Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, December 1921 · page 46 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #28 — page 46: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three brief humorous pieces typical of 1920s American satirical magazine content: **"Just Like the Army"** jokes about over-drilling—a mother rehearses her daughter's responses to a visiting pastor's standard questions, but the child, over-prepared, blurts all four answers at once, ending with "go to hell, sir." The humor comes from innocent chaos and the girl's accidental profanity. **"Blank Verse"** references *The Gold Diggers*, likely the 1923 film, as a pun: the writer sought literal gold at a rainbow's end but found "gold diggers" instead—women who pursue men for money. The Boston reference suggests regional variations in this behavior. **"Sneeze Hearty"** is a simple pun-based joke: the Hay Fever Club president proposes a toast but sneezes mid-sentence, turning "Here's looking at you" into "Here's looking at—choo!" All three are gentle, wordplay-driven humor targeting everyday situations—parental training, romantic deception, and allergies—with no apparent political content.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
44 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang Just Like the Army The prosy old parson was coming and his hostess carefully drilled her daughter to answer the string of questions he always asked every little girl: (1) “What is your name?” (2) “How old are you?” (3) “Are you a good little girl?” (4) “Do you know where bad little girls go?” But the little girl was overtrained and when the reverend visitor began by asking her her name, she spilled all the answers at once in a single breath. “Dorothy, sir; six years old, sir; yes, sir; go to hell, sir.” * * * Blank Verse Dear Captain Billy, I am full of regrets, Because the other night I set out to find the gold At the end of the rainbow. And all that I saw was “The Gold Diggers.” Ain’t that always the way In Boston? * * * Sneeze Hearty “I rise to propose a little toast,” announced the president of the Hay Fever Club. “What is it?” “Here’s looking at—choo!”