Judge — November 20, 1920

# Film Fun: A Satirical Look at "Funday" This page celebrates "Funday"—the monthly publication day of *Film Fun* magazine. The satire depicts an idealized American family discovering joy through this entertainment publication, contrasting sharply with their ordinary domestic routines of "house-keeping and sock-darning and meal-planning." The humor centers on how *Film Fun* transports readers from mundane reality into "a world of sunshine and happiness." The family members mentioned—Mother, Sister, Brother, and Father—each abandon their responsibilities to engage with the magazine's content, particularly fascinated by celebrity gossip about stars like Constance Talmadge and Doris May, and references to Harold Lloyd's films. The satire critiques both popular culture's escapist appeal and the era's gender roles, suggesting that entertainment magazines offered middle-class Americans relief from domestic tedium.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine, November 29, 1920 This cartoon depicts turkeys in an outdoor setting, with one turkey addressing others. The caption references "anti-election fudges" and mentions Democrats' opposition to Turkey's disfranchisement, alongside suffrage being granted to "both hen and cock." The satire appears to conflate poultry with political figures, likely using turkeys as metaphors for politicians or voters. The reference to suffrage (voting rights for both male and female) suggests this comments on the recently-passed 19th Amendment (ratified August 1920), while the Turkey reference remains unclear—possibly alluding to a political figure nicknamed "turkey" or using the bird as general mockery of political adversaries. The exact political targets are difficult to determine without additional context about November 1920 events.

# Jimmy's Idea of a Perfect Thanksgiving Dinner This cartoon depicts a child's imaginative fantasy of an ideal Thanksgiving meal. A young boy sits alone at an enormous table laden with lavish foods—multiple roasted birds, pies, desserts, and elaborate dishes arranged in a circular abundance. Two adults stand in the background, appearing to observe or react to this scene. The satire is straightforward: it mocks the excessive materialism and gluttony associated with Thanksgiving celebrations, presenting the holiday through a child's uncritical, greedy perspective. The joke relies on the contrast between modest, traditional family dinners and this over-the-top fantasy of endless indulgence. The title ironically labels this excess as "perfect," critiquing both consumer culture and holiday excess through the innocent lens of childhood desire.

# Analysis This page contains "Not Too Late: A Tale of Early New England" by Harry Irving Shumway—a fictional story rather than political satire. The narrative depicts a colonial-era mother and son during Thanksgiving, emphasizing Puritan values like conscience and duty. The story's moral centers on the son's obligation to return home despite danger from "wild redskins" (Native Americans), framed through the mother's invocation of his "New England Conscience." The illustrations show caricatured faces emphasizing this earnest, rigid moralism. This appears to be **historical fiction celebrating Puritan virtue**, not political commentary. It reflects early 20th-century American nostalgia for colonial settler values, though the depiction of Native Americans as simple "dangers" reflects period biases.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page contains three separate literary pieces rather than political cartoons: 1. **"En Passant"** by Wease Holbrook - A sketch about a distracted poet walking through city streets, lost in thought and composing verses. 2. **"The Kingdom of Apollo"** by Stella V. Keleerman - A poem addressing "the World" as young and strong, encouraging resilience through life's troubles. 3. **"The Species"** - A brief humorous dialogue about whether certain people truly believe their own claims. The illustrations are decorative rather than satirical: an owl in a party hat, a turkey, and a kitchen scene. This page appears to be primarily literary content—poetry, short fiction, and humor pieces—rather than political satire. No specific political figures or events are referenced.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page **Main Story: "An Afternoon"** This satirical narrative mocks the vapid consumerism and vanity of upper-class women. Violet Grace spends her afternoon shopping—visiting department stores, boutique shops, and galleries—yet finds nothing satisfactory. The running joke is her constant nose-powdering, presented as reflexive behavior suggesting shallow preoccupation with appearance over substance. The story critiques how privileged women fill their days with aimless consumption and self-grooming rituals. **Political/Social Context:** The cartoons reference early women's suffrage debates. "The Great Leveler" jokes that women's newly won voting rights are absurd because even servants will vote—suggesting anxiety about working-class political participation. "We Should Say Not!" comments on post-WWI inflation (turkeys selling at inflated prices), mocking wealthy Americans' entitlement. **Visual Content:** The top illustration depicts a chaotic Thanksgiving football game, satirizing how commercialized the holiday had become. The page reflects 1920s anxieties about women's liberation, economic change, and class disruption.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page (1920) **"The First Stock Market"** (top left cartoon): A sardonic illustration of a wooden stock labeled for "women and children" at $3.98. This satirizes post-WWI commercialism and the emerging consumer culture—reducing family life and domestic goods to marketable commodities. The "stock market" pun references the volatile financial markets of the era. **"Thanksgiving 1920"** (center text): A philosophical essay questioning traditional American values during the post-war period, asking whether citizens truly celebrate gratefully or merely escape hardship through holiday indulgence. It critiques political corruption and economic inequality. **"The Minister's Fault"** and **"Astounding"** (anecdotes, right): Two short jokes mocking clergy—one depicting a minister's poor moral guidance leading a man to theft, the other joking about stingy wedding donations. These reflect 1920s skepticism toward religious authority. **"The Turkey's Dreams"** (lower right): A darkly humorous poem personifying a turkey awaiting slaughter, contemplating the people who will eat him. Classic holiday irony—anthropomorphizing the meal to highlight its grim fate.

This is a densely detailed satirical illustration by Johnny Gruelle titled "The Human Fly Visits Yapp's Crossing." The cartoon depicts a bustling small-town street scene populated with numerous figures and labeled storefronts. The labels identify various local businesses and residents—a bank, doctor's office, rotarians club, candies shop, and numerous named individuals—suggesting this represents a specific community, likely satirizing small-town American life and its cast of recognizable characters. The "human fly" reference appears to be a fantastical element observing this ordinary streetscape. The cartoon's humor derives from the dense, chaotic arrangement of townspeople engaged in everyday activities, creating a "Where's Waldo"-style composition that mocks the interconnected social dynamics and commercial life of a typical American town during this era.

# "Bad Breaks" - Judge Magazine Satire Column This page features Judge magazine's recurring "Bad Breaks" humor column, which satirizes absurd newspaper headlines and poorly-written journalism. The cartoons at the top show various mishaps and embarrassments—people caught in awkward, undignified situations. The column's joke is exposing unintentionally funny or contradictory newspaper clippings submitted by readers. Examples include: - A doctor who questioned a man for two years, then claimed he didn't know him when the man disappeared - A "vacant cottage" that was occupied when it burned down - A race run in "cold rain" where someone finished "fifty years ahead" - An usher in white satin at a Baptist wedding (unclear significance today) The satire targets journalism's carelessness—confusing headlines, logical impossibilities, and poor editing that create unintended comedy. Readers competed for a $5 prize by finding the week's best "break." This was lighthearted media criticism for an educated audience accustomed to print journalism's quirks.

# "The Lowest of the Low" - Judge Magazine Story This is a humorous short story (not political satire) about romantic rivalry and comeuppance. The narrator and his rival Dalton both court Miss Carter. The narrator borrows Dalton's car to impress her, viewing this as clever romantic competition ("all's fair in love"). However, the outing becomes a disaster: the car suffers multiple flat tires, engine trouble, and breakdowns. Miss Carter abandons him for dinner with Dalton. The narrator must be towed back to town at considerable expense. The joke's ironic twist: mechanics mention Dalton sent the car with "the worst tires in the shop and only ten gallons in the tank"—suggesting Dalton deliberately sabotaged it, turning the narrator's own sneaky tactics against him. The title "The Lowest of the Low" refers to the narrator's moral descent into deception, which backfires spectacularly. The illustrations show the indoor sport of "sky-boarding" (surfing on tables) and the car troubles.

# Analysis of Judge Magazine Page This page from the satirical magazine *Judge* contains several distinct pieces: **Main Article "Some Are Noisier than Others"** by Royston Markham is a philosophical humor piece about noise and perception—playing on the old question of whether sound exists without an observer. It's lighthearted wordplay rather than political satire. **The Cartoons:** The upper illustration shows two people in what appears to be a romantic or theatrical scene, captioned about a director finally achieving "love at first sight"—likely mocking melodramatic theater or romance conventions. The lower cartoon by Calvert Smith depicts a skeleton (Death) sitting under a tree while a woman approaches, with the caption "Mother says, please say ye grace in five minutes. We'll be ready to eat Thanksgiving dinner then!" This is dark humor personifying Death as a dinner guest—a memento mori joke playing on Thanksgiving's theme of gratitude for life. **The Short Jokes** below satirize shallow observations about beauty, romance, and bureaucratic frustration—typical light satirical filler for the magazine. The page contains no obvious political commentary, focusing instead on social satire and absurdist humor typical of early 20th-century American comedy magazines.