Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, October 1921 · page 45 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #25 — page 45: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang*, a humor magazine, presents a "Dear Captain Billy" advice column featuring absurdist jokes targeting early 1920s readers. The humor relies on punning and deliberate misinterpretation: - **The giant tree joke** uses physical impossibility for laughs—two men can't literally "divide" looking at a tree. - **The cow/milk answer** pivots on calling false claims "bull"—crude wordplay typical of the era. - **Dating advice** mocks young people's romantic anxieties with dismissive, comedic responses (take the dog inside; avoid moonlight dances). - **Cuba's discovery date** satirizes absurdity by claiming Cuba was discovered in 1919—obviously false, likely mocking current events or readers' gullibility. The column targets a working-class audience with lowbrow humor. "Whiz Bang" was known for bawdy, irreverent content. The pseudonymous questioners and responses create a folksy, populist tone while poking fun at conventional wisdom and romantic propriety.
📄 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 43 Questions and Answers Dear Breezy Bill—"What's the tallest tree you ever have seen?"—Ella Mental. Up at Pequot we have a tree that is so big it takes two men to look at it; one man looks up at it as far as he can and the other man begins where the first left off. * * * Dear Captain Billy—I often have heard that there are lots of cows that do not give milk during the summer. Is this true?—O. Shoot. Yes, in a way, but the next time anyone says such things you just tell them it's "bull." * * * Dear Captain Billy—I am a girl fourteen years old and have a dog named Toddles. Should I let a boy of fifteen hug me?—Dot. No, go in the house, and take the dog in, too. * * * Dear Captain Billy—I met a guy at a dance, he kissed me during the moonlight waltz. What shall I do?—Helen. Lay off the moonlight waltzes. * * * Dear Captain Billy—Could you tell me when Cuba was discovered?—Hi Drant. July 1, 1919