Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1921 · page 38 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #22 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three brief humorous pieces typical of 1920s American satirical magazines: **"London Stuff"** is a marital joke: A married man phones his wife suggesting they meet secretly to "smear a little red paint around" (a euphemism for illicit activity). She agrees but innocently asks why he doesn't just come home since "nobody's home"—implying the house is empty and available. The joke's twist: realizing she'd been alone all along, he's now too embarrassed to go out, spending evenings at home instead. **"Oh! Gawsch!"** mocks a local newspaper's innocent reporting of a "stripping bee" (a quilting/sewing social event) at someone's home, with the exclamation treating it as scandalous gossip. **"The High Cost of Company"** presents a hotel sign charging extra for overnight guests, satirizing post-WWI inflation and hospitality costs. The final aphorism is unrelated. These pieces reflect working-class humor and social commentary typical of Whiz Bang's audience.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
36 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang London Stuff He had been married about a year and had taken to spending his evenings out West with the boys. One night his conscience worried him, and he thought he would phone his wife to have dinner with him. “Hello, kiddo,” he began. “Slip on some old clothes and run down and meet me on the quiet. We’ll have a good dinner and then smear a little red paint around. How about it?” “I’ll be delighted to join you,” was the reply. “But why not come up to the house, Jack, and get me? There’s nobody home.” Today the young husband spends every evening at home. His name is Philip. * * * Oh! Gawsch! A stripping bee took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bohumil Albrecht Thursday evening. Those present were the Mesdames Katherine Mach, John Marek, John Jelimek, Kenzel Pokorny, Mr. and Mrs. John Novotny, Mr. and Mrs. John Hanna and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wessely. Sr.—(From Kewauness (Wis.) Press.) * * * The High Cost of Company Sign in European hotel, Manitowoc, Wis.: “If you have company over night an extra charge of 50c will be made.” . . . A fatted calf maketh a full stocking.