Judge, 1924-05-24 · page 2 of 36
Judge — May 24, 1924 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Contest, No. 21 (1924) This is a "Judge's 50-50 Contest" — a humor competition inviting readers to supply a witty second line of dialogue. **The scene:** A circus clown sits exhausted against a wall while a well-dressed circus manager stands over him demanding, "Why don't you want to work to-night?" **The setup:** The visual joke plays on the clown's disheveled appearance and apparent fatigue — he looks literally worn out, suggesting physical comedy or mishaps. **The contest:** Readers were challenged to complete the clown's response. The $25 prize ($400+ today) went to the "cleverest second line." The deadline was June 3, 1924, with winners announced July 5. This reflects early 20th-century participatory entertainment, where magazine audiences actively contributed to comedic content rather than passively consuming it.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Circus. Manager—Why don't you want to work to-night? Clown— You can originate a clever second line for this joke! UDGE will award a prize of $25 for the cleverest second line in the above conversation. Study the situation, the characters, and their ex- pressions, and then write the funniest, snappiest 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. 21 Contest closes June 3, 1924. The winning answer will appear in the July 5, 1924, issue of Judge, and check will be mailed to the Prize Winner on that day. In the meantime, No. 22 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 June 3. lay 24, 1924. Entered as Second-GlassiMatter; October'21, 1881, at the Post-Office at New" York’City. N. dhted 1924 by Leslie-Judge Co.; Douglas H. Cooke, President, B. F. Provandie, Vice-Pres., Harold W. Ross, Vice-Pres comicbooks.com