Judge, 1928-11-17 · page 19 of 36
Judge — November 17, 1928 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The page contains two distinct pieces of satirical content: **Top Cartoon:** Shows carpenters working while a rabbit-like figure (possibly representing a strike-breaker or scab worker) disrupts the scene. The caption satirizes workplace tensions—the owner accuses the carpenters of blindness for missing the "doorway" the interloper represents, likely mocking labor disputes or the hiring of non-union workers. **"The Big Game":** A phonetically-written monologue in exaggerated Italian-American dialect describing a football game (likely Yale vs. Princeton, given the reference to "Yales win"). The humor derives from the narrator's bewilderment at American football's rules and violence, presenting the sport through an immigrant outsider's comedic misunderstanding. **"The Disaster":** A conversation between two men about a movie gag writer who lost his business in a fire—specifically because his files of old humor magazines burned, leaving him unable to recycle ideas. It satirizes Hollywood's creative practices and the precariousness of the entertainment industry. All three pieces use humor based on class, labor, immigration, and industry-specific anxieties of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Ownen—Say! Are you carpenters blind? The Big Game Wall, las Sat, Giusepp he calls me on de Barbershop an’ : Pop you wanna comalong an’ s Yales trima Prine Wall, wat de hell. I dunno wat he was mean. Bot he say Pop you coma- long ennaway, I picka you op in de leel ole Peesarro, Wall, wat de hell. Wan o'clock he comalong an’ I jomp in de leel ole Peesarro an’ we ridelong to de pl call de name Noo Have an’ dere is wan beeg place is look like de Col- lesseo in Roma onlee is more dam beeg. Well, we go in an’ dere is "bout wan hunre feefty tous peep an’ dey is all dress op in de fur coat an’ de ake de flag like is de festa di San Antonio. Wall, I'm lookin’ roun’ an’ Giusepp he say, Pop, where de hell you lookin? An’ he show me where is de game an’ deys lots fella all dress op wit’ de bag on de head an’ de numb on de back an’ deys all sittin’ on de hinelegs an’ look in de face ova de odder fella, An’ dese fella all dress op ina white suitclose lika Stritclean fella an’ he blow de wis an’ all de fella jomp op an’ run roun’ an’ look for de ball an’ when deys fine dat deys all fall down wan on de topa de odder fella an’ all de fella ina furcoat jomped on de chair an’ shake de flag an’ geeve tree cheer an’ de Stritclean fella blow de wis an’ de fella wit’ de numb on de b: Il get op. Wall, mabbe deys two o tree dead fella on de groun’ an’ a coupla fella come out an’ carry a de dead fella Strit- clean fella blow de wis an’ all de odder a wit de numb on de back jomp op on’ run roun’ an’ look for de ball an’ when deys fine dat de fella in de fur coat jomp on de chair an’ shake de flag an’ geeve tree cheer. Wall, aft deys do dis way meb- be two, three hours, I say Giusepp mebbe you ole Pop is joos wan dam wop bot hes wanna go home. Bot Giusepp hes eraz’, W: minutes, wana minutes he n fella blow de w in de fur cos n’ de hat an’ I say Giusepp wassa- An Giusepp say Yales win an’ is take me hafenour for fine de hat. de Strite all de de flag trow an’ geeve tree —Gronce Mrreneie The plans called for a doorway here! The Disaster “Well! Well! If it ain't my old pal, Bennie Jones!" cried Bill. “Haven't seen you in a coon’s What are you doing in Hollywood?” “Nothing now, Bill," replied Bennie as they shook hands. “I was doing pretty good, but I'm down and out now.” “Gee, that’s tough! What was the trouble “Oh, I had a good little busi- No insuran “Nope. Couldn't carry surance on my business. plained Bennie. “That's funny. W business were “I was a movie gag writer.” “A gag writer! How the deuce could a fire hurt that l : “Well, Bill, you don’t under stand the movie business, being just out from Kansas, but a fire certainly ruined me. You see, the blaze burnt up my files of the back numbers of the humor mag- azines.” —Datxar Deves comicbooks.com