Judge, 1918-11-23 · page 23 of 32
Judge — November 23, 1918 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents "Bright Bits from the New Plays"—theatrical comedy sketches from contemporary stage productions. **Top section** depicts three soldiers (labeled "Alf, Old Bill and Bert") satirizing British WWI-era rationing policies. They mock the government's strict controls over sugar, tea, and clothing, while humorously equating romantic encounters with women to "hoarding"—a crime under wartime rationing. This reflects public frustration with civilian restrictions during the war. **Bottom left** shows Ed Wynn, a vaudeville performer, joking about his aspirations to become a comedian rather than remain a property man, despite claiming to have spent ten years writing a sketch. **Bottom right** presents a domestic scene from "Nothing But Lies" where a man admits his honor "went with" his word—implying broken promises or infidelity. The page satirizes both wartime bureaucracy and theatrical personalities' pretensions.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
a Ra AN, the Alf, Old Bill and Bert sat on a dud, and this (in part) they sang: “This rationing business has come in, I see; They’ve rationed the sugar and rationed the tea. The controller has threatened to give us six months If we’re found wearing two pairs of trousers at once. If a Tommy is caught with two girls at a time, That’s hoarding, and hoarding’s a terrible crime. ome TIME Ep Wynn (cehiskfully): But I’m not go- ing to remain a property man long. I’m From “Tur Betrer OLE” ts what tooclever. I’m going to be a comedi ist as soon as I've finished writing my sketch. _ From “Notuinc But Lies” I’ve been writing it for ten years now, “We have your word of honor, haven't we, Georg and it’s nearly finished. “Yes, dear, when I gave you my word, my honor went with it.” comicbooks.com