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Newspaper
Decatur Daily
Location
Decatur, Alabama, United States of America
Date
Jul 05, 1940
Page
4
Citizens gear up for a July celebration framed by Independence spirit and a TVA presence led by Directors Lilienthal and Pope. The event features a flotilla on the Tennessee River, a fireworks display, and calls for regional farming growth toward a 100000 gallon daily milk market.
The article emphasizes heavy spending to upgrade Wyoming s 31 to first class status. It cites Director Sherlock as a key figure in highway planning, noting wartime urgency and Pershing s urging for full mobilization of men aged 21. Domestic measures are seen as essential to prepare the nation for war and peace.
The passage mocks the Daily for boasting about a football season while noting propaganda from Russia and Germany. It cites a British claim of air strength 2 to 1 in Germany’s favor, then questions Nazi plans and criticizes mass murder rhetoric.
The Tuscaloosa News pays tribute to Decatur's 120th anniversary, praising the town's unity, resilience, and growth. The Decatur Daily thanks readers and neighboring papers, noting a four day celebration of history and future promise, amid Morgan County’s wartime scars and economic recovery.
Washington reports the administration may drop a grand scale project to buy Latin American raw surpluses. Agriculture Secretary Henry Wallace, privately wary of farmer backlash, supports a substitute plan to purchase only noncompetitive surpluses from tropical nations like coffee tin and rubber, excluding wheat and meat from the southern Americas.
Government economists diverge on reducing the agricultural accord with Argentina. Some fear surrender to Nazi influence as Argentina supplies meat and wheat while Germany could trade manufactured goods. Others urge expanding American investments in Latin America to offset potential losses. The inter American economic committee will discuss the issues.
The Havana conference aims to lower South American shipping costs but true reductions demand large subsidies or major reforms. U S negotiators weigh loan-backed leverage over Chile amid threats to seize foreign property, while Willkie and Hatch bill debates shape House positions and party tensions.
Old Republican fund raisers warn that Willkie restrictions on corporate contributions five thousand dollar cap and cash gift ban over ten dollars will hamstring campaigns. They urge efficient small donor schemes, while reports from here suggest Wheeler and Lewis are the only likely names in a potential third party, with few CIO or Democratic isolationists showing interest.
The Daily Sermonette emphasizes that Christ does not coerce and insists actions done by force lack real substance. It urges entering any task with conscience and single purpose, noting no man is sufficient alone and readers may seek guidance.
A breezy column notes stage revivals borrowing gags from The Man Who Came To Dinner and other era productions. It mentions Bert Lahr in Du Barry Was a Lady and references risqué routines linked to Minsky shows, plus jokes tied to Hamlet motifs and Osric’s dueling challenge as revenue boosters.
Two actors in The Male Animal struggle with a locked door and each ends up with half of the doorknob. The gag serves as a refined take on breakaway sets and elicits loud laughter.
A fragmentary review notes The World We Make offers a grim study of a neurotic girl and a chaotic scene on the Columbia Wheel amid rowdy days. One character is described with a shirt-tail hanging out causing embarrassment.
The piece recalls a scene where Dorothy Stickney jokes that returning a pug dog to the store lets the son get a free suit of clothes, an improvised oldie. Another version has a barfly claiming he traded beer for a cigar and thus owed nothing for the beer.
The musical Too Many Girls featured a costuming gag where chorus girls wore a hat to signal they were good. If a performer appeared hatless the audience supposedly shouted yoo-hoos in a style associated with Bobby Clark, recalling earlier vaudeville antics.
Garbo’s performance propels Ninotchka with publicity touting “Garbo laughs” as Melvyn Douglas lands on his kerchief pocket, a moment tied to the rise of Sam Scribner and Izzy Herk in building theatre chains.
The review notes a Saroyan reference seen by a critic nicknamed the “Minsky” line and mocks Jessie Royce Landis as a frightful spinster in a scene resembling a burlesque. Walter Huston is likened to a magical elixir act, critiqued as mere stage trickery dressed in highbrow polish.
In this production Saroyan borrows scenes with Reed Fields and Billy Watson as characters. A Wild West liar shocks Eddie Dowling who laughs and bumps into his drink. The crowd paid $1.50 instead of $3.30 to see the show.
A nostalgic note recalls the film His Girl Friday using a trick where a hidden prisoner in a desk answers when Cary Grant knocks three times. A variation shows a misdirected signal causing the boyfriend to face danger and exposure, ending with a risky confrontation.
A burlesque performer plays a reporter who denies drinking alcohol and then cues a quick laugh by tapping where a bar rail should be. The bit lands as a long running gag, showcasing stage timing and audience rapport.
John Barrymore performs in My Dear Children with Bozo Snyder dioces and knockabout costumes. His exchanges with the gals rely on the old let us wrestle gag as part of the comic equipment and stage business.
The piece urges readers to judge any religious leader by four tests: supreme spiritual genius, real spiritual leadership power, integrity of character, and lasting credibility over time. It cites Confucius Buddha and Muhammad among ancient voices and calls for examination through the life of Christ.
The piece grimly treats murder while lightening with a frisky nephew and spinster aunt jokes. Haley performs burlesque tricks though the scenes verge on rowdy vaudeville in a reminiscence of early outrageous shows. Sharkey the seal adds comic mishap as wardrobe destruction memory lingers.
A note compares Lenore Ulric role in The Fifth Column to a tent show performer on a carnival midway. The pidgin English speaking lady expresses wicked thoughts and has earned many dollars from farmers.
A stage note recalls Sean O'Casey and his play Juno and the Paycock. The production drew laughs as the Irish comic figure delivers oversize pants and a know-it-all persona, with audience responses to gags about nightwear and face cream.
A vintage note recalls a sharp scream by Booth as Mestadher Sicnes leaves during The Philadelphia Story, a moment once considered a reliable highlight on the Columbia Wheel.
The column explains vitamins B and C boost appetite, favors raw fruit or juice to start meals, and notes Brewer's yeast as a vitamin B source. It cautions against pep tablets and alcokey discussions of diet for underweight individuals with a sample daily menu totaling about 4400 calories.
The text references Washington as busy and mentions U.S. presidents who died on Independence Day. It notes John Adams Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe among the dead on July 4 1826 and mentions Calvin Coolidge as born on July 4. It also contains dialogue about a scene with a bound and hugged victim. It ends with a reflection on government as a collection of individuals and its credit.
A recruit sheltering from a dust storm jokes with a cook: if you cover the kettle dust would not get into the soup. The cook replies that the lad’s business is to serve the country, to which the recruit quips that he would rather not eat it.
A fragment on daily interaction emphasizes that courtesy toward those you associate with daily is among the most important personal attributes to cultivate. The text suggests a focus on respectful behavior in routine contacts and workplace interactions.
A worried mother writes about her infant daughter and an uncle tickling the baby's feet. The answer suggests the activity likely does not harm the infant and could please her, noting infants respond differently to skin stimulation than adults and that convulsions are unlikely given the baby's behavior.
Readers may obtain seven pamphlets from Dr Clendening by sending 10 cents per pamphlet and a self addressed stamped envelope with a three cent stamp. The titles include Three Weeks Eating Diet Indigestion and Constipation Reducing and Gaining Infant Feeding Instructions for the Treatment of Diabetes Feminine Hygiene and The Care of the Hair and Skin.
A whimsical column outlines refinements of courtesy emphasizing sincerity, name recall, and avoiding discussions of religion politics or weather. It stresses polite phrases like yes sir thank you and please as marks of good breeding and notes brusque conduct harms business.
William Neville Jr. 8 had little experience with firecrackers. He threw away the match then held the cracker and burned his left hand.
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