The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

Poor Walt. He's always run to pudge, but now he's giving FFF a run for his derriere. ....

Kermit, thoughts?

 

[LizzieMaine]

Another gangland murder ring in Brooklyn, this one of the comparatively minor-league variety with but six killings to its credit, has been uncovered by the arrest of a woman known as "The Red Rose of Williamsburg," who allegedly served as a "death lure" for that gang.

Forty-year-old Mrs. Rose Pantiel of 666 Willoughby Avenue was secretly arrested yesterday and booked last night on a charge of homicide in connection with the 1936 murder of Rubin "Ruby The Mock" Shapiro. It is believed that Mrs. Pantiel, a woman of "hard masculine lines" who is said to be "the match of a strong man in the physical class," lured Shapiro into the back seat of a car, where he was turned over to his executioners while Mrs. Pantiel found her way home in a taxicab. The arrest came as District Attorney William O'Dwyer announced the reopening of the investigation of the death of mobster Samuel Schlanger, who was shot dead in Coney Island eight years ago in what is believed to have been a territorial dispute between rival gangs of Williamsburg loansharks.

German warplanes failed today to smash London's defenses, but massed Nazi raiders did pound a thirty-mile stretch of the south coast and a wide area inland. Raids were also reported in southeastern Ireland, an attack which spurred a formal protest to Berlin by the Irish Government. At least three young girls were reported killed in that attack.

Ten women were injured today when a 5th Avenue trolley caught fire near the intersection of 5th and 21st Street. A short-circuited control box touched off the blaze, and the injuries resulted when the thirty passengers on board the car rushed for the doors. By the time firemen arrived at the scene, the fire had burned itself out.

The heat wave is most definitely over, with last night's rain dropping the thermometer to a record low of 52 degrees as of 7:10 this morning. The chilly wet weather is expected to continue thru tomorrow.

Former police lieutenant Cuthbert J. Behan, who was removed from the force by Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine after a lengthy investigation of his role in the Brooklyn bail-bond racket, has opened his own bar and grill near Borough Hall. The new establishment at 110 Court Street specifically prohibits women from taking seats at the bar, but Behan stresses that ladies are welcome to sit at booths in the rear. Behan says the new tavern is open to everyone, and even Commissioner Valentine himself would be welcome to come in for a drink.

A lengthy customs examination that delayed twenty-six passengers who arrived at LaGuardia Field aboard the Bermuda Clipper is being explained as "a routine precaution" after several of the passengers complained that their personal belongings were rifled by customs agents. Mrs. Adelaide Strang of Paris, formerly of Columbus, Ohio, was furious over the investigation, declaring "I had to come to America to be insulted and mistreated," and claiming that not only did customs agents go thru her belongings, they also read her correspondence and she was "felt all over" by a matron.

Claire Booth's sendup of Nazi propaganda tactics in America, "Margin For Error," will be the third production in the summer series of Broadway revivals at the Flatbush Theatre. The play will run for a week, with matinees Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, featuring members of the original Broadway cast.

A thirty-year-old Sheridan Avenue man is in custody as a horse thief, after police shut down his illegal pony-ride operation. Frank Martinez is charged with stealing the two ponies he used in his scheme from a farm in New Jersey. Two boys who acted as shills for Martinez have been turned over to the Brooklyn Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

(Still gotta burn off those huckleberries. Only one truckload left!)

In London, Herbert Leigh Holman was today granted an absolute divorce from actress Vivien Leigh on the ground that she committed adultery with actor Laurence Olivier. Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier are expected now to marry.

In Mexico City, Brooklyn social worker Sylvia Ageloff today lambasted the accused assassin of Leon Trotsky, with Miss Ageloff denouncing Frank Jackson as "a dirty murderer" whom she wished "would die the same way he killed Trotsky." Miss Ageloff claimed that Jackson made love to her in order to get close to the exiled Bolshevik leader, but Jackson told police he truly loved her, and threatened to commit suicide in his grief over losing her.

The Eagle Editorialist denounces persons scheming to convince those who must register under the Alien Registration Act that they need to hire legal help in doing so as "the lowest form of insect life," and reminds aliens that registration is free and any assistance any person may require will be provided at the Post Office.

(The Good Neighbors.)

The Dodgers were rained out in Pittsburgh today, after splitting a pair at Forbes Field yesterday -- which gives Tommy Holmes time to come up with a suggestion for Mr. Durocher. Why not put Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons in the regular starting rotation for the rest of the season? The big round man may be thirty-nine years old, but he's also the leading pitcher in the National League in a record amassed largely as a spot starter. By pitching him every five days instead of once a week or ten days, he might not be as impressive -- but he would likely be more effective than some of the hurlers Leo has been sending out there. Tommy does point out an odd thing about Freddie's record -- all of his thirteen wins have been against second-division clubs, while his two losses have come at the hands of first-division opponents. But the elderly knuckleballer promises a consistency that's been tough for Dodger pitchers to accomplish over the course of the season, and that something they really need right now, especially with Whit Wyatt having lost his effectiveness over his two most recent outings. Wyatt looked more like Hamlin out there in the first game yesterday, giving up homers to Vince DiMaggio and Arkie Vaughan to give the Pirates a lead they wouldn't give up. Fitzsimmons, on the other hand, was masterful in hanging up an 8-1 win in the cold, wet nightcap.

It doesn't appear that the Dodgers will hold their spring training camp in Puerto Rico next spring after all. Larry MacPhail has been negotiating with officials on the island, but the Governor there has been unable to raise the $12,500 guarantee needed to bring the team there in 1941. MacPhail had great success when he brought the Reds to Puerto Rico in 1936, and has been pursuing a future Caribbean spring home for the Flock ever since he took over.

(Cosplay? Sparky's right into it.)

(If he invites you downstairs to see what's he done with the cellar, DON'T GO.)

(Mary, we need you. Right now.)

("Wuf!" I wouldn't trust that dog, Dan. He's got a German accent.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Everything happens in Brooklyn.

I remember when the muffins were a thing of rapture. Now they just sit there. If you live long enough, everything you love will be sullied.

Looks like everybody's discovered the SHIFT LOCK key.

Sandy is getting tired of Sam's platitudes too.

When Tracy rolls his eyes at you, you know you've been eye-rolled.

And thus Bim spent the rest of his days trapped on an ethical Mobius strip.

For the very first time in her life, Raven is nonplussed. And she doesn't like it one bit.

Snipe, on the other hand, is in full command of the situation, and doesn't she love it.

Meanwhile, out in Hollywood, Gee-Gee is done with Artie Shaw and has moved on to Mickey Rooney.

Don't be so surprised, Shad -- you've been watching this game for the past eight years.

 

[Fading Fast]

Another gangland murder ring in Brooklyn, this one of the comparatively minor-league variety with but six killings to its credit, has been uncovered by the arrest of a woman known as "The Red Rose of Williamsburg," who allegedly served as a "death lure" for that gang.


Forty-year-old Mrs. Rose Pantiel of 666 Willoughby Avenue was secretly arrested yesterday and booked last night on a charge of homicide in connection with the 1936 murder of Rubin "Ruby The Mock" Shapiro. It is believed that Mrs. Pantiel, a woman of "hard masculine lines" who is said to be "the match of a strong man in the physical class," lured Shapiro into the back seat of a car, where he was turned over to his executioners while Mrs. Pantiel found her way home in a taxicab. The arrest came as District Attorney William O'Dwyer announced the reopening of the investigation of the death of mobster Samuel Schlanger, who was shot dead in Coney Island eight years ago in what is believed to have been a territorial dispute between rival gangs of Williamsburg loansharks....

That daughter must have had one heck of an upbringing. Is it wrong that I noticed the daughter looks like she's wearing cute sneakers and socks - sure, her mother lures people to their death, but her kid does have fun footwear.

...Former police lieutenant Cuthbert J. Behan, who was removed from the force by Commissioner Lewis J. Valentine after a lengthy investigation of his role in the Brooklyn bail-bond racket, has opened his own bar and grill near Borough Hall. The new establishment at 110 Court Street specifically prohibits women from taking seats at the bar, but Behan stresses that ladies are welcome to sit at booths in the rear. Behan says the new tavern is open to everyone, and even Commissioner Valentine himself would be welcome to come in for a drink....

Interesting to see him pop up again.

...A thirty-year-old Sheridan Avenue man is in custody as a horse thief, after police shut down his illegal pony-ride operation. Frank Martinez is charged with stealing the two ponies he used in his scheme from a farm in New Jersey. Two boys who acted as shills for Martinez have been turned over to the Brooklyn Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Children....

Horse thief? Really? He missed the trends in his industry and should have shifted to jewelry thief by the early '30s at the latest. One must keep up with the times and changing technology (horses, come on) to have a successful career.

...
(Still gotta burn off those huckleberries. Only one truckload left!)...

The "take home a jar of huckleberry preserves" special is just around the corner.

But let's discuss it on Thursday over a butter-rich pecan twist.

...In London, Herbert Leigh Holman was today granted an absolute divorce from actress Vivien Leigh on the ground that she committed adultery with actor Laurence Olivier. Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier are expected now to marry....

Well then, none of the usual elision; just she slept with him and I want a divorce. No fake stories or photos; just straight-foward telling it like it is. Kinda refreshing for a '40's divorce

...In Mexico City, Brooklyn social worker Sylvia Ageloff today lambasted the accused assassin of Leon Trotsky, with Miss Ageloff denouncing Frank Jackson as "a dirty murderer" whom she wished "would die the same way he killed Trotsky." Miss Ageloff claimed that Jackson made love to her in order to get close to the exiled Bolshevik leader, but Jackson told police he truly loved her, and threatened to commit suicide in his grief over losing her....

My dad's already moved on, "daughter, what daughter?"

For a second, I thought, wow she just brazenly (for the times) said he slept with her, but then realized she was using "made love to me" in the 1940 not 2020 sense.

... (If he invites you downstairs to see what's he done with the cellar, DON'T GO.)...

He wants to look around their apartment for something while they're at the movies.

But since they are going anyway, they should see if "Waterloo Bridge" is still playing.

... Everything happens in Brooklyn.....

Take "The Neighbors" thought process a couple of step further and into illegal-land and you have Lori Loughlin and the others bribing officials to get their kids into the top schools.

...
I remember when the muffins were a thing of rapture. Now they just sit there. If you live long enough, everything you love will be sullied.....

I, too, remember when the muffins were the holy of holies, now they sit like a discarded idol collecting dust in the basement.

... When Tracy rolls his eyes at you, you know you've been eye-rolled....

The eye roll could also be because the professor there has gotta be pretty ripe by now.

... For the very first time in her life, Raven is nonplussed. And she doesn't like it one bit.....

Yup, and when you find yourself in that situation, say nothing and pay close attention to everything until the bigger picture starts to reveal itself.

... Snipe, on the other hand, is in full command of the situation, and doesn't she love it.....

Glippy, though, isn't playing wallflower with her "Okay Duchess" brickbat.

...
Don't be so surprised, Shad -- you've been watching this game for the past eight years.

Sam and Diane were nothing new. Also, panel three, wasp-waist alert.

 

[LizzieMaine]

There was a big fad around 1939-40 for stripey novelty socks -- it's nice to see that a young person can keep up with the trends even when living the busy life of a mob teen.

I had no idea that illicit pony rides were a profitable racket, let alone enough to support a couple of shills -- he had them doing rodeo tricks on the ponies to drum up interest as he went from neighborhood to neighborhood. I'm enjoying the thought of what Josephine Bungle would say if they passed by her window.

I was gonna say I'm waiting for a good Trotsky movie, but there's at least a two-season Netflix series coming out of this.

Behan's Bar and Grill went on to become a popular Dodger-oriented drinkery -- "baseball bars" were very much a thing even before they started installing television sets. But Sally won't go there, and she'll raise hell if Joe goes there, unless they let her sit right up at the bar. She likes Hugh Casey's Chop House better anyway.

Harold hasn't grown up much since he left town, but Lillums has. Compare them just exactly a year ago today --

In just a few short days, Lil will be led into a botched elopement, will denounce poor Simp as a "rattle brained hepcat" and will have creepy old Truck McClusky shoved in her direction by her scheming mother. A lot of growing up indeed.

 

[Fading Fast]

There was a big fad around 1939-40 for stripey novelty socks -- it's nice to see that a young person can keep up with the trends even when living the busy life of a mob teen.

I had no idea that illicit pony rides were a profitable racket, let alone enough to support a couple of shills -- he had them doing rodeo tricks on the ponies to drum up interest as he went from neighborhood to neighborhood. I'm enjoying the thought of what Josephine Bungle would say if they passed by her window.

I was gonna say I'm waiting for a good Trotsky movie, but there's at least a two-season Netflix series coming out of this.

Behan's Bar and Grill went on to become a popular Dodger-oriented drinkery -- "baseball bars" were very much a thing even before they started installing television sets. But Sally won't go there, and she'll raise hell if Joe goes there, unless they let her sit right up at the bar. She likes Hugh Casey's Chop House better anyway.

Harold hasn't grown up much since he left town, but Lillums has. Compare them just exactly a year ago today --

View attachment 256523 In just a few short days, Lil will be led into a botched elopement, will denounce poor Simp as a "rattle brained hepcat" and will have creepy old Truck McClusky shoved in her direction by her scheming mother. A lot of growing up indeed.

Maybe it's age, but I enjoyed going to a bar to see a game when there were one or two TVs stuck up high on a make-shift shelf and that was that (think the TV in the "Cheers" bar). Today, you can't argue that all the flatscreens prominently place around many bars don't make it easier to see the game, but it, again might just be age, has lost some of the feel or intimacy or casualness of the older style TV-in-a-bar setup.

If the field of work you're considering in the '30s or '40s is criminal, the best option seems to be jewelry thief. You want to stay away from the mob stuff as that is trouble with both your employer and all the wanting-to-make-a-name-for-themselves DAs. Horse stealing sounds like typewriter sales today and bank robbing could get you shot.

But jewelry thief seems like one you can freelance at, have a modicum of respectability when you hobnob with your, um, suppliers, usually (not always) not get shot at and, with some luck, make a pretty good living. And based on "To Catch a Thief," the career was still going strong and still had some panache well into the '50s.

"So, You Want a Career in Jewelry Thievery." A Lecture Series by noted jewelry "expert" John Robie.



It's interesting how different Lillums looks then than now.

I'll give the Trotsky TV series a shot.

 

[LizzieMaine]

British raiders struck hard today at targets in Germany and Italy, with Italian industrial sites at Turin and Milan and government buildings along the Wilhelmstrasse in Berlin among the sites most heavily hit. The British forays came even as Germany continued its assaults on London, where nearly six hours of continuous overnight raids kept residents awake, and along a five-hundred mile stretch of the English coast.

Compulsory registration of aliens began this morning in Brooklyn, with an average of three hundred persons an hour making their way to the registration office on the fourth floor of the old Eagle Building to fill in the necessary form. First in line was Mrs. Vera Klyman of 2931 Brighton 8th Street, who came to the United States from Hungary in 1923, and apologized to the clerks for not yet having taken out citizenship papers. By 2PM today more than 1200 aliens had registered.

A cut-throat gasoline price war has reduced the price of motor fuel citywide by two to three cents per gallon, after the state Appellate Court threw out the Burke-Sharkey price control ordinance as unconstitutional. That law had capped the price of regular gasoline in the city at six gallons for a dollar, or slightly over sixteen cents per gallon, but since it was struck down, the prices at cut-throat retailers has dropped as low as eight gallons for $1.05, or slightly over thirteen cents a gallon. Since the current wholesale price of gasoline is about thirteen cents a gallon, the price war has cut retailer profits in many neighborhoods to zero or less. In some cases, branded stations have begun to sell unknown, inferior grades of fuel rather than the actual brand shown on the pump.

Meat prices over the past two weeks have skyrocketed to their highest levels in three years, with sirloin steak selling at 43 cents a pound compared to 38 cents a year ago, porterhouse at 48 cents, up from 42, and lamb chops selling as high as 59 cents a pound. The city Markets Department Information Service says there is no valid supply reason for this rise in prices, and states that the most likely explanation is wholesalers attempting to recover losses suffered from when meat didn't move fast enough during the recent heat wave. The Markets Department recommends that the only good buy in meat right now is smoked ham, which can be had at 23 cents a pound, down from last year's price of 26 cents.

A public hearing will be held September 6th to help determine the future course of public transportation along Fulton Street. With the end of the Fulton Street L earlier this year, and the demolition of the L structure looming, the city Transportation Board is considering replacing an undetermined number of trolleys along Fulton Street with buses, and is seeking public comment on whether this course should be followed, and if so, which trolley lines should be replaced. The Board is also considering whether such buses should be electric or gasoline-powered. A group of Brooklyn business and civic leaders recently visited Baltimore and Wilmington to view "trackless trolleys" currently in use in those cities and consider whether such vehicles are feasible for the future of Brooklyn.

(Happy Anniversary to the Winchell of Willoughby Street.)

("We're goin'," says Sally. "Aw," demurs Joe, "izzis oneathem pitchas where Errol Flynn writes wit' a featha? I hate..." "We're goin'," says Sally.)

Brooklyn City Councilwoman Genevieve Earle donated her blood today for use by wounded British soldiers and civilians, kicking off the Blood Plasma Program now underway under the sponsorship of the Blood Transfusion Betterment Association and the Red Cross. Mrs. Earle was first in line to donate blood for the new program, which processes the blood so that it may be safely shipped great distances and may be used in any recipient regardless of blood type.

Another seventeen Brooklyn residents were bitten by dogs today and police are continuing their purge of unlicensed, unleashed, or unmuzzled dogs in Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst, where a rabies outbreak is flourishing. More mad-dog cases were recorded in Brooklyn over the first seven months of 1940 than in the entire city in 1939.

(Are you implying, sir, that fishermen are not honest?)

TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO IN BROOKLYN HISTORY -- August 27, 1915: The New York Giants today signed fifteen-year-old Waite Hoyt of Erasmus Hall High School to a major-league pitching contract as the youngest player ever taken by a major league club. (Master Hoyt ended his playing career with the Dodgers two years ago, and will soon become a successful radio broadcaster, raconteur, and notable spokesman for Alcoholics Anonymous before his ascension to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.)

Wendell Willkie is assured of receiving at least one vote in New York City -- the Republican presidential nominee today registered to vote in the November election at the Board of Elections office in Manhattan.

The Republican presidential hopeful also publicly announced today that he repudiates the endorsement of Father Charles E. Coughlin, declaring that he "does not want the support of anyone who stands for any form of prejudice against a person's race or religion."

Dixie Walker may be hitting again, but Joe Medwick still isn't, and Leo Durocher is stepping up to take his share of the blame for that. Medwick last week admitted that maybe he came back too soon from his beaning by Bob Bowman of the Cardinals in June, and Leo now says he should have stepped in to prevent him from doing so. Durocher notes that Pee Wee Reese was out for three weeks after he was skulled by Jake Mooty in Chicago, and that no matter how strong Medwick is, he isn't strong enough to recover from an even more severe blow to the head after just three days. Ducky was hitting .308 when he joined the Dodgers, but since his arrival he has only hit at a weak .265. Durocher's admission comes as new facts emerge concerning the deal that brought Muscles to Flatbush, with sources in St. Louis confirming that the Dodgers paid $132,500 in cash for the slugging Hungarian and pitcher Curt Davis, along with four players, bringing the total value of the package to a cool $200,000. That's a lot of money for .265 worth of hitting.

Rain washed out yesterday's Dodger-Pirate contest at Forbes Field, with a twinbill on the slate today. Lee Grissom and Vito Tamulis are scheduled to start for Brooklyn against Rip Sewell and Ken Heintzelmann for the Pirates. Today's games mark the end of the last Dodger visit to Pittsburgh this season, and if the doubleheader is also rained out, the games will have to be made up in Brooklyn.

(You know, Sparky, if you're serious about this superhero gig, you really ought to try wearing tights. Yes, you should. All the time, in fact.)

(Oh, please let it be Oakdale, newly married to Cousin Whatshername.)

(Y'know, John, you really need take a tip from Mr. Willkie, a man with more sense in his cowlick than you have in your whole pretty head.)

(NAZIS IN AUTOGYROS! Woooooeeeee!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Saying it right now -- "Little Augie Pisano" is the greatest gangster name of all time.

You've heard of "two finger" typists? It appears that Mr. Bargeron is a "two fist" typist.

I was just sayin', that's all.

Better get going Annie, if you want to get there before intermission.

"If you go to bed with the Devil..."

And just like that, Raven was swept off her feet.

"Yeah, sure, sure, but hey, could you give me a hand first with these giant iron balls? I really need to go to the bathroom."

Skeezix, you shameless pot-stirrer you.

"Now. About that cake...."

Prediction: the only way Moon will ever see California is on a troop ship returning from the Pacific Theatre.

 

[Fading Fast]

... (Happy Anniversary to the Winchell of Willoughby Street.)...

The Glen Miller thing is neat.

What are the "two milestones" he's talking about? Yes, his two-year anniversary, but what's the other one?

...
("We're goin'," says Sally. "Aw," demurs Joe, "izzis oneathem pitchas where Errol Flynn writes wit' a featha? I hate..." "We're goin'," says Sally.)...

Stand your ground Sally or just go without him. It's the best of all the Flynn swashbucklers for my money.

...Another seventeen Brooklyn residents were bitten by dogs today and police are continuing their purge of unlicensed, unleashed, or unmuzzled dogs in Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst, where a rabies outbreak is flourishing. More mad-dog cases were recorded in Brooklyn over the first seven months of 1940 than in the entire city in 1939....

Seventeen in one day!

... View attachment 256656
Dixie Walker may be hitting again, but Joe Medwick still isn't, and Leo Durocher is stepping up to take his share of the blame for that. Medwick last week admitted that maybe he came back too soon from his beaning by Bob Bowman of the Cardinals in June, and Leo now says he should have stepped in to prevent him from doing so. Durocher notes that Pee Wee Reese was out for three weeks after he was skulled by Jake Mooty in Chicago, and that no matter how strong Medwick is, he isn't strong enough to recover from an even more severe blow to the head after just three days....

Just noting that Lizzie was spot on in calling this one in real time.

... (Oh, please let it be Oakdale, newly married to Cousin Whatshername.)...

... Saying it right now -- "Little Augie Pisano" is the greatest gangster name of all time.....

It is absolute amazing how popular dancing was back then - a couple in a small roadside diner might get up and dance in a tiny corner if a song came on the jukebox they liked and no-one would think they were odd even if they were the only couple dancing, as just one example.

Tennis great Alice Marble connect: In her career as a nightclub singer, she sang at the Sert Room at the Waldorf where the DeMarcos danced (I think it was her NYC debut).

... Better get going Annie, if you want to get there before intermission.....

There's a point where decency and goodness become a fetish / an identity that is itself obnoxious. From what we know now, your kid is a talented jerk who seems to have forgotten (or is embarrassed of, or something) his parents now that he's successful. Admit it. You'll always feel the sadness, but move on as well. You aren't the first parents to have an ungrateful kid.

...[
"If you go to bed with the Devil..."....

The pickpocket's best move is to take the $55,000, which is ~$1,000,000 in today's dollars, get the heck out of there and never look back.

... And just like that, Raven was swept off her feet...

So far, Raven's been the "pale one" and the "fair one," now she's the "silver one?" DL's got to make up her mind and settle on one slight.

... Skeezix, you shameless pot-stirrer you....

Oh, he wants to see a cat fight; he knows exactly what he is doing. In three minutes, he'll be screaming "pull her hair!"

Also, wasn't Ms. Glip a temp only until Ms. Snipe got back? Why is she even still there (away from the fact that she's the boss' "lunch" buddy).

... "Now. About that cake...."....

Won't mom be a bit miffed the her, apparently, successful son never calls or writes?

Now you're just trolling me with the cake.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I suspect that Mr. Evans is counting each of his two years as a separate "milestone." I suppose in a profession where anything printed out of turn could get you chained to a pinball machine and thrown in a lake every year you survive at it should be commemorated.

The Glen Island Casino engagement is legendary among swing-band fans -- Miller had performed for several months in 1938 at the Paradise Restaurant in Times Square with the same band, to comparatively little notice, probably because the Paradise was an upscale type of spot that didn't really draw the youth crowd who bought records and created hype. The Casino, however, was a popular hangout for college kids, who latched right onto "the Miller Style" at a time when pure swing was going out of fashion and the sweeter, more commercial type of dance music was coming back -- Mr. Miller was in precisely the right place at precisely the right time. Here's his opening night broadcast from Glen Island, before an audience of about 1800 mostly-collegians, May 17, 1939 --

The Harvest Moon Ball was a New York institution for a very long time, always proudly sponsored by The News. I think the last one was in the mid-1970s, almost surviving into the disco era.

This rabies epidemic points up how different the attitude toward dogs was in the Era -- the free-running "neighborhood mutt" was very much a thing, and if a dog got out of control, a cop was just as likely as not to come along and shoot it without further comment. Small wonder "dog catchers" were common villains in the pop culture of the time.

I still find it hard to believe Medwick was allowed to play three days after he was nearly killed at the plate, unless it's a matter of MacPhail demanding immediate return on his gigantic investment. Laughing Larry is not the most rational of men.

Mr. Hand the pickpocket had better watch himself. Mama's been on her way down to Bim's office for, what, three days now? When she finally arrives, the fur will fly.

The DL dumping that Invader guard off the dock so nonchalant-as-you-please is the best thing I've seen all week. If only I could deal with my own problems as easily.

 

[Fading Fast]

I suspect that Mr. Evans is counting each of his two years as a separate "milestone." I suppose in a profession where anything printed out of turn could get you chained to a pinball machine and thrown in a lake every year you survive at it should be commemorated.....

That makes sense as you say it, but when I read it, I kept looking for the second milestone.

...The Glen Island Casino engagement is legendary among swing-band fans -- Miller had performed for several months in 1938 at the Paradise Restaurant in Times Square with the same band, to comparatively little notice, probably because the Paradise was an upscale type of spot that didn't really draw the youth crowd who bought records and created hype. The Casino, however, was a popular hangout for college kids, who latched right onto "the Miller Style" at a time when pure swing was going out of fashion and the sweeter, more commercial type of dance music was coming back -- Mr. Miller was in precisely the right place at precisely the right time. Here's his opening night broadcast from Glen Island, before an audience of about 1800 mostly-collegians, May 17, 1939 --

The Harvest Moon Ball was a New York institution for a very long time, always proudly sponsored by The News. I think the last one was in the mid-1970s, almost surviving into the disco era.....

From a forty-plus-year-old memory, so it is what it is, but pretty sure my Dad had a Glen Miller album with that exact recording. Hearing it brought me back to childhood, so it was that or something similar and, definitely, Miller from the Glen Island Casino.

...I still find it hard to believe Medwick was allowed to play three days after he was nearly killed at the plate, unless it's a matter of MacPhail demanding immediate return on his gigantic investment. Laughing Larry is not the most rational of men....

If so, MacPhail would have made a terrible money manager as long-term return is, effectively, all that matters. He might have destroyed long-term value in a drive for short-term gain - there's no long career in finance with that approach.

...Mr. Hand the pickpocket had better watch himself. Mama's been on her way down to Bim's office for, what, three days now? When she finally arrives, the fur will fly.....

Agreed, which is part of the reason why my advice was he should grab the $s, scram and run far away.

...The DL dumping that Invader guard off the dock so nonchalant-as-you-please is the best thing I've seen all week. If only I could deal with my own problems as easily.

She, so far as I've seen, has a win-at-all-costs, show-no-sympathy approach. In her world and at that time, that might be the right approach as brutal as it can appear.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Senate today defeated a third attempt to soften the Burke-Wadsworth conscription bill by voting down a proposed amendment that would have prohibited any draft until the declaration by Congress of state of a national emergency. Meanwhile, President Roosevelt has signed a measure authorizing him to mobilize a total of 396,000 National Guard members for one year of active duty in the interests of National Defense. Under pressure from Administration leaders to stop talking and start acting, the Senate is expected to vote today on the conscription bill itself, with opponents conceding it will likely pass by a wide margin.

The United States troop transport American Legion arrived in Brooklyn today carrying 875 refugees from the war zones of Northern Europe, despite storms, mine fields, and evidence of a Nazi recruitment plot aboard the ship. According to passengers who debarked today at Bay Ridge, a contingent of Nazi supporters among those on board the ship held meetings in the hold during the voyage in an attempt to draw crew members to their side and sabotage the vessel. But those crew members reacted angrily to the Nazi propagandists, leading to a violent confrontation that had to be broken up by a priest from New Jersey who happened to be among the passengers.

The Fulton Street L won't be coming down until 1941 -- at the earliest, with plans for an early demolition of the hulking fifty-year-old structure having been snagged by the lack of an agreement to replace the trolleys running along Fulton Street with buses, thus allowing the removal of the trolley wires now hanging from the L structure. If the trolleys remain in operation along the route, poles will have to be erected and the wires transferred from the L structure to the poles, a process likely to push the start of demolition ahead to next spring.

An indoor sports arena seating 15,000 persons is to be constructed in Canarsie under plans put forward by the newly-formed Seaview Stadium Corporation. The plans would take advantage of the new Bay Parkway opening up easy access to once-isolated sections of Brooklyn and Queens, and developer Abraham Felt, who is involved in the project along with several persons interested in "sports enterprises," says that the block-long complex would accommodate all professional sports with the exceptions of baseball and football. Estimated cost for the arena is $850,000.

A Polish priest of the Jesuit order who landed today in Brooklyn aboard the Spanish steamer Mallagenes told reporters that Soviet forces occupying his country were more tolerant of religion than the Nazis -- this despite the fact that the Soviets held him for questioning as a possible spy. The young priest, who spoke on the condition that his name not be published, stated that he escaped from a Soviet interment camp and made his way to Lisbon, Portugal by way of Hungary, where he boarded the Spanish ship bound for Brooklyn by way of Havana. Despite his own confinement, he stated that the Russian forces have left religion in general alone in Poland, allowing priests and churches to continue in operation without interference, while the Nazis have closed every church and locked up every priest other than those few who are of German ancestry.

A cook aboard a Staten Island tugboat pleaded innocent today to charges of malicious mischief after the captain of the tug accused the cook of stuffing the pockets of his best suit with Limburger cheese. Eugene Bartholomew and Captain Gustave Mueller got into a fistfight over the alleged practical joke, with Mueller demanding that Bartholomew pay the $7 cleaning charge incurred in order to get the "intolerable odor" out of the clothing. A hearing will be held in the case on Saturday in West New Brighton Court.

Brooklyn's youngest ballet instructor? That's twelve-year-old Maria Angelina of Flatbush, who teaches classes in her family's East 35th Street garage. She charges five cents per half hour of instruction to a group of twelve pupils, and uses the proceeds to fund her own advanced ballet instruction. Young Maria, the daughter of a former Ziegfeld girl, has been studying dance since she was old enough to walk, and has ambitions of a professional career of her own. In addition to ballet, she is fond of opera and is a regular patron at the Metropolitan Opera House, and also follows the current dance modes among the jitterbugs. When she's not pursuing her interest in music, she's an avid baseball fan -- but perish forbid, she roots for the Giants and her favorite player is Mel Ott.

"Grandmere" writes to Helen Worth with some advice for "Solitary Sue," whose letter expressing her fear of oncoming mental illness appeared last week. She says that Sue should stop spending her time worrying about her problems and devote that time instead to baseball, with "our Dodgers" offering a fine way to make friends and even draw the interest of eligible gentlemen. Helen admits she doesn't follow baseball, but there's something to the idea of Sue getting out and involving herself in activities that will help her meet other people.

("McGinty" is the picture that made Preston Sturges PRESTON STURGES.)

(I imagine carnival weight-guessers have a hard time getting life insurance.)

A day after Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie repudiated an endorsement from Father Charles E. Coughlin, the controversial radio priest has publicly disavowed having made any such endorsement. Coughlin's paper "Social Justice" had referred to Willkie's nomination speech as "a much-needed call for American Nationalism," but stated today that he is not personally responsible for what appears in that paper, and that comments made in that editorial should not be interpreted as a personal endorsement of Willkie. Coughlin also stated that he is not opposed to Jews as Jews, but only to "communistic Jews."

The Dodgers invade Crosley Field today, but given their recent performance, there seems to be little chance that the series against the Reds will contain much suspense. With the Flock having lost six of their last eight games on the current Western tour, what they do in Redland over the next two days seems to be of little consequence in the National League pennant race. Even if they sweep the series, they'll head back to Brooklyn five and a half games off the pace. The one saving grace of the two-game set is that the Dodgers will not have to face Bucky Walters, with Bill McKechnie expected to send Paul Derringer and Junior Thompson to the mound, versus some combination of Lee Grissom, Luke Hamlin or Curt Davis.

Outfielder Jimmy Ripple, lost to the Reds in a bungled waiver transaction, will be on hand at Crosley Field today looking for a chance to further embarrass his former club.

With yesterday's doubleheader at Forbes Field washed out, the Dodgers will have to conclude their season's business with the Pirates when the Bucs make their final visit to Ebbets Field in September.

(Point of order, a ball hit out of the park to dead center would have to go over double-decked stands and would land at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Montgomery Street, for a total distance of nearly 500 feet. In other words, Sparky, you might NOT be the world's strongest man, or even the strongest man in the league.)

(Why not go over and introduce yourselves? I'm sure they've already heard ALL ABOUT YOU.)

(Wait, all you're going to do is take pictures? No kidnapping, no mind-control plot, no brainwashing hypnotist in a secret underground lair? How disappointing.)

("Can't see a thing -- that PROVES I'm right!")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Luise Rainer, whose only crime against political orthodoxy was that she married Clifford Odets, had the satisfaction of outliving Martin Dies by forty-two years.

What's with those grubby stains on your hat, there, Chef? Did they cut the laundry budget along with the advertising?

Twitter would love these guys.

"If I hafta drag him here by his..." "ARF!"

"Yeah, about those chains. Um, you wouldn't happen to have a hacksaw on you or anything..?"

You really shouldn't have worn that white suit, Pat. Your cleaning bill's gonna be horrendous.

Poor Bimbo. If he had a jaw, it'd be on the floor by now.

"Besides, she told me I looked distinguished. Do you think I look distinguished, Miss Snipe?"

She'll catch up with you before you're thru the Holland Tunnel.

Yeah, renting that outfit must've cost at least a couple of bucks.

 

[Fading Fast]

Note, you made it with one minute to spare before the Cookie Monster GIF came out.

...The United States troop transport American Legion arrived in Brooklyn today carrying 875 refugees from the war zones of Northern Europe, despite storms, mine fields, and evidence of a Nazi recruitment plot aboard the ship. According to passengers who debarked today at Bay Ridge, a contingent of Nazi supporters among those on board the ship held meetings in the hold during the voyage in an attempt to draw crew members to their side and sabotage the vessel. But those crew members reacted angrily to the Nazi propagandists, leading to a violent confrontation that had to be broken up by a priest from New Jersey who happened to be among the passengers....

Sounds like the plot of a Warner Brothers movie.

...The Fulton Street L won't be coming down until 1941 -- at the earliest, with plans for an early demolition of the hulking fifty-year-old structure having been snagged by the lack of an agreement to replace the trolleys running along Fulton Street with buses, thus allowing the removal of the trolley wires now hanging from the L structure. If the trolleys remain in operation along the route, poles will have to be erected and the wires transferred from the L structure to the poles, a process likely to push the start of demolition ahead to next spring....

So, NYC Government efficiency and planning was no better back then.

... View attachment 256888 Brooklyn's youngest ballet instructor? That's twelve-year-old Maria Angelina of Flatbush, who teaches classes in her family's East 35th Street garage. She charges five cents per half hour of instruction to a group of twelve pupils, and uses the proceeds to fund her own advanced ballet instruction. Young Maria, the daughter of a former Ziegfeld girl, has been studying dance since she was old enough to walk, and has ambitions of a professional career of her own. In addition to ballet, she is fond of opera and is a regular patron at the Metropolitan Opera House, and also follows the current dance modes among the jitterbugs. When she's not pursuing her interest in music, she's an avid baseball fan -- but perish forbid, she roots for the Giants and her favorite player is Mel Ott....

Let's ask Mr. Cary Grant, fresh off his successful performance in the wildly popular "His Girl Friday," what we do to born-and-bred Brooklyn kids who root for the Giants:

...Helen admits she doesn't follow baseball, but there's something to the idea of Sue getting out and involving herself in activities that will help her meet other people....

What is it today with all the Dodger apostasy? Commitment means being there in the good and bad times.

...
(I imagine carnival weight-guessers have a hard time getting life insurance.)...)

Somewhat relatedly, do you think Sugarfoot is still alive?

... (Point of order, a ball hit out of the park to dead center would have to go over double-decked stands and would land at the corner of Bedford Avenue and Montgomery Street, for a total distance of nearly 500 feet. In other words, Sparky, you might NOT be the world's strongest man, or even the strongest man in the league.)...

And this, if Sparky really wants to keep his secret powers a secret, perhaps he shouldn't tell everyone, everywhere and all the time that he has super powers because of his cosmic-ray body. Just sayin'.

... ("Can't see a thing -- that PROVES I'm right!")

What country is "Fazian" supposed to be as not that many countries could afford aircraft carriers back then, nor have the sophistication to create Potemkin-like camouflage?

...[ Luise Rainer, whose only crime against political orthodoxy was that she married Clifford Odets, had the satisfaction of outliving Martin Dies by forty-two years.....

Any idea what LaGuardia's fingerprinting thing is all about?

... "Yeah, about those chains. Um, you wouldn't happen to have a hacksaw on you or anything..?"....

Sure, but dude, you gotta promise me, the first thing you'll do is take a long shower.

...[ You really shouldn't have worn that white suit, Pat. Your cleaning bill's gonna be horrendous....

Perhaps, though, that's where Victor Laszlo got the stupid idea to wear a white suit while fleeing Nazis across half of Europe.

And Terry, seriously, you can take your head condom off now.

... "Besides, she told me I looked distinguished. Do you think I look distinguished, Miss Snipe?"...

Buh, buh, buh, the lunch hour is when Miss Glip is otherwise, um, er, "engaged" with the boss, how's this going to work?

Apparently, Lichty has been called in on special assignment to draw the boss' hairline.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'd go see that movie. Pat O'Brien as the Priest From New Jersey, James Cagney as the foreman of the engine room, and Conrad Veidt as the chief Nazi operative. Throw in Lionel Stander as a two-fisted stoker, Allen Jenkins as the comedy-relief chief steward, and Ann Sheridan as a wealthy refugee, and you've got a winner.

Seems like they should have considered the whole trolley-wire situation on Fulton Street six months ago. Didn't anybody from City Hall actually go down there and look over the scene?

The Mayor is trying to get a city-wide anti-Fifth Column security thing going with voluntary fingerprinting for everybody, but it's not been greeted with much enthusiasm. Besides, you can't expect actual Nazi spies to line right up at the stamp pad.

I used to be afraid of those Alien Registration Day PSAs that used to turn up on TV every year -- the dark gray line-drawing figures at the post office counter, the stern announcer warning that ALIENS MUST REGISTER. It all seemed very spooky and disturbing. I haven't seen one of those ads in probably fifty years, but I can still see them clearly in my mind.

Terry clearly likes that helmet for some reason or Mr. Caniff just finds it less time-consuming to draw than hair.

Mr. Wumple clearly has something going on that he doesn't want to talk about, and Miss Snipe has just decided to make it her business to find out what.

 

[Fading Fast]

I'd go see that movie. Pat O'Brien as the Priest From New Jersey, James Cagney as the foreman of the engine room, and Conrad Veidt as the chief Nazi operative. Throw in Lionel Stander as a two-fisted stoker, Allen Jenkins as the comedy-relief chief steward, and Ann Sheridan as a wealthy refugee, and you've got a winner.....

Love the casting and, if Ms. Sheridan isn't available, Hedy Lamarr, with here indiscernible everywhere accent, could step in.

Conrad Veidt, cast once again as the Nazi, just shakes his head and reminds himself it's a paycheck.


Separately, Lizzie, any idea why my Kermit GIFs work fine, but the Cary Grant one isn't - his arm is suppose to be making a "get out" gesture (it's very effective)? The Grant GIF works fine independent of FL, but as you can see, it isn't working in today's post on FL. Usually, if a file is too big, I get an error message from FL, but it accepted the file without a problem. Any thoughts? Thank you.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Very strange. I click on Cary and he opens up and waves. Might be some kind of browser thing?

 

[Fading Fast]

Very strange. I click on Cary and he opens up and waves. Might be some kind of browser thing?

It's odd, if I click on him, he waves too, but Kermit (top of the page) does his head shake without having to be clicked on. It's a whatever - we ask a lot of those zeroes and ones, so once in awhile we have to give them some slack. Thank you for checking.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The struggling Dodgers were dealt yet another blow today when third baseman Harry "Cookie" Lavagetto collapsed in Cincinnati with a gangrenous appendix. Lavagetto was about to eat breakfast this morning at the team hotel with his roommate Dolph Camilli when he doubled over in a sudden burst of pain. Camilli summoned a doctor, and the swarthy Italian third-baseman was immediately rushed to a hospital by ambulance, and went immediately into surgery. "He is a very sick boy," stated Dr. Reed Shank, the Cincinnati Reds' team physician, "but the appendix had not ruptured. We caught it in the nick of time." Barring further complications, Lavagetto will remain hospitalized for at least a week and possibly up to ten days.

The twenty-five-year-old infielder has been a foundation of the Dodger lineup since 1937, and though he was batting only .257 in 118 games this season, many of his hits have come in clutch situations. He is also considered the best defensive third baseman in the National League, and was selected to start for the league at that position in this summer's All Star Game. Six weeks ago he was injured when he was hit in the groin by a pitched ball, but he returned to the lineup the next day, proving wrong critics who have claimed he is "too fragile" for Major League stardom.

Lavagetto's injury is the latest in a series of serious blows dealt to Brooklyn's pennant hopes in the closing weeks of the campaign, with the Dodgers now having lost half of their starting infield to season-ending injuries. With Leo Durocher already filling in for Pee Wee Reese at shortstop, it is expected that either veteran utility player Johnny Hudson or rookie Pete Reiser will take Cookie's place at third as the Flock begins a crucial series against the Reds this afternoon at Crosley Field.

Gangland kingpin Joe Adonis had help from corrupt Brooklyn law enforcement officials in maintaining his grip on the borough's waterfront rackets, according to Supreme Court Justice John McCrate, who made that pronouncement today after an examination of Amen special grand jury testimony. Adonis, whose real name is Joseph A. Doto, was indicted in early May on charges of kidnapping and assault in connection with the 1932 abduction of fur racketeers Isidore "I Paid Plenty" Juffre and the late Isaac Wapinski. Adonis's attorney had sought the dismissal of the charges, claiming that Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen had no jurisdiction in such matters based on the powers given him in his appointment by Governor Lehman, but Justice McCrate, who had reserved judgement that motion until he had reviewed the Amen Grand Jury's information on the matter, determined today that, because Amen's office is charged with investigating official corruption in Kings County, and because the Amen Grand Jury concluded that Adonis has received aid from persons involved in Brooklyn law enforcement in carrying out his criminal activities, therefore Amen's involvement in Adonis's case is proper, and the motion to dismiss was denied.

District Attorney William O'Dwyer left for the midwest today, and while the official story is that he is taking a brief vacation, the Eagle has learned that his true mission may be to confer in Chicago with his assistant DA Burton Turkus, who is in the Midway City following a trip to Los Angeles in connection with alleged activity of the Brooklyn Murder For Hire gang on the West Coast. It is rumored that the District Attorney himself may be headed to the Coast shortly to bring back "information about a top man in the murder gang."

The House Military Affairs Committee today raised the age ceiling for the Burke-Wadsworth conscription bill, and sent to the full House a measure establishing a military draft covering men aged 21 to 45. That version conflicts with the Senate version of the measure which passed last night, setting the age span from 21 to 31.

The Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America has condemned as a "cheap stunt" a wedding performed last week aboard the Parachute Jump at the World's Fair, and have criticized the officiant, Rev. Homer A. Tomlinson of the Church of God in Jamaica. The Chairman of the Council's Committee on Marriage and the Home denounced Rev. Tomlinson's participation in the stunt as "humiliating to the ministry in general."

An eighteen-page article in this week's issue of The New Republic denounces Republican presidential nominee Wendell L. Willkie as "a slick anti-union adventurer" and "a front man" for corporate utility interests. The article, presented as a special supplement to the magazine's current issue, also accuses Mr. Willkie of "personal duplicity" in connection with the Tennessee Valley Authority, and charges that his image as "a tousle-headed farm boy from Indiana and a heroic fighter for civil liberties is a synthetic creation of some of the most skillful press agents and advertising men in the country."

Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, and Oscar Levant make for an impressive fun combination in "Rhythm On The River," now showing at the New York Paramount. Herbert Cohn was on hand for opening night, and calls the film a "light hearted and light headed musical" that depends on the appeal of its personalities more than the quality of its material, with a soggy script carried by the appealing qualities of its excellent cast. Martin and Levant are especially good, and without their presence, even Bing himself would have had trouble carrying off the script, something about a conniving songwriter played by Basil Rathbone exploiting the assistant, played by Crosby, who is actually responsible for all of his hits.

At the AIR COOLED Patio, it's Jeffrey Lynn and Olivia deHavilland in "My Love Came Back," paired with Cesar Romero as "Lucky Cisco Kid."

"George D." writes to Helen Worth with an interesting question: does one handicap themselves in today's world -- "a paradise for parasites" -- by playing it straight? Aren't there more real opportunities out there for chiselers? Helen advises George to read the paper and see what happens to so many of those chiselers, and to remember that sticking to the honest path is just common sense.

Yeggs made off with $87 after a break-in at the 2nd District Municipal Court building on Gates Avenue last night, but missed a larger sum because of a timely night bank deposit. The thieves cracked the Traffic Court safe and made away with cash, stamps, and checks, but didn't get the money taken in yesterday in fines because it had already been deposited in the bank. Several desks and lockers were also rifled during the robbery.

("Take a number, bud. There's a long line ahead of ya? Ain'cha heard there's a draft comin'?")

With rain washing out yesterday's series opener against the Reds in Cincinnaty Dodger manager Leo Durocher spent the afternoon in the Crosley Field clubhouse riling up his troops. "I don't know if any of you have been holding anything back," he snapped to his assembled players, "but this is the time to shoot the works. We've got to shoot the works here -- if we can win these two games, I think we can win the pennant. If we lose two, we're out of it. If we split, we're left with an outside chance. It'll be mighty tough, but I think we can do it."

The Dodgers face an uphill schedule the rest of the season. The Cincinnati series concludes their Western business for the year, and other than two brief series in Philadelphia and Boston, they'll spend all of September at either Ebbets Field or the Polo Grounds. The Dodgers have been notoriously poor performers on their home turf this year, but Leo is hoping the games against the Giants up in Harlem will allow an opportunity to fatten up.

The Dodgers and Reds will play two today, weather permitting, with Wyatt and Hamlin expected to start for Brooklyn against Derringer and Thompson for the Reds.

(Too bad Medwick couldn't do that.)

(They're obviously Nazi agents. Real Americans yell and scream at each other.)

(PUT YOUR ARM DOWN YOU MORON)

(Aren't too many avgas pumps in these mountains. Hope you brought plenty of fuel!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

At first I was kind of amazed by this page, since there isn't a single divorce story on it -- but you've got to figure the "Neighbors" kids are heading that way.

Whichever side you lean toward, the gloves are now fully off.

Even New York has its inferiority complexes. If you don't have a 100,000 seat stadium in 1940, you're a hick town. Besides, who would ever go all the way out to Flushing Meadows to see a ball game?

Yes, in panel four, Annie just flipped that guy off, no matter how many syndicate editors tried to redraw her hand.

Oh, we'll need you to make two trips.

Hahahahahahahaha! Oh mercy.

Look, at least let him loose from those balls first.

Yeah, Wilmer, you keep at it. And STOP SMIRKING SKEEZIX, YOU'RE NEXT!

Might as well head on home, Willie. He's got what he's after.

You mean creepy forty-year-olds like McClusky? Yeah, that worked real well last time. And leave Pruny out of this -- any seventy-year-old who can do the Shag and the Big Apple the way she does is not likely to want any part of your sordid little schemes.