SilentComedyMafia.com

From late 1926 until the mid-1930s, The New York Daily News ran the "Broadway" comic strip, featuring comedians currently appearing on Broadway, in nightclubs, and local vaudeville houses in the Metropolitan area. The performers were posed ("staged by Mark Hellinger") and photographed in 3 or 4 panels, enough room to put across a joke. Some of the jokes are pure punk, a handful are laugh-out-loud funny, some are head-scratchers, and others are obviously tailored to the specific comedian(s) or are recognizable gags from their repertoire.

We'll begin with Clayton, Jackson & Durante - here are 3 from 1927, '28 and '29 respectively. These are mostly groaners, though I do like the doctor bit (sure, bad jokes can be funny). Perhaps Jimmy's pseudo-Robin Williams-brio could pull these off in person, with assist from Clayton & Jackson rolling around in hysterics on the floor. The next ones will be better...

I remember seeing one of these in a book (I don't recall which book) way too many years ago: Clayton (Or was it Jackson?) asks Durante, "Jimmy, do you file your nails"?
" No, I just cuts 'em off and t'rows 'em away"!

William Ferry wrote:I remember seeing one of these in a book (I don't recall which book) way too many years ago: Clayton (Or was it Jackson?) asks Durante, "Jimmy, do you file your nails"?
" No, I just cuts 'em off and t'rows 'em away"!

Good one, William! I'll look if it's in the stash I've gathered, Durante had a million of 'em, didn't he?

Here it is, William! -- along with two other "beauts":

He's got a million of 'em! Thanks Ed!