Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, February 1922 · page 61 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #30 — page 61: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three separate jokes typical of 1920s American humor magazines: **"How We Do It"** satirizes politicians' prepared responses to tough questions. A candidate, cornered by a farmer about identifying "bad eggs," cleverly deflects with a double entendre ("break it gently")—implying both egg-handling and delivering bad news. The joke celebrates quick wit as political currency. **"April Fool!"** is a Prohibition-era joke: a message in a bottle warns finders the beer is gone—mocking the absurdity of alcohol being unavailable (Prohibition lasted 1920-1933). **"Another Married Chestnut"** is a tired marital joke where a husband, having dreamed of his wife running away with another man, asks what the man wanted—implying his wife is so undesirable no one would actually want her. The "chestnut" label acknowledges it's an old, recycled joke. All three rely on wordplay and expected social scenarios of the era.
📄 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 59 How We Do It A witty political candidate, after making a speech in an agricultural district, announced that he would be glad to answer any question that might be put to him. A voice from the audience: “You seem to know a lot about a farmer’s difficulties. May I ask you a question about a momentous one?” “Certainly,” replied the candidate, nerv- ously. “How can you tell a bad egg?” went on the merciless voice. The candidate waited until the laughter had died down, then replied, “If I had anything to tell a bad egg I think I should break it gently.” He won the place. * * * April Fool! It was only an old beer bottle, Floating across the foam, Just an old beer bottle, Far away from home. Only an old beer bottle, With these sad words written on, “Whoever finds this beer bottle, Will find that the beer’s all gone.” * * * Another Married Chestnut “I had a queer dream last night, my dear. I thought I saw another man running off with you.” “What did you say to him?” “I asked him what he was running for.”