Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, September 1921 · page 10 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #27 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page addresses the **Fatty Arbuckle scandal** of the early 1920s. Arbuckle was a major silent film comedian accused of causing actress Virginia Rappe's death during a party in 1921. The magazine makes a "plea for fair play"—Arbuckle hasn't been convicted yet, though newspapers sensationalize his past. Whiz Bang admits it previously mocked Arbuckle's famous "pajama parties" and his playboy Hollywood lifestyle, but argues this prior coverage shouldn't be used as evidence of guilt in Rappe's death. The final anecdote about ordering "Sherry and Egg" is unclear but likely a separate joke playing on similar-sounding words or an old joke format unrelated to Arbuckle. The opening dialogue fragment appears to reference bootleg bourbon (spelled "Bourb'n"), reflecting Prohibition-era underground drinking culture. This satirical magazine combined gossip, innuendo, and editorial commentary on celebrity scandals of its time.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
8 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang shallow water, had been able to walk almost to shore. What was that you said? Yes, sure, make it Bourb'n! * * * THIS is a plea for fair play. Fatty Arbuckle at this writing hasn't been convicted of any crime. Testimony by one of the prosecuting witnesses is claimed by the defense as showing Miss Rappe voluntarily entering what later proved to be her death chamber. We are not taking that as evidence to remove guilt or do we claim that it excuses Fatty for his alleged actions. The "exposure" of Fatty's past actions by daily newspapers ought not to be news to regular Whiz Bang readers. For more than a year we have "kidded" Fatty, in our "movie pages," for his famous "pajama parties," and dedicated the cover of our August, 1920, issue to Fatty's "heart-breaking" playfulness in Hollywood. A recent report to the Whiz Bang was to the effect that Mr. Arbuckle bought the Randolph Miner home on West Adams Street, Los Angeles, because it was supposed to hold a thirty thousand dollar cellar. * * * WE ARE reminded, by an enthusiastic reader, of the old story of the man who walked into a Halstead Street saloon in Chicago and ordered Sherry and Egg.