Judge, 1935-03 · page 13 of 40
Judge — March 1935 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "Checking Up" - Judge Magazine Satire The top cartoon depicts a judge being chased by a man with a club, labeled "Scram!" — satirizing judicial authority being undermined or fleeing from consequence. The main text story, "Checking Up," uses racist dialect humor typical of early-20th-century American comedy. A Black man named Sam borrows a white man's phone to call about a job opening for "a good colored boy." When told the position is filled, Sam reveals he was actually *checking* — he already has that job and was verifying the employer's satisfaction. The "joke" plays on the era's stereotype of Black workers as dishonest or duplicitous. "Revised Proverb" offers crude humor about a suitor being physically ejected by an angry father — the hand (hitting) and foot (kicking) being faster than the eye. The circular cartoon shows chaos around a clock with various figures, captioned about "catching that property man—fixing a broken bar with chewing gum!" — likely backstage theater satire about cheap repairs. All content reflects early-20th-century vaudeville-influenced humor standards.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ae Judge Checking Up E morni O door bell “Good morn use your phone “a negro rang the front fa white friend. Mr. Robbins, ¢ minute?" he : Mr. Robbins gave him permission Sam called his number and after a few minutes’ wait, said, “Hello, is this Mrs. Winthrop? Well, I see in the paper where you want a good colored boy. Is you still wanting ¢ Oh, I see. Then the man you've got is perfectly satis- factory and you doesn't contemplate making no change? All right, ma'am, goodbye Mr. Robbins called to Sam as he left the phone. “That’s too bad, Sam, I'm sorry the job is filled.” “Oh, that’s all right, Mr. Robbins. I'm the boy what's got the job. 1 was just wantin’ to check up a bit.” Revised Proverb As the suitor rejected by an irate parent found out: the hand is quicker than the eye; also, the foot is quicker than the seat of the pants. Barber—Excuse it, please. Nicked you a bit that time. Patient Victin—Would you mind shiftin’ into second when you go around those corners? ACR RR ROO a uaa oe a a* ae ee ~ So “Scram!” “Wait'll I catch that property man—fixing a broken bar with chewing gum!” 11 EI a NO ON comicbooks.com