The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

...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....

"...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"

That sums up most of Crosby's (and Astaire's) efforts back then, which, in Crosby's case is what makes later movies like "Going My Way" and (more so) "The Country Girl" surprising as you learned that Bing could really act.

..."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....

Helen's Ancient Rome equivalent received the same letter just as it could be written today.

... (Too bad Medwick couldn't do that.)...

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

Kidding aside, I've moved about fourteen times in my adult life and with my girlfriend the last six of them (half the reason we bought an apartment was to stop moving) and I don't remember any yelling or screaming at each other or anyone. Not a fun day, but no yelling and screaming.

In our last move, my girlfriend made a great observation - the aisle at Home Depot where they sell the moving supplies is full of long faces. Sounds funny, but we look down that aisle most times we hit HD now (it's one of the first aisles in the store near us) and she's right, the people (usually couples) almost always look demoralized. Once you notice it, it's funny to see the contrast versus the people in the rest of the store.

... (PUT YOUR ARM DOWN YOU MORON)...

Hmm, so ignoring the advice of your very experienced campaign manager and whip smart mother-in-law and wife didn't work out too well. As noted, he does not learn from his past mistakes.

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

Camouflaging that plane convincingly will take a very long time. Also, marching twenty-five miles, there and back, over that terrain is no small feat especially if one is, um, er, well, a bit on the avoirdupois side.

A... 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.....

Yeah, I'm not proud of it, but I was kinda bored with the page today too - no society or Hollywood divorces, no mob stuff, no robberies, zzzzzzzz.

Hey, did they ever catch either the plump blonde bank "heistess" and her crew or the gang that pulled the mail-train stick up?

Re "The Neighbors:" You know Skeezix and Harold are both thinking that guy shouldn't be complaining if he was able to get a summer of dates out of just $46.70. Tula and Senga, respectively, took our boys for much more money for much less than a summer of dates.

And the boy is wearing the same wardrobe as almost every "college kid" in a Hollywood movie wore from the late '30s through the '40s.

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

As you say, a gentler time.

...
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?....

The old Yankee Stadium takes umbrage. Also, wonderful line about Robert Moses, "Like most great men, he doesn't approve of anything he doesn't think of himself first."

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

Quite the condescension from Annie about the door job; a bit bourgie of her (as you would say).

....
Hahahahahahahaha! Oh mercy.....

"Fifi," Really? Also, just pointing out, pickpocket guy doesn't really have much of anything to hold over Bim's head - the storyline's logic is weak here.

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

"...and shower!" I'm not going to let up on this.

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

We need some of Miss Snipe's backstory. Also, I'm guessing she's still quite young, but give or take, ten years older than those boys. That's not unusual in office situations, but is probably the first time those boys have had that type of relationship with a woman like her. A lot of interesting things can come out of it, but they might be a touch too far even for comic-strip land to broach.

... View attachment 257179 Might as well head on home, Willie. He's got what he's after....

Based on guy code, Willie shouldn't have an issue at all with what just happened.

... View attachment 257180 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.

Oh look, it's momma's (from "The Gumps") sister.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"That little made-up jade." Oooweee. In 1940, Snipe flat-out called Miss Glip a prostitute. In a ladylike way, of course, but the meaning is unmistakable.

We don't really know a lot about Miss Snipe other than that she took Skeezix under her wing when he arrived at Wumple & Co. last winter. She's indeed likely to be, if not thirty, than close enough to it to hear it coming, and I get the sense that she's rather lonely -- we never see her with a romantic interest of her own, or any family in the city. Other than setting Skeez up with Tula, she's always pretty much been "a real brick" when it comes to looking after his interests. I imagine something sad happened to her when she was around his age, and she doesn't want to talk about it. Skeezix, for his part, has a cousin Lora who'd be right about her age. They were close when he was little, so it's not surprising he'd feel comfortable around Snipe now.

I never would have imagined, if I met Mr. Bernie Sager on the street, that he introduced the rhumba in this country and is one of the leading authorities on the Lindy Hop. Shoot the sherbet to me Bernie.

Annie needs to mind her manners there. As every actor knows, you don't mess around with the Stage Doorman.

Mr. Moses changed the face of New York over the course of his career, for good and ill, but Flushing Meadows was the thorn in his side that never healed. He staged two World's Fairs there and they both went bankrupt and all he got for the effort was a park people didn't like and, finally, Shea Stadium -- which never held more than 45,000. And the Army-Navy Game hasn't been played in New York proper since 1931, and never will be again.

I hope we get to spend some time with Aunt Pruny. She came to Covina a few years back and raised hell down at the Sugar Bowl, teaching all the boys a few things they didn't know about hot swing, and vamping the life out of poor old Pop.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Kneeling under the whiplash of Germany and Italy, Rumania today surrendered the greatest part of Transylvania to Hungary, capitulating to what she emphasized was "an Axis ultimatum" demanding she cede that World War-won province back to Hungarian control. Thus did Germany and Italy, in their chosen role of "Creators of the New Europe," compel the long-haggling neighbors settle their dispute and thus conclude "the last territorial conflict in southeast Europe." In return for ceding the territory back to Hungary, Rumania received from Germany "a guarantee of its rear border with Russia, Bulgaria, and Hungary.

President Roosevelt has declined to respond to a demand from Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie that he state his position on a provision in the pending conscription bill that would authorize the Government to take over the operation of industrial plants in the event of war. At his press conference today, the President asserted that an attempt was being made to draw him into a political controversy over the bill. "Let us all acknowledge it," stated the President, "and stop there."

Plans for a super-drydock at Bayonne, New Jersey appear to have been ruled out, with the Senate having omitted funding for any such project from the supplemental defense appropriations bill. That decision bodes well for the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where officials favor the reconstruction of Dock No. 3, originally built in the nineteenth century, to meet the requirements for such an expanded drydock facility. The bill now under consideration includes $940,000 for improvements at the Yard.

Screen stars Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were married today at the home of a friend in Santa Barbara, California. Actress Katharine Hepburn and screenwriter Garson Kanin attended the couple in the ceremony conducted by a local municipal judge. Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier were both divorced from their prior mates, Leigh from former husband Herbert Leigh Holman on January 5th, and Olivier a few days ago from actress Jill Esmond, on the grounds of adultery. The newlyweds will honeymoon in Northern California.

The chief executive of one of the nation's largest theatre chains has been indicted on a charge of conspiracy by a Federal grand jury in Manhattan. George P. Skouras, who, along with his brothers, controls the Fox theatre organization, is accused of bribing former Federal judge Martin T. Manton to approve the sale of the Fox Theatres Corporation to Skouras Theatres Corporation, with the bribe to Manton consisting of "loans" of $35,500. Manton, the former senior justice of the U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was removed from the bench and sentenced to two years in the Atlanta Penitentiary for "selling justice" in cases unrelated to the Skouras affair.

In rain-soaked Hershey, Pennsylvania, Little Gene Sarazen fired up a five-under-par 68, and finished five strokes up on Sam Snead at the halfway mark of the P. G. A. quarter final match.

The thirty-two-year-old longshoreman accused in the brutal murder of nineteen-year-old Frieda Olsen on a Brooklyn beach earlier this month wept today as he was committed to Kings County Hospital for mental observation. Accused slayer Peter Salemi has changed his plea from not guilty of murder, to not guilty by reason of insanity.

The operator of a Manhattan "massage parlor" was sentenced today to six months in the workhouse for operating a "disorderly house." Forty-eight-year-old Anna Swift, who styles herself "Doctor Swift," was found guilty to charges stemming from a raid on her establishment by a plainclothes detective who obtained services while posing as a "wealthy garage operator." Dr. Swift's attorney objected to the length of the sentence, observing that Polly Adler, convicted of a similar offense some years ago, only got thirty days.

(Everything must go, or we'll still be selling them in 1942.)

With city officials from Mayor LaGuardia on down taking the lead, efforts are underway to break down the popular dread of fingerprinting and build support for the city's voluntary fingerprinting program. A considerable portion of Borough President John Cashmore's personal staff reported to the Police Department's identification office at Borough Hall this morning to place their prints on record. "This is like getting your name and address in the greatest directory ever constructed," stated Assistant Commissioner of Public Works Thomas P. Smith. "The big difference is they can locate you and learn your identity in the event something goes wrong. And if you carry a set of your own prints, no one could question your identity."

As straw hats go back into the closet, men will be wearing more colorful felt hats this fall, with blue headgear expected to be all the rage. The newest trend is the interchangeable snap-on hatband, designed to give the wearer a choice in decoration for his headpiece, with the popularity of colorful mismatched bands expected to continue into the winter months. Green or blue bands worn with tan or brown hats will be especially notable.

The Duchess of Windsor is preparing to adopt a new hairstyle, and it appears likely that her famous center part will be abolished. "When a woman has such a lovely hairline as the Duchess," says her hairdresser Wayne Forrest, "it is a shame to cut it in half." Mr. Forrest declined to describe what he has in mind for the Duchess, but speculated that he might cross her hair in the back and place a puff behind each ear.

The Marine Roof at the Hotel Bossert will remain open thru September for dining and dancing. Eddie Lane and His Orchestra will continue to provide the music for the remainder of the Bossert's "Silver Jubilee Season."

The Eagle Editorialist fears that Mr. Willkie's campaign is "dying on the vine." Here we are halfway thru the campaign season, and the Republicans have done little to present their candidate's message in an appealling manner to a national audience. ""Business Girls For Willkie Clubs", "Young Men in Foulard Ties For Willkie Clubs", and all the rest are all well and good, but there is no indication that the big names in the Republican Party are looking toward their candidate for leadership."

("Don't you know there's almost a war on?")

As Cookie Lavagetto recovers in a Cincinnati hospital from an emergency appendectomy, the Dodgers lost to the Reds yesterday at rain-swept Crosley Field, a poorly-played 9-3 defeat that revealed the complete loss of morale among the Flock. Paul Derringer didn't have much going for the Reds, but the Dodgers approached the plate with a downhearted "what's the use" attitude that gave the Cincy hurler an easy victory. Leo Durocher, whose sore arm compromised his play at shortstop yesterday, says he intends to remain in the lineup as long as he doesn't have to "roll the ball to first base," with rookie Pete Reiser taking Cookie's spot at third.

The only good news of the day came from the hospital, where the Reds' team physician, Dr. Reed Shank, says that Lavagetto should make a full recovery -- and is lucky to be alive. Dr. Shank says the appendix he extracted from the 25-year-old third sacker's abdomen was one of the most diseased he's ever seen, and he marveled that Lavagetto hadn't collapsed earlier. News that Cookie has been carrying around a gangrenous appendix for -- how long? -- is seen as explaining his recent batting slump, which has dropped his average to .257 on the year.

The loss of Lavagetto for the rest of the 1940 campaign is just the latest in a long string of injuries to wrack the Dodgers this year. Of the eight regulars, only outfielder Dixie Walker has made it thru the season so far without a debilitating injury. But there's still September.

Yesterday's rained-out second game will be played today, with Luke Hamlin to face Junior Thompson. That costs the Dodgers an off day, and they'll be flying out of Cincinnati immediately after the game to arrive back in Brooklyn in time to face the Giants tomorrow afternoon at Ebbets Field.

(Soooooooo. I wonder what the Commissioner will have to say about all this?)

(Hm. Obviously it's a secret Nazi business agent looking for a place to hide out after they ran him out of Scarsdale.)

(And by "home," of course, you mean OUR SECRET UNDERGROUND TORTURE LAIR!)

(Even the microfilm photographer has gotten bored with this story.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

I wonder if Ed Sullivan joined in on any of those hot jitterbug numbers? I'd have paid to see that.

Celebrate Labor Day by eating "a few pounds" of candy? No wonder Labor's in such a state.

Between running against Ickes and slamming down on that SHIFT LOCK key, maybe the GOP needs a calmer spokesman? "Ickraking," however, is a legit funny line.

IS THAT NICK SITTING AT THE TABLE TOO?????????????

"Oooooooh, there's something in the airrrrrrr...."

Something tells you? Like seven years of sad experience?

In other words, Shadow -- that lovable rascal -- took whatever was left of the expense money and shot the whole roll at a bucket shop.

So seriously, why hasn't the Professor been using all this time to develop some kind of terrifying super weapon that Yogee won't know about until it's too late? I don't understand how crazed geniuses think.

"Fools! Shoot at the plane!"

LOCAL BUM HELD IN SPY PROBE -- Assaults G-Man With Bag Of Stolen Files

 

[Fading Fast]

... View attachment 257326
Screen stars Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were married today at the home of a friend in Santa Barbara, California. Actress Katharine Hepburn and screenwriter Garson Kanin attended the couple in the ceremony conducted by a local municipal judge. Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier were both divorced from their prior mates, Leigh from former husband Herbert Leigh Holman on January 5th, and Olivier a few days ago from actress Jill Esmond, on the grounds of adultery. The newlyweds will honeymoon in Northern California....

"...on the grounds of adultery."

The Eagle couldn't resist getting that dig in.

...The operator of a Manhattan "massage parlor" was sentenced today to six months in the workhouse for operating a "disorderly house." Forty-eight-year-old Anna Swift, who styles herself "Doctor Swift," was found guilty to charges stemming from a raid on her establishment by a plainclothes detective who obtained services while posing as a "wealthy garage operator." Dr. Swift's attorney objected to the length of the sentence, observing that Polly Adler, convicted of a similar offense some years ago, only got thirty days....

The Eagle demurs at saying "house of prostitution," so we get "disorderly house," (yes it's a legal term, but still), but it has no trouble telling us Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were banging away when still married to other people.

... View attachment 257328
With city officials from Mayor LaGuardia on down taking the lead, efforts are underway to break down the popular dread of fingerprinting and build support for the city's voluntary fingerprinting program. A considerable portion of Borough President John Cashmore's personal staff reported to the Police Department's identification office at Borough Hall this morning to place their prints on record. "This is like getting your name and address in the greatest directory ever constructed," stated Assistant Commissioner of Public Works Thomas P. Smith. "The big difference is they can locate you and learn your identity in the event something goes wrong. And if you carry a set of your own prints, no one could question your identity."...

"'This is like getting your name and address in the greatest directory ever constructed,'" stated Assistant Commissioner of Public Works Thomas P. Smith. 'The big difference is they can locate you and learn your identity in the event something goes wrong. And if you carry a set of your own prints, no one could question your identity.'"

Protecting your identity - and people wanting to own your information - isn't only a modern-technology or business thing. The harder they (biz, gov't, anyone) sell how good something is for us (especially something "free") - then and now - the more suspicious we should become.

...The Duchess of Windsor is preparing to adopt a new hairstyle, and it appears likely that her famous center part will be abolished. "When a woman has such a lovely hairline as the Duchess," says her hairdresser Wayne Forrest, "it is a shame to cut it in half." Mr. Forrest declined to describe what he has in mind for the Duchess, but speculated that he might cross her hair in the back and place a puff behind each ear....

Meanwhile, back in England, the country remains under constant air bombardment as the people soldier on with the Royal Family choosing not to escape to Canada "for the duration," but to stay with their countrymen as even Windsor Castle takes direct hits from German bombs. But, more importantly, how is that new hairdo "Duchess?"

...The Marine Roof at the Hotel Bossert will remain open thru September for dining and dancing. Eddie Lane and His Orchestra will continue to provide the music for the remainder of the Bossert's "Silver Jubilee Season."...

Joe, Sally deserves one nice night out as the summer comes to a close.

... (Hm. Obviously it's a secret Nazi business agent looking for a place to hide out after they ran him out of Scarsdale.)...

After a few weeks of living next to the Bungles, he'll take his chances back in Scarsdale or anywhere.

... (Even the microfilm photographer has gotten bored with this story.)

Seriously, there's some fill-in-the-blanks necessary to read today's (and yesterday's).

Dan's got four days of food and all the other stuff he needs in that little backpack? Did he leave anything for Irwin to eat? I'm guessing Irwin gets pretty cranky if he has to miss one meal, let alone four days worth.

... View attachment 257340 I wonder if Ed Sullivan joined in on any of those hot jitterbug numbers? I'd have paid to see that....

Re Mickey Rooney: As one of the top-paid actors of his day, if he does make five films, he stands to earn, in 2020 dollars, about $3 million. Today, that's a fraction of what any top-name star makes for one movie.

Re the women found in the lake: I think that's how Montgomery Clift got rid of Shelley Winters in 1950's "A Place in the Sun." The police might want to see if she had a boyfriend who's now dating a rich girl.

...
Celebrate Labor Day by eating "a few pounds" of candy? No wonder Labor's in such a state....

You weren't getting a dollar out of my dad easily, ever, but if I asked "you want me to run into Loft and get us some candy and ice-cream" usually got him to crack the wallet open, followed by, "get some mint-chocolate-chip ice-cream if they have it, chocolate otherwise and some chocolate raison clusters - don't mess it up - and bring me the change!"

... Between running against Ickes and slamming down on that SHIFT LOCK key, maybe the GOP needs a calmer spokesman? "Ickraking," however, is a legit funny line....

Based on the comments in the Eagle today, the Republicans seem to be panicking early.

... IS THAT NICK SITTING AT THE TABLE TOO?????????????...

Good catch - you know Gray's dying to bring Nick back. Also, we just saw an early antecedent to "wait, what?" And, if memory serves, Mr. La Plata's putative boy has a full head of curly hair, hmm.

... "Oooooooh, there's something in the airrrrrrr...."...

King can't get any closer. Does Miss Snipe know she's talking about "lunch" not lunch?

... In other words, Shadow -- that lovable rascal -- took whatever was left of the expense money and shot the whole roll at a bucket shop....

This storyline would be working better had Ed shown us Shadow getting involved in stocks in NYC; instead, he just kinda dropped it on us awkwardly a couple of days ago. He should've done a bit of background building first.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Duchess has a lovely neck too. Be a shame to cut it in half.

Poor Mickey Rooney died broke, with grabby greedy relatives fighting over what little bits and scraps of nothing he had left. But hey, Top Box Office Attraction of 1940.

If Irwin has to survive on nuts and seeds foraged from the jungle until this is over, he should certainly be an interesting and instructive sight when we're all finished.

If Shadow's delicate eyelashes are any indication, I hope he invested some of that cash in Maybelline.

 

[LizzieMaine]

For the first time in history, the capital of Germany suffered under heavy air bombardment, as RAF planes racked central Berlin with high explosives and incendiary bombs, sending four million residents cowering into air raid shelters and cellars under the force of the hour-and-thirty-seven-minute attack. The nighttime British raid over the German capital followed the third day of afternoon raids by Nazi planes over London, striking suburban districts at the height of the Saturday shopping crowds. The daylight attack was a followup to last night's strike on London, considered the worst yet of the war.

A tropical storm is headed for New York, throwing a crimp into Labor Day weekend plans, with gale and hurricane-force winds at its center. As of 2 this morning, the storm was centered about 250 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, moving north-northwestward at about fifteen miles per hour. Shipping along the path of the storm was warned to take precautions.

Heavy fog pushing ahead of the oncoming storm is blamed for the crash of an excursion train en route from Philadelphia to New York. The engine, baggage car, and four passenger coaches derailed near Manville, New Jersey today when the engineer ran thru an open switch that had been obscured by the low-hanging fog. The train did not overturn, and only one of the 187 passengers on board, a conductor, and a waiter were injured.

The thick fog is also responsible for two marine accidents. This morning an American and a Norwegian freighter collided in the mist off the coast of New Jersey, with both vessels surviving the collision with no damage. Yesterday, the Staten Island ferry Miss New York was rammed by an oil tanker in the upper harbor causing a near panic among its seventy passengers. Five persons on board the ferry were reported injured.

A full-sized pursuit plane built by a group of Long Island students is the product of a unique course in airplane mechanics being taught at Seawanhaka High School in Floral Park. Engineers from the Grummann Aircraft Corporation are conducting the class, with students between the ages of 18 and 45 enrolled to learn the fundamentals of airplane design and construction by constructing an actual aircraft. Although the plane, with a 42-foot wingspan, is not intended to actually take flight, all of its systems will operate as if it was. The course is intended to build a pool of qualified workers for the anticipated rapid expansion of the Long Island aircraft industry in view of the demands of National Defense.

In case you haven't hoid, junior high school students returning to class this fall had better be prepared to brush up their diction, with a concerted campaign underway to eradicate "Brooklynese" from the pupils' speech. Dr. Elias Lieberman, formerly principal of Thomas Jefferson High School is the newly-appointed associate superintendant in charge of the borough's junior high schools, and says that every teacher under his jurisdiction, regardless of their subject, "will also be an English teacher." Dr. Lieberman says there will be no place in his classrooms for such local pronunciations as "erl" or "Greenpernt" or "hoid," with the goal being the development in the students of "cultured American speech" such as that used by radio announcers and President Roosevelt.

("Hah!" says Joe. "Getta loaddadis boid! Wants we should all loin'a talk like th' Prez'dint! 'MYYYYYYY FRENNNNNNNNNNS..." "Hey," laughs Sally. "'At's pretty good! Yotta gwonna raddio widdat.")

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Storck of 955 Albany Avenue have lived in Flatbush for forty six of their fifty years of marriage, and they celebrated their golden anniversary today by declaring that all those years have been happy ones. But they also made a startling confession -- even having lived in the heart of Brooklyn for nearly half a century, they're still Giant fans. Mr. Storck admitted today that he and Mrs. Storck were enthusiastic rooters at the Polo Grounds for the likes of Tim Keefe and Buck Ewing when they were courting before their marriage in 1890, and although he hastens to say that the Dodgers of 1940 have a fine ball club, they just haven't been able to take the step of transferring their long-established loyalties.

The new single-grade system for the sale of fluid milk goes into effect tomorrow and Brooklyn householders will find a new redesigned bottle on their doorsteps to mark the change. The bottle is shorter and broader than the old one, and comes with a sanitary aluminum cap. The city-wide adoption of the new bottle is required under the new single-grade system, and about 80 percent of the city's milk distributors, including the leading firms, will be in compliance as of tomorrow. Several smaller independent distributors will be given extensions in coming into compliance due to a shortage of the aluminum caps.

The majority of American newspapers to have endorsed a presidential candidate so far in the campaign season have chosen Wendell Willkie. A survey by Editor and Publisher magazine finds that 709 newspapers with a combined circulation of 16,387,145 have endorsed the Republican candidate, with 216 papers with a combined circulation of 5,332,905 endorsing the President. Meanwhile, a Gallup poll conducted in Maine finds Mr. Willkie favored by 64 percent of respondents, 7 percent ahead of the pace recorded by Alfred M. Landon in 1936. Republican polls in Ohio and Arizona also show Willkie with comfortable leads in those states.

(Carlos Montalban never lost his taste for acting, and he did eventually make it, up to a point -- he is best known as "El Exigente" in the Savarin Coffee commercials. And he had a kid brother named Ricardo who did even better.)

(New NAM propaganda campaign gets off to a rough start.)

(Go get 'em, Alice!)

The Dodgers closed out their business in Cincinnati for 1940 with a 6-2 win over the Reds, but they headed back to Brooklyn with a sour taste in their mouths, with the final western tour of the season ending up 3-7 and leaving the Flock a dim 7 1/2 games out of first place. The pennant, at this point, has pretty much been conceded to the Reds, and the Dodgers will spend September fighting to hold onto second-place money. Brooklyn has never dropped below second over the course of the season, but their soggy play of late has caused a crisis of confidence among the players. The final blow came when weather grounded their plane back home, and they were forced to make the trip back to Brooklyn by overnight Pullman -- a trip likely to leave them tired for today's game at Ebbets Field against the Giants.

Although provocative words have issued lately from the lips of Bill Terry, the Dodgers have no real fear of the Giants, who have dropped to fourth place behind the resurgent Cardinals. Today Curt Davis will go to the hill for Brooklyn against Lucky Lohrman for New York. The Dodgers hope to make Memphis Bill eat his recent words of ridicule by sweeping the three-game set -- which would drop the Terrymen to sixth place.

Gene Sarazen says he's done with the P. G. A., after Sam Snead defeated him by a single stroke in quarter-final tournament play at Hershey, Pennsylvania. Little Gene says, at age 38, his legs just don't have what it takes anymore.

(Either that's an ink blot or Sparky has super-cosmic-ray-charged bad breath.)

(Meanwhile, the Friendly Neighbors have set up their shortwave radio and have flashed a coded message to the submarine offshore. "CONTACT MADE WITH LOCAL BOOB. ALL PLANS UNDERWAY.")

(Dale is giving this story much better art than it's worth.)

(TOTAL WAR -- against Comedy Relief and a Face Eating Dog. Sounds good to me!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

("Oh come, Dickie! Let's elope! It'll be ever so romantic! Just like "It Happened One Night!")

Better lay low, Carlisle. Hizzoner is on the way over to bust you in the snoot.

I'd love to know what those stupid speeches were about.

For a guy who's led the life he has, Stoop sure knows how to have fun.

Lupe Velez isn't taking any of your crap.

I've never been in a subway tunnel with an air lock, but hey, you learn something new every day.

Guess old Wumple will be eating his lettuce and tomato sandwiches alone from now on.

"Gourd-head!" Meanwhile, Bimbo thinks quick and comes up with -- "Gedunk," which is the name of a specialty of the house served at Pop Jenks' Sugar Bowl, a gloppy mess made of ice cream, soda water, and hot fudge that you eat by "ge-dunking" a cookie into it. I had no idea that Bim paid such attention to doings in Covina, but maybe he ought to go there and hide until the heat's off.

*Snif.*

To be honest, I'm shocked Moon hasn't already checked into a motel.

 

[Fading Fast]

For the first time in history, the capital of Germany suffered under heavy air bombardment, as RAF planes racked central Berlin with high explosives and incendiary bombs, sending four million residents cowering into air raid shelters and cellars under the force of the hour-and-thirty-seven-minute attack. The nighttime British raid over the German capital followed the third day of afternoon raids by Nazi planes over London, striking suburban districts at the height of the Saturday shopping crowds. The daylight attack was a followup to last night's strike on London, considered the worst yet of the war...

It doesn't matter how many times you read about it, it's always impressive that back-on-its-heels England was still throwing punches. Say what you will about the British Empire, it wasn't going down without a heck of a fight.

... Miss New York was rammed ...

Uh-huh.

...In case you haven't hoid, junior high school students returning to class this fall had better be prepared to brush up their diction, with a concerted campaign underway to eradicate "Brooklynese" from the pupils' speech. Dr. Elias Lieberman, formerly principal of Thomas Jefferson High School is the newly-appointed associate superintendant in charge of the borough's junior high schools, and says that every teacher under his jurisdiction, regardless of their subject, "will also be an English teacher." Dr. Lieberman says there will be no place in his classrooms for such local pronunciations as "erl" or "Greenpernt" or "hoid," with the goal being the development in the students of "cultured American speech" such as that used by radio announcers and President Roosevelt.

("Hah!" says Joe. "Getta loaddadis boid! Wants we should all loin'a talk like th' Prez'dint! 'MYYYYYYY FRENNNNNNNNNNS..." "Hey," laughs Sally. "'At's pretty good! Yotta gwonna raddio widdat.")...

You got many good ones today Lizzie, but "Yotta gwonna" stood out, well done.

I guess the associate superintendent wouldn't be pleased with Margaret Lindsay's character description of where she lived in Brooklyn in the movie "Law in Her Own Hands:" "You know, out where oil is earl." (comments on movie here: #27848)

...Mr. and Mrs. Charles Storck of 955 Albany Avenue have lived in Flatbush for forty six of their fifty years of marriage, and they celebrated their golden anniversary today by declaring that all those years have been happy ones. But they also made a startling confession -- even having lived in the heart of Brooklyn for nearly half a century, they're still Giant fans. Mr. Storck admitted today that he and Mrs. Storck were enthusiastic rooters at the Polo Grounds for the likes of Tim Keefe and Buck Ewing when they were courting before their marriage in 1890, and although he hastens to say that the Dodgers of 1940 have a fine ball club, they just haven't been able to take the step of transferring their long-established loyalties....

Cary, thoughts on these two Giant fans living in Brooklyn?

...
(Carlos Montalban never lost his taste for acting, and he did eventually make it, up to a point -- he is best known as "El Exigente" in the Savarin Coffee commercials. And he had a kid brother named Ricardo who did even better.)..

Those are some interesting details about the family of Peter Salemi.

... (Go get 'em, Alice!)...

Still in the middle of Alice's bio, but she did do some designing and seemed to have a line or lines of clothing under her name at different times. She appeared able to leverage her redefining fashion statement on the court into a side business at minimum.

...The Dodgers closed out their business in Cincinnati for 1940 with a 6-2 win over the Reds, but they headed back to Brooklyn with a sour taste in their mouths, with the final western tour of the season ending up 3-7 and leaving the Flock a dim 7 1/2 games out of first place. The pennant, at this point, has pretty much been conceded to the Reds, and the Dodgers will spend September fighting to hold onto second-place money. Brooklyn has never dropped below second over the course of the season, but their soggy play of late has caused a crisis of confidence among the players. The final blow came when weather grounded their plane back home, and they were forced to make the trip back to Brooklyn by overnight Pullman -- a trip likely to leave them tired for today's game at Ebbets Field against the Giants....

The Pullman Car Company begs to differ.

... (Meanwhile, the Friendly Neighbors have set up their shortwave radio and have flashed a coded message to the submarine offshore. "CONTACT MADE WITH LOCAL BOOB. ALL PLANS UNDERWAY.")...

Or, if they are not spies and just normal neighbors, they're staying up late tonight going over the terms of their lease with a fine tooth comb looking for any early out.

... ("Oh come, Dickie! Let's elope! It'll be ever so romantic! Just like "It Happened One Night!")....

Re the short honeymoon: From all accounts in the Eagle the other day, at least Miss Leigh and Mr. Olivier got an early start on it.

... Guess old Wumple will be eating his lettuce and tomato sandwiches alone from now on.....

Surprisingly, not necessarily. I worked at a firm in the '90s where a young attractive woman was canoodling with the top guy while she also had a boyfriend on the staff. Weird stuff happens (and in office building stairwells). But that was at a large firm, not a small office like this one. Occasionally, when something, like this, reminds me of her, I often wonder how it all turned out for her as that "young woman" is in her fifties now.

Separately, what happened in panel four - did Godiva already move on from Wilmer to another guy?

... "Gourd-head!" Meanwhile, Bimbo thinks quick and comes up with -- "Gedunk," which is the name of a specialty of the house served at Pop Jenks' Sugar Bowl, a gloppy mess made of ice cream, soda water, and hot fudge that you eat by "ge-dunking" a cookie into it. I had no idea that Bim paid such attention to doings in Covina, but maybe he ought to go there and hide until the heat's off.....

This will not end well, but points to Bim for, as you note, quick thinking. As the saying goes, nothing focuses the mind like the gallows.

... *Snif.*...

Pawn shops really were a fascinating part of the Era. So much of life past through their doors in so many ways. Not surprisingly, they play a part in an incredible number of movies from the '30s - '60s. There could be a neat book on the shops themselves or the role they played in movies or both

From Ray Milland trying to hawk his typewriter - the last symbol of his failed career as a writer - in "The Lost Weekend" to Kirk Douglas getting his career as a musician started when he buys a pawned trumpet in "Young Man with a Horn," you know many ups and downs in life started and ended at a pawn shop back then.

Ray Milland as struggling writer and alcoholic Don Birnam trying to pawn his typewriter for money to get alcohol in "The Lost Weekend." He is frustrated in his efforts as he learns that it is a Jewish holiday and he was told the pawn dealers agree to close on each other's religious holidays.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Of all the dialects I've studied and performed, prewar Brooklynese is my favorite. It might be the most expressive and fun to do of all American dialects, and that it's moving toward extinction is a great loss to language. The ethnolinguist William Labov studied its decline in detail over the latter half of the twentieth century, and the disappearance of its most distinctive feature -- the "curl-coil merger," which is what turns "bird" into "boid" and "oil" into "erl" -- is essentially geometric thru the century. Practically every Brooklyn-born person born before 1900 had this trait in their speech, even the "educated classes," and a strong majority among those born as late as in the 1910s -- but it declined steadily over the decades after until it's essentially completely gone among persons born after WWII. Changing demographics had a lot to do with this, but I suspect teachers in harmony with the views of Dr. Lieberman were equally responsible. Ainnatawful, I ask ya.

Making my way thru Alice Marble's life story, I'm becoming convinced there wasn't anything she couldn't do, and no place she couldn't show up. She's Zelig with a tennis racket.

I'm pretty sure Godiva has made the acquaintance of a local Beach Bum, which is kind of surprising. Bodybuilders in the Era, especially of the Physical Culture type -- seemed to often have -- ah -- other inclinations. Either that or she couldn't stand walking along the beach with some goof in a dress shirt, tie, flannel slacks, and wingtips.

Pawnshops were a lifeline for the working class at a time when banks wouldn't let them in the door, and "loan companies" were generally predatory. My grandfather's watch had all sorts of pawn-ticket numbers scratched on the back of the case from the days when it had to spend time under the Sign Of The Balls to keep food on the table.

As for Harold being "Most Likely To Succeed," here is a boy who spent his entire high school career mooning over Lillums, spending his allowance on two-toned corduroy pants, and mooching free sodas. Covina High must have a pretty low bar.

 

[Fading Fast]

Of all the dialects I've studied and performed, prewar Brooklynese is my favorite. It might be the most expressive and fun to do of all American dialects, and that it's moving toward extinction is a great loss to language. The ethnolinguist William Labov studied its decline in detail over the latter half of the twentieth century, and the disappearance of its most distinctive feature -- the "curl-coil merger," which is what turns "bird" into "boid" and "oil" into "erl" -- is essentially geometric thru the century. Practically every Brooklyn-born person born before 1900 had this trait in their speech, even the "educated classes," and a strong majority among those born as late as in the 1910s -- but it declined steadily over the decades after until it's essentially completely gone among persons born after WWII. Changing demographics had a lot to do with this, but I suspect teachers in harmony with the views of Dr. Lieberman were equally responsible. Ainnatawful, I ask ya.

Making my way thru Alice Marble's life story, I'm becoming convinced there wasn't anything she couldn't do, and no place she couldn't show up. She's Zelig with a tennis racket.

I'm pretty sure Godiva has made the acquaintance of a local Beach Bum, which is kind of surprising. Bodybuilders in the Era, especially of the Physical Culture type -- seemed to often have -- ah -- other inclinations. Either that or she couldn't stand walking along the beach with some goof in a dress shirt, tie, flannel slacks, and wingtips.

Pawnshops were a lifeline for the working class at a time when banks wouldn't let them in the door, and "loan companies" were generally predatory. My grandfather's watch had all sorts of pawn-ticket numbers scratched on the back of the case from the days when it had to spend time under the Sign Of The Balls to keep food on the table.

As for Harold being "Most Likely To Succeed," here is a boy who spent his entire high school career mooning over Lillums, spending his allowance on two-toned corduroy pants, and mooching free sodas. Covina High must have a pretty low bar.

Alice is impressive and, yes, insanely talented in many fields. And while nothing says bad person to me so far, she was not worried about dotting every moral "i" and crossing every moral "t." She certainly seems willing to exaggerate the truth to fit her preferred narrative. Again, far from a bad person, just a regular person with super talents.

Wilmer in his office clothes with Glip in her bathing suit was odd, but based on the movies from the time, not as odd back then as it would be today.

Effectively, pawnshops were banks that specialized in loans based on small personal property. It's less that banks were evil (in this case, not making a bigger point), but that the pawn business requires a completely different type of balance sheet usage and physical business setup from a bank. However, stripped to its core, the businesses are very similar - they both make collateralized loans with a haircut on the collateral (it's just more obvious in a pawn shop).

 

[LizzieMaine]

Germany marked the first anniversary of the European War with an apparent attempt at a crushing blow against London, pounding the British capital with continuous air raids, and, in the suburbs, strafing crowded streets with machine gun fire from low-flying raiders. The United Press reported that at least a thousand Nazi planes participated in the day's assault in what was clearly intended as "a knockout blow." A single nighttime raid lasted five and a half hours. In daylight battles, British authorities state that 46 Nazi planes were shot down, against the loss of 11 British fighters.

As the nearest thing Britain has yet seen to a "blitzkrieg" thundered over the capital, the German radio broadcast ridiculed the "childish optimism" expressed by some British commentators that "the worst of the attack is over." England, German spokesmen warned, "doesn't yet know" what modern war can be like.

Sources close to the Rumanian general staff warn they will resist any effort by Hungary to occupy Transylvania under the terms of the Vienna Accord with Germany. Those warnings follow hints from Germany that it is prepared to take action to enforce the agreement ceding the province to Hungary, with 120 divisions now massed close to the Balkans for use in the event of "trouble in Rumania" or an unexpected move by Russia.

A US Senator from Minnesota is dead along with 24 other persons in the crash of a Pennsylvania Central Airlines plane during a thunderstorm over Lovettsville, Virginia. Senator Ernest Lundeen was among those killed when the plane went down in an open field. Observers on the ground say the plane appeared headed straight for the side of a mountain as it flew thru heavy rain, and suddenly lurched upward in an apparent attempt to gain altitude to avoid the mountain before spinning out of control.

Republican presidential nominee Wendell Willkie last night renewed his attack on proposed legislation that would allow government takeover of industry in the event of war. Speaking in Rushville, Indiana, the GOP nominee attacked the Overton-Russell industrial conscription bill as having deleterious effects on labor as well as industry, stating "you cannot conscript industry without conscripting labor," and declaring that "we must not set up a dictatorship to fight dictators." Mr. Willkie also denounced the bill as "a cheap political proposal of the kind that brought France to its destruction," and repeated his demand that President Roosevelt declare his own position on the legislation.

A Staten Island magistrate has ruled that loading someone's pockets with Limburger cheese does not constitute malicious mischief. Magistrate Charles G. Keutgen yesterday in West Brighton Court threw out charges against tugboat cook Eugene Bartholomew, who was accused of planting the odiferous substance in the pocket of a coat belonging to his captain, Gustave Mueller. The incident led to a fistfight between the two men.

Due to the Labor Day holiday, the Eagle will not publish tomorrow. The Eagle wishes its readers a pleasant holiday and reminds them to DRIVE CAREFULLY.

Frank C. Walker of Pennsylvania has been been appointed to the Cabinet position of Postmaster General by President Roosevelt, replacing the departed James A. Farley. The appointment means that only three members of the President's original 1933 cabinet -- Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, and Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins -- remain in their positions.

Police in Mexico City have formally requested the detention of Miss Sylvia Ageloff of Brooklyn as an accomplice in the assassination of Leon Trotsky. Investigators say the deciding factor is an dinner invitation by Miss Ageloff extended to one of Trotsky's bodyguards, an invitation which may have been intended to intentionally reduce the exiled Bolshevik's protection and make way for accused assassin Frank Jackson to carry out his work. Miss Ageloff, who was on vacation from her job as a WPA teacher, has officially been dropped from the WPA rolls.

Sales of American flags in Brooklyn are sharply higher, with retailers from dime stores to downtown department stores all reporting increases of from 25 to 400 percent in flag sales over 1939. Novelty jewelry of a patriotic nature has also zoomed in popularity. Woolworth's reports there was virtually no market for such trinketry last year.

The president of the New York City Riders Association says the continuation and improvement of trolley service along Fulton Street is preferable to replacement of surface cars by buses. Everett A. White, speaking on behalf of the Association, points out that the cost of improving the trolley system as a replacement for the L will save the city up to $3,000,000 compared to the cost of buses, and would likely earn more over the long term in fares given the greater speed of trolleys. The only advantage to converting to buses, said White, is that such a plan would hasten the demolition of the L structure by a few months.

(The definitive look of 1941 -- collegiate knee socks!)

(Unless you're a grammar school kid.)

Dixie Walker went on a rampage yesterday against the Giants, racking up three doubles and two bases-on-balls, to lead the Dodgers to a 7-6 win over the Giants. Bill Terry riffled thru five more pitchers after the Flock took Carl Hubbell's measure in the fifth inning, but no matter who Memphis Bill put out there, they couldn't control the ball, with Giant hurlers combining for an even dozen walks over the course of a rollicking afternoon. The Dodgers managed to leave fifteen men on base over the course of the afternoon, one short of the record.

To demonstrate just how wild and woolly the game really was, none other than Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons got ejected for the first time in his long and distinguished career. The portly Fitz was tossed along with manager Leo Durocher by umpire Bick Campbell for arguing a call at first base.

The jinks will remain high today at Ebbets Field as the Dodgers and Giants play two. Yesterday's win was Brooklyn's seventh straight against their cross-borough arch-enemies.

The Football Dodgers kick off their preseason campaign today in Connecticut against the Stratford Rams. The contest marks new coach Jock Sutherland's first game at the Brooklyn helm since taking over for Potsy Clark.

Dark chestnut two-year-old Whirlaway surged from last place to take the $37,850 prize in the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga Springs.

Old-time vaudevillian Joe Brady writes in to thank the Old Timers for all the words of kindness sent his way following his recent mention on the Old Timers Page, and he takes some time to reminisce about his old colleagues on the Brooklyn boards. Remember Bert Williams singing "Nobody," or Bert Savoy, queen of the female impersonators saying "You *must* come over!" Or Bayes and Norworth singing "Shine On, Harvest Moon?" Or Van and Schenck singing any song? Aw, you know you do....

From Crown Princess to refugee, on the front of Trend this week....

One-time Hollywood child star Miriam Battista, now all grown up, will star in the title role as Langston Hughes' drama "Mulatto" closes out the short season of Broadway hits at the Flatbush Theatre this week.

(He's not just an evil sheriff, he's an eco-terrorist!)

(I thought that I
Would never see
Kate Smith
Upon
A Water Ski!)

(Exactly what is going on in panel seven? Is Bill about to fry up some marihuana flapjacks? That would explain a lot.)

(The underground facility necessary to operate such an arrangement as shown here would be the underground facility to end all underground facilities. WE BETTER GET TO SEE IT!)

("That's nothing, you should the job I did painting the stairs!")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Bigamy? Yes, it's big a' me. And it's big a' you too!" And gee, Burgess Meredith really gets around.

And I still say "Wilbur Gooch" sounds like a character from "Green Acres." You know, runs the bait store over in Pixley.

"Yeah, an' they damwell BETTER be scared!"

"I"VE BEEN WAITING ALL AFTERNOON FOR YOU TO RETURN!" You know, Tracy, if you weren't so determined to speak in the passive voice all the time, you might have had time to get off a better shot.

"Stinker?" Come on, you can speak more plainly than that. And Maw Green is about to learn that the one person you positively do NOT get flip with is a New York cab driver.

Forget Cap'n Tom. The Cap'n you need right now is Blaze.

The secret ingredient in an "Awful Awful?" Saltpeter.

One thing's for sure -- Dude's not getting his deposit back on this plane.

To look at poor pneumatic Walt, you'd never guess he'll live to be over 120 years old.

Usually Kayo sleeps in Moon's bureau drawer -- how'd he rate an upgrade?

 

[Fading Fast]

... (Unless you're a grammar school kid.)...

Up through the '80s, pen and pencil sets were one of the default gifts to give a kid either going off to school or graduating. I did not come from a gift-giving environment and even I got a few of those over the years (which are still in their boxes tucked away in a closet having never been used).

...To demonstrate just how wild and woolly the game really was, none other than Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons got ejected for the first time in his long and distinguished career. The portly Fitz was tossed along with manager Leo Durocher by umpire Bick Campbell for arguing a call at first base....

Maybe the Eagle should own up to some responsibility for Freddie losing his temper as it's been tossing out "fat" and "portly" at Freddie all season; possibly, he finally snapped. I believe the kids would say the Eagle created a "hostile environment" for poor Freddie.

...Dark chestnut two-year-old Whirlaway surged from last place to take the $37,850 prize in the Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga Springs....

Fun to see an early mention of Whirlaway; we'll be hearing a lot more from him next year.

.... (I thought that I
Would never see
Kate Smith
Upon
A Water Ski!)...

Freddie Fitzsimmons just asked his manager to get him Kate's number in one of the earliest recordings of an informal support group forming.

... View attachment 257739 (Exactly what is going on in panel seven? Is Bill about to fry up some marihuana flapjacks? That would explain a lot.)...

Yes it would.

... (The underground facility necessary to operate such an arrangement as shown here would be the underground facility to end all underground facilities. WE BETTER GET TO SEE IT!)...

Agreed, especially for 1940, this is pretty cool stuff. Clearly it's a country, but it also feels like a James Bond villain's effort - but that stuff is still twenty years in the future. How many countries even had aircraft carriers in 1940?

... "Bigamy? Yes, it's big a' me. And it's big a' you too!" And gee, Burgess Meredith really gets around....

Senga's just a low-rent Puk (yes, that's a "P").

... "Yeah, an' they damwell BETTER be scared!"...

I think we've already seen the male version of this one, but if not, it should be next week's effort. So, with that said, I'll note that W.E. Hill nailed a few of these spot on.

...[ "Stinker?" Come on, you can speak more plainly than that. And Maw Green is about to learn that the one person you positively do NOT get flip with is a New York cab driver....

Coming to NYC in the '80s, I caught the tail end of the type of taxi driver you reference. He - yup, they were all men (and, pretty much, still are - very few women drive cabs as the job has a pretty dangerous element to it) - was the older gruff guy, not an immigrant (probably, first generation), who knew the city inside and out and, as long as you played your role, he'd play his. I loved those guys, but by the '00s, they had been almost completely replaced by, mainly, younger immigrant drivers. In general, the new guys were fine (the job had changed for the worse), but they did not have the city knowledge or old-style NYC "character" of the former guys.

... The secret ingredient in an "Awful Awful?" Saltpeter....

You know the history and background and I don't, but is there any chance this entire soda-fountain thing is a just a way to put a bar, drinking, getting drunk, etc., in a comic strip by stealth, at least on occasion? Today's activity reads that way to me.

... One thing's for sure -- Dude's not getting his deposit back on this plane....

Really good action-adventure stuff for a comic strip. Caniff is just lapping everyone else.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I wouldn't at all be surprised to learn that good ol' jovial Poppa Jenks ran a speakeasy in the back room, and the soda shop is just a convenient front. The soda fountain stuff made sense when the gang was all high schoolers, but now that they're pushing their twenties, I'm surprised they're not sneaking out for some of the harder stuff. Especially Beezie, the fat rich kid -- you just know he's got a flask nipped from his old man's liquor cabinet stuffed in his pocket.

I'd give anything to know what the umpire said to Freddie. "HEY FATS, BUTT OUT! THIS IS BETWEEN ME AN' BALDY HERE!"

Walt Wallet, who has always seemed remarkably well-adjusted despite his weight problem, could easily facilitate that meeting.

Peter La Slagg here is a transparent louse, but his gal pal is The Stuff. A female Nick, maybe.

 

[LizzieMaine]

As noted yesterday, Mr. Schroth gives everyone the day off for Labor Day, so there's no Eagle today. But old Captain Patterson cracks a hard whip at the News, so we still have that...

60,500 troops will be mobilized in President Roosevelt's call activating National Guard units in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, the South, and the West for one year's service starting September 16th. The activations include four infantry divisions, eighteen coast artillery units, and four observation squadrons.

The betting money on the upcoming presidential election is leaning Roosevelt, with two News reporters assigned to bet $1000 each on the incumbent and his Republican challenger Wendell Willkie at the best possible odds finding that operators are reluctant to offer favorable odds on the challenger, with the best Willkie money found running at 5 to 8.

A mob broke into the German consulate at Brasov, Rumania today and destroyed portraits of Adolf Hitler. Meanwhile, throngs of pitchfork-wielding peasants surged thru the streets of Transylvania, determined not to yield to Hungarian occupation under Axis demand.

"Nyehh!" sneers Joe. "Alliss politics junk. I wanna know whoozgittin' divorced!" "That Countess," snorts Sally. "She don't know nuthin' from hot dogs. Comedowna Coney Islan' some time, we'll showya what it's allabout. Hah. Like to see her inna Blowhole Theata!"

21,000 Brooklyn families on home relief will receive their quota of food stamps tomorrow as the new program goes into operation in the borough. The orange stamps may be redeemed at participating grocers for any food product, while the blue stamps are redeemable for commodities now overproduced.

Overcrowded conditions at Brooklyn's Raymond Street Jail have eased in recent months, according to District Attorney William O'Dwyer, who says there are presently 108 vacant cells at the aging and obsolete jail.

Hey, where's Carlisle today? Is he taking Labor Day off?

Awwwwwwwwwww! BOB! SAVE BOB!

The Dodgers extended their winning streak over the Giants to nine games yesterday, sweeping a twinbill at Ebbets Field by scores of 4-1 and 7-3, despite fielding a lineup that resembled a patchwork quilt. Lee Grissom completely baffled the Terrymen in the opener, and Whit Wyatt logged his fourteenth win of the season in the nightcap while running his league-leading strikeout total to 116.

Yeahhhh! This is what we've been waiting for!

Bim has more lives than a cat.

"And now you're OUT OF LUCK!" Is Marsh writing the strip this week?

Dude. Do you ever stop talking?

Well, how can you expect someone like Godiva to stick with a guy who wears a piece of an old typewriter ribbon for a tie?

"You! Boy! Do you know how to drive?"

That's OK, there's probably a gun in the bag.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And prowling the Out Of Town Newsstand, we find today's Eagle strips in other papers, all except for Sparky, who doesn't seem to be widely distributed as yet...

(Who are the spies here, anyway?)

(John should just have "Oh Leona! I've Been Such a Fool!" tattooed on his chest.)

(Point of order: exactly how did these agents build such an elaborate operation without being noticed?)

 

[Fading Fast]

A... "Nyehh!" sneers Joe. "Alliss politics junk. I wanna know whoozgittin' divorced!" "That Countess," snorts Sally. "She don't know nuthin' from hot dogs. Comedowna Coney Islan' some time, we'll showya what it's allabout. Hah. Like to see her inna Blowhole Theata!"....

I'm with Joe, I was getting bored with all the politics too. Bring back Barrymore or the plumb blonde bank robber or some stupid marginal royal having an affair. You know, real news. Although, I was somewhat intrigued as to what kind of gas the Presidential books get in the "lethal" chamber before being shipped to Hyde Park.

...
Awwwwwwwwwww! BOB! SAVE BOB!...

And I learned a new word today.

re·plev·in
/rəˈplevən/
noun
LAW

a procedure whereby seized goods may be provisionally restored to their owner pending the outcome of an action to determine the rights of the parties concerned. plural noun: replevins

And, yes, SAVE BOB!

... Dude. Do you ever stop talking?....

But in fairness, in panel four, he built up to a pretty good dig at Pat.

Down a wheel and low on fuel, it's going to be hard to mount a rescue mission. Oh heck, leave it to the DL, she'll find a way out on her own.

... Well, how can you expect someone like Godiva to stick with a guy who wears a piece of an old typewriter ribbon for a tie?....

Says a lot about Wilmer that he thinks Glippy is "class."

... "You! Boy! Do you know how to drive?"...

Carl Ed seems to have a thing for people stumbling into jobs - didn't Harold get his job with the wack-a-doodle author in a similar manner?

And prowling the Out Of Town Newsstand, we find today's Eagle strips in other papers, all except for Sparky, who doesn't seem to be widely distributed as yet......

Thank you for finding these strips Lizzie, I was worried we'd miss a day. Perhaps Sparky needed a day off anyway to get a dose of cosmic rays.

... (Who are the spies here, anyway?)...

We're only beats away from when the Bungles realize they've been being judge too and don't measure up.

... (John should just have "Oh Leona! I've Been Such a Fool!" tattooed on his chest.)...

I believe he meant to say, "Luke Screed, you and Mary were right."

... (Point of order: exactly how did these agents build such an elaborate operation without being noticed?)

Good question and it's the same question I have in most of the original Bond movies. Again, this storyline feels very early '60s James Bond. Dan's looking a bit like The Dude from Terry and the Pirates in panel four.

 

[LizzieMaine]

They better stop messing with Bob or that parrot is going to peck the judge's eyes out. What kind of fascist would break up such a perfect family? SAVE BOB!

Once all this rumpus settles down Dude is going to make a play for somebody, and he's got three good chances to get slapped down hard. Good thing April's not along for this one or he'd have four.

Harold's got a solid year of experience apprenticing in a butcher shop, but other than a couple of halfhearted inquiries back when he first got to NYC he's made no attempt to pursue that trade, which seems kind of counter-productive. It's got to beat being a lackey for any half-baked refugee from a screwball comedy who comes along.

Wilmer is the 1940 version of an incel, but he'll make up for it once he finds his future calling as a U. S. Senator.

Book-gassing is a thing archives do to kill mold and mildew, usually with some sort of chlorine derivative. Which is unfortunate, because it also kills the "old book" smell, which for some of us is the odor of true ambrosia.

 

[Fading Fast]

They better stop messing with Bob or that parrot is going to peck the judge's eyes out. What kind of fascist would break up such a perfect family? SAVE BOB!

Once all this rumpus settles down Dude is going to make a play for somebody, and he's got three good chances to get slapped down hard. Good thing April's not along for this one or he'd have four.

Harold's got a solid year of experience apprenticing in a butcher shop, but other than a couple of halfhearted inquiries back when he first got to NYC he's made no attempt to pursue that trade, which seems kind of counter-productive. It's got to beat being a lackey for any half-baked refugee from a screwball comedy who comes along.

Wilmer is the 1940 version of an incel, but he'll make up for it once he finds his future calling as a U. S. Senator.

Book-gassing is a thing archives do to kill mold and mildew, usually with some sort of chlorine derivative. Which is unfortunate, because it also kills the "old book" smell, which for some of us is the odor of true ambrosia.

Too much is going on for April right now, she needs to come along on the less-strenuous adventures. They wouldn't do it even in '40 comic-strip land, but with what these people are going through, I could see, once it's over, a bunch of casual sex happening as there's a need for a release and an attitude of "after that, this is no big deal." And having it with someone you never plan to see again, like Dude, could be just the ticket for a Raven or the DL who, I'm guessing, might approach it more like a man would.

Thank you for the book-gas info. I just received - not kidding - an old book in the mail today and, yes, when I opened the package, the old book smell lifted my sprits.