Captain Billy's Whiz Bang, December 1924 · page 31 of 71
Captain Billy's Whiz Bang #67 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents satirical aphorisms under the "Farm Yard Philosophy" banner, accompanying an illustration of a woman with farm animals. The humor targets early 1920s social attitudes and Prohibition-era culture. **Key References:** - **"Sheik and Jack"**: References to 1920s male archetypes—the exotic "Sheik" (popularized by Rudolph Valentino films) versus the ordinary "Jack," suggesting modern women prefer dangerous excitement over dull respectability. - **"Bootlegger's waltz"**: References Prohibition (1920-1933), where "camels" likely denotes smuggling routes or illicit operations. - **Poker terminology for women's aging**: Uses card-game language ("straight," "flush," "bluff") to mockingly describe how women's appearance changes from youth through adulthood, suggesting cosmetics increasingly compensate for fading natural beauty. The overall tone is cynical about respectability, romance, and female aging—typical of 1920s satirical magazines that critiqued both Victorian prudishness and modern excess.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
FARM YARD FILOSOPHY All Sheik and no Jack makes John a dull boy. *** A woman with a shady past often is a cool proposition. *** The camel step is a bootlegger's waltz from one oasis to another. *** Respectability is the state of never hav-ing been caught doing anything you really wished to do. *** A woman's complexion is like a game of poker. At seven it's “straight,” at sev-enteen it's “flush,” and from then on it is nothing but “bluff.” [29]