Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, April 1923 · page 57 of 68
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #44 — page 57: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page reprints humorous classified ads and newspaper notices from various American and British publications, presenting them as unintentional comedy. The "jokes" exploit double meanings and awkward phrasing: - **"Mike Smith"**: A wife's vengeful personal ad threatening a deadbeat dad with physical violence—humor from domestic abandonment and marital rage. - **"Hands Off the Housekeeper"**: A respectable woman's ad that implies sexual vulnerability, read as innuendo about protecting her from employers. - **"Experience...Long Hikes"**: A stenographer job listing absurdly emphasizing hiking over typing skills. - **"Gas Fires"**: A guest house ad that, given the 1920s context of poison gas dangers from WWI, reads ominously. - **"Browning"**: A pun—the dancing partner asks about the poet Robert Browning; she misunderstands as "browning" (skin discoloration). - **"Everett Tibbetts"**: Juxtaposing births with someone confined to bed suggests implied illness or scandal. The satire targets newspaper editors' obliviousness to unintended humor in their own pages.
📄 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 57 Cowslips and Cucumbers Such a Touching Appeal (Personal in Tacoma Ledger) If Mike Smith, who deserted his wife and baby about 20 years ago, will return, said baby will kick his supreme putrifaction into Hele... * * * Hands Off the Housekeeper (From Minneapolis Tribune) RESPECTABLE lady prefers housekeeping position in country, respectable only. Address L907. * * * Experience Necessary But Not Required (Indianapolis Star) Stenographer—Male or female preferable; one who has had experience in taking long hikes; salary commensurate with ability. Address BB No. 146, Star. * * * Hurrah for Charming Ladies (From the London Times) Charming ladies' guest house beautifully furnished bedrooms with gas fires. * * * Green Stains Not So Good, Either (From ittsburg Leader) Her dancing partner asked if she liked Browning, but she said she thought it was very unbecoming in an evening gown. * * * We Hope It's Not Serious, Everett (From the Bangor Commercial) Mr. and Mrs. Frank Morse of Addison are receiving congratu-lations on the birth of a daughter. Congratulations are extended to Mr. and Mrs. Guy Crowley, on the birth of a boy, December 23. Everett Tibbetts has been confined to his home for the last ten days.