Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, January 1921 · page 25 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #16 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humor advice column from *Whiz Bang*, a 1920s-era satirical magazine. "Captain Billy" answers absurd letters with deliberately irreverent, cynical jokes targeting marriage, women, and social conventions. The humor relies on misogynistic tropes typical of the era: women are portrayed as violent ("couldn't throw things"), materialistic, or dangerous. Jokes about George Washington marrying a widow, or the Venus statue lacking arms, play on crude domestic stereotypes. The strychnine joke darkly puns on "stop anything"—implying death. The "Pussy Foot" pseudonym likely references Prohibition-era temperance advocate Wayne Wheeler, nicknamed "Pussy Foot," making the secret marriage joke a topical jab. The column's appeal was its provocative irreverence—treating serious topics (marriage, poison) with flippant mockery. This reflected post-WWI cynicism and the magazine's transgressive humor, which was considered daring for mainstream American publications of that period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang 23 Dear Captain Bull—Do you like cocktails?—**Ana Monyous.** Yes, I should say so. You finish the answer. * * * Dear Captain Bill—I've often heard the toast: “To George Washington, first in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Do you think he was always first?—**Willie, age 12.** Yes, with the exception that he married a widow. * * * Dear Captain Billy—What kind of a woman should I marry?—**Sandy Henna.** Venus would be fine. She would be perfectly safe, as both her arms are missing and she couldn't throw things. * * * Dear Captain Bill—What is a definition for man and woman?—**Pinkie Cherry.** Man, Pinkie, is the Lord of Creation, and Woman is the lady of Recreation. * * * Dear Banger—I want to be married secretly. What shall I do?—**Pussy Foot.** Go to a justice of the peace. * * * Dear Phiz—Is strychnine effective in stopping heart ailments.—**Co-ed.** Yes, if taken in sufficient quantities, strychnine will stop anything.