Judge, 1928-11-17 · page 13 of 36
Judge — November 17, 1928 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Judge Magazine: "High Hat" Column Analysis This is a humor column by "Judge Jr." satirizing 1920s youth culture and entertainment trends. The main targets are: **Jazz Age Nightlife**: The column mocks speakeasy culture during Prohibition—empty clubs that artificially fill their floors with hired "paper" (fake) guests, phonies dressed up pretending to have money. The cartoon depicts Columbia Records freshmen awkwardly trying to fit in at "Barney's" nightclub. **Youth Behavior**: Judge Jr. discusses the younger generation's drinking and parties with mock-serious concern, noting they seem more restrained than stereotypes suggest (fewer drunk people at Cornell-Princeton game). **Entertainment Industry**: The column reviews books and records with snobby dismissal—praising some while complaining others are "too damned clever" or "old fashioned." **The Satire**: Judge is gently mocking both the pretentious 1920s club scene and the column's own pompous narrator judging youth culture. The "paper dolls" punchline makes the nightclub fakery explicit—even the guests are artificial props.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
\ WA al JUDGE The Joke of the Month... the Columbia stewdent trying to “cut in” on the dance floor at Barney’s . «the other yawning (that’s a new one, Walter) at the Heigho- Ho three collegians with a snappy Rolls Royce roadster parked in front discovered they were out of gas and had to borrow fifty cents from the doorman . . . speaking of Republican prosperity of the well-known night clubs re- cently, around 1 A, M., there wasn't a soul in the place... suddenly the captain saw a happy party of six approac knowing they wouldn't they saw the place empty, he rushed the entire cabaret show and some spare waiters out and seated them at ringside tables ... the employees realizing the golden opportunity ordered heavily and the management just came out even... another night club “pro,” on dull nights, calls up all his friends and tells them to bring their gangs over and have a party on the house ... the only restric- tion is that they have to dress... one of these “pro's” recently re- marked to “Mac” “The club's all ‘paper’ tonight” and “Mac,” with a roguish twinkle in his cock eye, looked around and flashed back, “Yes, but there are some nice ‘paper’ dolls!" “THE GLUMB/A, FRESH Maal widdlep . IN_AT BARNEY GALLANT” d What is the younger generation coming to? .. | what is happening to ourflamin ~ Well, I'll tell you s, or did say ... they're suffering from a hangover—they're fed up... they've grown up . . . ata house party over the week-end of the Cornell - Princeton game I didn’t sce one unsteady guest... at the game, in a crowd of forty thousand, there weren't a dozen buns . . . but maybe I'm wrong .. . perhaps they're just learning to handle it better... any the younger generation is improv- ing . . . (well, listen to old man Junior)! 8 @ “Here’s How” (1929 Edition, to be called “Here’s How Again,” on sale at all of the better book stalls for one dollar the copy) has a new rival in the field and just to show how big and broad-minded I am I ought to praise it to the skies, but I can’t... it is ver interesting and is beautifully printed, but it’s too darn old fashioned .. . another tome that bothered me con- siderably is “Mean- ing No Offense,” by one John Riddell - .. it is one of those esoteric satires on our best sellers and is just too damned clever for words ... in fact if they had cut out the words and printed the pages blank I could have used it very nicely for addresses and phone numbers .. . Elliott White Springs, author of “Leave Me With a Smile,” has another war birds book called “Above the Bright Sky,” which is good stuff . the only snappy record I could find during the past “fort- nit” is a Columbia with “Dog Gone” on one side and “Anything Your Heart Desires” on the other, both hits from that very good show “Just a Minute”... why that’s perfectly all right, Walter. * 8 « Notes in Preparation for my Forthcoming Book of Philosophy, “TheJudgment of Junior’ —Show me a heart breaker and I'll show you a broken heart. Freud covers a multitude of sins, Six Best Steppers in the Wood"? ” (no show) ranata” (no show) “Life Is a Twosome” (Americana) “Long Island Low Down” (Animal Crackers) “I Must Love You” (Chee-Chee) Juoor Jn. (Paris) comicbooks.com