The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

It's for the best, kid. Who wants to go thru life as "Fanny Foote?"

We have memes in 1945 too.

Ohhhh, Measles. You'll answer to the OPA for this!

Poor Helen. Never pledge your soul to a job like that.

And once again in his quiet way, Frank King expands the boundaries of what the comics can show...

"Hmph," hmphs Miss Kaplan. "Too obvious," agrees Mozelewski.

Vintage Expressions You Don't Hear Anymore...

It's the way she wags the blackjack that really makes the scene.

He tripped over a chair, all right?

Hu Shee would very much like to see Lt. Charles eaten by the nearest tiger, and I'm in favor of that too.

 

[Fading Fast]

T'em people could get awful -- um -- picky.

God Luv ya, Alice.

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Gale Storm, with the exception of Veronica Lake, could be the best made-up movie-star name ever. Ms. Storm was born Josephine Cottle, which to my ear, isn't a bad 1940s Hollywood name either.

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We had an escaped convict loose in the neighborhood when I was about Junior's age, and my mother locked my sister and me in the house to prevent us from being taken hostage. So we never got to see any posses or any of that other interesting junk...

At least she worried. My Dad's response would have been to look up from the paper and say, "stay closer to the house today," followed by his head looking back down as he turned the page.

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It's for the best, kid. Who wants to go thru life as "Fanny Foote?"

No kidding, tough tag. I'm guessing that Mr. Wallace Turner Foote would be interested in those beach volleyball magazines of Joe's doppelgänger.

And we have a new entry in the Page Four top-ten name list: Jetske De Balbian Vester.

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It's the way she wags the blackjack that really makes the scene.

This is crazy stuff for a comic strip. You could easily see kids (and me) having nightmares from this storyline.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I was terrified of "Little Orphan Annie" as a kid, especially when Punjab was around. Something about the way it looked just gave me the willies. Revisiting it now, I can see why. Harold Gray was a strange man who created a uniquely strange world.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("This whool baaaasketbaaahl daaaanybrook," sighs Uncle Frank, "is what ye get whann bloody amatchoors stick thaar beaks in. Too mooch, too faast." "Mm," agrees Ma. "'Ere, Leonora, doon't poot thim nickels in ye mooth loike that." "You do it," protests Leonora. "Ye joost boite th' edge," Ma corrects. "Loike this, see? An' if ye teeth make a marrk, it's a phoony, made 'a lead, ye see?" "Like t'is'un?" displays Leonora, pointing to a clear nick on the rim. "Hm," nods Ma. "Woondarr how THAT got paast me." "Bink lef' it onna coun'eh," replies Leonora. "She tooka packa gum." "Well, at' least she's payin' soomthin," sighs Ma. "Don'chee waaary, Oi'll stick it aaahn soom soockar." Leonora nods, her understanding of the ways of the world continuing to expand. She returns to her nickels and pauses. "Don' give'at nickel to my ma," she requests. "Do'wanneh t'get wise!" Ma and Uncle Frank exchange glances as Leonora delicately clamps her teeth on another coin...)

("You see the artistry," preens Inky Quinlan. "Note the fine linework in the background, you see, the pale blue printing, where it says 'U. S. Government Ration.' Look here, thru my loupe -- note how clear and sharp the lines are, and yet the ink itself nearly blends into the background of the paper itself. Not one in a thousand could create such a perfect duplicate, not one in a thousand thousands, if I may -- ah -- modestly say so." "Rotion," reads Bink, squinting thru the eyepiece. "Pardon?" replies Inky, his gleaming smile commencing to flicker. "'R-o-t-i-o-n," continues Bink. "T'at ain' how ya spell 'ration,' 'less, I guess ya spell it wit'ta accent a'sump'n." "Give me that glass," snaps Inky, jamming the lens into his eye. "See?" prods Bink. "Ah," exhales Inky. "You have -- ah -- passed the test. I -- prepared this sample with a deliberate -- ah -- do you have a cigarette?" "Nickel f'ra loosie," snickers Bink. "Very well," mutters Inky, handing her a coin, accepting the proferred smoke, and retreating with no further comment to the alley behind the warehouse. Bink regards the nickel and gives it a cautious nibble. "HEY!" she roars...)

("I heeh lotta guys comin' home fr'm t'wawr drinkin' too much," sighs Sally. "Joe won' do t'at t'ough," assures Alice. "Nah," agrees Sally. "Two glasses a' beeh an'ee fawls asleep. Y'can't get too drunk on'nat. T'at's one t'ing I neveh hadda worry'bout wit' Joe. I remembeh Solly Pincus useta go out sometimes'n get kinda lit an' Joe'd go out'na middle'a t'night an' help'im home. Joe, t'ough, he's awrways sobeh as a judge." "Not awl judges," snickers Alice. "I know a few..." "What? "Nut'n. Anyways, I guess y'can't blame'm guys t'ough. Drinkin' too much, I mean. I guess some'a t'stuff t'ey mus' see oveh t'eh..." "Yeh," nods Sally, closing her eyes and riding on in silence...)

("Keep Romance Alive....)

("Breadon!" sneers Mr. Rickey. "In the twenty-two years of our association, I declare to you, my boy, without reservation and without hesitiation, that this man Breadon proved himself time and again to be the pinnacle, the very acme of parsimony." "Ah," nods Mr. Parrott, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "Mr. Breadon," scowls Mr. Rickey, "not only has the first dollar he ever earned, he also posesses the right hand of the man who handed it to him." "Ah," nods Mr. Parrott. "Mr. Breadon," smirks Mr. Rickey, "compresses a nickel with such force that the buffalo is reduced to a mere muskrat." "I see," exhales Mr. Parrott." "Did you wish something?" blinks Mr. Rickey. "I need a new pencil," ventures Mr. Parrott. "You were issued a pencil on the first of March." frowns Mr. Rickey. "Today is the sixth of April. You should by my reckoning have at least six inches remaining on that pencil." "I lost it," admits Mr. Parrott. "I bumped into some girl on the subway this morning and dropped my briefcase. She handed it back to me, but when I looked inside, several things were -- uh -- missing.' "Very well," eyerolls Mr. Rickey, reaching for his intercom. "Jane Ann," he buzzes. "Open the safe...")

(No, no, no. The line is "if it's a man hunt, you're out of ammunition!" If you're going to do this, Mr. Krebiehl, do it right.)

("And when the time comes for me to interfere, I shall do so in my own way!")

(The Inspector should avoid those tight-cut suits. They make him look way too hippy.)

("Now please get out of my house and never come back. I hear there's an open job in the Bahamas.")

(Sometimes Trix has to wonder if it's really worth it.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News....

"END OF THE LINE!! ALL OFF!"


Kids Today.

A shotgun, Tracy? That's not your style. Guess it's still too early in the year for bees.

After all, Skeezix's real name is "Allison."

"Oh shut up, you know full well it's going to be Kraft Dinner again."

Sounds like Helen used to work in the circus. I think I saw that act!

"America's Number One Hero Dog. Heh."

"Lieutenant Charles. Would you care to take a walk in the jungle?"

"One rayon stocking?" "Well, you know I don't make much money here."

Work with what you got.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And also...

There's A New World Coming...

 

[Fading Fast]

"Bink lef' it onna coun'eh," replies Leonora. "She tooka packa gum." "Well, at' least she's payin' soomthin," sighs Ma.

Perfect.

"Don' give'at nickel to my ma," she requests. "Do'wanneh t'get wise!" Ma and Uncle Frank exchange glances as Leonora delicately clamps her teeth on another coin...

Also perfect.

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Bink regards the nickel and gives it a cautious nibble. "HEY!" she roars.

Well done, Lizzie.

Also, dear God, how many times will Inky make a spelling mistake before this very precise man learns to meticulously check his spelling first?

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"I bumped into some girl on the subway this morning and dropped my briefcase. She handed it back to me, but when I looked inside, several things were -- uh -- missing.'

You're really on fire today, Lizzie.

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Exactly what the heck is going on here? How did her "scanties" show up? Is she at a USO tour or rock concert? Is Dietrich really taking off her panties and handing them out on tour? I will say, though, that would really lift, umm, morale.

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"Lieutenant Charles. Would you care to take a walk in the jungle?"

Only a few days ago, when Charles was still in the air, having these three traipsing through the jungle together was not something I had on my bingo card.