The Era -- Day By Day

[Fading Fast]

(If you're trying to get her to kick you right where it counts, you're on the right track.)..

Rogers has a really odd sense of humor and outlook, even for comicstrip world.

...[ ("Just wait'll I see that SNIPPY WOMAN who STOLE MY BOTTLE OF BLUING yesterday!")...

We all know they aren't getting the money/the money isn't real, but playing along for a moment, Jo is giving a lesson in how holding onto all your anger and grievances is most harmful to the person holding on to them.

...
("Pinched? I was going with Dan Dunn for seven years! He wouldn't know the first thing about...oh, wait, never mind.")

Speaking of Dan, I wonder how his truck-diving job is going?

...[ "Bubbles Schinasi?" Even I couldn't make up a name like that....

That is definitely a top-five Page Four name.

The dog in "The Neighbors" trolled his owner.

... Yeah well, you know who *should* be Miss Rheingold? Bubbles Schinasi.....

Unless she falls on hard times, "tobacco heiress" Bubbles Schinasi is probably more the champagne type.

... And, I suspect, she isn't even really a blonde.....

"...a certain type of artificial beauty." "...her blatant prettiness."

You know she is smoking hot when those are the insults her enemies could come up with for her looks.

... Warbucks will be fine. The reason he's bald is that he had a MacPhail Skull Protector implanted under his scalp.....

Gray can make anything happen in his world he wants, even have La Plata become a good person, but back on planet earth, Warbucks' inability to see the bad in La Plata is not a virtue but a vice of Warbucks.

... Wait'll Lillums gets a load of this boy.

I think the car was modeled from a 1940 Packard Darrin:

 

[LizzieMaine]

Nice catch on the car. Obviously the gold mine is doing well. Whatever you do, Gramps, don't loan it to Harold.

Those two Nazis are perfectly drawn, right down to the fashy haircuts. Must go to Kiel's barber.

I really want to see a picture of Judge Landis being hit in the head by Lavagetto's foul ball, but maddeningly no such photo seems to exist. Pity Cookie's not around today to hit Rob Manfred in the head.

 

[Fading Fast]

Nice catch on the car. Obviously the gold mine is doing well. Whatever you do, Gramps, don't loan it to Harold.

Those two Nazis are perfectly drawn, right down to the fashy haircuts. Must go to Kiel's barber.

I really want to see a picture of Judge Landis being hit in the head by Lavagetto's foul ball, but maddeningly no such photo seems to exist. Pity Cookie's not around today to hit Rob Manfred in the head.

Today, the video would already be a GIF and a meme.

 

[Haversack]

"Bubbles Schinasi?" Even I couldn't make up a name like that.

Apparently it was a nickname that her mother saddled her with. She was not too pleased with it. According to her obituary, she was related through marriages to Myrna Loy.

 

[LizzieMaine]

All passengers and crew of the Egyptian liner Zamzam were rescued by a German ship, according to an official report from Berlin, but no details have been released concerning what ship that is, or what ship sank the Egyptican vessel. The statement declared that the Zamzam "contained contraband, and was sunk in strict accordance with international blockade regulations after crew and passengers had been taken aboard a German ship." The official statement did confirm that the German vessel was not a submarine, because "if it had been a submarine, it could not have taken the entire crew and the passengers aboard." The statement also accused British and American commentators of "wild agitation" in their remarks concerning the incident.

A tremendous battle for possession of the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete raged today with German parachute troops landing there "in great strength." Informed British quarters stated that the force being landed by the Germans is "the greatest force of airborne soldiers known in the history of warfare."

Mayor LaGuardia was named today by President Roosevelt as national head of the new Office of Civilian Defense, and will take charge of a program to mobilize American civilians for home defense as thoroughly as the Office of Production Management has mobilized industry. It was understood that as a condition of accepting the position the Mayor will not resign the mayoralty. The new OCD is expected to have "a profound effect on the living habits of millions of men, women, and children" comparable in impact on everyday civilian life only with the NRA of early New Deal days. The program will give every American not in military service the opportunity to "do their bit," and prepare them for war conditions if and when they come. The program will operate thru state councils, which have already been organized in 45 states and the District of Columbia, and which will mobile all existing volunteer organizations.

100,000 miners in the hard-coal regions of Pennsylvania will return to work today following the approval of an agreement between the CIO United Mine Workers and anthracite operators, calling for wage increases and paid vacations. With the one-day anthracite strike resolved, the UMW and mine operators returned to conferences today in an effort to reach terms to halt the strike affecting soft-coal operations in the state.

U. S. Attorney General Robert Jackson today called on Congress for broader powers to "deal vigorously with disloyal aliens." The Attorney General contended that the latest roundup of more than 500 aliens would be wasted effort if a bill sponsored by Representative Sam Hobbs (D-Ala.) is not enacted. The Hobbs bill would establish an administrative board to determine the fate of aliens who are in the country illegally but who cannot be physically deported. Justice Department officials reiterated today that "loyal aliens who are in the country legally" have "nothing to fear."

The wife of Charles A. Lindbergh declared in an article in the new issue of the Atlantic Monthly that she favors aid to Great Britain -- but questions whether "prolongation of the war will lead to their survival. Mrs. Anne Morrow Lindbergh argues in the article that "European evils" are on the rise here, and that "I believe our entering the war abroad, a war for which we are not prepared either externally or internally, will be the quickest way of bringing those evils upon us."

(EXTRA ADDED ATTRACTION: MR. ALLCAPS!)

(Is it just me, or is Namm's always celebrating something? We had one of those metal cupboards in the kitchen when I was little, and being plain-spoken and literal-minded folk we always called it "The Metal Cabinet." "Where's the oatmeal?" "In the Metal Cabinet." "What collapsed in the middle of the night and made all that noise?" "The Metal Cabinet.")

(Kids Today.)

The Eagle Editorialist praises the Board of Estimate for reaching an accord with the Navy Department that will keep Floyd Bennett Field under city ownership while allowing the Navy to lease the airfield for the duration of the present crisis while requiring its return to city control once that crisis has passed. "It was wise that those who perfected the deal saw to it that after the nation had been served, Brooklyn's interests would be perfected."

Reader Lester Knapp says it's about time something was done about the ugly, obsolete rattling old trolleys on the Broadway line in Williamsburg. "You would never find rolling stock like this in Manhattan," he fumes, and argues that if the cars can't be replaced with new, modern trolleys then they ought to be abolished entirely and replaced by buses. And, he adds, they ought to treat the Greenpoint, Union Street, Bergen Street, and Canarsie Shuttle lines the same way.

(Kids Today, cont'd.)

(14 to 1? I'd squawk too. And that Passeau is a bum, just on a matter of principle.)

Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb will clash on the golf links in a 36-hole tournament scheduled for June 25-26, under the auspices of the PGA and the New England Left-Handers' Association. The first eighteen holes will be played in Boston and the second eighteen in New York, at courses to be announced.

("I'll Slap Your Sassy Face?" Stealing lines from Emmy Plushbottom, are we? She'd hit you with a chair.)

(Annnnnnnnd here we go. I'd like to think that Peggy's continued interest in Oakdale is an elaborate decades-spanning troll of her mother, but unfortunately it probably isn't.)

(Tomorrow -- Mary reels at a montage of flashing neon signs, bars, all-night restaurants, jazz clubs, dance halls, and strip joints. And while she's reeling, Bill slips into The Blue Owl for a quick one.)

(NOTHING AT ALL! I JUST LIKE TO PAINT EGGS? YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

If this is the last we hear of Cvek, I won't be sorry. And "Fats" is a pretty stupid gangster name when you've got guys like "Knadles" and "Blue Jaw" running around.

Every one of these people has shown up at one time or another on the Hill Page.

"It was a gentler time."

"And aside from that he goes around with an assassin and a giant wizard, and, well, I'd just as soon not end up on his bad side."

You can tell he's smarter than Andy because he has a chin.

It's a wonder anything ever gets done in this office.

Terry posing as a Russian? This should be convincing.

I look forward to seeing "Trigger" get beat up by a carhop.

"Guv'nor?" Tyrone is a jolly Cockney?

Sid Sutherland is an animator at the Leon Schlesinger/Warner Bros. studio, who, I would presume, is a crony of Mr. Willard's. The Seven Sutherland Sisters, on the other hand, were an old-time vaudeville act with very long hair, and the mascots for a once-popular line of hair-care products. Which, I guess, is Mr. Willard's way of saluting his pal George Lichty.

 

[Fading Fast]

... (Is it just me, or is Namm's always celebrating something? We had one of those metal cupboards in the kitchen when I was little, and being plain-spoken and literal-minded folk we always called it "The Metal Cabinet." "Where's the oatmeal?" "In the Metal Cabinet." "What collapsed in the middle of the night and made all that noise?" "The Metal Cabinet.")...

The house I grew up in had a few metal cabinets in the kitchen (one could say built in, but that would be over crediting them). What I remember most is that they were rusting in almost all of their inside corners.

I don't think it's a thing today, but metal cabinets in kitchens were quite common in the '20s-'40s based on all the apartments we saw in NYC when we were looking to buy.

I don't think I even heard the world "cupboard," at least outside of a book, until I was in my twenties. It's an awkward word.

Yes, Namm's does seem to have a lot of "celebration" sales.

...
(Kids Today.)...

Hopefully, soon, we'll be reading on Page Four that the mother and father shot their two kids. Then, a few months later, the jury acquits. You get one life on this earth, is this really how these people want to spend it?

... ("I'll Slap Your Sassy Face?" Stealing lines from Emmy Plushbottom, are we? She'd hit you with a chair.)...

Yesterday, he wanted to spank her; today, it's slap her. I think, sadly, we are getting a little insight into what turns Sparky (Boody Rogers?) on.

... (Annnnnnnnd here we go. I'd like to think that Peggy's continued interest in Oakdale is an elaborate decades-spanning troll of her mother, but unfortunately it probably isn't.)...

Unfortunately, Peggy loves the guy.

... (Tomorrow -- Mary reels at a montage of flashing neon signs, bars, all-night restaurants, jazz clubs, dance halls, and strip joints. And while she's reeling, Bill slips into The Blue Owl for a quick one.)...

Assuming this guy isn't stealing from her, shouldn't Mary be raking in some good dough with all these borders in her house? It's good to own a house in an area that later becomes a boomtown.

... If this is the last we hear of Cvek, I won't be sorry. And "Fats" is a pretty stupid gangster name when you've got guys like "Knadles" and "Blue Jaw" running around....

The husband who killed himself is an awful story.

Is the joke in "The Neighbors" suppose to be the contrast between the loudly dressed mother and the quietly dressed daughter?

...
"It was a gentler time."....

What!? This is either a very bad joke or scary.

...
You can tell he's smarter than Andy because he has a chin....

The investment amount, price and share count have been inconsistent, but trying to square it, it still come back to Andy, maybe, on paper having made $1000 or maybe a few thousand dollars, so about $18,000-$48,000 today (but again, the numbers change and aren't consistent from day to day). Yes, that is a lot of money, but not the "riches" that Andy seems to think it is and that's before taxes.

A... It's a wonder anything ever gets done in this office....

"What's a toupee?" LOL, a truly unintentionally funny line from Wilmer.

Chigger is coming unglued over this.

... Terry posing as a Russian? This should be convincing.....

Hu Shee is going to be none to pleased that they dyed Terry's hair.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Doesn't matter what the opinion of Warbucks may be. Even if La Plata's the most loathsome creature to draw breath (incorporating the most despicable aspects of Heinrich Himmler, Lavrentiy Beria, and Walter O'Malley) the attending physician still has a professional ethical obligation to do his utmost for his patient's well being. Get a grip, Doc. (Translation: do your homework, Mr. Gray.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

Germany has landed at least 11,500 airborne troops in Crete, and fierce fighting continues today according to information received from authoritative circles. Reports reached diplomatic circles quarters that attempts have also been made to land sea-borne troops for a big-scale attack. Informants added that the Germans are also attacking with dive-bombing planes. Reports from reliable quarters state that "most of the parachutists who have landed have been mopped up," but it is anticipated that fighting will "increase in severity."

Nazi informants stated today that 140 American passengers who had been aboard the ill-fated Egyptian liner Zamzam will probably be handed over to diplomatic officials soon, or permitted to continue their journeys from the port in occupied France where they were landed. "In any case," an informant stated, "it can be assumed that all neutral passengers and crew members of the Zamzam will be treated strictly in accordance with international law and there is no question of their being treated as prisoners of war."

Mayor LaGuardia is expected to announce that he will be a candidate for a third term in office when he goes on the air tonight at 8:30 PM over WNYC. Although the Mayor was appointed yesterday by President Roosevelt to serve as head of the newly-established Office of Civilian Defense, the President's emphasis that this new position will not be "renumerative" indicated the likelihood that the Mayor will seek reelection. At present the Mayor is juggling four jobs -- in addition to the mayoralty and the chairmanship of the OCD, he is also president of the United States Conference of Mayors and leads the Joint American-Canadian Defense Board.

Meanwhile, the Mayor plunged into his new duties with the Office of Civilian Defense today by promising a new initiative that will give women their opportunity to do their bit, after national defense officials reported being "swamped" with inquiries from women wanting to know what they can do. The Mayor pledged that a "home defense program" will offer ample opportunities for women to contribute to national defense.

In Hollywood, concert singer Marion Talley today accused her estranged husband of using their six-year-old daughter, born just three weeks after they were married, as a pawn in a $150,000 extortion plot. The singer charged that Adolph Eckstrom, who was Miss Talley's vocal coach before their marriage, and from whom she is presently seeking a divorce, telephoned her and demanded payment of $150,000 in exchange for "the whereabouts" of their daughter Susan. Miss Talley also charged that Eckstrom's attorney, Frank Delaney of New York, was a conspirator in the plot. Miss Talley acknowledged that she married Eckstrom in 1935 "merely to give the baby a name."

Fire today destroyed the 40-year-old Clegg mansion in Park Slope, less than 24 hours after it was announced that the house would be donated to Jewish Hospital for possible conversion to a nurses' home. The fire was reported at 6:05 AM by a passerby, who saw smoke pouring from a third-floor window of the unoccupied structure. A preliminary investigation failed to reveal any indication that the fire was of a suspicious nature.

The Saturday Evening Post, long a voice of isolationism, announced in its new issue, released today, that it is abandoning that policy and now endorses President Roosevelt's "American Crusade" against totalitarianism. The magazine emphasized in an editorial announcing the shift in position that it still does not "believe in intervention," but acknowledged that the Administration "has gone too far to turn back -- and that is the reality that we must face." The Post declared that the real question is now "if the United States becomes involved in the war, what are you going to do about it?"

(So that's where Terry's handler gets his specs.)

(And imagine what he might have accomplished if he hadn't had to work as a janitor.)

(Reduced to 3 for 9 cents? Just how long were they sitting behind those little windows?)

The Eagle Editorialist declares with confidence that the young people of today are far better informed than their parents were thanks to the wide dissemination of the news by newspapers, radio, and motion pictures -- and the Brooklyn Eagle Current Events Bee will prove it. If you disagree, come see for yourself Friday night at the High School of Homemaking, President Street and Classon Avenue. "It will be an eye-opener to you!"

(Workin' hard or hardly workin'?)

(9 TO 1???? Look, I know Reese isn't hitting lately, but Leo, seriously, do you really think you'll be much of an improvement?? And Roy Cullenbine says "So I'm no Camilli? Is Camilli hitting .414? Hiya, Larry!")

Another outstanding Negro National League squad invades Dexter Park this Sunday as the Philadelphia Stars, a confident hard-hitting club, swaggers into town to face the Bushwicks in a doubleheader. The Stars have reason to swagger, having swept the locals in a twinbill the last time they came to Woodhaven.

(Tyrone Power remaking a Valentino picture? Well, maybe, but at least Valentino never had to share a bill with a seal act.)

(The alternative-medicine racket in 1941 could be ruthless.)

(Jeez, at this rate there won't be anything left for Oakdale.)

(There was actually quite a bit of this in 1941 given the explosive -- ha ha -- growth of the defense industry, to the point where the FHA started a propaganda campaign to convince owners of large houses to turn all the rooms they weren't using into individual apartments. C'mon Mary, ain't you patriotic?)

("That explains a lot. Could you open a window?")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

I'd forgotten all about this Gallagher case. It's so hard to keep up.

C'mon, Herman, if Chigs can wear a toup, why not you?

"First responder."

"Now where's that tube of Duco cement?"

Just Cokes? Big spenders.

Gus is still sore about last year's tomato crop.

All in a day's work.

Pretty high living for a guy who makes $11 a week.

Gotta spend money to make money.

Y'know, both of you guys could stand to go on the wagon for a while.

 

[Fading Fast]

...In Hollywood, concert singer Marion Talley today accused her estranged husband of using their six-year-old daughter, born just three weeks after they were married, as a pawn in a $150,000 extortion plot. The singer charged that Adolph Eckstrom, who was Miss Talley's vocal coach before their marriage, and from whom she is presently seeking a divorce, telephoned her and demanded payment of $150,000 in exchange for "the whereabouts" of their daughter Susan. Miss Talley also charged that Eckstrom's attorney, Frank Delaney of New York, was a conspirator in the plot. Miss Talley acknowledged that she married Eckstrom in 1935 "merely to give the baby a name."...

The pieces are rearranged, but you can see the La Plata plot from "Little Orphan Annie" echoing in this one.

...[
(Reduced to 3 for 9 cents? Just how long were they sitting behind those little windows?)...

Fair and concerning question, but a butter-rich cherry bun sounds quite tasty.

... (Jeez, at this rate there won't be anything left for Oakdale.)...

Exactly why lottery winners' names should be kept private.

... I'd forgotten all about this Gallagher case. It's so hard to keep up.....

The details of all these murder and "love" affair stories do start to bleed into each other in your mind after awhile.

...
C'mon, Herman, if Chigs can wear a toup, why not you?....

It's not a perfect alignment, but overall, you see this same change in attitude toward women drinking at bars in the movies from the mid '30s (post Prohibition) to the early '40s.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Royal Air Force has launched what observers describe as "a minor blitzkrieg" against German-held air bases in Greece, it was reported today. Several Nazi troop carriers used in the invasion of Crete are reported destroyed. Heavy RAF bombers are reported to be pounding at the relatively few Greek air bases taken over by the Nazis for use in the Crete offensive.

The embassies and legations of 34 nations have been ordered to vacate Paris by June 10th, according to informed German sources in Berlin, with the explanation that "Paris is no longer the seat of the French government -- Vichy is." Reports from Washington indicate that the State Department will accede to the German request, but "retaliatory action" is also anticipated.

Thomas Gallagher could serve up to 25 years in prison for the slaying of John Gormley last February. The 31-year-old Brooklyn Navy Yard security guard was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in the death of the 35-year-old equestrian master from Flushing, during a "frisky house party" at the home of Mrs. Mary Gerken, at Russell Gardens in Great Neck. District Attorney Edward J. Neary charged that Gallagher, "who admitted intimacies with Mrs. Gerken" "boiled over with resentment" upon discovering Gormley "engaged in a drinking bout" with Mrs. Gerken and another man. The defense claimed that Gallagher's gun "went off" accidentally after Gormley "crashed thru the bedroom door."

("NOW can we get some window screens????")

Mayor LaGuardia stopped short of announcing his candidacy for a third term of office in his radio broadcast last night, but leaders of the City Fusion Party indicated they are prepared to draft him as a candidate in view of his failure in the speech to rule out any candidacy in the coming election. The Mayor devoted the bulk of his address over station WNYC to his role as director of the newly-formed Office of Civilian Defense, but did say that the question of whether or not he serves a third term as mayor "will have to be decided by the people." The Mayor went on to pledge that his new duties with the OCD will in no way detract from or disrupt the performance of his primary duties as Mayor of New York, and declared that it is his intention to build the implementation of Civilian Defense programs in the city into a model to be emulated by all other American communities.

A famous showgirl of the Ziegfeld stage in the late 1920s plunged to a gruesome death this morning from her fifth-floor penthouse in Manhattan. Miss Frances Stutz called out "Goodbye, John" to her husband John M. Huppman from the terrace of their apartment at 310 W. 75th Street and then hurled herself over the side. She was impaled on a picket fence on the sidewalk below, her right arm was torn off, and her skull and both legs were shattered. She was about twenty-seven years of age, and had begun her stage career at the age of fifteen. She returned to public notice about four years ago during the divorce trial of radio violinist David Rubinoff and his wife Peggy Garcia, when she was summoned to testify about her relationship with the musician, claiming that "for four years she had been Rubinoff's only one true love." Miss Stutz and Mr. Huppman were married about seven months ago.

(Mr. Johnson insists on his New England roots by calling a hot dog a "frankfort." Actually, nobody in New England actually says "frankfort" unless they're talking about that town up near Bangor where the Mt. Waldo granite warehouses used to be, but you'll still see it on packages of "frankfort rolls.")

A 32-year-old taxicab driver from Bushwick is being held for observation at Kings County Hospital after hiring another man's cab to take him on a grand tour of Brooklyn, and then refusing to pay the fare. George Blumenthal is accused of hailing a cab driven by Anthony Scarpati of 411 Claremont Avenue, and causing Scarpati to drive him from Downtown Brooklyn all the way to Sheepshead Bay, and then back up again to Williamsburg. Scarpati testified in Bridge Plaza Court that he did so, but Blumenthal refused after the trip to pay the $10 fare. Blumenthal refused to answer questions during his court appearance, and would only stare vacantly at his fellow cabbie.

(A&P has the five-day-week, but Bohack's has better ads. "Sing for your supper, and you'll get breakfast, songbirds always eat....")

(The proposed new ballpark site is about seven blocks from old Washington Park, vacated by the Dodgers in 1912, in part because the smell from the nearby Gowanus Canal was too offensive for words. Have they really cleaned it up that much?)

"Civic Minded Citizen" writes in from Flatbush to complain that dogs are running rampant in the streets without muzzles, and that "some of the women let their dogs deliberately commit nuisances on our lawns." Unless the present dog laws are rigidly enforced, Civic Minded declares that the time has come to abolish dogs entirely from the city.

(Uh-oh. Has anybody seen Bob lately?)

(Vintage Things That Have Vanished In Your Lifetime: tying old shoes to cars at weddings. I guess it just doesn't give the same effect with sneakers.)

(9 to 3? Well at least it wasn't 9 to 0. "Hey Leo!" snickers Joe. "Ya puttin' on a lit'l roun'a hips, aincha?" "PUT IN PETEY!" bellows Sally, causing Joe to spill his coffee. From her box under the stove, Stella the Cat looks up momentarily and falls back asleep. She's getting used to these people.)

The Bushwicks will get a look at one of the best pitchers in Negro baseball when they face Chet Brewer Sunday in their doubleheader against the Philadelphia Stars. Brewer has been the class of the Stars' staff this year, and was particularly adept in winning a Ruppert Cup game at Yankee Stadium earlier this month. He was to have opposed none other than Satchel Paige in that contest, an assignment he looked forward to with relish, but a late switch in the Philadelphia rotation moved him out of that spot.

("Get a doctor?" Don't you have amazing miracle powers of healing, son? Or are you -- distracted?)

("Talk about money changing people!" OK, that made me laugh out loud.)

(Bill, you yutz. Never get into a crap game with a man in a horizontally-striped suit.)

(Or maybe he just doesn't like to get bits of shell in his mouth when he eats the egg. Who does?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Awwww, who could forget the Lowthers. Love's Young Dream. I bet they get Christmas cards from all those private detectives.

"Pastel Wine" = Rose Pink. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

"It was a less cynical time."

C'mon, Sparky, what's keepin' ya?

I wonder what Clark Gable gets for a gig like this?

Gould is so excited by drawing this scene that he's lost all perspective.

Stick it to him, Min.

It's a real privilege to work with such a classy guy as Wilmer.

Hey, what happened to old Mengel the Butcher? Harold quitting must've caused his whole business to crumble. Either that or he heard Harold was coming home, and skipped town while he still could.

What about the diamond? Or did you already lose it?

 

[ChiTownScion]

Germany has landed at least 11,500 airborne troops in Crete, and fierce fighting continues today according to information received from authoritative circles. Reports reached diplomatic circles quarters that attempts have also been made to land sea-borne troops for a big-scale attack. Informants added that the Germans are also attacking with dive-bombing planes. Reports from reliable quarters state that "most of the parachutists who have landed have been mopped up," but it is anticipated that fighting will "increase in severity."

"Up in a Junkers 52
Way down south to Crete we flew.
Heinkels and Stukas flew in first,
Dropping bombs and machine gun burst.

"Yo ho ho!
With the Seventh we go!
Yo ho ho!
With the Seventh we go!
Up in the sky and away we went,
To drop onto Crete with Kurt Student."

Song we'd sing years ago... usually after a few rounds of Dinkelacker.

But in all seriousness, the Crete campaign (Operation Merkur) was disastrous for the Fallschirmjäger troops of the Luftwaffe. Because of the heavy casualties, Crete was the classic Pyrrhic victory for the Axis.

 

[Fading Fast]

... View attachment 336448
("NOW can we get some window screens????")...

I don't know the exact requirements, but broadly speaking, NYC now has a child window-guard law where you have to have them in your apartment if you have children under a certain age and, if renting, the landlord has to provide them free of charge even if you don't have young children but want them anyway.

...Mayor LaGuardia stopped short of announcing his candidacy for a third term of office in his radio broadcast last night, but leaders of the City Fusion Party indicated they are prepared to draft him as a candidate in view of his failure in the speech to rule out any candidacy in the coming election. The Mayor devoted the bulk of his address over station WNYC to his role as director of the newly-formed Office of Civilian Defense, but did say that the question of whether or not he serves a third term as mayor "will have to be decided by the people." The Mayor went on to pledge that his new duties with the OCD will in no way detract from or disrupt the performance of his primary duties as Mayor of New York, and declared that it is his intention to build the implementation of Civilian Defense programs in the city into a model to be emulated by all other American communities....

"The Mayor went on to pledge that his new duties with the OCD will in no way detract from or disrupt the performance of his primary duties as Mayor of New York, and declared that it is his intention to build the implementation of Civilian Defense programs in the city into a model to be emulated by all other American communities."

Not picking on the mayor as all politicians and business leaders who take on major new responsibilities say this, but it is all but tautologically untrue. There are only so many hours in a day.

...A famous showgirl of the Ziegfeld stage in the late 1920s plunged to a gruesome death this morning from her fifth-floor penthouse in Manhattan. Miss Frances Stutz called out "Goodbye, John" to her husband John M. Huppman from the terrace of their apartment at 310 W. 75th Street and then hurled herself over the side. She was impaled on a picket fence on the sidewalk below, her right arm was torn off, and her skull and both legs were shattered. She was about twenty-seven years of age, and had begun her stage career at the age of fifteen. She returned to public notice about four years ago during the divorce trial of radio violinist David Rubinoff and his wife Peggy Garcia, when she was summoned to testify about her relationship with the musician, claiming that "for four years she had been Rubinoff's only one true love." Miss Stutz and Mr. Huppman were married about seven months ago...

One, that's the husband's version of the story I'm guessing - let's see how this investigation develops. Attention Page Four.

Two, it's 1941 and she's 27, but was a "famous showgirl" of the Ziegfeld Stage in the late '20s, meaning, what, she was a showgirl from the age of 12 to 16?

...
(Vintage Things That Have Vanished In Your Lifetime: tying old shoes to cars at weddings. I guess it just doesn't give the same effect with sneakers.)...

I see the shoes-tied-to-the-bumper thing for just-married couples all the time in old movies, any idea of the origin/significance?

... (9 to 3? Well at least it wasn't 9 to 0. "Hey Leo!" snickers Joe. "Ya puttin' on a lit'l roun'a hips, aincha?" "PUT IN PETEY!" bellows Sally, causing Joe to spill his coffee. From her box under the stove, Stella the Cat looks up momentarily and falls back asleep. She's getting used to these people.)...

Joe's life is about walking on eggshells right now. Hence, you never know if it's real or nervous laughter, but I'd bet real in this case.

It's a long seasons. Just like I discounted the sprint out of the shoot, I'll be patient with this early season slump. You just knew they weren't going to simply go wire to wire.

... ("Get a doctor?" Don't you have amazing miracle powers of healing, son? Or are you -- distracted?)...

That's a bit of a disconnect.

The not-shown panel five today has Sparky, with a glint in his eye, saying to Sue, "Perhaps we should make sure everything is working now?" Sue responds by smacking Sparky in the face.

... (Bill, you yutz. Never get into a crap game with a man in a horizontally-striped suit.)...

A minor edit or two: "Bill, you yutz. Never get into a crap game. Also, never w̵i̵t̵h̵ ̵a̵ ̵m̵a̵n̵ ̵i̵n̵ ̵a̵ buy a horizontally-striped suit.''

... I wonder what Clark Gable gets for a gig like this?...

I thought he looked more like Clark Gable and Walter Pigeon's love child.

Good bless Burma, "If you fall for this schmaltz, you deserve what's coming!"

...
Gould is so excited by drawing this scene that he's lost all perspective....

Neither of our master detective's illustrators have any real ability to handle scale, nor does Harold Gray.

... Stick it to him, Min....

Yup, she's giving him a much-deserve-and-expensive trolling.

... It's a real privilege to work with such a classy guy as Wilmer....

"Hey Punk..." Sounds very '90s.

 

[LizzieMaine]

British, New Zealand, and Greek troops, aided by sharpshooting native Cretan guerilla fighters, staged fierce counterattacks today as the hand-to-hand fight for the possession of Crete neared its climax. German bombers poured more tons of bombs on the strategic Greek Mediterranean island as the "strange and grim" battle raged into its fourth day with both sides locked into close-quarter combat without hope of retreat.

French Vice Premier Jean Darlan declared today that Adolf Hitler did not ask him to turn the French fleet over to Germany, when they met at Berchtesgaden on May 11th. In a broadcast to the French people from Vichy, Admiral Darlan declared "the whole world knows, and the British better than everybody, that I'll not give up the fleet to anybody." The Vice Premier also stated that France has freely chosen its policy of collaboration with Germany. "For France," he contended, "it was a question of choosing between life and death. The Marshal (Petain) and the Government chose life."

Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen has been voted a new appropriation of $138,310 to continue his battle against official corruption in Brooklyn. The Board of Estimate approved that appropriation unamimously, although before the vote Queens Borough President George U. Harvey argued that Amen was originally appointed to supersede former Kings County District Attorney William F. X. Geoghan, who is now several years out of office and has been replaced by William O'Dwyer, who, Mr. Harvey argued, is an "able prosecutor," and that it is time to reevaluate the Amen Office in view of Mr. O'Dwyer's record and the return from Amen's prosecutions of only $200,000 in restitution against nearly $1,000,000 spent on investigations.

An 18-year-old York Street youth is being held for observation today after climbing to a metal grating near the top of the Brooklyn tower of the Manhattan Bridge, 325 feet above the surface of the East River. Angel Gonzalez of 101 York Street explained to Patrolman Charles Neis, who resorted to strong-arm methods to dislodge the youth from his perch, that he had climbed the tower in search of solitude. "I like to be alone," he declared. "I like to read a newspaper." "Here now!" insisted the patrolman, a World War veteran with a taste for adventure. "Enough of this nonsense! You're going back down where you belong!" The patrolman tugged Hernandez down a narrow hand-railed cable to the bridge's Brooklyn anchorage, at one point nearly being dropped into the river when his captive took an unexpected lurch. Hernandez was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he protested "a little peace is all I want!"

Non-professional employees of Methodist Hospital represented by the State, County, and Municipal Workers Union CIO will meet today to present demands to hospital administrators for union recognition, minimum pay of $60 per month, two weeks paid vacation, and eight paid holidays per year. Hospital director Dr. Chester Marshall has criticized the demands and the union for "threatening a strike," but union secretary-treasurer David Allen maintains that no such threat has been made or even suggested.

Fifty-two high school students from across the borough compete tonight in the 26th annual Brooklyn Eagle Current Events Bee, to be held at the new High School for Homemaking, President and Classon Streets, opposite the Brooklyn Museum and easily reached by trolley and the IRT subway. Eagle publisher Frank Schroth will preside as moderator. Borough President John Cashmore, Presiding Justice Edward Lazansky of the Appellate Division, and successful career woman Mrs. Clarence Waterman will serve as judges. At stake is the famous Eagle Cup, along with gold and silver medals to individual high scorers.

Erasmus Hall High School claimed victory in the city-wide spelling bee, broadcast last night over station WNYC, with the Flatbush school earning the Mayor LaGuardia Plaque after Erasmus student Lawrence Jaeger of 506 McDonald Avenue successfully spelled the word "baccalaureate." All competing schools will receive an unabridged dictionary autographed by the Mayor.

Leaders of the United Auto Workers Union C I O are calling on the Ford Motor Company to "erase all bitterness" and "negotiate in a spirit of mutual cooperation" after the union's overwhelming victory in certification votes at Ford's River Rouge and Lincoln plants. The UAW polled approximately 70 percent in the vote by 77,168 Ford workers, with about 22,000 votes going to the rival AFL union, and only 2,104 for no union at all. Harry Bennett, lieutenant to Henry Ford and head of the Ford Service Department, refused to acknowledge the UAW's request, and would state only that the company "will have to see if we can live with" the results of the vote.

(Which is Helen's way of saying "oh yeah? Wanna fight?")

("Leprosy??")

The Eagle Editorialist assures his readers that Mayor LaGuardia is fully up to balancing the jobs of Mayor and Director of the Office of Civilian Defense. "Mr. LaGuardia's sense of responsibility is too keen for him to continue in any job whose duties he could not properly discharge." The EE also defends the Mayor for not coming right out and declaring his candidacy for a third term at this time, noting that his priority right now is getting acquainted with his new responsibilities. "It may be acting coy, but it is also sensible and natural."

(The Social Dance.)

("...and the fighting heart of a kitten." Nice to see Parrott isn't the only wise guy on the Eagle sports staff. And the Dodgers better beat the Phillies five straight or there's gonna be chaos in the streets.)

(And Sally sighs. Everything to do and four more months not to do it in.)

("Don't worry, I've been dead myself. It's really not so bad.")

(I'd think it would be a fascinating experience to check the Bungles' references.)

(That checked-suit tailor really does do quite a business.)

(Although if you want to get to the top in a dignified business like reefer-selling, it pays to go with a conservative plaid.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

We've seen a lot of Pieces of Work on Page Four but I have to say that Mr. Cvek really is the biggest piece of work of all. And I look forward to seeing Mom Neighbor snap Daughter Neighbor right in the face with that wet towel.

"I mean, it ain't like we was on a nickname basis or nuttin'."

"Bagged again!" Sometimes the line between real life and the comic strips is exceedingly thin.

Cue the surprise reappearance of Sam the Presser.

Tomorrow: Find Andy and Min on Page Four!

Y'know, old man Wumple wasn't always the smartest person in the room, but at least he was comfortably secure in his baldness.

Work fast, toots.

"Hold tight! Hold tight! Boodla-racka-sacky, want some seafood mama!"

Mush is done taking your crap, old man.

That's right, Gramps, limber up. You're gonna need it.

 

[Fading Fast]

British, New Zealand, and Greek troops, aided by sharpshooting native Cretan guerilla fighters, staged fierce counterattacks today as the hand-to-hand fight for the possession of Crete neared its climax. German bombers poured more tons of bombs on the strategic Greek Mediterranean island as the "strange and grim" battle raged into its fourth day with both sides locked into close-quarter combat without hope of retreat....

Despite having read a lot of popular works on WWII, to be honest, until these daily newspaper updates, my understanding of the fighting in Greece was limited to a shorthand that leaned heavily on the movie The Guns of Navarone and a vague thought of "yeah, some stuff happened there." It's powerful and educational to read these updates in real time.

...French Vice Premier Jean Darlan declared today that Adolf Hitler did not ask him to turn the French fleet over to Germany, when they met at Berchtesgaden on May 11th. In a broadcast to the French people from Vichy, Admiral Darlan declared "the whole world knows, and the British better than everybody, that I'll not give up the fleet to anybody." The Vice Premier also stated that France has freely chosen its policy of collaboration with Germany. "For France," he contended, "it was a question of choosing between life and death. The Marshal (Petain) and the Government chose life."...

How perfectly could Claude Rains have played Darlan, he'd just have to reprise his role from Casablanca: "My dear Ricky, you overestimate the influence of the Gestapo. I don't interfere with them and they don't interfere with me. In Casablanca I am master of my fate!" uh-huh

...Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen has been voted a new appropriation of $138,310 to continue his battle against official corruption in Brooklyn. The Board of Estimate approved that appropriation unamimously, although before the vote Queens Borough President George U. Harvey argued that Amen was originally appointed to supersede former Kings County District Attorney William F. X. Geoghan, who is now several years out of office and has been replaced by William O'Dwyer, who, Mr. Harvey argued, is an "able prosecutor," and that it is time to reevaluate the Amen Office in view of Mr. O'Dwyer's record and the return from Amen's prosecutions of only $200,000 in restitution against nearly $1,000,000 spent on investigations....

Category-error alert: Law enforcement is not a for-profit business.

...Erasmus Hall High School claimed victory in the city-wide spelling bee, broadcast last night over station WNYC, with the Flatbush school earning the Mayor LaGuardia Plaque after Erasmus student Lawrence Jaeger of 506 McDonald Avenue successfully spelled the word "baccalaureate." All competing schools will receive an unabridged dictionary autographed by the Mayor....

I'm staring at the word and I'd still spell it wrong.

...
(Which is Helen's way of saying "oh yeah? Wanna fight?")..

The gem in this one is Helen's "Hatred for anything does not automatically make it non-existent" comment. Advice we could still use today.

... (And Sally sighs. Everything to do and four more months not to do it in.)...

They need to save their money anyhow.

... (I'd think it would be a fascinating experience to check the Bungles' references.)...

Seriously, Jo might want to reflect on that a bit as it's probably a bigger hurdle for the Bungle family than she's thinking.

... We've seen a lot of Pieces of Work on Page Four but I have to say that Mr. Cvek really is the biggest piece of work of all. And I look forward to seeing Mom Neighbor snap Daughter Neighbor right in the face with that wet towel....

Re Cvek, it's going to be a lot hotter where he's going.

Re the bank robbers, did anyone notice a slightly plumb blonde woman nearby? Just askin'.

Re "The Neighbors," to wit, the expression, “It’s just as easy to fall in love with a rich man as a poor one.”

... Cue the surprise reappearance of Sam the Presser....

Well, when a miracle is needed....

Sandy might look all sympathetic, he's a pro after all, but Annie's whining has been going on too long which is why, quietly, Sandy's resume has been shopped around to "Terry and the Pirates" (where everybody in the industry wants to work), "Gasoline Alley" and "Harold Teen" as the guys in those latter two could use a dog.

... View attachment 336779 Y'know, old man Wumple wasn't always the smartest person in the room, but at least he was comfortably secure in his baldness.....

Wumple was not the best but okay. I used to say to the coworkers who were always happy when we learned we were getting a new boss (which happens all the time in corporate America) that you might be wishing for the old one soon enough. It can always get worse.

The toupee storyline has overstayed its welcome.

...[ Work fast, toots....

The wheel keeps turning. Today, China's "Belt and Road" initiative often has Chinese engineers supervising building projects in other countries.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Is it just me- or does Tyrone come across as.. well, not exactly the brightest bulb on the tree? I suppose the job description of flunky written by Grandpa didn't really target the Phi Beta Kappa crowd.

 

[Harp]

Is it just me- or does Tyrone come across as.. well, not exactly the brightest bulb on the tree? I suppose the job description of flunky written by Grandpa didn't really target the Phi Beta Kappa crowd.

Wonder how a certain former president gained election as Harvard Law Review editor without having written a note.
And The American Scholar staff, a quixotic mercurial bunch of thugs; whom I suspect never read Emerson....