Judge, 1906-12-22 · page 21 of 48
Judge — December 22, 1906 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous comic strip showing an older man ("Uncle Bill") attempting to demonstrate acrobatic stunts to children during the holidays. The joke involves physical comedy and generational contrast: Uncle Bill, nostalgic for his youth, tries to perform a dramatic backbend using a broomstick as a prop—a stunt he claims to have mastered as a boy. The humor comes from the inevitable failure (panel 4: "Presto, changed!") as his aged body cannot execute what his memory insists he could do. The final panels show him recovering dignity by suggesting he knows "a hull lot of" other stunts, while the boys appear skeptical or amused by his mishap. The satire gently mocks aging adults who overestimate their physical capabilities and try to relive youthful feats for entertainment, a relatable domestic humor theme common to *Judge* magazine's comedy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Uncte Bitt—"* Say, boys, for doing stunts I used to be a crackerjack —First you put the end of the broom-hardle on the flocr, and then — when I wis a boy. Here's one, for example, See if you kin do It like me,— —you br nd back vards till your head fs clese to the floor. Then "— Presto, changel Uncte Birt (sad/y)—** Can't allus do it the first time, boys. But that Tue sors (joyfully)—'* That bull; ain't all the stunts I know. I know a hull lot of ‘em."" show Use oe meioe aM ee ee a ae SPENDING THE HOLIDAYS WITH “UNCLE BILL." comicbooks.com