Judge, 1931-06-13 · page 10 of 36
Judge — June 13, 1931 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This is a satirical piece mocking the obsessive, status-conscious planning of upper-class social gatherings disguised as casual outings. The "polar explorer" frames a simple picnic as a military expedition requiring meticulous personnel vetting. The humor lies in the absurdly petty reasons for excluding guests: the Smiths (Mrs. is a "backseat driver"), the Browns (their pound cakes exceed weight allowances by 4 ounces), potential "unrestrained mood" behavior. Meanwhile, the Blacks are approved because Mrs. Black makes good potato salad and they own a portable radio—practical utility trumps friendship. The satire targets early 20th-century bourgeois pretension: the narrator treats guest selection with the gravity of an actual expedition, reveals class anxiety about appearances and social control, and exposes how material concerns (weight limits, radio access) drive social decisions more than genuine affection. The bottom cartoon's caption "It's Mr. Gevus—you know—fish face" suggests parallel mockery of cruel social categorization by appearance. The overall target appears to be snobbish, calculating upper-middle-class social climbing.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE THE POLAR EXPLORER PLANS A PICNIC By Cnet Jouxson “TE: check over the personnel first)... Mmmm The Smiths! ... No we can't include them. Smith I hear, has two bad teeth. And Mrs. Smith is a backse driver. Otherwise, she would be all right. But on this 1t-mile dash to F Creek we must ve no divided leadership. . .. The Joneses... . They'll do. Jones is a willing fellow and very good at gathering firewood, ani Mrs. Jones is a stror pable woman, well qualified te help change tires. ... The Browns? ... Oh, no! Mrs Brown would insist upon taking one of her pound cakes and my tests show they average four pounds. We must calculate our supplies ‘very carefully, and 16 ounces. is the maximum for a pound cake. While we are on that subject, we must remember that the limit on stuffed olives is three per person. I notice you have four bottles of them listed. One bottle will be sufficient d we must put the olives into a paper container to eliminate the excess weight of the bottle. ... Now, getting back to the Browns: With Mrs. Brown left behind, it is likely that Brown would be in a peculiarly unrestrained mood on the picnic and insist upon making sub-expeditions into the wilds when we r our destination, thereby risk contracting poison ivy and exposing others. ... You see? . So we'd better seratch Brown off the list, too... . 1 see you have the Blacks here. ... Good! They have a portable radio whieh will enable us to keep constantly touch with the world And Mrs. Black has demonstrated her excellence as a potato-salad expert... “Now let us study the map... . Here is Frog Creek I think we should go out Mai treet to Gilff Avenue, then “It’s Mr. Gevus—you know—fish face.” 8 comicbooks.com