Judge, 1927-05-07 · page 15 of 36
Judge — May 7, 1927 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical tabloid piece mocking a fake boxing match between Gene Tunney (a real, famous boxer of the 1920s) and Jackie Coogan (a child film star). The "fight" is absurdist humor—Coogan is depicted as exhausted, attempting to bring his scooter into the ring, and hiding a lollipop in his glove, establishing him as a child playing at boxing. The satire targets celebrity culture and tabloid sensationalism. Real 1920s figures appear as commentators: Tex Rickard (boxing promoter), Jack Dempsey (boxer-turned-actor), Texas Guinan (nightclub hostess), and others. Judge Landis, baseball's commissioner, is shown at a baseball game, mixing sports absurdly. The joke mocks how tabloids manufacture drama around celebrities and how 1920s New York society obsessed over boxing and entertainment figures. Coogan, a child star, is treated as a legitimate fighter—ridiculous on its face, which is precisely the point.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TABLOID NUMBER | TUNNEY K O’S COOGAN! TUNNEY STAGGERS COOGAN in the third round of their historic battle at Boyle’s thirty cres. Coogan is seen on his hands and knees in the center of the roped arena. NEW YORK, N. Y., May 7.| was certainly not the man he| notables were introduced from Gene Tunriey knocked out|was at the Battle of Antietam.|the ring, among them Jack ckie Coogan last night in| The first four rounds were all | Dempsey the well-known the 17th round of bitterly |Tunney, but in the 5th Coo-| moving picture actor, Jimmie contested battl Coogan|gan made a desperate rally} Walker, Texas Guinan and didn’t seem to be himself at}and had Tunney on the ropes] Peaches Browning. any stage of the fight and|se 1 times, and as the bell ang landed a clean blow to Demands Return Tilt th middle of his vaudeville contract. Coogan already de- manded a return match stating that he had so much on his mind before the bat- In the 6th stanza Tunney|tle he couldn't do himself asked that his moving pic-| justice, but Tex Rickard, ture double be substituted} when interviewed by a TAB- for him, and the New York|LOID reporter, said that he Boxing Commission, headed] would first have to eliminate by Muldoon and Sousa's band,} Paolino Uzcudun, Frank objected. In the 7th Coogan |Crowinshield, Conde Nast and slipped on a technicality and|Al Smith and that the battles was evidently in bad shape at| Would all have to be fought at the end of the round. Referee | his own Madison Square (€ Murphy nearly disqualified | den. Coogan in the 8th round be- cause he insisted on bringing his scooter into the ring, and| It we sreat fight. But T it was also discovered that he}|Sure w disappointed — in had a lollipop concealed in his|Coogan. I had visited him glove. before the battle at his train- — a amp in Mott Street and Coogan Tires had said to me himself, Coogan ¥ tiring visibly|“Benny, my boy, I sure am by the middle of the 17th} confident of winning this fight. round and gave Tunney an] You can count on me.” Im- THE MARCHIONESS DE/|0Pportunity to put over his|agine my surprise when I saw RAZZBERRY, who was an| Well-known haymaker to the|him last night! He wasn’t his interested spectator at the|knee-cap. 70,000 people wit-|old self. No, sir! Coogan unney - Coogan fisticuff tilt.|nessed the fight and many! wasn't his old self. and the Coogan Staggers T Benny Leonard Says JUDGE LANDIS _ throwing out the first pop bottle at the Polo Grounds in the opening ween the Athletes Philadelph Ledgers. 13 comicbooks.com