Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, August 1922 · page 60 of 67
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #36 — page 60: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains gossip and literary mockery typical of *Whiz Bang*, a bawdy satirical magazine. **Upper section**: Gossip about a "picture celebrity" at Long Beach who took up with a new "flying friend" after stunt pilot Locklear's fatal accident. The item sarcastically notes she dropped her previous boyfriend (Willis) but kept his diamond ring and fur coat—mocking her infidelity and materialism. **"Of All Sad Words"**: A humorous parody of overwrought literary prose from major magazines (Saturday Evening Post, Harper's, Smart Set, etc.), all describing emotional moments with melodramatic eye-contact imagery. The satire ridicules how different prestigious publications use nearly identical clichéd descriptions of longing and drama. **Bottom joke**: A Prohibition-era gag: a man's sudden wealth comes from selling "divining rods for locating hidden liquor"—mocking both get-rich-quick schemes and the illegal alcohol trade during the 1920s ban. The page's humor relies on readers recognizing contemporary literary pretension and Prohibition-era bootlegging culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
58 Captain Billy's Whiz Bang has taken unto herself a new flying friend at Long Beach or thereabouts. Locklear got killed doing acrobatic flying for the movies, while Brown, formerly a British officer, is acting as prosecuting attorney of the Orange Country kangaroo court. His friend, Judge Oscar Trippett, appointed Brown for a year. His time will be up in August and it is hoped that this pleasant young fellow will leave other people's automobiles alone in the future. The picture celebrity did not seem to be very faithful to Willis. She dropped him cold but still is wearing his diamond ring and fur coat. * * * "Of All Sad Words—" Saturday Evening Post—"He jerked an eye over his shoulder." Joseph Conrad's "'Twixt Land and Sea"—"She leaned forward, hugging herself with crossed legs." Will Irwin—"His eye clutched at the desk." Harper's Magazine—"She dug her wrists into the deep sockets of her eyes. Blurred by the gesture, she saw him only dimly." Smart Set—"'Fool! Cry out once more and we are lost,' he hissed. 'The Baron will not see him!' hissed the other. 'Ah, you have your future, but I'—she gulped—'what of me?'" Ainslie's Magazine—"She forced his lips to her own and spoke softly into them." The Red Button—"'Not to you,' replied Rosalie La Grange, dimpling on him." From Tourgee's "A Fool's Errand"—"Carpetbagger! They hissed the name with lips hot with hate." * * * Hott—Where'd Smith get all this wealth so suddenly? Shott—Oh, he manufactures divining rods for locating hidden liquor.