Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, June 1921 · page 58 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #21 — page 58: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is satirical commentary on magazine marketing practices. The piece mocks how editors use sensational "eye-catchers"—promotional descriptions—to sell stories without readers actually reading them. The satire works through absurdist author names ("N. O. Chance," "P. North Poole," "U. Drinkwater") and ridiculous plot summaries. For example, "Frozen Tears" promises "whale blubber, seal blubber and plain blubber"—the joke being the description devolves into nonsense. The humor also relies on ethnic stereotypes (the Eskimo maid reference) and contemporary references (fire sales at "Goldstein's clothing store," real whiskey) typical of 1920s American satire. The core joke: magazine editors rely on flashy summaries and marketing rather than actual story quality to attract readers—advertising has replaced substance.
📄 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 57 It Pays to Advertise BY OXNARD PETE IT isn’t necessary to read magazine stories any more. The editor tells you all about them in “eye catch-ers” at the beginning. They read like this: • “Mary’s Garter,” by R. Ubberneck. A snappy and re-elastic love story that stretches the imagination to the breaking point. No “honi soit” stuff here. “100 to 1,” by N. O. Chance. A race track story. Like a gambler’s watch chain, it has a “charm” that holds the eye. “Frozen Tears,” by P. North Poole. Returning, after years spent in the far north, John Snow’s wife gives him a cold welcome. He finds that Eskimo maid-ens may have cold feet, but warm hearts. A tale of polar bears, whale blubber, seal blubber and plain blub-ber. Don’t fail to read “Way Down Yeast,” by Holmes Brewer, in our next issue. Mr. Brewer’s stories are as funny as a barrel of monkey wrenches; his wit as spon-taneous as a fire sale in Goldstein’s clothing store. And as unique as a drink of real whiskey. “Down in the Deep,” by Professor U. Drinkwater. A scientific article on the peculiarities of the Zoanatha-