The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

If the Rats are good enough for Cantor, they're good enough for me. Cantor and Ed Wynn were among the Rats who went onto to become founding members of AFRA.

I always wondered, though, if Charlie Swain, of Swain's Rats and Cats was a Rat, and whether the Rats also took the Rats and the Cats?

 

[LizzieMaine]

German ground forces are reported to be 110 miles from the Greek capital of Athens today, as a fierce air war is raging over the ancient city. The Greek press reported today that German pressure is being directed against new defense positions in the mountains north of Athens and the Allies are said to be fighting tenaciously along that line, inflicting heavy casualties on the German attackers.

Forest fires swept by a brisk northwest wind are sweeping over the New Jersey pinelands today in areas untouched by the flaming juggernaut that raced thru tinder-dry woodlands across six Eastern states yesterday leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. Red-eyed and smoke-blackened members of the Forest Fire Service and hundreds of other workers including soldiers from Fort Dix and volunteers whose property was endangered continued the battle against the inferno. The most serious fire raged from Hanover Furnace to High Bridge in Lakehurst, but authorities say the Naval Air Station itself is not in danger.

Clad in a two-year-old house dress she had worn to church yesterday morning, a 15 year old girl from Ozone Park shut herself up in her bedroom yesterday afternoon and shot herself to death. Concetta Guiliano fired a .32 caliber bullet from an old pistol directly into her heart while standing in front of her bedroom mirror, distraught because she could not afford a new spring wardrobe. Two of Concetta's girl friends, with whom she had a date to go to a baseball game were shocked when they called at the Guiliano home at 87-15 97th Avenue and were told that their friend was dead. Her dream of owning a new outfit for Sunday church services was dashed when she learned that household expenses had eaten up the $19 her brother Michael had earned on the WPA. Michael had promised Concetta that he would use the money to buy her the clothes she wanted.

A Trumansburg, N. Y. woman attempted suicide by leaping in front of a BMT subway train at the Pacific Street station in Downtown Brooklyn late last night. Forty-two-year-old Mrs. Mildred D. Fleet plunged from the platform into the path of the oncoming train and before the motorman could stop, she was pulled under the forward end of the car. Her left leg was so badly crushed that it had to be amputated at Holy Family Hospital after an emergency crew from the Hamilton Avenue station jacked up the car to pull her free. Mrs. Fleet told police that she was despondent and wished to die, adding that she did not know the whereabouts of her husband.

Five Brooklyn leaf tobacco dealers pleaded guilty today to tax fraud charges, accused of evading payment of Federal levies covering 1400 pounds of leaf, totalling between $500 and $1000, during tax year 1937. The pleas marked the start of a local campaign to recover more than $500,000 in lost tobacco tax revenue resulting from evasion schemes dating back more than ten years.

(Fedora Lounge alert: Mr. Gilleaudeau, who is married to Charley Ebbets's daughter Genevieve, is a high-ranking sales executive of the John B. Stetson Company. He also wasn't too keen about bringing in Larry MacPhail to run the Dodgers, but I imagine that he has now changed his tune. The Ebbets heirs and the McKeever heirs hate each other, and their fifty-fifty ownership split will eventually seal the fate of major league baseball in Brooklyn.)

("Coitesy? At Namm's?" guffaws Joe. "'At'll be a change." "We gotta go," says Sally. "I need new clo'es." "Howcum?" queries Joe. And Sally's eyes flick downward. "Oh," says Joe. "Oh.")

("Marty?" thunders Mr. Whiteside. "MAAAAAAARTY???")

(In case anyone was wondering.)

The Eagle Editorialist smirks in dismay at the discovery that certain celebrities in the fields of movies and music seem to be using paid claques to cheer and yell for them outside theatres and hotels, "bought and paid for like a debutante's testimonial." (Well, yeah, I mean, why should Brenda and Cobina get all the cash?)

(Hey, is that Wumple standing in the back there with the pipe? Hey Wump, you better check in back home, that Chigger is ruining your company.)

("More belt than the circus fat man." Now I ask you, why isn't Harold Parrott in the sportswriters's section of the Hall of Fame? Well, because in 1976 he wrote a wonderfully bitchy book called "The Lords Of Baseball" that exposed a great deal of dirt about those who were at that time running the game, including and especially a certain Walter F. O'Malley. We love ya, kid, keep 'em flying!)

Two of the Grand Old Men of radio have joined the announcing staff at WNEW. Norman Brokenshire, whose "How do you do, everyone, how DO you DO?" was a watchword to anyone who owned a radio in 1927, and John B. Kennedy, formerly of the NBC special events department, are now holding forth from the independent station. Brokenshire wil do a news analysis period weekday afternoons at 5:15 pm, while Kennedy is to be heard five-a-week at 7:30 pm.

(Miami? Pfff. I hear Havana's where the real action is.)

(Ah, again with the simple minded justice. Whenever George demands that, he ends up with a dented snoot.)

(I still say it was Sunny playing with matches, the cute little pyromaniac.)

("OK, look. I want you to get me a good thick rubber hose about twelve inches long, an extension cord with one end cut off and the wires stripped, two bars of soap, a woman's stocking, and a corned beef sandwich." "Sure, Irwin -- ah, what? A corned beef sandwich?" "Yeah, I missed lunch.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

The more you learn about this Giuliano case, the more heartbreaking it is.

A three-nickel beef pie looks pretty darn good to me.

Yes, by a professional George Washington impersonator in full Continental Army regalia. That kind of thing actually happens a lot in my line of work.

Ahh, here comes the bald-headed old gander to spoil everybody's fun.

You know, Selbert, you could have just cut out the labels and flushed them down the toilet or something.

You know, Min's finally got a new hairstyle, so c'mon, isn't it time to replace that suit you've been wearing since 1917?

Ahh, go sell some wine.

Trixie! She was great -- she could run faster, jump higher, and fight better than any of the boys in the Alley when she and Skeez were kids, and it was Trixie who, in 1935, at the age of fourteen, gave Skeezix his first kiss. And now she's grown up to be a glamorous radio chanteuse? Well, WON'T THIS BE INTERESTING.

Mush should obviously be the house detective, and Moon should be in the bellhop suit, and that such is not the case is really a sad commentary on the times.

Well, I guess that's that.

 

[Fading Fast]

...("Coitesy? At Namm's?" guffaws Joe. "'At'll be a change." "We gotta go," says Sally. "I need new clo'es." "Howcum?" queries Joe. And Sally's eyes flick downward. "Oh," says Joe. "Oh.")...

Night school doesn't seem to be making Joe any faster on the uptake.

...
("Marty?" thunders Mr. Whiteside. "MAAAAAAARTY???")...

Pretty sloppy fact checking by the Eagle editors on that one.

...
(Hey, is that Wumple standing in the back there with the pipe? Hey Wump, you better check in back home, that Chigger is ruining your company.)...

No kidding. Also, what's up with Lichty, did he actually give one of the guys sitting to the left nearly a full head of hair?

... (I still say it was Sunny playing with matches, the cute little pyromaniac.)...

I'd bet on it being Leach (was that his name?) trying to get revenge.

... ("OK, look. I want you to get me a good thick rubber hose about twelve inches long, an extension cord with one end cut off and the wires stripped, two bars of soap, a woman's stocking, and a corned beef sandwich." "Sure, Irwin -- ah, what? A corned beef sandwich?" "Yeah, I missed lunch.")

"Oh, and a box of full-sized cigars, I'm tired of only smoking the stubs."

... The more you learn about this Giuliano case, the more heartbreaking it is....

That one and the woman who tried to kill herself jumping in front of the subway are just awful stories.

...
Yes, by a professional George Washington impersonator in full Continental Army regalia. That kind of thing actually happens a lot in my line of work. ...

Other than on TV and in movies, I don't think I've ever seen that happen in real life in a non-joking way.

Also, while it's not fair to judge someone on just a snippet (I'm going to do it anyway), Ms. Feinberg does not strike me as if she'd be the life of the party.

...
You know, Selbert, you could have just cut out the labels and flushed them down the toilet or something....

Yes he could have or incinerated them himself or done a hundred other things to get rid or of them inconspicuously, but he is truly stupid and in a bullying way.

...
You know, Min's finally got a new hairstyle, so c'mon, isn't it time to replace that suit you've been wearing since 1917?....

So, based on Andy's position of 100 shares, it looks as if Elastic Plastic has about doubled since he bought it - not bad at all if he gets out before it crashes. Also, his gain is worth about $30,000 today - a lot of money, but nowhere near the super riches he envisions.

And what's going on with the woman in the shadows? That story line has been oddly picked up and dropped a few times

... Trixie! She was great -- she could run faster, jump higher, and fight better than any of the boys in the Alley when she and Skeez were kids, and it was Trixie who, in 1935, at the age of fourteen, gave Skeezix his first kiss. And now she's grown up to be a glamorous radio chanteuse? Well, WON'T THIS BE INTERESTING....

"Hey, Skeezix, Nina's on the phone for you."

"Nina who? Oh, Nina, sure, of course"

...
Well, I guess that's that.

If Harold's willing to jump strips, it looks like Nina will be available soon.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Nina's gonna have her hands full.

 

[Harp]

Lana seems awake now.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And as soon as she's done in there, Lana's going to call her cousin Sally Snipe, who will tell her "I TOLD YOU SO."

I'm really looking forward to seeing Trixie again. She was one of the most honest, nuanced, realistic depictions of a 1920s-30s schoolgirl I've ever seen when she and Skeez were kids, and when she faded out of the strip in the late thirties, it was diminished by her absence. If Mr. King turns her into a scheming gold digger type, I'll be very sore, but I think he's got too much respect and affection for his characters to do that. I hope.

 

[Fading Fast]

Pretty much every boy ever remembers the first girl who surprised him with a kiss like that. I'm not surprised how Harold responded to hearing her voice on the radio.

Lana needs to jump to the "Terry and the Pirates" world. Sure, it's a tougher, dog-eat-dog world, but she's ready for real life in 1941 and TATP is very much real life for a world entering a global war.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Trix is also a lot smarter than Skeezix.

Original art, 11/3/34.

We used to pull schemes like this in my neighborhood. There were still families who didn't have telephones, and we'd run messages for tips. But we never thought of using roller skates.

 

[Harp]

Lana needs to jump to the "Terry and the Pirates" world. Sure, it's a tougher, dog-eat-dog world, but she's ready for real life in 1941 and TATP is very much real life for a world entering a global war.

Lana is a Homefront treasure. She cannot leave us for the Far East, and, besides, Terry and the Pirates are a might
tame for its times and turmoil. And where is Hu Shee? After Dr Ping had referenced Puccini and Madama Butterfly
I had expected that relationship to develop instead of lucky Bucky Wing-ding crashing the scene. Geez.

 

[Fading Fast]

Lana is a Homefront treasure. She cannot leave us for the Far East, and, besides, Terry and the Pirates are a might
tame for its times and turmoil. And where is Hu Shee? After Dr Ping had referenced Puccini and Madama Butterfly
I had expected that relationship to develop instead of lucky Bucky Wing-ding crashing the scene. Geez.

I'm missing Hu Shee too. I think Lana would rise to the occasion. Heck, if April's still alive, Lana would do just fine and, who knows, she might be the one to settle Pat down.

Trix is also a lot smarter than Skeezix....

You set the bar low on that one.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think Hu Shee is still out there somewhere and will appear when least expected. Like, for example, who is going to fish Terry out of the drink?

 

[Fading Fast]

I think Hu Shee is still out there somewhere and will appear when least expected. Like, for example, who is going to fish Terry out of the drink?

Terry's about to go down for the third time and Hu Shee comes rowing by and fishes him out. How perfect would that be?

 

[Harp]

I think Hu Shee is still out there somewhere and will appear when least expected. Like, for example, who is going to fish Terry out of the drink?

Awhilego, consumed by curiosity, envy, lust, and sadness for the Cubbies, I ventured forth along the Net path
and dug up some strip stuff; specifically Hu Shee, Terry, and the Second World War China Theatre.
No spoilers, but Hu Shee will return. Burma is an interesting character, ill used by her cartoonist creator.
And April Kane, that photo of the sketch artist at work with the brunette model perched on a ladder aiming
a pistol, ummm. Lotza potential. Lana seems awakened and ready for a more ambitious career away from Harold.
Let us hope so. Pre Code and Comic are largely new to me but I am surprised by the frank mature content
both offer; also, the newspaper is replete with hedonist, homicide, and home run regale.

 

[Fading Fast]

Awhilego, consumed by curiosity, envy, lust, and sadness for the Cubbies, I ventured forth along the Net path
and dug up some strip stuff; specifically Hu Shee, Terry, and the Second World War China Theatre.
No spoilers, but Hu Shee will return. Burma is an interesting character, ill used by her cartoonist creator.
And April Kane, that photo of the sketch artist at work with the brunette model perched on a ladder aiming
a pistol, ummm. Lotza potential. Lana seems awakened and ready for a more ambitious career away from Harold.
Let us hope so. Pre Code and Comic are largely new to me but I am surprised by the frank mature content
both offer; also, the newspaper is replete with hedonist, homicide, and home run regale.

While I grew up with old movies and current comic strips (of the '70s), it wasn't until (about) the early '90s and TCM that I "discovered" pre-codes or Lizzie's Day-By-Days that I became familiar with old comic strips. Both are insanely interesting windows into their era.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Nazi forces have reached the outskirts of Athens after occupying the towns of Volos and Lamia on the British flank of the Greek front, and Janina on the Greek side. At least 20,000 weary soldiers of the British Expeditionary Force, fleeing in the face of a "surrender or drown" ultimatum have been lost aboard 21 fully-laden troop transports sunk or damaged by the Luftwaffe in the Aegean Sea.

Yugoslav informants asserted today that 187 Yugoslavian Air Force planes have landed safely in Russia, and the crews hope to continue on from there to aid the embattled British forces battling Nazi invaders in Greece. It is reported that most of the planes landed in Kiev after passing over German-occupied Rumania, and that the pilots have not been interned by the Soviets -- who will allow them to continue on to Greece "with their complete assent."

Nearly 80,000 acres of woodland lay in charred ruin as forest fires continued to sweep across the New Jersey pinelands. Diminishing winds, however, have eased the work of firemen and volunteers, including hundreds of Army men from Fort Dix, in battling the blazezs.

Eight City College instructors and three clerks have been suspended as suspected Communists pending the outcome of charges brought against them by the Board of Higher Education for "conduct unbecoming." Two of the accused "instructors" are actually library assistants who fall administratively under the category of instructors, while the other six teach chemistry, history, or psychology. Meanwhile, former Judge Albert J. Talley last night accused the Board of Higher Education of allowing such "inflitration" of the City College system by permitting "the so called liberal majority" to drive "anti-Communist members" off the Board, and he denounced "aggressive minorities" for "spreading Communism in the schools."

Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen today named seventeen Brooklyn doctors as "abortionists," in accusations filed with the Medical Grievance Committee. The new accusations follow that Committee's affirmation of Dr. Abraham Ditchick's conviction on charges of bribery, extortion, and conspiracy in connection with the widespread practice of abortion in the borough. The Committee also refused a request from Mr. Amen that it consider a mere suspension of Dr. Louis Duke's medical license on abortion charges, due to Dr. Duke's cooperation with the Amen Office's probe of the Brooklyn abortion racket, and instead unanimously voted to recommend that Dr. Duke's license to practice in the State Of New York be permanently revoked.

(Yeah, well, that still doesn't mean you're supposed to wear it over your slip. That's gonna be real uncomfortable come the summer.)

("Uh, Mr. Namm, one o' t'buyers come back wit' t'is truck fulla old books -- sez he paid two cents onna dolla..." "I don't care, just stick 'em inna ad someplace. Bound to be some poor night-school moax from Bensonhoist who'll buy 'em.")

(I knew I should have learned to fell my seams, but it just never seemed that important.)

(Good to see the Lichtys have finally worked out their differences.)

There are still about forty residents of Brooklyn and Long Island who have not yet cashed income tax refund checks sent out by the State of New York for 1932, 1933, and 1934, and state treasury officials warn that if those checks are not cashed within the next ten days, the funds will be forfeited to the State.

(Hey Leo, stop making alibis and stick Fitzsimmons in there for a few starts. And speaking of whom, Wood finally admits Freddie doesn't like to be called "Fat." WELL IT TOOK YA LONG ENOUGH. And why no mention of Fatty Fothergill? Ask Durocher about the time when, playing short for the Yankees, he accused the Tigers of sending two men up to the plate at once and then squinted and said, 'no, that's just Fothergill.')

The Bushwicks will welcome the first "Negro Nine" of the season to Woodhaven this weekend when the New York Black Yankees invade Dexter Park. The game will mark the 25th anniversary of the stadium, and will be proceeded by trooping of the colors and a ceremonial march by both squads.

Brooklyn's domination of the CBS "We The People" broadcast over WABC will continue tonight as a local harmonica quartet called "The Polka Dots" make an appearance. The four youngsters who make up the group will simulate a full orchestra by playing forty harmonicas at once.

(Wait, Sparky is "Tarzan" now? That should lead to some interesting plot twists, at least until whoever sets the slug lines down in the typesetting department sobers up.)

("I thought you were going to paint over that transom!")

(Yep, I believe Brother Fading called it -- it's gotta be Leach. Slim is just too dumb to think of anything so intricate as this.)

(IT WAS FRANKLIN PANGBORN ALL ALONG! Do the Countess next -- I bet she's really Edna May Oliver.)

 

[Harp]

Hard to imagine that the Nazi swastika once flew over the Acropolis.
The morning sun striking the Parthenon is one of the most moving sights on this earth.

In Thessalonikki there is a small British Army cemetery set off the main north entrance to the city,
and in two years I never saw anyone inside its ground though it was seemingly well-kept with tablet markers
over the graves which perhaps held less than a company of men. British Army tradition is to bury a soldier
where he falls but the evident solitude of that small patch echoed a thunderous silence.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Elsie was on her way into New York to play a Manhattan vaudeville date when she was killed. Which means, sadly, that we will not get to see her one day play the Flatbush.

Sure, Eddie. Sure.

There's a New World coming. And hey, Stoneham, put down the Scotch bottle long enough to proofread your ad next time.

You know, Warbucks really needs to get down on his knees every night and pray that Punjab doesn't one day get sick and tired of taking his guff.

Hey, why don't you stop messing around with things you don't understand and get a real job. I hear the circus is looking for somebody who can blow "smoke doughnuts."

"Oh yeah? Well, YOU'RE gonna die wearing that stupid beanie, and so I guess *I* get the last laugh!"

Yes, this will certainly end well.

"So. Trixie. Ummm...slid down any drainpipes lately?"

You'll get better launch velocity if you use a bigger bat.

Even sadder is the fact that Harold keeps a stack of 8X10 headshots on hand for just such occasions.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Coming Events Cast Their Shadows Before."

 

[Harp]

I hoped that Lana would deliver the news to the boy in person but maybe she will send it "Dear John" special Dee....

And, back at the ranch, Terry and the third-personage need to resolve their personal conflict. I would suggest
that the kid violently deliver a thumb strike to the ba***rd's left eye, reach down to his opponent's left ankle,
raise his enemy's leg, fall the ba***rd, back kick his groin, and dash off. Leaving the ba***rd to drown.
Unfortunately, in this strip, nothing really ever gets resolved. The sentence never gets the period punctuation mark.
And speaking of punctuation, Burma....well, ya know itzabout time these two got together.
And play some music.
Like a Bach's violin concerto #2 for starters. Cause this night game's gonna go nine innings easy and a double
header, and bases load grand slam, thievery, slide into the plate.....