The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

I'm not sure exactly where, geographically, Terry and the guerillas are at this point, but it seems like they have to be reasonably close to a decent sized town and not out there in warlord country, if only for the fact that we see a lot of vehicle traffic coming and going. Or maybe they've got radio-telegraph going.

Add to the just-like-a-movie quality of the holdup story the fact that the poor cop was "scheduled to retire in a few weeks." Oooweeee.

I also have to wonder what the reaction was of the shoppers in Altman's when all this erupted. "Why, they're used to this sort of thing in Woolworth's certainly -- but Altman's? My deeah, it just isn't DONE."

I can't imagine swapping labels, but I suppose some people might do that for a label that might be seen, like inside a coat. Otherwise, it sounds like something pretty desperate -- the same type of people who, today, leave the label on the *outside* of a coat.

When I first got to NYC in the '80s, that Altman's store was still there and it was a beautiful old store, surprisingly not crazy expensive, but you could tell it was dying as it was always pretty quiet in there. I liked to walk through it (you could enter on Madison and exit on 5th or vice versa, same with 35th Street) on my way to somewhere as it was that cool architecturally.

As presented in the TV show "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," set in the early '60s, Altman's does seem like it was the type of store you describe back in its day.

 

[Fading Fast]

Mr. Mosley's gyrations to avoid showing Downwind's face can be pretty eye-rolling sometimes, but the angle with the phone in panel 4 there made me laugh out loud. Hey Downwind, stop parting your hair in the middle like that, it makes you look like a gigolo....

He's also sporting a Robert Taylor quality widow's peak.



Re Joy's adjustment, to be fair, I imagine it wouldn't be easy to go from her super rich life to a just-getting-by one. I know it's a great story (Hollywood has been telling it since there's been a Hollywood, see 1931's "Kept Husband," comments here: #28083 for one version), but it's not her fault she was born rich. It will be interesting to see where they go with it.

 

[Harp]

I'm not sure exactly where, geographically, Terry and the guerillas are at this point, but it seems like they have to be reasonably close to a decent sized town and not out there in warlord country, if only for the fact that we see a lot of vehicle traffic coming and going. Or maybe they've got radio-telegraph going..

Dragon Lady, who seems like a fun date, hot little lotus petal pearl package that she is, enjoys comfort and all
the good things life has to offer, my guess this little fortune cookie favors Macao casino mah-johng,
that's the place, Macao. Action to rival Reno and Vegas, even Laughlin.

The guerillas probably are employing a 109A1 US Army radio-telegraph set. Outstanding fuse box oven,
with a knee clamp for morse. Where's Mao and Chou En Lai? And Madame Chaing?
(She and DL are I know related)

But our pearl Hu-Shee is doomed. Bad Karma, Mojo no good....

 

[LizzieMaine]

Caniff doesn't dig too deeply into to the details of the political alignments of the Chinese resistance, given the squeamishness of his editors along such lines, but there are hints from time to time that the DL is aligned with the Communists - although whether this is a matter of personal conviction or simply because Mao's faction is the most efficient in getting the job done is not really addressed. And we see from his toast to the Generalissimo that Dr. Ping's faction is aligned with the Koumintang, unless he's just trying to be nice. And then there's the freelance operators and Western opportunists like jolly Cap'n Blaze who are in it for their own interests. Everyone's getting along against the common enemy -- for now.

 

[LizzieMaine]

British long-range bombers pounded the German naval base and port at Wilhelmshaven last night, causing extensive fires in target areas. The Air Ministry asserted that the attack was the most successful since the start of the war, and expressed the opinion that "it will be some time before the base can resume war work." Only one British plane failed to return safely from the raid.

"Ice blindness" caused by heavy sleet stranded thousands of motorists this morning in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island, with windshields constantly obscured by the freezing pellets. Automatic windshield wipers were useless in the face of the storm, and motorists found themselves having to constantly pull over to chip away a new layer of ice blocking their vision. Some resorted to crude methods such as hammers and wrenches to break away coatings of sleet -- and some of these found themselves smashing away windshield glass along with the ice. The sleet storm followed light overnight snow that left about half an inch of fresh accumulation around the borough, contributing to treacherous, slippery drivinig conditions. While no serious accidents were reported, there were many small collisions adding to the sense of frustration as motorists tried to make their way to work.

Former President Herbert Hoover today appealed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee to clearly define the powers to be granted President Roosevelt under the pending Lease-Lend Bill, in order to reduce controversy over the measure and to reassure an "apprehensive and confused public." Mr. Hoover stressed to the Committee that he favors all aid to Britain short of war itself, but he does not under any circumstance favor the United States ever actually entering that war.

Anti-sales tax forces opened a bitter attack in the state capital today on the Bewley Bill, which if enacted would impose a tax of 3 per cent on all sales and services in excess of $1000 a year. "No matter how the tax is prettied up," argued Floyd D. McLean, chairman of the Southern Tier Tax Economy Front, "it is still one of the most vicious, iniquitous, and unjust taxes ever conceived." Mr. McLean further argued that the tax would drive business away from the state by encouraging residents to go to nearby tax-free states to make their purchases, and that it would "make collection agencies out of retailers."

The State Court of Appeals is today considering an appeal brought by Local 5 of the Teachers Union, seeking to overturn a lower court order finding the union in contempt of court for refusing to turn over its membership rolls to the Rapp-Coudert Committee. Attorney William G. Mulligan argued that the list would in no way aid the Committee in its investigation of "subversive activities" in the public schools because it only lists names and not activities.

(And for seven and a half million people, the War just got that much more real.)

Wendell L. Willkie will board a plane for Lisbon next Wednesday, the first leg of a trip that will carry the 1940 Republican Presidential nominee on a fact-finding tour of Great Britain. Mr. Willkie was invited on the trip by retired investment broker Landon Towne and Minneapolis newspaper publisher John Cowles, and he insists that, while he will investigate British war production capacity, the trip is of no political signficance. Navy Secretary Frank Knox granted the three men priority permission to make the trip by Pan American Clipper. Mr. Willkie, who last week endorsed President Roosevelt's Lease-Lend program, will be in Britain for about two weeks.

(And in 1941, it's all live operators who are thankful they didn't get assigned to MEridian 7-1212, the "talking clock" number.)

Put the lowly potato on a pedestal -- and serve it daily! That's the advice of Jean Sackrider, home economist of the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities. From her pleasant green-walled office at 285 Schermerhorn Street, Miss Sackrider extols the virtues of the lowly spud as a part of the menu that gives full value in vitamins every time it's served. But be sure to leave the skin on when you cook your potatoes -- because the outer wrapper contains a multitude of health-giving minerals that are lost if you peel your potatoes and throw the skins away. "The potato is not a fat-producing food," she insists. "It is only 20 percent starch, and has an appreciable amount of Vitamin C, such as is found within citrus fruits and tomato juice, and also contains iron and other vitamins!" Miss Sackrider advises that for ideal nutrition, everyone should eat potatoes at least once or twice a day.

("Hey! T' Rumba!" says Joe. "One--two--t'ree--KICK!" "Nah," says Sally. "Atsa Conga. T'rumba is whenya shake t'is heah." "Do t'at again," says Joe. "Eatcha potatas," says Sally.)

Cowardly, stupid brutality was on full display in Manhattan on Monday when two bandits killed a policeman and a payroll courier, says the Eagle Editorialist, but the "courage of the common man" was also present in the person of Brooklyn cabbie Leonard Weissberg, who risked his own life to help capture the murderous thug who shot patrolman Edward Maher. Two other Brooklyn men also rose to the occasion, emerging from the 34th Street crowd to help subdue and disarm the gunman after his bullet found its mark in Weissberg's neck. "To all of them, we owe a debt of gratitude."

(Meet the road-company versions of Wumple, Skeezix, Snipe, Horace, and -- ha ha, he's bald -- Wilmer.)

"No medieval ghetto ever equaled the Negro quarters in American towns today," declared Frank Brady, co-founder of the Baltimore Catholic Evidence Guild, before an audience last night at the Brooklyn Prep School Library, meeting under the auspices of the first Crown Heights Round Table Conference For Business and Professional People. "All in all," said Mr. Brady, "the position of the Negro is a disgrace to this country," noting that in the seventy-six years since the end of slavery, the Negro has been "a free but ostracized man" who is "condemned to the slums, denied education, barred from white collar jobs and the professions." After noting that the Methodist Church has done the most to remedy the adverse conditions facing Negroes in America, he urged the audience to "never lend yourselves to a movement that tends to promote cleavage of the races or to keep the Negro from a decent living. Here is a golden opportunity to stamp out the greatest social cancer in America that today gives the lie to everything we stand for."

(And that's from the U-NITED PRESS, I tell you. The U-NITED PRESS!)

The World Champion Detroit Tigers face the inevitable loss of their star player this season, with 1940 American League Most Valuable Player Hank Greenberg almost entirely certain to spend most of 1941 not in Tiger flannels but in the olive drab of Uncle Sam. The latest projections of the slugger's Selective Service status indicate that he is most likely to get his call-up notice in late May or early June. Greenberg, who holds draft number 621, is expected to get his preliminary Selective Service questionnaire from his local Detroit board within two weeks, and has already stated that he will not seek an exemption. The impending loss of Hammerin' Hank paired with the the American League rules barring pennant winning clubs from trading for a replacement either for Greenberg or its overaged infield, means the Tigers will spend 1941 in a sorry state indeed.

Johnny "Scat" Davis, hot trumpeter who once starred with Fred Waring and now with a band of his own, will head the bill at the Flatbush Theatre this week. Also appearing is radio favorite Mary Small, "the Little Girl With The Big Voice," whose potent contralto is just as vigorous as it was when she made a hit on the air at the age of eleven back in 1933.

(C'mon, Hedy -- kick him where the cosmic rays don't shine.)

(So I guess this means the rubber-map thing is off?)

("You did what you thought was best" = "You really screwed it up this time, you meddling old bag.")

(Um, shouldn't you be conspicuously showing yourself on the other side of town right now, to establish an alibi? You've never done this sabotage bit before, have you?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Wait, so their name is "Esposito" now? It's so hard to keep up.

(Shouldn't that be "MEAT me at the Automats?" Look, I don't get paid to edit your material here.)

And guest starring today as the slimy agent, Mr. Edward Arnold. Don't be fooled by the blond wig.

Ironic smirking doesn't become you, kid.

"Cringing rotter?" Aw, c'mon, you can speak plainer than that.

And to think you made poor little Chester get rid of his goat.

Stay classy, Wilmer.

Why grown children move far, far away.

Just one big happy family.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
Anti-sales tax forces opened a bitter attack in the state capital today on the Bewley Bill, which if enacted would impose a tax of 3 per cent on all sales and services in excess of $1000 a year. "No matter how the tax is prettied up," argued Floyd D. McLean, chairman of the Southern Tier Tax Economy Front, "it is still one of the most vicious, iniquitous, and unjust taxes ever conceived." Mr. McLean further argued that the tax would drive business away from the state by encouraging residents to go to nearby tax-free states to make their purchases, and that it would "make collection agencies out of retailers."...

Up until the arrival of the internet, it was basically legal sport for New Yorkers to drive (or train or bus) to New Jersey on the weekends to buy clothing and other items to avoid NYC's 8.875% sales tax. Back then, there were a lot of stores right over the border (the Hudson River) in NJ that were set up primarily to cater to this business.

... (So I guess this means the rubber-map thing is off?)...

One thing we knew for sure, they weren't getting $10,000.

... Ironic smirking doesn't become you, kid.....

Despite his name being in the title and I know you've told us he had a larger role earlier on, in my year plus of following the strip, Terry has never really been developed as a character. Even in this recent story line, it's pretty much been all about the awesome Hu Shee and not Terry.

 

[Harp]

Despite his name being in the title and I know you've told us he had a larger role earlier on, in my year plus of following the strip, Terry has never really been developed as a character. Even in this recent story line, it's pretty much been all about the awesome Hu Shee and not Terry.

Terry is definitely not a slob ba***rd like Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly.
Terry isn't even Terry. Its all Pittsburgh Pirates.

Hu Shee is a splendid young lady though.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I think the main issue with Terry is that he was originally supposed to be the "reader identification" figure in a strip that was first intended to be something targeting the same kids who listened to "Jack Armstrong The All American Boy" on radio -- a blank slate character they could project themselves onto. Which was fine as long as the emphasis of the strip was an escapist fantasy -- but when Caniff made the decision to deal realistically with the war, he needed characters who were capable of responding to that in a realistic way. Pat, as an adult, was much easier to push in that direction than Terry -- because what's a fifteen-year-old boy doing in the middle of a war zone anyway? If he made him too realistic or distinctive, he'd push beyond audience's capability for suspension of disbelief.

Terry is, if I have my estimates right, about eighteen years old now by the chronology of the strip. Skeezix and Harold are both turning twenty this year. Within two years, all three of these boys will be in uniform -- which is a rather sobering thought.

 

[Harp]

Interesting comic strip case brief.

Terry evidenced immaturity when Hu Shee approached and inquired if he was jealous,
and he deflected, dodged, swerved, retreated with a mendacious manufacture that snuffed
out the candle or should have extinguished whatever flame flickered in her heart.
Perhaps not, though. A flame can ember ignite later, may yet burn. Hu Shee is so exceptional
a rose all possibility is full of promise bright. Still, Ping's subtle allude to Madame Butterfly portends
tragedy....

 

[ChiTownScion]

Someone who has seen the rawest and ugliest aspects of show biz will likely not be the one to expose her kid (for whom she cares deeply) to be exposed to it by jumping on that stage mom bandwagon. But, that's only a guess on my part. Billy's innocence is almost too good to be true: let's keep it that way.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The question of whether aid to Great Britain should include more of the navy's fighting ships assumed the proportions of a major issue today in House hearings on President Roosevelt's Lease-Lend bill. With Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson on record as opposing any provision that would bar the transfer to the British of any additional US warships, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox today appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee to argue against the removal of any further US vessels from the active fleet. "No more destroyers," argued Secretary Knox, "can be detached from the fleet without seriously impairing its efficiency."

(And somebody tell that cop there's no smoking in the committee room.)

Another wave of British bombers touched off a fresh round of fires at the German naval center at Wilhelmshaven overnight, as RAF planes fought dangerous weather conditions, with the air so cold that pilots had to beware of ice forming on their wings. Due to the weather the raid was smaller than that of the previous night, but Air Ministry sources stated that significant damage was nonetheless inflicted upon Germany's most important submarine base.

Brooklyn residents awoke this morning to a sea of slush, as rising temperatures began to melt off the thick crust of ice laid down by yesterday's sleet storm. By 8AM, the mercury had risen to 38 degrees, and Sanitation Department workers were finding an easier time of clearing the streets in the wake of the previous storm. The rain will continue into this evening, with temperatures expected to peak this afternoon at around 42 degrees.

Forty idle factories in Brooklyn are available for the expansion of National Defense work, according to a survey completed this week by the Division of State Planning. The closed factories amounting to more than 2,000,000 feet of floor space are suitable for a wide variety of heavy indusrtrial production, according to the report, which also points to 54 vacant loft buildings in the borough which might be used for light industrial work, warehousing, or office space.

Three wealthy families donated more than a quarter of a million dollars to the Republican presidential campaign of Wendell L. Willkie in 1940. The donations from the duPonts of Delaware, the Pews of Pennsylvania and the Rockefellers of New York were less than twenty-five percent of the aggregate donated by the same three families to the Landon campaign in 1936. Under the Hatch Act, no individual may donate more than $5000 to the national committee of any national political party, but this limitation may be avoided by making supplemental donations to regional, state, and local commitees of the same party. In 1940, Lammont duPont alone contributed a total of $40,000 to promote the Willkie candidacy, the largest sum to be contributed by any individual. J. Howard Pew, president of the Sun Oil Company and a director of the National Association of Manufacturers, was second with $23,600 in individual contribitions.

("Uh, Mr. Patterson, that man from Chesterfield Cigarettes is on the phone again complaining about how you stole their slogan. 'They satisfy,' remember?" "Tell 'em I'm out! Tell 'em I had a call from Philip Morris!")

Hero cab driver Leonard Weisberg will receive a brand new taxi in recognition of his valor in helping to foil the Manhattan payroll robbery this week. Mr. Weisberg, who is still in serious condition at French Hospital, will receive the new cab courtesy of James F. Waters of the DeSoto Skyview Taxicab Manufacturing Company of Long Island City, who telephoned Mr. Weisberg yesterday from his winter home in Floriday to make the presentation. The Police Honor Legion is also considering a cash award to Mr. Weisberg to help cover his medical expenses.

New York City will undergo its first series of test blackouts next month, according to Mayor LaGuardia, who will oversee the tests under the auspices of the New York City Defense Council. The one test conducted so far, at the Navy Yard on December 8th, revealed "certain shortcomings" which subsequent tests will address, particularly the warning lights on the Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges, which pointed directly at the Navy Yard like giant arrows.

(Remember, men, Valentine's Day is coming -- and nothing says romance like a new drill press! Gift wrapping included at no charge!)

The new Clarendon Restaurant on Adams Street near Willoughby will continue the traditions of the Old Clarendon. Relocated from the Clarendon Hotel at a cost of $50,000, the new Clarendon looks very much like the old, with the same dignified dark-mulberry-and-ivory dining room and its armrest chairs. Likewise the cafe with its long bar will remain familiar. The new Clarendon will formally open next Thursday with a traditional beefsteak in the old Clarendon style.

(A "beefsteak" is an old Brooklyn tradition in which formally-dressed men are served huge platters of butter-grilled steak with no utensils and chunks of day-old bread to sop up the juice, with it all washed down by huge pitchers of beer. White aprons are worn to keep stains off the evening clothes. In 1941, women are generally welcome as well, and an effort is made to keep the hijinks down to a -- dignified -- level.)

Bela Lugosi is up to his old tricks this week at the Brooklyn Strand, starring in "The Devil Bat" -- an "eerie, imaginative murder mystery built around the exploits of blood-sucking bats and the murderous derangement of a man's mind." Also on the bill, Roger Pryor, Eve Arden, and Cliff Edwards in "She Couldn't Say No," which is exactly what it sounds like.

(Sugar hoarding is already starting.)

Reader Mary Brown writes in to complain about library patrons who sneeze and wipe their mouths and noses with their bare hands and then handle books. "The time may yet come when there is a wash sink at the library door compelling all to wash their hands before entering."

("And if she keeps it up, we hope she can go into vaudeville like Elsie!")

The Rangers and Bruins just stood around last night when they could have been fighting, much to the disappointment of Garden patrons who came expecting to see fisticuffs. Word is that players are now reluctant to mix it up in the grand style because of a new National Hockey League dictum imposing $25 fines on players penalized for fighting. The Blueshirts and the Bostons skated to a 2-2 tie, adding to the disappointment.

Yankee shortstop Frank Crosetti may be headed to the nation's capital if a deal brewing between Yankee president Ed Barrow and Senators' chieftain Clark Griffith comes to pass. The trade would send Crow to Washington in exchange for veteran knuckleballer Emil "Dutch" Leonard -- a move which would seem to have benefit for all parties. Washington would shore up its infield, while the Yanks would gain an experienced and wily arm. But the most significant aspect of such a trade would mean the Yanks are fully committed to Phil Rizzuto as the shortstop of the future, and the rookie would step immediately into the starting lineup for the new season.

Dodger fans, and who isn't, will note with interest word from Cincinnati that Reds catcher Ernie Lombardi has sent back his 1941 contract unsigned. The Schnoz is said to be highly dissatisfied with Mr. Crosley's offer for the new campaign, and is even less satisfied with the $6000 pay cut laid upon him last year.

("You'll never get rich, you son of a b----, you're in the Army now!")

(Brace up, kid, the guy's a drip.)

("Come, come Donkey, don't rub your hot nose on my skull!" Is Preston Sturges writing the strip now?)

(Um, Mary, I mean, you're doing OK now, right? You're living in a nice house, Bill is bringing in some money, and probably John and Leona are paying you to take care of the place. So what I'm getting at is "you don't have to go out into the storm-swept night wrapped in a piano shawl.")

(COMING SOON: Irwin tied to a chair in a cellar.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News....

What goes unmentioned -- Mr. Guth was involved in some very shady dealing stemming from his ownership of the Pepsi-Cola Company, where, when the company finally became successful in the late 1930s, he managed to keep the rights to the Pepsi formula under his personal control while selling the company itself to Loft. A long and wrenching lawsuit followed charging Guth with all sorts of malignity, which Loft won and Guth was kicked out with nothing to show for it. Which suggests that Mr. Huppman suing his father-in-law for alienation of affections was probably just par-for-the-course in Mr. Guth's daily routine.

"Like to crunch? I do!" Such a wholesome company.

Hey, it's the Whimsical Chef from Childs! Glad to see he's found a better job.

"Anvil! Would you please show Mr. Arnold here to the door..."

"You like toys, do you Krome? Wait'll you see MY toys!"

PUNCH HIM NOW

Well, this isn't what they signed up for.

Andy lost his mind in 1922, and you're just catching on now?

Kayo would make a much more entertaining child star than that sappy Billy La Plata, that's for sure.

I just realized that what we're seeing here in the tale of poor naive Lana is the origin story of Sally Snipe. How unspeakably tragic.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Forty idle factories in Brooklyn are available for the expansion of National Defense work, according to a survey completed this week by the Division of State Planning. The closed factories amounting to more than 2,000,000 feet of floor space are suitable for a wide variety of heavy indusrtrial production, according to the report, which also points to 54 vacant loft buildings in the borough which might be used for light industrial work, warehousing, or office space....

Those are big numbers which, I guess, owe their existence to the Depression. Very shortly, one assumes, most of that spare capacity will be engaged in war production.

... (Remember, men, Valentine's Day is coming -- and nothing says romance like a new drill press! Gift wrapping included at no charge!)...

When I started renting apartments in the '80s in old run-down buildings, the refrigerators were pretty similar to, but not as fancy as, this one. Like most kids, I went through a bunch of apartments and ran into a bunch of those refrigerators - they were tanks that did what they were supposed to do very well even after thirty or forty years on the job. One, for sure, had a similar handle to the one in the picture. It was quite an impressive thing as it was large, sturdy and seemed over engineered for its dual job of controlling the latch and serving as a pull for the door. But heck, it worked (and it was fun).

... (Brace up, kid, the guy's a drip.)...

The dollar on the ground outside the bank has to be more than a coincidence - I sense a new branch of the storyline coming.

Oh, and none of these people should get married.

A.. What goes unmentioned -- Mr. Guth was involved in some very shady dealing stemming from his ownership of the Pepsi-Cola Company, where, when the company finally became successful in the late 1930s, he managed to keep the rights to the Pepsi formula under his personal control while selling the company itself to Loft. A long and wrenching lawsuit followed charging Guth with all sorts of malignity, which Loft won and Guth was kicked out with nothing to show for it. Which suggests that Mr. Huppman suing his father-in-law for alienation of affections was probably just par-for-the-course in Mr. Guth's daily routine....

But could he at least explain to us how that stupid contest was supposed to work?

...[
"Like to crunch? I do!" Such a wholesome company....

(Glances quickly at the ad and thinks to himself) "Why would one of the richest girl in the world, the heir to the Woolworth fortune, be hawking candy, that's just stupid." (Looks at ad again) "Oh, 'Betty' not 'Barbara,' well, never mind, that makes sense. Phew, glad I didn't say that out loud."

...[
Hey, it's the Whimsical Chef from Childs! Glad to see he's found a better job.....

Glad he's found work, too, and to support his cause, I'll take one Strawberry Charlotte please.

... Kayo would make a much more entertaining child star than that sappy Billy La Plata, that's for sure...

Yes, and possibly worth more than a million dollars in crazy Hollywood. Also, today's last line could be interpreted in more than one way.

... I just realized that what we're seeing here in the tale of poor naive Lana is the origin story of Sally Snipe. How unspeakably tragic.

Great cross-strip connect - well done Lizzie.

That said, and my grandmother did it, women did sometimes overcome the odds and become successful businesswomen back then. The problem is Lana isn't thinking that way.

 

[Harp]

Terry seems the insouciant kid, thinks he cannot catch a bullet. And he didn't field a question
from that lovely pearl Hu Shee. Doesn't play poker, prefers parchisi. Kid needs to get with the program pronto.

And lovely lass Lana is a treasure all herself. A ruby beyond price.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The tragedy of Lana is that she really has no idea what she's trying to do -- namely, turn the head of an oblivious nineteen-year-old who spent his entire adolesence mooning after a classmate who could basically take him or leave him, and who still hasn't gotten it thru his head that adulthood often means leaving the past behind.

I don't think Harold has really told her yet what his recent history has involved -- botched elopment, running away from home, getting mulcted by Senga, etc. -- and even if he did, she'd think she could "make him forget." He can't, because he's basically still a kid, and he isn't ready yet to take that step.

And what Lillums will do when she comes home is really irrelevant. Harold's in love with what Lillums represents in his mind, not for the person she actually is, and that's just as unfair to her as it is to Lana. The best thing that could happen to all of them would be for them to just forget the whole thing. But, of course, they won't.

For a goofy "teen humor" strip there's a surprising level of emotional depth here. Maybe it's time for a "Harold Teen" revival on The CW.

 

[Harp]

Good point. Recent reading of these strips reveal the depth and mature content offered past
public consideration, not mere simple shuffle consumption all too evident today.

 

[LizzieMaine]

President Roosevelt's defense production chief was summoned by the House Foreign Affairs Committee today to testify on the Lease-Lend program after two cabinet members ahd edclared that Britain faces, in the next 60 to 90 days, the most serious crisis of the war. The committee summoned William S. Knudsen, Director-General of the Office of Production management as the fifth witness in spport of the administration plan for furnishing war supplies to the British, and his testimony is expected to throw considerable light on the amount of fighting equipment which the nation would be able to send abroad in the next few months.

Meanwhile, authoritative Fascist editor Virginio Gayda today accused American "interventionists headed by Roosevelt" of seeking to provoke Germany and Italy into some action which would justify the United States into going to war against the Axis. In a four-column editorial in Il Giornalo D'Italia, Gayda cited the U. S. Senate Naval Commitee's report on the naval construction bill, issued last May 15th, as "belying the argument that an Axis victory over Britain would endanger America."

Senator Carter Glass (D-Va.) stated today that it was his personal view that the United States should declare war on Germany now -- but he emphasized that the question is one that will have to be settled primarily by experts in the State, War, and Navy Departments. The 83-year old Senator, who has criticized many Administration measures, but who has supported President Roosevelt's foreign policy, was selected by the Democratic Steering Committee for membership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will handle the Administration's aid-to-Britain legislation in that body.

Vigorous opposition to the Lease Lend Bill has been recorded by the Long Island Federation of Women's Clubs, representing 30,000 clubwomen from every section of Brooklyn and Long Island. Delegates from 200 clubs, attending the 71st convention of the Federation at the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan resolved yesterday to send a telegram to the General Federation of Women's Clubs in Washington to urge strong action be registered against the President's defense aid bill. The resolution by the Federation declared that the measure, if passed would give President Roosevelt "dictatorial power."

The captain and crew of the American West African freighter Otho today were catching up on some badly needed sleep after fighting a terrific storm at sea which resulted in a call for help. The freighter crawled into port last night at Pier No. 38 at the foot of Pioneer Street with 23 feet of water in a hold and her bow low in the water. Captain Dwight Smith said the ship, which left Freetown, West Africa, 22 days ago sent out a call for assistance last Monday when the gale was at its height and the ship was 400 miles east of Cape Hatteras. Coast Guard cutters met the freighter and eased it into port. Captain Smith praised the work of his crew, saying that every man responded whenever he asked for volunteers to perform dangerous tasks. He told reporters that he had not gone to bed nor taken his clothes off for seven days and seven nights.

("But whattabout t' monkey?" says Joe. "T'ey never give t'monkey credit." "You an' monkeys," says Sally. "We oughta have a monkey roun' heah." mutters Joe. "He could go out an' getta papah, go an' get t'groc'ries, go' an see ya' ma..." "What?" "Nuttin'. I wonder if I join t' Navy t'ey lemme have a monkey."

A 1 AM curfew went into force this morning for all sailors in the vicinity of the Navy Yard, by order of Rear Admiral Clark H. Woodward, commandant of the 3rd Naval District. Black and white posters were nailed up by police at all taverns and cabarets along Sands Street and the surrounding neighborhoods placing the establishments off limits to sailors after 1 AM, and declaring that no uniformed member of the Armed Forces will be permitted to enter, be served, or remain on the premises after that time.

The third draft call will go out on Monday, with the number of men sent by local boards to induction centers expected to make a new high. The second draft call failed to meet the city's stated quota for selectees inducted by 441 men. Meanwhile, at Fort Dix, New Jersey, a quarantine resulting from an outbreak of scarlet fever and other diseases has affected about 2040 men, who have been segregated in an effort to ward off an epidemic. It had earier been reported that 4000 men had been infected.

The Board of Education, which last fall banned an Italian textbook from city classrooms for teaching pro-Fascist views will act on Monday to bar two other books for being "excessively laudatory of Mussolini and his government." "We are not witch hunting," declared Associate Superindentant Frederic Ernst, "but in times such as these material in text books should be avoided which might lead to excitement or complaints." The books in question were published in the United States by Henry Holt & Company, which, school officials point out, has formally requested that they be withdrawn from all schools.

(Do not trifle with this kid, because she will mess you up BAD.)

("I don't see no storks. An' who's the late Mr. Moiphy? Does Mr. John F. Murray know 'bout 'im?")

The Eagle Editorialist commends Mayor LaGuardia for taking strong action to curb and control the current influenza epidemic now making its way east from California. Recalling that 20,000,000 lives were lost to the 1918 epidemic, the EE says work to halt the 1941 epidemic is starting none too soon.

(Art Deco, the Early Years.)

("Hold still, kid, there's a great big maskeeta on the back of ya neck!")

Former Pirates star Paul Waner may be bound for Ebbets Field in 1941 if he plays his golf right. Big Poison will be hitting the links with Leo Durocher down in Sarasota, Florida this week, and is expected to make a pitch for himself as a spare outfielder/pinch hitter with the Flock. Waner was handed his papers by the Bucs at the end of last season, after sixteen years as a Pittsburgh mainstay, and has been trying to ever since to catch on with some club as a spare bat. Waner is thirty-eight years old, but is still a hard man to fool at the plate, and with the Dodgers still having three open spots on their 40-man roster going into spring training, it may be worth giving the old slugger a chance.

Meanwhile, a fresh batch of thirty-four contracts has been sent out from the Montague Street office, and Larry MacPhail says about fifteen of those contracts contain pay increases for their lucky recipients, with only "two or three" Dodgers asked to take a cut. It doesn't take much figuring to guess that Pee Wee Reese, Pete Reiser, Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons, and Dixie Walker are on the list for more money in 1941, nor is it wild guesswork to suggest that Luke Hamlin and Joe Vosmik will be among those offered a cut.

Van Mungo has been sent a players' contract in lieu of his coach's contract from last year, which leaves the Flock without a bullpen coach. That might open a spot on Leo's staff for old-time Dodger catcher Otto Miller, who served in the position under Wilbert Robinson, Max Carey, and Casey Stengel, before a feud with Burleigh Grimes lingering from their playing days led to his dismissal. Otto, who still lives in Brooklyn, is the sort of whom they don't come more loyal than, and it would be good to see him back in uniform.

(Otto was behind the plate for the first game at Ebbets Field in 1913, and he was present on February 23, 1960 for the park's pre-demolition funeral ceremony. Nineteen months later, he took his own life by jumping out a hospital window.)

Ace Parker was named the National Football League's Most Valuable Player for 1940 by vote of the Football Writers Association of America. The Grid Dodgers star will receive the Joe F. Carr Memorial Trophy presented in honor of the league's late founder.

(How can she stand upright in those size 2AAAA shoes? Doc should give her a shot of rays in those feet like he did Slappy.)

(Well, when you put it like that, George, it does kinda make sense...)

(In any Warner Bros. movie? Sounds like Allen Jenkins to me.)

(It's not that finding Irwin's stomach is really that hard.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

On an OPERATING TABLE? That's well beyond "ew."

Wait, he's got a sword? Be sure to bring it to the trial.

I hope Mr. Michiel will live long enough to post his picture on Instagram.

The DL needs to show up and whip these guys into shape.

The First Century had its righteous tax collectors and publicans, the Twentieth has its righteous theatrical agents. Go, and sin no more.

Aw, they're going to ruin her fun.

KILL WILMER NOW

If this scene ends with Andy being led away in a straitjacket, then I for one will laugh and laugh.

"Such crust?" Does George Bungle know Plushie is stealing his catchphrase?

There's no way this will end well.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
("I don't see no storks. An' who's the late Mr. Moiphy? Does Mr. John F. Murray know 'bout 'im?")..

Pre-internet, when I'd look through "old" stores, curio shops and such for Golden Era paraphernalia (I bought very little, but loved looking at the stuff), those Stork Club ashtrays were everywhere. There were also many reproductions of them around, some noted as such and some not . It was one of the most common items I'd run into.

...[
(Well, when you put it like that, George, it does kinda make sense...)...

Panel 1, Jo should know better than to ask. If I was her, when George came back, I'd have been in the kitchen rattling things around hoping the subject never came up.

...
(In any Warner Bros. movie? Sounds like Allen Jenkins to me.)...

Good one and Jenkins could have been made up to look like scumbag Larry (shorter, but still).

...
(It's not that finding Irwin's stomach is really that hard.)

Has anyone checked, did Irwin actually ever attend the Police Academy?

...
On an OPERATING TABLE? That's well beyond "ew."....

Yes it is and, if I'm correct about a 1941 operating table (hard metal, not padded), it wouldn't be too comfortable either.

...
The DL needs to show up and whip these guys into shape.....

The DL could, but I have a feeling Dr. Ping will get the job done in his own way.

...
Aw, they're going to ruin her fun.....

A codicil to the FL-established rule that TV, movie and comic-strip characters should always make sure their enemy is dead after they think they've killed them is to always kill them when they have the chance, i.e., don't take a long time with an elaborate plan, just kill your enemy as quickly as you can.

So, the updated Fedora Lounge Rulebook for Killing a TV, Movie or Comic-Strip Enemy reads: "Always kill your enemy as fast as you can and, then, check carefully to make sure he or she is dead."