The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

The State Department today announced the sinking of a Panamanian-registered freighter off the coast of Iceland, coincident with warnings from London that Germany will "force naval warfare on the United States" as the U. S. promises additional aid shipments to Britain. The steamer Sessa was sunk by a submarine attack on August 17th with a loss of 24 persons, including one American, out of its crew of 27. The three survivors were picked up September 6th by a U. S. Navy ship. Secretary of State Cordell Hull confirmed at a press conference today that while the Sessa was of Panamanian registry, and was flying the Panamanian flag, the vessel was owned and operated by American interests. The vessel, operated by the Marine Transport Lines of New York, sailed for Reykjavik on August 6th as part of a convoy. Mr. Hull stated that while there "is no doubt" as to "the author of the attack on the Sessa," he preferred not to discuss that aspect of the matter until more facts are available.

The Red Army of Marshal Semyon Timoshenko has smashed Nazi preparations for an assault on Moscow and is reported to be driving back a virtually encircled German field army "in disorderly retreat" toward Smolensk. A Soviet communique today reported that Russian forces are now less than 40 miles from Smolensk as they advance on that city at an average rate of 8 miles per day past "a maze of smashed German blockhouses and heavy fortifications" hastily thrown up by the Wehrmacht.

Nazi military quarters report that Leningrad remains "completely isolated" by surrounding German and Finnish forces, and stated that Nazi troops and their Finnish counterparts have "contacted" on the Karelian Isthmus.

Testimony in the appeal of Justice Edwin L. Garvin's ruling placing Borough President John Cashmore on the Republican primary ballot has been suspended this afternoon until 9 AM tomorrow, following a decision to subpoena Mr. Cashmore himself, along with his secretary, to appear before the court. The subpoena was served on the Borough President and secretary Lloyd I. Herzka at their Borough Hall offices this morning, for appearances today, but on the request of Democratic legal counsel testimony was suspended until tomorrow. Meanwhile, District Attorney William O'Dwyer announced today that he is opening a full investigation into the validity of all petition signatures gathered by all candidates in the upcoming primary election. "It is more than likely," declared Assistant District Attorney Edward Heffernan, "that the matter in its entirety will be presented to the grand jury."

The President's mother was laid to rest this afternoon in a quiet, dignified ceremony at her home in Hyde Park, New York. Mrs. Sara Delano Roosevelt was buried in the 130-year-old cemetery at St. James Episcopal Church alongside her husband James, who preceded her in death 41 years ago.

(I have always found Elsie and her family immensely disturbing, especially now that I see that she is well on the way to evolving opposable thumbs. Just what's in that milk?)

(The righteous pecksniffs of the Legion have such short memories. Hey, boys, what's that you used to sing about the Mademoiselle from Armentieres?)

The demolition of a remaining portion of the Fulton Street L commences next Monday, as workers begin the next phase of the removal project at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 39th Street. The wreckers will be removing L structures from the areas of Myrtle and Hudson Avenues and Flatbush Avenue extending to 3rd Avenue. Work on this phase on the project has been delayed due to a wait for Government priorities on new copper cable required to replace lines that will be removed as part of the demolition. The portion of the L on 3rd Avenue from 38th to 65th Streets is to remain, and eventually be integrated into the elevated highway approach to the new Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Meanwhile, it was announced that bids for removal for the final sections to be razed, from the East River to Myrtle Avenue, and from Lafayette to Rockaway Avenues, will be opened by the Board of Transportation on September 19th.

(Did You Know -- Quartz clocks go back a lot further than you think!)

(KIDS TODAY.)

300,000 persons turned out to celebrate last night's opening of the Coney Island Mardi Gras, traditional end to the season at the borough's amusement capital. Mayor LaGuardia and District Attorney O'Dwyer met at the celebration for the first time since becoming rivals in the upcoming election, and showed no sign of political contentiousness as they mingled joyously with the vast crowd.

The Eagle Editorialist observes that if the world expects to get any attention at all in Brooklyn over the next few weeks, it will have to knock hard at the door. Our afternoons are going to be very busy keeping track of Our Dodgers as they make their last, crucial Western trip of the season -- a trip expected to decide the outcome of the pennant race. IF we take the two Chicago games -- and we OUGHT to -- and IF the Cardinals lose two out of three to us in the three games we play in St. Louis -- and IF the Cards then lose one to the Giants -- which they SHOULD -- and IF....

(And Joe and Sally gaze thru the window at little Leonora in her incubator, and wonder all the more about all the IFs in this world they've brought her into...)

("Show?" Either the typesetter's been drinking again, or this panel depicts Ed Sullivan at home.)

(If this is the coverage we're going to be getting from here on on an off day, I can't wait till something actually happens. And if Passeau gets up to his old tricks and conks somebody, they'll put out an extra.)

The Boston Red Sox have purchased two promising young infielders. Shortstop John Pesky was acquired from the Louisville Colonels of the American Association, where he led that circuit in hits this season with 185. Shortstop Eddie Pellagrini, acquired from the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, is a native of Boston. (And both of these gents will be fixtures around Fenway Park to the end of their lives.)

(Ah, I used to love doing live remotes. Nothing brings out the idiots like an open microphone.)

("It's all over now." Oh, George, even after all these years, how little you understand her.)

("Meet Un-Cute.")

("Dan Dunn? You mean SECRET OPERATIVE Dan Dunn? Nah, they print a chart of his movements in the paper every day next to the shipping news. Couldn't be him.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"Little boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys should not smoke!" -- creepy Porky Pig cartoon, 1938.

These ads have always been a bit obvious, but this one takes the cake.

The Battle Page only rarely appears these days because, obviously, all possible arguments have already been made and nobody has anything original to say. But hey, it's a nice workout for the linotype operator.

Really, Daddy? You never heard of sending a coded telegram? That's some sloppy work. Some DAMN SLOPPY WORK.

Keep this up, Charley, and you'll have to stay out of candy stores for the rest of your life.

Ventriloquist? Let's see you talk and drink a glass of water.

One of Mr. Caniff's conventions in this strip is that when you have Chinese characters speaking in this formal manner it suggests that they are speaking in their own language, as opposed to "Missy Sherman velly nice" English. And Raven's tone here suggests that she too is speaking fluent Mandarin back at them. Which for a white American heiress in 1941 is actually pretty impressive.

Awww. Walt's just a big fat middle-aged Cupid.

"What's that smell? Did someone get sick in Woolworth's?"

Who's REALLY the bigger dope, though? Wouldn't it maybe be the guy who confused an ACTUAL ROOM WITH AN OUTSIDE WINDOW with "a clothes closet?"

 

[Harp]

I believe the language spoken is more likely Hakka or Punti, or derived hybrid indigenous lingo
since formal Mandarin being reserved for upper caste Chinese would be an alien peasantry tongue.
Raven no doubt is fluent in these dialects; which unlike the formal French found throughout Vietnam,
found greater stricture in China.
Caniff's ability to draw his readers inside the strip is remarkable for making his characters real and
fostering readership care for them. Earlier, I had hoped Terry and Hu Shee would tie the knot or at
least reach some tacit agreement for the duration but her continued absence casts doubt.

 

[Fading Fast]

...The demolition of a remaining portion of the Fulton Street L commences next Monday, as workers begin the next phase of the removal project at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 39th Street. The wreckers will be removing L structures from the areas of Myrtle and Hudson Avenues and Flatbush Avenue extending to 3rd Avenue. Work on this phase on the project has been delayed due to a wait for Government priorities on new copper cable required to replace lines that will be removed as part of the demolition. The portion of the L on 3rd Avenue from 38th to 65th Streets is to remain, and eventually be integrated into the elevated highway approach to the new Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Meanwhile, it was announced that bids for removal for the final sections to be razed, from the East River to Myrtle Avenue, and from Lafayette to Rockaway Avenues, will be opened by the Board of Transportation on September 19th....

"Removing the L" has been an incredibly complicated effort. I wonder (I'll look on Google later) if the "old L" is still part of the highway approach for the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel (I'd bet it is).

... ]
(Did You Know -- Quartz clocks go back a lot further than you think!)...

In the early '90s, right before digital technology/the Internet really took off, I was trading Treasury bonds at one of the "official" Primary dealers designated by the government to do so. When the gov't sold new bonds, it did so through an auction process that was one of the first to move "on line."

The on-line auctions' start and finish times were controlled by an "on-line" clock that "pinged" the Naval Observatory clock for accuracy. It was a very complicated set up to arrange at that time. Each dealer had to "connect in" to the same line, etc. It was a big deal to make it all work as these auctions need strict and coordinated start and finish times.

T... (If this is the coverage we're going to be getting from here on on an off day, I can't wait till something actually happens. And if Passeau gets up to his old tricks and conks somebody, they'll put out an extra.)...

Does MacPhail know about this special train? That had to cost a pretty penny.

...
("It's all over now." Oh, George, even after all these years, how little you understand her.)...

"No sir! This is no time for any wishy-washy business of thinking things over."

Jo's awesome in her own crazy way.

... ("Meet Un-Cute.")...

No kidding. Connie's "stranger danger" radar seems completely broken.

... "Little boyyyyyyyyyyyyyyys should not smoke!" -- creepy Porky Pig cartoon, 1938...

The girl who jumped to her death is an awful story. You wonder if she was more crying out for help as twenty feet might not have killed her.

Don't you get the feeling - and maybe it's only our modern-day bias because of what we know about them now - that everyone, more than anything else, just wants the Duke and Duchess to quietly go away.

...[
Keep this up, Charley, and you'll have to stay out of candy stores for the rest of your life....

Right from the start, he never thought this one through.

Many years later, in the, IMHO, best superhero movie ever made, Morgan Freedman wonderfully exposed the flaw in Charley's plan:

... "What's that smell? Did someone get sick in Woolworth's?"...

I get that Ed can't go there, but in reality, Veronica would have removed and put in his suitcase a particular undergarment to accomplish her mission - and it most likely would have worked.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The Windsors seem to have a remarkable gift for associating themselves with distasteful people, which I guess proves the old adage about birds and feathers.

What ever happened to MacPhail's infatuation with planes? Phelps is out of the picture so why aren't they chartering a plane -- that'd impress those St. Louis yokels, I'd imagine he'd think.

We haven't seen much of good old Poppa Jenks lately in "Harold Teen," so it's good to see him picking up a little work in "The Neighbors." The life of a comic strip supporting character is fraught with uncertainty.

All things considered, I'm astonished at how well Jo seems to be taking all this. It's been two days and Oakdale's still alive. Um, he *is* alive, isn't he? Has anyone seen him lately?

 

[Harp]

The Windsors seem to have a remarkable gift for associating themselves with distasteful people, which I guess proves the old adage about birds and feathers.

Paraphrasing the late historian Jacques Barzun the book to read is Scotty Bowers' Full Service,
a real literary royal flush play on the Windsors which holds nothing back-or front either for that matter.
Bowers, who passed within a year or two tied a tight Windsor knot in his Hollywood memoir.

 

[ChiTownScion]

The Windsors seem to have a remarkable gift for associating themselves with distasteful people, which I guess proves the old adage about birds and feathers.

My unsolicited opinion? The guy's sole redeeming virtue is that he owned several Pugs.

And her? Between her and Lady Nancy Astor, I'd like to know what evil did Britain ever do to the United States that justified imposing those two harpies on them?

 

[LizzieMaine]

The House of Representatives was summoned back today, a week early, from its semi-recess by President Roosevelt, and legislative leaders will meet with the President tomorrow morning for a conference suggesting upcoming important developments on the international scene. Simultaneous with this announcement it was announced from aboard the President's train, which is bringing Mr. Roosevelt back to Washington from Hyde Park, that the Chief Executive will also meet tomorrow with three key Cabinet advisors. A further announcement indicated that the President's radio address scheduled for tomorrow night has been extended from fifteen to twenty-five minutes.

German authorities in Norway have decreed the summary death penalty for striking factory workers in Oslo, who walked off the job without explanation on Tuesday. A proclamation of martial law issued from Nazi occupation headquarters declared that "violence will be met with violence," and that any expression of resistance "will be broken by armed force." The strike in Oslo, blamed by Nazi authorities on Communists, follows reports from the Free Berlin News Agency in London that riots have broken out in Berlin, Cologne, and Aix la Chapelle, and that troops have fired on a crowd in Cologne.

Reports from Moscow claim that "half the Rumanian Army" has been wiped out in combat with the Red Army along the southern front. The Soviet communique also stated that 538 Nazi tanks have been destroyed in action along the central front, with another 90,000 German casualties recorded.

Scores of prominent Brooklynites now serving on local draft boards will be forced to resign their positions or discontinue all political activity under the requirements of the Hatch Act. That law, passed in 1940, prohibits any public political involvement by Federal appointees, and a bulletin issued by Selective Service headquarters laid out the interpretation today that all members of local boards, all appeals agents, and all examining physicians fall within the scope of the Hatch law. One local Government Appeals Agent, who is active in Brooklyn politics, predicted that if the regulation is enforced, there will be "hundreds of resignations" of Selective Service appointees thruout the country.

A five-year-old boy who escaped from his family's home in Bay Ridge wearing his sister's clothes after his mother hid his own was found today trying to enlist in the Army. Little Johnny Schierenbeck of 422 Bay Ridge Avenue was intercepted at the 58th Street Army Center as he made what was reported to be his "fifteenth attempt" to join up. The Schierenback family formerly lived near the base, and during that time, the boy befriended soldiers stationed there, but after the family moved to a new home about a mile away, Johnny insisted on slipping away from his mother to visit his friends. Mrs. Schierenbeck finally decided after the last such escape that she would hide her son's clothes every night in an attempt to keep him home, but when he turned up at the base last night in a pair of suspender slacks, a yellow-trimmed red sweater, and galoshes belonging to his eight year old sister Doris, it was apparent that this tactic was not a success. The boy was missing for nearly fifteen hours before he was finally recaptured. He had also taken $1.35 from his mother's change cup, which he said he "spent on the soldiers."

(Yeah, right. Little Johnny lost it in a crap game, that's what happened.)

("Yeah," enthuses Joe, as he hands Sally a small black-and-chrome object about the size of a small book. "It's a radio, a real radio. Solly loan't it to me. See, ya gotcha bat'ries innheah, an' ya toin it on wit't'is lit'l wheel heah, annen' ya stick t'is t'ing in ya eah, an' ya c'n lissen right in!" "Izzat so?" marvels Sally. "I seen pitchas, but I never see one like t'is. It don' hardly weigh nuttin'." "Yeah," says Joe, "Solly sezzee got it downa Davega. Guy downeah traded it to 'em f' tickets. T'rew inna bat'tries f'nuttin' cause t'ey was good seats." "Excuse me," interrupts the Nurse. "Is that a radio?" "Um, yeah," says Joe. "It ain' illegal, izzit? We do'wanna gittin'no trubble a'nut'n." "Not at all," says the Nurse. "We were just wondering if you could turn it up so we could all listen. That Passeau, what he did to Hughie last summer! What a rat.")

An unidentified Brooklyn doctor was given credit today for being unwittingly responsible for the roundup of
suspected German spies now on trial in Brooklyn Federal Court. The doctor, who may have been named Kern, Cohen, or Koenig, and described as "a big shot from Brooklyn," apparently saved the life of counterespionage agent William O. Sebold after the agent had been placed in the psychiatric unit at Bellevue Hospital with symptoms that the mystery doctor correctly identified as, instead, the result of a critical stomach ailment. Sebold was successfully treated for his condition and was able to return to his investigation of the spy ring.

The Amen Grand Jury holds its 500th session today, marking another milestone in its unprecedented investigation of official corruption in Brooklyn. The jury was first seated on November 17, 1938, and has served almost continuously since. It is believed by Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen to be the longest-lived such inquisitorial body ever to serve in the United States.

A magazine called "Dash" has been banned from all newsstands in New York City under the authority of a state law granting Mayor LaGuardia, or any other mayor in the state, the power to rule any publication "indecent or improper." The magazine, published by Elite Publications Inc. of 247 Park Avenue in Manhattan, and distributed by the Interborough News Company, contains "suggestive and salacious photographs" deemed by the Mayor as "likely to corrupt morals, especially those of youth."

Wendell Willkie today called a Senate sub-committee's investigation of alleged war propaganda in motion pictures an attempt by the isolationist bloc to "sabotage the Administration's foreign policy" and suppress the free speech rights of movie makers. Willkie, who is serving as legal counsel on behalf of the motion picture industry, issued a statement calling on the subcomittee to issue a subpoena at once for Lowell Mellett, administrative assistant to President Roosevelt, to answer charges made by Sen. Gerald P. Nye (R-N. D.) that pro-intervention propaganda is inserted in Hollywood films at the direct instance of the Federal Government. Mr. Willkie also noted the suggestion made by Sen. D. Worth Clark (D-Idaho), co-chairman of the subcommittee that studios be required to present "both sides" of the international question, and suggested that this might mean that "since Charlie Chaplin made a laughable caricature of Hitler in 'The Great Dictator," the industry must be forced to employ Charles Laughton to do the same on Winston Churchill."

(Another anniversary sale? Wow, it's like they come around every year.)

(Senator Nye and Mr. Willkie really really really hate each other on a fundamental, personal level that transcends politics. Someone ought to make a movie about it.)

(And a salute to Mr. Lichty, for always finding a way to work in that "Buy Defense Bonds" ad.)

(Note that they don't call Freddie "fat" anymore. No doubt his "grey beard" conceals the avoirdupois.)

(You just know this Albosta guy voted for himself. And hey, what happened to Jackie the Bat Boy?)

(Aw, some people find geeks with accents very attractive.)

(Well, at least he didn't call her "Mother.")

(Time for a little Investigative Journalism.)

("A laborer or a sweeper." Poor Irwin has no friends at all.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Um, that isn't actually a "V-For-Victory sign."

They need to print one of those diagrams with a lot of dotted lines on it for this one.

I hope Mr. Kaufman made it to 140.

Never mind that, where's the dog? WHERE'S SANDY???

There's a wise guy in every crowd.

The rug?? No, not the rug!! Oh wait, wrong strip.

Aw, and we never got to see a good combover.

Whoa, dramatic lighting effects!

...and he was never seen alive again.

Don't worry, Senators are notoriously poor shots.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
("Yeah," enthuses Joe, as he hands Sally a small black-and-chrome object about the size of a small book. "It's a radio, a real radio. Solly loan't it to me. See, ya gotcha bat'ries innheah, an' ya toin it on wit't'is lit'l wheel heah, annen' ya stick t'is t'ing in ya eah, an' ya c'n lissen right in!" "Izzat so?" marvels Sally. "I seen pitchas, but I never see one like t'is. It don' hardly weigh nuttin'." "Yeah," says Joe, "Solly sezzee got it downa Davega. Guy downeah traded it to 'em f' tickets. T'rew inna bat'tries f'nuttin' cause t'ey was good seats." "Excuse me," interrupts the Nurse. "Is that a radio?" "Um, yeah," says Joe. "It ain' illegal, izzit? We do'wanna gittin'no trubble a'nut'n." "Not at all," says the Nurse. "We were just wondering if you could turn it up so we could all listen. That Passeau, what he did to Hughie last summer! What a rat.")...

We talked about it recently, you can't overstate how wonderful the shared experience is of an impromptu listening to a ballgame with people you hardly know or don't know at all. Especially, when you are all rooting for the same team.

...Wendell Willkie today called a Senate sub-committee's investigation of alleged war propaganda in motion pictures an attempt by the isolationist bloc to "sabotage the Administration's foreign policy" and suppress the free speech rights of movie makers. Willkie, who is serving as legal counsel on behalf of the motion picture industry, issued a statement calling on the subcomittee to issue a subpoena at once for Lowell Mellett, administrative assistant to President Roosevelt, to answer charges made by Sen. Gerald P. Nye (R-N. D.) that pro-intervention propaganda is inserted in Hollywood films at the direct instance of the Federal Government. Mr. Willkie also noted the suggestion made by Sen. D. Worth Clark (D-Idaho), co-chairman of the subcommittee that studios be required to present "both sides" of the international question, and suggested that this might mean that "since Charlie Chaplin made a laughable caricature of Hitler in 'The Great Dictator," the industry must be forced to employ Charles Laughton to do the same on Winston Churchill."...

Charles Laughton now knows how Freddie Fitzsimmons has felt when he's read the Eagle for the past two years.

... View attachment 360412
(Time for a little Investigative Journalism.)...

Just noticed this, I think "Dale Allen" has patterned Connie's look on Rosalind Russell's look from "His Girl Friday."

...
("A laborer or a sweeper." Poor Irwin has no friends at all.)

At least Dan didn't mention that someone has to clean the plant's bathrooms.

.. Um, that isn't actually a "V-For-Victory sign."....

Cool story. Think of how that must have read to the average American in 1941. We now know all the insane and convoluted spy stuff that went on in WWII, but in 1940, that had to read like the height of intrigue and espionage.

...
They need to print one of those diagrams with a lot of dotted lines on it for this one......

I'm glad you said that as I was struggled to keep it all straight.

Also, it's an early use of a variation of this defense:

Never mind that, where's the dog? WHERE'S SANDY???....

At a nearby roadhouse in the phone booth sits Sandy talking to his agent: "You gotta get me the "Terry and the Pirates" gig. I'm telling you, it's a mess here. We don't get our scripts until the morning of the shoot. Warbucks can never remember his lines and complains all day that his fake beard itches, can you say the opposite of professional. And that kid asks more questions in person than she does in the strip. Punjab's my only friend and he's looking to get out too."

... There's a wise guy in every crowd.
....

"The Silver one," I've been wonder about that for a while, why "silver?" Anyone know?

... ...and he was never seen alive again.....

"...and gets a whiff of the perfume..." Uh-huh.[/QUOTE]

 

[LizzieMaine]

I believe the "silver" implies that Raven is a platinum blonde. I think I remember Pat making some sarcastic reference about that after the 1,000,000th time she called him a tramp or a bum.

I believe you're right about the Connie/Roz connection -- clearly "Dale Allen" saw "His Girl Friday" and have been itching to do it for themselves. But that means we're still waiting for Grant to show up.

Poor Sandy. It's a dog's life.

I noticed, by the way, that TCM was showing "Annie," the musical movie adaptation from the 80s the other night, and I kept thinking how much more endurable it would have been if Nick had shown up.

Joe and Sally's radio --

They were extremely popular, but it's hard to find one eighty years later that isn't all messed up from having been stored away with a leaky battery inside.

 

[PrivateEye]

The Boston Red Sox have purchased two promising young infielders. Shortstop John Pesky was acquired from the Louisville Colonels of the American Association, where he led that circuit in hits this season with 185. Shortstop Eddie Pellagrini, acquired from the San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League, is a native of Boston. (And both of these gents will be fixtures around Fenway Park to the end of their lives.)

The forced removal of 87 year old Johnny Pesky from the Red Sox dugout by MLB was one of the lowest things I've ever seen.

 

[Fading Fast]

I believe the "silver" implies that Raven is a platinum blonde. I think I remember Pat making some sarcastic reference about that after the 1,000,000th time she called him a tramp or a bum....

Good memory, now that you jarred mine, that sounds about right.

...Poor Sandy. It's a dog's life.....

He deserves better.

...I noticed, by the way, that TCM was showing "Annie," the musical movie adaptation from the 80s the other night, and I kept thinking how much more endurable it would have been if Nick had shown up.....

I've purposely been avoiding it as I want to have the strip as my only source of images and interpretation for now.

...[
They were extremely popular, but it's hard to find one eighty years later that isn't all messed up from having been stored away with a leaky battery inside.

That's insanely cool. I'm not a collector of, well, anything, but I do look at some of this stuff from time to time and the items in genuine pristine condition always go for a lot, lot more money, for obvious reason.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Fire today swept thru a 600-foot pier in the Hudson River loaded with supplies waiting to be shipped to Great Britain. Fifteen freight cars full of goods were pulled to safety by a donkey engine as flames tore across Pier D between 62nd and 63rd Streets, owned by the New York Central Railroad. Four alarms were turned in after the fire erupted at 7:20 am, just fifteen hours after another fire destroyed a freighter loaded with war supplies for Britain at the foot of Montague Street in Brooklyn. Shortly after the third alarm, an explosion at Pier D briefly drove back fire fighters. Fire Commissioner Patrick Walsh was among those early on the scene, along with members of the Police Sabotage Squad who will investigate whether the fire might have been intentionally set.

President Roosevelt is prepared to give the nation "the cold hard facts" of the present international situation in a momentous radio address that according to White House Press Secretary Stephen Early "will leave no questions unanswered." The President is working today on the final draft of his speech, which goes on the air over all networks at 10 PM. Usually reliable sources state that the President will declare that the United States will take whatever action is necessary to ensure the safety of shipments of war materiels making their way to Britain via Iceland.

(And you can tune in the broadcast here.)

The Senate Oil Investigation Committee has concluded that there is in fact no oil shortage on the East Coast, and accuses Federal petroleum officials of "creating an unnecessary alarm" in warning of one. The Committee in a unanimously-adopted preliminary report to the full Senate contends that the shortage is actually the "lack of an expected surplus" in petroleum supplies, and not a shortage of petroleum products on hand, or facilities with which to transport them. The Committee did not question Defense Petroleum Coordinator Harold Ickes, who is on vacation, but based its conclusions primarily on testimony from J. J. Pelley, president of the Association of American Railroads, who told the panel that 20,000 surplus tank cars are presently available to carry up to 200,000 barrels of petroleum a day to the East Coast. Deputy Defense Petroleum Coordinator Ralph K. Davies, it was also noted in the report, "was reluctant to accept" Mr. Pelley's conclusions.

Two sets of ballots will be prepared for the Republican primary election in Brooklyn, one including the name of Borough President John Cashmore and one omitting his name, in an extraordinary move by city election officials to avoid the embarrassment of having no ballots ready for next Tuesday's vote. Hearings on the validity of petition signatures gathered to place Mr. Cashmore's name on the GOP ballot continue today with no clear indication of an end in sight.

("Hey," says Joe, peeling a banana from the bedside fruit bowl and handing it to Sally, "ya know what I hoid? Fitz was a inkabata baby." "Ahhhhh, g'wan," scoffs Sally, thru a mouthful of banana. "Ya screwy. Lookit 'im." "I kid ya not," insists Joe, biting off a piece of fruit for himself. "Benny Grogan downa plant tol' me. You met Benny, he come oveh t'house 'at one time spos' t'play cards, but' instead he jus' set t'ere read'n a book. Always readin' books, 'at guy. You know he got a su'scription ta t'is t'ing called 'Reada's Diges'?' It's like alla magazines put inna one. I t'ink t'at where he readdis' t'ing 'bout Fitz bein' a inkabata baby. Gawds'hones'troot'." "Nah," says Sally. "Ya makin' it up. I c'n tell. Ya lef' eye doezzat t'ing where it looksoft'a side when ya makin' t'ings up. I notice t'ese t'ings. Ya jus' don' wan' me ta worry, but lissen -- t' docta sez she's doin' fine an' t'ey gonna take 'er outa t'inkabata maybe tamarra. So don' worry. An' gimme nuttawunnat'em bananas. Alley gimme f'breakfas' today izzat lumpy oatmeal. I ask ya. Don't worry." "Well," sighs Joe, "it'd be kin'a funny if it really was fa real. 'Magine big ol' Fitz inna inkabata. Pee Wee, maybe, or even ya boy Petey, but not Fitz.")

In Hollywood, the husband of actress Mae West, with whom she hasn't lived since 1915, filed suit today for separate maintenance, charging the screen and stage star with adultery. Greying former vaudeville hoofer Frank Wallace had secured a court ruling in 1937 confirming his status as Miss West's legal husband, with the couple having been married in 1911. Mr. Wallace asked the court to force Miss West to pay him $1000 a week in recompense for "having forced him out of show business" since he came forward in 1936 claiming to be her husband. Mr. Wallace further charged Miss West with "associating" with other man, including gangland figure Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, and a number of "Negro and Filipino prize fighters." This, Wallace said, "has caused him a great deal of anxiety and humiliation." The suit also names Miss West's business manager James Timony as co-respondent.

Mayor LaGuardia has invented a device for defusing time bombs, and has applied for a U. S. patent on the tool. The Mayor is said to have worked on the invention in collaboration with two members of the Fire Department, it was learned today, but city patent attorney George Mitchel declined comment on the device, referring all questions to the Mayor himself.

In Tokio, Emperor Hirohito is reported to have taken full command of Japanese Army Headquarters in order to insure full cooperation between military authorities and the government of Premier Prince Konoye. The Emperor charged the cabinet to find a solution to Japan's present international difficulties "short of war."

("Sergeant!" barks the commanding officer of the 187th Field Artillery. "Where are the men?" "Ahhhh, sir, t'ey're down'na conna' Flatbush an' Nostran', lissn'inna baw'game. Fitz is pitchin'!")

(I look forward to Mrs. Barnard's discussion of the upcoming film adaption of "Hellzapoppin.")

(Garbagemen are the most important people in all of human civilization. And if you don't think so, do without them for a month.)

(Fitz is primarily a knuckleballer at this stage of his career and that's certainly not a knuckleball grip. Are you SURE that's him and not just some random fat 40-year-old guy? Has anybody seen a picture of Tommy Holmes?)

("Holy socks!" OK, I laughed.)

(It's even scarier when you realize that Jo has been keeping up this soliloquy, without pausing, for the better part of a week. Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick....)

(Don't go off the deep end unless you're sure you know how to swim.)

("The Dragon Lady? Never heard of her.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"...with whom she eloped three months after he married her mother." I bet Thanksgiving was pretty sticky that year.

"Blonde Keith Ferguson?" Does Hoover know about this?

Well, the Boys sure know their audience.

Hey Punj, you SURE you didn't bring the rug?

Bring this guy along. He might be -- ah -- handy.

"And get a receipt!"

There's a moral here somewhere....

This is called "trying to let the poor sap down easy."

Yeah, well, working for Moon would drive anybody to drink.

"Hello big boy," came a sultry voice from the shadows, a voice with just a trace of an exotic foreign accent. "The name's Senga..."

 

[Fading Fast]

Fire today swept thru a 600-foot pier in the Hudson River loaded with supplies waiting to be shipped to Great Britain. ...Fire Commissioner Patrick Walsh was among those early on the scene, along with members of the Police Sabotage Squad who will investigate whether the fire might have been intentionally set....

It certainly seems like there have been a lot of these type of fires lately that would lead one to think sabotage. Time for the Eagle or Daily News to do some investigative journalism.

...The Committee in a unanimously-adopted preliminary report to the full Senate contends that the shortage is actually the "lack of an expected surplus" in petroleum supplies, and not a shortage of petroleum products on hand, or facilities with which to transport them. ......

What!?

... .("Hey," says Joe, peeling a banana from the bedside fruit bowl and handing it to Sally, "ya know what I hoid? Fitz was a inkabata baby." "Ahhhhh, g'wan," scoffs Sally, thru a mouthful of banana. "Ya screwy. Lookit 'im." "I kid ya not," insists Joe, biting off a piece of fruit for himself. "Benny Grogan downa plant tol' me. You met Benny, he come oveh t'house 'at one time spos' t'play cards, but' instead he jus' set t'ere read'n a book. Always readin' books, 'at guy. You know he got a su'scription ta t'is t'ing called 'Reada's Diges'?' It's like alla magazines put inna one. I t'ink t'at where he readdis' t'ing 'bout Fitz bein' a inkabata baby. Gawds'hones'troot'." "Nah," says Sally. "Ya makin' it up. I c'n tell. Ya lef' eye doezzat t'ing where it looksoft'a side when ya makin' t'ings up. I notice t'ese t'ings. Ya jus' don' wan' me ta worry, but lissen -- t' docta sez she's doin' fine an' t'ey gonna take 'er outa t'inkabata maybe tamarra. So don' worry. An' gimme nuttawunnat'em bananas. Alley gimme f'breakfas' today izzat lumpy oatmeal. I ask ya. Don't worry." "Well," sighs Joe, "it'd be kin'a funny if it really was fa real. 'Magine big ol' Fitz inna inkabata. Pee Wee, maybe, or even ya boy Petey, but not Fitz.")...

What the heck is the Eagle doing screwing with Freddie's head like this: "Fat Freddie" in the subhead and then the parting shot of "barrel body." We need Freddie at his physical and mental best. We'll be holding the Eagle responsible if Freddie struggles today, especially if it's with his "mental" game.

Oh, Freddie was probably a nine pounder at birth, three of which was his bowling-ball noggin'.

...In Hollywood, the husband of actress Mae West, with whom she hasn't lived since 1915, filed suit today for separate maintenance, charging the screen and stage star with adultery. Greying former vaudeville hoofer Frank Wallace had secured a court ruling in 1937 confirming his status as Miss West's legal husband, with the couple having been married in 1911. Mr. Wallace asked the court to force Miss West to pay him $1000 a week in recompense for "having forced him out of show business" since he came forward in 1936 claiming to be her husband. Mr. Wallace further charged Miss West with "associating" with other man, including gangland figure Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, and a number of "Negro and Filipino prize fighters." This, Wallace said, "has caused him a great deal of anxiety and humiliation." The suit also names Miss West's business manager James Timony as co-respondent....

Over to you, Page Four.

...Mayor LaGuardia has invented a device for defusing time bombs, and has applied for a U. S. patent on the tool. The Mayor is said to have worked on the invention in collaboration with two members of the Fire Department, it was learned today, but city patent attorney George Mitchel declined comment on the device, referring all questions to the Mayor himself....

Left out of the article is this clause, "in consultation with Hedy Lamarr."

...
(Garbagemen are the most important people in all of human civilization. And if you don't think so, do without them for a month.)...

Because for many years my job required me to get into work very early, I've met many of them. With very few exceptions, they are really nice guys.

... View attachment 360687
(Fitz is primarily a knuckleballer at this stage of his career and that's certainly not a knuckleball grip. Are you SURE that's him and not just some random fat 40-year-old guy? Has anybody seen a picture of Tommy Holmes?)...

Freddie Fitzsimmons: "Et tu Lizzie, et tu?"

...
(It's even scarier when you realize that Jo has been keeping up this soliloquy, without pausing, for the better part of a week. Tick tick tick tick tick tick tick....)...

It's a comic strip from eighty years ago (it's just lines of ink on paper) and I'm scared of what she might do. Oakdale and Peggy should just move to another town and give Jo time to adjust. Distance and time is their only (very slim) hope.

..
(Don't go off the deep end unless you're sure you know how to swim.)...

Burma, who takes her career very seriously, reads today's "Mary Worth," then, with ruthless objectiveness checks her unclad body out in the mirror in her on-set trailer and puts in a call to Caniff. We only caught a fragment of the conversation: "Milt, I'm telling you, it's time for some cheesecake and not from the ice-princess...what?, you bet ya, I'm in fighting shape..."

...
"...with whom she eloped three months after he married her mother." I bet Thanksgiving was pretty sticky that year....

⇧ That is one cat's cradle family.

God love Page Four: "...plus all the various and sundry wives of Tommy Manville."

"Why it would actually be taking away part of my livelihood," that is exactly how an income tax is designed to work.

"I'm shocked to think that in this advance age of civilization anyone could conceive of such a thing." Said every first-time taxpayer ever.

...
"Blonde Keith Ferguson?" Does Hoover know about this?...."

Good one, Lizzie.

Right now this story says little but implies a lot. It will be interesting to follow its developments.

... Hey Punj, you SURE you didn't bring the rug?...

"Forty Four John, buddy, you out there, somewhere, oh Forty Four, friend, where are you, now would be a good time to pop by with some well-armed buddies, John, Joooohn?"

.. Bring this guy along. He might be -- ah -- handy....

Nick and he would get along as they would perfectly understand each other.

In the huge gap between law, order and justice on paper and law, order and justice in the real world, this guy and the Nicks of the world do a lot to keep chaos and lawlessness at bay. Quite often, they are the guys that make things work and get things done. The world needs them. I grew up around a lot of them.

... View attachment 360706 Yeah, well, working for Moon would drive anybody to drink....

Proving that a good line never gets old.

“Lord give me chastity and self control - but not yet.”

― St. Augustine​

... "Hello big boy," came a sultry voice from the shadows, a voice with just a trace of an exotic foreign accent. "The name's Senga..."

I would hop in a time machine, go back to '41 and give Carl Ed a bundle of money if he would have Gramps meet and marry Senga and bring her back to Covina.

 

[Harp]

Connie's conned. Ace Slimeball is bad news.

And Raven's fair haired card sharp with the Scarne Shanghai shuffle, the man with the golden arm,
he ain't goin. Dealt himself an Ace.

Speaking of The Man With the Golden Arm, Otto Preminger initially hired Algren to script the flick
off his novel, but the two of them had differences artistic and otherwise. Algren got booted off the set
and received very little compense for the film adaptation. The 'Bard of the stumblebum' remained embittered.
It is intersting to compare Preminger and Hitchcock-their vision and ability to lift the written page to film.
Hitchcock's talent in all things film, and, his innate grasp of both word-and-author is an extraordinary
facet of his diamond directorial cut. In particular, Strangers On A Train adapted from Patricia Highsmith's
debut novel. A Modernist School scribe, Highsmith also wrote The Price of Salt, a lesbian tale which I would
have loved Hitchcock to have directed. Ida Lupino, possessed the same critical eye, would have scored
with Salt and adroitly captured all of Highsmith's canon. Off on a tangent: there is the matter of Celine,
and, to some extent Joyce. I am of opinion that the best literature makes the best film, all things
considered and with the right director. From what I have read of Algren, Preminger was of apparent
insular take on plebe as opposed to patrician, with a limited exposure to the sidewalk side of life.
I have always enjoyed Preminger's work, but wonder how he would have done with Celine or Joyce
in the fullest extent of directorial latitude. ...I'll stop here. Sorry, a slow Saturday morning and I am
on my second cup of coffee with an empty refrigerator. I promised myself I would go grocery shopping
this morning but I would rather tickle the keyboard ivories and vent forth my disorganized thoughts.

 

[LizzieMaine]

In a further declaration of America's policy concerning the protection of U. S. shipping, the Administration today made it clear that the "shoot first" policy laid out by President Roosevelt in his radio address last night applies not just to the American side of the ocean but also to "any of the seven seas" where German or Italian craft may appear to threaten U. S. interests. Secretary of State Cordell Hull in a press conference today, when asked to define the scope of the President's new policy, replied that "one must realize the actions of the forces behind this world movement of conquest will determine the areas of the seas where this country may find it necessary to patrol in the interests of self-defense of the hemisphere, and hence of the United States."

Germany replied today to the President's speech by declaring that Mr. Roosevelt has "accepted sole responsibility for compelling the Reich to take appropriate measures." Claiming that 26 Allied ships have been destroyed by Axis submarines in the North Atlantic, an authoritzed Nazi spokesman asserted that "Mr. Roosevelt's objective is to drive the United States people through manufactured incidents into an emotional condition where they can be hurled into war."

In Italy, newspaper editor Virginio Gayda, whose writings generally reflect official Fascist policy, declared that the President's new policy leaves Axis naval units "with no alternative but to attack U. S. ships on sight." Writing in today's edition of the Giornale Italia, Gayda accused the President of committing "an act of unprovoked aggression against Germany and Italy."

In Des Moines, Iowa last night Charles A. Lindbergh charged that "a small minority of agitators led by the British, the Jewish, and the Roosevelt Administration" were using "propaganda money and patronage to push the nation into war." The former aviator spoke at a rally of the America First Committee, where audiences greeted his appearance with applause mingled with shouts of "Heil Hitler." White House Press Secretary Stephen Early in reacting to Lindbergh's speech by noting its similarity to the present Nazi propaganda line. "You have seen the outpourings of Berlin in the last few days," Mr. Early observed. "You saw Lindbergh's statement last night. I think there is a striking similarity between the two."

The Red Army is reported to have recaptured four footholds on the west bank of the lower Dnieper River, and to have re-occupied three important villages along the approach to Leningrad. A communique from Moscow also reported that the sustained power of Marshal Timoshenko's attacks in the Smolensk sector "may force the Wehrmacht to withdraw units from the Leningrad front in order to bolster its weakened central lines."

("Ya hear that, kid?" says Joe as he gazes as at tiny, red-faced, wriggling Leonora. "'At Leo, he's fightin' f'ev'y incha groun'! Jus' like'at Irish guy t'Russians is got fightin' for 'em!" "What Irish guy?" wonders Sally, as she prepares to do what mothers do with babies." "You know," replies Joe. "'At one t'ey was tawkin' 'bout onna radio las' night. Tim O'Shenko.")

A Court of Appeals decision granting John R. Davies the right to oppose Mayor LaGuardia in the Republican Party mayoral primary next week is seen in Democratic circles as improving the chances that Borough President John Cashmore will be cleared to appear on the GOP primary ballot for the borough presidency. The State's highest court ruled in the Davies matter that the principal consideration in determining ballot status is whether a sufficient number of valid petition signatures have been gathered, and not whether election laws had been violated in "some instances" over the course of gathering those signatures. Both sides in the Cashmore controversy have agreed that 2000 of the signatures appearing on petitions in the case are valid, with only 500 additional signatures needing confirmation to secure a place for Cashmore on the Republican ballot.

A seven-minute test blackout will plunge Port Washington into darkness at 8:30 tonight as local defense authorities check their work and the response of the 1500 persons living in that town. Plans have been made to simulate an air attack on the Sands Point School, and fires will be lit outside the school in order to represent the results of such an attack. Several prominent Sands Point residents, including financier Bernard Baruch, New York State Racing Commissioner Herbert Bayard Swope, former Ambassador to Cuba Harry H. Guggenheim, and international banker Baron Robert de Rothschild have been assigned to traffic duty by civilian defense officials.

A three-man censorship board will decide whether the Star Theatre, Jay Street near Fulton in Downtown Brooklyn, is permitted to resume the presentation of "girlie" shows following its summer layoff. Following a public hearing last night in which religious, fraternal, civic, and labor leaders took opposing views concerning the theatre's request for renewal of its operating license, License Commissioner Paul Moss declared that the decision will be made by a panel consisting of Borough Attorney John G. McCormack, Harry Zeitz of Martin's department store, and John G. Wilcox of the Variety Revue Theatre Association, whose members include representatives of the five remaining burlesque theatres in New York City. Commissioner Moss stressed that if a license renewal is issued, it will cover a period of three months only, with renewal depending on the reports of investigators.

(The restaurant season is back in full swing. Start making your plans for Thanksgiving now!)

(Vintage Things I'm Glad You Don't See Any More: dead deer lashed ostentatiously to the nose of a car. Nowadays they just get hauled in pickup trucks.)

More than 5000 persons gathered at the Coney Island Velodrome last night for a "Smash Hitler" rally sponsored by the Kings County Division of the Progressive Committee of the American Labor Party heard Manhattan Congressman Vito Marcantonio declare that the Soviet Union's fight against the Nazi dictator is also "America's fight." In his first public speech on foreign policy, Congressman Marcantonio declared that Hitler's plan for world conquest cannot succeed if "two great nations, the United States and the Soviet Union, remain unconquered, physically and ideologically." But, he warned, "the conquest of either one of the two makes the conquest of the other inevitable."

(I hereby declare the start of a campaign to get Fred Fitzsimmons elected to the Hall of Fame, gawdblessim. WHO'S WITH ME?)

(You wait, there's gonna be a big push for Fitz. Mr. Lee better stock up on Stylish Stouts.)

Henry Aldrich, as played by Brooklyn's own Pvt. Ezra Stone, remains the radio favorite of Young America. The latest poll of program preferences among the nation's school children places "The Aldrich Family" again in the top position, followed by "I Love A Mystery," the Bob Hope Show, the Lux Radio Theatre, the Jack Benny Show, "Mr. District Attorney," "Those We Love," "The Lone Ranger," "Gang Busters," "Inner Sanctum" and "Your Hit Parade." The results suggest that all is well with the nation's youngsters, and that clubwomen need not fear "what radio is doing to our children."

(Pity "Chief Peeping Tom" is already taken.)

(It's a nice touch that Jo is dressed in black.)

(Meanwhile, we....wait, hold it. "Kleek" nothing, your name's OAKDALE!)

(One of the most endearing things about Mr. Marsh's art style is that his deadly villains always have that look of "yahhh, I'm going thru the motions and hoping the check clears.")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Whatever inspired genius it was who came up with "won't be down to get Byrnice Macfadden in a Metaxa honey" doesn't even get a byline? Well THAT'S NOT FAIR!

The gloves, such as they ever were, are now off.

Somebody's been reading too many pulp magazines.

"The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter."

"All right mister -- and here's your receipt!" BANG BANG BANG BANG!

Somewhere out there there's an angry unemployed Swedish maid who's now sitting in the catbird seat.

Everyone's trolling Judas today.

Snipe is obviously in love with Skeezix and just won't admit it. And Tops is too thick to ever figure it out.

Mush's cunning plan is getting a little desperate.

It probably didn't do much for the taste of the chicken either.

 

[Harp]

Judas, when you have Raven Sherman on your ass, you truly have someone on your ass.
And, of course, Burma the babe has opened the spigots.