was killed foiling a holdup at that motion picture house over a month ago. Mrs. Mollie Fox of 1799 E. 3rd Street, mother of Patrolman Leon Fox, will be paid the money by Loew's from the proceeds of a special show last night held as "a public tribute to the heroism of her son." The 30-year-old patrolman was shot down in a hail of bullets fired by four gunmen when he interrupted their attempt to rob the theatre's till on the night of February 15th. The killers are still at large.

A 40-year-old Long Island City doctor faces a manslaughter charge in connection with the March 10th death of a patient.. Dr. Isaac Fishback is accused of "performing an illegal operation" on the unnamed young woman which resulted in her death six days later in a Brooklyn hospital.

(There aren't many "clear channel" stations left in 2021, but it's reassuring that you can still find WOR right where it always was. But I do miss Joe Franklin.)

(I have a neighbor like this. Always planting new trees to replace the trees he planted two years ago and decided to cut down last year. The birds and squirrels don't think much of him.)

Grover Cleveland Alexander earned over a quarter of a million dollars during his career as a National League star -- but he hasn't got any of it left, and now, Ol' Pete, at the age of 54, is desperate to find work. He thought he'd latched on with the Dodgers last year as a pitching coach -- Leo Durocher was excited about the idea and promised to talk to Larry MacPhail about it, but that was as far as it went. Too bad, says Alexander -- "I could help Hamlin get rid of that home run ball!"

("He oughta sign up over t'plant," proclaims Joe. "We got a openin' on t'packin' line -- since ya lookin' right now at t'latest skimma on vats t'ree t'rough five!" "Five bucks more a week," says Sally. "'At's sumpin'. I ain' tol t' ol' man downa store nuttin' 'bout -- you know -- yet. He'd can me inna minnit if I did. I t'ink I c'n get away wit' woikin anot'er t'ree mont's if I wear t'at big sweata Ma made me f' my boit'day las' year.")

Maybe Ol' Pete could turn Cookie Lavagetto and Pee Wee Reese into pitchers -- but they aren't waiting around for anyone to show them how to do it. The Brooklyn third baseman and shortstop each took turns on the mound yesterday as the Flock "A" unit opened its southwestern barnstorming tour against the Port Arthur club of the Evangeline League. The Texas youngsters didn't furnish much of a challenge for the Brooklyns, and Durocher decided to give Lavagetto and Reese a chance to step in late in the game and show what they could do on the mound. Cookie retired the one batter he faced with a weak outfield fly, and Pee Wee closed out the game by neatly fielding a little bouncer back to the mound and getting his man at first -- with a big smile on his face as he did it.

Today the competition gets a bit tougher, as the Dodgers face the Houston Buffs, Texas League affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. Back in Flordia, the Dodger "B" squad under Chuck Dressen topped the Tigers 8-5, with home runs by Johnny Hudson, Lew Riggs, and Joe Vosmik pacing the attack.

(Poor Doc. Time to take out a home-equity loan.)

("That is, as good as he ever was." Oh, Josephine....)

(Sweet, sweet revenge.)

(Good, no more Irwin and no more Dan, and we can finally change the name of this strip to FACE EATING DOG! FACE EATING DOG! FACE EATING DOG!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Alas, poor William Fox -- the very dictionary definition of "his reach exceeded his grasp." For a very brief moment he controlled Fox Film, MGM, two enormous theatre chains, and most patents governing sound motion pictures -- and just as quickly he lost it all. And he never got it back.

All over Brooklyn, supporters of the "Save The Trolleys" movement clip and save today's column.

Vintage Phrases You Don't Hear Anymore: "goat-grabbing."

The hallmark of a Dick Tracy villain -- overelaborate gadgetry.

Wait, Punjab all of a sudden needs a death-ray? The blanket must be at the cleaners.

Being mean to Skeezix is like kicking a puppy.

Oh, I do hope you run into some real pirates along the way. What a fine time it would be for Cap'n Blaze to show up.

Yeah, well, you'll notice Andy took off that dopey looking suit before going to the poolroom.

It's good to have friends.

That Emmy picks her teeth with her pinky extended really tells you everything you need to know.

 

[Harp]

Feller started in the majors while still a teenager. Pitched against Ruth, and later had a famous tiff
with Jackie Robinson whom he had tagged an easy out for perceived plate weakness.
Feller's baseball memoir Wisdom From The Mound or some such christen isn't bad.

 

[Fading Fast]

....Militant leaders in the campaign to rid Brooklyn of the filthy pesthole that is the Raymond Street Jail were on the air last night over Flatbush radio station WCNW declaring that the state legislature must enact, as soon as possible, the Beckinella Bill to allow the use of $5,000,000 in surplus municipal relief funds to construct a replacement for "Brooklyn's Black Hole." In a round-table discussion moderated by Kings County Sheriff James V. Magnano, civic and municipal leaders agreed that immediate action must be taken to rid the borough of the "human pig pen" that has long brought disrepute and discredit on the community. Sheriff Magnano pointed out during the discussion that there has surfaced no organized opposition to the campaign to demolish and replace the 105-year-old Raymond Street building....

Maybe Magnano was right and the money was there already. Which begs the question, how did $5,000,000 end up in a surplus fund bucket when it seems the borough is always looking for every extra nickel?

... (Poor Doc. Time to take out a home-equity loan.)...

Note how they snuck in that Hedy hasn't "started her honeymoon" yet.

Banks often don't do the best job at due diligence on loans, but hopefully, no bank in its right mind would give doc a home-equity loan with his track record.

... ("That is, as good as he ever was." Oh, Josephine....)...

She fired that one in there, didn't she.

... (Good, no more Irwin and no more Dan, and we can finally change the name of this strip to FACE EATING DOG! FACE EATING DOG! FACE EATING DOG!)

"Lizzie, the school counselor wants to talk with you again. I thought we had, uh, 'sorted out' all this 'face eating dog' stuff, but perhaps a chat with her, I'll give you a hall slip, would be a good thing."

"Does she have a SECRET UNDERGROUND BASE?"

[Sigh] "Please just go see her."

...
Alas, poor William Fox -- the very dictionary definition of "his reach exceeded his grasp." For a very brief moment he controlled Fox Film, MGM, two enormous theatre chains, and most patents governing sound motion pictures -- and just as quickly he lost it all. And he never got it back.....

It's the true-crime editor's day at Page Four, but he did, in a true-crime editor's way, toss in a little salaciousness with the girls in Florida - ick.

A... The hallmark of a Dick Tracy villain -- overelaborate gadgetry.....

No kidding, the toy-guy criminal was ridiculous.

... Wait, Punjab all of a sudden needs a death-ray? The blanket must be at the cleaners....

Or Gray's been reading "Dick Tracy" and getting gadget envy.

Punjab, later that day:

"Here's my ticket, is my blanket ready?"

[A disinterested clerk, after disappearing for ten minutes, comes back and says] "We can't seem to find your blanket sir?"

"Um, it's kinda an important blanket, could you check again please?"

"It's not there sir, maybe it will show up."

"Maybe?"

"Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't."

"And if it doesn't, it's a very important blanket."

[Looking bored, the clerk points over his shoulder to a somewhat frayed sign that reads: "Lost items insured for ten-times the cost of the dry cleaning - no more!]

"I cannot express to you how important this blanket is."

"Next customer."

... Being mean to Skeezix is like kicking a puppy. ....

I have found Skeezix's last comment often to be true.

... Oh, I do hope you run into some real pirates along the way. What a fine time it would be for Cap'n Blaze to show up.....

Hey, Katherine Hepburn's character basically stole Kiel's idea in 1951's "The African Queen," but since that movie was set in WWI, is it really Kiel stealing Hepburn's idea? Damn these competing timelines.

And yes, would love to see the Cap'n pop up, but please, without his daughter from hell.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A British war fleet pounded the Mediterranean seas tonight hoping to close in for a death blow upon the Italian naval squadron already badly shattered by the sinking or damaging of probably six warships in the greatest sea and air engagement of the war so far. The sinking of the Italian vessels was seen as a defeat likely to crush Italian morale to its lowest ebb since the start of the war.

The Soviet Government is reported to have sent its congratulations to the new anti-Nazi Yugoslav government, even as the German legation in Belgrade burned its archives, the traditional final step before the formal severance of diplomatic relations. The telegram from the Soviet Government is reported to have stated that "the people of Yugoslavia have again shown themselves worthy of their glorious past."

Jeered by spectators as Communists, over a thousand men, women, and children marched for peace thru the Coney Island district yesterday afternoon. Signs borne by the marchers bearing such slogans as "We Want Playgrounds Not Air Raid Shelters" and "Women Want Jobs For Their Sons Not Guns," were met by about a hundred and fifty counterprotesters with signs reading "Go Home And Wash Your Dirty Dishes." The counterprotest group identified itself as representing "The Society of Spartans," based at 7 Brighton First Road, and has been distributing flyers denouncing the peace march in the neighborhood for several days.

After decades of planning and delays, the new Raymond V. Ingersoll Memorial Library overlooking Grand Army Plaza was formally dedicated yesterday by Mayor LaGuardia, who told assembled dignitaries and more than 1500 invited guests that "institutions such as this will help expand our way of living and so set an example for the rest of the world."

Despite testimony under oath that he is not a Communist, the conduct committee Board of Higher Education yesterday preferred charges against City College registrar John Kenneth Ackley, accusing him of being an active member of the Communist Party, of lying to the Rapp-Coudert Committee, of refusing to accept an order from the Board that he cooperate with that Committee, and that he "misused his position to further the interests of the Communist Party." Appearing before the Rapp-Coudert Committee on Monday, Mr. Ackley flatly denied all charges against him.

All druggists, doctors, and hospitals in New York City were warned yesterday to watch for sulfathiazole tablets, used to treat pneumonia, that have been contaminated by a barbituate drug. Tablets manufactured by the Winthrop Chemical Company and labeled "Lot MP629" have been found to contain phenobarbitol, a hypnotic drug used to induce sleep which is lethal in large doses. All bottles so labeled should be impounded, and the Drug Division of the Department of Health notified at WOrth 2-6900. It is also advised that all opened bottles of sulfathiazole manufactured by Winthrop Chemical Company, regardless of lot number, be embargoed from further use.

(*snif*)

Old Timer Mrs. Florence Hiller writes in to reminisce about the days when her family owned the only phonograph in Parkville, and all the neighbors crowded into the parlor to marvel at the music. Oh how the world has changed in fifty-two years.

Students at Brooklyn Technical High School, DeKalb Avenue and Fort Greene Place, are learning to be the radio stars of tomorrow. Crowding into an eighth-floor studio, members of the radio class produce their own programs over the Board of Education's station WNYE, including a Town Hall of the Air current-events forum, and a dramatic series featuring vignettes drawn from American history. Said James P. McAndrew, co-director of the station, "I believe the opportunity to participate in radio broadcasting is a remarkable incentive to poise, self-confidence, and interest in good speech."

(SO THERE)

The Dodgers had a field day yesterday in Houston, Texas, stampeding the Buffaloes 11-0. Texas seems to be a pretty fine state for the Flock, since they've yet to even be scored against by Texan competition. Highlight of yesterday's contest was Leo Durocher's sprightly performance at shortstop, his first starting role of the spring. Lippy played eight full innings before calling it a day, demonstrating that all he needs to be ready for a good day in the field is a sound night's sleep and a milkshake for lunch. Curt Davis and Wes Flowers handled the Dodger pitching chores, and breezed easily thru the overmatched opposition. Cookie Lavagetto unfurled a long homer in the third inning.

"Sword fightin'!" exclaims Joe. "T'ey got sword fightin', issa gawds'ones' troot. Sword fightin', just like Errol Flynn. I ast 'em, hey, c'n I get innon t'is? I aways wanna loin howta sword fight. An'ney sez, t'ey sez ta me, 'Joe, we're awful sorry, but night schools ain' eligible ta go out fa sports. Annen'ney sez, 'b'sides, ya too ol'.' I ASK YA! Is twenny-seven too ol'? Ya know how ol' Errol Flynn is? I looked it up inna almanac! He's gonna be t'oity-two! T'oity-two! An'ney gotta noive ta tell me twenny-sev'n is too ol' fa sword fightin!" And Sally sighs and says "nah, you dowanna do no sword fightin'. You know how much stitches cos'? My pa, he cuttimself 'at time slicin' corn beef, an'ney wen' ova t'hospital, issall bleedin' ya know? An'ney fin' out whatt'ey gonna hafta pay t'get stitched up, an my ma says 'nonna t'at, now, I'll stitch him up myself!' An' she did!" "Too old!" grumbles Joe. "I ASK YA."

(Son, have you considered another line of work?)

(And just what do you mean THE CIRCUS WILL NOT EXHIBIT IN BROOKLYN THIS YEAR? Cue Mr. Schroth's next crusade.)

("Now you youngsters get acquainted! I'll BURY YOUR MURDERED FATHER.'" Way to show some cowboy empathy there, Red.)

(Really Scarlet? Skirts are shorter in 1941, but they're not THAT short.)

(I wonder if the Major ever got back that watch that got stolen at the World's Fair? Maybe he figured after that it was cheaper to collect ties.)

(is that Elafint our long-lost Tootsie returned at last? And Wolf knows that all of Dan's mighty powers in fact rest in his hat, and that ANYONE PUTTING ON THAT HAT HIMSELF BECOMES DAN DUNN! Now is that operatic enough or what?)

(Given that George has an actual uncle named "Pontoon," I don't know that "Larkspur" is really all that dippy at all.)

 

[Harp]

^^^did a bit in college, just a touch. Later, mentioned this to a lady and she-unbeknownsttame-had a real sword
duel fixation. Wrote an article for a college fencing magazine which she read and got more than a simple thrill from.

 

[Fading Fast]

Keep searching, today's comic strips are out there.

 

[LizzieMaine]

That's what happen when you try to eat and type at the same time.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Never mind Page Four today, whoever laid out Page Three is sick sick sick.

Media overload was a thing in 1941 too.

A RARE SOUTH AMERICAN POISON! Don't you two clods ever read mystery novels?

I bet these two are a lotta laughs at parties.

Tracy and Dunn don't hold a candle to the deductive powers of Chester Gump.

"What, me a WASP?" sputters Terry. "I'll have ye know I'm Irish to the core. 'Sure faith an' begorrah, an' all loike that!' There's blond Irish! Honest! Ask my friend Pat Ryan! He'll tell ya! He's Irish too!"

Once a rattle-brained hepcat...

Yeah, Doc. Get hot. Shake your can, Bill.

She better have survived, if only to rub Jack's nose in it for the rest of their lives.

It's easy to think of Moon as a no-account good-for-nothing poolroom loafer, but in fact he works very very hard to determine the many, many careers for which he is unsuited.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And a SPECIAL BONUS from today's News -- the Mungo Boycott is over! I bet his check bounced.

And remember, the glass contains water.

 

[PrivateEye]

TCM's been running the hell out of TMF this past year, I think, in part at least, because they did a movie theater showing of it, which I would have seen if not for Covid. I was bumming for a bit as God knows when that opportunity will come around again as almost all the revival theaters have closed in NYC (and that was pre-Covid).

TMF is my favorite movie of all time, and I did get the chance to see it on the big screen last year. To see it on the big screen was fantastic...and my wife enjoyed a terrific nap.