Judge, 1935-04 · page 12 of 36
Judge — April 1935 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Radio Script Conference" This Judge satire mocks radio comedy writers' creative process. The scene depicts a "Great Comedian" (likely a caricature of a famous radio star like George Burns) conferencing with script writers and producer Florian Ginsburg about joke material. The humor targets the absurdity of radio comedy: writers recycle tired gags (a horseshoe joke, an alligator/alligator pear pun) that they excitedly call "terrific" and claim will "kill the people" and "lay 'em in the aisles." Everyone praises mediocre material with exaggerated enthusiasm until Ginsburg finally admits: "I think it stinks!" The satire critiques the radio industry's self-deception—how showbiz people convince themselves that obvious dreck is genius through groupthink and yes-men behavior. The final caption by "Lloyd Mayer" (a jab at Louis B. Mayer, Hollywood executive) adds that such terrible scripts deserve a "black eye."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Judge The Radio Script Conference ¢ in on the Great Comedian’s h he is in conference with rs.) T Script Writer: It's terrific! he Great Comedian: It’s a sock- ccond Script Writer: Iv kill the people, Fhe G.C.: Wil lay 'em in the aisles! Read that last gag again, Willie, First SW. (reading) : Shesez, I foun’ a horseshoe terday on'y I didn’ pick it up, and yousez, Why a hors good luck, Gracie—why didn’ you pick it up? and shesez on account of because there was a horse standin’ on it (admiringly Isn‘t that Isn't that a great gag? First S.AV.: It's terrific. It'll kill the people. Second S.W.: It'll lay 'em in the aisles r Panties Man- hk is sponsoring Ginsburg: ‘lo boys . . . How's the scrip’ this week? I tell yah we gotta do somethin’... . The G.C.: Florian, you don't hafta worry no more, see? Becaws we got somethin’ terrific, Ain't we, boys? “Here we are, alone at last.” Ginsburg: Oh, yeah? That’s what you las’ week an’ look what we got. G.C. (impatiently): Says you Willie read ‘im that spot about (reading) : Shesez I had a pair of alligators for lunch, an’ yousez Gracie you don't eat alligators, they eat 11, an’ shesez oh, there you go George, always kiddin’ but [ had a pair of alli- gators with French dressin’, an’ yousez quiet Gracie, what you mean is you had an alligator pear, an shesez well it doesn't make a diff of bitterance, does it? The G. Isn't that terrific? First Script Writer: It’s a sockeroo! Second Script Writer: It's terrific! The G.C.: G'wan, Willie, read ‘im rest of i « Didn’ I tell yah, Floria It’s terrific! (Willie reads the entire script amid riotous laughter) Ginsburg (suddenly coming to him- self) : Do youse guys wanna know what I hones’ly think of that script? The G.C.: Sure . . . You think it’s terrific! insburg: I think it stinks! “That's him, Mother. That’s the fellow who : (Bade ose on Fight Notses) py gimme this black eye! —Luoyp Mayer. 10 comicbooks.com