Subject: Old Humor (ca. 1940s)

August 1994
                        HISTORICAL HUMOR

                           by Jim Mica


The by-laws of our little electronic community say that we give
primary emphasis to new humor.  Since there are really only five
(or is it seven?) jokes in the whole world, I often find myself
wondering just what our commitment to "new humor" can mean in
practice.

A while back we helped to move my mother-in-law to a retirement
community.  Among the cast-offs was a book first printed in 1942.
It's called The Pocket Book of War Humor and was edited by the
great Bennett A. Cerf.  On page 91 of the book I found the
following joke.  Note the similarity to jokes recently seen on
HUMOR.
-------------------
  A fugitive from Kelly Field has revived this venerable old
legend.
  A Scotchman and his wife were working their little farm one day
when an Army training plane  {no Air Force at this point} made a
forced landing on their field.  The Scotch couple {sic} watched
the young aviator make a few necessary repairs.  Suddenly the old
man, almost overcome by his own impetuosity, asked how much the
aviator would charge to take him and his wife up for their first
trip in the air.  The aviator, blithely ignoring Army regula-
tions, announced that if the Scotchman and his wife would take a
ride with him without saying a single word, he'd give them the
trip for nothing.  On the other hand, if either of them as much
as said "boo" they would have to contribute $50.00 {a very
substantial sum in those days} to the Canteen Fund.  The Scotch
couple promptly accepted the offer and climbed into the crate.
Up they went, and the aviator put his machine through every loop,
slide and dive that he could think of without a word coming from
his passengers.  Finally, he brought the plane down and turned
admiringly to the Scotchman.
  "I must say," he declared, "that you've got a lot of nerve to
be able to go through all that without saying anything."
  "Aye," agreed the Scotchman, "but ye almost hearrrd from me
when the wife fell out."