Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1922 · page 27 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #35 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several brief satirical jokes typical of 1920s humor magazines: **"This Isn't True"**: A Jewish stereotype joke. After a swimmer rescues a Jewish boy from drowning, the father's only concern is the lost hat—playing on an antisemitic caricature of Jewish frugality and misplaced priorities. **"Oh, You Frat Boys"**: References college fraternities (A.D., D.K.E., S.A.C., B.V.D.) in a suggestive verse about romantic/physical encounters, with B.V.D. (a underwear brand) as the punchline. **"Shave, Shoe Shine or Singe?"**: A barber-shop complaint that the barber is incompetent—"worse than barberous" (playing on the word "barbarous"). **"Four reasons why Gus left home"**: Lists four women's names, implying infidelity or romantic entanglement drove him away. The humor relies on period stereotypes, double entendres, and wordplay rather than sophisticated satire. The Jewish joke reflects casual bigotry common in early 20th-century American entertainment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
26 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang This Isn't True A small boy of Jewish persuasion, who was playing at the end of the pier, fell into the sea and, after great difficulty, was rescued by an intrepid swimmer. Half an hour afterwards, much exhausted by his effort, the brave rescuer was leaving the pier when a stranger tapped him on the shoulder. “Are you the man who saved my son Ikey’s life?” “Yes,” answered the tired hero. “Then,” said the Hebrew, indignantly, “vere’s his hat?” * * * No sir! He wouldn’t spend a nickle to see Gus ride a bicycle, or a dime to see a cockroach with a wooden leg stick a mule’s ear full of collar buttons. * * * Oh, You Frat Boys I was kissed one night by a good A. D., And I have cuddled up close to a D. K. E.; I’ve been loved to death by a S. A. C., But, I have never been kicked by a B. V. D. * * * Shave, Shoe Shine or Singe? A man cried out in a barber shop, “May the gods protect and harbor us, That guy in there behind the chair, Is a darn site worse than barberous.” * * * Four reasons why Gus left home—Maggie, Tillie, Rose and Ruth.