Judge, 1927-04-23 · page 8 of 36
Judge — April 23, 1927 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "A Gintime Story for the Kiddies" — Judge Magazine Satire This page satirizes Prohibition-era excess and hypocrisy. "Uncle Punkie" is a caricatured drunk who tells children a nonsensical story while consuming rye and gin—openly flouting Prohibition laws (enacted 1920). The joke hinges on "B.V.D." (Before Volstead), referencing the Volstead Act that enforced Prohibition. The satire works on multiple levels: an adult telling crude stories to children while drinking heavily, the absurd narrative structure, and the punchline equating the caveman's hangover to humanity's "first hangover"—suggesting Prohibition itself is the real hangover society must endure. The top cartoon shows a nightclub "tripling everything (including check)," mocking how establishments inflated prices during Prohibition while serving illegal alcohol. The bottom cartoon's two figures claiming belief in Prohibition while shaking hands ironically suggests widespread hypocrisy—public support masking private consumption. The satire criticizes both Prohibition's unpopularity and widespread defiance of it.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Night Club that triples everything (including check), con- vincing guests that they are simply reeling. AGintime Story for the Kiddies “Now, kiddies,” said Uncle Punkie, as he clubbed little Lloyd, Ruthie and Chrissy into silence, “I’m going to tell you a nice story.” He took a shot of rye, washed it down with two tumblers of gin, and began. “Back in the year 1000 B. V. D., there lived—” “Waddya mean, B. V. D.?” asked little Lloyd, the first to re- cover consciousness. “Before Volstead, dammit!” replied Uncle Punkie, reaching for the blackjack. . . . “Now, don’t interrupt me again, you! Well, anyhow, a cave man named —well, it doesn’t matter—” “That’s a funny name,” as- serted little Ruthie from under the piano. “Yes,” said Uncle Punkie, giv- ing little Ruthie a nifty clout be- hind the ear, “isn’t it? So this cave man found a bottle one day and when he had emptied it down his windpipe he saw a pink dino- saur—” “Is that anything like a whiskey sour?” asked little Chrissy from the fireplace. “No,” replied Uncle Punkie, throwing on another log, “dino- saurs are extinct. Well, this pink one scared the man so that he ran and ran and finally he fell over a cliff !” By this time the kiddies were so excited they were just fit to be tied. “Go on, Uncle Punkie!” they cried. “Get it over with!” “But,” continued Uncle Punkie, “just as the man went over the cliff his bearskin pants got caught on a twig and there he hung, per- fectly helpless! Well, he hung there for hours until he sobered up again.” “What of it?” asked little dully. “Why that,” concluded Uncle Punkie, triumphantly, “is the story of the first hangover!” Ll “I believe in Prohibition.” “So do I—le’s shake.” comicbooks.com —____l