Judge, 1928-05-12 · page 8 of 36
Judge — May 12, 1928 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Explanation for Modern Readers This Judge magazine page contains multiple satirical pieces about early 20th-century American entertainment and advertising. **Left cartoon:** Criticizes slick advertising copywriters who use ethnic stereotypes ("Sparrow Collars Man," "The Nocks Hat Gent," "Luster Hair Sheik") to sell products. The caricatured faces represent exaggerated ethnic types used in period advertising—a common but now-offensive marketing tactic. **Main article:** A mother's humorous letter to her songwriter son critiques popular song trends. She mocks sentimental "southern" songs dominating radio, noting they appeal to northerners' fantasies. She mentions her younger son writing local "Bronx" songs instead. The mother references "Yes, We Have No Bananas," a 1923 hit, as an example of absurdly successful novelty songs. **Right cartoons:** Three unrelated jokes about lion trainers, whist card games, and college humor—typical Judge filler content. The satire targets 1920s commercial entertainment's formulaic approach to song-writing and advertising's reliance on ethnic caricature.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Letters From a Song Writer’s E GET SO SORE AT Mother to Her Son “THESE SLICK GENTS IN By R. C. O'BRIEN THE ADS, WEDLIKE | tear son: TO MAUL A FEW oF ‘The Ginsburgs, our neighbors, “THEM; LIKE THE had their windows open last night because it was so warm and we heard song over the bout keep 4 m the south if you don’t 1 You don’t have to tell people not to go places if they don’t like those | ey know enough for that. Besides, Popper says, you should be smarter and write ch should stay popular longer, and not so much about the south, because people up here only like to think about going down there in the winter time. Your little brother to be a se songs wh The former lion trainer forgets him is also goi God forbii so much pr sss the ghbors are complaining and we are think- ing of having his finger insured, is already more loyal than you and has more genuine local pride and is writing put the Bronx. Of course it is only a amateue effort and we don't ex- pect much from it. The Bronx is a smaller place than the south, which after all is not a place at all but a direction, This song of his is about stas cout of the Bronx. It goes like If you don’t like lish en, if you don’t like Hebrews jokin’, stay out of the Bronx. Funny, heh? Maybe it will take if it’s funny. Remember the old one: Yes, Maybe We Ain't Got Any Bananas?) That was funny, and think of all the money they made from that. No matter how scarce bananas was, you could get them if you was that rich. I understand Lawyer Finestein Wel PLAY WHIST AND YOULL BE is intreducing a law which claims DUMMY SAID THE VENTRILOQUIST song writers’ mommers should If you have a headache, try H get when they write this little torch number called then This would — “Chinatown, My Chinatown.” make me rich, and I could really A couple of “collegians” (col- spend my time in the south, and lege boys) were schmoozing then maybe you would come and around. “Why don't you ever . see me. Absents make the heart — year your watch with your } grow fonder, and it is so long — soup and fish?” queried Tam. j . since you was here you must be — “IWell, Bones, I can't get both Pe | Doubly Certain crazy about us now and we look of them out at once!” gagged Doctor—l_ don't think — the for a new song about us soon. the Phi Gamma Gamma patient will recover, but to make — Popper says so. Gamma, The song is ended sure I'll call in another physicis * Your loving Mon songs : ner. but the malady lingers on, } — _ ai — J comicbooks.com