Judge — March 29, 1913 — page 1: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Judge Magazine, March 29, 1913 This satirical cartoon by Fuzzy Mansell depicts a small child dressed as a cowboy pointing a gun at an adult man sitting in a chair, who throws his hands up in alarm. The caption reads "Gimme a Nickel for the Movies!" The joke reflects early 20th-century concerns about nickelodeons—cheap movie theaters that charged a nickel for admission and were considered potentially corrupting influences on youth. The cartoon satirizes how movies, particularly Westerns with their gunplay and outlaw themes, were blamed for encouraging children to mimic violent behavior and become pests demanding money for entertainment. This captures period anxieties about mass media's impact on young people, a debate that would resurface throughout the 20th century.