The Era -- Day By Day

The fellow in the bowtie at the Dodger rally will be instantly recognized by "Doctor Who" fans as the time-traveling Eleventh Doctor, obviously trying to see what all the fuss about this American game is all about.

There's a lot of interesting dental work on display in those pics too.

Joe and Sally will probably go on Brooklyn Day. Joe wants to make sure he gets in his entry for that limerick contest where they're giving away cars. ("Whatta you need with a car, anyway? We live in Bensonhoist! Who has a car in Bensonhoist?" "Yeah, but with a car we c'n go to Asb'ry Park whenever we wanna!" "Like I said.")

I have been surprised at the lack of excitement on the News' Page Four the last few days. The war has been driving that stuff into the background, so this would be a good time for Elaine Barrie to make her next move.

I'm fascinated with how the backgrounds completely change behind Prince Shoesalesman and Baby in each panel. I think they're doing the whole thing in front of a process screen, and the projectionist is having some fun with them.

Harold was always a big fan of neckin' when he was going with Lillums, and I think no matter what he says he's clearly not over her yet. Senga's fighting a ghost.

LizzieMaine said:

The fellow in the bowtie at the Dodger rally will be instantly recognized by "Doctor Who" fans as the time-traveling Eleventh Doctor, obviously trying to see what all the fuss about this American game is all about.

There's a lot of interesting dental work on display in those pics too.

Joe and Sally will probably go on Brooklyn Day. Joe wants to make sure he gets in his entry for that limerick contest where they're giving away cars. ("Whatta you need with a car, anyway? We live in Bensonhoist! Who has a car in Bensonhoist?" "Yeah, but with a car we c'n go to Asb'ry Park whenever we wanna!" "Like I said.")

I have been surprised at the lack of excitement on the News' Page Four the last few days. The war has been driving that stuff into the background, so this would be a good time for Elaine Barrie to make her next move.

I'm fascinated with how the backgrounds completely change behind Prince Shoesalesman and Baby in each panel. I think they're doing the whole thing in front of a process screen, and the projectionist is having some fun with them.

Harold was always a big fan of neckin' when he was going with Lillums, and I think no matter what he says he's clearly not over her yet. Senga's fighting a ghost.

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The background changes made it feel kinda dream like to me - weird though.

A kiss IRL for an 18 year old will beat a ghost/memory kiss. Senga has one huge advantage, she's there in the flesh; she better start using that advantage if she wants to say in the country.

A report from the German DNB news agency states that the Belgian fort at Liege is now in German hands following a surprise air bombardment, as German planes attacked today at dawn over the entire length of the Belgian-Dutch frontier. At the same time, German land forces covering the left flank of the current Nazi offensive, pushed at new Allied positions in Luxembourg.

German warplanes today pounded Amsterdam, dropping bombs on the center of the city between the royal palace and the main railroad station. At least seven persons are reported dead by official sources and nineteen injured, which contradicts earlier Associated Press reports of at least twenty dead.

It is also reported that German ground troops have penetrated to the center of Rotterdam, occupying the Stock Exchange and other key buildings in the city's business center. The Twentschebank building is said to be ablaze. Meanwhile, Dutch shock troops supported by heavy British air cover are said to have re-occupied the portion of Rotterdam along the Nieuwe Maas River that had been taken yesterday by German paratroopers. Dutch housewives are reported to have set upon paratroopers as they landed and to have beaten them to death with household implements.

Allied forces today struck at the Rhineland, mounting the first air attacks on the territory since the World War, attacking railroads and airfields thruout the night.



A fifteen-year-old junior from Lafayette High School in Bath Beach emerged the winner of the Brooklyn Eagle's Current Events Bee, held last night at Erasmus Hall High School before a capacity audience in the school auditorium. Donald Kaplan of 1860 Ocean Parkway says his hobby is poring over newspaper files at the library, and emerged as the most knowledgeable student in the borough on events taking place since January 1st of this year. Donald took the crown after correctly answering the final question of the evening, "Who is the noted Negro actor and singer who appeared on the American stage for the first time in seven years in 'John Henry?'" After Charles Giannone of Grover Cleveland High School guessed Marian Anderson, Donald gave the correct answer: Paul Robeson, as Eagle publisher and quizmaster Frank Schroth pronounced him the victor. Lafayette High also won the team competion for the evening by a wide margin, topping runner-up Cleveland High by a score of 26 points to 15.

("New Utrecht didn't do so hot, I see," observes Sally. "I do'wanna talk about it," grumbles Joe.)

The top individual contestants in the Bee, including Donald Kaplan and runner-up Charles Giannone, will appear tomorrow night in the Eagle Radio Bee, to be broadcast over WOR at 10pm. Qualifying contestants are to report to the WOR studios at 1440 Broadway, 25th floor, by 9:45 tomorrow night.

"Elmer the Great American" waved his Kelly straw hat in the air this morning and whooped out a hearty "HELLO FOLKS!" as the gates opened at Flushing Meadow Park for the 1940 edition of the New York World's Fair. Enormous HELLO FOLKS! placards dotted the grounds, and every lapel bore a HELLO FOLKS! nametag as more than 33,000 persons clicked thru the gates by noon. Elmer himself, played by Brooklyn actor Leslie Ostrander, will roam the grounds all day, meeting and greeting fairgoers and posing for photos. The official dedication ceremonies will begin at 2:45 pm featuring a program of speeches and musical performances presided over by Fair president Harvey D. Gibson. Tonight at 10pm, the newer, bigger, and better Amusement Area will be dedicated in a program featuring an impressive roster of celebrities including Kate Smith, Wallace Beery, Robert "Believe It Or Not" Ripley, Amos and Andy, and Mary Pickford.

Joe Adonis is still languishing in the Raymond Street Jail, and Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen is waiting with considerable interest to see who comes forward to post his $75,000 bail. Adonis's surrender to Amen earlier this week has started the rumor mills grinding, with stories now circulating that "a prominent politician" ordered the Brooklyn underworld kingpin to turn himself in, after Amen threatened to subpoena that politician to tell what he knows about Adonis's activities. Federal agents are also observing the Adonis situation with great interest, and are rumored to be prepared to seize any bail money put forward in Adonis's behalf toward the sum Adonis owes in unpaid income taxes.

The sudden and swift spread of the European War has led President Roosevelt to call for expansion of the Regular Army and Navy by one million men, along with the acquisition of reserve arms and equipment to supply such an expansion. Another $500,000,000 toward the defense budget is expected be proposed in Congress toward meeting the cost of the President's proposal.


(Awwww. Where Sheffield always goes for the crass hard sell, Renken's always hits you in the feels.)

Helen Worth pauses in her usual role as advice-giver to the lovelorn and the desperate to expound on the virtues of the New Orleans Po' Boy Sandwich. "A long roll split in half and filled with cheese and meat sells for just ten cents, and the thrifty purchase half for half. It's the mostest for the leastest!"

The Eagle Editorialist is excited to see the Fair open again. "In spite of Hell or Hitler, to revise the old phrase, we're going to have a good time. And who knows, it may be just the thing we need to fortify us thru the ordeal, of war or peace, that lies ahead. Here's to the Fair as a fountain of fun!"

The Editorialist also thinks it's stupid to call the "Japanese Cherry Trees" at the Botanic Garden "Oriental Cherry Trees" as "punishment for our Pacific neighbor for not being pacific enough." "Liberty cabbage" during the last war was childish enough, and this latest is even more so.


(We live in an age of specialization.)



Leave it to the Giants to put the kibosh on the Dodgers' joyous homecoming, as the Terrymen brought the high-flying Flock down to earth yesterday in a thumping 7-2 defeat. Whit Wyatt didn't look so good in a start marred by eight hits in five innings, and coach Chuck Dressen thinks the righthander is taking too long a stride in order to avoid straining his troubled knee. Dressen watched the big Georgian closely during his outing yesterday and is convinced that when he strides long, he is unable to get the leverage needed to put his full strength behind his release, and says he and pitcher-coach Freddie Fitzsimmons plan to work out this morning with Wyatt to try and break him of the habit. Dressen promises you'll see results when Wyatt next takes the mound.


The Dodgers hope to fatten up their lead in the National League over the weekend, as a three-game series against the Phillies opens today at Ebbets Field. Luke Hamlin is expected to get the start against Hugh "Losing Pitcher" Mulcahy.

Bimilech is a 2-1 favorite to take the Preakness today in a rematch against Kentucky Derby victor Gallahadion. That contest tops the field of nine contestants in the $50,000 race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. A crowd of over 50,000 persons is on hand this afternoon for the second leg in racing's Triple Crown, with post time set for 6 pm.

The race will be broadcast over WEAF starting at 5:45pm.

NBC will telecast portions of the Republican National Convention this summer from Philadelphia in a coaxial-cable hookup from Philco television station W3XE to W2XBS.

W2XBS switches this week to its summer schedule, with evening telecasts beginning at 9 pm.



("The Lady In Scarlet," a 1935 poverty-row mystery, can be viewed here:


And "The Office Boy," a 1930 Van Beuren cartoon, can be viewed here:


Think the mice look familiar? So did Mr. Disney and his lawyers.)

("What! We can't use THAT elephant! That's an INDIAN elephant! Tootsie is an AFRICAN elephant! WHAT CRUST!")

(And Mean Girl Leona scratches her way back to the surface...)

("Ohh--nooo--I---got---a---busy---sig-nal.....")

And in the Daily News...


And with that, the "Sitzkrieg," the "Phony War," is over.


Sigh. I miss the good old days of celebrity sex scandals. But as someone who grew up with a border collie in the family, today's "Neighbors" is entirely relatable. *I* was the sheep.


Diversity makes us strong.

"That extrovert???" Well, yeah, I guess you could say that Nick is a "people person."

Hijacked milk trucks, smashed plate-glass windows. It's like Mr. Gould subscribes to the Brooklyn Eagle.

Yeah, well, she does have a point.

Yeah, well, running the boat aground might seem like a good idea, but how do you plan to get it floating again? I bet Captain Angus McMarksman there is gonna be sore.

That sound you hear is Skeezix's teeth grinding.

-1 for the unfortunate of-the-Era racial stereotyping, and -2 for Harold being such a complete chump.

If you're driving an injured person to the hospital, maybe you shouln't put him in the rumble seat.

LizzieMaine said:

... Dutch housewives are reported to have set upon paratroopers as they landed and to have beaten them to death with household implements....

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LizzieMaine said:

...

A fifteen-year-old junior from Lafayette High School in Bath Beach emerged the winner of the Brooklyn Eagle's Current Events Bee, held last night at Erasmus Hall High School before a capacity audience in the school auditorium. Donald Kaplan of 1860 Ocean Parkway says his hobby is poring over newspaper files at the library, and emerged as the most knowledgeable student in the borough on events taking place since January 1st of this year. Donald took the crown after correctly answering the final question of the evening, "Who is the noted Negro actor and singer who appeared on the American stage for the first time in seven years in 'John Henry?'" After Charles Giannone of Grover Cleveland High School guessed Marian Anderson, Donald gave the correct answer: Paul Robeson, as Eagle publisher and quizmaster Frank Schroth pronounced him the victor. Lafayette High also won the team competion for the evening by a wide margin, topping runner-up Cleveland High by a score of 26 points to 15....

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Surprised O'Dwyer had the time for this event being so busy cleaning up Mob For Hire and all.

LizzieMaine said:

...("New Utrecht didn't do so hot, I see," observes Sally. "I do'wanna talk about it," grumbles Joe.)...

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Down Goes Frazier!

LizzieMaine said:

..."Elmer the Great American" waved his Kelly straw hat in the air this morning and whooped out a hearty "HELLO FOLKS!" as the gates opened at Flushing Meadow Park for the 1940 edition of the New York World's Fair. Enormous HELLO FOLKS! placards dotted the grounds, and every lapel bore a HELLO FOLKS! nametag as more than 33,000 persons clicked thru the gates by noon. Elmer himself, played by Brooklyn actor Leslie Ostrander, will roam the grounds all day, meeting and greeting fairgoers and posing for photos. The official dedication ceremonies will begin at 2:45 pm featuring a program of speeches and musical performances presided over by Fair president Harvey D. Gibson. Tonight at 10pm, the newer, bigger, and better Amusement Area will be dedicated in a program featuring an impressive roster of celebrities including Kate Smith, Wallace Beery, Robert "Believe It Or Not" Ripley, Amos and Andy, and Mary Pickford....

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Edgar Altschuler is already asking his parents "when can we go?"

LizzieMaine said:

...Federal agents are also observing the Adonis situation with great interest, and are rumored to be prepared to seize any bail money put forward in Adonis's behalf toward the sum Adonis owes in unpaid income taxes....

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The Feds can't be happy that the Eagle just let the cat out of the bag on that one.

LizzieMaine said:

...
(Awwww. Where Sheffield always goes for the crass hard sell, Renken's always hits you in the feels.)...

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From which company do Sally and Joe get their milk delivered?

LizzieMaine said:

...Helen Worth pauses in her usual role as advice-giver to the lovelorn and the desperate to expound on the virtues of the New Orleans Po' Boy Sandwich. "A long roll split in half and filled with cheese and meat sells for just ten cents, and the thrifty purchase half for half. It's the mostest for the leastest!"..

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I see we have hands raised in objection from the representatives of Horn and Hardart and Childs.

LizzieMaine said:

...The Eagle Editorialist is excited to see the Fair open again. "In spite of Hell or Hitler, to revise the old phrase, we're going to have a good time. And who knows, it may be just the thing we need to fortify us thru the ordeal, of war or peace, that lies ahead. Here's to the Fair as a fountain of fun!"

The Editorialist also thinks it's stupid to call the "Japanese Cherry Trees" at the Botanic Garden "Oriental Cherry Trees" as "punishment for our Pacific neighbor for not being pacific enough." "Liberty cabbage" during the last war was childish enough, and this latest is even more so....

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As always, we see that nothing is new and the stupidity of "Freedom Fries" has a GE cognate.

LizzieMaine said:

...
(We live in an age of specialization.)...

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Considering the personal bent of these recently, hopefully this is not a sign that the cost of the new apartment and baby are pushing the Litchys toward a life of crime.

LizzieMaine said:

...Leave it to the Giants to put the kibosh on the Dodgers' joyous homecoming, as the Terrymen brought the high-flying Flock down to earth yesterday in a thumping 7-2 defeat. Whit Wyatt didn't look so good in a start marred by eight hits in five innings, and coach Chuck Dressen thinks the righthander is taking too long a stride in order to avoid straining his troubled knee. Dressen watched the big Georgian closely during his outing yesterday and is convinced that when he strides long, he is unable to get the leverage needed to put his full strength behind his release, and says he and pitcher-coach Freddie Fitzsimmons plan to work out this morning with Wyatt to try and break him of the habit. Dressen promises you'll see results when Wyatt next takes the mound....

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Darn it, wanted a good homecoming. Also, let's hope the result we see for Wyatt's next outing isn't a strained knee. Whit Wyatt is a fantastic name with awesome initialing visuals.

LizzieMaine said:

...Bimilech is a 2-1 favorite to take the Preakness today in a rematch against Kentucky Derby victor Gallahadion. That contest tops the field of nine contestants in the $50,000 race at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. A crowd of over 50,000 persons is on hand this afternoon for the second leg in racing's Triple Crown, with post time set for 6 pm.

The race will be broadcast over WEAF starting at 5:45pm....

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Time for some Black-Eyed Susans - the flowers and the cocktail.

LizzieMaine said:

...NBC will telecast portions of the Republican National Convention this summer from Philadelphia in a coaxial-cable hookup from Philco television station W3XE to W2XBS....

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So does this mean the signal is sent by cable form the convention back to the stations (effectively, early cable TV but only to the stations), which then send the signal out over the air for normal aerial reception in the viewers' homes?

LizzieMaine said:

... ("What! We can't use THAT elephant! That's an INDIAN elephant! Tootsie is an AFRICAN elephant! WHAT CRUST!")...

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Lucy in the sky with diamonds.

LizzieMaine said:

... (And Mean Girl Leona scratches her way back to the surface...)...

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Leona is clearly the smarter one in this marriage.

LizzieMaine said:

...
Sigh. I miss the good old days of celebrity sex scandals. But as someone who grew up with a border collie in the family, today's "Neighbors" is entirely relatable. *I* was the sheep....

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Re Magda and the forgery bill: there will always be a WWII story that you never read before no matter how much time passes and how many stories you read about WWII.

Re the Bellevue elevator doctor: that's also a heck of a story.

LizzieMaine said:

... View attachment 234236
Diversity makes us strong.....

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LizzieMaine said:

... Yeah, well, she does have a point....

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Agreed, but it's always good to hang around for the explanation which, I'm guessing, is going to be along the lines of "I'm not worthy of you until I can support you in the manner to which you are accustomed."

LizzieMaine said:

...[ Yeah, well, running the boat aground might seem like a good idea, but how do you plan to get it floating again? I bet Captain Angus McMarksman there is gonna be sore...

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Maybe, but I don't remember Captain Genius having a better idea when he lost his boat in the first place. I assume that is fat Blaze who fired the shot, but I'd have expected a larger silhouette.

LizzieMaine said:

... -1 for the unfortunate of-the-Era racial stereotyping, and -2 for Harold being such a complete chump.....

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Agreed on both points. Also, Carl Ed and Frank King must be reading each other as these plots, as we've noted before, are incredibly similar. Although, I give Ed the nod right now for the better version with the deportation-marriage angle (and forgive him for the torturous "crazy author" detour). That said, Skeezix's court battle was a much better windfall story.

You can see where Mr. Wyatt's knee might give him trouble. And was there ever a uniform more pure and more beautiful than the '38-'47 version of the Dodger home flannels. Clean and crisp and free of extraneous logos, patches, or trim. Even the zipper-front shirt complements the design.

I see Joe and Sally as Renken's people. It's a local Brooklyn company, and if you grew up with it, you stick with it. Besides, them Sheffield drivers are snobby.

The coaxial cable system was the only workable way to hook up television stations for networking until microwave technology was perfected in the early 1950s, which is a big part of why television remained a Northeastern thing for so long before it finally made progress nationally. TV couldn't use phone company lines like radio did because of the frequencies involved, so cables actually had to be strung between stations specifically for their use. For quite a while live transmission of "network television" was a three-way hookup between NBC/RCA in New York, the Philco station in Philadelphia, and the GE station in Schenectady.

"Dragons of Death!" is a lovely oath. Next time I drop a heavy object on my foot, I'm going to use it.

“If you're driving an injured person to the hospital, maybe you shouln't put him in the rumble seat.”

Of course not. Heaven forbid! Everybody knows the purpose of a rumble seat, and it’s not THAT.

Huge fires are sweeping thru Rotterdam as Dutch defenders tried desperately to dislodge the German invasion force from the right bank of the Maas River. The 28,291 Holland-American liner Statendam, which sailed regularly between Rotterdam and New York, is ablaze in the harbor. The Dutch High Command reports that German troops have successfully crossed the River Yssel south of Arnheim, and frontier troops have been ordered to withdraw after four hours of sharp fighting. Those troops are understood to have been covering troops, assigned to hold back the German advance until the release of floodwaters from the dikes can be accomplished.

The German High Command reports that Nazi armies, in a slanting attack from above on the Albert Canal/Liege fortified zone, have occupied Eben Emael, termed the strongest fortress in the Liege defenses.

New British Prime Minister Winston Churchill has named his War Cabinet, appointing himself to serve as Minister of Defense. Anthony Eden will serve as War Minister, Albert Victor Alexander will serve as First Lord of the Admiralty, and Sir Archibald Sinclair as Air Minister. Lord Halifax will retain the post of Foreign Minister, opposition leader Clement Atlee will serve as Lord Privy Seal, and Labourite Arthur Greenwood was named Minister Without Portfolio. Retiring Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain will fill the position of Lord President of the Council.



A hundred and sixty thousand "Folks" got the big "Hello!" yesterday as the 1940 edition of the New York World's Fair got its first look at the new front porch/county fair/shirtsleeves version of the big Flushing Meadow show. The attendance fell short of 1939's opening day, which drew over 197,000 patrons, but the lines were long at the Fair's major attractions. The most popular exhibit seemed to be the Bell Telephone building, where throngs lured by the chance to make free long-distance phone calls formed long lines within minutes of the Fair opening. Many of those attending seemed to be high-school students, who swarmed over the grounds for much of the day. In addition to the hundreds of "HELLO FOLKS!" placards on display everywhere a fairgoer might look, and the many thousands of "HELLO FOLKS" name tags dangling from lapels, a skywriting team proclaimed the new spirit of the Fair to onlookers miles away by scrawling a gigantic "HELLO FOLKS" with smoke high above the grounds.

Indictments charging "influential politicians, officeholders, and police officials" with bribery and other forms of corruption are in the offing, according to Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen. In an interview with the Eagle last night, Mr. Amen confirmed that new sources of evidence have been uncovered following the arrest of Brooklyn underworld lord Joe Adonis. "Not only have we received information additional light on Adonis's illegal activities," states Mr. Amen, "but we have also received leads pointing to corruption on the part of public officials."

For the first time since Opening Day, the Dodgers have slipped out of first place in the National League, with a shocking 5-4 loss to the Phillies yesterday, combined with a doubleheader sweep for the Cincinnati Reds against the Cardinals which elevated the Reds, defending League champions, to the first place spot. The Giants, meanwhile, won their fourth straight, beating Boston 11-2, while the floundering Yankees dropped their eighth straight game in a 9-8 loss to the American League-leading Red Sox.

Bimilech rose to the occasion in the Preakness, easily leading the field to win the $53,230 prize. Kentucky Derby winner Gallahadion finished third behind second-place Mioland.


(Classy.)


(Just the thing for walking the Fair, although word is many of the gals yesterday were wearing sneakers.)

WEAF and WABC will both broadcast a World's Fair Salute this afternoon at 2 PM. If you're going to the Fair today, why not take along one of those new portable radios and listen in? Or even better, tune in WOR at 2:25 as The Old Redhead and Brother Al bring you the Dodgers-Phillies game from Ebbets Field.

Remember back in the '80s, when only forty people lived between Ocean Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, there were no stores, and the closest bank was miles away? Old Timer William J. Gough does, and says you wouldn't recognize the neighborhood back then unless you lived there.

Here's how a family of four --"we'll call them the Joneses" -- live comfortably on $2080 a year or $40 a week. Rent, $45 a month for a four room apartment, food, $52 a month or $13 a week, clothing $20 a month or $5 a week, operating expenses $16 a month or $4 a week, savings $21.33 a month or $5.33 a week, and "development" $19 a month or $4.75 a week. The latter category includes recreation, doctor bills, and upkeep on a second-hand car, which the family uses for day trips in the summer. In the winter, the car is laid up at Grandma's house where rent is free.


Yesterday's loss to the Phillies was hard to take -- the Phils hadn't won a game at Ebbets Field since 1938, and shouldn't have won this one. But Luke Hamlin gave up a second-inning home run to Chuck Klein, and Pee Wee Reese made a bad throw on a ground ball by Ben Warren with two out and Morrie Arnovich on first, pulling Camilli off the bag. With two on, pitcher Hugh Mulcahy singled, scoring Arnovich, Hershel Martin doubled -- driving in Warren and Mulcahy -- and Bobby Bragan singled in Martin, and that was all she wrote for Hamlin. Vito Tamulis and Newt Kimball kept the Phils scoreless for the rest of the game, but the Dodgers couldn't overcome the lead despite a four-run rally in the bottom of the third that chased Mulcahy and brought in hard-throwing Kirby Higbe, who shut the Flock down for the rest of the contest. It was Hamlin's first loss of the season against two wins.

Durocher has responded to recent losses by juggling his lineup. Roy Cullenbine, whose average has sagged to .227, is gathering splinters while Jimmy Ripple gets a look in right field. Hard-hitting Cookie Lavagetto has been moved to second in the order and Babe Phelps is back in the third-place spot.



This afternoon, Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons gets the start for Brooklyn against a fellow old-timer, Silas Johnson, for Philadelphia. The Dodgers need to get back on track against the Phils today, because on Tuesday the hard-charging Reds move into Ebbets Field for what's touted as the first really critical series for the Dodgers since their abortive pennant push in 1930.


(Fronting "Trend" this week is Sentimental Charlie Edison, Secretary of the Navy, and son of a famous inventor you might have heard of.)

Elektro the Robot is back on stage at the Westinghouse exhibit at the World's Fair, still marching around at the command of the man with the microphone, still making wisecracks to the crowd, and still relaxing with the occasional cigarette. And this year Elektro isn't alone -- he has a brand-new sidekick, Sparko the Robot Dog, who was constructed over the winter by J. M. Barrett, the same Westinghouse engineer who built Elektro himself.

George M. Cohan gives his regards to Broadway starting tomorrow, as the grand old man of the stage opens in "The Return of the Vagabond," a sequel written by himself to "The Tavern," in which he starred years ago.

The old Vitagraph studio lot in Flatbush, lately a weedy, overgrown ruin, came back to life recently when Warner Bros. used it to film scenes with Eddie Albert and Rosemary Lane for "An Angel From Texas," now showing at the Brooklyn Fox. Warners used the lot to film short subjects until last year, but continues to maintain the property for occasional location shoots for features.

Now showing at the Patio, it's Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr in "I Take This Woman," paired with Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. in "Of Mice and Men."
(White traders conning the Indians? I'm shocked, shocked.)

(Mary is a "kinda chunky lady." Ah, Bill, no wonder she never married you.)

(Don'cha hate getting put on hold?)

("OH JO -- DID YOU REMEMBER TO SAVE THOSE OVALTINE SEALS? I NEED THEM TO SEND IN FOR MY DECODER!")

And in the Daily News...


Happy Mothers' Day!


Now we know what happened to Mr. Hill last week. He was hung over.


How's your marriage, Mr. Gould?

"Sorry, Mr. Gump can't come to the phone right now. He's busy being abused by his mother-in-law."

I always enjoy seeing Kayo's bureau-drawer sleeping arrangements, but Moon is out of the house just now, so why not use his bed? Too often we become acclimatized to the conditions of our own oppression.

Annie's decade-long association with Ovaltine will come to a close later this year, as the company gets tired of paying royalties to Harold Gray and decides to go with Captain Midnight -- a character they own themselves -- instead. A sign of the deteriorating relationship is that Annie doesn't even get to appear in the ad itself. Which is too bad, she'd probably take 'em all on single-handed.

Well that was easy. Now you've got a boat with cholera patients on it. Where do you go?

Meanwhile, Harold's poor mother has no idea where her son is, or if he's even alive. No letters, no phone calls, no word at all for three and a half months. He even passed thru her town without letting her know. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

So, in Judy's imagination at least, Lollypop is fully sapient. So what are we to conclude from his activities in panel 11? We're waiting for your explanation, Mr. King.

Even without the color, this is a beautifully-composed page. The title panel, especially -- the positioning of the figures, the shading effects, the sense of dim light coming in the window. This is real art.

LizzieMaine said:

...New British Prime Minister Winston Churchill has named his War Cabinet, appointing himself to serve as Minister of Defense. Anthony Eden will serve as War Minister, Albert Victor Alexander will serve as First Lord of the Admiralty, and Sir Archibald Sinclair as Air Minister. Lord Halifax will retain the post of Foreign Minister, opposition leader Clement Atlee will serve as Lord Privy Seal, and Labourite Arthur Greenwood was named Minister Without Portfolio. Retiring Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain will fill the position of Lord President of the Council....

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And coincidentally, there's a new book out "The Splendid and the Vile" by Erik Larson covering just this period - Churchill's first year and a half as Prime Minister (it opens right before he takes power). My comments on the book here: #8369

LizzieMaine said:

...Indictments charging "influential politicians, officeholders, and police officials" with bribery and other forms of corruption are in the offing, according to Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen. In an interview with the Eagle last night, Mr. Amen confirmed that new sources of evidence have been uncovered following the arrest of Brooklyn underworld lord Joe Adonis. "Not only have we received information additional light on Adonis's illegal activities," states Mr. Amen, "but we have also received leads pointing to corruption on the part of public officials."...

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And Amen tries to inch a nose in front of O'Dwyer in the DA derby.

LizzieMaine said:

...
(Just the thing for walking the Fair, although word is many of the gals yesterday were wearing sneakers.)...

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Once again, we see A&S trying to get in the slipstream of a famous person or event; this time, trying to draft behind "Gone with the Wind." It's happened too often to be accidental. Cukor should sue.

LizzieMaine said:

... View attachment 234473
Yesterday's loss to the Phillies was hard to take -- the Phils hadn't won a game at Ebbets Field since 1938, and shouldn't have won this one. But Luke Hamlin gave up a second-inning home run to Chuck Klein, and Pee Wee Reese made a bad throw on a ground ball by Ben Warren with two out and Morrie Arnovich on first, pulling Camilli off the bag. With two on, pitcher Hugh Mulcahy singled, scoring Arnovich, Hershel Martin doubled -- driving in Warren and Mulcahy -- and Bobby Bragan singled in Martin, and that was all she wrote for Hamlin. Vito Tamulis and Newt Kimball kept the Phils scoreless for the rest of the game, but the Dodgers couldn't overcome the lead despite a four-run rally in the bottom of the third that chased Mulcahy and brought in hard-throwing Kirby Higbe, who shut the Flock down for the rest of the contest. It was Hamlin's first loss of the season against two wins.

Durocher has responded to recent losses by juggling his lineup. Roy Cullenbine, whose average has sagged to .227, is gathering splinters while Jimmy Ripple gets a look in right field. Hard-hitting Cookie Lavagetto has been moved to second in the order and Babe Phelps is back in the third-place spot....

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Having just finished "Eight Men Out," every error now looks suspicious to me.

LizzieMaine said:

...Now showing at the Patio, it's Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr in "I Take This Woman," paired with Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. in "Of Mice and Men."...

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Another "be a doctor for money or a doctor to save mankind" story wrapped around a Tracy-Lamarr love story - a solid one for Joe and Sally to see. Plus the camera loved Hedy Lamarr's insane beauty.


Also, this movie double feature makes a bit more sense than most.

LizzieMaine said:

... ("OH JO -- DID YOU REMEMBER TO SAVE THOSE OVALTINE SEALS? I NEED THEM TO SEND IN FOR MY DECODER!")

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"Jake, Louie, Fritz." LOL. Not "Jake, John, Joe," nope, three completely random names tossed out so Jo will leave him alone.

LizzieMaine said:

...
Happy Mothers' Day!...

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Re the alimony - there's a lot of bad logic at work all over the place on this one.

Re the slain father - a girl I went to high school with got divorced about 15 years ago and was living with a new boyfriend when her ex-husband, in a jealous rage, broke into their house, literally, smashed through a pictured window and shot and killed his ex-wife and her boyfriend. This stuff sadly happens.

LizzieMaine said:

...[
Now we know what happened to Mr. Hill last week. He was hung over....

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I'm underwhelmed that the new mob kingpin is spending his days holding up hotel lobby desks. He's no Nick Gatt.

LizzieMaine said:

...[ Annie's decade-long association with Ovaltine will come to a close later this year, as the company gets tired of paying royalties to Harold Gray and decides to go with Captain Midnight -- a character they own themselves -- instead. A sign of the deteriorating relationship is that Annie doesn't even get to appear in the ad itself. Which is too bad, she'd probably take 'em all on single-handed.....

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No need to order one of those, if, like the Fading Fasts, you already own your own official Ovaltine shaker:


Re the licensing: unless someone has p*ssed someone off, then it all comes down to dollars and advertising value - business gonna business.

LizzieMaine said:

... Well that was easy. Now you've got a boat with cholera patients on it. Where do you go?....

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"How's the kitten." In the middle of all that's going on, he tosses that line out - cool customer that Pat.

LizzieMaine said:

... Even without the color, this is a beautifully-composed page. The title panel, especially -- the positioning of the figures, the shading effects, the sense of dim light coming in the window. This is real art.

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+1 to your comments.

Also "...to clinch our victory comes the help from 'outside' -" the USSR? Germany? Mars? A crossover with the Black Hoods?

Mr. Gray was deliberately vague on exactly who was backing up Axel there, because the editors told him he better watch it with this storyline. If he made Axel a Nazi agent there'd be angry complaints, and if he made Axel a Russian agent there'd be angry complaints, and if he made Axel a Japanese agent there'd be angry complaints. Given Mr. Gray's own known politics, he could even be a British agent. But no matter -- the editors won't allow anythign beyond having him represent "a foreign power." And yet, in a few years, when things have changed a bit, it'll be made explicit that Axel works for the Nazis.

In past appearances, Axel was a freelance, working for whatever power would pay him the most, and he didn't seem to have much of an ideology beyond wanting to defeat Daddy Warbucks. This true-believer angle is kinda new for him.

The box score for the Dodger-Phillies game is interesting. Pee Wee's error happened in the top of the second, and when his spot in the batting order next came up, in the bottom of the third, Durocher yanked him for a pinch hitter. What happened, I wonder? Sore arm? Out too late drowning his sorrows after that Giants game? Or was Durocher just mad at at him for the bad throw and wanted to put him in his place? Something must've happened beyond the usual gamesmanship.

1940 was a time when roving packs of tough kids from across the tracks invaded respectable neighborhoods to spoil little girls' birthday parties by stealing their ice cream. I blame violent radio serials and comic magazines. What do you think, Mr. Bungle?

It was always my experience that Ovaltine was better shaken, not stirred. I imagine those mixers could be used for other things as well, and no doubt many of them were.

Dutch sources claim that German invasion troops have been driven out of all of Rotterdam north of the Maas River, and completely off Noorder Island. French reports state that the advance of the German forces thru Holland and Belgium appears to have been halted. German reports state that Nazi forces have siezed the fortress at Liege, and that the swastika flag has been flying over the citadel since this morning. The German DNB news agency also states that one of the German armies sweeping thru the Dutch lowlands has captured approximately 18,000 Dutch soldiers, including a general and his entire staff. French reports claim that the only fortification at Liege that has fallen is at Eben Emsel.

The heirs to the Dutch throne have successfully fled to England. Princess Juliana, Prince Bernhard, and their two daughters Bertrix and Irene arrived in London today where they were met at the railroad station by the Earl of Harewood, husband of Princess Mary and brother-in-law of King George VI. The family has established residence at the home of a former Dutch minister to Britain, and the Crown Princess and her consort lunched today with the King and Queen at Buckingham Palace.

"Without victory, there is no survival," warned Prime Minister Winston Churchill, as he accepted a unanimous "win the war" mandate in Parliament. The new leader of the British Government declared that his slogan will be "Victory at all costs."

The frightened, bewildered mother of slain gangland figure George Rudnick took the stand today in Kings County Court and described to the blue-ribbon jury how she identified the hacked-to-pieces body of her son, laid out on a morgue slab after his May 1937 murder. Mrs. Dora Rudnick was only on the stand for a minute today as testimony began in the trial of Harry "Happy" Malone and Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando, accused "Murder for Hire" agents who are charged with participating in the Rudnick slaying along with Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss, who will face a separate trial. Assistant District Attorney Burton Turkus opened the prosecution's case with a demand for the death penalty for the two accused killers.

Bench warrants were issued today for the arrest of two persons connected to a mysterious jailhouse visit by now-missing Murder-for-Hire figure Vito "The Torpedo" Gurino to Jopseph Liberto, held at the Queens Civil Prison in Long Island City as a material witness in District Attorney William O'Dwyer's investigation of the Brownsville death combine. It is alleged that Gurino visited Liberto in order to "intimidate" him into refusing to testify to the grand jury, and the two persons who allowed him to enter the jail have not yet been publicly named. A Queens Deputy Sheriff resigned his position in connection with the incident.

An executive of the Literary Guild of America, Inc., book-club subsidiary of Doubleday Doran Inc., has pleaded guilty to embezzling $80,000 from the company thru a check-switching scheme. Thirty-six-year old Joseph Carbone of 1101 Ocean Parkway was indicted for the crime in April of 1939, and entered a guilty plea today before Nassau County Judge Cortland A. Johnson. Carbone admitted to using his position as the Guild's treasurer to steal funds paid to the company by schools and municipalities making bulk purchases of books. He was remanded to jail, for sentencing on May 25th.



Lafayette High School junior Donald Kaplan repeated his performance as victor in the Brooklyn Eagle Current Events Bee, again defeating Grover Cleveland High junior Charles Giannone in the finals of the competition, broadcast last night over station WOR. Young Donald earned a $50 cash prize by defeating representatives of sixteen other high schools in Brooklyn and Queens, and earned a silver trophy for display at Lafayette. Charles Giannone earned the $25 prize as runner-up. Only one question stumped the entire panel -- when moderator Bob Emery of WOR asked "with what event of the past week do we associate the name of Eustachio Paolicelli?," no contestant knew that Mr. Paolicelli, a worker for the Brooklyn Department of Sanitation, was last Sunday consecrated a bishop in the Church of God.

Arthur Pollock attended the opening of the "American Jubilee" attraction at the World's Fair, and finds the new extravaganza, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Oscar Hammarstein II, a tasteful pageant that leaves out the usual loud-mouthed cheap patriotic ranting and avoids giving the impression that American history has been nothing but a long and jingoistic succession of wars. Lucy Monroe, Wynn Murray, and Ray Middleton, all of whom you know from their radio work, offered fine performances, as did dancer Paul Haakon, pantomimist Joe Jackson and the Lime Trio, an effective and startling team of contortionists.

Jack Benny and his radio gang are at the Brooklyn Paramount this week as "Buck Benny Rides Again" making its local bow. It's as entertaining a picture as it was in Times Square, with Rochester's performance alone worth the price of a ticket.

Bing Crosby's regular 13-week summer vacation from the Kraft Music Hall is coming up, but Crosby and the cheese people are at odds over the crooner's request to extend that layoff to 21 weeks. Bing wants to go to Argentina and look over some race horses he's thinking of adding to his stable.

Captain John T. Prout Jr., accused conspirator in the Christian Front trial, claims now he was "only joking" when he recommended that metal pipes would make more effective bomb casings than beer cans. The former commanding officer of a Brooklyn National Guard company testified today in Brooklyn Federal Court that he was only being facetious when he made the suggestion to co-defendant William Gerald Bishop, but admitted that he made the jest after handing Bishop ten or twelve tins of Government-owned cordite powder.


(Mr. Lichty is just sore that Mrs. Lichty told him not to smoke at the kitchen table.)

("Yeah," says Joe, "but he still shoulda had that throw offa Reese." And Sally adds, "If Petey'd made that throw, you can bet they'da won that game.")

The Dodgers beat the Phils yesterday 5-3, but almost came unglued in the ninth, when Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons started to show his age. He walked the first two Phillies, but after Morrie Arnovich lined out, a grounder by Pinky May bounced over Durocher's head at short, knocking in Chuck Klein. Freddie got Bennie Warren on an infield popup, but then walked pinch-hitter Joe Marty to load the bases. Durocher brought in Tot Presnell to get the game back under control, and Tot's first pitch to Hershel Martin almost got by Pete Coscarart at second, but in a dramatic recovery he scrambled the ball to Durocher for the force play to end the game.

(Sally beams. Joe rolls his eyes.)


Hugh Casey goes against Ike Pearson in the rubber game today at Ebbets Field to close out the Philadelphia series. Tomorrow, the drama runs high as the Reds arrive, with Tex Carleton -- who no-hit the Rhinelanders when last they met in Cincinnati -- going against Bucky Walters, who is undefeated in five decisions.

(George can't find a flying elephant, but he can always find another hokey relative.)

(I bet Cousin Sue doesn't have to put up with this.)

(I'll grant Irwin this, he's thorough. Hey, wanna do my floor next?)

And in the Daily News --


Where does the time go?

It's good to be a Dodger.

It's even better to be the Head Dodger.

I'd forgotten all about Cesar Romero here. And now we know what his angle is.

Point of order -- when we first saw Jerome Trohs, he looked to be about three and a half feet tall. But that bag doesn't look any bigger than a Gladstone, and Jerome can't be more than a foot and a half tall to fit into it like that. He's not just a "midget crook," he's got the awe-inspiring power to condense and expand his personal mass at will in all violation of the laws of quantum mechanics. If I were Tracy I wouldn't be quite so cocky. He appears to be going up against an adversary with his own personal black hole.

"How should I know," says the doc. "I forgot to bring my medical bag -- but would you like to hear a clarinet solo?"


And why exactly did they feel the need to bring this guy along?

CAUGHT YOU RED HANDED YOU THIEVING HOUND

Scarlett may be an egregious caricature, but at least she's honest enough not to go poking around in other peoples' bankbooks.

LizzieMaine said:

...Lafayette High School junior Donald Kaplan repeated his performance as victor in the Brooklyn Eagle Current Events Bee, again defeating Grover Cleveland High junior Charles Giannone in the finals of the competition, broadcast last night over station WOR. Young Donald earned a $50 cash prize by defeating representatives of sixteen other high schools in Brooklyn and Queens, and earned a silver trophy for display at Lafayette. Charles Giannone earned the $25 prize as runner-up. Only one question stumped the entire panel -- when moderator Bob Emery of WOR asked "with what event of the past week do we associate the name of Eustachio Paolicelli?," no contestant knew that Mr. Paolicelli, a worker for the Brooklyn Department of Sanitation, was last Sunday consecrated a bishop in the Church of God....

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If we've learned anything from "Harold Teen" and "Gasoline Alley," then wannabe girlfriends will start taking a run at freshly flush young Donald now / the less-ambitious girls will set their sights on Charles.

LizzieMaine said:

...Arthur Pollock attended the opening of the "American Jubilee" attraction at the World's Fair, and finds the new extravaganza, with music by Arthur Schwartz and lyrics by Oscar Hammarstein II, a tasteful pageant that leaves out the usual loud-mouthed cheap patriotic ranting and avoids giving the impression that American history has been nothing but a long and jingoistic succession of wars. Lucy Monroe, Wynn Murray, and Ray Middleton, all of whom you know from their radio work, offered fine performances, as did dancer Paul Haakon, pantomimist Joe Jackson and the Lime Trio, an effective and startling team of contortionists...

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Any grumbling yet heard about the lack of, um, er, less-than-fully-clothed young women on display this year?

LizzieMaine said:

... ("Yeah," says Joe, "but he still shoulda had that throw offa Reese." And Sally adds, "If Petey'd made that throw, you can bet they'da won that game.")...

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Watching the footwork of a talented first baseman is one of the "small" joys of baseball. It happens almost without notice as your eyes are normally elsewhere when the play is happening in real time; hence, it's one of the benefits of replay.

LizzieMaine said:

...The Dodgers beat the Phils yesterday 5-3, but almost came unglued in the ninth, when Fat Freddie Fitzsimmons started to show his age. He walked the first two Phillies, but after Morrie Arnovich lined out, a grounder by Pinky May bounced over Durocher's head at short, knocking in Chuck Klein. Freddie got Bennie Warren on an infield popup, but then walked pinch-hitter Joe Marty to load the bases. Durocher brought in Tot Presnell to get the game back under control, and Tot's first pitch to Hershel Martin almost got by Pete Coscarart at second, but in a dramatic recovery he scrambled the ball to Durocher for the force play to end the game....

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Great job of describing it as I was tense up until the last word.

LizzieMaine said:

... (George can't find a flying elephant, but he can always find another hokey relative.)...

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A few too many coincidences are piling up.

LizzieMaine said:

... (I bet Cousin Sue doesn't have to put up with this.)...

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Today it wouldn't be a bathing cap the young ladies would be asking him to sign.

LizzieMaine said:

... (I'll grant Irwin this, he's thorough. Hey, wanna do my floor next?)

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He's gonna need more than a rag and water.

LizzieMaine said:

...
Where does the time go?...

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One of the few really big child stars who seemed to go on to have a pretty good life.

LizzieMaine said:

... It's good to be a Dodger.....

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These guys needed the extra money from promotions back then. And what a media-perfect name Whitlow (Whit) Wyatt has.

LizzieMaine said:

... Point of order -- when we first saw Jerome Trohs, he looked to be about three and a half feet tall. But that bag doesn't look any bigger than a Gladstone, and Jerome can't be more than a foot and a half tall to fit into it like that. He's not just a "midget crook," he's got the awe-inspiring power to condense and expand his personal mass at will in all violation of the laws of quantum mechanics. If I were Tracy I wouldn't be quite so cocky. He appears to be going up against an adversary with his own personal black hole.....

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Also, I'm disappointed we didn't have a day or two of some famous hand surgeon rebuilding Tracy's gun hand - how's he going to shoot brilliantly if they don't repair the damage?

LizzieMaine said:

...

...

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If I had my life to do over again, one thing I would do is buy less insurance (and I don't have a lot at all) and the second thing would be to never buy an insurance "investment product."

LizzieMaine said:

... And why exactly did they feel the need to bring this guy along?...

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It's in the same class of mistakes as not making sure the bad guy you just shot and think is dead is really dead. Rule one of shooting bad guys - make sure they are really dead. Rule one of taking a bad guy along on your rescue ship - don't!

German forces have smashed into France on a fifty-mile front along the River Meuse, after tearing thru Holland and Belgium. The German drive across Belgium broke the Allied lines in the Turnhout sector about thirty miles northeast of Antwerp, advancing to the Grosse Gette. French authorities state that a fierce battle is in progress near Sedan, and admit that that Maginot Line town has probably fallen. The German penetration into France has been made under the protection of "continuously attacking German fighter planes, Stukas, and destroyer-plane units.)



Rotterdam is in flames today, with German troops having swept thru Holland all the way to the seacoast, bisecting the Netherlands and cutting Dutch forces off from communication with Belgium. Motorized German units have joined with units landed by air near Rotterdam, with German sources stating that by comparison with the current attacks, the assault on Poland last year was "a mere prelude."

President Roosevelt today held an emergency meeting of his top advisors to draft preparedness measures against what was termed "a four-alarm fire in Europe sweeping toward the rest of the world." White House press secretary Stephen T. Early stated that it will be left up to Congress to determine whether the acceleration of land, air, and sea defense preparations will be financed thru tax increases, or by raising the statutory debt limit of $45,000,000,000. Meanwhile, the Navy Department has ordered all US shipyards to operate on a full 24-hour schedule, and has requested $300,000,000 in order to finance the cost of this production speed-up.

The first of District Attorney William O'Dwyer's trio of "Singing Gangsters" made his debut today in Kings County Court. As nervous as a novice, Anthony "The Duke" Maffatore, a hard-boiled flyweight who by his own admission hasn't earned an honest dollar in nine years said that he and his partner in a loansharking and pinball-machine racket, Abe "Pretty" Levine, stole the car in which the perforated body of George Rudnick was discovered on May 25, 1937. Maffatore is the first mobster to turn State's evidence in the murder trial of Harry "Happy" Malone and Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando, and testified today for more than an hour and a half under rigorous questioning by Assistant District Attorney Burton Turkus. A blistering cross-examination by Defense Attorney William W. Kleinman was still going on as of 3 PM.

A tearful scene today in the Court of Special Sessions as the matriarch of the Brooklyn bail-bond racket and her son-in-law were sentenced to prison after their conviction on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Mrs. Lena Frosch and her two daughters sobbed as the 51-year-old Ocean Parkway woman was sentenced to an "indeterminate term" in the penitentiary. Her son-in-law, Abraham Cohen, received a light four-month sentence. Mrs. Frosch's 24-year-old son Abraham Frosch, a key figure in District Attorney O'Dwyer's investigation of the Murder For Hire gang, is presently free on $20,000 bail after his conviction on perjury and forgery charges.

With the deadline for reducing their active roster to 25 players fast approaching, the Dodgers have given pitcher Wes Ferrell his unconditional release. Ferrell, an off-season free-agent pickup after twelve years in the American League, had clashed with manager Leo Durocher during spring training over his golf schedule, and has only been used once since the season began, a four-inning relief stint that saw the veteran hurler give up three runs. The Dodgers have also cut pitcher Max Macon, optioning him to Montreal in the International League. Durocher must cut one more man from the roster before midnight Thursday.

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt today denounced "chiseling housewives" who cheat their domestic help out of fair wages. Mrs. Roosevelt attended the morning conference of the National Women's Conference on Unemployment, and afterward told reporters "there wasn't a woman there at that conference this morning to whom democracy amounts to a hill of beans."

Italy has signed up for the 1940 World's Fair, and will reopen its popular pavilion for the season. A clause in the contract, however, nullifies the agreement if Italy should become involved in the European War.

Former Islip town supervisor Warren F. Greenhalgh was found guilty of fraud today in Suffolk County Court, on charges that the former municipal official and leader in local Republican Party affairs cheated the town out of $8500 in crooked road-oil deals. Greenhalgh will be sentenced on May 25, and could face four years in prison and fines totaling $42,500.


(The New York Enquirer is still with us today -- you know it as the National Enquirer. In 1940 it was a shady weekly broadsheet with Fascist political leanings and a shadowy connection to the Hearst empire. And, it seems, a taste for dubious real-estate promotions. Note how the ad is carefully worded to make it seem like the respectable lace-curtain Eagle endorses the ad -- "this newspaper!" -- instead of a scrofulous gutter sheet. I'm surprised that Mr. Schroth allowed this ad -- unless he didn't know about it. In which case I imagine it was a hot day in the office when he saw it.)

Mayor LaGuardia has endorsed President Roosevelt for a third term in the White House, telling a convention of the CIO Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America that he will stand with the President should he choose to run for a third term.

District Attorney William O'Dwyer is promising a "purge in Brownsville," telling a rally sponsored by the Pitkin Jewish Center that he will appoint an Assistant District Attorney to do everything necessary to "uproot crime" in the community. O'Dwyer stated that Brownsville's gangster elements survive on "crumbs dropped from the banquet tables of Manhattan gangsters," and that "this must stop -- now. "When I see a nail," promised the DA, "I will hit it."


("Hey!" says Joe. "Uhhhh," says Sally. "Blondell I like, but that other one, alla way ta Flatbush ta look at her? No thanks." "Who?" says Joe, thinking fast. "I was thinkin' 'bout Karloff. Yeah. Karloff. Ain't he great? I sure would like to see a movie with Karloff in it. 'Course, we might get there early an' see some o' the other one...")

Radio critic Jo Ransom offers some helpful translations for "the young ladies and old ladies too" who are rabid fans of Red Barber's Dodger broadcasts over WOR: "the boys are tearin' up the pea patch" means that "the team is functioning effectively." A play that is "slicker than boiled okra" is a maneuver executed with speed and precision. When the Dodgers are "sittin' in the catbird seat," they have assumed a commanding position in the game. When the game is "tied up in a crocus sack," a Brooklyn victory is assured. And when the bases are "FOB," they're "full of Brooklyns."


"Bald Pate Special." hahahahahahahahaha!

(What, no "Salute to Brooklyn's Crusading DA William O'Dwyer," who is a heavy consumer of stationery and personal grooming products?)

The Dodgers mopped up the Phillies yesterday without too much trouble. Hugh Casey pitched four scoreless innings before giving up three. Those runs were of no consequence, though, since the Flock rebounded immediately to score three in their half of the inning on the strength of a double by Dixie Walker, and a triple by Babe "The Blimp" Phelps, who can soar around the bases when he has to. Vito Tamulis blanked the Phils over the rest of the game, and the Dodgers picked up three more runs along the way to finish with an easy 6-3 win.



It won't be so easy today, though, as the league-leading Reds pitch camp at Ebbets Field to open a crucial three-game set. Tex "No Hit" Carleton faces 5-0 Bucky Walters in the opener.

The Giants are putting on the pressure, beating the Bees at the Polo Grounds yesterday to solidify their grip on third place. They are still 3 1/2 games behind the Dodgers, and four out from the Reds.

(A Bungle with common sense? No wonder he's ostracized.)

(Leona hasn't swept out of a room like this in ages. Nice to see she hasn't lost the knack.)

(At first glance, I thought Irwin was saying "Oh, Dan!" in panel three. Which is kinda what I always say when we get to this point in a story.)

And in the Daily News...


A lot of cartoonists seem to be having new additions to the family this year. And the celebrity divorce quotient must be down if the best we can come up with today is Luise Rainer and Clifford Odets.


If they serve this with a cone upside-down on the plate next to a ball of ice cream, I'm in.


Most amusing thing I ever saw in the subway? A rat eating an ice cream cone. It was pre-Yoo Toob, but it was even better than Pizza Rat. He licked the ice cream, and then went around and chewed the end off the cone, just like a little kid does.

The Commander in Chief will personally direct his troops.

Awwwwww, whoooo's a good dog?

"I am so evil, no disease can harm me." I'm surprised nobody in 2020 has latched onto that strategy.

And what's Miss Snipe's real angle? She seems to be one of the few people in Skeezix's personal circle who actually cares about him, but she's also the one who pointed Tula in his direction, and she had to know what *her* angle is.

"Of course, I'm not a psychiatrist. I'm a music teacher, and this will make a wonderful song."

Well, that certainly escalated fast.

Better double-check that money, Scarlett. I bet it's counterfeit.

LizzieMaine said:

...A tearful scene today in the Court of Special Sessions as the matriarch of the Brooklyn bail-bond racket and her son-in-law were sentenced to prison after their conviction on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Mrs. Lena Frosch and her two daughters sobbed as the 51-year-old Ocean Parkway woman was sentenced to an "indeterminate term" in the penitentiary. Her son-in-law, Abraham Cohen, received a light four-month sentence. Mrs. Frosch's 24-year-old son Abraham Frosch, a key figure in District Attorney O'Dwyer's investigation of the Murder For Hire gang, is presently free on $20,000 bail after his conviction on perjury and forgery charges....

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"was sentenced to an 'indeterminate term' in the penitentiary."

How's that work?

LizzieMaine said:

...Former Islip town supervisor Warren F. Greenhalgh was found guilty of fraud today in Suffolk County Court, on charges that the former municipal official and leader in local Republican Party affairs cheated the town out of $8500 in crooked road-oil deals. Greenhalgh will be sentenced on May 25, and could face four years in prison and fines totaling $42,500....

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It's evergreen as hardly a year goes by when this story with new names and slightly different details doesn't come up.

LizzieMaine said:

... (What, no "Salute to Brooklyn's Crusading DA William O'Dwyer," who is a heavy consumer of stationery and personal grooming products?)....

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When I went to work for Sterns Department Store in the '80s during college, I was always looking for more hours and, early on, was told one day I could get some time in "Notions." "Sure," I said having no idea what "notions" were.

LizzieMaine said:

...
A lot of cartoonists seem to be having new additions to the family this year. And the celebrity divorce quotient must be down if the best we can come up with today is Luise Rainer and Clifford Odets.....

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Yes and yes. Also, I was surprised the defense made no opening statement as it seems a good opportunity to "frame" your argument in the jurors' minds. P.S. I saw part of "Dinner at Eight" yesterday and all I could think of during the John Barrymore scenes was how complicated life was going to be for him in about eight years. That is a really good movie.

LizzieMaine said:

... View attachment 234938
If they serve this with a cone upside-down on the plate next to a ball of ice cream, I'm in.....

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Me too. I fully admit to being a complete sucker for a gimmick like that. Heck, I swear to this day that ice-cream at a ballpark tastes better when it's served in a plastic bowl shaped and colored like a batting helmet.

LizzieMaine said:

...
Most amusing thing I ever saw in the subway? A rat eating an ice cream cone. It was pre-Yoo Toob, but it was even better than Pizza Rat. He licked the ice cream, and then went around and chewed the end off the cone, just like a little kid does.....

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The embarrassment- or chagrin-seat thing happens all the time to this day (or to the pre-pandemic days when people still took the subway). Loved to have seen Ice-cream Rat as Pizza Rat was awesome (I've seen IRL versions of him munching away on pizza and other "discarded" food).

LizzieMaine said:

... The Commander in Chief will personally direct his troops.....

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It might just be a comic strip and, of course, he's not operating within the law, but Nick just taught us a huge lesson in leadership. He's no "you do this," "you take that risk" leader; nope, he's right there with his men and you know they respect him for it. That's how you inspire loyalty. Nick Gatt: Lessons in Leadership for only the price of this paper.

LizzieMaine said:

... Awwwwww, whoooo's a good dog?....

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Again, he's a hood not a mob boss / no self-respecting mob boss spends his days executing $750 hotel-lobby heists.

LizzieMaine said:

... And what's Miss Snipe's real angle? She seems to be one of the few people in Skeezix's personal circle who actually cares about him, but she's also the one who pointed Tula in his direction, and she had to know what *her* angle is.....

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I know almost nothing about her character, but she's acting suspiciously and looks suspicious today.

Also, I can't take it. I know it was the Depression, but come on, these people have jobs and $175 then is ~$3200 today. Or, it's as if he got a 15 week bonus. I get it; it's a lot of money if you have nothing, but these people are treating it like he's going to buy a house, a car and take a vacation on it.

I lived all but hand to mouth in the '80s (when that $175 was worth ~$1350) - yes, it would have been great to have had a $1350 windfall, but come on, even then I knew that, if that happened, nothing really changed in my life and I seriously doubt women would have been coming on to me because of it.

LizzieMaine said:

...[ "Of course, I'm not a psychiatrist. I'm a music teacher, and this will make a wonderful song."...

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Where's mama been while all this has been going on?

LizzieMaine said:

... Better double-check that money, Scarlett. I bet it's counterfeit.

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This is so hard to watch.

Nazi forces sweeping across the Netherlands have killed an estimated 100,000 Dutch soldiers -- a full twenty-five percent of the total strength of the Dutch army. Netherlands Foreign Minister Eeleco N. Van Kleffens estimated those figures today, but added that the Dutch navy is almost intact and has joined the Allied fleet. Dutch resistance is continuing in the coastal province of Zeeland and that any Dutch troops who make it into Belgium will be integrated into the Allied forces.



In France, command officials state that about half the German invasion force that crossed the Meuse River yesterday has been driven back, but about twenty divisions on each side -- a total of more than 600,000 men -- remain locked in fierce combat. The Germans had established a salient four miles wide after crossing the Meuse before a violent French counterattack offered strong resistance. At its maximum, the German invasion force had penetrated ten miles into France from the Belgian frontier before they were pushed back to four.

A report from the Belgian radio states that the children of King Leopold have arrived safely in London.

In London, men are flooding police stations to sign up as "volunteer minute men" to be assigned to home service. Boys too young to enlist in the regular armed forces, and overaged men are being sought to form a volunteer militia to guard against the threat of Nazi parachutists, freeing regular troops for front-line service on the Continent. New War Secretary Anthony Eden, in a broadcast to the British people, directed the formation of a "Local Defense Volunteers" organization to oversee the operations of the militia.

"Kid Twist" sang a song of death on the witness stand today in Kings County Court that could spell doom for former colleagues Harry "Happy" Malone and Frank "The Dasher" Abbandando, as the Murder-for-Hire operative turned informer Abe Reles laid bare the planning and scheming that lead to the brutal slaying of George Rudnick. Testifying for the prosecution in the murder trial of Malone and Abbandando, Reles sat twisting a handkerchief in his hands as he related the extraordinary details of the plot to rub out Rudnick "as a favor to Lepke," gangland chieftain Louis Buchalter, and revealed that the note found in Rudnick's pocket suggesting that he had testified to Manhattan DA Thomas E. Dewey about Lepke's activities was in fact a fake planted by the Murder For Hire thugs themselves. Rudnick was stabbed sixty-three times with an icepick, and Reles related that when the victim lay gushing blood and emitting a rattling noise from his throat, fellow assassin Harry "Pittsburgh Phil" Strauss put a stop to the noise by jamming the pick into Rudnick's neck. Malone then gave the coupe-de-grace by splitting Rudnick's skull open with a meat cleaver. Reles also admitted to playing a key role in planning and carrying out the incineration murder of mobster Puggy Feinstein. He also revealed that after his arrest, he continued to confer with Malone while in custody in the Tombs, meeting regularly with his former colleague at jailhouse Christian Science services to discuss what was being done about potential witnesses.

A veteran pickpocket with a record going back more than thirty years was caught in the act by a photographer at a wedding in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Murray Winters, well-known Manhattan dip, denied he was in New Jersey on April 28th, or that he lifted a walled containing $36 from the father of the bride during a wedding at St. Anthony's R. C. Church. But wedding photographs obtained by police clearly revealed Winters with his hand in Angelo Caprio's pocket. Winters, whose first pocket-picking conviction dates to 1909, was struck speechless when police showed him the photos. "What the hell," he finally replied, "can I say now?"

(Why walk a mile when you can fly?)


("Half Southern fried chicken?" wonders Joe. "Where's the other half from, Tuckahoe?" "Be nice to eat out once in a while in a place where ya don't hafta put a nickel in a slot," hints Sally.)


(Guess who's gonna get a hole 'accidentally' burned in her best bloomers next time?)

A perfect hit-and-run play called and executed by Mr. Leo E. Durocher, Esq. himself broke a 5-5 deadlock in the bottom of the thirteenth inning yesterday to give the Dodgers a highly satisfying win over the Cincinnati Reds. With Gene Moore on first, Leo stepped to the plate and flashed the hit-and-run sign. As Moore broke with the pitch, Durocher stepped back and rapped a sharp single into right field, sending Moore to third. Old Woodenshoes himself, Gus Mancuso, summoned from the bullpen to pinch hit, stepped next to the plate and smacked a long fly to center field to send Moore home with the run for the win. The Dodgers led the game at several points over the course of the afternoon, but two costly errors by normally-unflappable Pete Coscarart gave away runs when the Dodgers could least afford them. ("Is he all right?" yelps Sally. "Is he sick? Should I make him some soup an' take it over there?" And Joe leans on the window sill drumming his fingers.)

The game also featured a lengthy argument that began when a ground ball off the bat of Charley Gilbert appeared to Reds manager Bill McKechnie and coach Jimmy Wilson to have hit third-base umpire Bill Klem. Klem denied the ball struck him, and an appeal to plate umpire Bick Campbell backed up Klem's statement. Had the ball hit Klem, Gilbert would have still been entitled to first base, but no other runner would be allowed to advance on the play. Leo Durocher, who advanced to second on the grounder was certain that the ball did not contact Klem in any way whatsoever.


Whitlow Wyatt, noted eater of Wheaties, takes the mound this afternoon for Brooklyn against Gene Thompson for the Reds. The two clubs close out their three-game set tomorrow with either Luke Hamlin or Newel Kimball facing Paul Derringer.


(And on the fourth floor of 215 Montague Street, Leland S. MacPhail sits in his office, taps his cigarette in Kaiser Wilhelm's ashtray, and says to himself "Gee, I sure would like to have Joe Medwick. Shoulda got Lombardi when I had the chance.")

Hundreds of Brooklyn women thronged local stores today to get their first glimpse of the new nylon stockings. Made of the synthetic duPont "miracle fiber," the nylon hosiery sells in three different grades at $1.15, $1.25, and $1.35 per pair. Most stores are limiting initial sales to two pairs per customer due to limited supplies. One department store buyer estimates that there are not 30,000 dozen pairs of nylon hose in the entire city. Manufacturers stress that the new stockings are not invulnerable to snags or runs -- but they should snag and run somewhat less easily than silk, and should also hold their shape better providing that care instructions are followed.

Queen Wilhemina of the Netherlands will speak to the world tonight via shortwave from London. The broadcast will be heard locally over WJZ and WOR at 9PM.

(So this entire storyline has been the setup for an elaborate twist on the classic "shaggy dog story." Well played, Mr. Tuthill.)

(As soon as Leona is out of Mary's sphere of influence, the old passive-aggressiveness returns. Panel two is priceless.)

(Well, perfect order other than that SMASHED OUT WINDOW, but who'd notice a small detail like that?)

And in the Daily News...


I dunno if I'd recommend making any long-term plans that involve Italy right now, even if they did have a nifty pavilion. And George Clark must have a teen-age daughter of his own, because his portraits and portrayals are just perfect.

I imagine Nick will get plenty out of Mr. Fedor here, but I'd rather they'd put the bag on Ivan, just because of his spectacular moustache.

Skeezix would have been better served by going into full social isolation until all this publicity blows over.

Are you sure Mama didn't have him rubbed out?

LOOK BEHIND YOU PAT

A million kids in this city, and the one she runs into? Junior Tracy.

Considering Willie's usual home life, you could suggest that Raymond Street would be an improvement.

Well, the Yankees aren't doing so good this year.