The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

Oh, and...

IT'S COMING! IT'S COMING SOON!

 

[Fading Fast]

...


(The Oscars are in 1942 not anywhere near the big deal they will be in later years. There is no national broadcast of the awards ceremonies, and the story only makes page 3 in the Eagle, without even a delicately-worded quote from Miss DeHavilland congratulating her sister.)
...

Fontaine drives "Suspicion" from beginning to end despite Cary Grant's excellent performance. Her feud with her sister, with them both up for an Oscar the same year, is a better real-life story than many of the one's that Hollywood writes.

...

A 36-year-old Bensonhurst man awaits sentence after predicting his own conviction on charges of street-corner bookmaking. Anthony D'Amura of 1650 81st Street pleaded not guilty yesterday before Magistrate Frances W. Lehrich in Coney Island Court, but when Assistant District Attorney J. Mitchell Rosenberg asked him if he had ever before been convicted of bookmaking, D'Amura replied "Once before. This will be the second time." He will be sentenced March 17th.

("'At Tony," grumbles Joe. "Neveh knows when t'keep'is trap shut." "What?" whats Sally. "Nut'n.")
...

In 1942, heck all through the '30s and '40s, you'd bet the cops could make that type of arrest every single day if they wanted to.

...


(Meanwhile, the Gay 90s nostalgia fad shows no sign of letting up. How long's it been, eight years now?)
...

The Park Terrace's "Grand Opening" is getting a little long in the tooth by now.

And in the Daily News...

"It was also pointed out that Adler is 78." As if that needed pointing out.
...

After yesterday's ruling, Mrs. Stamm is probably wondering how she can become the fourth woman in Mr. Adler's, um, "group."

...

"Of course, we'll be up to our necks in boiling water in no time, but by all means don't rush!"
...

No kidding, nor would the boiling water that's splashing on her face and body be a non event.

And in the Daily News...
...

"That's ok, darling, I'll FIND MY OWN WAY TO THE SHELTER."
...

Seriously, what the heck Skeezix!

 

[LizzieMaine]

(With all these screamer headlines lately, Mr. Schroth's ink bill must be thru the roof. And I had a feeling when Mr. Bishop was "acquitted" that he'd be back in the headlines eventually.)

Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen declared today that he will forge ahead with his investigations of official corruption in Brooklyn despite a temporary injunction issued by Supreme Court Justice Phillip A. Brennan barring the payment of city funds to the Amen Office for any investigation taking place outside the borders of Kings County. Justice Brennan ruled in favor of the injunction sought by Boardwalk Stores Corporation of Manhattan to block Amen probes involving matters in Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, stating that the order establishing his office did not supersede the prosecutorial authority of district attorneys in Manhattan, Queens, or Richmond Counties, and therefore Mr. Amen is not authoritize to receive city funds for investigations of alleged crimes occuring in those counties. Justice Brennan did, however, note that the Amen Office's authority does extend to the investigations of persons and corporations alleged to be involved in crimes committed within Kings County, or who may be charged with obstruction of such investigations. Mr. Amen stated today that he is perfectly satisfied with that order, and will not appeal the Justice's ruling.

Panicking Nazi forces are being cut to pieces today by a tightening ring of Soviet steel around the frozen forests and marshes of Staraya Rus, as the trapped German 16th Army battled futilely against annihilation. Fierce battles also continue to rage along the northern front around Leningrad, where "complete liberation is expected shortly."

General Douglas MacArthur's daring offensive tactics against overwhelming Japanese forces on Bataan Peninsula may have accomplished the twin objectives of delaying an all-out drive by the enemy and gaining valuable military information on Japanese troop strength. The complete implications of the drive, which "caught the enemy napping," are not yet known, but a War Department communique reported that MacArthur's forces have made significant gains all along the front.

("If you INSIST...")

The Eagle Editorialist endorses new restrictions on smoking in defense plants, declaring that the recent example of the Normandie demonstrates what can happen when workers are careless with cigarettes and matches. The EE is also not particularly worried that wartime conditions may spell the end of the movie double feature, noting that War Production chief Donald L. Nelson probably has too much real work on his hands to bother with going to the movies anyway. And he agrees with the psychologist who speculated that there appears to be little hope of rehabilitation for prolific church swindler Mrs. Amelia Carr. "At 66, one seldom, if ever, changes one's personality traits."

("Just help yourself to whatever pills you need from this jar on my desk...")

In Shelbyville, Indiana, baker Robert O. Wright was laid to rest yesterday in a crypt of his own special design. Aware that his death was imminent, Mr. Wright took steps to outfit his tomb with all the comforts of home, including a bed, a mirror, shaving equipment, a selection of reading material, and a small radio.

("Casey inna Awmy," says Joe. "Ain'nat sump'n." "Hah," hahs Sally. "Don' lett'm t'row any han' gr'nades. T'eyll roll allawayt' t'backstop!")

(Anita O'Day was a fascinating performer. At a time when most female band singers packaged themselves either as "cute girls" or "sultry sophisticates," Miss O'Day presented herself on stage as a jazz artist, nothing more and nothing less, on the same level as the men in the band, and the result is unlike anything else of its time. She made some fine records with the Krupa band, but the chance to see them live on stage in 1942 is something to be prized.)

("Run, Adolf, run Adolf, run run run! Cut your loss -- and pawn your I-ron cross -- and run, Adolf, run Adolf run run run!")

("Turn loose the FACE EATING DOGS! FACE EATING DOGS! FACE EATING DOGS!")

(I knew he wasn't up to the job. SEND FOR LEONA!)

("Look, Irwin -- a donut shop! Come along, you'll need your strength!")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Condolences to the Picciottos, for whom the trauma must've been horrific.

A battle with years yet to rage.

Well, I guess that's that then.

"But these X-ray plates are blank." "Yes, I know, the drugstore wouldn't develop them."

"Anyway, what's a little scalded flesh?"

It's too convenient to last.

Just want to point out Min's snazzy pajamas. Good for you kid, hold onto your self-esteem any way you can.

War is always a time of sacrifice.

"And I owe you twenty, so we're even."

Is it just me, or is Goofy looking increasingly crazed?

 

[PrivateEye]

Fontaine drives "Suspicion" from beginning to end despite Cary Grant's excellent performance. Her feud with her sister, with them both up for an Oscar the same year, is a better real-life story than many of the one's that Hollywood writes.

Suspicion is playing Wednesday morning at 4 am on TCM. Just set the DVR.

 

[Fading Fast]

...And he agrees with the psychologist who speculated that there appears to be little hope of rehabilitation for prolific church swindler Mrs. Amelia Carr. "At 66, one seldom, if ever, changes one's personality traits."
...

She's not old enough yet, but in a decade or so, while still younger than Carr, Thelma Ritter will be perfect for the part of Amelia Carr.

...

In Shelbyville, Indiana, baker Robert O. Wright was laid to rest yesterday in a crypt of his own special design. Aware that his death was imminent, Mr. Wright took steps to outfit his tomb with all the comforts of home, including a bed, a mirror, shaving equipment, a selection of reading material, and a small radio.
...

This is a man who wanted to be an Egyptian Pharaoh.

...

("Casey inna Awmy," says Joe. "Ain'nat sump'n." "Hah," hahs Sally. "Don' lett'm t'row any han' gr'nades. T'eyll roll allawayt' t'backstop!")
...

MacPhail is playing one tough game of chicken with Wyatt.

Funny to see the press lamenting how little professional tennis players get paid when we know how it eventually turns out.

...

("Turn loose the FACE EATING DOGS! FACE EATING DOGS! FACE EATING DOGS!")
...

"That's it, I quit. That kid's impossible. They don't pay me enough to do this school counseling work. I'm going into private practice."

As the principal tries to talk the counselor into staying, little Lizzie sits quietly in the corner with a small smile of satisfaction on her face.

...

(I knew he wasn't up to the job. SEND FOR LEONA!)
...

There's still time as they're not married, but it's getting tight. Pay up and call in Nick. He'll fix it before the marriage.

...

("Look, Irwin -- a donut shop! Come along, you'll need your strength!")

"It's a funny thing Kay taking a shower in the middle of the day, don't you think, Irwin?"
"Nah, I've stopped by Kay's apartment when you were away and seen Harrington taking a shower in the middle of day. Some people must just like to do that."
"Yeah, that's probably it."

And the fate of the free world depends on these two.

And in the Daily News...

...


A battle with years yet to rage.
...

Even after the nickel fare was long gone, every fare raise used to be a huge battle, but recently, since the City harnessed the new technology of of electronic cards instead of tokens and, especially now, digital wallets, it's acted like a venal company by dividing, obfuscating and conquering.

Today, there are all types of fares - monthly passes, student discounts, etc, so there is no one single price for the public to latch onto - and the City can adjust those fares independently and instantaneously - no big warnings with signs and token swaps are necessary anymore. So fare hikes are harder to see and follow now and can be implemented with less noise and resistance (the government could give any capitalist a run for his or her money with this game).

And in the Daily News...
...

Just want to point out Min's snazzy pajamas. Good for you kid, hold onto your self-esteem any way you can.
...

I thought it was a polka-dot dress that she hadn't changed out of for bed yet.

 

[LizzieMaine]

(I can understand why some people wouldn't want to read the paper anymore. Especially the Mayor.)

Germany has thrown three Luftwaffe groups totalling as many as 1800 planes into an 11th hour attempt to save the trapped Nazi 16th Army, encircled by the oncoming Red Army at Staraya Russa. The Soviet newspaper Isvestia reported today that this effort is failing under heavy fire from Russian planes and anti-aircraft guns. Soviet troops closing on on Staraya Russa for the kill are reported to have taken the railroad station at a town identified as "P," annihilating the 390th German infantry division, and taking control of three other towns in that area. Nazi air losses are reported to be "huge," and Nazi ground troops, now running out of both food and ammunition, are said to be "in a desperate plight."

On the Leningrad front, Izvestia reports Soviet guerilla fighters over the past six months have killed more than 10,480 German soldiers, more than 400 officers, including a general and two colonels, and have destroyed large numbers of planes, tanks, cannon, trucks, freight cars full of ammunition, bridges, and sections of railroad. Meanwhile, it is reported that eight trainloads of food arrived last Sunday -- on Red Army Day -- in Leningrad to feed the civilian population. Each train is reported to have carried up to 1500 tons of needed supplies.

British Imperial forces aided by American volunteers are officially reported tonight to be waging a terrific battle and inflicting "appalling losses" on enemy troops in defense of the fire-scarred Burmese capital of Rangoon. The military situtation in southern Burma guarding the approaches to India remains grave, with the British having fallen back to the shallow Sitting River, while the Japanese are reported to have "probably" cut the Rangoon railroad north of Pegu.

Eight Boy Scouts were sworn in yesterday as official Civilian Defense Messengers by Brooklyn OCD director Mary Dillon. Miss Dillon administered the oath to the boys from Flatbush Troop 163, pledging them to carry out whatever duties required of them, and assigned them to active duty with the 70th Precinct Civilian Defense office. The messengers, to be distinguished by Civilian Defense armbands worn with their regular Scout uniforms, will be assigned to two-hour shifts each day after school.

(You would think somebody would have thought of this before. Maybe you can assign some Boy Scouts to run around turning off lights.)

(AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! There's no satisfaction, no joy quite like the first box score of the spring. You may remember Mr. Albosta as that kid who came up at the end of last season, appeared in two games, lost both of them, and got one vote in the Most Popular Dodger contest. WHO NEEDS WYATT?)

From sixth place and half-a-million dollars in debt to a pennant and money in the bank -- such is the remarkable four-year Brooklyn odyssey of Leland Stanford MacPhail. When it was announced this week that the ball club had fully paid off its debt to the Brooklyn Trust Company, it was a good time to reflect on what Larry has accomplished in his time here. When Mr. MacPhail walked into Ebbets Field during his first day on the job, he looked around at the then-mouldering twenty-five-year-old ballpark and sneered "this place looks like a subway washroom." His first draw on the bank brought in the funds needed to rehabiliate the field, repair the broken seats, paint the interior in briilliant shades of turquoise, and install an up-to-the-minute lighting plant for night ball. Larry brought in Babe Ruth, slapped a Dodger uniform on him, and planted him as first base coach as a quick crowd draw, and planked down $45,000 to relieve the Phillies of Dolph Camilli, the first in a long series of player deals that would turn the remnants of the old "Daffiness Boys" into the National League's most dynamic club. Attendance jumped from under 500,000 to over 750,000 in MacPhail's first year, and broke a million in his second. Last year, the Flock attracted a new club record of 1,214,903, and excitement is running high for another flag in 1942. Only two Dodgers who were around for Larry's first season are still in Brooklyn flannels moving into his fifth year -- Leo Durocher and Freddie Fitzsimmons, who are now as much a part of Brooklyn as Ebbets Field itself.

("A high-octane quality of mediocrity?" Let's see Henry Luce top THAT line.)

Old Timer regular John P. Pfalzgraf of 141 Wyckoff Street has words of advice and wisdom for the young people of 1942 -- if you want to store up rich, pleasant memories for yourself such as you read on the Old Timers Page each week, to comfort you in your own old age, live the years of your youth "earnestly, vividly, fully, and knowingly." "Take an intense, dynamic part in the drama of life."

The dancing star of "Of V We Sing" is young Betty Garrett -- who literally danced her way from Kings Highway to Broadway in just three short years. The Eagle's own theatre critic Robert Francis says he was the man responsible -- encountering Miss Garrett at a Greenwich Village party in 1939, Mr. Francis sketched out the shortest route from the Village to the Kings Highway BMT station enabling Miss Garrett to arrive on time for her first rehearsal with the newly-formed Flatbush Arts Theatre. That band of young thespians later became the American Youth Theatre, and it was with that group that Miss Garrett first attracted notice. The AYT put on its first revue at the Barbizon-Plaza, which became the springboard for the group's present Broadway production, which , if all goes according to plan, will operate on a regular, professional Equity basis by next week. Miss Garrett admits, though, that she really didn't need Mr. Francis's map that night -- she'd lived in Brooklyn for nine years and knew her way around -- but, she says, he "seemed to get so much fun out of drawing that map."

He-man actor Joel McCrea, now seen opposite Veronica Lake in Preston Sturges' Paramount release "Sullivan's Travels," says one of his first Hollywood jobs was as a stunt double for no less a personage than Greta Garbo. It seems Miss Garbo needed to do a risky maneuver on horseback in her first American picture, "The Torrent," and Mr. McCrea, who was on the set as an extra, volunteered to don her costume and a wig and do the stunt in her place. Garbo protested, declaring the stunt was no job for a youth, and attempted the manuever herself. But it was, McCrea declares, his take that got used.

("A gold rush without gold?" Ooh, will William Jennings Bryan be in this story?)

(Guns aren't the only weapons you can buy at Johnson-Smith.)

(Squirrels always know an easy mark when they see one. And the sweater-knitter, Betty Grable, does still qualify as a "young star," I suppose, even though she made her first picture, as a thirteen-year-old chorus girl, in 1930.)

(The calf isn't having any of Bill's bull. And Irwin, remember the slogan -- "Care For Your Gut -- For Your Country!")

(This I'll say for George: he certainly has strong bones.)

(Tarzan would be a much better strip if it actually featured the characters in the topper there -- especially the lion and the gorilla. And I wonder what Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine thinks of Pepsi and Pete and their endorsement deal?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

The twins' autopsy and the Beautiful Child contest on the same page is a bit tasteless, even by Page Four standards.

I wonder what girls' college Mr. Hill attended? I bet there's a story in that!

Good thing Bea's got State Farm. And I want to know what the deal is with those scars on BB Eyes's face -- did he get mauled by a FACE EATING DOG?

Bull Moose is getting tired of being Chester Gump's straight man -- so it's nice to see him picking up new roles.

"It would seem that those canines appear to be concentrating the thrust of their attack on the maxillofacial structures of their victims. Imagine that."

Gee, Beezie really fills out that dress.

SANDHURST YOU *AXIS* RAT!!!

We seem to have a running theme today.

Can't we change the name of this strip to "Punchin' Cindy?"

Poor guy, just trying to make a living...

 

[Fading Fast]

...

Germany has thrown three Luftwaffe groups totalling as many as 1800 planes into an 11th hour attempt to save the trapped Nazi 16th Army, encircled by the oncoming Red Army at Staraya Russa. The Soviet newspaper Isvestia reported today that this effort is failing under heavy fire from Russian planes and anti-aircraft guns. Soviet troops closing on on Staraya Russa for the kill are reported to have taken the railroad station at a town identified as "P," annihilating the 390th German infantry division, and taking control of three other towns in that area. Nazi air losses are reported to be "huge," and Nazi ground troops, now running out of both food and ammunition, are said to be "in a desperate plight."

On the Leningrad front, Izvestia reports Soviet guerilla fighters over the past six months have killed more than 10,480 German soldiers, more than 400 officers, including a general and two colonels, and have destroyed large numbers of planes, tanks, cannon, trucks, freight cars full of ammunition, bridges, and sections of railroad. Meanwhile, it is reported that eight trainloads of food arrived last Sunday -- on Red Army Day -- in Leningrad to feed the civilian population. Each train is reported to have carried up to 1500 tons of needed supplies.
...

Only three more years to go.

...

From sixth place and half-a-million dollars in debt to a pennant and money in the bank -- such is the remarkable four-year Brooklyn odyssey of Leland Stanford MacPhail. When it was announced this week that the ball club had fully paid off its debt to the Brooklyn Trust Company, it was a good time to reflect on what Larry has accomplished in his time here. When Mr. MacPhail walked into Ebbets Field during his first day on the job, he looked around at the then-mouldering twenty-five-year-old ballpark and sneered "this place looks like a subway washroom." His first draw on the bank brought in the funds needed to rehabiliate the field, repair the broken seats, paint the interior in briilliant shades of turquoise, and install an up-to-the-minute lighting plant for night ball. Larry brought in Babe Ruth, slapped a Dodger uniform on him, and planted him as first base coach as a quick crowd draw, and planked down $45,000 to relieve the Phillies of Dolph Camilli, the first in a long series of player deals that would turn the remnants of the old "Daffiness Boys" into the National League's most dynamic club. Attendance jumped from under 500,000 to over 750,000 in MacPhail's first year, and broke a million in his second. Last year, the Flock attracted a new club record of 1,214,903, and excitement is running high for another flag in 1942. Only two Dodgers who were around for Larry's first season are still in Brooklyn flannels moving into his fifth year -- Leo Durocher and Freddie Fitzsimmons, who are now as much a part of Brooklyn as Ebbets Field itself.
...

"...this place looks like a subway washroom." A good line, is a good line.

...

He-man actor Joel McCrea, now seen opposite Veronica Lake in Preston Sturges' Paramount release "Sullivan's Travels," says one of his first Hollywood jobs was as a stunt double for no less a personage than Greta Garbo. It seems Miss Garbo needed to do a risky maneuver on horseback in her first American picture, "The Torrent," and Mr. McCrea, who was on the set as an extra, volunteered to don her costume and a wig and do the stunt in her place. Garbo protested, declaring the stunt was no job for a youth, and attempted the manuever herself. But it was, McCrea declares, his take that got used.
...

It's a little hard to picture tall and broad McCrea somehow being lithe Garbo's double on horseback.

And in the Daily News...

The twins' autopsy and the Beautiful Child contest on the same page is a bit tasteless, even by Page Four standards
...

Apparently, union strikes and complaints about the "mean" boss or having to work too-much overtime are being lumped in the same category as bougie complaint about gas rationing and blackout curtains. War does cut through a lot.

And in the Daily News...
...

I wonder what girls' college Mr. Hill attended? I bet there's a story in that!
...

Or the conversation at the Hill house went something like this, "I pay enough in tuition to that fancy girl's college of yours - to say nothing of your clothing 'allowance -' so you can sit yourself right down there and answer some question to help your dad write his column...and without any attitude young lady."

And in the Daily News...
...

Good thing Bea's got State Farm. And I want to know what the deal is with those scars on BB Eyes's face -- did he get mauled by a FACE EATING DOG?
...

"That's it, no more talk about "duty and how much good I'm doing here.' I'm going into private practice and if you want me to talk to that kid, you can call my office, make an appointment and pay me $10 an hour to do it."

And in the Daily News...
...

Bull Moose is getting tired of being Chester Gump's straight man -- so it's nice to see him picking up new roles.
...

Living in a city where 90+% of the people are liberal or more liberal and were we have programs (most very well funded) and advocates for every social issue, it's a little hard to take Gray's cardboard characterization and simplistic solutions to very complex social problems that aren't easily fixed with just resources and kindness.

And in the Daily News...

...


Can't we change the name of this strip to "Punchin' Cindy?"
...

While Cindy has her issues as a role model, she is another example that women were not only shown in traditional roles back then as, in these strips, we see plenty of strong, confident and smart women all the time.

And where the heck does Jack buy his clothes?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Jack patronizes the same tailor as Moon Mullins, but Moon actually has the physique to go with the clothes. Jack, on the other hand, just looks like he's trying too hard.

I still don't understand how Cindy can walk when her ankles swivel to the side like that.

The unusual thing about Mr. Gray's approach to this story is that he spent much of the 1930s as a rabid opponent of the New Deal -- and he will shift again to the right even before the war is over. This whole portrayal of Dr Zee, noble veteran of the Spanish War, and advocate of "let's go communist in a capitalist way" health care reform, just goes to show you can't pigeonhole anyone, especially not a cartoonist.

Larry MacPhail may be a lunatic, but he's OUR lunatic.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Ummmm," umms Joe. "You -- um -- hoid f'm y'brutta lately?" "No," replies Sally, with just the slightest edge in her voice. "Why ya ask?" "Umm, well," continues Joe, sliding the paper across the table. "Hmph." hmphs Sally. "Buncha bums." "He don' know nunnat'em guys?" asks Joe. "You f'soiten he don'know nunna t'em guys?" "My brutta don' hang aroun' wit'tat kin'a Bushwick trash," Sally insists. "Wheah'see livin' now?" presses Joe. "Out'na Flatlan's someplace, I dunno," snaps Sally. "Am I my brutta's keepeh?" "Hmph," grumbles Joe. "I was jus' askin'. No need ta go quotin' Shakespeah at me.")

Russian forces have captured a key village straddling eight roads near Staraya Russa, where 96,000 Germans remain encircled, and are pressing forward on the southern front despite spring thaws and heavy rains which have transformed that sector into a quagmire. The government newspaper Isvestia stated today that Germans in the surrounded area are forcing Russian civilians to construct fortifications to resist the relentless Soviet assaults. Belief is general in Moscow that the fall of the strategic city will be announced soon.

The snow fields in the southern sector are turning to slush in the heavy rains, leaving motorized units and heavy artillery bogged down in the mud. Marshal S. K. Timoshenko is advancing along a 50-mile front between Kharkov and the Sea of Azov, and the Soviets have taken an important fortified point in the Kharkov area from which they are pounding Nazi divisions brought up from the rear.

War Production Board chief Donald L. Nelson will deliver "a tough speech" tonight, outlining a new victory production drive, a speech intended to put both labor and management "in a fighting mood." The broadcast, airing over WJZ and the Blue Network from 9:45 to 10pm, will be short, but will, according to Mr. Nelson's associates, "pack a wallop." Mr Nelson will, in the speech, call for a full 168-hour week for all defense plants, and will outline ways in which "the soldiers of production" may "accelerate the production of war materials." The WPB's 1942 quotas call for the assembly of 60,000 airplanes, 45,000 tanks, and 8,000,000 tons of merchant shipping.

The Sage of Greenpoint may be out of work, but he continues to hold court on the sidewalk outside his former office at the Hall of Records. Former Kings County Register Peter J. McGuinness, who was turned out of his longtime job by Mayor LaGuardia's civil service reorganization at the start of the new year, can be found on any sunny afternoon lolling away the day at the corner of Fulton Street and Court Square, greeting every passing man with "H'lo Judge," and tipping his hat to all passing women. The pedestrians, as they pass, unfailingly greet old Pete with a friendly "H'lo Register." "I say hello to maybe 3000 people a day," says Pete, " but denies that in doing so he is laying the groundwork for a political comeback. "As the fellow said, the flower that's born in the winter dies in the spring. In other words, not at the present time."

Mayor LaGuardia in his weekly broadcast over WNYC yesterday ordered all owners of electric signs in the city to immediately have them wired so that they may be turned off instantly in the event of a blackout. The mayor also used his broadcast to lash out at his critics, charging that many have been members of groups favoring "Hitler and the dictators," and added that "some have been intimate friends of the Mikado."

(The birth of what will become a wartime institution.)

(We haven't checked in on Helen for a while, so it's good to see she has things well under control. G'wan, kid, take your hat off.)

Teddy Keenan of Flatbush had hoped and hoped and practiced and practiced in hopes that she might earn the coveted title of Roller Skating Queen of 1942. But alas for Miss Keenan she did not. What she did earn, however, is a job with Walter Thornton's modeling agency, which should stanch her disappointment at missing out on the skating crown. Teddy was a familiar figure around her neighborhood as a child, tearing around E. 49th Street on her roller skates, and now having grown to womanhood is just as enthusiastic about the grand Flatbush pastime as she ever was. A regular skater at the Figure Eight Club's rink, the Erasmus Hall High School graduate declares that roller skating is the best exercise there is, and encourages everyone -- young or old -- to give it a try. When she's not skating, or modeling, Miss Keenan works as an inspector in a local paper-cup factory.

(KEEP 'EM FLYING!)

"Service Man" writes in to complain about the current campaign against burlesque shows in the city, declaring that "soldiers and sailors are not children who must be wrapped in cotton," and he sneers at Dr. J. Henry Carpenter and others of his sort that "young men want strong entertainment, and if they can't get it one way they'll get it another. When a preacher says a show is 'disgusting' it doesn't mean a thing. He'd be 'disgusted' by the stories we servicemen tell, but we like them!"

And reader Harold L. Cowin writes in to denounce certain members of the House Naval Affairs Committee who are campaigning to drive Walter Winchell off the air. Mr. Cowin declares that he'd rather hear Winchell -- "a supporter of the philosophy of government proclaimed by Roosevelt and Churchill" -- than the likes of Wheeler, Nye, Lindbergh, and Fish and other "American Lord Haw-Haws" who demand a negotiated peace with Hitler and Mussolini.

(There's a New World Coming.)

(It really doesn't seem like spring without Mungo stories. Thanks, Mr. Niss, for trying. Oh, and if you get a letter from someone named Sally in Bensonhurst, DON'T OPEN IT.)

(Just cut the blue wire. Or is it the red? No, no, it's the blue. Right?)

(Oh deer.)

(Sighhhhhhhhhhh)

(In other words Irwin, sit down and shut up.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

I can never keep track of the Vanderbilts.

No, no, tang YOU.

Note that Sandy wants nothing to do with Dr. Zee's "experiments."

Hmph, some criminal genius. That's a business coupe, so just fold down the back seat and climb out the trunk. Surely you didn't lock the trunk.

"Aw, I saw this picture last year. This is where I came in!"

On the other hand, the only thing you know, positively, that you have is right now.

RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT

Kid reads the papers.

Never mind his neck, how does he do that with his spine?

It wouldn't do you any good, kid -- LaGuardia banned those in 1938.

 

[Fading Fast]

("Ummmm," umms Joe. "You -- um -- hoid f'm y'brutta lately?" "No," replies Sally, with just the slightest edge in her voice. "Why ya ask?" "Umm, well," continues Joe, sliding the paper across the table. "Hmph." hmphs Sally. "Buncha bums." "He don' know nunnat'em guys?" asks Joe. "You f'soiten he don'know nunna t'em guys?" "My brutta don' hang aroun' wit'tat kin'a Bushwick trash," Sally insists. "Wheah'see livin' now?" presses Joe. "Out'na Flatlan's someplace, I dunno," snaps Sally. "Am I my brutta's keepeh?" "Hmph," grumbles Joe. "I was jus' askin'. No need ta go quotin' Shakespeah at me.")
...

Joe's willingness to walk through the minefield of comebacks to needle Sally about her brother are some of the best exchanges these two have.

"f'soiten"

So, are Joe and Sally going to take the Eagle up on its offer to fill out their tax for for free?

...


(The birth of what will become a wartime institution.)
...

No kidding, it's cool to see it start "in real time."

Interesting to read that Patricia Morison pulled out of "The Glass Key," which eventually helped solidify one of film noir's most famous pairings - Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd. If Ms. Morrison hadn't pulled out, would that have cut short the Lake-Ladd noir juggernaut?

Funny also to see the birthing of "Across the Pacific," with so much hope for another movie as good as "The Maltese Falcon," which was not to be.

...

(Just cut the blue wire. Or is it the red? No, no, it's the blue. Right?)
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Even James Bond needed help: watch

...

(Sighhhhhhhhhhh)
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What the heck, why didn't we get to see Connie confronting Mary?

And in the Daily News...

I can never keep track of the Vanderbilts.
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No one can. We'd need one of those outstanding charts from the Eagle to even have a fighting chance.

And in the Daily News...
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Note that Sandy wants nothing to do with Dr. Zee's "experiments."
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Sandy sees his next career move as either a romantic or action adventure lead. He believes there's no real fame and fortune in "egghead" roles. Let's not kid ourselves, he wants a role where he "gets the girl." ["Hey, hey, Sandy, stop that! Get off of my leg! I'm trying to type out your response here.]

And in the Daily News...
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"Aw, I saw this picture last year. This is where I came in!"
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How freakin' 1942 perfect would it be if Ann Sheridan stepped out of the sarcophagus yelling "Whiteside!"

And in the Daily News...
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RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT RAT
...

Wow, he just submarined Normandie. This is getting very good - Pat's going to have to think fast.

 

[LizzieMaine]

There's something weird going on with Mary Worth -- note the date slug on today's strip, "3-5-42." This happened once before, which suggests someone down in the composing room is having problems. "5" in reverse, as it appears on the engraving, looks like a "2" -- which means they really need to do a better job training the new help to read backwards.

Just when you think you've seen the limits of Sandhurst's rat-ness, he finds a new way to rat. I can't wait for him to meet the Dragon Lady.

I wonder what the Gumpiverse version of Ann Sheridan, drawn by Gus Edson, would look like?

 

[LizzieMaine]

(C'mon, let's have some cheer-up news for a change. How about a nice "where is he now" story about Bob the Dog from Ditmas Avenue? Or Hero Cabbie Leonard Weinberg wrestling a wild milk-wagon horse to safety? Or the Dodgers signing Whit Wyatt? BTW, a "bucket shop" is something right out of the twenties -- a fake stock brokerage that's basically a betting operation. The operator takes money paid in by would-be speculators and doesn't actually buy the stock -- but he pays off if the price of the stock goes up within a stipulated time. It was a pretty lucrative type of operation when worked on people who don't understand how the stock market works -- a fellow named Charles Stoneham made a fortune running bucket shops, enough to buy the New York Giants as a present for his son Horace.)

Secretary of State Henry Morgenthau, warning that war is cheaper to lose than to win, today asked the House Ways and Means Committee to double Federal income tax rates on persons earning $10,000 a year or less, and to make increases in other taxes in order to raise an additional $7,600,000,000 a year in needed war revenues. The Administration's proposed "Victory Tax" program will impose a tax of one cent per bottle on all soft drinks sold in the United States, will increase the Federal tax on a pack of 20 cigarettes from 6 1/2 to 8 cents, will raise the tax on a quart of whisky from $1 to $1.50 a bottle, and will increase the Federal tax on a gallon of gasoline from 1 1/2 to 3 cents.

The Army today declared the formation of an "exclusion zone" spanning four Western states, from which enemy aliens and "American-born Japanese" will be "progressively ousted." Approximately 210,000 persons in the western halves of Washington, Oregon, and California, and the southern half of Arizona will be affected by the order, but Lt. General John L. DeWitt, commandant of the Western Defense Command, who is responsible for the declaration, stressed that the order merely sets up prohibited and restricted areas on the Coast, and does not represent an order for Japanese and Japanese-Americans to move out. An immediate mass evacuation, stated Gen. DeWitt, is not practical at this time, and therefore the evacuation will be "progressive and gradual," aimed at clearing the designated districts without "economic hardship." Gen. DeWitt issued his order under authority granted by President Roosevelt and the War Department to determine and define the boundaries of any exclusion zone he may determine to be necessary in the area under his command.

Russian cavalry, infantry, tanks, and aircraft are slowly but surely blasting their way today thru the strong German positions around Leningrad. It was reported that 1400 Nazi troops were killed in just one sector in just one day's fighting.

The pastor of the Kings Highway Congregational Church resigned his position today after his congregation rebelled against his demand that they open all services by singing "The Star Spangled Banner." The Reverend Irving D. Wildey had instituted the singing of the National Anthem after Pearl Harbor, but the church's Board of Deacons challenged the edict on the basis of congregational opposition. Board chairman Ralph Waters declared that the opposition does not stem from a lack of patriotism, but from a belief that the Anthem should not be made a part of a religious service. Rev. Wildey, who is 65 years old, indicated that he plans to go into defense work, possibly in a religious or educational field for men in the armed forces.

(My aunt, who pumped gas when she wasn't working on the docks, and used the men's room whenever she felt like it, will see this story and she will laugh and laugh.)

(NIce to see Mary Worth has a fallback for when the thing with the Colonel falls thru.)

(I have a friend whose joint pain is a sure gauge of oncoming storms, and it's never been known to fail.)

(Hig is telling the shoeshine kid all about what happened at Hemingway's hacienda last night. Meanwhile, Hugh Casey lies in his hotel room nursing the injury sustained when Ole Ernest kicked him in the crotch, and wonders if the author was serious when he challenged him to a duel with swords or pistols. It's not Mungo and the dancer, but it's something.)

("Rinso White, Rinso White -- happy little wash-day song!")

(We've been reading Sparky's adventures for almost two years now, and it's gotten to where you see something like Panel Three, and you just go "ehhh, whatever.")

(Point of Order -- how did George pay the cabbie after the thugs relieved him of his wallet? Is that the cabbie banging on the door demanding his fare? )

(So we have the correct strip for today, and I predict we'll see the 3/2 release on 3/5. Dale Allen pioneers non-linear storytelling.)

(How's the diet going, Irwin? At this rate you should be slimmed down just in time for 1950.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

John Barrymore welshing on a nightclub tab? "HA!" says Elaine Barrie.

The Duchess? Go sit in the corner, Annie.

"I'm not a stickler for ethics, but..." "HA!" says Dr. Eldeen.

All right, Normandie. Now that you know you're married to a complete POS, what are you going to do about it?

"Oh, well, if you just want to talk to me, that's fine. Do you think the Dodgers will sign Wyatt?"

Careful, Mama -- don't want to crack the new face.

"Get Some Cash For Your Trash!"

Will they or won't they?

So Lil, how's *your* mother?

"Fritz Kriesler, Jack Benny, Heifetz, and Ben Bernie." "HEY!" shouts Henny Youngman. "What about ME?"

 

[Fading Fast]

(C'mon, let's have some cheer-up news for a change. How about a nice "where is he now" story about Bob the Dog from Ditmas Avenue? Or Hero Cabbie Leonard Weinberg wrestling a wild milk-wagon horse to safety? Or the Dodgers signing Whit Wyatt? BTW, a "bucket shop" is something right out of the twenties -- a fake stock brokerage that's basically a betting operation. The operator takes money paid in by would-be speculators and doesn't actually buy the stock -- but he pays off if the price of the stock goes up within a stipulated time. It was a pretty lucrative type of operation when worked on people who don't understand how the stock market works -- a fellow named Charles Stoneham made a fortune running bucket shops, enough to buy the New York Giants as a present for his son Horace.)
..

From history, I knew that subs operating off the East Coast had sunk US ships during WWII, but reading it in these Day by Days makes you understand how much closer that made the war feel to Americans back then than I ever appreciated it from the history books.

The bucket shops were an incredible and legal thing in the '20s. One of the most famous traders of that era, Jessie Livermore ("Reminiscence of a Stock Operator" a fictionalized autobiography of his legendary trading is still read today for its trading insight, plus it's a heck of a Page Four type of story), cut his teeth in bucket shops before moving onto the real exchanges. An honestly run bucket shop was quite profitable for the owner, so you had to be particularly greedy to cheat your customers too.

...

(Point of Order -- how did George pay the cabbie after the thugs relieved him of his wallet? Is that the cabbie banging on the door demanding his fare? )
...

Second point of order: I live in one of the most cab-heavy cities in the world and you can't always get one; how in God's name did George find one, at night, on a deserted road in what looks like the countryside?

...

(So we have the correct strip for today, and I predict we'll see the 3/2 release on 3/5. Dale Allen pioneers non-linear storytelling.)
...

It's better to deal with embarrassing gossip than a marriage to a scammer.

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(How's the diet going, Irwin? At this rate you should be slimmed down just in time for 1950.)

Marsh means well, but today we've all been taught to not just follow orders. Of course, Marsh and the rest of us back then didn't have the full WWII story yet, which is where that lesson came from. It's interesting to see a change like that.

And in the Daily News...

John Barrymore welshing on a nightclub tab? "HA!" says Elaine Barrie.
..

That story is a little squishy as these clubs do that intentionally to attract names like Flynn and Barrymore to the club so that the club is written up in the papers and gets a "buzz" going. It's an early and ad-hoc version of "social influencers." So it's disingenuous for the owner to claim his club would be profitable if he collects on those tabs, as those tabs really are a cost of doing business like advertising. Also, I will take the under (by a lot) on the valuation of the club's furnishings.

And in the Daily News...
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The Duchess? Go sit in the corner, Annie.
...

Ann R. Hemak is an idiot.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Whatsa zitheh?" wonders Joe. "A fryin' pan wit' strings," replies Sally.)

Soviet forces in the Ukraine have advanced thru some of the most heavily defended Nazi-held territory to within 30 miles of the German supply base at Dnepropetrovsk, 120 miles southeast of Kharkov, dispatches from the front reported today. Cavalry and infantry units under the command of Marshal Semyon Timoshenko, led by sapper units, are fighting their way thru mile after mile of mine fields sown in the muddy black earth, followed closely by Soviet tank units and mechanized troops. At Staraya Russa, farther north, where the German 16th Army is encircled, a methodical "process of extermination" is underway, with one Red Army unit alone having killed 6000 Nazi soldiers and has taken "much booty."

President Roosevelt marked the tenth anniversary of his first inauguration today by going to Washington's St. John's Episcopal Church along with most of his Cabinet, to pray for guidance in the war days ahead. Only Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes was absent from the service.
After the service, the President commented that the decade just past was one of "international immorality," in which "powerful and resourceful gangsters have banded together to make war upon the whole human race." Physically, Mr. Roosevelt is in good shape for the tiring fight ahead. He celebrated his 60th birthday on January 30th, and though he has visibly aged since taking office at the age of 51, his general condition remains good.

(The start of the present pay-as-you-go system. Before now, you were expected to pay any taxes due, in full, by March 15th.)

(All candy, no contests. They've learned their lesson.)

(There's a "sweet moment" in Kings Row? Must've been when I was out getting popcorn.)

There will be no exceptions for office workers to the citywide ban on smoking in defense plants. Responding to a request from the Merchants and Manufacturers Association of Bush Terminal that office workers in buildings properly separated from the factory itself be allowed to smoke, Deputy Chief Michael Conway of the Fire Department's Division of Fire Prevention stressed that the ban specifies all portions of all factories, and that there is no provision for any exceptions.

The Eagle Editorialist declares that if we want "good war news," it is our responsibility to make that news, by increasing production of war goods and breaking our present habit of buck-passing when quotas are not met. "It is easy for us to criticize the lack of American progress against our enemies -- but what are we doing, each one of us, to help make the news better."

(Otis will just have to get used to those pants that zip up the side.)

($5000 apart on the contract is a lot of money in 1942, and in 1942 a holdout is the only weapon a player has.)

(Somebody shine the cosmic ray machine on Sparky's brain.)

(Ah, the old running-in-and-out-of-doors bit. It doesn't work so well in a comic strip, but it's still a classic.)

("For gawdsake, child -- I've been living with Bill Biff for six years now! The man's an idiot! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THAT'S LIKE? Oh, wait, I'm sorry. Of course you do.")

(Kay looks at the door for a long moment. "Babs, honey," she finally sighs, "go get changed for dinner. Uncle Harrington will be here at 6.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News..

No more zoot suits for the duration, boys!

Well now, Mr. Williams, how do you explain this? And it's nice that Larry can find distractions to keep his mind off Wyatt.

"Fifty years? Oh dear. Must I?"

"It's my ex-husband!"

Yeah, enjoy it while you can.

Bounce is just a better-looking Wilmer.

Harold and Lil are growing up at last.

Nice poker face there, Normandie.

"Hey, BB Eyes -- can you turn on the radio? Almost time for 'Amos 'n' Andy.'"

Pretty soon Kayo's gonna grow right out of that bureau drawer.

 

[ChiTownScion]

The article regarding wartime rationing of wool and "no white tie and tails for the duration" foreshadows a permanent reality. Full evening formalwear for men (with a few exceptions, such as state dinners at the White House) essentially died out with the Second World War. Even on Cunard, "formal night) after the war became a black-tie event. Black tie (tuxes/ dinner jackets) evolved as a more practical and democratic (small "d") alternative largely during the Roaring 20's. With a much more versatile tuxedo in the wardrobe, the machinist from the factory floor could have a night out with his lady with the same elegance as the plant owner, or so the thinking went. Barring weight and girth fluctuations, a decent wool tux will last many years and can be purchased for the fraction of, say, a Brooks Brothers business suit.

Black tie (technically, semi- formal) is a more flexible alternative to white tie (full formal) as well. Cummerbund or vest. Shawl collar or peak collar. Wing or fall collar shirt. You get the idea. Although the ridiculous pastels that we wore during 60's and 70's are best forgotten.

Here's a nutshell guide that outlines the differences between the two evening wear codes. (source: unknown)