Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, May 1922 · page 21 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #33 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from the satirical magazine contains short joke vignettes typical of early 20th-century American humor. The opening joke plays on post-WWI social anxieties: a drunk man holding a lamppost is reinterpreted by a policeman as "rehearsing memories of the past"—euphemistically suggesting shell shock or war trauma rather than intoxication. The remaining jokes are light domestic humor: an absentminded professor confuses a hairbrush for a mirror; a man feigns surprise at being offered rolls; a woman questions her boyfriend's health before he's "started" drinking (implying he plans to drink); and the final song references ("Peggy's Oatmeal," "one born every minute") appear to be topical jabs at popular culture or well-known figures, though the specific references are now unclear. The overall tone is cynical, favoring wordplay and double meanings over warmth—characteristic of this magazine's irreverent style.
📄 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 19 **Some People Believe This** A man was zigzagging homeward. "What's the matter with that fellow over there—the one that's holding onto the lamp post just now? Didn't you see him try to walk along a while ago? "Well," said the policeman, "there was a time when I would have said he was drunk; but now I suppose he's rehearsing the memories of the past." * * * They tell us about an absent-minded professor of mathematics, who picked up a hair brush instead of a mirror, looked at the brush and murmured: "I certainly DO NEED a shave!" * * * She (bringing in refreshments)—Do you care for rolls? He—Oh, this is so sudden! * * * **Bring On the Bottle** She—You are not feeling well tonight, are you, dearie? He—I haven't started yet! * * * **Waiter's Song** That's Peggy's Oatmeal. * * * **Valparaiso's Song** Why waste your time with her? There's one born every minute.