Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, June 1922 · page 52 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #34 — page 52: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from the humor magazine contains brief jokes targeting early 1920s celebrities and social situations: **Von Stroheim reference**: Director Erich von Stroheim's costly "Monte Carlo" film production is mocked for its expensive extras and sets, with hope that producer Carl Laemmle recovers his investment—satirizing Hollywood's extravagant spending. **Celebrity jokes**: Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin, the silent film star) and Fairbanks (Douglas Fairbanks, action film hero) are referenced in wordplay jokes assuming readers recognize these major figures. **"Cuban Dialogue"**: A joke about con men taking money from educated marks, using vague ethnic humor common to the era. **Magazine self-promotion**: A joke credits *Whiz Bang* magazine itself with ruining a romantic evening—playful advertising. **"Tied the can"**: An idiom meaning "broke up with" (the girl rejected her garbage man's daughter fiancé). The page is primarily **joke columns**, not political cartoons, reflecting the magazine's satirical humor focused on celebrities, relationships, and contemporary urban life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
50 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang fall, were roped into furnishing atmosphere for von Stroheim's Monte Carlo beach scenes and that helped put it over big in San Francisco. Von Stroheim is a good actor and we hope Laemmle gets his money back. * * * Can She Get a Weigh With This? My girl is so dumb she thinks Chaplin is a priest, and Fairbanks is a scale. * * * Daily Cuban Dialogue “What's your racket, Bill?” “Why I'm a farmer and a publisher. What's yours?” “Why I'm in the habit of taking money from smart guys.” * * * This One's On Us “What kind of a girl is she?” “I can't quite figure. When I arrived she was reading Whiz Bang, but when I left she wouldn't even kiss me good night.” —Washington University Dirge. * * * He proposed to her in the automobile—and she accepted him in the hospital. * * * Cru-u-el Wurrald Alas, cru-u-el wurrald, I was engaged to a garbage man's daughter but she tied the can to me. * * * It's a wise policeman who knows his own beat.