The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

Three veteran Brooklyn police lieutenants have been dismissed from the force effective immediately by Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine in connection with Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen's investigation of the bail-bond racket, while an additional six lieutenants have been fined ten days to a month's pay and ordered into immediate retirement. Terminated from the department as of today were Lt. James Palmer, who joined the police force in 1907, Lt. John Murphy, a member of the department since 1914, and Lt. Frank Gleason, who has served since 1913. All had been suspended from active duty on suspicion of accepting "gratuities" connected to the issuance of bail bonds, and had been convicted on those charges in departmental trials conducted under the supervision of Special Deputy Commissioner Jeremiah T. Mahoney. Dismissal of the three lieutenants means the complete loss of their pensions, and complete forfeiture of all payments made by them into the pension fund. "Further developments in this phase of my investigation may be expected shortly," stated Amen, "but I am not at liberty to go into details." No final action has yet been taken in the matter of Lt. Cuthbert J. Behan, whose case was taken under advisement by Deputy Commissioner Mahoney following his departmental trial on theft charges.

An entire German battalion in the Narvik region has surrendered to the Norwegian according to "reliable Allied quarters." But meanwhile, German forces in Norway are also reported to have driven Norwegian and British forces out of the town of Steinkjer, north of Trondheim, in a battle involving ground, air, and naval attacks on Allied positions.

Nine bishops led by Archbishop Francis J. Spellman gathered in Brooklyn today for the final ceremony in a four-day celebration of the centennial of the canonization of St. Alphonsus Maria de Ligouri, founder of the Redemptorists, and author of the clergy textbook "Moral Theology." The bishops led a procession of 40 monsignori and 1200 priests thru the streets of Flatbush to Our Lady of Perpetual Help R. C. Church, where 3500 worshipers crowded inside for a pontifical mass. An additional 5000 people jammed the sidewalks to watch the colorful procession.

A ten-page typewritten statement characterized by the prosecution as a "confession" by one of the sixteen defendants in the Christian Front seditious conspiracy case was read aloud today in Brooklyn Federal Court. The statement was given by defendant John A. Vierbock, and describes various "overt acts" relating to the alleged conspiracy by the group to mount a terrorist plot to overthrow the Government. It was at Vierbock's home at 663 Jefferson Street that investigators siezed bombs and bomb-making supplies, guns, and ammunition following Vierbock's arrest on January 13th. Vierbock dictated the statement read in court today following six hours of interrogation following his arrest.

A missing triggerman for the Murder For Hire gang, now sought in a multi-state manhunt tried to kill a material witness in the case while that witness was in custody at the Queens County Jail. So states Assistant District Attorney Burton Turkus, who states that Vito Gurino was sent to the jail on a mission to kill Joseph "Joe the Baker" Liberto to prevent him from testifying in the forthcoming first-degree murder trials of Harry "Happy" Malone, Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, and Frank "The Dasher" Abbadando for the icepick slaying of George Rudnik. The attorney for Abbadando has claimed that Liberto wasn't at the jail when Gurino came to visit him, having been beaten so badly during his interrogation by District Attorney William O'Dwyer that he had to be hospitalized for a blood transfusion. Queens County Sheriff Maurice A. FitzGerald, who oversees the jail, stated that the entire matter is the result of the low budget under which he is forced to work, with only three guards on duty in the jail building at any one time. While neither confirming nor denying the fact of Gurino's visit, the Sheriff has accepted the resignation of the deputy who was on duty at the jail on the night that the visit allegedly took place.

A "Ponzi-like" scheme in which an automobile finance company was mulcted out of thousands of dollars by use of fake auto sales contracts by a Bushwick auto dealer operating with the complicity of police officers is under investigation by the Amen Office. The Choice Motor Sales Corporation of 1743 Bushwick Avenue is the target of the probe, following charges by the National Bond Investment Corporation of Chicago that the operator of the firm, Michael Boras, convinced patrolmen to allow him to use their names on fake sales agreements to be financed thru the N. B. I. company. It is claimed that none of the money received thru this racket was passed on to the policemen.

In Natchez, Mississippi, 212 people are dead following a fire in a "Negro dance hall" that began when a spark ignited cheap, dry decorations made of Spanish moss. Most of the victims were in their teens. The hall had only one exit, and all of its windows were boarded up, with most of the victims said to have been killed by suffocation as the fire roared thru the building. Most of the dead were found piled near the orchestra stand, far from the one exit. Ten of the twelve orchestra members, including the leader, Walter Barnes of Chicago, were among those killed.

Six thousand drivers and maintenance workers of the two largest taxicab fleets in the city were to go on strike as of 6PM tonight, following a decision this afternoon by the Transport Workers Union to strike the Parmalee System of the National Transportation Company and the Terminal System Company. The two firms, between them, operate nearly 3000 cabs which will be idled by the walkout.

(Another ahead-of-its-time special.)

Did you know that beer is less fattening than a Manhattan cocktail? Mrs. Mildred Blake, home economist for the F&M Schaefer Brewing Company says so. Mrs. Blake also has a few more recipies for us:

("Don'cha mean BEERIES?" chortles Joe. Sally has no reply, since she's gone down to the deli to buy beer.)

"Gone With The Wind" will open at the Flatbush Theatre on May 2nd, the first screen attraction following the end of the theatre's vaudeville policy for the season. The final vaude show of the spring, opening tomorrow, will feature song-and-dance favorite James Barton, The Merry Macs -- radio favorites from the Fred Allen show, screen star Beverly Roberts, vocalist Stuart Allen -- formerly heard with Richard Himber, and acrobatic juggling act The Six Hoffmans.

Now at the Patio, it's "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet," paired with "Three Cheers for the Irish."

(No Pain, No Gain.)

Bob the Spitz, Flatbush dog who's been facing a death sentence since last year for biting four people, has received another stay of execution in Appellate Court, with Health Commissioner Dr. John Rice ordered to show cause why Bob's case should not be reopened in the face of evidence that he may be the victim of a case of mistaken identity. An affadavit submitted to the court from Mrs. Veronica Gamich, neighbor of Bob's mistress, Mrs. Helen Browne of 809 Ditmas Avenue, states that four other dogs who look like Bob live in the neighborhood and any of these dogs could have been guilty of attacks attributed to Bob. Arguments that Bob bit in self-defense and that the three-bites-and-you're-out ordinance has been retroactively applied in his case have already been rejected.

Rookie Dodger catcher Herman Franks said hello to the Major Leagues in style yesterday, poking a three-run homer in his first at bat off Boston Bees starter Nick Strincevich to tie the game, a contest the Flock went on to win 8-3 on two homers by fellow rookie Charley Gilbert. The third rookie sensation of the spring, shortstop Peewee Reese, also got in on the fun, marking his own big-league debut with a hit, two runs, and a run batted in. Tex Carleton went the distance for the Dodgers for the win.

Today Whit Wyatt, who beat the Bees in Boston to kick off the season last week, will start for Brooklyn against left-hander Joe Sullivan. Today's game will end the current rain-shortened homestand, as the Dodgers head to Philadelphia tonight to open a two-game set tomorrow against the Phils before returning to New York for a weekend series against the Giants at the Polo Grounds.

Eddie "Rochester" Anderson spills the dirt about what it's really like working for Jack Benny when he guests with Fred Allen, tonight at 9 PM on WEAF.

(I could easily see my grandfather falling for a deal like this, just to be a nice guy...)

(See, I was hoping he was gonna pull out the fire hose, and turn the whole thing into a mud-rasslin' free-for-all. But I guess this works too.)

(Tracy would have had the whole pack of them already on an attempted murder charge for trying to push Irwin off the cliff. Maybe Irwin ought to ask for a transfer.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Just another day. Moe Annenberg, a cheap hood from Chicago who got his start in the publishing racket as a strong-arm thug roughing up uncooperative newsdealers for Hearst, will turn his publishing empire that included the Daily Racing Form and Radio Guide magazine along with the Philadelphia Inquirer, over to son Walter, who will parlay it into a vast fortune in the 1950s as publisher of TV Guide. Walter -- who is Not Guilty -- will go on to become Ambassador To The Court of St. James under President Nixon.

Again with the turkey? But at least it's nice to see that our old friend Igor Nertzovich has found work.

Nick keeps his collection on a farm out in Nassau.

When you shoot someone RIGHT THRU THE HEAD at point blank range, I don't think this is really what it looks like. But at least this time nobody shot the dog.

Hey, where's April --- uh oh.

*snif*

And somewhere out in that vast crowd of spectators, Tula wrings her hands and mutters "just give him the money already!"

What would be neat is if Daily Willie driving to Hollywood runs into Sunday Willie working in a carnival, they touch, and the entire universe explodes.

The Vice Squad? What kept you?

 

[Fading Fast]

Three veteran Brooklyn police lieutenants have been dismissed from the force effective immediately by Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine in connection with Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen's investigation of the bail-bond racket, while an additional six lieutenants have been fined ten days to a month's pay and ordered into immediate retirement. Terminated from the department as of today were Lt. James Palmer, who joined the police force in 1907, Lt. John Murphy, a member of the department since 1914, and Lt. Frank Gleason, who has served since 1913. All had been suspended from active duty on suspicion of accepting "gratuities" connected to the issuance of bail bonds, and had been convicted on those charges in departmental trials conducted under the supervision of Special Deputy Commissioner Jeremiah T. Mahoney. Dismissal of the three lieutenants means the complete loss of their pensions, and complete forfeiture of all payments made by them into the pension fund. "Further developments in this phase of my investigation may be expected shortly," stated Amen, "but I am not at liberty to go into details." No final action has yet been taken in the matter of Lt. Cuthbert J. Behan, whose case was taken under advisement by Deputy Commissioner Mahoney following his departmental trial on theft charges....

It doesn't have the sparkle of putting Murder for Hire on trial, but this is a big deal - good for Amen.

...A missing triggerman for the Murder For Hire gang, now sought in a multi-state manhunt tried to kill a material witness in the case while that witness was in custody at the Queens County Jail. So states Assistant District Attorney Burton Turkus, who states that Vito Gurino was sent to the jail on a mission to kill Joseph "Joe the Baker" Liberto to prevent him from testifying in the forthcoming first-degree murder trials of Harry "Happy" Malone, Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, and Frank "The Dasher" Abbadando for the icepick slaying of George Rudnik. The attorney for Abbadando has claimed that Liberto wasn't at the jail when Gurino came to visit him, having been beaten so badly during his interrogation by District Attorney William O'Dwyer that he had to be hospitalized for a blood transfusion. Queens County Sheriff Maurice A. FitzGerald, who oversees the jail, stated that the entire matter is the result of the low budget under which he is forced to work, with only three guards on duty in the jail building at any one time. While neither confirming nor denying the fact of Gurino's visit, the Sheriff has accepted the resignation of the deputy who was on duty at the jail on the night that the visit allegedly took place....

How come Vito Gurino doesn't have a nickname?

...A "Ponzi-like" scheme in which an automobile finance company was mulcted out of thousands of dollars by use of fake auto sales contracts by a Bushwick auto dealer operating with the complicity of police officers is under investigation by the Amen Office. The Choice Motor Sales Corporation of 1743 Bushwick Avenue is the target of the probe, following charges by the National Bond Investment Corporation of Chicago that the operator of the firm, Michael Boras, convinced patrolmen to allow him to use their names on fake sales agreements to be financed thru the N. B. I. company. It is claimed that none of the money received thru this racket was passed on to the policemen....

I get it at a high level, but the details on this one aren't clear yet. That said, if true, it's more police corruption. Amen will continue to be a busy man.

...
("Don'cha mean BEERIES?" chortles Joe. Sally has no reply, since she's gone down to the deli to buy beer.)...

And the updated mascot:

..."Gone With The Wind" will open at the Flatbush Theatre on May 2nd, the first screen attraction following the end of the theatre's vaudeville policy for the season. The final vaude show of the spring, opening tomorrow, will feature song-and-dance favorite James Barton, The Merry Macs -- radio favorites from the Fred Allen show, screen star Beverly Roberts, vocalist Stuart Allen -- formerly heard with Richard Himber, and acrobatic juggling act The Six Hoffmans....

The studio did not leave a single nickel in the seat cushions of "Gone With the Wind."

...[ (See, I was hoping he was gonna pull out the fire hose, and turn the whole thing into a mud-rasslin' free-for-all. But I guess this works too.)...

This whole sequence is a mess. I doubt Blackton would be able to just cover his head and run through the blast (and look picture perfect afterwards). Also, Bonetti wouldn't be hanging around, he'd be in a getaway car already. Not up to MW standards.

...
Just another day. Moe Annenberg, a cheap hood from Chicago who got his start in the publishing racket as a strong-arm thug roughing up uncooperative newsdealers for Hearst, will turn his publishing empire that included the Daily Racing Form and Radio Guide magazine along with the Philadelphia Inquirer, over to son Walter, who will parlay it into a vast fortune in the 1950s as publisher of TV Guide. Walter -- who is Not Guilty -- will go on to become Ambassador To The Court of St. James under President Nixon....

I'm curious to see what kind of sentence they get. We'll have to check back with the News on May 23rd.

Talbot's another actor who was in an incredible number of movies in the '30s and '40s, usually playing a gangster, a corrupt businessman, the jerk husband or the guy cuckolding the husband.

...
Again with the turkey? But at least it's nice to see that our old friend Igor Nertzovich has found work.....

Hard to believe Childs didn't learn its lesson from the last turkey debacle. I'm guessing somebody owns a turkey farm and some under-the-table money is moving around (as George Bungle just said, "here's the dough, cash, feel it"). All that aside, I'm always up for a corn muffin - apparently, the muffin of the day at Childs.

And in the Daily News...

View attachment 230271 .... Nick keeps his collection on a farm out in Nassau....

To repeat, Nick is very good at this game. He is exactly where he belongs in this world. It's a beautiful thing when someone is in the job that perfectly aligns with his or her skills.

... When you shoot someone RIGHT THRU THE HEAD at point blank range, I don't think this is really what it looks like. But at least this time nobody shot the dog....

"With my rod blazing -" followed by an empty gun, "snap, snap" and the pistol's end drawn down to look limp. Uh-huh.

... *snif*...

That's quite the up-to-date and informative phone book.

... And somewhere out in that vast crowd of spectators, Tula wrings her hands and mutters "just give him the money already!"...

Which, in her greedy, addled mind is $1000 because she's incapable of understanding that he only gets part of the reward money.

... The Vice Squad? What kept you?

Seriously, if they're smart, the cops will have rubber gloves on when they cuff her. Also, "somber hue" quite the poet that Carl Ed is.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The internet informs us that Mr. Gurino was sometimes known as "Socko," but being as the Eagle is the paper of record in this whole case, it doesn't count until they say it.

Seriously, does he look like a "Socko" to you?

The deal with Mr. Boras's scheme seems to be that he got a substantial commission from the finance company on each car "sold" -- he'd buy the cars with these fake loans signed by cops, and then pay off the loans with money made by re-selling the cars to someone else, keeping the commissions on both sales for himself. Double your pleasure, double your fun. I can't believe the cops didn't get cut in on this somehow, and I suspect we're only seeing the beginnings of this story.

1743 Bushwick Avenue. Nothing shady looking to me.

I have been depressed lately, dealing with all that's going on in the world, but the sight of Jerome Trohs riding away on the back of Tip the Dog has lifted my spirits like few things possibly could.

I mean, WHO'S A GOOD DOG??

 

[Fading Fast]

The internet informs us that Mr. Gurino was sometimes known as "Socko," but being as the Eagle is the paper of record in this whole case, it doesn't count until they say it.

View attachment 230340
Seriously, does he look like a "Socko" to you?

The deal with Mr. Boras's scheme seems to be that he got a substantial commission from the finance company on each car "sold" -- he'd buy the cars with these fake loans signed by cops, and then pay off the loans with money made by re-selling the cars to someone else, keeping the commissions on both sales for himself. Double your pleasure, double your fun. I can't believe the cops didn't get cut in on this somehow, and I suspect we're only seeing the beginnings of this story.

View attachment 230341
1743 Bushwick Avenue. Nothing shady looking to me.

I have been depressed lately, dealing with all that's going on in the world, but the sight of Jerome Trohs riding away on the back of Tip the Dog has lifted my spirits like few things possibly could.

View attachment 230342
I mean, WHO'S A GOOD DOG??

Yes, very much a "Socko."

As you note, more details to come, but the car scheme doesn't really sound Ponzi to me, more just fraud to steal commissions. It will break when he can't resell the cars at a high enough price, but again, that loss would all fall back to the finance company who would, then, try to take possession of the cars as, I'm sure, they are the collateral backing the loan. Not really Ponzi (new investors paying off old ones presented as attractive investment returns, etc.) and just good old fraud. It's kinda a quirky scheme as we know of it so far. And yes, I'm sure some "here's the dough - cash -feel it" going back to the cops.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Mr. Bungle spent much of the 1920s promoting various shabby get-rich-quick schemes -- one was a company making non-dentable rubber car fenders -- and you can see that he hasn't lost his "feel it" touch.

 

[Fading Fast]

Mr. Bungle spent much of the 1920s promoting various shabby get-rich-quick schemes -- one was a company making non-dentable rubber car fenders -- and you can see that he hasn't lost his "feel it" touch.

A common expression (there were several variations) amongst my Dad's GE friends was "there's nothing like the feel of fresh cash." As I understood it, they weren't talking about a bribe, but just the motivating power of money to close a deal / motivate an employee / lift someone's spirits.

These were Depression Era men who didn't read philosophy books - they'd been abjectly poor and saw having money as a good thing, period, full stop. And, at least for this group, they were pretty charitable guys - just didn't have any high falutin views about money: it was a good thing to have, next question. I always think of that expression when I hear The Pretenders song "Brass in Pocket" as it's basically the same expression.

 

[LizzieMaine]

British and French forces appear to be in desperate straits today in Norway, with Allied troops reportedly hurled 25 miles back and their effort to drive a salient through to the Swedish border close to failure. Two German columns pounding northward thru central Norway are said by a United Press report to have smashed Allied defenses northeast of Lillehammer, as well as at Roeros, in a drive toward Trondheim. British and Norwegian forces falling back from Lillehammer are reported to have encountered severe German air bombardment in the region of Otta, and it is believed they may have fallen back even further toward the railroad junction of Dombas.

Meanwhile, President Roosevelt today officially declared US neutrality toward the state of war now existing between Norway and Germany, and barred all submarines of belligerents from American ports and territorial waters. The executive order issued by the President also prescribes continued enforcement of the Neutrality Law concerning the belligerents in the new phase of the war. Under that order, Norway will be able to obtain war supplies from the US only by paying cash and transporting the goods in non-American vessels.

An American freighter and her crew of 39 arrived in Brooklyn today from Trondheim, after escaping Nazi hands with over $4,500,000 in Swedish gold in her hold. The freighter Marmacsea had arrived at Trondheim on April 8th, the day before the Nazis invaded Norway, and was in port as German planes buzzed overhead on the morning of the 9th. The vessel was boarded and inspected by German officials, but Captain William A. McHale, master of the ship, says they were in such a hurry to get thru the inspection that they never noticed the gold shipment. The Germans made no efford to hold the American ship, but Captain McHale says their departure was delayed by the lack of pilots able to guide them out of the deep and now heavily mined fjord. The voyage was the ship's last under the American flag, with the 23-year-old freighter having been sold to Brazilian interests.

Also happy to be home is a vital member of the Marmacsea's crew, mascot and chief mouser Seawolf the Cat. Owned by crewmen Karl Hansen and George Matizatis of Brooklyn, Seawolf is very pleased to be back on on land and is looking forward to a long vacation before she heads out to sea again.

District Attorney William O'Dwyer has gained the key to solving more than fifty outstanding gangland murder cases thanks to the "singing" of Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, central figure in the Murder For Hire gang investigation. Reles describes the operational methods of the gang as like those of the most up-to-date big-business house, with various departments specializing in particular murder techniques under the careful supervision of an executive board that met regularly to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of taking on new assignments as they came along. Reles also insists that the Murder For Money outfit is not directly involved in the Brownsville policy racket, although he acknowledged that they do have a "working agreement" to handle rub-outs for that gambling ring. The Murder For Hire gang also handled certain financial collections for the policy operators -- whenever a numbers player "hit it big," the Murder For Hire office would be advised of their name and the payoff location, and men would be sent out to immediately relieve them of their winnings and any additional cash they happened to have on hand.

122 persons have been indicted on charges of defrauding the government of more than $1,600,000 in alcohol taxes in connection with the most intricate and highly organized bootlegging operation ever uncovered in the borough. According to US Attorney John T. Cahill, the organization distributed more than 40,000 gallons of illicit liquor from manufacturing plants in Brooklyn and Queens, dispatching the goods with its own fleet of 87 cars and trucks from a total of nine offices in New York and New Jersey. The operation is reported to have controlled nearly all the bootleg alcohol going into New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania.

(There's only one Ada Brown in Brooklyn according to the 1940 census, she's forty-one years old, and she's a widow with six kids living in Bedford-Stuyvesant. And maybe, Lionel, she doesn't want to see you.)

(GE had a deal with major electric utility companies to sell its line of household appliances thru a "small extra charge on your monthly electric bill, so little you'll barely notice" proposition, and it was thru such Easy Credit arrangements that a good percentage of prewar homes that had such appliances acquired them. Refrigerators and stoves were the most common appliances distributed this way, but as we see here, they also dealt in smaller goods.)

A Sea Cliff family will move rather than give up their beloved household pet -- a pig named Penelope. The Sea Cliff village board had ordered Mr. and Mrs. Alvin G. Schneider to either get rid of the pig or leave town, and citing their four year old son's fondness for the pig, they chose the latter. The Schneiders plan to move to a farm upstate, where Penelope can romp at will.

The difference in circumference between your calf at its widest point and your ankle at its slimmest should fall between 4 1/2 and 5 inches for maximum eye appeal, says fashion consultant Wanda Bowman-Wilson, while the difference in circumference between your thigh at the knee joint and the calf should be 1 1/2 inches for all heights. If your measurements diverge from these standards, here are exercises you can do. ("Or just walk up an' down four flights of stairs every day," sneers Sally. "That'll do ya.")

(Why, by comparison, an episiotomy's a regular breeze!)

The boxing world is mourning the sudden death of renowned fight manager Joe Jacobs, who collapsed and died in the office of his heart specialist last night. The doctor stated that the attack was the result of exhaustion and overwork. Jacobs achieved his greatest fame as the handler of German heavyweight Max Schmeling, and for his outraged cry of "We wuz robbed!" after Schmeling's defeat by Jack Sharkey in 1930. In recent years, Jacobs was best known as manager of rotund battler "Two Ton Tony" Galento, whom he raised from a nobody club fighter to the first challenger to knock Joe Louis off his feet. Said Galento today from his saloon in Orange, New Jersey, "I lost the best friend I ever had."

There's no stopping the Dodgers, who racked up their fourth win in as many games yesterday to close out their series against the Boston Bees. It took seventeen men in and out of the lineup to get the victory, however, with Manager Durocher mixing and matching his way thru the contest in a come-from-behind effort. Dixie Walker's pinch hit single in the bottom of the eighth plated two runs to put the Flock on top. Van Lingle Mungo blanked the Bees in the ninth inning, smoking a few past the bewildered Bostons in an exhibition that brought back memories of old times.

Immediately after yesterday's game, the Dodgers entrained for Philadelphia, where they will open a three-game set at Shibe Park this afternoon, with Hugh Casey expected to get the start. The game kicks off a fourteen-game road trip that will carry the Flock around the entire circuit before they return to Ebbets Field in May.

"Buck Benny Rides Again" rode into the Times Square Paramount yesterday for its world premiere, and Herbert Cohn was on hand for the fun. He says the film gives you everything you expect from Benny's radio show except the six delicious flavors and the big red letters on the box. Jack's entire radio gang is present with the exceptions of Mary Livingstone and announcer Don Wilson, but both are heard vocally on the soundtrack, as is Benny's perennial radio rival Fred Allen. Eddie Anderson as Rochester steals the picture in a sprightly romantic subplot opposite Theresa Harris, and shows himself pretty lively as a song-and-dance man besides. The script by radio scribes Bill Morrow and Ed Beloin captures all the nonsensical fun of a Benny broadcast, and everyone who enjoys Benny -- and who doesn't? -- will get a kick out of it.

The Drive In Theatre on Sunrise Hiway in Valley Stream is open for its third season, with Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell in "The Amazing Mr. Williams."

Fred Allen's "People You Didn't Expect To Meet" marked its 100th installment last night with a lively interview of Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, but Mr. Benny's fictitious factotum wasn't the most unusual guest ever hosted as part of the feature. Mr. Allen has introduced his listeners to an organ grinder, a tattoo artist, a television-tube glass blower, a professional gas-sniffer, a fish doctor, a sword swallower, a scarecrow-maker, and a talking dog, but the most unusual guests have to stand as Mr. Ramshaw, the eagle who got loose in the studio during a recent broadcast, and Mr. Allen's own sponsor, Mr. Lee Bristol.

("LOOK what your fool elephant left on my FLOOR! TOUCH it! FEEL it!")

(This judge has tee time scheduled for 3 pm out at the club, and no fool hoodlums with a sandblasting hose are gonna get in his way!)

(YEAH Dan, Mister SMART GUY! Whatta ya say to THAT?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

One of those days when it's hard to catch your breath.

She'll be out in time for lunch. Better hold on to the rest of that spoon.

"WHAT'S WRONG NOW??" Jeez, Raven, a little perspective would be nice.

Now wait a minute. No man shot at close range thru the left side of the head could possibly fall in the that position. It's a violation of all known laws of motion. On the other hand, you see a three-foot-tall lawyer riding into the night on the back of a St. Bernard every day of the week.

WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME. If there's jobs for all these fake Russian counts you see everywhere, there's got to be a place for a fake French prince.

Maybe this lawyer should consider a new line of questioning.

That's the way, kid. Always weigh your options before you commit.

Well now, here's an angle I didn't see coming.

 

[Fading Fast]

British and French forces appear to be in desperate straits today in Norway, with Allied troops reportedly hurled 25 miles back and their effort to drive a salient through to the Swedish border close to failure. Two German columns pounding northward thru central Norway are said by a United Press report to have smashed Allied defenses northeast of Lillehammer, as well as at Roeros, in a drive toward Trondheim. British and Norwegian forces falling back from Lillehammer are reported to have encountered severe German air bombardment in the region of Otta, and it is believed they may have fallen back even further toward the railroad junction of Dombas.

Meanwhile, President Roosevelt today officially declared US neutrality toward the state of war now existing between Norway and Germany, and barred all submarines of belligerents from American ports and territorial waters. The executive order issued by the President also prescribes continued enforcement of the Neutrality Law concerning the belligerents in the new phase of the war. Under that order, Norway will be able to obtain war supplies from the US only by paying cash and transporting the goods in non-American vessels....

"The executive order issued by the President also prescribes continued enforcement of the Neutrality Law concerning the belligerents in the new phase of the war. Under that order, Norway will be able to obtain war supplies from the US only by paying cash and transporting the goods in non-American vessels"

Could Germany also obtain war supplies in the same manner from the US under the Neutrality Law?

... American freighter and her crew of 39 arrived in Brooklyn today from Trondheim, after escaping Nazi hands with over $4,500,000 in Swedish gold in her hold. The freighter Marmacsea had arrived at Trondheim on April 8th, the day before the Nazis invaded Norway, and was in port as German planes buzzed overhead on the morning of the 9th. The vessel was boarded and inspected by German officials, but Captain William A. McHale, master of the ship, says they were in such a hurry to get thru the inspection that they never noticed the gold shipment. The Germans made no efford to hold the American ship, but Captain McHale says their departure was delayed by the lack of pilots able to guide them out of the deep and now heavily mined fjord. The voyage was the ship's last under the American flag, with the 23-year-old freighter having been sold to Brazilian interests....

Once they found out about this, letting the gold slip through their hands had to drive the Germans nuts as they were rapacious for gold (and every other single thing of value) wherever they conquered.

... The Murder For Hire gang also handled certain financial collections for the policy operators -- whenever a numbers player "hit it big," the Murder For Hire office would be advised of their name and the payoff location, and men would be sent out to immediately relieve them of their winnings and any additional cash they happened to have on hand....

This is really interesting as it goes against a lot of what I've read over the years. To be sure, that the mob has stolen back money it lost in its gambling rackets is not unheard of at all, but it also had to balance that against its reputation in the neighborhood because if the numbers players believed they'd be rubbed out if they won big, they'd stop playing. That's not good for business.

My girlfriend was on the jury of a trial of some higher-up drug dealers years ago and she said that these guys had all the basic skills of business people or government department heads as they worried as much about cash flow, employee morale, efficiency, supply chains, etc., as those legitimate biz/gov't officials do, but with the added burden of having to do it all in the shadows.

...
(There's only one Ada Brown in Brooklyn according to the 1940 census, she's forty-one years old, and she's a widow with six kids living in Bedford-Stuyvesant. And maybe, Lionel, she doesn't want to see you.)...

It's not right, but methinks Ms. Brown - a widow with six kids - opted for a do-over in life.

...The difference in circumference between your calf at its widest point and your ankle at its slimmest should fall between 4 1/2 and 5 inches for maximum eye appeal, says fashion consultant Wanda Bowman-Wilson, while the difference in circumference between your thigh at the knee joint and the calf should be 1 1/2 inches for all heights. If your measurements diverge from these standards, here are exercises you can do. ("Or just walk up an' down four flights of stairs every day," sneers Sally. "That'll do ya.")...

Golden Era body shaming.

... View attachment 230439
There's no stopping the Dodgers, who racked up their fourth win in as many games yesterday to close out their series against the Boston Bees. It took seventeen men in and out of the lineup to get the victory, however, with Manager Durocher mixing and matching his way thru the contest in a come-from-behind effort. Dixie Walker's pinch hit single in the bottom of the eighth plated two runs to put the Flock on top. Van Lingle Mungo blanked the Bees in the ninth inning, smoking a few past the bewildered Bostons in an exhibition that brought back memories of old times....

Somewhere along the way, I discovered that there is no such thing as a comfortable lead in sports.

Separately, I want to keep alive my campaign to bring back the "Bees" as the next expansion team in MLB. I, for one, will commit to buying a ridiculous amount of over-priced Bees' merchandise including a cute stuffed-animal bee for a newborn niece in our family.

... ("LOOK what your fool elephant left on my FLOOR! TOUCH it! FEEL it!")...

Touche'.

... (This judge has tee time scheduled for 3 pm out at the club, and no fool hoodlums with a sandblasting hose are gonna get in his way!)...

It almost feels as if Mary Worth has two writers - one who builds complex characters and plots with interesting nuance and subtext and another writer who (like today) writes trite lines and pablum not worthy of an after-school special.

... (YEAH Dan, Mister SMART GUY! Whatta ya say to THAT?)

"Well, listen fat Irwin, I could have let you die ten or so panels ago, so my first answer is 'shut up,' with my second answer being 'can't we at least try for a day or two first instead of giving up ahead of time'. Oh, and your suit is ugly."

... One of those days when it's hard to catch your breath.....

Gloria's daughter had a much better run in the fashion (is spinach) business.

In the '80s, I regularly did business with Dominick and Dominick - I can still see the firm's "D&D" logo on its NYSE trading "pads."

... "WHAT'S WRONG NOW??" Jeez, Raven, a little perspective would be nice....

Agreed. I like that Raven is a strong, smart, independent and takes-no-sh*t woman, but always being angry and negative is no way to go through life for the person herself or for those around her. It doesn't even matter if it can be argued to be justified - it's still a failed life plan.

...[ Now wait a minute. No man shot at close range thru the left side of the head could possibly fall in the that position. It's a violation of all known laws of motion. On the other hand, you see a three-foot-tall lawyer riding into the night on the back of a St. Bernard every day of the week.....

True, true and true. Also, good drawing on an "el" in the background of the crazy lawyer / dog jockey panel.

... WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME. If there's jobs for all these fake Russian counts you see everywhere, there's got to be a place for a fake French prince.....

And easy on the landlady son: she gave you three weeks grace and she has bills to pay as well - the heat, hot water, property taxes, electricity and other services just don't happen by magic.

... Maybe this lawyer should consider a new line of questioning.....

I'm really enjoying watching Skeezix dope-slap Colonel Sanders around the courtroom.

...
Well now, here's an angle I didn't see coming.

But a wife of a citizen can't be deported. Run, Harold, run.

 

[LizzieMaine]

An alleged ringleader in the Christian Front seditious conspiracy plot claims that 175 New York policemen were in league with the organization in support of its plan to overthrow the U. S. Government. William Gerald Bishop made that claim in a statement to associates according to an FBI agent who eavesdropped on a Front meeting in Brooklyn last year. Agent Leroy H. Bernard testified that he was recording the meeting on a dictaphone from an attic room in the home of FBI informer Denis Healy, who infiltrated the Front and has become the Government's star witness in the prosecution of Bishop and fifteen other defendants. Agent Bernard also testified that he heard Bishop claim that the Front had 300,000 men fully armed and ready to move into action once the plan was put into motion. An investigation earlier this year by Police Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine disclosed that 27 current members of the New York Police Department are willing to admit to being active members of the Christian Front, while another 400 were found who admitted to belonging to the organization in the past.

German armed forces, led by low-flying aircraft with machine guns raking the ground pushed northward today thru Allied defense lines in Norway. The thrust came as a two-pronged offensive into the Gudbrandsdal and Oesterdal Valleys, with the Germans pushing British and Norwegian lines back and re-occupying the town of Roeros after they had withdrawn advance units last night.

A sixteen-year-old student at Erasmus Hall High School is finding it difficult to concentrate on his assignments today as he awaits word of his mother and ten-year-old sister who are reported trying to make their way out of the Norwegian war zone, and of his father, a government attache to Oslo who has not been heard from since before the Nazi invasion. Robert Klath of Flatbush is trying to keep busy with schoolwork, but finds himself constantly distracted by worries over the fate of his family. Robert's father, Thormod O. Klath, served as the US commercial attache to the Norwegian government, and lived in Oslo with his wife and ten year old daughter Carolyn until the German attack, when Mrs. Kloth and the child fled the city with a party of American officials led by Lt. Cmdr. Ole O. Hagen, Naval attache. Word was received last night at 201 E. 16th Street, where Robert lives with his uncle, Karl G. Edlund, that the party has arrived safely in Stockholm. But no message has been received concerning the whereabouts of Mr. Klath, a 28-year veteran of government service, and Robert can only pore over old family photos and wonder "Where is my father today?"

Police Commissioner Valentine today clamped down on a Gowanus car dealership reportedly owned by fugitive crime lord Joe Adonis, with a twenty-four-hour police guard posted around the lot under orders to prevent anyone from entering or leaving the property. The White Auto Sales Company at 266 4th Avenue was ordered to halt all business operations pending a review of its license by the Motor Vehicle Bureau, which will hold a public hearing on the question of whether the dealership should be shut down. It is not expected that Adonis will appear in person at the lot or at the hearing, and police have orders, if he does appear, to shoot him on sight.

A three-day strike by the Teamsters Union at the World's Fair has been settled by Mayor LaGuardia, resolving a dispute over chauffeurs at the Fairgrounds. The dispute also settled an issue between the Teamsters and the Department of Sanitation over garbage-hauling contracts for the Fair, with the D of S responsible for nighttime trash removal and the Teamsters handling daylight work.

A non-union driver for the Parmlee System taxicab company claims he was the target of stones thrown by three men as he drove up 10th Avenue near 42nd Street in Manhattan today, in the first instance of alleged violence stemming from the Transport Union walkout that has idled a large percentage of the city's cabs. Driver Salvatore Vancaso in filing his police report claimed to reside at 1040-05 Avenue J in Brooklyn, but the Eagle reports that there is no such address.

("Brand New 1938 Model?" I think you overslept.)

Jury selection in the trial of three accused Murder-for-Hire killers accused in the icepick slaying of George Rudnick is underway today in Kings County Court. Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, Harry "Happy" Malone, and Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando will be tried for the 1937 killing of Rudnick, a gangland loanshark known as "Whitey," whose hacked-up body was found sprawled in the back seat of a stolen car abandoned on a Brooklyn street. Rudnick had been stabbed sixty-three times with an icepick, known to be a murder implement of choice for Strauss, and his head had been split open with a meat cleaver. Strauss was present for the jury selection because he has refused to allow representation by counsel, and the prosecution wishes to avoid any possibility of the case being thrown out on legal technicalities.

"Negro churches" in Brooklyn are taking up a collection for survivors and families of victims of the horrific fire that destroyed a dance hall this week in Natchez, Mississippi. Brooklyn attorney Morris Miller, a leading figure in local interfaith actitivities who frequently represents "Negro clients" at no charge, notified the Mayor of Natchez that the relief drive is underway and hopes that every effort will be made to see that the aid goes to those who most need it in the wake of the disaster.

A 103-year-old Monticello man attributes his lifelong good health to his habit of drinking a cup of kerosene "at the first sign of sniffles." Charles Dennis says he's only known one other man who's tried it, but says that man agrees that "it's great stuff."

Beer brewing has long been one of Brooklyn's most important industries, and in 1940 it's bigger than ever. Since the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company first opened its plant on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg 98 years ago, beer brewers have converged on the borough, and even Prohibition failed to snuff out the brewing industry, with companies turning to the manufacture of yeast, ice, and near-beer until Repeal gave the industry a fresh start. Now over a dozen brewers call Brooklyn home, including such famous brands as Rheingold, Piel Bros., Edelbrau, and Trommer's.

This week's bill at the Flatbush is the last vaudeville slate until Labor Day, and vaude goes out for the season with a bang, according to Robert Francis, who finds song-and-dance man James Barton as entertaining as he ever was, with his story of the mad dog still capable of reducing an audience to jelly. Screen star Beverly Roberts stops the show with a "See America First" number, and the Merry Macs of Fred Allen's radio show really please with their elegant swing harmonies. Stuart Allen and his Orchestra offer fine musical support, and the Six Hoffmans put on a fine display of acrobatic juggling. An Edgar Kennedy comedy, an Information Please quizlet, a sportsreel, a newsreel, and a cartoon make up a fine film program. "Gone With The Wind" starting next week will have to be pretty good to top this bill.

(Mazie Goober, is that you?)

With five straight wins to open the 1940 campaign, the Dodgers are off to their best start in fifteen years after topping the Phillies yesterday at Shibe Park, breezing to an easy 3-1 win. Dolph Camilli flexed his muscles for a homer, and raised his batting average to a cool .421 with seven runs batted in. Rookie catcher Herman Franks, since breaking into the Major Leagues with a home run in his first time at bat this week against the Bees, is now batting a gaudy .750 with five hits in his last five at-bats.

("An' Petey's hittin' .304," says Sally. "Don't forget that!")

America's most popular radio star? None other than Nelson Eddy, who took the honors in Radio Guide's 1940 Star of Stars poll. Eddy, who recently left the Chase & Sanborn Hour after two years, currently has no program of his own as he focuses on motion pictures, but he is expected to return to the air as soon as a willing sponsor offers a sufficiently-enticing contract.

(She read about "inflation" in the newspaper and thought it sounded like fun.)

(Something tells me you'll be waiting a while.)

(Make fun of Irwin all you want, but it takes real skill to pluck a cigar butt out of mid air like that.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

It's been quite a week.

I'm trying to figure out what's going on with the mermaid and those two fish, but every conclusion I come to is terribly unsettling. Be that as it may, I sure could go some for some fried seafood right now.

"And soon our leader will take command! ALL HAIL BERTRAND RUSSELL!"

I almost want to see him get off, if only to see the look on Tula's face. And Wilmer's.

The right place at the right time.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nae? Oh, aye, th' haggis'll be on th' fire fa soore. Hoot mon.

Just when you thought this could not possibly get any better.

One of the comfortable things about a long marriage is that confidence that comes from knowing your partner very very well.

 

[Fading Fast]

... Bishop claim that the Front had 300,000 men fully armed and ready to move into action once the plan was put into motion....

Challenge.

... It is not expected that Adonis will appear in person at the lot or at the hearing, and police have orders, if he does appear, to shoot him on sight....

Seriously. Was that even legal?

...A non-union driver for the Parmlee System taxicab company claims he was the target of stones thrown by three men as he drove up 10th Avenue near 42nd Street in Manhattan today, in the first instance of alleged violence stemming from the Transport Union walkout that has idled a large percentage of the city's cabs. Driver Salvatore Vancaso in filing his police report claimed to reside at 1040-05 Avenue J in Brooklyn, but the Eagle reports that there is no such address....

Smart man to give a false address. It's crazy that they used to print these type of addresses in the paper. We had something similar with a stalking victim the other day - didn't we?

...Beer brewing has long been one of Brooklyn's most important industries, and in 1940 it's bigger than ever. Since the F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company first opened its plant on Kent Avenue in Williamsburg 98 years ago, beer brewers have converged on the borough, and even Prohibition failed to snuff out the brewing industry, with companies turning to the manufacture of yeast, ice, and near-beer until Repeal gave the industry a fresh start. Now over a dozen brewers call Brooklyn home, including such famous brands as Rheingold, Piel Bros., Edelbrau, and Trommer's....

And they're all gone, but micro/craft brewing has brought beer brewing back to Brooklyn today.

... View attachment 230705
(Mazie Goober, is that you?)...

...America's most popular radio star? None other than Nelson Eddy, who took the honors in Radio Guide's 1940 Star of Stars poll. Eddy, who recently left the Chase & Sanborn Hour after two years, currently has no program of his own as he focuses on motion pictures, but he is expected to return to the air as soon as a willing sponsor offers a sufficiently-enticing contract....

Calling Victor Norman.

A...
It's been quite a week.....

Holy smokes - you need a scorecard to keep track of the Brits' lovers.

A very real and nice "The Neighbors" today.

...
I'm trying to figure out what's going on with the mermaid and those two fish, but every conclusion I come to is terribly unsettling. Be that as it may, I sure could go some for some fried seafood right now.....

Even if just plain weird, as in this case, the boys are never shy about trying to work a sexual angle into something.

Childs special sounds like an upscaled version of what would be a HoJo's classic.

Also, I'll forgive Childs the missing muffin offering today as I really want to try a butterscotch biscuit.

...
"And soon our leader will take command! ALL HAIL BERTRAND RUSSELL!"....

I was thinking a smarter version of Dan Dunn's Black Hoods, but I like your idea better.

... I almost want to see him get off, if only to see the look on Tula's face. And Wilmer's.....

Whatever happens, Wilmer did himself proud with his testimony. I'm looking forward to the verdict.

... View attachment 230719 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...

... Just when you thought this could not possibly get any better....

Okay then.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Germany today formally declared war against Norway, while charging that the Allied Powers had their own "deep-seated plans" to invade that country, plans foiled "by a matter of hours" by Germany's "pre-emptive strike." Shortly after Adolf Hitler's formal declaration ended the murky diplomatic status of the Norwegian situation, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop announced the publication of "documentary proof" of an Allied invasion plan, a plan in which Norway itself "had willingly connived." Ribbentrop claimed that Norway marked the latest attempt by the Allies to "destroy Germany," and claimed that the laying of mines in Norwegian waters by the British on April 8th was a tactic intended to "protect a coming invasion force" sent by the Allies.

The wife of confessed Murder For Hire gangster Abe "Kid Twist" Reles will testify for the State in at least one, and possibly two forthcoming trials connected to that gang's operations. Mrs. Rose Reles will give State's evidence in the trial of Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, detailing how Strauss and fellow hoodlum Martin "Buggsy" Goldstien eliminated Irving "Puggy" Feinstein last September 5th by dousing the hog-tied Feinstein with kersoene, setting him ablaze, and leaving him to burn to death in a vacant lot at Fillmore Avenue and E. 57th Street.

In Abington, Pennsylvania a 16-year-old high school boy is in custody on a murder charge after he killed a classmate by firing a shot thru her bedroom window. Robert Heineman will be tried as an adult for the shooting of sixteen-year-old Edith Snyder Thursday night. Heineman, characterized as a sensitive writer of poetry, was arrested Abington police after they discovered a threatening note he had written to the girl about three weeks ago. Heinemann, in tears after his arrest, told investigators that he only meant to frighten the girl. Heineman stated that he was in love with Miss Snyder, and was jealous and upset that she had dates with other boys. He also stated that he had turned the gun on himself after the shooting, but it failed to go off, and then asked to have copies of all the pictures of Miss Snyder that would be appearing in the newspapers.

Police are acting as strikebreakers by driving taxicabs for the Parmalee System and Terminal Cab companies, according to charges by the Transport Workers Union. Warren G. Horie, head of the TWU taxicab division, warned striking drivers at a union meeting last night that detectives have been definitively observed acting as scab drivers in at least two Parmalee cabs, bearing numbers 018-814 and 019-066, and that union members are to avoid being tricked into fights by "police provocateurs." A spokesman with the office of Police Operations denies the charge.

Two physicians convicted on abortion charges on Long Island have been sentenced to prison terms. Thirty-five year old Dr. Julian Isquith of Long Island City and 40-year-old Dr. Coleman R. King of Ozone Park will serve one to two years each at Sing Sing Prison, as will 31-year-old taxicab driver Charles Bedanoff of Ocean Park, who was convicted of complicity in abortion by introducing a patient to Dr. King.

"Miss 30" writes to Helen Worth for advice on how to pursue her dream of a career as a store detective. While she has no experience in that field, she knows she would be good at it if given a chance. Helen advises her to start by visiting the employment offices of the various local department stores and seeing if she can learn exactly what qualifications they require for such a position, and what sort of work is involved. "Nothing is secured without effort," says Helen, "except mosquito bites and sunburn."

The Eagle Editorialist says it's high time to lay off all the comedy routines about women drivers, with the Drivers Research Bureau at Yale University having definitively proven from statistics that women are better, safer drivers than men, with only a third as many accidents, proportionately, than their male counterparts, and that women are also far more considerate of pedestrians.

(Eloping-stewardess jokes, however, are just getting started.)

Daylight Saving Time begins tomorrow morning at 2 AM. Don't forget to set your clock ahead!

Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons scattered seven harmless hits yesterday while breezing to a 6-0 shutout wins to close out the Dodgers' series at Shibe Park, running the season-opening Brooklyn winning streak to a torrid six games. Cookie Lavagetto poked a grand-slam home run in the top of the seventh to ice the cake, hoisting his batting average to .364 and his RBI total to eight. The win left the Flock in high spirits as they caught the train back to New York, where they'll face the Giants up at the Polo Grounds for what figures to be an immensely entertaining weekend series. Last year's 20-game winner Luke Hamlin gets his first start of the season in today's series opener, with Whit Wyatt expected to get the ball tomorrow.

Monday will be an off-day for the Dodgers as they board the train to Cincinnati to begin their first Western swing of the season, with contests ahead with the Reds, Cubs, Cardinals, and Pirates before they return again to Ebbets Field.

(Tootsie inhales. Evidently, so does Mr. Tuthill.)

("You'll have to go hunt for them, Bill. You're just about healed up from your last beating.")

("Hmmm," says Dan, scanning the building directory. "Room 1404: Bklyn Murder-For-Hire, Inc.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News --

I bet Gypsy isn't real happy that she gets second play here to Lady Campbell. "You gotta have a gimmick."

Bill Terry wads the paper up and throws it against the wall in disgust. "Give 'em six games," he grumbles, "an' they'll take a mile."

Axel is completely overmatched, and he doesn't even know it.

Oooooooweeeeeeeeeeee

Not to snark the poor guy, but I do hope he's a better clerk than he is a poet.

Blaze is gonna love this guy.

For somebody who makes $11 a week, that $6 is a nice chunk of change. Don't tell Tula!

Willie moves with an elegance that belies his bulk. I hope when he does go to Hollywood he'll run into Astaire.

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin..."

 

[Fading Fast]

..Daylight Saving Time begins tomorrow morning at 2 AM. Don't forget to set your clock ahead!...

And somehow, this stupidity is still with us to this day.

...Monday will be an off-day for the Dodgers as they board the train to Cincinnati to begin their first Western swing of the season, with contests ahead with the Reds, Cubs, Cardinals, and Pirates before they return again to Ebbets Field...

Does anyone know if teams booked full cars just for the players or, better still, what kind of arrangements they had with the railroads? It's not hard to see the logistics of moving all of the MLB teams around being a challenge without a lot of advanced planing in partnership with the railroads.

... (Tootsie inhales. Evidently, so does Mr. Tuthill.)...

Thirty years later, this part of the story line would be seen as a metaphor for drug use as the lyrics for almost every single rock song - intended or not - were from that era.

... ("Hmmm," says Dan, scanning the building directory. "Room 1404: Bklyn Murder-For-Hire, Inc.")

I'm sure, if he scans long enough, he'll also see an office for "Bail Bonds: Creative Payment Plans Our Specialty - A. Frosch & Partners"

... Not to snark the poor guy, but I do hope he's a better clerk than he is a poet....

Also, I'm thinking mama Gump's gonna want someone that earns more than a clerk's salary.

... Blaze is gonna love this guy....

They'll either understand each other perfectly or have absolutely no idea what the other one is saying.

... For somebody who makes $11 a week, that $6 is a nice chunk of change. Don't tell Tula!...

Tula's small, greedy brain still thinks there's $1000 out there for him; she'd pshaw $6 (but probably grab it anyway, grifters gotta grift).

... "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin..."

Wonderful reference from the Sermon on the Mount, but I still go with the wisdom of a frog named Kermit for this one:

 

[LizzieMaine]

Major league clubs always travelled Pullman -- usually two cars were enough for the players, management staff, and the writers who traveled with the team. It was the job of the Traveling Secretary to make the reservations and negotiate deals with the railroads and hotels along the route. Schedules were arranged to make these trips as simple as possible, and the preponderance of day games meant most clubs could be on the train for the next stop before nightfall, and could enjoy a good night's sleep on the train before arriving in the next city early in the morning. With no clubs further west than St. Louis, the journeys weren't long, the rail beds were smooth, and the Pullman service was always first-class.

One of the things players hated most about being sent to the minors was taking day-coach rattlers or grimy old buses instead of sleepers to get between road trip stops. Rookies hated being made to take the upper berths on the Pullmans, but it beat a bush-league bus.

I am surprised to see that Harold appears to have changed his suit before going to see Senga, slipping out of that spiffy pinstripe number he had on yesterday in favor of funereal black. Maybe he figures she won't think he has any money on him if he dresses thusly, but unfortunately money's the least of her concerns at the moment.

"Poot aboot" indeed. Never make fun of a Scot.

 

[David Conwill]

The White Auto Sales Company at 266 4th Avenue

Please tell me you've got an old photo of this place!

 

[LizzieMaine]

By some remarkable coincidence, that entire block of 4th Avenue is missing from the city tax photo files. No doubt somebody with connections caused those photos to "disappear." Strangely, Google Earth has no photo of the site either -- perhaps the influence of Mr. Adonis extends well beyond the grave.

Of slight interest, though, is the fact that 266 4th Avenue is just a thrown ball's distance from a grubby Consolidated Edison storage yard that was once Washington Park, home of the Dodgers before Ebbets Field. Maybe their leaving the neighborhod was the catalyst that drove poor young Mr. Adonis to a life of crime. A small section of the wall from that former ballpark is still standing there to this day.

 

[David Conwill]

Ah, drat. Well, thanks for looking. If you happen to come across any legitimate used-car lots in there, I'd love to see them.