Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, July 1922 · page 45 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #35 — page 45: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary on 1920s theatrical costume trends. The author mocks burlesque producers who claim they're returning to "tights" out of moral concern, when the real issue is that modern women's fashion (short skirts) has eliminated the theatrical appeal of exposed legs—previously scandalous, now mundane. The piece then critiques the Winter Garden's "Make It Snappy" (an Eddie Cantor revue) for attempting daring costume minimalism, describing performers wearing only strings of beads as "protection." The satire targets both the hypocrisy of theatrical producers claiming moral revival while actually chasing profit, and the absurdity of theatrical "decency" standards that allow near-nudity through creative justification. The crude opening reference appears to mock women's rolled stockings, popular 1920s fashion worn with short skirts—presented as hazardous or attention-grabbing on streets.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
44 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang startling. The toll of street accidents behind these stockings must be appalling. * * * S PEAKING of costumes—and lack of 'em —reminds us that the powers-that-be be- hind burlesque state that next season burlesque shows are going back to tights. Who says that normalcy isn't returning? For sea- sons burlesque has been aping musical comedy with ornate costumes and bare Groin archi- tecture. All that is passing. “Short skirts are the cause,” said one burlesque man to us the other day. “With these female fashions there's no illusion left. I don't know how musical comedy can survive, but we're going back to the old fashioned tights for a last stand, liter- ally speaking.” So next season you will see the merry villagers as of yore. And still speaking of costumes, we observe a little try at something daring at the Winter Garden, where the Eddie Cantor revue “Make It Snappy” is holding forth. There they have gotten some of the show girls' costumes actually cut at the waist, the second effort hereabouts to copy the frank Paris chorus revelations. Several seasons ago a roof chorus did a num- ber with its hands clasped over—well, with its hands as its only costume above the girdle line. At the Winter Garden they're wearing strings of beads up and around the neck as their sole protection. This isn't being done ostenta-