The Era -- Day By Day

[Harp]

^^^
I wrote my history thesis on Pearl Harbor. Gen Mitchell outlined the Japanese attack for posterity;
erring by twenty-two minutes off actual flight time to Oahu from northern launch point. His prescience and wisdom
lost on the brass as all maverick cuss is belittled, ignored, shoved aside.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
(And this is still a popular cut today -- except it doesn't cost $2.)...

The inflation calculator says that $2 haircut should cost $36 today. Lizzie, how does the inflation-calculator cost compare to the real-world cost of that haircut today?

...The Eagle Editorialist views with concern the possibility that, with the fall of Crete, the war is about to enter a new phase. The recent meeting between Hitler and Mussolini in which the dictators are rumored to have mapped out their next moves -- factoring in the possibility of the United States entering the war -- may include discussion of "a Russian agreement to feed and fuel the Axis machine." But the biggest question mark hovers over whether Hitler will finally make his long-expected attempt to invade England -- with France, and the extent of its collaboration with Germany, expected to furnish the key to that situation....

Had Hitler done this in '41 - maintained peace with the USSR and invaded England - the world almost certainly would be a very different place today.

...
(If Irwin plans to go to every lunchroom, diner, and cafe in town eating hardboiled eggs, he will soon discover the principle of jet propulsion.)

If I hadn't lived through the last years of it in the '70s and '80s, I'd find it hard to believe there was ever a time that smoking, especially cigars, was common in diners, etc. Sometimes it was so bad, you couldn't even taste your food in the revolting fug, but it was as normal then as no smoking in restaurants is to us today.

... Ew. Cassini? Doesn't Miss Tierney read Page Four? And Sally is offended by today's "Neighbors."...

At least Page Four did an admirable effort to make up for yesterday's snooze fest.

Mr. Tierney has eleven years to change his mind, which is pretty good for a Hollywood marriage.

And my "we leave when the game is over" girlfriend agrees with Sally.

... Who's playing whom?...

Sometimes they deserve each other.

 

[LizzieMaine]

The last time I went to a salon for a basic cut like that was probably ten or twelve years ago, and it cost me on the far side of $50 plus the tip. My stylist retired not long after, and that's when I decided I needed to learn to cut my own hair. I don't use a razor, though, that'd be pushing my luck.

I also do my own perms, which would cost well over a hundred in a salon. Ooowee.

 

[Harp]

^^^Covid and whatever other excuse, reason, dodge, weave, rationale works to explain, excuse hair length,
are all good stock-in-trade pocket ready answers. The $ for a basic simple cut keeps going up it seems.
And the Vid shut down the barber shop at the Chicago Options Exchange where I would occasionally appear
at 06:50 to catch any early lone wolf barber ready to take on all early bird customers. A few other places back
in the hood have survived the Vid, still spin the peppermint stick pole but appointments are the new norm.
Just cannot drop in like old times.

 

[LizzieMaine]

We have an old-time barber across the street from the theatre, and we sit here and watch his customers go in -- and it amazes us that every one of them is bald.

 

[Harp]

We have an old-time barber across the street from the theatre, and we sit here and watch his customers go in -- and it amazes us that every one of them is bald.

Barber shops are traditional homespun cracker barrel political knock down dragout inside baseball dens of iniquity,
bookmaking, rapacious ribaldry, close shaves, and bald patronage notwithstanding.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Germany's former Kaiser, Wilhelm II, last of the Hohenzollern emperors, died this morning at his home in exile at Doorn, Holland. Once the mightiest ruler in the Eastern Hemisphere, the lord of the last war and a figure of world power for thirty years, died of a lung embolism at 5:30 AM Brooklyn time.

Wilhelm, once the proud symbol of Prussian militarism, has lived at Doorn since fleeing from Germany on November 10, 1918, surrounded by a dwindling cadre of loyal officers, and embittered by charges that it was he and his little group of confidantes who had preciptated the last war. The former Kaiser lived in a castle in Doorn, surrounded by pompous mementoes of his past, and had declined an invitation from Adolf Hitler to spend his final days in his homeland because he would not be going back as Emperor.

(In his office on the fourth floor of 215 Montague Street, former Captain Leland Stanford MacPhail picks up the heavy, pompous ashtray on his desk, emblazoned with the crest of the Hohenzollerns, and remembers the day...)

Brooklyn Eagle publisher Frank Schroth has been appointed by Borough President John Cashmore to serve as head of the new Brooklyn Committee for Civilian Defense. Also named to the committee are David L. Tilly, president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce; Louis Hollander, manager of the Joint Board of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America; Daniel J. MacTavish, Jr., president of the Metal Trades Council; and Lloyd J. Herzks, secretary to the Borough President. The new committee will be charged with oversight of all Civilian Defense activities in Brooklyn, under the supervision of the federal Office of Civilian Defense headed by Mayor LaGuardia, and will also cooperate with all state and federal agencies. The Committee also announced as a primary goal the mediation of local labor disputes to ensure there is no disruption to National Defense production during the current state of Unlimited National Emergency.

The equestrian statue of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant that has guarded Grant Square on Bedford Avenue since 1896 may be moved to Manhattan, under a request submitted to the municipal Arts Commission by the Grant Memorial Association. That Association has requested that the statue be moved to the plaza fronting Grant's Tomb on Riverside Drive, due to traffic-control measures now under consideration at the monument's present site in Brooklyn. The Association suggests that the shift of the statue to Manhattan could be taken as "a donation by the people of Brooklyn to the national shrine honoring General Grant's memory."

A silent crowd of mourners stood in a drizzling rain outside the Christ Protestant Episcopal Church in Riverside, the Bronx, this morning as, inside the little neighborhood church, 200 mourners witnessed private funeral rites for Lou Gehrig, baseball legend, who died Monday night at the age of 37. Dignitaries representing the Yankees, the American League, and the office of Commissioner K. M. Landis were among those present, along with family members, teammates, and other close friends of the Gehrig family. Mr. Gehrig's body was carried after the funeral to Middle Village in Queens, where cremation will take place this afternoon. Mayor LaGuardia, Yankee manager Joe McCarthy, catcher Bill Dickey, and sportswriters Christy Walsh and John Kieran, all close friends of the late ballplayer, were among the honorary pallbearers.

A city-wide dragnet was thrown out today for a 19-year-old burglar who escaped last night from the Raymond Street Jail. Lorenzo D'Agostino of 8018 18th Avenue, was being held in the adolescent section of the Brooklyn jail after pleading guilty to third-degree burglary charges, and used his position as a trusty to gain access to a passenger elevator shaft, which he used to climb up the cable to the jail roof, and then used a flagpole rope to slide down to the ground. Police have thrown a cordon around Fort Greene Park, and radio cars are also cruising the Navy Yard district in search of the youth.

In Londonderry, Ireland he former commander of President Roosevelt's yacht killed himself last night by stabbing himself in the heart with a bayonet. Lieutenant Commander Walter R. Jones, aged 43, was presently serving as Assistant U. S. Naval Attache to Great Britain, and was aboard a British warship moored in Londonderry when he was seized by "temporary insanity."

Two proposed curbs on President Roosevelt's plan to "draft personal property" in the interests of National Defense have been suggested today by opponents of the Administration bill. One would impose a time limit on that authority, and the other would require full Congressional sanction of a state of national emergency before such powers could be invoked. The request by the Secretary of War that such broad authority be granted to the President has had Congress "in an uproar" for the past two days. Mr. Roosevelt has implied that the purpose of the new law would be to cover defense strike situations not otherwise regulated by present statute, and to ensure that the Government will always receive necessary defense goods on schedule.

(That's just about the rate I got in 2014, and the payments are even less rent-like -- almost $400 a month less than what my house, even tiny little dump that it is, would bring as a rental in our present local market. There's a reason why a portrait of FDR hangs on my kitchen wall.)

Radio favorite Fibber McGee has been named broadcasting's Outstanding Father of 1941 by the National Father's Day Committee. Fibber, in real life actor Jim Jordan, is the father of two children, and has been married to Marian Jordan, who plays Molly McGee, for 22 years. In citing the performer, the Committee noted "his sincerity and integrity in his private life," and observed that he has not allowed his fame and success on the air to interfere with the wholesome upbringing of his family." Mr. Jordan takes his place alongside past winners of the award including Eddie Cantor, Gabriel Heatter, and Bing Crosby.

(SMOKING??? There goes his chance to star in a new "Harold Teen" movie. But seriously, who takes a whole carton of cigarettes on a picnic?)

(Clubwomen go to war. "What do you MEAN Lilly Dache doesn't make a tin hat?")

("Private Germano reporting for duty, sir!")

(That Wyatt is unbeatable against the Cardinals bodes exceedingly well. And I agree with Leo that the Reds aren't going to be a factor -- Bucky Walters needs to cut down on the smoking!)

A new ruling by the P. S. A. L. may keep Erasmus Hall from claiming its first schoolboy baseball championship, after the Buff and Blue played Brooklyn Tech to a 4-4 tie in eight innings yesterday. Under the former rules, a tie game counted for one point in the standings to each team, but under regulations adopted for this season, tie games must be replayed -- meaning the two squads must settle the contest next week, before moving on to the playoffs. At present, Erasmus leads the Brooklyn league with a 5-1 record, but Abraham Lincoln and Tech are still in the running.

("It's a setup!" growls Sally. "You know it is!" "New Utrick won," muses Joe. "7-4 ova Lafayette. I know a guy downa plant wenna Lafayette. Woiks inna office. A'ways smells like pencils." "It's a setup," growls Sally. "A setup." And Stella the cat goes back to sleep, because she's heard it all before.)

(Keep your hopes up, Slappy. You know what they say about feet.)

(From now on, my response to everything is going to be "Moan lower, bigboy!")

(Meanwhile, back home, Bill is trying to light the gas range, and can't get his cheap pocket lighter to take. One spark -- two sparks -- and BOOM! FORESHADOWING!)

(Yeah, you better take a tip from Unsettlingly Menacing Counterman here. Your cholesterol's gotta be thru the roof.)

 

[Harp]

^^^ Wilhelm II, grandson of Queen Victoria was a sorry sonuvabitch.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"....when the Hearst collection was placed on sale at Gimbels." Somehow they missed that in "Citizen Kane."

To ensure that unexpected guest never comes back.

You don't expect to see Mr. Allcaps punching left, but the isolationist/interventionist debate knew no party or ideological lines. Socialist Party leader Norman Thomas, whose arguments these are, was an America First board member. Which must've made for some fascinating behind-the-scenes debates.

"In fact, I'm going to open my new Lobotomies for Criminals practice tomorrow!"

Good thing Tracy sleeps with the window open.

Tomorrow: Min files for divorce. Shoulda known something was up when she changed her hairstyle.

You're slipping, kid. This used to take a lot longer.

Yes please. As Wilmer's supervisor.

And yet, of all the married couples we follow, these two are the only ones we ever see sharing the same bed.

Veronica Lake's lawyer is going to be all over this.

 

[Fading Fast]

...
(That Wyatt is unbeatable against the Cardinals bodes exceedingly well. And I agree with Leo that the Reds aren't going to be a factor -- Bucky Walters needs to cut down on the smoking!)...

I know we've said it before, but as seen in the photo of a sliding-home Lavagetto, '41 was a very good year for Dodger uniform design.

...
(Keep your hopes up, Slappy. You know what they say about feet.)...

Slappy's sexuality is very 2021.

...[
(From now on, my response to everything is going to be "Moan lower, bigboy!")...)

That is a good line. Effectively, George's new maid is trolling him.

... (Yeah, you better take a tip from Unsettlingly Menacing Counterman here. Your cholesterol's gotta be thru the roof.)

Eggs have gone through so many "they are good for you / they aren't good for you" cycles in my life that I no longer listen to the medical advice on them and just eat a modest number.

A... "....when the Hearst collection was placed on sale at Gimbels." Somehow they missed that in "Citizen Kane."....

I'm going to bet that Allene does have an off-the-charts sexuality - not necessary beautiful, but something that just does it.

...
To ensure that unexpected guest never comes back....

Or to get them into practice for the coming war.

 

[LizzieMaine]

A bus driver was killed and 37 passengers injured shortly before 8 this morning when a double-decker bus skidded on wet pavement and careened into an L pillar in Woodside. The Fifth Avenue Coach Company bus driven by 40-year-old Michael Mannion of 80-06 Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights was nearly sliced in half in the collision, which took place at the corner of 62nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue at 7:57 AM, and Mannion was killed instantly.

Screams arose over the roaring of trains as panicking passengers scrambled out of shattered windows, and neighborhood storekeepers and their early morning customers rushed into the street to help carry away the injured. Three ambulances from St. John's Hospital raced to the scene as police emergency squads tried to extricate the driver's body from the crushed wreckage using blowtorches. There was no accurate count of the number of passengers aboard the bus, en route to Manhattan, at the time of the crash, but it was observed by eyewitnesses to be heavily loaded. Mannion had been a driver for the company for twelve years, and had a wife and two children.

Brooklyn citizens and institutions today expressed sharp opposition to a proposal to move the equestrian statue of General U. S. Grant, for forty years a fixture of Grant Plaza in front of the Unity Club, Bedford Avenue and Dean Street, to a new location in front of the General's tomb on Riverside Drive. Borough President John Cashmore indicated this morning that he will summon civic leaders and the general public to a meeting for the consideration of a course of action. Unity Club president Benjamin C. Ribman declared his complete opposition to removing the statue, noting that it was donated to the city by the old Union League of Brooklyn, former owner of the Unity Club building, and that the statue is practically "a part of the building." "It was bought by the people of Brooklyn," Ribman insisted, "and it should stay in Brooklyn."

Three inspectors attached to the Borough President's office must stand departmental trials to determine their involvement in paving-industry corruption under investigation by Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen. Although the alleged instances of graft occured prior to the Cashmore Administration, the present Borough president must assume responsibility for the matter and schedule the trials. The instances of graft are alleged to have occured between 1937 and 1939, during the administration of the late Borough President Raymond Ingersoll.

Two Queens men face twenty years to life in prison for the kidnapping of an olive-oil heir earlier this year. Twenty-five-year-old Salvatore Criscione and 30-year-old Angelo Cusumano were convicted late last night on charges that they abducted and held for ransom 23-year-old Angelo Giangarra, son of a wealthy Astoria olive-oil importer, threatening their captive with death if he refused to write a ransom note. A woman tenant of the building where Giangarra was being held testified that she heard the captive cry out "fire!" and when she broke down the door to the apartment, she discovered Crisicione and Cusumano holding Giangarra tied to a chair, with a gun pointed at his head. The two kidnappers will be sentenced on June 20th.

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is promising to fight the Roosevelt Administration's proposed bill to permit the Government to draft private property for national defense purposes. Senator Walter F. George (D-Ga.) pledged today that "the bill will never pass" unless a clause providing for "permanent requisitioning" is deleted. It is suggested that Sen. George's public opposition to the bill will be sufficient to "bring forth significant concessions."

"A. S. M." is a young man of 27 who writes to Dr. Brady to lament that he is losing his hair at the temples, and is trying to halt the loss by the application of white iodine to his scalp. The doctor, in his kindly way, scoffs at this idea, pointing out that "white iodine" isn't iodine at all, and besides, putting iodine on your head will do absolutely nothing to halt hair loss. But taking iodine supplements might help, and he suggest sending a three cent stamp for his free booklets "Care of the Hair" and "Instructions for taking an Iodine Ration."

(I wonder what's on special at Horn & Hardart?)

(I'd even settle for Chef Boy-Ar-Dee.)

(Well, I dunno, I bet Sheridan would have done this picture if she could have. "OOMPH THIS!")

(But probably not Screeno.)

(And if we're lucky, maybe Mr. Reiser will drill one right back thru the box and make Mr. Passeau jump six feet in the air.)

(What a strange little household.)

("Whatever you're selling, she doesn't want!" Pity you weren't around to point that out back in 1905, when it might have made a difference.)

(Yeah yeah, enough with the buildup. Let's see Mary assume her new identity as a terrifying force of Vengeance. "BEWARE -- THE BAT!")

("Migawd -- how did Dan ever put up with this idiot?")

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

"The speedboat and sparkling wine set" is just about a perfect description of this particular milieu. Well done, Duncan and Boston.

I don't think I'm being the least bit mean-spirited when I say it's a real tragedy that Rankin wasn't the one to drop dead. He was a man who truly set the lowest possible moral and intellectual standard for a member of Congress, a record that has only recently been broken.

Well, you can start by losing the greasy little moustache.

You'd think a big plastic millionaire like Andy could afford the "Tenderay Beef."

"Damn! It used to be so easy!!"

And it's not ironic, either.

Yeah, right, like anybody leaves their diary out in the table like that. Especially with a cop for a father.

Mr. Willard says "hey, I can draw lingerie cheesecake too!"

"I wonder what Pop Jenks is doing tonight?"

 

[Fading Fast]

...Two Queens men face twenty years to life in prison for the kidnapping of an olive-oil heir earlier this year. Twenty-five-year-old Salvatore Criscione and 30-year-old Angelo Cusumano were convicted late last night on charges that they abducted and held for ransom 23-year-old Angelo Giangarra, son of a wealthy Astoria olive-oil importer, threatening their captive with death if he refused to write a ransom note. A woman tenant of the building where Giangarra was being held testified that she heard the captive cry out "fire!" and when she broke down the door to the apartment, she discovered Crisicione and Cusumano holding Giangarra tied to a chair, with a gun pointed at his head. The two kidnappers will be sentenced on June 20th....

So, we have a "Godfather" movie echo, possible material for "Dick Tracy" or "Dan Dunn" (soon to be called "Inspector Kay") and, if only one of the kidnappers had been a cute blonde, a Page Four Story (just missed the hat trick).

...
(Well, I dunno, I bet Sheridan would have done this picture if she could have. "OOMPH THIS!")...

Agreed, Bette Davis (Crawford's long-time rival) also didn't care at all what she looked like if the role called for it. And it's only an okay movie anyway.

Doesn't it seem as if movie releases have slowed down the past few months?

...
(And if we're lucky, maybe Mr. Reiser will drill one right back thru the box and make Mr. Passeau jump six feet in the air.)...

I hope so, I'm excited to see how he does against him. The multiple pics of Pete are bit much though.

...
(What a strange little household.)...

God yes. Separately, since Sparky's testing all of Sue's wifely skills and it's getting late in the evening...just sayin'.

... ("Migawd -- how did Dan ever put up with this idiot?")

"We are proud to announce that 'Dan Dunn' will now be called 'Inspector Kay' and Irwin will be leaving to pursue other opportunities. We thank Irwin for his contribution and wish him and his family the best of luck."

Later that day, a phone rings:
Nick: Hello, who is it?
Irwin: Nick, it's me, Irwin, how are you?
Nick: Irwin? Irwin who?
Irwin: You know buddy, I work over at Dan Dunn, we met at the industry conference last year.
Nick: [with his hand over the receiver and, not pleased, to his secretary] How'd this idiot get my number? [To Irwin] I'm a little busy, what's on your mind?
Irwin: I've been thinking about leaving Dan Dunn and thought we could team up.
Nick: [who had already read the press release, with a little mirth in his voice] You're thinking of leaving are you?
Irwin: I think I've outgrown the strip.
Nick: My advice is to hang on to that role at Dan Dunn, Irwin, as the job market for comic-strip characters is really tough right now. Just stay put and look to leave when things get better. Gotta run, good luck buddy. [hangs up quickly]
Irwin: But, but, uh, but Nick, Nick? Nick are you there? Nick?

...[
"The speedboat and sparkling wine set" is just about a perfect description of this particular milieu. Well done, Duncan and Boston....

Agreed, a pitch-perfect line. Also "Ruth Piper Hollingsworth Foran" is a pretty darn-good Page Four name.

A...

I don't think I'm being the least bit mean-spirited when I say it's a real tragedy that Rankin wasn't the one to drop dead. He was a man who truly set the lowest possible moral and intellectual standard for a member of Congress, a record that has only recently been broken....

It's stunning how consistent the horrible antisemitic tropes have been throughout time.

...
"Damn! It used to be so easy!!"...

Terry? Pat? Dude? Anyone around?

That said, I could see Wolff being on the same side as (or, at least, somewhat aligned with) Burma.

...
Yeah, right, like anybody leaves their diary out in the table like that. Especially with a cop for a father....

Throw into that thought that in the real world, a cop's daughter doesn't go with a big-time criminal to remain chaste.

...
"I wonder what Pop Jenks is doing tonight?"

And 1941 "Harold Teen" provides a very 2021 lesson in middle-aged dating in NYC.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Absolutely, Nick's not going to fool around with some hokey low-level detective. If he wants a police lackey, he's going straight to the Commissioner. (He doesn't mess around with DAs any more after his experience with Tecum.)

I often wonder if, after the day's work is done, Irwin, Bill Biff, and Pat Patton get together in some dive bar and, gazing into their glasses, agree that what they *really* want to do is direct. And then when Punjab and the Asp walk in, they get really uncomfortable, pay their tabs, and leave.

 

[LizzieMaine]

President Roosevelt warned today that many Americans are being duped by German propaganda into believing that Britain is on the verge of collapse and that a peace move is imminent. "There has been nothing like it," declared the President of the peace rumor, "not even a tenth cousin of a peace offer, or anything else like that, or any discussion of peace." Speaking at a press conference today, Mr. Roosevelt emphasized his point by encouraging reporters to quote him directly, "providing you use this, not as a denial, but as an accusation by the President." The Chief Executive went on to charge that the present talk of peace feelers originates directly from the German Propaganda Ministry, and that Nazi operatives in this country have been instructed to stress that "Germany has no designs on the Western Hemisphere," and that the recent visit to Washington by U. S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James John G. Winant should be interpreted to suggest that "Britain is all in on talking peace." Mr. Roosevelt firmly denied that Ambassador Winant carried any such message.

Eighty-four foreign ships, including the French liner Normandie, were seized today by the U. S. Maritime Commission, under direct orders from President Roosevelt. The presidential command covered French, German, and Italian ships now in U. S. ports, and it is expected that these ships will be turned over to U. S. interests for operation under Government supervision, in order to free American-made ships for use in construction the so-called "bridge of ships to Britain" promised by the President in his recent Unlimited National Emergency speech.

Two transatlantic Clipper stewards pleaded guilty today of smuggling platinum to Europe, in a plot under investigation by Federal agents. The two men, described as "naturalized Americans" were arraigned at the Brooklyn Federal Building last night, and after they entered guilty pleas, were hustled off to the Federal detention center in Manhattan in lieu of $10,000 bail. While no official confirmation could be obtained, it is believed that the FBI is also investigating a Hungarian who has been in this country on a visitor's visa since 1939, and that this man is presently undergoing interrogation at the Bureau's Manhattan headquarters.

Parks Commissioner Robert Moses today called on the people of Brooklyn to cooperate with plans to move the statue of General Ulysses S. Grant now standing at Grant Square, Bedford Avenue at Dean Street, to a new location on Riverside Drive, near Grant's Tomb in Manhattan. Mr. Moses promised that if the statue is moved, appropriate notation that it was "donated by the people of Brooklyn" will appear on its pedestal. The proposed move has put the Municipal Art Commission and the Grant Monument Association in conflict with Brooklyn civic leaders, who insist that the statue should remain where it is.

(And for the rest of her days, they called her "Madcap Babs.")

Investigators today are questioning passengers of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company bus that careened into an L pillar early yesterday in Woodside, killing the driver and injuring 36 persons. Conflicting stories emerged as to the cause of the accident, but all indications point to another vehicle suddenly pulling in front of the bus and causing the driver to lose control on the wet pavement. Some of the passengers told police that a bread truck pulled out of a parking space near 32nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue, forcing the bus driver to swerve out of its path, but other passengers stated only that "a car" was responsible.

(I'm sorry, and I know it's wrong, but I don't know as I could have full confidence in a hairdresser who calls himself "Mr. Homer," even if he did used to work at Loeser's.)

The 33-year-old murderer of a 19-year-old Dyker Heights girl died in the electric chair last night at Sing Sing Prison. Peter Salemi, a longshoreman, was convicted last October of the brutal murder of Miss Frieda Olsen, whose body was found on the beach, beaten to death and partially incinerated. Salemi admitted that he killed Miss Olsen and tried to burn her body after she spurned his advances. Salemi said nothing as he was strapped into the chair for the 11 PM execution, but earlier, when advised that the death sentence of another convicted killer slated to die last night had been commuted to life imprisonment, he exclaimed "nobody cares about me!"

A messenger for a Bushwick brewery fought off two would-be payroll robbers with his bare fists yesterday afternoon when they waylaid him in a hallway at Melrose Avenue and Stanwix Streets. William Madden of Hawthorne, employed by the George Ehret Brewing Company, was on his way to the company's offices at 193 Melrose Street when the two thugs pulled him into a doorway and demanded the contents of the bundle he was carrying. Madden refused to cooperate, and lashed out with both fists while calling for the police. One of the bandits slugged Madden on the head and the two men fled. One of them, 22-year-old Anthony Kawaitowski of 154 S. 1st Street was later picked up in the neighborhood by a radio car, and faces charges of robberty, assault, and violation of the Sullivan Law. The bundle Madden was carrying contained no cash at all, merely a batch of cancelled checks he had just picked up at a nearby bank.

A forty-year-old mother of twins was awarded her medical degree yesterday in commencement ceremonies at the Long Island College of Medicine. Mrs. Mary-Light Scheaffer Cassidy of 24-A Garden Place, wife of the State Labor Relations Board Commissioner George L. Cassidy, was awarded her diploma along with a $50 prize in recognition of having performed the best dissection of the year. Dr. Schaeffer-Cassidy, who attended medical school while raising twin boys, now eight years of age, declared that "it wasn't difficult at all." A graduate of Brown University, she will now serve her internship at Long Island College Hospital.

("Who you callin' a freak, FREAK?")

Mrs. D. V. H. writes to Dr. Brady, wondering what to do about her little boy, who bites when he doesn't get his way. "Spank him and send him to bed," growls the Doctor.

(But at least he doesn't tell her to send for his booklet, "Spank Him And Send Him To Bed.")

The Eagle Editorialist endorses the recent action by Brooklyn College President Harry Gideonse suspending two students who heckled him during a recent speech. "The two young men in question seem to have allowed their misguided zeal for 'student rights' to carry them beyond the limits of patience," he sniffs. "If this lesson helps them get over the smart Aleck attitude all too prevalent among persons of their age, good will come of it."

(Yeah, George, real poor choice of words.)

(Mr. MacPhail is actually quite happy with the rain, because it's allowed anti-Passeau sentiment to get whipped to a fine froth in the press. "T'jernt'll be jumpin'!" enthuses Joe, flourishing a wrinkled envelope containing two precious ducats for tonight's contest. "Whad'ja hafta hock t'is time?" queries Sally. "I hope it'uzzat harmonica." "Nah, I din'hafta hock nutt'n'," replies Joe. "I use t'em dice ya brutta gimme." "Ah," mutters Sally, not raising her eyes from the brisket. "When's he gettin' out, anyways?" chances Joe. Sally ignores the thrust, and flicks, rather sharply, a small piece of meat toward Stella the cat, but somehow manages to hit her husband instead, right in the forehead. "Oops," she smiles, much to poor Stella's frustration. She isn't quite sure what to make of these two.)

"Love Crazy," opening this week at Loew's Capitol in Times Square, puts William Powell and Myrna Loy in circumstances a bit zanier than their usual fare, but Herbert Cohn is impressed -- calling it "the wackiest mother-in-law joke ever." Marital antics end up with Mr. Powell locked up in a nut house and convincing his keepers that he is, in fact, a homicidal maniac. He also spends a good part of the picture flouncing around in skirts and a wig, but those circumstances are well beyond the possibility of explanation.

(Doc obviously doesn't know Sparky as well as he thinks he does.)

(There are times when Mr. Tuthill's dialogue is just a thing of beauty and a joy forever.)

(This doctor is obviously a graduate of Brooklyn College. Watch out there, son, the Rapp-Coudert Committee has your name on a list!)

(Nose to the grindstone, Higgs! Your days of slacking around on the Department's dime are O-V-E-R.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

We've already seen this same draft racket going on in Brooklyn, so it's nice to see that the Bronx is keeping up with the trend.

("Coming Events Cast Their Shadows Before...")

At least the driver never knew what hit him. Wow.

No offense to Sandy, who has proven himself time and again to be a GOOD DOG, but what kind of hospital lets a dog run around loose in the corridors? To say nothing of their shoddy blood bank inventory department.

LOOOOOOOOO-SER!

Now there's a pickup line Burma's never heard before.

"Waiting For Tilda," by Clifford Odets.

Oh no. Oh no no no no no no no no.

"I don't know, but I told him a place." Yeah, Kayo would have fit right in in my neighborhood.

Aim high, kid. At least higher than Senga did.

 

[Fading Fast]

...Two transatlantic Clipper stewards pleaded guilty today of smuggling platinum to Europe, in a plot under investigation by Federal agents. The two men, described as "naturalized Americans" were arraigned at the Brooklyn Federal Building last night, and after they entered guilty pleas, were hustled off to the Federal detention center in Manhattan in lieu of $10,000 bail. While no official confirmation could be obtained, it is believed that the FBI is also investigating a Hungarian who has been in this country on a visitor's visa since 1939, and that this man is presently undergoing interrogation at the Bureau's Manhattan headquarters....

Hopefully, we'll get some follow up explaining what this is all about.

...Parks Commissioner Robert Moses today called on the people of Brooklyn to cooperate with plans to move the statue of General Ulysses S. Grant now standing at Grant Square, Bedford Avenue at Dean Street, to a new location on Riverside Drive, near Grant's Tomb in Manhattan. Mr. Moses promised that if the statue is moved, appropriate notation that it was "donated by the people of Brooklyn" will appear on its pedestal. The proposed move has put the Municipal Art Commission and the Grant Monument Association in conflict with Brooklyn civic leaders, who insist that the statue should remain where it is....

Gee, thanks Bob, but how 'bout instead you just drop dead. Fondly, The City of Brooklyn.

...
(And for the rest of her days, they called her "Madcap Babs.")...

This story is just so good. I'm glad we're getting the follow up.

...Investigators today are questioning passengers of the Fifth Avenue Coach Company bus that careened into an L pillar early yesterday in Woodside, killing the driver and injuring 36 persons. Conflicting stories emerged as to the cause of the accident, but all indications point to another vehicle suddenly pulling in front of the bus and causing the driver to lose control on the wet pavement. Some of the passengers told police that a bread truck pulled out of a parking space near 32nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue, forcing the bus driver to swerve out of its path, but other passengers stated only that "a car" was responsible....

If the reports about it being a bread truck are true, the police should be able to find that truck and driver.

....A messenger for a Bushwick brewery fought off two would-be payroll robbers with his bare fists yesterday afternoon when they waylaid him in a hallway at Melrose Avenue and Stanwix Streets. William Madden of Hawthorne, employed by the George Ehret Brewing Company, was on his way to the company's offices at 193 Melrose Street when the two thugs pulled him into a doorway and demanded the contents of the bundle he was carrying. Madden refused to cooperate, and lashed out with both fists while calling for the police. One of the bandits slugged Madden on the head and the two men fled. One of them, 22-year-old Anthony Kawaitowski of 154 S. 1st Street was later picked up in the neighborhood by a radio car, and faces charges of robberty, assault, and violation of the Sullivan Law. The bundle Madden was carrying contained no cash at all, merely a batch of cancelled checks he had just picked up at a nearby bank....

It's purely anecdotal based on these Day by Days vs present day stories, but it appears employees were much more likely to risk their lives to defend payrolls, cash registers, etc. back then.

...The Eagle Editorialist endorses the recent action by Brooklyn College President Harry Gideonse suspending two students who heckled him during a recent speech. "The two young men in question seem to have allowed their misguided zeal for 'student rights' to carry them beyond the limits of patience," he sniffs. "If this lesson helps them get over the smart Aleck attitude all too prevalent among persons of their age, good will come of it."...

Usually, we see stories that remind us how things were not so different back then, but sometimes they truly were.

...
(Yeah, George, real poor choice of words.)...

I thought the same thing - it's jarring to read. Is it possible the word had a softer connotation in '41?

... (Mr. MacPhail is actually quite happy with the rain, because it's allowed anti-Passeau sentiment to get whipped to a fine froth in the press. "T'jernt'll be jumpin'!" enthuses Joe, flourishing a wrinkled envelope containing two precious ducats for tonight's contest. "Whad'ja hafta hock t'is time?" queries Sally. "I hope it'uzzat harmonica." "Nah, I din'hafta hock nutt'n'," replies Joe. "I use t'em dice ya brutta gimme." "Ah," mutters Sally, not raising her eyes from the brisket. "When's he gettin' out, anyways?" chances Joe. Sally ignores the thrust, and flicks, rather sharply, a small piece of meat toward Stella the cat, but somehow manages to hit her husband instead, right in the forehead. "Oops," she smiles, much to poor Stella's frustration. She isn't quite sure what to make of these two.)...

... Oh no. Oh no no no no no no no no.....

Our Miss Snipe seems to be quite the cougar. Not what I expected as I thought Skeezix was a one-off for her.

... Aim high, kid. At least higher than Senga did.

"This lil' girl is not going to wind up in a mortgage-covered cottage with a bunch of howling brats." Not your typical 1940s line.

There's a reasonably honest way to do this: marry him and be a good wife until he dies. But that could take a few decades and not too many people have the fortitude for that kind of long-ball game. These marriages are so common in NYC, that they almost feels normal to me.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Of all the people Snipe could dally with, Tops is the least likely to succeed. She'd be better off with Wilmer. I hope she's just trolling the poor dope.

The way Veronica lays out her plan here makes me wonder if she might be planning to croak the old boy once he's landed. Now that'd make Page Four for sure.

"Molest" was often used in the sense of "bothering," and didn't always imply intimate physical contact. "He molested me on the subway" might just mean "He bumped up against me when I told him to back off." It was also sometimes used in the way the we use it today, but just as often you'd see a phrase like "interfered with" used in such cases. But whatever the sense, it's a poor joke. Get on the ball, Lichty, you're usually better than this.

"Payroll robberies" go on the list of Vintage Things That Have Vanished In Your Lifetime, right along with cash payrolls in general. I've had jobs where I got paid with cash in an envelope with an accounting printed on the side, but them days is gone forever.

 

[Fading Fast]

Of all the people Snipe could dally with, Tops is the least likely to succeed. She'd be better off with Wilmer. I hope she's just trolling the poor dope.

The way Veronica lays out her plan here makes me wonder if she might be planning to croak the old boy once he's landed. Now that'd make Page Four for sure.

"Molest" was often used in the sense of "bothering," and didn't always imply intimate physical contact. "He molested me on the subway" might just mean "He bumped up against me when I told him to back off." It was also sometimes used in the way the we use it today, but just as often you'd see a phrase like "interfered with" used in such cases. But whatever the sense, it's a poor joke. Get on the ball, Lichty, you're usually better than this.

"Payroll robberies" go on the list of Vintage Things That Have Vanished In Your Lifetime, right along with cash payrolls in general. I've had jobs where I got paid with cash in an envelope with an accounting printed on the side, but them days is gone forever.

You probably remember trying to get your payroll check cashed by the, well, head cashier, which where I worked, wasn't suppose to be done unless in a true emergency because, otherwise, he'd be swamped every payday and the company would have to keep a lot of cash on hand. You needed cash for a lot of things back then as, even if you had a credit card (and fewer people did), many places didn't accept them.

What this generation can't imagine, is how much effort went into simple banking and getting cash each week. Pre ATMs, it was a regular part of many people's Saturday morning (after getting paid on Friday). Also, people would try to get checks cashed wherever the could with most retail stores having explicit policies about check cashing.

 

[ChiTownScion]

Veronica's scheming makes me wonder: how common were pre- nups eighty years ago?