The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

One of the country's foremost authorities on Walt Whitman? That's a long way from Abe Reles.

Well now, I wouldn't say that. Don't you read Page Four?

Right. Thru. The. Mouth. You're a hard man, Mr. Gould.

Hey Twiffy, did you ever run into Oliver Cromwell? Ask him what HE thinks.

Movies on paper. Caniff's getting his game back.

"The shoemaker's children go barefoot."

("But no, he'd never fit in THAT chair.")

"Hey, who's the detective here??"

"Oh, fine. But if he stretches out my two-way girdle, I'll smack him."

At least he's well-dressed.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And also...

If the News and the Worker both agree there's a problem -- well, there's a problem.

 

[Fading Fast]

"I foun' a deli down 10t' Aveneh," whispers Joe, pulling the bed curtain closed behind him. "I slipped'a noice haffa buck t' look t'ot'eh way. Heeh y'go, cawrn beef awn rye 'n a full soueh."

Why did Joe have to do this — is corned beef (brisket) still being rationed?

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"He never fooled ME!" -- Some other comic strip dog.

"I can't hear you."

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Movies on paper. Caniff's getting his game back.

Agreed. He's in the groove again.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Hospitals frown on bringing in outside food, or at least they did the last time I was in one. I did, in fact, have a corned beef sandwich smuggled in from the Outside. But I was very upset that they didn't include the pickle.

 

[Fading Fast]

Hospitals frown on bringing in outside food, or at least they did the last time I was in one. I did, in fact, have a corned beef sandwich smuggled in from the Outside. But I was very upset that they didn't include the pickle.

Ahh, got it. I missed the "noice" part. Thank you.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("I wanna go home," fumes Leonora, her arms folded and her scowl fixed. "Do'n' like t'is place." "You'll be going home in another day or so," assures Dr. Glass. "You're doing just fine." "What?" snaps Leonora, tipping her head to the right. "I said," repeats the Doctor with careful articulation, "you're doing just fine." "Well," frowns Leonora, "why din'cha say so?" "I don' like t'looksa t'at," comments Sally. "Impaired hearing is normal after a surgery like this," reassures the doctor. He picks up a book from the nightstand. "Stuart Little," he observes. "Misteh an' Misses Ginsboig brung t'at," explains Sally. "People t'at live inneh buildin' wit' us, kinda like -- well, t'ey kin'a look afteh Leonoreh, y'know. T'ey arways give 'eh books. T'is one's pretty good -- 's 'bout t'is lit'l kid t'at's really smawrt, c'ept 'e looks like a mouse. Kin'a cute, really." "It's good to see a parent who reads to her child," smiles the Doctor. "So often today parents let the radio substitute for..." "Oh, I wasn' read'n it to 'eh," corrects Sally. "She was read'n it t' me." "Ah," gapes the Doctor...)

("Oh," ohs Uncle Frank, stepping into the Sergeant Solly's Surplus stock room to find the Sergeant in person, bent over the desk. "Ten o'clock aahn a Sataaaarday noit? An' you in here waaaarkin'?" "I got a lot awn my mind," dismisses Solly. "T'ezza lot t' take caehr'a. Whatta YOU doin' 'eeh?" "Ah, well," begins Uncle Frank, "y'see, Oi..." "Skip it," dismisses Solly. "Lissen, long's ya heeh -- when'za truck gonna be fixed? I got a lead on some stuff an' I wanna grab it befoeh'rit's too late." "Oh, Oi dunno," shrugs Uncle Frank. "Jimmy says he taaaalked t'th' garaaage man, an'ee din' know if it'd be doon befarr Christmas, so..." "Offehr'im anot'eh twenny," snaps Solly, "if 'e gets it done by Monday. Call 'im up." "Now?" sputters Uncle Frank. "Why nawt?" demands Solly. "I'm woikin', yawr woikin', no reason he ain' woikin'..." "W-well," hesitates Uncle Frank, "I..." He is interrupted by a scraping sound from the shop. "WHO'S OUT'EH?" bellows Solly, rising from his chair with his hand in his pocket. "Ahh," comes a soapy voice, followed immediately by the appearance in the doorway of glittering eyes, a shiny moustache, and gleaming teeth. "I beg your pardon, Sergeant," purrs their owner. "Clumsy of me, I know." "Whass'is monkey doin'eeeh?" glares Solly. "Ah," ahs Uncle Frank. "Well, y'see, Mr. Quinlan and I had some -- ah -- small mattaaaars t'discoos, an'..." "T'ey wouldn' involve," blazes Solly, "t'em two gross a' WAC stockin's we'eh missin', would'ey?" "Perhaps I should step outside," chatters Inky. "Oi'll see ye oot," hustles Uncle Frank....)

(It all depends on who you ask.)

(The only RBI champ who also knows how to do-si-do.)

("Ya really gonna go t'ru wit'tis?" queries Rosa, as she and Bink walk down Midwood Street toward Flatbush Avenue and the Patio. "It's awl set," affirms Bink. "Ya brot'eh's gett'na dough outta Fatty, an'ee's gawt no ideeh t'at I'm t' one 'at's gonna cook t' dinneh." "You don' know nut'nabout cookin'," points out Rosa. "Awlem nights ya useta eat at t' Autehmat. If t'ey eveh run outta nickels you woulda stawrved t'ndeat'." "I know a lit'l," insists Bink. "I been wawtchin' t' ol' lady, she's been showin' me junk. Nut'n to it. An' yawr gonna help me." "I am?" gapes Rosa. "A dinneh f'rawlem people?" "You cook f'raw'lem brot'ehs 'n sistehs you gawt," notes Bink. "Yeh," concedes Rosa. "But I don' hafta caeh'r if t'ey like it awr not. Lissen, what's wit'choo? Goin' t'wawllis trouble." "T'ey been good t'me," shrugs Bink, pausing under a street light to fish for a cigarette. "Took me in, gimme a jawb.." "One'v'm wasn' so good to ya," reminds Rosa, nodding at her friend's midriff. "An' you shoul'n be smokin'em t'ings. T'is one gal I knew smoked when she was hav'na baby, an it come out wit' webbed feet like a frawg. Hey, you eveh heeeh fr'm Mickey since.." "No," snaps Bink, peevishly snapping her cigarette into the gutter. "An' I do'wanna, he's a bum." They walk on in silence, approaching the corner. "Ya boyfrien' comin?" queries Rosa. "He betteh be," frowns Bink. "An'ee ain' my boyfrien'...")

(It never pays to be TOO observant.)

("SOON AT LIBERTY: CHARACTER ACTRESS, MOTHERLY TYPE. MEDDLING A SPECIALITY.")

("Hey sailor!")

(Has anyone seen Richard Widmark lately?)

(If you must be a bum, be the best bum you can be!)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Wait, she went for this guy when she could have had Huntz Hall???

The saturated market.

KIDS TOMORROW.

Tracy does love his job.

The calculated approach.

Maybe Tidnab is onto something with this guy.

I don't believe we need a translation.

Just goes to show you can't tell the bad guys by the color of their hats.

That two-door sedan doesn't look so sporty now, does it Walt?

I wonder if she's ever read Havelock Ellis.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Worker...

You ain't seen nothin' yet.

 

[Fading Fast]

He picks up a book from the nightstand. "Stuart Little," he observes.

"Stuart Little" is the first book I remember falling in love with (if you don't count "The Story About Ping)."

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"But I don' hafta caeh'r if t'ey like it awr not..."

Always nice when a little raw honesty sneaks in.

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"SOON AT LIBERTY: CHARACTER ACTRESS, MOTHERLY TYPE. MEDDLING A SPECIALITY."

"Great, just great, more competition." — Lucile Watson

*********************************************************

Wait, she went for this guy when she could have had Huntz Hall???

That is not an obvious match. The social registry would self-combust.

*********************************************************

Maybe Tidnab is onto something with this guy.

He's almost a perfect cliché of a liberal, elitist college professor.

 

[Harp]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I see Terry's stuck in the boondocks rounding up strays. Kid should have earned a first class ocean liner ticket to Stanford, Chicago, or the Ivy League GI Bill life with books, girls, and USDA prime red meat.

 

[Fading Fast]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

I see Terry's stuck in the boondocks rounding up strays. Kid should have earned a first class ocean liner ticket to Stanford, Chicago, or the Ivy League GI Bill life with books, girls, and USDA prime red meat.

Look what the cat dragged in. Nice to see you back, Harp.

 

[Harp]

Look what the cat dragged in. Nice to see you back, Harp.

Glad to be back, thanks. The ERA thread is addictive. I'd thought Caniff might have given Terry an honorable discharge and he might be strutting some campus in his worn A2 Flying Tigers jacket. Still stuck in China, and the kid's not even chasing fun in Hong Kong.

 

[LizzieMaine]

("It's col'," fusses Leonora as they exit the 18th Avenue BMT station. She pulls at the bandage. "An' it itches," she adds. "Jus' a minute," coughs Sally, pausing in front of Ebinger's Bakery to pull off her scarf and wrap it around her daughter's head. "I wanna donut," sniffs Leonora, glancing at the cakes displayed in the bakery window. "We'eh gonna eat when we get home," sighs Sally, pausing for another cough. "Heeh," offers Joe, taking off his own scarf. "You put'tis awn, don' need YOU get'n sick." "I WANNA DONUT!" screams Leonora, in a voice much louder than necessary. "T'ez donuts home," exhales Sally, as they resume walking up the street. "You said we was goin' t' Hawrn n' Hawrdart," reminds Leonora, "An' we didn'." "How 'bout t'night," offers Joe. "How 'bout t'night we go t' Hawrn n' Hardawrt." "Yeh," exhales Sally, her breath frosting in the cold afternoon air. They turn onto 63rd Street, and note a group assembled on the stoop of number 1762. "Look, now," offers Sally, pausing to wheeze. "Ev'rybody's out fron'neh wait'n fawr ya. See now, t'ezza Ginsboigs, an' Alice an' Krause n' Willie, an' Solly, an' Misteh'r'n Misses Schreibstein, an' Sammy -- an' look t'eh, t'ez Lottie!" "Hmph," hmphs Leonora. "Hey," yelps Lottie, amidst the barrage of greetings. "Whassat mess on ya head???" "Whassat mess," snaps Leonora in retort, "awn ya neck? Oh, it's ya face!" As the party moves inside, Lottie grins, as neighborhood life returns to normal...)

("T"at'sa pretty big boid," exclaims Bink, regarding the enormous fowl lying in state on the Capiello kitchen table. "I still t'ink t'is is a bad ideeh," sighs Rosa. "Jerry," she snaps at one of her smaller siblings, "quit pickin' at it, ya ketch typhoid eat'n rawr toikey. Angie -- puddown'nem giblets. An' go wawsh ya hans." "Wheh we gonna keep it?" ponders Bink. "I t'ought you was gonna keep it inna col' room at Bohack's." "I tol'ya," sighs Rosa, "we can't do t'at. T'ey cracked down. But I gotta ideeh. Y'see t'at crate t'eh? We'eh gonna wrap it up innis boilap, right? An' we'eh gonna nail it up inneh crate an' put t' crate out awna fieh'scape. JERRY! STAWP PICKIN' AT IT! HECKIE, GETCHA BROT"EH OUTA HEEH." "How ya gonna get it out'eh?" queries Bink. "I dunno," growls Rosa, increasingly regretful about the entire enterprise. "T'ru t' windeh." "T'at crate," notes Bink, "ain' gonna fit t'ru t'at windeh." "Whattaya wawnt from me?" fumes Rosa. "Awright. We'll wrap it up inna boilap an' jus' set it out t'eh. It's col' enough out t'at nut'n's gonna hap'n t'wit. ANGELA! BRING BACK T'EM GIBLETS!" "T'is is gonna be," declares Bink, "t' bes' Chris'mas dinneh eveh...")

(That's Happy?? I thought it was Bobo Newsom!)

(Never bring a knife to a fistfight.)

(I never knew Porky could be such a smug little snot.)

(Season's Judgements!)

(Hey look! The Whimsical Chef from Childs finally got work!)

(These Sunday continuities get creepier and creepier. What's the deal, Stamm?)

(What do you suppose young Mr. Byrnes did to earn such a living? Numbers running?)

(Oh THAT OLD ANGLE.)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Trailers? Hey, that'll be good business for the tinplate heiress.

"Fifteen hundred wasn't that much anyway. We got twice that for helping those guys from Jersey beat the point spread!" -- Gene and Lou

"We stand behind our workers!" -- Board of Directors, Colonic Irrigation Company.

You don't need to explain it, Tracy, we all knew you were going to shoot the guy. Hey, let's all go caroling!

Nobody was a N a z i, that was all something the papers and those troublemakers on 13th Street made up, is that what you're saying, Baron?

C'mon, Mosley, it's Christmas week and you give us this? Look at Willard, he knows how to do it.

Really, Jon? What a chump. And for Josie and Butch I forsee nothing but trouble.

And it's a pity, because that's a really great picture. I am always in awe of Mr. King's ability to convey personality thru such simply-drawn faces. You can tell what every one of them is thinking, even the kitty.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Worker...

Mr. Gray and the Worker make pretty much the same point, although neither would ever admit it.

 

[LizzieMaine]

And also...

Season's Greetings from His Honor, the Mayor -- performing an unforgettable rendition of "The Night Before Christmas.

https://www.wnyc.org/story/december-23-1945

They're gonna love Butch on the network.

 

[Fading Fast]

I find his movies all but unbearable, but kudos to him, sounds like he was a real soldier, which is pretty amazing if true as he was fifty when the war started. How'd he even get them to take him?

**********************************************************

Hey look! The Whimsical Chef from Childs finally got work!



**********************************************************

Trailers? Hey, that'll be good business for the tinplate heiress.

Why, yes, Hollywood did make a movie about this, 1948's "Apartment for P*ggy." It's fluffy but fun and with a good cast.

**********************************************************

"Fifteen hundred wasn't that much anyway. We got twice that for helping those guys from Jersey beat the point spread!" -- Gene and Lou

In today's dollars it's about $20,000. A lot of money for sure, but not what I think of as "break the bank" money.

**********************************************************

You don't need to explain it, Tracy, we all knew you were going to shoot the guy. Hey, let's all go caroling!

Yeah, that felt like a bit too eager of an explanation. Also, Tracy could give Junior a little much deserved credit.

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Nobody was a N a z i, that was all something the papers and those troublemakers on 13th Street made up, is that what you're saying, Baron?

That's why the stadium at Nuremberg was always empty during those N*zi rallies.



Jesus: "N a z I" and "P e g g y" today, it's like the Worker said: the communists first and then the Jews, what words will be left to us? I had to Google "P e g" to find out what our AI overlord didn't like about that one. Who knew there was a word for that?

 

[LizzieMaine]

We live in terrifying times. Our friends in 1945 have it tough, but at least the robots aren't at the door...

I think what happened with Joe E. was that he was with a USO unit, and grabbed a weapon when the time came. He out-Bob Hoped even Bob Hope, pretty much spending the entire war doing GI shows. He had good reason to do so -- one of his sons had been killed in a bomber crash.

I also find his movies a tough ride, but his performance of "She Was An Acrobat's Daughter" always makes me smile. I once did that number myself on a radio show, but I could not begin to approach his bravado...

 

[Harp]

Sipping morning coffee and noted a spousal homicide confession article. Interesting; however, it's too
early for murder on just a single first cup. I'm always ready for any trust & estate work; especially wherein
matrimonial separation and divorce concealment involved, but have to draw the line somewhere.

 

[Fading Fast]

We live in terrifying times. Our friends in 1945 have it tough, but at least the robots aren't at the door...

I think what happened with Joe E. was that he was with a USO unit, and grabbed a weapon when the time came. He out-Bob Hoped even Bob Hope, pretty much spending the entire war doing GI shows. He had good reason to do so -- one of his sons had been killed in a bomber crash.

I also find his movies a tough ride, but his performance of "She Was An Acrobat's Daughter" always makes me smile. I once did that number myself on a radio show, but I could not begin to approach his bravado...

Just saw your addition. That makes perfect sense as, otherwise, what kind of insane wrinkle has the US Army put a fifty-year-old American movie star in its front-line infantry.