Judge, 1930-06-14 · page 12 of 36
Judge — June 14, 1930 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis of Judge Page This satirical page contains three distinct pieces of humor: **Top cartoon** ("Why Didn't Someone Think of That Before?"): A businessman named Smith invents outrigger gravy boats after observing Pacific Islander canoes. The joke satirizes the obviousness of the invention—the solution was always visible, yet no one commercialized it before. **"Just a Memory"**: A nostalgic quip about Prohibition-era speakeasies that disguised themselves as legitimate businesses. The satire suggests that in the post-Prohibition era, alcohol is now so openly available that even entering ordinary stores results in being offered gin. The reference to "Jimmie Walker" (likely NYC Mayor Jimmy Walker, known for his playboy lifestyle) on "vacation" is unclear without additional context. **Bottom cartoon** ("The steam shovel man goes fishing"): Shows an industrial steam shovel being repurposed as a fishing crane—absurdist humor about adapting heavy machinery for leisure purposes during unemployment, likely referencing the Great Depression era. The overall theme mixes gentle social observation with Depression-era anxiety.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE Why Didn’t Someone Think of That Before? Lways a chap to notice details, Smith got the idea for his inven- tion while on a cruise through the South Sea Islands. He saw natives skimming over tropical seas in frail little craft which any wave would have overturned had it not been that each boat was equipped with an outrigger. Smith even tried to tip the things over. But though he exerted all his strength, the boats remained upright and it was impossible for their occu pants to be spilled. So Smith made copious sketches and notes, and when he returned from his cruise he opened a factory you've | made Outrigger Gra Tablecloths C fortune for him: Boats—The. an, —-C. J. Just a Memory And what old-timers — remember when speakeasies uscd to be camou: flaged to look like something els Nowadays a man who stutters can’t walk into a drug store or a delicates- sen without being handed a bottle of gin. Jimmie Walker, we hear, is back in town. Must be having a vacation. The steam shovel man goes fishing. 10 comicbooks.com