Judge, 1927-07-09 · page 13 of 36
Judge — July 9, 1927 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Judge magazine page satirizes the 1920s craze for rooftop entertainment in New York City. The cartoons mock the wealthy's migration to expensive rooftop gardens, clubs, and restaurants during summer months—depicted as crowded, uncomfortable venues lacking genuine atmosphere despite their high prices. The satire targets specific Manhattan establishments (the Astor, Bossert in Brooklyn, McAlpin, Cascades at the Biltmore, the Ritz) and mentions bandleader Georgie Olsen and performer Roger Kahn, suggesting these were then-famous entertainers associated with roof venues. The author proposes an absurdist solution: a rooftop nightclub in a skyscraper apartment with "aeronautic boot-legging service" and parachutes for intoxicated guests—mocking both Prohibition-era speakeasy culture and the era's fascination with aviation. The underlying critique: wealthy New Yorkers seeking escape pursue expensive, mediocre venues simply because they're fashionable and high-altitude, while complaining about crowds and poor service.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE WIG Going up! This car direct to gt n, while the Astor is full of the roof! Step back, please! j | { icket speculators and their wives Next car! Mind the hips! j . «Which leaves only one roof Whoops! A worth» = mentioning that — hasn't . gotten dizzy from the altitude, te Ie Maia! the Bossert in Brooklyn, and Everything nowadays seems to that’s too darn hard to get to. be up in the air... as the warm ; : Caan —f— weather approaches (sounds like i c Beaunash) the stay-outs take to rn Ss Therefore, why doesn’t some the great open spaces on the roof- astute night club proprietor, say tops... high, high up in the Georgie Olsen, for instance, in- concrete hills (ain't he —_ stead of spending the poetic!) highballs, high - summer on his darned old hats, high stepping, high 3 : Si motor boat, start a club prices, high color, heigho ! AS KARE atop one of these new - everything's high but - Na skyscraper apartments, the foreheads! J where us New Yorkers = may come up for air once awhile . . . or if What New York needs me millionaire wants to is bigger and better roof finance (put money into) gardens . . . there are | the project, I'll take it very few considering the { on mysclf! of the city, and these dull indeed . . . prob- fe ably because most of them are hotel roofs and And [ll guarantee first- have about the same class aeronautic — boot- spirit as, the average { legging service — direct hotel dining-room . . . from manufacturer to or maybe it is because the consumer . . . and auto- customers are so f: matic parachutes for in- of town ‘that ‘the ‘i toxicated gents with a uncomfortable.” yen for jumping off roofs . + + however, these are o— not to be used until the Anyway, something is | check has been paid! . wrong ... the Pennsyl- | and you'll see stars even roof, all dolled up | on moonless nights — like a cireus, with Roger when you pay the check! Kahn, late of the Perro- |... and wear your bath- quet, and his troupe of |, ing suits in case it rains. trained musicians The Club is go- is about as much p \ ing along swim- fun as Frank . mingly Campbell’s on a swimmingly is rainy day...” )) right! ©... Tam the McAlpin is ‘ just about up to even worse, and : my well-known the Cascades at he < 2 neck, . . . Liter- the Biltmore ally, thousands makes me think = Wi of birds are Lopez gone d f KA writing in, ask- ing all kinds of the Ritz is about : questions, and, at the same,. only «(Continued on high Episco- © page 25) comicbooks.com