Judge, 1932-05-21 · page 7 of 36
Judge — May 21, 1932 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Skippy Dialogues" - Judge Magazine Cartoon This is a comic dialogue by Percy Crosby featuring two young characters discussing the Great Depression. "Skippy" (left) and "Utsev" (right) are talking about economic hardship—unemployed fathers, families in poverty, and children going hungry. The satire targets how the Depression affected ordinary Americans. The children mention fathers "busting" to find work, mothers taking in laundry, and the family's desperation. References to "Hoover's lawn" and political blame suggest criticism of President Herbert Hoover's response to the crisis. The humor is dark: children discussing homelessness, empty pockets, and survival—capturing how Depression hardship permeated everyday American life, even children's conversations.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Is Papa makin’ an honest livin’ now?” kippy: Well, it looks as if the depression is about over, yes, sir, about over. In another month the soup kitchens ‘Il be advertisin’ for custome Look at all the nickel sque crowdin’ back to the damaged goods j nd money. Take Wash- they c’n sy ington a little while back—all ready to pawn the y to pay the help, when over-night Congress swoops down on the Capitol an’ Zingo things begin to move. Sverybody in funeral suits all shakin’ hands, then they pitch into work. “You're a that an’ you're the boom is on, Little school children runnin’ after the aldermen singin’ “Hosannah.” Everybody so happy that no wonder the President's foot- ball team couldn't hold themselves in no longer, but 1 to rush up an’ xo through some signals on Hoover's lawn. Any day now the papers is liable to bust out that the Pri dent’s been made an Indian chief an’ Hoover's liable to give the coun- JUDGE try back to them so’s we again, Yes, sir, the depression’s all over, ‘ceptin’ for the unemployed. Yutsky: Yes, the depression’s about over, but I kinda hate to see it yo. Skippy: Hate to see it go! Yutsey: Yeah, we sorta had nice memories in our house. Pop’d come home without work an’ we'd be put out an’ then put back again until we was so sad we couldn’t look at each other without bustin’ out cryin’. The whole family was in r an’ tatte an’ when our bellies was full o° llowed tears, Pop’d take us out s the public could sprinkle us with sympathy. Them times was very ele- vant, an’ people all made us feel like we was on the stage. I'll never forget the hand we got when we trooped up the avenue carryin’ an empty fee pot. Skippy: You even speakin’ about it makes me fill up. can start cof- uTsEY: Yes, it was very sad, but you should hear Mama tell it. Gefore we'd yo out, Pop'd jab a hole through the bottom of the pot so’s the sunlight stream through it on the pavement. Then when we yot home, Pop’d solder it up so’s we could put on the coffee. We'd go over the unhappiness of it all until one of us’d break down, then we'd all bust out wailin’ as if our hearts’d break, When we was all goin’ sood, Pop'd pull back the curtains an’ point to the beautiful house of the law enforcement agent, crowded with limousines. “Him!” he'd yell, until all the butlers looked over, “Him! Livin’ off'n bootleggers an’ if they don’t come acro: h vot the yovernment to back him up.” That was always good for a sob that’d rock the house. Pop'd bust down then an’ blubber, “An’ me tryin’ to find an honest livin'!” Skippy: Is Papa makin’ an honest livin’ now? YuTsEY: No, he’s workin’ for the law enforcement agent huntin’ up speakeasies that are violatin’ the Constitution without comin’ across. comicbooks.com