Judge, 1928-08-18 · page 23 of 36
Judge — August 18, 1928 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes a performer (likely an actor named Marc) rehearsing Shakespeare's *Julius Caesar* funeral oration for a friend. The humor lies in Marc's anxious self-consciousness: he obsesses over delivery choices—whether to open formally, how to emphasize key lines, when to pause or gesture dramatically—while worrying he sounds too theatrical or artificial. The central clock illustration shows him hanging from it as a "stranded painter," a separate joke about someone stuck at work waiting for the boss. The satire targets pretentious amateur theatricality and overwrought Shakespearean performance—Marc treats this classic speech with such self-important deliberation that he becomes comic. The piece gently mocks both theatrical affectation and performers' insecurity about their choices, suggesting that excessive analysis kills natural delivery. The byline credits Chet Johnson as the author.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Marc Tries Out His Speech on a Friend “Friends, Romans and ce men... that’s a ul way to open it, don't you think? “This old ladies and gentlemen’ stuff sounds too formal... T come to vury Caesar, not to praise him. 4 . .. Brother, that’s a good lin even it IT did write it myself. D'yuh think Lo: ht to emphasize sand praise? [guess not. then T can say that sentence calmly; excited later... . [ come to... » TD just read that. ... Lemme see... . The evil that men do lives after them... . [think VI pause there. then wag aofimeer back and forth a few f . eo@6@ e Shooting gallery saves expenses of clay pigeons, pipes, eo? e ete. Putty blowing air guns, a cut-out in front of e @ onic railway and you take your shot. times before I give ‘em the other barrel. « The good is oft in e terred with their bones! ... Man, e FN bet 1 could sell that one ° ; That ought make “em start e ‘ thinking, eh e e » But here’s some th suppose T ought to go right on Lam not sure about: Doyuh from there, or maybe throw in a story? I've thought that before I began to get too serious, [might e say: And that reminds me of a little yarn [heard last week... . e No? ... Well, maybe you're right. e see, now, Where was 1? Oh, yeah. » The good is oft in terred with their bones! Say, I like that, don’t you? TIL hold one hand up like th menacingly at se the edge of the of hiss it... . point my fi ve hick out on crowd, and sort cer he evil that men e e do lives after them! Th Lis cir bones! | e r oft interred with their dones we ee @ ef Buddy, the more I roll that on: out the better TP dike it!... Maybe | it would go over better if T kinda | Steaxoen Paryten—Oh, well, PU hang around here till that mene. Fey! Wait a min four o'clock and if the boss doesn't show up, I'll slip off. 7 ute! Don't gé yeu! There's alot —Cietr Jonson Ccomicbooks.com