Judge, 1927-09-24 · page 13 of 36
Judge — September 24, 1927 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis: "High Hat" - Judge Magazine Boxing Parody This is a humorous piece satirizing the famous **Dempsey-Tunney boxing match** (likely 1926-1927, based on the reference to covering it "before it even starts" as a "scoop"). The joke: The author claims to have attended the Chicago fight from a Times Square ringside seat, then describes the "battle" not between boxers but between **cocktails**—treating mixed drinks as fighters in a boxing match. Each "round" features different cocktails ("Jack and Frank" leading with Dry Martinis, "Mac" responding with Alexanders, etc.). **The satire works on two levels:** 1. **Media excess**: Judge mocks sports journalism's breathless, play-by-play coverage and publishers' claims of rapid service 2. **Prohibition era humor**: The elaborate cocktail recipes (Gordon Water, Cointreau, Bacardi) are coded references to illegal drinking during Prohibition, treating alcohol consumption as spectacle The cartoon illustrations show the author and companions in boxing rings with drinks, visually extending the metaphor. This is sophisticated satire targeting both sports media hype and Prohibition-era drinking culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
| JUDGE IMIG Turis Week the Dempsey Tunney Battle! ... Having bene- fited from our the Dempsey decided to cover the Chicago Battle in a sensible manner from a ringside seat, situated in Times Square, New York City! te If you will note the date of this issue, you will see that we have also put over what is known “scoop,” as we cover the F: for you, round by round, before it even starts! ... Very few pub- lishers give their readers this rapid-fire service, and we hope it will be ap- preciated! ht In order to get into the real atmos- phere of the Battle of the yards, er and I ined for weeks by rid- ing in the \ subway dur- ing the rush hour, and topped it off every evening by having a kindly police- man pile broken benches on us... . This we followed with vocal exercise, yell- | ing “sock ‘em, Jack” and “he’s punch drunk!” ete. As a result we entered our ring- side seats in the pink of con- dition! Sb Round One—Jack and Frank lead with two Dry Martinis. ... Mac scores , With an Alexander, fol- % lowing it up with a stinger. I return with a vicious rabbit punch (1 part Gordon Water, I part Cointreau) which staggers Mac. — Round Two—Mac comes out PE of his corner very slowly and I meet him with two stiff Barcardis which have him hanging on... . The referee parts us and as we come out of the clinch I catch him with a right Manhattan to the mouth. ... Mac is weakening fast and hands me a low punch (1 part brandy, 1 part white mint). ARRAS Ye *Ret RIND ACK FRANKS IP i Round Three—After a fast mix-up in Mac’s corner I put over my famous finisher, a fast Bronx to the = heart and 4 t Mac’s seconds us “% throw in the OR sponge. . . . \Ge x It was a great fight, and as SEZ } MN, Sas: - . Do you [PA \eceeveory eige | Temember, of ee eee (Continued Wier RICKAED ATTING = \ Y RIGHT BY7HE RINGe FOR SOME REAGON_ CR OTHER oS said over the radio, “I did my best, folks, and I think the best man won!” Cd And_speak- ing of famous punches, Jimmie Me- Corman, Jr., sends in some on page 27) comicbooks.com