Judge, 1918-02-16 · page 25 of 36
Judge — February 16, 1918 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page excerpts humorous dialogue from popular Broadway productions. The cartoons illustrate theatrical wit about gender relations and class. "Flo-Flo" mocks a character's awkward attempt at Spanish dancing. "The Gipsy Train" uses absurdist humor: a young man kidnaps a woman but first obtains her father's permission—inverting romantic convention into bureaucratic propriety. "Happiness" contains working-class social commentary: a poor girl notes that actresses earning only six dollars weekly "went wrong," suggesting economic desperation drove women to immorality. "Why Marry" offers the most pointed satire: a judge laments that educated women's competence has forced men to abandon their traditional habit of insulting women. The joke critiques both male chauvinism and rapid social change, suggesting that women's advancement into professional respectability has disrupted old patriarchal customs—presented as loss rather than progress.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Bright Bit, from Current Play The theatre is the week-day church; ae and a good play is essentially identical fra 3 with a church service as a combination fF 4 \ of artistic ritual, profession of faith, and sermon.—BERNARD SHAW. From “F1io-Fio” Feeling the urge for Span- ish dancing, Mudd is prac- ticing a true Castilian pose. Mupp: How do I look? Pixk: Like a Hoboken sunset. Thomas Handers and Arthur Millis. From Tue Gipsy Train Nep: I have kidnapped Frances Raymond. His GRANDMOTHER: Bravo, Edward! Nep: Her father wouldn’t let me kidnap her unless you came too. His Graxpmotuer: Edward, you don’t mean to say you went and asked his permission? i Nep: Of course | did. I had to. Roland Young and Effie Ellsler From “Happiness Jenny: An’ Sundays, when mother’s had a good week, we go to a movin’ picture show in the evenin’. Not the cheap ones — we don’t like them. Why, all the girls in them that only get six dollars a week always went wrong! An’ ye should see the guys they went wrong with—bald oe heads and fat stomachs! = Laurette Taylor and J. M. Kerrigan. From “Wuy Marry” Ernest: When you work with women of ability you learn to respect them so much you quite lose the habit of insulting them. Jupce: Too bad how new conditions spoil fine old customs. Lotus Robb, Ernest Lawford, Estelle Winzoood, Shelley Hull, and Nat C. Goodwin, comicbooks.com XUM