Judge — November 1937 — page 7: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Political Cartoon Analysis: November 1937 This cartoon depicts a **theater labor dispute**, likely involving union picketing. Two picketers hold signs reading "DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS THEATRE" and "UNFAIR TO UNION" with "DO NOT PATRONIZE THIS THEATRE" beneath. The humor targets a **theatergoer** expressing anxiety about the picket line—hoping to be "relieved before nine o'clock" so they can still attend the show that night, seemingly indifferent to the workers' grievances. The cartoon satirizes **middle-class entertainment priorities over labor concerns**. The casual dismissal of union action and the speaker's sole focus on not missing their evening entertainment exemplifies how ordinary patrons ignored labor disputes affecting service workers. This reflects 1937's active union organizing period in American entertainment industries.