Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1921 · page 22 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #22 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three short humorous pieces from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*, a post-WWI satirical magazine: 1. **"Out of the Past"**: A joke about military hierarchy. A new recruit, unaware of the colonel's rank, casually asks how long *he's* been stationed there—a comedic reversal of expected deference. 2. **"A New Label"**: Satire on Prohibition-era bootlegging. The fake label mocks illegally-made whiskey ("Old Corno," made in a barn in 1919, bottled in 1920), sarcastically claiming it conforms to "Pure Fool and Drunk Acts"—playing on actual alcohol regulation laws. 3. **Lloyd George reference**: Characters comment on the British Prime Minister "castigating" German delegates (likely post-WWI treaty negotiations), claiming Germans deserved it. 4. **Final aphorism**: A cynical observation about hypocrisy regarding other men's wives. The humor targets military absurdity, Prohibition defiance, and post-war politics—typical of this magazine's irreverent 1920s tone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
20 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Out of the Past A rookie, all dolled up in his new uniform and ready for first liberty, strutted down the steps of the barracks and met the colonel coming up. The silver eagles of the colonel's shoulder straps meant nothing in this rookie's young life, and he was about to pass with only a casual glance. The colonel, feeling somewhat different, addressed the lad in an impressive voice: “Young man, how long have you been here?” The rookie's face radiated surprise and gladness at having thus been noticed by an apparent old timer, and he eagerly replied: “Why, I been here three days, how long you been here?” * * * A New Label OLD CORNO 100 Poof Bottled In Barn Aged In Woods MADE OUT OF SPRING 1919 BOTTLED ALL OF 1920 Guaranteed to Conform with All Pure Fool and Drunk Acts * * * “It says in this paper that Lloyd George castigated the German delegates,” growled Panhandle Pete, glancing up from a paper all stained with near-beer. “And that's just what they had a-comin',” vigorously assented his pal. * * * It is easy to be generous to another man's wife.