Judge, 1924-08-02 · page 2 of 37
Judge — August 2, 1924 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine Contest Page (1924) This page features a humor contest rather than political satire. The cartoon shows a car accident scene with two figures: Helen (a woman) asking Jack (a man) "Is anything wrong, Jack?" as their vehicle has crashed into a tree. Jack's response line is blank—readers are invited to submit the funniest possible reply. The joke setup plays on the absurdity of Helen's understated question given the obvious disaster. The contest offered a $25 prize for the cleverest second line, with submissions due by August 12, 1924. This reflects early 20th-century humor conventions: automobile accidents were popular comedic subjects as cars were still relatively novel, and the gender dynamics (a woman's oblivious question contrasted with male exasperation) were considered humorous by contemporary standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Can you originate a clever second line for this joke? Helen—Is anything wong, Jack? Jack— 0.0.0... JUDGE’S FIFTY-FIFTY CONTEST No. 31 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 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. 31 Contest closes August 12, 1924. The winning answer will appear in the September 13, 1924, issue of Judge. Check will be mailed to the Prize Winner on that date. In the meantime, No. 32 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 August 12.