Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1921 · page 9 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #22 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Hollywood gossip column** from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*, a 1920s satirical magazine. The column by "Richmond" reports on silent film stars' personal lives and romances. **Key figures mentioned:** - **Edna Purviance** (Chaplin's leading actress) — rumored engaged to a wealthy Los Angeles man - **Charlie Chaplin** — her employer, noted for making only one film ("The Kid") in nearly two years - **Larry Semon** and **Lucille Carlisle** — allegedly involved in a physical altercation - **Katherine McDonald, Natalie Talmadge, Buster Keaton** — other stars referenced **The satire:** The column mocks both the stars and gossip culture itself. It portrays Purviance as content earning just $100/week with abundant leisure time, suggesting she prioritizes "the social game" over career ambition—a veiled critique of either her ambition or her fortunate position. The breathless, scandalous tone parodies celebrity gossip while chronicling real Hollywood drama. The column invites readers to join a "monthly movie gossip club," satirizing the public's hunger for celebrity dirt.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang 7 Our Movie Gossips California society whisperers frown on Edna Purviance's rumored engagement to scion of Los Angeles wealth? Can it be Larry Semon “beat up” his leading lady, Lucille Carlisle? And Katherine Mc- Donald has something to worship! The male sissy of the screen! Natalie Talmadge may find a snag in Buster Keaton's backyard? Join our monthly movie gossip club! These dainty morsels are gathered by the Hollywood correspondent of this great family journal. By RICHMOND. OF ALL girls in the movies, Edna Purviance has the softest snap. In the last year and a half, almost two years, Charlie Chaplin has only made one picture, “The Kid,” which barely occupied more than a few weeks of Edna's time. It's true Edna doesn't earn much compared to the other stars or leading women of the screen—they say her contract with Charlie gives her only $100 a week—but she has time—loads of it—and Edna plays the social game in that spare time and doesn't appear to worry her pretty head about her career or future fame. She has an attractive but modest apartment. a not too expensive