Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, June 1921 · page 50 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #21 — page 50: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from the satirical magazine discusses Hollywood starlets at a social event, likely a 1920s dance or party. The text focuses on **Bebe Daniels**, a silent film actress, noting her unusually modest demeanor compared to other screen stars—she appears bored by the glamour, suggesting she has common sense about the hollow nature of celebrity ("18 carat bunc"). The satire critiques **high society's obsession with movie stars**: society women find it essential to attend events to see what stars wore and whom they associated with, though the author mocks this as foolish. The piece also jabs at wealthy socialites for gushing over boxing matches staged in hotel dining rooms—essentially watching "mostly naked men fighting." A reference to **"Mary and Doug"** (likely Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, famous married stars) suggests they maintain exclusive, dignified conduct younger stars should emulate. The overall tone mocks both celebrity culture and high society's breathless fascination with it.
📄 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 49 Bebe Daniels was one of the first on the floor. Not that Bebe seemed overly excited about it. But the proud looking young man who trotted her out seemed not without fear that his appearance with the fair Bebe might be overlooked if he didn't get an early start upon the ball room boards. But Bebe was worth looking at; incidentally, one of the few modest looking women on the floor. They say she is stuck up. They say that about most of the really stellar female attractions of the screen. But the insider opines that Bebe's bored look combines a sense of humor and the common sense of a young girl who finds that the glitter and night adulation are mostly 18 carat bunc. Yet Bebe danced and danced. As we have said before, society doesn't know what to do about the picture stars, especially if they are starettes. But to miss seeing them, so one can talk about what they wore and whom they were with, that would be ultra ignoramus, as one might aptly say. Just what a bunch of supposedly high bred society women, Miss Morgan to the contrary, can see in the spectacle of two men slamming each other around the ring passeth, no doubt, some portion of the male ele- ment. Sounds like we are getting sermony. Far be it from us. There are worse things than women in eve- ning garb gushing over mostly naked men fighting in the main dining room of our swell hotels. One thing about Mary and Doug.; they are fairly exclusive. Some of the younger stars might do well to emulate them. Yet, perhaps before a star becomes a