Judge, 1924-02-16 · page 35 of 36
Judge — February 16, 1924 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a reader-participation contest from *Judge* magazine (February 1924). The setup shows a mother asking her daughter Betty: "Do you know what becomes of bad little girls?" Readers are invited to submit a clever punchline. The contest reflects early 20th-century humor conventions and parenting discourse—the threat of consequences for misbehaving children was common in period comedy. The illustration depicts a domestic scene with period dress and furnishings. The $25 prize (substantial for 1924) incentivized reader engagement, a popular magazine circulation strategy of the era. The contest mechanism—submissions by postcard to the magazine's New York office—was typical of pre-digital audience participation. For modern readers, the humor likely depends on understanding what dark or unexpected consequence the era's comedians might have suggested for "bad girls," reflecting period attitudes toward childhood discipline and gender.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE’S FIFTY-FIFTY CONTEST NO. 7 1 Hil pu Can you originate a clever second line for this joke? Mother—Do you know what becomes of bad little girls? Betty— UDGE will award a prize of $25 for the cleverest second line in the above conversation. Study the situation, the characters, and their expressions, and then write the funniest, snappiest second line you can think of. In case two or more persons submit the same winning line, $25 will be awarded to each. Any reader of Judge may compete. Any number of lines may be submitted but none will be returned. No.7 Contest closes February 26, 1924. The winning answer will appear in Judge of the issue of March 29, 1924. Check will be mailed to the Prize Winner on that date. In the meantime, No. 8 will appear next week. Write one line on a postcard, sign your name and mail to Fifty-fifty Editor of Judge, 627 West 43d Street, New York City. All answers, to be considered, must be received not later than February 26, 1924.