The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

Yahhhhhhhhh, the layout desk crossed me up. Usually either Harold or Moon is the last strip to appear each day, but today they decided to play games and put GA last.

Unfortunately for Skeezix, no matter he sees from here on, Mr. Clock will not forget what he just overheard.

Incidentally, I pick up the News from time to time when I need something fast to read over lunch, and it does my heart well to see that Gasoline Alley is still running there, just as it has now for over a hundred years. Of all the strips we follow GA is the only one still in the News. (Tracy is still running, but the News dropped it about ten years ago, I think. I was shocked.)

Oh, and for several days now I've been trying to think of who it is that the new-look Blaze reminds me of, and I just now realized it:

 

[LizzieMaine]

President Roosevelt will ask Congress for authority to send artillery guns in storage since 1919 back to the manufacturers for sale to the Allies in the same manner as the Army is sending fifty Navy reserve airplanes back to the manufacturers for resale to Great Britain and France. The President stated today that he already has the authority to arrange for such deals involving aircraft and ammunition, under which the manufacturers will accept the old equipment in exchange for providing the Government with newly-manufactured equivalents, but he presently lacks the power to make similar arrangements for guns. The 75-millimeter field guns in question were actually manufactured by Britain and France during the World War and purchased by the United States but never used in combat.

The President also noted that fifty obsolete military airplanes are being returned to the Curtiss Company, for replacement by up-to-date armored planes equipped with bulletproof gasoline tanks. The old airplanes will be resold by Curtiss to the Allies.

The President today expressed his endorsement of an editorial in the New York Times calling for universal compulsory military training in the United States. The President acknowledged that he had read only the first paragraph of that editorial, but that he agreed with what he did read.

The Germans today sent an estimated 500,000 men into the great Somme-Aisne battle today in a supreme effort to outflank they Weygand Line on both ends and strike a decisive blow at the heart of France. The fresh wave of troops comes as the Germans are facing depletion of their mechanized strength by continuing waves of French counterattacks, with an estimated one-fifth of the two thousand tanks deployed over the first two days of the thrust having been destroyed or disabled. Meanwhile, a German communique claims that Nazi warplanes have attacked Cherbourg Harbor and a number of aerodromes in Eastern and Central France, inflicting heavy damage.

Italy has ordered all of its merchant ships to immediately make for neutral ports, and to remain in such ports until further notice. The move is the latest in a series of maneuvers by the Italian Government pointing to an impending entry by Italy into the European War.

Under slashing cross-examination today in Brooklyn Federal Court, Christian Front seditious conspiracy defendant William Gerald Bishop admitted to providing false testimony in his replies to questions concerning his past. Bishop admitted he had lied to Federal immigration authorities in 1935 when questioned by an Ellis Island court about the status of his mother, and that he had further lied when he had claimed to have fought on the Franco side during the Spanish Civil War. Assistant U. S. Attorney Harold Kennedy introduced further evidence of perjured statements when he produced home-relief applications on which Bishop claimed to have been born in Santa Barbara, California, despite testimony in the current trial in which he has claimed to have been born in Salem, Massachusetts. Attorney Kennedy then produced a signed police statement from 1933 in which Bishop claimed his birthplace as Geneva, Switzerland.

(Yeah, but you can go to Childs for 35 cents, and you don't have to drive all the way to Queens to do it.)

Brooklyn residents were assured today that scrap metal resulting from the coming demolition of the Fulton Street L will not end up being turned into Nazi tanks and guns. Following public controversy over the revelation that scrap steel from the demolition of Manhattan's Sixth Avenue L was sold to Germany and Japan, the Board of Transportation today issued a ruling that any scrap metal exported from future demolition projects under its jurisdiction may be sold only to Britain or France. Brooklyn City Councilman Joseph T. Sharkey declared that the scrap from the Sixth Avenue L "should have rotted in a junkyard" before being sold to aggressor states. That metal was not sold by the city to Germany or France, but to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, which in turn resold it to the aggressor powers.

The President of International Business Machines Corporation today returned to Germany the decoration he had been given by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler. Thomas J. Watson had accepted the Merit Cross of the German Eagle With Star from Hitler in 1937 in recognition of his services to Germany as the president of the International Chamber Of Commerce, and in returning the medal, the executive stated that "the present policies of Nazi Germany are contrary to the causes for which I have been working and for which I received the decoration."

("Lookit!" says Joe. "No money down! A year to pay!" "We already got a radio," replies Sally. "A radio, you call it," snaps back Joe. "A radio. That radio is so old it don't get nothin' but Wendell Hall. An' I already know all th' voises to 'It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'.'"

A twenty-two year old nurse who carries the whole burden of caring for her invalid father and her difficult mother while her older brother doesn't even kick in a cent toward their needs is tired of the unfairness. She writes in to Helen Worth to complain that her foreign-born parents feel that a woman has no rights and that her obligation is to see to their needs, while making no demands on her brother at all. She is studying beauty culture in night school to try and come up with a way of making some extra money, since her parents require her to turn over her full nursing salary to them, and she's at a loss as to what to do. Helen admits she doesn't really have any advice to offer other than talk to other relatives who might be able to intervene, or maybe the family doctor or clergyman. Readers?

A hundred and five thousand marchers paraded to mark the 111th anniversary of the Brooklyn Sunday School Union, in a march marked by strong themes of both war and peace. Speaker James W. Gerard, ambassador to Germany in the years leading up to the World War, declared "we ought to be in this war. If we stay out, we're cooked." Gerard's remarks contrasted with many of the floats, some which bore large placards citing Christ's admonition, "Blessed Are The Peacemakers."

(A "beefsteak party" is a unique tradition of Old New York, in which heaping platters of sliced rare steak and chunks of bread are served at a communal table without the benefit of utensils or napkins. The meat is eaten with the bare hands, and diners wear butchers'-aprons to wipe off the juice and the grease as they go. The meal continues, with big pitchers of beer to wash it all down, until all the meat is gone. Kind of an odd choice for a seafood restaurant, but free is free. Joe will be there with his apron on, and now that women are allowed to attend such events, there's a pretty good chance Sally will be too.)

(Henry, however, will not be at the free beefsteak -- it's bad for his dyspesia.)

The smallest slot machine ever seized in Brooklyn is in the hands of police, following a raid at a restaurant in Bay Ridge. Proprietor Nicholas Zyfrewski of 77 Bridge Street faces charges of possessing illegal gambling equipment after a police detective won four cents on a penny bet from the miniature machine. The device measured just 4 1/2 by 6 inches, and was attached to the restaurant cash register.

The Dodgers won their fifth straight, closing out the Cardinal series at Sportsman's Park with a 9-5 win. Dixie Walker got the scoring started with his first home run of the season, and added a triple later in the afternoon. Manager Leo Durocher went on a batting rampage, knocking in three runs for the day. Luke Hamlin earned his fourth win of the season, but weakened somewhat at the end of the game, giving way at the finish to Newel Kimball, whose performance in closing down a late Cardinal threat impressed Durocher to the point where Kimball may get a chance as a starter soon.

Following yesterday's game, Cardinal owner Sam Breadon dismissed manager Ray Blades, and announced that Billy Southworth, lately manager of the Rochester Red Wings in the International League, will take over the club next week. Coach Mike Gonzalez will helm the Redbirds thru the weekend. The Cards, who were expected to contend this season, are mired in sixth place, 13 1/2 games behind the Reds.

All eyes in the baseball world turn now to Crosley Field, where the Dodgers begin a crucial four-game series against the league-leading Reds. Bucky Walters, who, going for his tenth win of the season, is seen by many observers as having a very realistic chance of winning thirty games in 1940, will open the series for the Reds against Whit Wyatt for the Flock.

Joe Cronin of the Red Sox will manage the American League All-Star Team in the annual midsummer classic, to be played in St. Louis on July 9th. By tradition the honor should have fallen to Yankee manager Joe McCarthy, as leader of the 1939 pennant winners, but it was agreed that McCarthy, who has managed the AL All-Stars every season since 1936, ought to step aside and give somebody else a chance.

Bimilech, winner of the Preakness, tops the field of seven horses in tomorrow's Belmont Stake, along with Gallahadion, upset winner of the Kentucky Derby, running for a purse of $47,680 in the third of the Triple Crown racing events of the season. A crowd of up to 40,000 is expected at Belmont Park for the race.

(Sugarfoot Bungle, L. L. D.)

(Point of order: there is no such thing as 'spontaneous enthusiasm' at any political convention.)

(Dan considers a new career as a demolition-derby driver.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

There is clearly an angle to this Mayo story that isn't being discussed, and it doesn't take much to imagine what it is. And as for graduation, I graduated with tomato sauce all over my clothes because I'd had a plate of spaghetti thrown at me before I left the house. Sometimes it's better to "look just like the rest of the class."

So the last time Childs ran a full page ad, they had Bob Hope. Today they give you -- some gal with good teeth. If the budget gets cut any closer, the ads will be painted on old cardboard and carried around by kids for ten cents a day.

Nick Gatt, master of the "false flag operation."

"But what about *my* boyfriend???"

Well now.

"Lissen, don't you guys have a big dog or something?"

There's an open manhole just ahead, kid. Why not step right in and save yourself a lot of trouble.

Of course, Moon and Willie have both been in jail many dozens of times each, but they were *discreet* about it.

Well, you could study up on international geopolitics and figure out if her story makes sense.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
("Lookit!" says Joe. "No money down! A year to pay!" "We already got a radio," replies Sally. "A radio, you call it," snaps back Joe. "A radio. That radio is so old it don't get nothin' but Wendell Hall. An' I already know all th' voises to 'It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'.'"...

Using our handy-dandy Davega model-year-conversation calculator, I believe that a Davega 1940 RCA converts to an actual 1938 RCA model.

...A twenty-two year old nurse who carries the whole burden of caring for her invalid father and her difficult mother while her older brother doesn't even kick in a cent toward their needs is tired of the unfairness. She writes in to Helen Worth to complain that her foreign-born parents feel that a woman has no rights and that her obligation is to see to their needs, while making no demands on her brother at all. She is studying beauty culture in night school to try and come up with a way of making some extra money, since her parents require her to turn over her full nursing salary to them, and she's at a loss as to what to do. Helen admits she doesn't really have any advice to offer other than talk to other relatives who might be able to intervene, or maybe the family doctor or clergyman. Readers?...

Sometimes life just deals you an awful hand.

...
(A "beefsteak party" is a unique tradition of Old New York, in which heaping platters of sliced rare steak and chunks of bread are served at a communal table without the benefit of utensils or napkins. The meat is eaten with the bare hands, and diners wear butchers'-aprons to wipe off the juice and the grease as they go. The meal continues, with big pitchers of beer to wash it all down, until all the meat is gone. Kind of an odd choice for a seafood restaurant, but free is free. Joe will be there with his apron on, and now that women are allowed to attend such events, there's a pretty good chance Sally will be too.)...

Another, learn-something-new-everyday one. So, why do the restaurants do this - give away a meal and beer for free? Does it attract enough attention that it's viewed as advertising / creates a buzz? Do they hope the people who come for the free meal will come back another day as paying customers?

... (Point of order: there is no such thing as 'spontaneous enthusiasm' at any political convention.)...

"...a plane." Why wasn't John, seemingly a leading candidate, at the convention? Does that make any sense?

... (Dan considers a new career as a demolition-derby driver.)

That's quite the plan Special Agent Dan Dunn came up with.

... There is clearly an angle to this Mayo story that isn't being discussed, and it doesn't take much to imagine what it is. And as for graduation, I graduated with tomato sauce all over my clothes because I'd had a plate of spaghetti thrown at me before I left the house. Sometimes it's better to "look just like the rest of the class."....

Re Mayo: I agree Lizzie, thought about that yesterday and, then, the far-right pic of the three today convinced me.

Re Chottie: I know we don't do divorces that way anymore, but "alienation of affections" is just such a perfect reflection of what often happens and such perfect phrasing that it's a shame it went away. I think Mr. Mayo might be a victim of alienation of affections owing to a love of which we do not speak.

... So the last time Childs ran a full page ad, they had Bob Hope. Today they give you -- some gal with good teeth. If the budget gets cut any closer, the ads will be painted on old cardboard and carried around by kids for ten cents a day.....

Fair point, but good teeth weren't as common back then and our Donna Reed lookalike has a nice set.

Just noting, the out-of-season-but-I'd-still-order-it Raison Gingerbread muffin (at least the new cut-price and cut-throat Childs still loves its muffins). And tough call on dessert, but I think the custard pie will edge out the rice pudding.

Also, maybe the new value-priced Childs (as you implied above Lizzie) was a pro-active move against HoJos?

...
Nick Gatt, master of the "false flag operation."...

Love it. Now we'll just have to wait to see what goes wrong with the plan.

...[ Well now.....

I'm guessing, post-cholera, April will take another run at Pat. But much more interesting is the Raven Sherman story (she's clearly no church mouse). It's time Caniff started filling us in a bit on her background. Could she be a rich girl making amends for some spoiled-brat behavior gone horribly wrong? As we suspected, she might be Leona's cosmic twin.

... There's an open manhole just ahead, kid. Why not step right in and save yourself a lot of trouble.....

Tula's not subtle, but she's got game or chutzpah anyway. Love the blush and sweat lines on Skeezix.

...[
Well, you could study up on international geopolitics and figure out if her story makes sense.

Yes, by all means, study up and research her story young Harold, right after you've RUN FAR AWAY WITHOUT LOOKING BACK.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Beefsteak dinners were very popular as goodwill-building events for political ward-heelers looking to shore up support for their candidate around the neighborhood -- sometimes they were specifically fundraisers, sometimes freebie deals -- "dig in, pal, an' remember who fed ya on Election Day!" I imagine this particular case is a goodwill builder for the restaurant, although it's possible some local pol has his hand in it. A fish fry would make more sense for this joint, but maybe they want to save the fish for the paying customers.

It did not go unnoticed that both the gals involved in the Mayo case work at the Childs branch out at the World's Fair. "Mad Meadow" indeed.

I expect that Raven's past is about to be dragged into the open, much to her own opposition. There's a lot of reporters with cameras around Hong Kong right now, and if she has a reputation of any kind someone will recognize her. Maybe she should follow Blaze's example and come up with a quickie disguise.

The expression on Mr. Clock's face is absolutely deadly thruout this strip. I imagine there'll be a long conversation with Nina when he gets home.

It was kind of a thing for candidates to make dramatic appearances at political conventions, when political conventions still had significance. FDR set that style when he flew into Chicago to speak at the 1932 Democratic Convention -- before that it was considered to be in poor taste for a candidate to hang around a convention. That sort of thing was best left to the professional shmoozers.

What John really ought to do is rent a union hall somewhere and throw a beefsteak. Bill could probably get the Teamsters involved. I want to see Leona with a butchers-apron on eating steak with her bare hands. It'd make a great Sunday page!

 

[LizzieMaine]

German tanks are now fifty-two miles from Paris, after advancing with guns blazing for more than 22 miles across the open fields of Normandy. Attacking at dawn on the fourth day of the Battle Of France, the tanks ripped thru Allied lines, with infantry fighting them from hedges, ditches, and rose-covered cottages. At the same time, German troops have advanced down the Olse River valley to a point about fifty-three miles from the French capital. French and British military authorities state that the advancing tanks are isolated and without infantry support, and that the Allied high commands have taken special measures to block them off and wipe them out.

German raiders today continued their attacks on the English coast, with reports of bombings and machine-gun assaults on houses in an unnamed southern coastal town. An Air Ministry communique states that damage was minimal and that there were no casualties. One Nazi bomber was reported to have crashed and burned in East Suffolk, with one member of its crew killed on impact, another injured, and a third captured. The injured flier subsequently died, and the captured man struggled with police, declaring that he intended to keep fighting.

Isolationists in Congress say they plan to fight the President's proposed extension of his "trade in" plan for selling armaments to the Allies, calling it "a step toward sending American boys abroad." Senator D. Worth Clark (D-Idaho) stated that he intends to call a meeting today of other isolationists to form a voting bloc in opposition to the Administration proposal.

A bonfire on the campus of Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute last night got out of control, causing a building superintendant to attack the flames with a fire extinguisher. The traditional "cremation" of a thirty-foot-long effigy of a slide rule in the school's courtyard at Livingston and Court Streets was ignited by members of the Class of 1940 at 8 pm, but the flames roared so high that someone in the neighborhood turned in a fire alarm. Building superintendant Oscar Lindholm then intervened with an extinguisher, and by the time fire engines arrived clanging at the scene, the fire was safely contained.

William Gerald Bishop today admitted on the witness stand that, far from being a decorated military veteran, he in fact bought the medals he enjoyed displaying at a pawn shop. On trial as the accused ringleader in the Christian Front seditious conspiracy plot, Bishop admitted that he bought the five medals offered as a courtroom exhibit at a shop on 4th Avenue in Manhattan, and that he had further paid a jeweler on 34th Street to engrave "Lt. W. G. Bishop, Royal Scottish Rifles" on the medals.

H. B. writes in to Helen Worth to complain that New York is a lonely city of heartbreak, and wants to know what he can do about it. H. B. is "just over 30," and until recently was teaching at a private school until that school ran out of money and was forced to close. He says he can't afford to invite any young ladies out on dates because of his circumstances and as a result he sits alone every night in his boarding-house room playing solitaire. He's hoping Helen can fix him up with some friends who could teach him the newest dances or anything else that might be fun to do. Helen invites readers to write in and she'll pass the letters along.

("Sayyyyy! You chumps ever hear of the Coogan Law?")

The Dodgers are back in first place by percentage points after Dolph Camilli and Joe Vosmik took the measure of Bucky Walters with home runs, pacing the Flock to a 4-2 11-inning win over the Reds in the opening game of a crucial four-game set at Crosley Field. The sixth consecutive Brooklyn victory stopped Walters' personal winning stream at nine games. A long fly by Cincinnati outfielder Harry Craft that would have won the game for the Reds in the bottom of the ninth was held to a double after bouncing off the high screen in center field, and after the game ended in a Cincinnati loss, an irate Reds fan ran onto the field and attempted to pull that screen down.

Dixie Walker and Cookie Lavagetto both insist that the Dodgers' current winning streak was triggered by a letter Walker received in Chicago from a Brooklyn woman who says her sick daughter, who listens to every game on the radio, always seems to rally when the Dodgers win, and becomes sicker when they lose. Since Walker read that letter to his teammates, they haven't lost a game.

Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons gets the start for Brooklyn today against Paul Derringer of the Reds.

Tomorrow's twinbill in Cincinnati has been sold out for two weeks.

With Shirley Temple having retired from the movies, her agent is shopping her around as a potential radio star, but at $7500 per broadcast there are no nibbles.

The launch of the battleship USS North Carolina at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on June 13th will be televised over W2XBS at 3:30 pm. The event marks the first ship launching ever to be televised anywhere in the world.

(When everybody you meet tells you that you're crazy, you must at least consider the possibility that you are.)

(If John doesn't realize how much it costs to hire a crowd like that, he'll soon find out.)

(I hope Dan remembered to duck, because otherwise it really hurts to get impaled on a steering column.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

I hope Miss Helen Winthrope Weyant isn't too disappointed.

"Hey," says Sally. "Did you --?" "Who, me?" replies Joe. "'Course, y'gotta admit he's gotta pernt!"

Well, she *is* odd, at that.

It's not every would-be dictator who dresses his followers in tuxedoes. It's the little things that count.

Hey, not so fast. Clearly you have talent -- why not try show biz for a while? So what if you *are* a crook? That never stopped anybody.

Ah, Dr. Trepan, who made his name drilling holes in patients' skulls. You're next, Mamma.

Don't blame her, kid -- you're the one who got yourself into this.

Better have another soda, son. This is gonna go on for a while.

So -- you finally admit you're really Otto Lummox? Or you're just trying to think of a way to turn yourself in for the reward without turning yourself in?

 

[Fading Fast]

...A bonfire on the campus of Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute last night got out of control, causing a building superintendant to attack the flames with a fire extinguisher. The traditional "cremation" of a thirty-foot-long effigy of a slide rule in the school's courtyard at Livingston and Court Streets was ignited by members of the Class of 1940 at 8 pm, but the flames roared so high that someone in the neighborhood turned in a fire alarm. Building superintendant Oscar Lindholm then intervened with an extinguisher, and by the time fire engines arrived clanging at the scene, the fire was safely contained....

Hey, what other stories you got, we need a little filler?

Uh, well, there's the nothing story about a bonfire at BPI and the fire department being called.

That sounds okay - much damage, anyone hurt, how long did it take the fire department to put it out?

Well, um, er, no damage and a building superintendent got the bonfire under control with a fire extinguisher before the fire department even showed up.

That's not a story, (pause) oh heck, we need something, run it.

...The Dodgers are back in first place by percentage points after Dolph Camilli and Joe Vosmik took the measure of Bucky Walters with home runs, pacing the Flock to a 4-2 11-inning win over the Reds in the opening game of a crucial four-game set at Crosley Field. The sixth consecutive Brooklyn victory stopped Walters' personal winning stream at nine games. A long fly by Cincinnati outfielder Harry Craft that would have won the game for the Reds in the bottom of the ninth was held to a double after bouncing off the high screen in center field, and after the game ended in a Cincinnati loss, an irate Reds fan ran onto the field and attempted to pull that screen down....

I would think Sally would have taken notice of the Cincinnati's fan behavior and had some pro-Brooklyn-fans comments about it for Joe.

...With Shirley Temple having retired from the movies, her agent is shopping her around as a potential radio star, but at $7500 per broadcast there are no nibbles....

Shirley was asking about $140,000 per broadcast in 2020 dollars.

... (When everybody you meet tells you that you're crazy, you must at least consider the possibility that you are.)...

Since he's writing the strip, why can't Tuthill take his own advice before his readers start "hanging up" on him.

...
I hope Miss Helen Winthrope Weyant isn't too disappointed....

Re Miss Winthrope: Her $300,000 is worth about $5,500,000 today. So, assuming her role was what we think her role was, that's a pretty good take.

Re Madeline Carroll: Good for her, that's no modern Hollywood activist posturing.

Re "The Neighbors:" If pressed, I'd bet my dad knew my birthday date, but it wasn't something he thought about and he never knew my age. "How old are you?" was a regular question he asked me when he was introducing me to one of his friend (sometimes asked two or three times in one day). "What grade are you in?" was another popular one of his.

Re Calving Tulia: Jail might be the safest place for him.

...
"Hey," says Sally. "Did you --?" "Who, me?" replies Joe. "'Course, y'gotta admit he's gotta pernt!"...

Social media has not changed people; it's just allowed them to be their full selves all the time.

... Well, she *is* odd, at that....

Is moneybags Raven buying clothes for everyone? It would explain why Pat's shirt is a size too small and missing a top button or two.

... It's not every would-be dictator who dresses his followers in tuxedoes. It's the little things that count....

So, is Nick planning mass murder here or what's his strategy if he captures all these guys?

... Ah, Dr. Trepan, who made his name drilling holes in patients' skulls. You're next, Mamma....

Mamma's quite the treat, isn't she?

... Don't blame her, kid -- you're the one who got yourself into this....

Oh yeh, this one's on him.

... Better have another soda, son. This is gonna go on for a while....

Rarely are life-defining moments so obvious at the time. But for this one, whatever he chooses, Harold can't say it wasn't clearly a big freakin' decision when he made it. Now, make the right one kid.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The French were falling back tonight along nearly sixty miles of the front as the Germans continue their drive toward Paris, in the strongest attack of the war and the most massive mechanized onslaught in military history. The Germans threw 50 infantry divisions and seven armored divisions totalling more than a million men and 7500 tanks into the assault today south of the Somme. North of the capital city, the French withdrew for a second consecutive day, a fall-back called "a retirement maneuver" by a military spokesman who insisted that the line remains unbroken. But German military sources insisted that that the Nazi steamroller is breaking thru the Weygand Line at will, and is pushing down the path toward Paris exactly as planned.

A pointed warning that five Allied cities will be bombed for every Italian city attacked came from Rome today in another strong indication that Italy is preparing to enter the war. Observers in Italy stated today that Italy may join the conflict on the side of Germany as early as next week.

A military conscription bill that will subject American men aged from 18 to 65 to the draft will go before Congress within the next week, predicts the vice president and general manager of the New York Times. Colonel Julius Ochs Adler, an officer in the Infantry Reserve Corps, made his statement in an address before alumni and graduating students at Princeton University, and urged support for the measure.

District Attorney William O'Dwyer says he will investigate the activities of the Kings County Communist Party after a group of twenty-five Communist pickets paraded in front of his office today to protest the imprisonment of "a twenty-three-year-old Negro" whose rape conviction was thrown out by the Appellate Court. Despite that ruling, John Williams remains in custody, with no indication if or when he will be released. The District Attorney called the picketing of his office "a breakdown in law enforcement" that that cannot be allowed "while we're on the edge of a war and turmoil." The picketers left a six-by-eight-foot placard at the District Attorney's office, bearing the signatures of ten thousand persons demanding Williams' immediate release. "If I were to allow Communists to do this today," stated O'Dwyer, "then thugs like Harry 'Happy' Maione will and can do it tomorrow." Robert Campbell, "Negro co-chairman" of the Kings County Committee of the Communist Party, denied any attempt was made to "intimidate" O'Dwyer, stating that the signers of the petition "are interested the equal protection of the law for Negroes, and they have the right to express the opinion that John Williams should be freed after he has spent many months in jail on a charge that has twice been rejected by the Appellate Division." Added Campbell, "Judge O'Dwyer, himself being the target of witch-hunters, should be the last to identify himself with the 'fifth column' phrase as a pretext for the attack on the civil rights of citizens."



While full demolition of the Fulton Street L might not begin until fall, BMT crews started picking its bones on Friday, as workers began removing rails, signal equipment, and other usable material from the structure. The pieces will be used in the Pitkin Avenue yards of the Independent division of the newly-created New York City Rapid Transit System, and in the rehabilitation of the New York, Westchester, and Boston Railway recently purchased by the city.

Meanwhile, workers who demolished the Sixth Avenue L in Manhattan have a warning for the crews who will do the job in Brooklyn -- watch out for concrete. Demolition workers on the Sixth Avenue project found that many of the steel columns had been filled with poured concrete to stiffen them, and that the concrete had adhered so strongly to the metal as to render it worthless for scrap. The contractor who handled the Sixth Avenue job is said to have "lost his shirt" on the project.

("Yeah," says Joe, "but my ol' man ain't named John T. DeVoy." "Jus' get him a bottle of Old Crow," says Sally. "It's close enough.")

Williamsburg was a beautiful town until they built that bridge, declares Old Timer C. L. W. who remembers being displaced by the construction of That Bridge in 1901. "All of our possession were packed up and removed to a distant part of the city, and within two weeks all of the houses on our block were razed."

Seven hundred persons attended funeral services for Frances Landicino, fifteen-year-old Canarsie schoolgirl who was crushed to death in a subway accident last week. Forty of her friends from Girls Commercial High School followed the casket from Our Lady of Miracles R. C. Church to St. John's Cemetery.

The Dodgers are back in second place, and took a hard tumble getting there, as they were drubbed by the Reds yesterday 23-2. Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons' knuckleball was of no effect, allowing six hits and four runs in the just two innings, and Clay Doyle was even worse, giving up sixteen hits and fourteen runs in a four-inning stint marked by excessive wildness. Van Mungo came in to mop up, managing the only scoreless inning of the game before allowing another four runs in the eighth. Not only did Harry Craft hit for the cycle for Cincinnati, he got on base almost every possible way, with a home run, a triple, a double, two singles, and a walk, and was hit by a pitch.

Today the Dodgers try to forget about yesterday in a doubleheader at Crosley Field. Tex Carleton and Whit Wyatt start for Brooklyn versus Milkman Jim Turner and Junior Thompson for the Reds.

Pee Wee Reese will not join the Dodgers for the remainder of the road trip. He is still at the sitting-up stage at Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago following his beaning, and will return directly to Brooklyn following his release some time next week.

Bimilech breezed to an easy win in the 72nd running of the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park yesterday. The bay in the green-and-white colors of Col. E. R. Bradley of Kentucky took charge in the last quarter of the race and won the $35,030 prize by three-quarters of a length. Your Chance placed, and Andy K finished to show.

Gene Sarazen and Lawson Little, tied at 287, will play off today for the title in the National Open out in Cleveland. Ed Oliver also had a score of 287 but was disqualified for starting a round too soon and is out of the finals.

The Baltimore Elite Giants face the Bushwicks in a doubleheader today at Dexter Park. The Elites won the Negro World Series last year in six games in an upset victory over the Homestead Grays, and are among the finest Negro clubs ever assembled.

The Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force makes the front page of Trend this week --

Mlle. Evonne Kummer, performer in the American Jubilee at the World's Fair, has a pet lobster named "Blitzcreek." She walks the bored crustacean around the grounds on a leash and says he can make a speed of 20 feet per hour.

Screen actress Betty Compson prefers not to discuss her career in silent films, noting that a background in silents is very much a disadvantage in youth-crazed Hollywood because it serves only to remind people of how old you are. Miss Compson, who is forty, began her screen career at nineteen, and is tired of people younger than she is claiming to have watched her films when they were children.

(There's a fat pull-out section this week filled with ads for vacation spots, nearly all of which are in the Northeast, and a sizable number of which advertise "select clientele," "Christian clientele," or flat-out "Restricted" -- all of which mean "No Jewish Guests Need Apply." It was a gentler time...)

(SAVE THE CATS!)

(I don't think I've ever seen a photo of King George VI laughing, and seeing how much the drawing here resembles The Joker, I don't think I want to.)

(Social media versus print --The Untold Origin!)

(You wouldn't be so out of breath if you didn't talk so much while you were running.)

(And that's why George is over fifty and yet is still as skinny as a rail.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Hey Senga, you think you've got it bad....

HELLO FOLKS!

What, no mention of the brown Christmas trees still blowing around in the vacant lots? Mr. Hill must live in a ritzy neighborhood.

Before this story is over, I hope we see Jerome riding a cow, a goat, and a prize hog. If they can find a moose or an elk that would be good too.

Well, that's what happens when you ask a guy named "Goofy" to do it. Be thankful you didn't go to "Poison."

Not only do they all wear identical tuxedoes, they all have identical little moustaches. Axel has assembled a fearsome army of floorwalkers.

Aw, that means Uncle Bim won't be able to dive into all those gold coins like a porpoise and throw them up in the air and let them hit him in the head. No, wait, that's Uncle Scrooge.

TERRY! In person! And along with him, we see Connie -- freelance guide and translator who, despite his comedy relief appearance is a fierce fighter against the Invader, and Big Stoop -- who is not so named because he's stupid, but because he's so tall he has to bend down to listen to you. He is a former henchman of the Dragon Lady who rebelled against her when she cut his tongue out (hey kids, comics) and is now a loyal ally of Terry and Pat.

For that matter, I'd very much like to see Jerome riding this erudite, articulate bear.

Note that Willie also has the ability to read his own adventures in the newspaper -- but he has the good sense not to comment on what's happened to Kitty.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Meanwhile, workers who demolished the Sixth Avenue L in Manhattan have a warning for the crews who will do the job in Brooklyn -- watch out for concrete. Demolition workers on the Sixth Avenue project found that many of the steel columns had been filled with poured concrete to stiffen them, and that the concrete had adhered so strongly to the metal as to render it worthless for scrap. The contractor who handled the Sixth Avenue job is said to have "lost his shirt" on the project....

Could be BS in this case, but I have some contractor friends and these guys absolutely do lose money on some highly competitive bid jobs, usually, for reasons like this. As they tell me, until you actually do the demo, you're just making an educated guess at what you'll find.

...

("Yeah," says Joe, "but my ol' man ain't named John T. DeVoy." "Jus' get him a bottle of Old Crow," says Sally. "It's close enough.")...

One thing all these A&S ads together have reminded me is how departments stores once really were the go-to place for a massive selection of almost everything. Today, they offer clothing, "housewares" and a few other things (and failing even at that), but in their day, these stores really did offer an incredible selection that you all but couldn't find elsewhere (away from the major catalogue companies).

...Screen actress Betty Compson prefers not to discuss her career in silent films, noting that a background in silents is very much a disadvantage in youth-crazed Hollywood because it serves only to remind people of how old you are. Miss Compson, who is forty, began her screen career at nineteen, and is tired of people younger than she is claiming to have watched her films when they were children...

We can blame Hollywood, but in truth, Hollywood will put on screen anyone the public wants to see and, since the beginning, the public has loved seeing youth and beauty. That is one thing that hasn't changed one bit.

... View attachment 240765 (There's a fat pull-out section this week filled with ads for vacation spots, nearly all of which are in the Northeast, and a sizable number of which advertise "select clientele," "Christian clientele," or flat-out "Restricted" -- all of which mean "No Jewish Guests Need Apply." It was a gentler time...)...

And yes, there was a movie about just that. In "Gentleman's Agreement," from 1947, there is a scene showing a man (Gregory Peck) being denied a hotel reservation once the hotel manager realizes the man is Jewish.

Horrible that it happened, but good to see there were people fighting it back then and fighting it hard and loud enough to get a major studio release with top stars denouncing it. It's an outstanding movie.

This is the scene where Gregory Peck, posing as a Jewish man, is denied a reservation:

N.B., If you do see it, it's also a movie where the star (Peck) chooses the wrong girl (of the two) in the end - it happens even in movies.

...[ (You wouldn't be so out of breath if you didn't talk so much while you were running.)...

Good action adventure illustrating today. Also, love that he's just waiting for the tubes to heat up before giving the signal. And, as you noted earlier on Lizzie, that Black Hood posture thing is no accident.

... Hey Senga, you think you've got it bad.......

Had the same Senga thought. Harold would be better off marrying Baroness von Mauchenheim (if the separation leads to a divorce) as he could help her avoid the same deportation Senga is facing and I'm betting (random selection alone) that she's a better person.

It was interesting to see the outcome of the Plaza inside-job jewel heist.

...[
HELLO FOLKS!....

Does the Fair advertise in The Eagle? Either it really is that much better this year or the Eagle doesn't want to anger a large advertiser.

... Not only do they all wear identical tuxedoes, they all have identical little moustaches. Axel has assembled a fearsome army of floorwalkers.....

Axel's speeches are bombastically and repetitively awful. Separately, Nick's plan is going too well, I'm nervous.

...
TERRY! In person! And along with him, we see Connie -- freelance guide and translator who, despite his comedy relief appearance is a fierce fighter against the Invader, and Big Stoop -- who is not so named because he's stupid, but because he's so tall he has to bend down to listen to you. He is a former henchman of the Dragon Lady who rebelled against her when she cut his tongue out (hey kids, comics) and is now a loyal ally of Terry and Pat....

Holy Cats! There's a lot to absorb today. RS turned out to be a rich heiress as we suspected - time for the Leona from "Mary Worth" crossover.

Studying panels four, five and seven, I'm thinking Joan Crawford in the role of Raven Sherman.

And, lastly, an appearance by Terry. As someone who only came to T&TP through these Day by Days, Pat has been the face of T&TP till now. Looking forward to meeting Terry, his crew and the Dragon Lady.

 

[LizzieMaine]

When Terry first hooked up with Pat to search for a lost mine inherited from his grandfather, he looked to be about thirteen, which would put him about nineteen now -- in other words, the same age as Skeezix Wallet and Harold Teen. I wonder if, now that April is back on his scene, he'll start recklessly spending money and otherwise acting like a hormone-charged young fool.

Of course, now that April has eyes only for Pat, the dynamic could be very interesting.

There seems to be an unwritten rule in the New York press to never, ever criticize any aspect of the Fair -- not even when it lost a ton of money last year. Everything is always super-duper great, especially any exhibit maintained by a prominent national advertiser such as General Motors, Chrysler, or Ford. If you look over a Fair guidebook, pretty much all the domestic exhibits were a who's-who of the NAM, and that meant a lot of buying power at the advertising desk. The only New York papers who bucked the tide were PM -- which begins publication in about two weeks, and will accept no ads from anybody -- and the Daily Worker, which had an understandably small advertising base. Those papers could be pointed in their criticism of the commercial aspects of the Fair, but they were small voices in a crowded room.

One of Mr. Gray's weaknesses as a writer is that he tends to make his villians all-consumingly evil, with moustache-twirling dialogue to match. As much nuance as he can put into his heroes, his bad guys are always on the cartoony side.

 

[Haversack]

Fading Fast Wrote: "One thing all these A&S ads together have reminded me is how departments stores once really were the go-to place for a massive selection of almost everything. Today, they offer clothing, "housewares" and a few other things (and failing even at that), but in their day, these stores really did offer an incredible selection that you all but couldn't find elsewhere (away from the major catalogue companies)."

That's true for the US but is not universal. I was in Spain last year and discovered the El Corte Ingles department store chain. It was rather like stepping back in time. Supermarket in the basement; wines, spirits, fine foods, and a bistro terrace on the roof; and in between clothes, couture, hardware, furniture, appliances, toys, linens, usw. And all decked out like I remember I. Magnin's used to be. Also, the staff seemed to be professionals doing a good job and not disposable peons.

 

[Fading Fast]

When Terry first hooked up with Pat to search for a lost mine inherited from his grandfather, he looked to be about thirteen, which would put him about nineteen now -- in other words, the same age as Skeezix Wallet and Harold Teen. I wonder if, now that April is back on his scene, he'll start recklessly spending money and otherwise acting like a hormone-charged young fool.

Of course, now that April has eyes only for Pat, the dynamic could be very interesting.

There seems to be an unwritten rule in the New York press to never, ever criticize any aspect of the Fair -- not even when it lost a ton of money last year. Everything is always super-duper great, especially any exhibit maintained by a prominent national advertiser such as General Motors, Chrysler, or Ford. If you look over a Fair guidebook, pretty much all the domestic exhibits were a who's-who of the NAM, and that meant a lot of buying power at the advertising desk. The only New York papers who bucked the tide were PM -- which begins publication in about two weeks, and will accept no ads from anybody -- and the Daily Worker, which had an understandably small advertising base. Those papers could be pointed in their criticism of the commercial aspects of the Fair, but they were small voices in a crowded room.

One of Mr. Gray's weaknesses as a writer is that he tends to make his villians all-consumingly evil, with moustache-twirling dialogue to match. As much nuance as he can put into his heroes, his bad guys are always on the cartoony side.

But thankfully, from what we know so far, April has more character in her pinky than either Tula or Senga do in their entire bodies. And let's not kid ourselves, in the real world (and in 1940), April and Pat would have already hooked up as would have Pat and Raven. They were alone too long and in too intimate and dangerous a setting for it not to have happened. Now that they worked through that stuff, the serious business of who really wants to be with whom would commence as they return to (somewhat) civilization.

It's funny that Gray is that way, as, overall, he sees the middle ground, the nuances, the gray areas [] in people and life as that's what makes his strip so good. Nick - one of his best characters - is all complex grayness.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think Gray viewed his strip as a morality play -- in which some people were able to reach beyond their inner evil and some were consumed by it. The only figure in the strip who was ever one hundred percent good was Annie herself, and even that was sometimes debatable. (Well, Sandy the Dog was always good, but there's no such thing as a bad dog.) But when you were wholly evil, according to his worldview, there was no possibility of redemption -- even Chester Gould had villians who could sometimes see the error of their ways, but Gray didn't go in for that. Once you crossed the line -- say, by throwing Annie into the sea -- you were condemned forever.

Caniff, on the other hand, very rarely had a villian who was wholly evil. Cap'n Blaze started out as an enemy and wound up a friend and ally, and at this stage of the strip, even the Dragon Lady has put aside her international-criminal activities in order to fight the Invader. War makes strange bedfellows, and the DL has always had the hots for Pat. If she reappears soon, that could make the situation with Raven and April even more fraught.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Italy tonight took the plunge into war on the side of Germany, with Premier Mussolini making the announcement in a bombastic speech from the balcony of the Palazzo Venezia before a wildly cheering crowd of Fascists. Italy's declaration of war, said Mussolini, had been handed to the British and French ambassadors. He announced as Italy's chief war aims the recovered control of the Mediterranean.

Coincident with the declaration war, Italian troops marched into French territory thru the Riviera at about 6:30 pm local time (12:30 pm Brooklyn time.) German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop declared that all Germany was "filled with jubilant enthusiasm" over the Italian declaration, and promised that Nazi and Fascist troops would fight "shoulder to shoulder, until the rulers of England and France are ready to respect the vital rights of both our nations."

Italy's entry into the war is expected to bring remarks tonight from President Roosevelt in an address to be broadcast from Charlottesville, Virginia.

German forces have closed to within thirty miles of Paris today after breaking thru defense lines of the Seine, the Olse, and the Aisne, and are moving toward the Marne. A report from the British news agency Reuters states that the permanent staffs of French government ministries have been removed to the provinces, but the heads of government remain in Paris, as the city is placed "in a state of defense."

There was no cheering in Brooklyn's "Little Italy" at word of the Italian entry into the war. Radios blared fast and furiously from all sides in the area of 4th Avenue and Union Street in the Gowanus district, heart of the borough's Italian community. In the Mazzini Democratic Club at 705 Union Street, men were heard to declare "We're Americans, we're not Fascists! The people here don't want war! There's a bunch of puppets over there starving and cheering for war!"

A six-pound two-ounce baby girl for whom Abe "Kid Twist" Reles turned squealer is giving her father close competition today with her lusty cries. Expectancy of the infant, who came into the world yesterday under police guard, is credited with Reles' decision to turn informant for District Attorney William O'Dwyer in his investigation of the Brooklyn Murder for Hire gang. A police matron stood outside the room at Beth-El Hospital where 28-year-old Rose Reles gave birth to the child. Reles himself is being held at "a secret hideaway" as the O'Dwyer investigation continues.

Counsel for Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, whose trial for the murder of Irving "Puggy" Feinstein is scheduled to begin a week from today in Kings County Court, has indicated that he will claim an insanity defense for his client. Attorney Daniel H. Prior today requested the appointment of a psychiatrist to examine Strauss, whom he described as "irrational and insane." Assistant District Attorney Burton Turkus, who will prosecute the trial, offered no objection to the appointment, but characterized Strauss as "a consummate faker" who is "crazy as a fox."

Officials of the World's Fair have spiked a call for a "third term" for the Flushing extravaganza, after City Council President Newbold Morris announced his plan to call for a council resolution that would endorse continuing the Fair thru the 1943 season. Fair President Harvey D. Gibson and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses ridiculed the idea, with Gibson pointing out that contracts have already been let out for demolition of the Fair structures, and wreckers will be going to work on October 28th, the day after the Fair closes. Commissioner Moses states that the Fair must be razed on schedule to allow for the planned development of Flushing Meadow Park.

While Brooklyn, with the largest Jewish population of any city in the world, has no official Chief Rabbi, a worthy contender for that title would be Dr. Israel Herbert Leventhal of the Brooklyn Jewish Center at 667 Eastern Parkway, who yesterday became the first Brooklyn rabbi to receive an honorary doctorate from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in Manhattan. Dr. Leventhal, who graduated from that institution in 1910, becomes one of only four or five rabbis in the country to be so honored.

"Distraught" writes to Helen Worth with a good reason so to be -- she has just learned that her husband has been carrying on an affair for several years with a much-older woman, and that he has even taken their five-year-old son to this woman's home. Distraught has also found letters in which her husband admits to deliberately making the situation at home "as unbearable as possible" so as to force a separation, and she wants to know what recourse she has. Helen advises her to see a lawyer immediately -- a good lawyer, who will ensure that the husband pays for his infidelity.

Warner Brothers Pictures Corp. has announced its schedule for the 1940-41 season, with 48 features and two "special productions" on the release slate. The two specials include the Frank Capra-Robert Riskin "John Doe" project and a picture treatment of the Kaufman-Hart stage success "The Man Who Came To Dinner." Eighteen of the features planned are taken from best-selling novels or biographies, twelve are adapted from stage successes, and eleven are original screen stories. Stars to be featured in the year ahead include Bette Davis, James Cagney, Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Edward G. Robinson, Olivia deHavilland, John Garfield, Miriam Hopkins, and Humphrey Bogart.

Now showing at the AIR CONDITIONED Patio, it's Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in "Road to Singapore," and George Brent and Isa Miranda in "Adventure in Diamonds."

In Kennebunk, Maine six members of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious sect are being held on charges of assault with intent to kill after two men were wounded by shots were allegedly fired from the sect's meeting hall. A mob of more than two thousand persons bearing clubs and torches attempted to set fire to the building after sect members refused an order to salute the American flag. The mob succeeded in burning the building to the ground, and police say five rifles and two shotguns were discovered in the ruins. At the same time, in the nearby town of Biddeford a mob of approximately five hundred persons stormed an apartment house, attacking it with thrown bricks, on the assumption that sect members lived there. The mob dispersed when it was convinced that it was a case of mistaken identity. The mob actions followed a weekend of unrest in the area that began in the town of Sanford, where the refusal of a sect member to salute the flag precipitated a fistfight.

(Just don't call her "Bimilech." She really hates that.)

The Dodgers ended their Cincinnati adventure exactly where they started it -- one game out of first place -- after splitting yesterday's doubleheader with the Reds at Crosley Field. Tex Carleton won his first game since no-hitting the Reds on the same turf on April 30th, as the Flock romped to an easy 9-1 victory over Milkman Jim Turner, but Whit Wyatt was ineffectual in the nightcap, as Junior Thompson held the Dodgers scoreless after ceding two runs in the first, for a 6-2 defeat.

The Dodgers now move on to Pittsburgh for their first games at Forbes Field in 1940, after an earlier visit was wiped out by rain.

Pee Wee Reese says he expects to leave the hospital in Chicago today and will travel to Pittsburgh to join the Dodgers there, but he also says it'll probably be at least another week before he gets into uniform. Reese is still recovering from a beaning received last month from the Cubs' Jake Mooty.

The Bushwicks scored an impressive upset at Dexter Park, sweeping the Baltimore Elite Giants in a twinbill by scores of 9 to 4 and 8 to 2. The Elites have been exactly that in league competition so far this season, with a record of 10-1 in Negro National League play, but were held back by powerful pitching by Mike Meola and Tom Ferrick.

The New York Black Yankees took two from the Bay Parkways at Erasmus Field, 12 to 7 and 4 to 3.

Mr. William Lawson Little Jr. stands atop the world of U. S. professional golf after defeating Gene Sarazan on a soggy course in Cleveland to take the National Open crown. Little scored an two-under-par 70 to beat Sarazan by two strokes for the title.

Eddie Cantor will take over half of Fred Allen's Wednesday night spot on NBC when the fall radio season begins, after Abbott and Costello hold the 9 to 9:30 pm period thru the summer. The second half of the hour may be filled by a dramatic feature for the same sponsor. Allen ends his six-year run for Bristol-Myers on June 26th. Cantor has been off the air since last year, when he was dropped by his sponsor after making remarks critical of Father Coughlin during a personal appearance at the World's Fair.

Jack Benny closes for the season after next Sunday's broadcast, but will remain in Hollywood thru the summer making a picture with Fred Allen for Paramount. The 7 to 7:30 pm Sunday night period will be taken over for the same sponsor by Ezra Stone in "The Aldrich Family."

(Enough with the elephant stuff, I want to know what's going on with that couple in the foreground in panel one.)

(For those who came in late. I must say I'm taken with the idea of political candidates advertising on the sides of garbage cans. It's very efficient.)

(You'd think an organization with globe-spanning ambitions would have a better name for its grand potentate than "High Hood.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Hold tight?" There's a reason why Gen. Reygand is not remembered as a great orator.

And the Great Debate shifts into high gear.

If this ends with Nick throwing Axel into the sea, I for one will laugh and laugh.

"Rathe News?" What's their logo, an oinking pig?

I don't know if Baby is up for a dose of Gump grandiloquence right now.

Something tells me we should keep an eye on Mr. Crispin, latest edition to Chekhov's gun collection. And doesn't Raven have a sense of humor, rigging Pat out in a fatigue jacket and an ascot.

There's a phone down in the hall, and you've got change in your pocket. The situation demands pre-emptive action.

Lillums was never like this.

Kayo clearly inherited his big brother's fashion sense. The sailor hat with the sleeveless undershirt gives him a jaunty John Garfield quality.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
"Distraught" writes to Helen Worth with a good reason so to be -- she has just learned that her husband has been carrying on an affair for several years with a much-older woman, and that he has even taken their five-year-old son to this woman's home. Distraught has also found letters in which her husband admits to deliberately making the situation at home "as unbearable as possible" so as to force a separation, and she wants to know what recourse she has. Helen advises her to see a lawyer immediately -- a good lawyer, who will ensure that the husband pays for his infidelity....

A glimpse into the world of divorce thinking before "no fault" divorces became the norm.

...Warner Brothers Pictures Corp. has announced its schedule for the 1940-41 season, with 48 features and two "special productions" on the release slate. The two specials include the Frank Capra-Robert Riskin "John Doe" project and a picture treatment of the Kaufman-Hart stage success "The Man Who Came To Dinner." Eighteen of the features planned are taken from best-selling novels or biographies, twelve are adapted from stage successes, and eleven are original screen stories. Stars to be featured in the year ahead include Bette Davis, James Cagney, Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, Edward G. Robinson, Olivia deHavilland, John Garfield, Miriam Hopkins, and Humphrey Bogart...

Maybe not as impressive as '39's offerings, but still a darn good year for movies. Sally and Joe should pencil in a trip to the Patio to see "The Man Who Came to Dinner." They'll probably want to go twice as you can't pick up all the one liners the first time around.

...Now showing at the AIR CONDITIONED Patio, it's Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in "Road to Singapore," and George Brent and Isa Miranda in "Adventure in Diamonds."...

Joe, if Sally says she wants to go to the musical "Road To Singapore" say yes - it's a fun enough movie plus Dorothy Lamour.

... View attachment 240977
(Just don't call her "Bimilech." She really hates that.)...

... (For those who came in late. I must say I'm taken with the idea of political candidates advertising on the sides of garbage cans. It's very efficient.)...

Outstanding artwork today. That said, Leona looks like she's wearing an American Revolution tri-corner hat and Mary; a WWI trench helmet.

... "Hold tight?" There's a reason why Gen. Reygand is not remembered as a great orator.....

Seriously, he's no Churchill. Also, only from memory, but the French estimates of German casualties seem wildly inflated.

... And the Great Debate shifts into high gear.....

Even back then, the important distinction between a democracy and a republic seems to have been lost.

... If this ends with Nick throwing Axel into the sea, I for one will laugh and laugh....

Agreed, that would be wonderful karma. Also, I'm still nervous, this has been too easy.

... "Rathe News?" What's their logo, an oinking pig?...

Also, not hard to see where this is going.

...
Something tells me we should keep an eye on Mr. Crispin, latest edition to Chekhov's gun collection. And doesn't Raven have a sense of humor, rigging Pat out in a fatigue jacket and an ascot....

Yes, yes and, if this was a James Bond comic strip, I'd be keeping an eye on that nurse as well.

... Lillums was never like this.....

Darn it, Senga's good at this. Harold looks wobbly.

 

[Haversack]

Fading Fast wrote: "Joe, if Sally says she wants to go to the musical "Road To Singapore" say yes - it's a fun enough movie plus Dorothy Lamour."

All you need to add is Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake to have "A Sweater, a Sarong, and a Peek-a-boo Bang."

 

[PrivateEye]

And yes, there was a movie about just that. In "Gentleman's Agreement," from 1947, there is a scene showing a man (Gregory Peck) being denied a hotel reservation once the hotel manager realizes the man is Jewish.

Surprisingly I don't know this one, but I looked and it's available OnDemand. I'm going to try to watch that one this weekend.

Fading Fast wrote: "Joe, if Sally says she wants to go to the musical "Road To Singapore" say yes - it's a fun enough movie plus Dorothy Lamour."

All you need to add is Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake to have "A Sweater, a Sarong, and a Peek-a-boo Bang."

Dorothy Lamour is a good enough reason for me.