Judge, 1919-01-18 · page 12 of 34
Judge — January 18, 1919 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Charlie's California Adventure: A Silent-Film Parody This is a nine-panel comic strip parodying early silent films, specifically Charlie Chaplin's character (the "Tramp"). The narrative follows "Charlie" traveling from New York to California, depicted as a comedic odyssey involving literal clouds that transport him. The satire targets the romanticization of California as an escape destination—a "lonesome joint" New Yorker dreams of fleeing to. The humor relies on slapstick and absurdist scenarios typical of 1920s comedy: Charlie riding clouds, encountering rattlesnakes and lizards, and crashing into a cabin with rustic characters. The strip mocks both urban ennui and frontier clichés, presenting California through exaggerated, fantastical elements. The phrase "Canine instinct tells me we are directly over our destination" plays on the period's casual racism regarding Native Americans and the West. This reflects Judge magazine's satirical approach to contemporary American culture, leisure travel, and the film industry's influence on public imagination.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘A ONS REEL FEATURE FILM — Chapter 6. THIS OLD TOWN = =\ NEW YoRK,1S A > = LONESOME JoInT_< To SPEND He DR ™.T Qo END. ial] ae: GUESS ILLSPIMA \ 2) Cor Lov ate ™me t A Tb piesa x AN (Twat coud’) \ GOmMe My Nes Yay SO USE WASTING) Leas -— \SAME OLD STORY = Two A CLOUDS TRING To PASS On THE} em eras ACQUAINTWE NO DovsT Xo Pew CRAWLIE PASS AN AN IMPROMPTU VISIT to CALIFORNY. LOLE ¢ craree MEAVEN AS AM ABIDING PLACE. Ss tay r >= (CANIN } INSTINCT TELLS ME WE ~/ ARE DIRECTLY OVER OUR pay Dart py J ( RATTLESNAKES & LIZ ARDS) ) CHAWLIE! YER } Just in TIME ¢ | STRANGER | | YER BRONCO? ~ [Leaww f SAS! } oR SAS Peat!) \ PS comicbooks.com