Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, February 1922 · page 55 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #30 — page 55: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Captain Billy's Whiz Bang* (a popular WWI-era satirical magazine) contains brief jokes and quips typical of the era: **"Wriggle Through This One"** sarcastically thanks Prohibition (enacted 1920) for taking alcohol, predicting tobacco will follow—leaving only chewing gum, a joking commentary on increasingly restrictive laws. **"How Do You Get That Way?"** uses ethnic stereotyping (Jewish sergeant with exaggerated dialect) for humor about military drill instruction—common in period comedy but offensive by modern standards. **Other jokes** employ crude puns and stereotypes: a man hitting his thumb, Swedes pursuing lutefisk in Ireland, a boy washing his face, and a "change of wives" joke. The final "Consolation" uses comparison humor about ugly women. The overall tone reflects 1920s popular humor: topical references to Prohibition, casual ethnic caricaturing, and simple wordplay—reflecting attitudes and sensibilities quite distant from modern standards.
📄 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 53 Wriggle Through This One We have a terrible lot to be thankful for, Now prohibition's here, They've taken away our whisky, wines and lager beer, They'll take away our tobacco next, Along with the demon rum, We'll have a deuce of a lot to be thankful for, If they leave us chewing gum. * * * How Do You Get That Way? A Jewish sergeant at Camp Lee in 1918 was explaining to a rookie the command, mark time, in the following manner: “Foist you raise yer right foot six inches in de air and then bring the left foot alongside the right one.” * * * “Lovely day, don’t you think,” said the man as he hit his thumb with the hammer. * * * Two Swedes went to Ireland To kiss the blarney stone, But they couldn’t catch their lutefisk Where the River Shannon flows. * * * Willie, your face has changed quite a bit, Yes, mother, dear, I’ve been washing it. * * * A change of wives ofttimes improves one’s disposition. * * * Consolation “Who is that terrible looking woman?” “That’s my sister.” “Oh, that’s all right; you ought to see mine.”