Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, October 1921 · page 17 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #25 — page 17: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a humorous review of a silent film called "Deception" depicting Henry VIII's reign. The satire works on multiple levels: **Historical satire:** The text mockingly calls Henry VIII "Henry the Flivver" (referencing Ford automobiles), joking that he was a good king because he found a Ford that runs efficiently—anachronistic absurdity mixed with 1920s consumer culture. **Film critique:** The reviewer complains that subtitles prevented viewers from seeing truly "wicked" content, suggesting the silent film's morality restrictions were disappointing. **Period humor:** References to Henry playing "crap" (dice games) and reading "sixteenth century funny papers" featuring "Omar, the tentmaker" treat historical figures as contemporary vaudeville characters. **Final joke:** The closing quip about a girl calling someone "Charles" when his name is "George" appears to reference either casting confusion or a broader marital/romantic mix-up joke typical of 1920s comedy. The piece exemplifies *Whiz Bang*'s irreverent, anachronistic humor mocking both historical film adaptations and contemporary entertainment.
📄 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 15 “High Steppin’ ” From “Deception” By James Starr. This is a story of the wild parties they had during the time English history was origin- ated. From the looks of this picture they had a wild and wicked time. The hero had six wives; that’s enough to make any picture worth watching. The time is during the reign of Henry the Flivver. Without a doubt he was a rattling good King because he found the Ford that would go fifty miles on a bucket of oats. There’s a mystery about the old birds doing the “toddle” in the second reel; they pull a mean dance and if it hadn’t been for a gang of sub-titles we’d have seen a wicked time. Old Henry as a king was a much better joker. The greatest thing that he ever said was, “If I ever lose my Kingdom, I’ll sell shoe strings on Broadway so I can have my near-beer.” He meant every word of it, too. Old Henry was a real wicked hero, they usually let the villain have the part, but to save the cost of another actor, they had old Henry do it. The old Mon- arch was fond of playing crap and reading the sixteenth century funny paper. One of his favorites in the funny paper was “Omar, the tentmaker,” who is now still acting foolish on he American stage. This picture is not quite as wicked as “The Queen of She Bare,” but it will do just the same. * * * Doesn’t it get your nanny to have a girl say, “Now quit, Charles!” when your name is George?