The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

... The chickens heard about Fred Allen's eagle and thought they ought to have a chance too.....

Searched a bit on Google, but couldn't find a pic of the chickens in RC.

... I've never lived on an RFD route, but somehow I'm certain that every one of these is true.....

Nor have I, but agree, they ring true. Also, this one was the best of these theme-based montages that we've seen so far. And in this one, the two best: the distracting-blonde angle and the city-person-quaintness angle.

... You don't often see a full-body shot in "Annie," so imagine my surprise to see that terrifying international criminal genius Axel has such dainty ladylike feet. Just goes ta show ya.....

One of life's challenges is that men like Nick - who operate in the gray and do good and bad / lawful and illegal / charitable and vicious things, but who do have a code of morality (usually tribalism not objective or society base) - are not all bad and can do many positive things; whereas, "good guys" like John are often times useless. Also, the Nicks of the world are simply more interesting people.

Re dainty-feet Alex, all my comments would be not-PC.

... I imagine we'll learn any day now that Raven wears that jersey because she actually played in the NFL.....

This is some no-holds-barred feminism 1940s style. It's a bit too obvious, but what the heck, it still packs a punch.

... Ah, the good old Sugar Bowl. Panel one shows us, for the first time in ages, all of Harold's old soda-shop cronies. From left, Goofy Gilpin, who's, you know, Goofy; Horace "Lilacs" Teen, Harold's insufferable cousin; Preston "Poison" Pembrook, the star athlete of Covina High, and Beezie Binks, the rich kid who gets all the breaks. And of course, Alec "Shadow" Smart is always on the lookout for free sodas. Which clearly contain an ingredient that turns the consumer into a rattle-brained hepcat.....

Panel one, combined with your description, is a keeper both for future reference and because the drawn details of each kid are so perfect to their personalities.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm not sure about the New Look Eagle yet. The first full issue goes up tomorrow, and hopefully the lack of serifs will translate into better microfilm reproduction. But the new logo is the true "iconic" Eagle masthead. I'm surprised the current iteration of the paper doesn't use it.

"He was removed to Bellevue Hospital for observation" must be one of the greatest flat-footed understatements in the history of New York journalism. I wish the people on the News today wrote like this.

I wonder what W. E. Hill's actual rural free delivery man thinks of seeing himself in print.

Pat, when he finds out what happened: "You shot a man in the back?" Raven: "Well, yes. That's the safest way, isn't it?"

 

[Fading Fast]

 

[LizzieMaine]

Thousands flocked today to buy the first issue of the new-look Brooklyn Eagle, as the redesigned paper hit the borough's streets this afternoon. The streamlined, modernistic paper is the first in the metropolitan area to adopt a design intended to be easy on the eye and easy for the reader to absorb.

Max "Maxie the Jerk" Golob is the latest operative of the Brooklyn Murder-for-Hire gang to agree to tell all to District Attorney William O'Dwyer. Golob, acknowledged as one of the lesser hoodlums in the employ of the death combine, was released this afternoon from the Raymond Street Jail for questioning by the DA. Meanwhile, attorneys believed to be working on behalf of the gang served notice on O'Dwyer that writs of habeas corpus would be obtained on behalf of two hoods believed to be linked to Louis "Lepke" Buchalter, who were picked up yesterday on vagrancy charges. The two men, identified as Alfred Tannenbaum and Charles Workman, were being held in lieu of $25,000 bail each. Tannenbaum is said to be listed in two sealed indictments handed up in Sullivan County, the Catskills "cemetery" used by the murder gang to dispose of its victims' remains.

A member of the Brooklyn longshoremen's union who fought gangland extortion attempts among his fellow workers has been missing since last July, but is being actively sought, dead or alive, in the continuing investigation spearheaded by Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen of an underworld "tax collection" racket reputed to extend from the docks of Red Hook to some of the borough's high political circles. Peter Panto was last seen on July 14, 1939, when he left his rooming house at 11 N. Elliot Place after telling friends he was going to see some men he "didn't trust." Mr. Amen declined today to state whether he believes Panto is alive or dead, but does state that Panto will figure significantly in his investigation. Mr. Amen has already assembled a thick file on Joe Adonis, who is believed to be a leading figure in the waterfront extortion operation.

The grandson of Henry Ford will convert to Roman Catholicism in order to marry a woman with deep roots in Brooklyn. Henry Ford II is receiving instruction in Catholic beliefs from Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen of Manhattan in preparation for his marriage to Miss Anne MacDonald, granddaughter of noted Brooklyn inventor Thomas E. Murray Senior. Mr. Ford has heretofore been a member of no church, although his famous grandfather is a Methodist and a Mason.

No relief is in sight from the current springtime cold spell, with temperatures today expected to reach a high of less than 30 degrees, and temperatures tonight dropping into the teens in some locations. Yesterday marked the coldest Easter Sunday on record, with the temperature hitting a low of 21 degrees.

Three pickpockets who expected a productive day because they believed that "dicks don't work on Easter Sunday" found themselves with their mistaken views corrected. The three, all from Manhattan, were working the Center Theatre last night when they were apprehended by detectives. The trio have a combined total of more than ninety arrests dating back as far as 1910.

("Say," says Joe. "Howya s'posed to pronounce that, anyways? Onna radio they say "Pell Mell." Solly downa candy store says "Paul Maul." An' this guy onna corner sells loosies calls it "Pal Mal." So who's right?" "Howda I know," replies Sally. "You know I don't smoke them filthy things.")

A thirty year old Atlantic City man who had complained of a stiff neck was amazed after a doctor extracted a two-and-a-half inch long wooden spike from his neck. Emmett Woodson of 1519 Baltic Avenue recalled that he had been in a bar fight four years ago and someone had stabbed him in the neck with a wooden novelty noisemaker and the handle broke off. He told the doctor he thought he'd gotten it all out but evidently he had not.

(I wonder -- whatever did happen with Goethe and his dancing master's daughter?)

A total of a hundred and eight WPA projects were brought to completion in Brooklyn in 1939, most of them accomplished under the sponsorship of the late borough president Raymond Ingersoll and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. The projects ranged from the realignment of stones in old graveyards to the construction of more than 27 miles of new highway and the reconstruction of over 26 miles of streets.

Bertrand Russell came in for a scourging during Bishop William T. Manning's Easter sermon at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The British philosopher-mathematician, recently appointed to a CCNY faculty seat, was denounced as a force seeking to "destroy those foundations of religion and moral life upon which alone our nation can endure."

Don't forget "Gone With The Wind" comes to Flatbush and Brownsville on Thursday, opening at Loew's Kings and Pitkin Theatres. All seats for evening and Sunday matinee shows will be sold on a reserved basis only at a flat price of $1.10 per seat.

(Working title, "Gone With The Waist.")

Father Frank P. Lively is a regular guy as far as the kids in his parish are concerned. The 27-year-old priest at Holy Name R. C. Church, Prospect Park West and Prospect Avenues, is also a swing fan, and regularly hosts jitterbug parties in the church hall that have become quite popular with the local hepcat set.

The Rangers are seeing their Stanley Cup dreams fast slip away, with the Bruins holding a 2-1 lead in their best of seven series. Boston defeated the Blueshirts 4-2 at Madison Square Garden last night. They meet again at the Garden tomorrow.

The Dodgers laid a big fat Easter egg yesterday, falling to the Boston Bees 11 to 10 in a game they should have won. A seven run rally in the 9th fizzled out when Bert Haas, with two on, flied out to Max West to end the contest. The slugfests continued in the game, with West poling three homers for Boston and Joe Vosmik, Dolph "Still Unsigned" Camilli, and Roy Cullenbine homering for the Flock.

Joe Louis, still stinging from the criticism fired his way after his limp victory over Arturo Godoy, says he won't be fooling around when he meets Johnny Paychek at the Garden on Friday night. The Brown Bomber promises there will be "no preliminaries," and that he hopes to put Paychek away with his first punch.

News commentator H. V. Kaltenborn surprised the radio world this week with news of his move from CBS to NBC. The veteran radio broadcaster -- and former Eagle editor -- cites a better contract as the motivation for his network shift, and will be heard over NBC on Saturdays and Sundays following the network's regular news summary over WEAF. Kaltenborn will continue on this schedule until he sails for Europe on April 27th, and will make several shortwave broadcasts during his trip abroad. In May he will begin a three-night-a-week evening commentary under the sponsorship of the Pure Oil Company.

Actually, the poor soul's remembering how much she hated being stuck with that damn bullhook.

Sounds perfectly legit to me.

NO ONE WILL EVER SUSPECT A THING

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

With all the frills upon it...

Leave out the onions, and I'm in. Actually I used to make pretty much the same thing as this only I used veal chunks instead of beef.

Is Preston Sturges writing our dialog now?

Panel three is the creepiest thing I've seen all week.

Chief Brandon is a lot more limber than he looks. Now try touching your nose with your elbow.

Avec jambon?

"Oh yeah? But can you get me a new set of golf clubs wholesale?"

The suspense is killing me.

Hmph. Mr. Portwine goes grocery shopping in his pajama bottoms. What's the world coming to?

 

[Fading Fast]

View attachment 222547
Thousands flocked today to buy the first issue of the new-look Brooklyn Eagle, as the redesigned paper hit the borough's streets this afternoon. The streamlined, modernistic paper is the first in the metropolitan area to adopt a design intended to be easy on the eye and easy for the reader to absorb.

Even in 1940, I like the "Old Eagle" better. (I think, need to see them side by side to say for sure.)

View attachment 222547 ...The grandson of Henry Ford will convert to Roman Catholicism in order to marry a woman with deep roots in Brooklyn. Henry Ford II is receiving instruction in Catholic beliefs from Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen of Manhattan in preparation for his marriage to Miss Anne MacDonald, granddaughter of noted Brooklyn inventor Thomas E. Murray Senior. Mr. Ford has heretofore been a member of no church, although his famous grandfather is a Methodist and a Mason....

Based on what we know about old Henry Senior, can't image he was too happy about this.

View attachment 222547 ...Three pickpockets who expected a productive day because they believed that "dicks don't work on Easter Sunday" found themselves with their mistaken views corrected. The three, all from Manhattan, were working the Center Theatre last night when they were apprehended by detectives. The trio have a combined total of more than ninety arrests dating back as far as 1910....

I always think of our criminal justice system being more severe in its punishment / sentences "back then," but clearly, if these three had ninety arrests amongst them but were all out of jail, then short sentence / early release / etc., had to be happening "back then." No three-strikes-and-your-out seemed to have been in effect.

View attachment 222547 ...Don't forget "Gone With The Wind" comes to Flatbush and Brownsville on Thursday, opening at Loew's Kings and Pitkin Theatres. All seats for evening and Sunday matinee shows will be sold on a reserved basis only at a flat price of $1.10 per seat....

That cash register just keeps ringing.

...
(Working title, "Gone With The Waist.")...

Impressive that they made a movie - they were just getting an early jump on TV commercials.

... Actually, the poor soul's remembering how much she hated being stuck with that damn bullhook....

Bring back Oakdale.

...
Leave out the onions, and I'm in. Actually I used to make pretty much the same thing as this only I used veal chunks instead of beef....

There was an old (think Gage & Tollner) restaurant, Lochober, in Boston that served an outstanding Beef Goulash with buttered egg noodles in which, to be honest, the buttered egg noodles were the best part.

To wit, if I took my eyes off of my meal for one second, SGF, despite vehemently denying it, would swipe those noodles right off my plate.

"J'accuse!" I'd scream to a placid face, happily chewing a closed mouth full of food.

... Is Preston Sturges writing our dialog now?...

Some great sharp elbows. I love Miss Raven Sherman - her attitude, her confidence, her look, but at some point, if one never dials back the sarcasm, he or she becomes both a caricature and, honestly, obnoxious. If Pat was treating her that way - nonstop - I believe I'd be saying the exact same thing. She's awesome, but she needs to show more than a two-dimensional personality to become a fully realized character.

... Chief Brandon is a lot more limber than he looks. Now try touching your nose with your elbow....

I work out and stretch daily, but at 55 (Cheify here doesn't look much younger), if I tried that move - leg up over the desk, sole turned in - something not good would happen to some muscle, ligament or tendon.

... Avec jambon?...

Much easier for us regular people to crash the swells' parties today as everyone - rich and poor - just wears hoodies and jeans.

..
"Oh yeah? But can you get me a new set of golf clubs wholesale?"...

Well now, quite the abrupt change of story direction today. Also, it's film-noir cool panel after panel.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Here's yesterday's layout for comparison -- the Good Gray Eagle breathes its last...

I think Raven's playing hard boiled to keep Pat at a distance. We know her recent past has not been happy, and I expect some sort of emotional meltdown at some point, one that Pat was not meant to witness....

Do people who have occasion to wear evening clothes really get them from grubby walkups with a painted sign out front of a head waiter? Just wondering.

 

[Fading Fast]

Here's yesterday's layout for comparison -- the Good Gray Eagle breathes its last...

View attachment 222635
I think Raven's playing hard boiled to keep Pat at a distance. We know her recent past has not been happy, and I expect some sort of emotional meltdown at some point, one that Pat was not meant to witness....

Do people who have occasion to wear evening clothes really get them from grubby walkups with a painted sign out front of a head waiter? Just wondering.

Thank you for the "old" version Lizzie, it confirms my view - even in 1940, I like the old Eagle look better.

Smart angel on Raven, she's going to open up. I'm just going to say it, if it was a movie or cable / streaming show today, she'd break down while or right after having sex with Pat (which would have already happened).

Until very recently, the seedy street-level sign surrounding a set of stairs to a one-or-two-flights-up seedy store selling inexpensive "bargain" suits (and evening clothes - since, today, buying low-priced clothes is almost cheaper than renting, even if you only wear them a few times, versus back in the '40s) was quite common. You'd see those stores on the side streets just around the corner from the "good" men's stores on 5th and Madison. A few of them still exist to this day.

And quite often (also to this day), you'll see a man with a front and back sign hung over his shoulders advertising the store and its value walking around out front or on the nearest avenue corner.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'd love to see a modern film treatment of T&TP -- one done straight, not camped up like most comics adaptations go. Or maybe a TV series would be even better -- there'd be more opportunity to delve into the various complex side characters. I'd love to see Cheery Blaze come to life on the screen.

 

[Fading Fast]

I'd love to see a modern film treatment of T&TP -- one done straight, not camped up like most comics adaptations go. Or maybe a TV series would be even better -- there'd be more opportunity to delve into the various complex side characters. I'd love to see Cheery Blaze come to life on the screen.

Actress Julia Garner would make an excellent Cheery:

And re T&TP, not camped up is the key.

 

[3fingers]

Based on what we know about old Henry Senior, can't image he was too happy about this.

Hank the Deuce was as big a jackass as his grandfather. It seemed to skip a generation since Edsel, Henry IIs father was a better businessman and not nearly as much of a jerk as his son. Unfortunately, Edsel died young.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A suspect believed to have served as a secretary and business agent for the Brooklyn "Murder For Hire" gang is being held on $100,000 bail as a material witness in the ongoing investigation of that syndicate's operations. Charles "Charlie The Bug" Workman is reputed to have been the go-between handling relations between the murder combine and Louis "Lepke" Buchalter's gang of racketeers.

Workman, also known by the names "Jack Harris" and "Jack Cohen," was picked up for vagrancy earlier this week along with fellow hood Albert Tannenbaum, who was wanted for murder in Sullivan County, "cemetery" for the murder gang. The two were released yesterday in Coney Island Court, and while Tannenbaum was immediately taken into custody by Sullivan County authorities to answer the charges he faces there, Workman was hustled to the office of District Attorney William O'Dwyer for questioning about his ties to Buchalter and the murder syndicate. Assistant District Attorney Burton Turkus explained the high bail by noting that Workman knows so much about the gang's operations that if he were released from custody he would instantly become "a case for the undertaker."

A bill authorizing machine betting at New York race tracks under the parimutual system passed the State Senate in Albany this afternoon by a 32-14 vote. The bill is a major step toward implementing parimutual betting in the state after residents approved a referendum legalizing such betting in the state last fall. State lawmakers have worked since then to develop a workable plan for implementation. It is expected that the final plan will be in place in time for the start of the local racing season on April 15th.

Assault charges against a Manhattan man accused of a violent attack on entertainer Lillian Roth will go forward despite efforts by an attorney for Miss Roth to drop the charges. Louis Breacher, counsel for Miss Roth, declared that because his client is a public figure she does not care to receive the publicity that would result from a trial. The suspect, 38 year old Eugene Wiener of 211 E. 57th Street, is charged with breaking Miss Roth's jaw in what's been characterized as "a lovers' quarrel." The trial will take place on April 3rd.

The bullet-riddled body of a man discovered Saturday on the Henry Hudson Parkway in Manhattan has been identified as a key Government witness in an ongoing investigation of the Teamsters Union. Charles A. Brown had been questioned by US Attorney John T. Cahill in an anti-trust investigation involving more than seventy union officials, a case which is expected to come to trial on April 1st.

A process which allows female rabbits to bear young without the involvement of male rabbits has been announced by the National Academy of Science. Experiments involved the treatment of the rabbits' reproductive organs with ice water and resulted in the birth of female offspring. Only one out of 200 ova treated in this way resulted in birth.

In Hollywood, comedian Bob Burns, featured on Bing Crosby's broadcast and in motion pictures, is at the center of an alleged kidnap plot involving a Texas oil man, who accuses the bazooka-playing hillbilly comic of abducting him and forcing him to sign a document absolving Burns of alienating the affections of the oil man's wife. Daniel W. Hoge has filed a $70,000 suit against Burns claiming that after he engaged in a love affair with Mrs. Millie Bernice Hoge, he appeared at Hoge's home with two men identified as "representatives of Paramount Pictures," who restrained him and forced him to sign the documents. Hoge then states that Burns and his associates ransacked his home searching for papers concerning the comedian's relationship with Mrs. Hoge. Burns calls the charges ridiculous, stating that all that happened was that Paramount sent some lawyers to talk to Hoge after the Texan had contacted the studio threatening an alienation-of-affection suit. Burns insists that he was not present during this visit, and that "after it was all over," Hoge called him to apologize.

("Tsk!" says Sally, shaking her head. "What would Uncle Fud think of that?" And Joe drawls in a bad Brooklyn approximation of a hillbilly voice, 'Waaaaaaaal, that ain't tha way we does it downa Van Buren!")

Over 600,000 residents of upstate New York are socked in by a freak spring blizzard today, with hundreds of families left completely marooned by wind-driven snowdrifts as much as thirty feet high. All transportation is crippled by the storm, and some communications are reported to have broken down. Snowplows in some locations are unable to clear the roads, with hundreds of automobiles buried and abandoned in the snow and their drivers forced to seek shelter anywhere they could find it.

A sweeping investigation of "shocking and immoral conditions" in the municipal college system and New York City public schools looms as a bipartisan groups in the State Senate press for the probe. State Senator John J. Dunnigan, minority leader, and a key figure in the coalition calling for the investigation, says the appointment of Bertrand Russell to the CCNY faculty was for him the final straw, but that he has received reports from patriotic groups such as the American Legion that "immoral and salacious literature and periodicals" are available even to high school students in the city.

A woman whose family lives on $100 a month, $40 of that paid in rent, writes to Helen Worth for budget advice. Helen says she's paying too much in rent, for one thing, and suggests the family find a place for $25 a month or so. And she also thinks their insurance agent is overcharging them, pointing out that $13 a month is a bit excessive on such an income.

More recipes from the kitchens of the F&M Schaefer Brewing Company, as delivered by Schaefer's home economist Mildred Blake at this week's meeting of the Brooklyn Eagle Home Guild:

(And did you know that a solution of good Schaefer Beer, the *light* beer that's easy to drink, easy to enjoy, glass after sparkling ice-cold glass, and any mild soap makes a fine combination for washing the dishes?)

The Rangers had better get back in the saddle tonight as they struggle to stay alive tonight against the Bruins at Madison Square Garden. The team is confident -- but so are the Bruins.

Joe Vosmik went on a rampage yesterday as the Dodgers slugged the Tigers into submission at Clearwater. Joe slammed two homers with seven runs batted in, and rookie shortstop Peewee Reese added two homers of his own with five RBIs. The home-run situation at the Clearwater park grows more absurd by the day, with a total 43 circuit clouts so far this spring in just eight games played.

The Dodgers are in Bradenton today to meet the Bees, and will meet the Red Sox in Sarasota tomorrow and in Clearwater on Thursday to wrap up the Grapefruit League season. The team breaks camp Friday night to barnstorm their way back to Brooklyn, with their first stop in Americus, Georgia against the Giants.

(1940 had its unfair share of noxious and stupid political broadcasting.)

(The lunch counter feature is like the Hill Page in the Sunday News, only with actual photos instead of drawings. And I'm very pleased to see that Hizzoner likes finnan haddie, my favorite fish dish of all time.)

Today's the day for Flatbush and Brownsville to immerse itself in Ye Olde Southe, with "Gone With The Wind" showing for one week only at Loew's Kings and Loew's Pitkin. In addition to the reserved seat evening and Sunday matinee shows, a daily matinee schedule of continuous performances will be available at a flat rate of 75 cents general admission. Come in any time between 9 AM and 2:30 PM and see a complete show!

Book critic Arthur Rhodes recommends David L. Cohn's fascinating cultural study "The Good Old Days: A History of American Manners and Morals as seen thru the Sears Roebuck Catalogue from 1905 to the Present." I also recommend this book -- it's one of the first studies of early 20th Century consumer culture ever done, and it's well worth the reading.

Guest end men for tonight's Celebrity Minstrel Show on WJZ at 9:30 pm include former Governor Alfred E. Smith, dancer Ray Bolger, and Socialst Party leader Norman Thomas. "Who was that lady I seen you with last night?" "That was no lady, that was a representative of the working class!"

I dunno, George. The last time you thought hard, you ended up with an elephant.

Hey! Leona's got a new hat! And more significantly, note that the official title of the strip is now "Mary Worth's Family." I guess we can conclude that whatever the future may hold, we won't ever see Mary's apple cart again.

"Just one thing, Dan. Who's gonna pay to feed that tub? I ain't runnin' no free room an' board here."

 

[LizzieMaine]

("Max The Jerk" kept trying to get them to change his name to "Max The Brooding Loner So Don't Bug Me, OK, I Got A Lot On My Mind" but it didn't stick.)

Kids Today.

Creepy, creepy, creepy.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. And somewhere unknown, young, trusting Terry Lee feels the sensation of someone walking over his grave.

Not so tight there, Maizie, you want to leave room for the cheese dip. And if Andy had any more starch in that shirt, it could go to the party without him.

Today's special guest star, Mr. Warren William.

Mary doesn't know, but she does know he had onions and limburger for lunch.

I can never get enough of Plushie's sad-walrus face.

Four identical cheap dime-store chromos of the same Dutch scene. WHAT COULD IT MEAN? Chekhov's Gun waits again to be fired.

 

[Fading Fast]

...In Hollywood, comedian Bob Burns, featured on Bing Crosby's broadcast and in motion pictures, is at the center of an alleged kidnap plot involving a Texas oil man, who accuses the bazooka-playing hillbilly comic of abducting him and forcing him to sign a document absolving Burns of alienating the affections of the oil man's wife. Daniel W. Hoge has filed a $70,000 suit against Burns claiming that after he engaged in a love affair with Mrs. Millie Bernice Hoge, he appeared at Hoge's home with two men identified as "representatives of Paramount Pictures," who restrained him and forced him to sign the documents. Hoge then states that Burns and his associates ransacked his home searching for papers concerning the comedian's relationship with Mrs. Hoge. Burns calls the charges ridiculous, stating that all that happened was that Paramount sent some lawyers to talk to Hoge after the Texan had contacted the studio threatening an alienation-of-affection suit. Burns insists that he was not present during this visit, and that "after it was all over," Hoge called him to apologize

("Tsk!" says Sally, shaking her head. "What would Uncle Fud think of that?" And Joe drawls in a bad Brooklyn approximation of a hillbilly voice, 'Waaaaaaaal, that ain't tha way we does it downa Van Buren!")....

With some additional details, this story could quickly get interesting.

...More recipes from the kitchens of the F&M Schaefer Brewing Company, as delivered by Schaefer's home economist Mildred Blake at this week's meeting of the Brooklyn Eagle Home Guild:


(And did you know that a solution of good Schaefer Beer, the *light* beer that's easy to drink, easy to enjoy, glass after sparkling ice-cold glass, and any mild soap makes a fine combination for washing the dishes?)...

Beer and tomato juice sounds like a horrible - absolutely horrible - combination.

...
(1940 had its unfair share of noxious and stupid political broadcasting.)...

What a talented artist - you can see and feel that store, those radios and the people.

.... (The lunch counter feature is like the Hill Page in the Sunday News, only with actual photos instead of drawings. And I'm very pleased to see that Hizzoner likes finnan haddie, my favorite fish dish of all time.)...

I think I like it done with drawings more. Also, robbing a police station takes chutzpah.

.. I dunno, George. The last time you thought hard, you ended up with an elephant...."

Bring Back Oakdale

... Hey! Leona's got a new hat! And more significantly, note that the official title of the strip is now "Mary Worth's Family." I guess we can conclude that whatever the future may hold, we won't ever see Mary's apple cart again....

You mean a small sign and padlock didn't stop the mob from trying to get incriminating evidence back?

It's probably Leona's more "serious" hat for when she's working with the police. In the crazy world of women's hats in the '30s and '40s, both work for her (she should lose the bow on the back of the new one), but I like the other one better.

("Max The Jerk" kept trying to get them to change his name to "Max The Brooding Loner So Don't Bug Me, OK, I Got A Lot On My Mind" but it didn't stick.)...

The gangsters calmly asking her to "stand to one side" so that they can kill her companion without hurting her is very "The Godfather" like.

... Not so tight there, Maizie, you want to leave room for the cheese dip. And if Andy had any more starch in that shirt, it could go to the party without him....

You see that kind of insane starching to the point of turning a tuxedo shirt into cardboard in a lot of movies of the period as well. Seems ridiculously uncomfortable, but it was a thing for some reason.

... Today's special guest star, Mr. Warren William.....

Yes, very Warren Williams - even down to the bold herringbone suit. I'm still amazed at how abrupt the change in the storyline was. There's nothing inherently corrupt about vertically integrating a company, but the set up for this one says corruption all the way.

... Mary doesn't know, but she does know he had onions and limburger for lunch....

. Clearly not social distancing. I also love the "...I guess we can get java and rolls here." It shows there was a time when a roll could be a meal or snack - something I do regularly.

...
Four identical cheap dime-store chromos of the same Dutch scene. WHAT COULD IT MEAN? Chekhov's Gun waits again to be fired.

Bring back Senga. Heck, bring back Igor as this is painful.[/QUOTE]

 

[LizzieMaine]

The city and the Transport Workers Union have reached an agreement that will likely remove the danger of a strike that could send 27,000 BMT and IRT workers to the picket lines. The negotiations revolved around the current closed-shop contracts in place at the BMT and IRT, and whether those contracts will be carried over intact once those companies are taken under municipal ownership under the transit unification plan. CIO head John L. Lewis, who personally led the union delegation during the talks declared that "substantial progress" has been reached toward a satisfactory arrangement, and Transport Workers Union head Michael Quill declared his belief that "every line of our contract will remain intact."

A delegation from the Brooklyn Labor and Citizens Committee will meet with District Attorney William O'Dwyer tomorrow to demand that his investigation into the disappearance of longshoreman Peter Panto will be kept separate from what they claim is a botched and incompetent investigation by the police. The meeting comes as Anthony "The Duke" Maffatore, under interrogation in the Brooklyn "Murder For Hire Gang" investigation has told the DA that he was dispatched to Red Hook to silence dock workers who were protesting the collection of "employment taxes" by underworld agents, and O'Dwyer is said to believe that police indifference to the Panto disappearance is directly connected to this racket. Panto, a rank-and-file leader in the Longshoremen's Union, disappeared last July and police over the past eight months have found no clues as to his whereabouts or his fate.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn's underworld is said to be "running in terror" in the face of the District Attorney's ongoing probe of the "Murder For Hire" organization. Underworld informants report that gang leaders are planning "wholesale butcheries" of those who may know too much about the murder-for-money operation, especially with mobster Abe Reles in the DA's hands, and talking. The District Attorney denied a report today that his office has gained valuable intelligence by means of a wiretap on the telephone line of "Midnight Rose" Gold, Brownsville candy store operator who has unexplained bank accounts in excess of $150,000 in her name showing withdrawals and deposits of as much as $10,000 per day. Mrs. Gold, a white-haired 68-year-old grandmother, first came to the attention of authorities when she was charged with perjury in connection with Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen's investigation of the Brooklyn bail bond racket. Her connection to the "Murder For Hire gang" is at the present time a mystery.

Bertrand Russell was denounced as a "morally depraved nudist" in an affadavit filed today in Manhattan Supreme Court by former Magistrate Joseph Goldstien, legal council to Mrs. Jean Kay of Flatbush, leader of a campaign to have the British philosopher-mathematician barred from a seat on the CCNY faculty. Goldstien's affadavit charges that Russell operated a nudist camp in Great Britain "for all ages," that he preached the value of "childless trial marriages," and that he taught his followers that "salacious poetry is beautiful, desirable, and delectable..."

(And Joe leans back in his chair and recites, "There was a young gal from Nantucket..." And Sally snaps him a good one with a wet dishtowel.)

A raging cosmic storm is playing havoc with shortwave radio today, with ionospheric conditions interfering with transatlantic communications, and with radio relays to ships at sea. Conditions today have improved somewhat from those on Sunday, which completely blacked out all shortwave communication between North America and Europe. The National Broadcasting Company found alternate methods of relaying dispatches from its overseas correspondents using longer wavelengths when the regular shortwave channels were silenced shortly after 11 this morning Brooklyn time.

Diplomatic relations between France and the Soviet Union may be headed for a break after French authorities intercepted and refused to transmit a cable between the Russian envoy to Paris and Moscow. The message congratulated Soviet premier Joseph Stalin for the recent Finnish-Russian peace treaty, calling it "a victory over the British-French warmongers."

Former Brooklyn borough president Alfred Steers is celebrating his eightieth birthday the same way he celebrates every other day -- by taking a brisk five-mile walk around his neighborhood. "The Grand Old Man Of Flatbush" is far from retired, serving as associate editor of Flatbush Magazine, but declares that he's done with politics because he's come to enjoy the freedom of doing as he pleases.

(They should probably try looking by a lonely dirt road in the Catskills, near a crude and suspicious-looking mound of freshly-turned earth.)

A twelve-year-old Coney Island boy is resting comfortably at Harbor Hospital after being shot and wounded by a police officer while playing in his basement. Anthony Lanese Jr. of 1187 77th Street was shot in the chest by Patrolman Frank Fudge of the Coney Island precinct, who heard noises emanating from the basement and assumed them to come from burglars at work. Fudge, who was off duty at the time, was examined by a police surgeon who pronounced him unfit for duty. He has been suspended from the force pending an investigation of the incident and is being held without bail on a charge of felonious assault.

(No cartoony picture of a sad goat? I am very disappointed.)

"Reader" writes to Helen Worth wondering if anyone can tell her where to buy powdered milk. She used to be able to get it at any 10-cent store, but now nobody has it and nobody knows why they can't get it. She always found it a great help in cooking, better even than regular bottled milk. Helen has no idea and has never used it, but maybe the readers will know?

In Mansfield, Ohio a high-school biology teacher has had just about enough of practical jokes. Fred Elder has been the target of student pranks all year, incuding a moving van sent to his house, the arrival of an unwanted truckload of coal, the delivery of a case of beer -- "which I don't drink!" -- taxicabs at all hours of the night, and frequent calls from a dry cleaning concern. Said Mr. Elder to the United Press, "I never thought teaching would be like this."

(What, no comedian?)

(In case you forgot this is an election year.)

Now at the Patio, it's Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Joan Bennett in "Green Hell," paired with "A Child Is Born."

Rookie sensation Harold "Peewee" Reese will get a chance today to make the Boston Red Sox regret they sold him to the Dodgers when the two clubs meet in Grapefruit League action today at Sarasota. Larry MacPhail relieved the Bosox of Reese's contract last year in exchange for a large bundle of cash and has so far been extremely pleased with the purchase. Reese is batting .429 for the spring and has dropped jaws all over camp with his fielding prowess.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, expect to have their own prize rookie Dominic DiMaggio on display in today's contest. Joe's kid brother hasn't been feeling well, but manager Joe Cronin says he ought to be ready to play in today's game. The Sox picked up the younger DiMaggio from the San Francisco Seals, where he had shined in Coast League action last summer.

Joe Medwick's long spring holdout is over, with the Duck signing an $18,000 contract with Cardinals owner Sam Breadon. Medwick had demanded $20,000 but Cards GM Branch Rickey refused to go a penny over his 1939 salary, and Joe finally blinked. The Cardinals have had a mediocre Grapefruit League season so far and hope to pep up with the muscular outfielder's return to the fold.

Character comedienne Minerva Pious, who's starred for the past seven years as the most reliable of Fred Allen's Mighty Allen Art Players may get a big buildup soon on the Kate Smith Hour. Producer Ted Collins is taken with Min's work, and plans to offer her a solo comedy spot on the Smith program. In addition to her regular work with Allen, Miss Pious appears frequently on other programs, but has never worked as a solo.

Meanwhile, the "Aldrich Family" sketches, recently featured on the Smith program, will serves as Jack Benny's summer replacement when the Jell-O comedian takes his customary 13-week break. Ezra Stone, who originated the Henry Aldrich role on stage in "What A Life!" will continue in the new series.

Don't stick your tongue out like that, George. It's unseemly.

Hmmm. Obviously fake moustache. Hokey comedy-relief dialect. You may be onto something John. MAYBE LUPEEN FAKED HIS DEATH AND HAS BEEN HERE ALL ALONG LAUGHING AT US. Or not.

Dan's disappointed. He never got to turn the paper over and read the comics.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Grass Widow -- obsolete, even in 1940, slang term for "divorcee."

"There goes the neighborhood."

I don't know who draws these Childs ads, but they're delightful examples of a very specific type of late-30s sophisitcated "New Yorker" sort of design. I guess that's why the chef looks like a whimsical Oscar Levant.

If this keeps up much longer, I'm going to start having nightmares about this guy.

Ever notice how much of Tracy's "detective skills" come down to just dumb luck?

April shanks Raven with a nail file and says "Bandits did it!"

Hey! Vandergelt nothing. That's Lord Plushbottom! And that's definitely not Emmy with him. I hope she doesn't subscribe to the News.

Now thissssssssss will be interesting.

And won't Emmy be in a good mood when Plushie gets home!

Don't get too cocky there kid -- before this is over, I bet you a soda you'll be *wearing* a sarong.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
A delegation from the Brooklyn Labor and Citizens Committee will meet with District Attorney William O'Dwyer tomorrow to demand that his investigation into the disappearance of longshoreman Peter Panto will be kept separate from what they claim is a botched and incompetent investigation by the police. The meeting comes as Anthony "The Duke" Maffatore, under interrogation in the Brooklyn "Murder For Hire Gang" investigation has told the DA that he was dispatched to Red Hook to silence dock workers who were protesting the collection of "employment taxes" by underworld agents, and O'Dwyer is said to believe that police indifference to the Panto disappearance is directly connected to this racket. Panto, a rank-and-file leader in the Longshoremen's Union, disappeared last July and police over the past eight months have found no clues as to his whereabouts or his fate.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn's underworld is said to be "running in terror" in the face of the District Attorney's ongoing probe of the "Murder For Hire" organization. Underworld informants report that gang leaders are planning "wholesale butcheries" of those who may know too much about the murder-for-money operation, especially with mobster Abe Reles in the DA's hands, and talking. The District Attorney denied a report today that his office has gained valuable intelligence by means of a wiretap on the telephone line of "Midnight Rose" Gold, Brownsville candy store operator who has unexplained bank accounts in excess of $150,000 in her name showing withdrawals and deposits of as much as $10,000 per day. Mrs. Gold, a white-haired 68-year-old grandmother, first came to the attention of authorities when she was charged with perjury in connection with Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen's investigation of the Brooklyn bail bond racket. Her connection to the "Murder For Hire gang" is at the present time a mystery....

If the movie production code hadn't been enforced from '34 on, Hollywood, led by Warners Brothers, would have been making some incredible gangster/mob/corrupt-politician movies at this time as the raw material is all there (and they did it very well in the "pre-code" early '30s, even when the industry was still learning how to do "talkies"). So, kudos to the comic strips for doing a good job reflecting the corruption reported on in the papers better than the movies.

Eventually, especially in film noir, these movies started to get made in the latter half of the '40s and into the '50s, but it's a shame we couldn't have seen them in real time as they'd be incredible historical artifacts for us today.

...Bertrand Russell was denounced as a "morally depraved nudist" in an affadavit filed today in Manhattan Supreme Court by former Magistrate Joseph Goldstien, legal council to Mrs. Jean Kay of Flatbush, leader of a campaign to have the British philosopher-mathematician barred from a seat on the CCNY faculty. Goldstien's affadavit charges that Russell operated a nudist camp in Great Britain "for all ages," that he preached the value of "childless trial marriages," and that he taught his followers that "salacious poetry is beautiful, desirable, and delectable..."

(And Joe leans back in his chair and recites, "There was a young gal from Nantucket..." And Sally snaps him a good one with a wet dishtowel.)....

...A raging cosmic storm is playing havoc with shortwave radio today, with ionospheric conditions interfering with transatlantic communications, and with radio relays to ships at sea. Conditions today have improved somewhat from those on Sunday, which completely blacked out all shortwave communication between North America and Europe. The National Broadcasting Company found alternate methods of relaying dispatches from its overseas correspondents using longer wavelengths when the regular shortwave channels were silenced shortly after 11 this morning Brooklyn time.....

Hate it when the Internet goes down.

... View attachment 223038

(They should probably try looking by a lonely dirt road in the Catskills, near a crude and suspicious-looking mound of freshly-turned earth.)....

...

(No cartoony picture of a sad goat? I am very disappointed.)....

Foreshadowing the recent microbrewery craze.

... View attachment 223042

(What, no comedian?)....

And Victor Norman smiles.

...

Don't stick your tongue out like that, George. It's unseemly.....

Bring back Oakdale.

...

Hmmm. Obviously fake moustache. Hokey comedy-relief dialect. You may be onto something John. MAYBE LUPEEN FAKED HIS DEATH AND HAS BEEN HERE ALL ALONG LAUGHING AT US. Or not....

Sure, the mob ransacked the place, but didn't find the "secret" locked desk drawer. Not able to open a bolted-down safe, maybe, but miss a "secret" desk drawer - please.

Some really good artwork today. Also, what the heck is going on with the top of Leona's hat?

...
Grass Widow -- obsolete, even in 1940, slang term for "divorcee."....

He left in January of 1937 and they haven't had any contact since - wow, that's three years ago. Just checked Mr. Mackay out on IMDB, he had a modest but real career in Hollywood.

...
"There goes the neighborhood."....

"Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House"

...

I don't know who draws these Childs ads, but they're delightful examples of a very specific type of late-30s sophisitcated "New Yorker" sort of design. I guess that's why the chef looks like a whimsical Oscar Levant.....

The insane (to our ears) detailed description of the food on the plate, speaks, IMHO, to the fact that so many Americans were still struggling to get enough to eat / could not afford meat, etc. You see things like this in the movies as well where the actors will discuss a meal in incredible detail or there will be a very long camera shot of an opulent banquet / dish /etc. Yes, the unemployed were hungry, but also, many who had low-paying or even "okay" paying jobs still found food very expensive.

...

Ever notice how much of Tracy's "detective skills" come down to just dumb luck?....

Yes. Dan Dunn's detective talents are the only thing that make Tracy's look good.

...
April shanks Raven with a nail file and says "Bandits did it!"...

April would not survive that encounter as Raven would just pull the nail file out and finish April off with it. One of life's survival skills is to know whom not to fight with, especially not in a way that plays to one's opponents strengths while highlighting your weaknesses. A physical attack on Amazon Raven is absolutely not a good plan for waif-like April. Also, April, what have you been waiting for? You've been the only woman "hold up" with Pat for how many weeks? What does she want, a neon light flashing "Opportunity." All that said, cute outfit on her in panel 3.

...
Hey! Vandergelt nothing. That's Lord Plushbottom! And that's definitely not Emmy with him. I hope she doesn't subscribe to the News.....

Also, "Vandergelt" is fun wordplay as "gelt" is both an Old German and Yiddish word for money.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The accused killers of mobster John "Spider" Murther were indicted today by a Kings County grand jury, the first suspects to reach that stage in District Attorney William O'Dwyer's crusade against the Brooklyn "Murder For Hire" ring. Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando and Max "The Jerk" Golob pleaded not guilty, and were ordered held without bail pending trial. The two accused gunmen are charged with shooting Murtha in front of his girlfriend on a Brooklyn street corner on March 3, 1935.

Meanwhile, the District Attorney has revealed that he will order Mrs. Gertrude Gerino of Ozone Park held as a material witness in connection with the plot to kill Murtha. Mrs. Gerino's husband, gang member Vito Gerino, is believed to have participated in planning the Murtha hit, and O'Dwyer believes that she can provide details on that crime, as well as facts concerning "several other homicides." Mrs. Gerino is suspected of directly plotting her husband's getaway, but has not yet been charged on that count. She is presently under heavy police guard at her home.

The District Attorney has also asked the Grand Jury to indict Abbandando, Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, and Harry "Happy" Malone on first-degree murder charges in connection with the contract slaying of George Rudnick, a key witness in Manhattan District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey's case against mob chieftain Louis "Lepke" Buchalter.

Mr. O'Dwyer has also revealed that an additional material witness is now being held in connection with the 1933 murder of minor hoodlum Alex "Red" Alpert, with Meyer "Mikey" Sokoff being held under $100,000 bond. The DA's probe of the long-unsolved Alpert killing proved the wedge that broke open the entire "Murder For Hire" operation.

As these new developments took shape, the District Attorney's office confirms that two of his key witnesses, gang members Maffatore and Abe "Pretty" Levine, who have been telling all they know about the operations of the "Murder For Hire" gang, nearly fell victim to their former colleagues. O'Dwyer says the two men have been moved to a new "secret hideout" after the murder gang learned their previous location and mounted a bold plot to assassinate them in the very room in which they were being held. The District Attorney says he learned of the plot when he discovered that agents of the murder syndicate were "casing" the hotel where the two men were sequestered, and that "expert marksmen" had been imported from the midwest to shoot Maffatore and Levine from an apartment near that hotel.

A Manhattan Supreme Court justice is conferring today with the Flatbush housewife whose petition drive to keep British philosopher-mathematician Bertrand Russell off the faculty of City College of New York ignited a city-wide controversy over intellectual freedom in the classroom. Justice John E. McGeehan and Mrs. Jean Kay talked for several hours today, after the Justice reserved judgement yesterday on the petition, but has indicated he may reconsider if a reading of Russell's works proves to him that the philosopher's teachings would prove detrimental to CCNY students. Mrs. Kay has accused Russell of promoting "sexual abnormalities," and presented the Justice with a four-volume set of his writings in an effort to prove her case.

("Whatta you gonna do when you retire?," asks Sally. "Prolly sit around in my undershirt with my suspenders hangin' down, with my feet in the oven, readin' the paper," replies Joe. Sally nods, "It's good to have a hobby.")

The Valley Stream woman who returned to her family after being picked up by police in Manhattan unable to remember her identity has regained some of her memory after ten days of amnesia. Mrs. Marie Corbett of 187 Roosevelt Avenue has not yet fully recovered, but now is aware of who she is and recognizes her family. There is, however, as yet no explanation of what brought on the memory loss, and while doctors at Roosevelt Hospital say they've taken x-rays of Mrs. Corbett, they have not disclosed what, if anything, the pictures reveal.

(In case you're sniffling today -- DRINK FRESH MILK!)

(I dearly love the ads during bock beer season, but I'm not sure that a placid, calm-looking goat hatching from what appears to be a giant ping-pong ball really conveys the necessary vitality.)

Attention, men. That plain gray fedora you're wearing marks you as a dullard of no imagination, a color-deprived old fogey, and an ickie. Get hep to the jive with a bold blue-green hat this spring. Fashion authority Raymond Tyeffort says it's the patriotic duty of every American man to do his part for "color emancipation," freeing him from the prison of drab monochromes and pointing him to a brave new world where a man can wear any color he likes whenever he likes it. Wear your colorful new topper with your new blue-green suit, and for added dash thumb the crown down into a round bowl shape and push it up a bit in the center. (Harold Teen reads this story and says YEAH MAN! HEP! HEP! Surely you want to follow his example!)

(And speaking of HEP, Charlie Barnet? I'm in.)

Now playing at Loew's Metropolitan is "Northwest Passage," and Herbert Cohn says it's a vivid picturization of only the first half of Kenneth Roberts' sprawling adventure novel. Director King Vidor and star Spencer Tracy give their all, and the result is probably Tracy's finest performance yet. Not so good is Robert Young as the young artist who learns what life is all about in the rugged world of the untamed northwest, but Walter Brennan is agreeable as the comedy relief and Ruth Hussey is present as the romantic lead that Tracy doesn't win.

(That's what you get for shooting those nudie shows last summer at the World's Fair.)

Clifford Evans states with no question and no equivocation that no matter what DA O'Dwyer thinks, he knows for a positive fact that Peter Panto is dead. Mr. Evans declines to state how he knows this. He also notes with interest that all ferry terminals and subway entrances in Brooklyn are now being guarded round the clock by detectives dispatched by O'Dwyer's office.

The Dodgers and Red Sox were rained out in Clearwater yesterday, and the day off gave Mr. Van Lingle Mungo some time to think hard about his future. The one-time fireballing Dodger ace hasn't been himself since he hurt his arm during the 1937 All Star Game in Washington, and has struggled ever since to regain his former speed. Last summer, he experienced further woes when he broke his foot while serving as a pinch runner, and spent the winter wondering if he ought to just call it a career. He decided to give it one more shot this spring, and while he's performed adequately in the innings he's thrown, he hasn't struck out a single batter. He hasn't seen action in two weeks thanks to a cold, and admits to being discouraged. Despite all his problems in recent seasons, Mungo is still only 29 years old and doesn't want to quit baseball. He's now toying with the idea of giving up pitching and trying to stick with the club as a catcher or first baseman, and has even asked Durocher to farm him out to Montreal this summer so he could give it a try. Leo, however, is skeptical.

Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall and Oscar Levant join Bing Crosby tonight on the Kraft Music Hall, 10 PM over WEAF.

Grand Theft Pachyderm!

O'Dwyer may be cool, but he'll never be John Blackston in Panel One Cool.

Going up against a ruthless gang of international terrorists? Sure, bring Kay along. And the kid too. And don't forget the dog.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Of all the Hollywood personalities of 1940 who might be branded Love Pirate in the tabloid press, Bob Burns would probably be my least likely pick. But it's got to hurt for him to read Mrs. Hoge's statement here. As it happens, Mr. Burns will be broadcasting tonight on the Crosby program, and it is truly sad that no recording of this particular broadcast is available. I imagine his comedy tonight will be somewhat strained. Maybe Errol Flynn can give him some pointers.

And I wonder if Mr. Hoge sleeps in *his* car?

I'd get this, and I can't stand liver. Well played, Boys. Horn & Hardart better step it up before they fall behind.

This has to be the one and only time that Louis Armstrong and Sammy Kaye ever appeared on the same bill. Louis swings and Sammy sways?

Panel Three is absolutely breathtaking. Harold Gray swipes Lynd Ward.

It's not easy bein' cheesy!

April is about the same age as Terry, sixteen or seventeen at this point. And this is positively the most romantic thing that's ever happened in her life, I mean can you believe how romantic it is? It's almost like that movie with Robert Taylor and that girl, what was her name, whatever, but can you positively imagine how romantic it all is?

Of course she is. I mean, look at her face -- she's clearly mutating into some kind of human-amphibian hybrid. More of Dr. Kroywen's work, no doubt.

Future US Senator Wilmer Bobble.

Let's take a minute to appreciate Mr. Portwine's wardrobe. Notice he never wears the same pair of pajama bottoms twice?

Frank Willard was married twice, but I get the sense from the overall tone of his strips that he was never entirely sold on the concept.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
("Whatta you gonna do when you retire?," asks Sally. "Prolly sit around in my undershirt with my suspenders hangin' down, with my feet in the oven, readin' the paper," replies Joe. Sally nods, "It's good to have a hobby.")....

Pretty impressed with, in 1940, the "air-conditioned safe deposit vault."

...The Valley Stream woman who returned to her family after being picked up by police in Manhattan unable to remember her identity has regained some of her memory after ten days of amnesia. Mrs. Marie Corbett of 187 Roosevelt Avenue has not yet fully recovered, but now is aware of who she is and recognizes her family. There is, however, as yet no explanation of what brought on the memory loss, and while doctors at Roosevelt Hospital say they've taken x-rays of Mrs. Corbett, they have not disclosed what, if anything, the pictures reveal.....

She needs Dick Tracy's help.

...

(In case you're sniffling today -- DRINK FRESH MILK!)....

Kinda the advertising industry's equivalent of the montages the newspapers have been doing. Styles / things get a vogue.

...(That's what you get for shooting those nudie shows last summer at the World's Fair.)....

...The Dodgers and Red Sox were rained out in Clearwater yesterday, and the day off gave Mr. Van Lingle Mungo some time to think hard about his future. The one-time fireballing Dodger ace hasn't been himself since he hurt his arm during the 1937 All Star Game in Washington, and has struggled ever since to regain his former speed. Last summer, he experienced further woes when he broke his foot while serving as a pinch runner, and spent the winter wondering if he ought to just call it a career. He decided to give it one more shot this spring, and while he's performed adequately in the innings he's thrown, he hasn't struck out a single batter. He hasn't seen action in two weeks thanks to a cold, and admits to being discouraged. Despite all his problems in recent seasons, Mungo is still only 29 years old and doesn't want to quit baseball. He's now toying with the idea of giving up pitching and trying to stick with the club as a catcher or first baseman, and has even asked Durocher to farm him out to Montreal this summer so he could give it a try. Leo, however, is skeptical....

An early candidate for Tommy John surgery? Also, at least today, using a pitcher as a pinch runner is an odd choice for exactly the reason that injuries happen when you do that stuff.

...Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall and Oscar Levant join Bing Crosby tonight on the Kraft Music Hall, 10 PM over WEAF.....

That's some serious firepower for a radio program.

... O'Dwyer may be cool, but he'll never be John Blackston in Panel One Cool....

The drawing is awesome early Pop Art meets Film Noir - just fantastic. And kudos to Leona, she's got the attitude and posture to pull off that hat perfectly; you can't be meek in attitude or slouched over physically to make it work.

But seriously, Blackstone is sending her home alone? He couldn't have arranged for a detective to escort her (the love of his life)?

... Going up against a ruthless gang of international terrorists? Sure, bring Kay along. And the kid too. And don't forget the dog.

Heck, since he was in his suit, I thought he was already back from vacation. Love the drawing in panel four.

A... View attachment 223287
Of all the Hollywood personalities of 1940 who might be branded Love Pirate in the tabloid press, Bob Burns would probably be my least likely pick. But it's got to hurt for him to read Mrs. Hoge's statement here. As it happens, Mr. Burns will be broadcasting tonight on the Crosby program, and it is truly sad that no recording of this particular broadcast is available. I imagine his comedy tonight will be somewhat strained. Maybe Errol Flynn can give him some pointers.

And I wonder if Mr. Hoge sleeps in *his* car?....

That would be an interesting broadcast to hear. As you've said though, some of these actors are such professionals that none of the stuff happening in their lives or the studio (like a flying bird) effects their performances.

...
I'd get this, and I can't stand liver. Well played, Boys. Horn & Hardart better step it up before they fall behind.....

The dog is awesome.

... April is about the same age as Terry, sixteen or seventeen at this point. And this is positively the most romantic thing that's ever happened in her life, I mean can you believe how romantic it is? It's almost like that movie with Robert Taylor and that girl, what was her name, whatever, but can you positively imagine how romantic it all is?....

I'm reasonably familiar with Robert Taylor movies, but embarrassingly, can't think of the one you're referencing? You're not thinking of "Waterloo Bridge" are you?

I know they're in the middle of China during a war, but doesn't Raven own at least one other shirt? Although, that one does work very well for her.

... Let's take a minute to appreciate Mr. Portwine's wardrobe. Notice he never wears the same pair of pajama bottoms twice?....

Bring back Senga or Igor or, heck, import Oakdale.