Thursday, August 31, 1933

We all (Daddy, Mother and I) and Rita Mae went up to Aunt Nellie's for dinner and supper. Went over to Marie's. Gladys stayed all night.

Carole Lombard (October 6, 1908 - January 16, 1942)
Born Jane Alice Peters in Fort Wayne, Indiana
Spouses: William Powell (divorced); Clark Gable (widowed)

Queen of the 1930s screwball comedies

After her parents divorced, Lombard's mother took her three children
to Los Angeles. Lombard appeared in her first film at the age of 12,
when director Allen Dwan saw her playing baseball in the street and cast
her as a tomboy in A Perfect Crime. Lombard went on to appear in 60 movies
(including movies with both her husbands) and numerous shorts before her
death in a plane crash following a war bond rally in her home state of Indiana.

The Liberty ship SS Carole Lombard was named in her honor.
It launched on January 15, 1944 with a still-grieving Gable in attendance.

Wednesday, August 30, 1933

I went back up to Henry's this evening, then Daddy and I and Mother and Newt went over to Carrie's. I played the piano.

Founded on August 30, 1933 through the merger of Air Orient, Compagnie Générale
Aéropostale, Société Générale de Transport Aérien (SGTA, the first French carrier,
founded as Lignes Aériennes Farman in 1919), Air Union and CIDNA (Compagnie
Internationale de Navigation). The airline had extensive routes across Europe, but also
to French colonies in northern Africa and elsewhere. During World War II, Air France
 moved its operations to Casablanca, Morocco; the airline was featured prominently in the film Casablanca.

Tuesday, August 29, 1933

We stayed all night at Mart's. Went up to Henry's in the a.m. Then we went back and had dinner. I stayed there all night. Smoked the ham.

Pietro "Sugar House Pete" DiGiovanni
Born in Sicily and arrived in Kansas City in 1903
Underboss in Kansas City crime syndicate for nearly five decades
His nickname came from his dealings in black market sugar during WWI

During Prohibition, Kansas City had a reputation as the wettest city in the nation.
To make bootleg liquor you needed sugar, and the DiGiovanni brothers along with some
of their cohorts formed The Sugar House Syndicate. The consolidation raised the price of
sugar to $5.00 a sack and sold it on credit to anyone wanting to set up a still. Rather than
taking cash in repayment they took the whiskey, paying $5.00 a gallon and retailing it for
$15.00 a gallon. This way they controlled the illegal liquor business from start to finish.

"Sugar House Pete's" death date is not known.

Monday, August 28, 1933

Rita Mae and I went to Clay. Got some candy. Henry and Newt and Emmett and Melvin came down and we all had watermelon.

Giuseppe "Joe Scarface" DiGiovanni
Joined a Kansas City Black Hand gang upon his 1912 arrival in Kansas City
His nickname came from scars he received from an arson fire he supposedly set

Criminal Activities: Extortion, Bookmaking, Drug Trafficking, Loan-sharking, Gambling,
Racketeering, Labor Racketeering, Conspiracy, Street Tax, and Murder

Sicilian mafioso "Joe Scarface" joined his brother Peter DiGiovanni in Kansas City in
1912. It wasn't long before they began making money from a variety of rackets. Their
fortunes improved greatly during Prohibition when their gang became the sole bootleggers
in Kansas City. When Prohibition ended in 1933 the family, although already involved
in various other rackets, began extorting the now-legal bars by selling them liquor from
their recently-established Midwest Distributing Company, which had the exclusive
franchise to distribute Seagram products in Kansas City and Western Missouri.

Joe is believed to have died in 1965.

Sunday, August 27, 1933

Rita Mae and Ruby stayed all night. We all went down to Olive's for dinner. Sure good. Then we stayed at Joe's.



Rally of thousands during the New York Dressmaker's Strike - August 27, 1933

The International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) was once one
of the largest labor unions in the United States, one of the first U.S. unions to have
a primarily female membership, and a key player in the labor history of the 1920s and 1930s.
More than 70,000 workers joined the Dressmakers' Strike, the largest labor strike to date in the U.S.

"Look for the Union Label"

Look for the union label
When you are buying a coat, dress, or blouse,
Remember somewhere our union's sewing,
Our wages going to feed the kids and run the house,
We work hard, but who's complaining?
Thanks to the ILG, we're paying our way,
So always look for the union label,
It says we're able to make it in the USA!



Saturday, August 26, 1933

Ruby stayed all night last night. We played upstairs. Rita Mae came up and we all had watermelon.

We're in the Money - Looney Tunes Show Aired August 26, 1933

After the last human has left the department store, the toys walk over

to the music department where they start performing the Warren/Dubin

 song "We're in the money". The money soon joins for a chorus, as well as

display dolls in the wardrobe department.

Friday, August 25, 1933

Daddy and Uncle Joe fixed the tractor shed. Then Ruby and Rita Mae and Ralph and I all went to the C.E. Social.

Kansas City Pla-Mors Hockey Team 1927-1933

The Kansas City Pla-Mors were a minor pro team in Kansas City, Missouri.
They played in the American Hockey Association from 1927 to 1933 and the
United States Hockey League from 1945 to 1949. The first Pla-Mors team won
the playoffs in 1929-30 and 1932-33, but lost the final in 1930-31. They played at
the Pla-Mor Ice Palace. In 1933, they changed their name to the Kansas City
Greyhounds. They were sold in 1940 and became the Kansas City Americans,
who lasted until the league folded in 1942 bacause of World War II.

Thursday, August 24, 1933

Went up to Emmett and Melvin's for dinner. Daddy fixed roof. Went over to Annie McKenzie's (Ruth's step-grandmother). She gave me a pretty pocket watch.*

*This is the actual pocket watch that Annie McKenzie
gave to Ruth Catherine McKenzie on August 24, 1933.
The watch now belongs to Ruth's namesake granddaughter,
Catherine Provenzale Braun.

Photo: Michael Provenzale

The average price of a nice pocket watch in 1933: $10

Wednesday, August 23, 1933

Olive and Ruby and Aunt Minnie stopped by for Mother and I, and we went up to Nellie's. Went down to Mart's in the p.m.

Flood of August 23, 1933 - Washington, D.C.
Washington Monument from south Ellipse
Photographer: Theodor Horydczak (1890-1971)

The Hurricane of August 23, 1933 is best known for its huge tidal surge
up the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, producing 50-mph winds,
dropping 6.18 inches of rain and causing extensive flooding.

Death rode the wind and the water. A train crossing the Anacostia River was 
swept off its tracks by the floodwaters, killing ten people. In addition, four people
drowned in their cars on the Washington-Baltimore Road when the Little
Patuxent River went over its banks. An amusement park in Colonial Beach,
 located on the Potomac River, was completely swept away. In Alexandria,
the Torpedo Factory and the Ford Motor Company were under six feet of water.
The Washington-Richmond Highway was submerged under ten feet
of water near Alexandria, Virginia, and Bolling Air Force Base was inundated
by water up to five feet deep. A total of eighteen fatalities were recorded
in the Washington area as a result of the storm.

To some peoples' dismay, no politicians were injured.

Tuesday, August 22, 1933

Rita Mae stayed all night again last night. We went up to Nellie's in our car. We had fried chicken.

I'm No Angel
Starring Mae West and Cary Grant
Directed by Wesley Ruggles
Written by Mae West
Released in 1933

The bold and beautiful Tira works as a dancing girl and lion tamer at a circus.
Out of an urgent need for money, she agrees to a risky new number: she'll
put her head into a lion's muzzle! With this attraction the circus makes it to New
York and Tira can pursue her favorite occupation: flirting with rich men and
and accepting expensive presents. Among the guys she searches for the love
 of her life. All she knows from a fortune-teller is that he'll be rich and have black hair.
When she finally meets him, she becomes a victim of intrigue.

I'm No Angel grossed $3 million during the worst year of the Depression,
a time when Hollywood was averaging $500,000 a film. The movie contains a
 number of West's most famous lines, among them:

"Marriage is a great institution -- but I'm not ready for an institution";

"I wrote the story myself. It's all about a girl who lost her reputation
and never missed it;"

"It's not the men in my life that count -- it's the life in my men;"

and "Men like women with a past -- because they hope history will
repeat itself."

Monday, August 21, 1933

Rita Mae stayled all night with me up here at Henry's. We had chicken for dinner. Got our car fixed.



Mrs. Dewey (Ruth) Busch
Tacoma (WA) City Champion

On a refreshing Monday morning, August 21, 1933,
seventy-four women teed off at Allenmore in the 18-hole
qualifying round of the first tournament held by the
Washington State Women's Public Links Association.

Ruth Busch was the first to sign up for the tournament
and the first to tee-off. In the qualifying round she was
medallist, finishing two strokes Madonna Haubner, who
was then Allenmore champion. In the 36-hole final on Friday,
Ruth defeated Madonna, 6 and 5. Ruth Busch wound
up being a three-time champion in 1933, 1934, and 1935.




Sunday, August 20, 1933

Finished hemming my dress for church. We had all planned to go on a picnic today at Clay but it rained. Went down to Mart's for dinner and supper.

Blue Fancy and Rose Fancy adorable little frock.
The sheer printed chiffon volle is distinctly cut and
comes with a rayon grosgrain ribbon sash
$2.98

Saturday, August 19, 1933

Mart almost had a runaway, and hurt his leg. Went back up to Henry's. Rita Mae and I baked a molasses cake. It sure tasted good.

Molasses Cake
Eat it warm from the oven with a glass of cold milk

Molasses Cake Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour an iron skillet.

To 1 1/2 Cups sifted flour
add 3/4 teaspoon baking soda,
1/2 teaspoon cloves,
and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

Sift ingredients three times.

Pour 1/2 cup boiling water
over 1/2 cup butter
and stir until blended.

Add 1 cup molasses,
1 well-beaten egg,
and flour mixture.

Beat only until blended.

Turn into skillet.

Bake until cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center.

Friday, August 18, 1933

Went up to Mrs. S's birthday party. Had chicken, slaw, beans, ice cream, cake, etc. Stayed all night at Rita Mae's.

Lester Joseph Gillis
AKA: George Nelson, "Baby Face" Nelson, "Jimmy" Nelson
December 6, 1908 – November 27, 1934
American bank robber and gangster

On August 18, 1933, Nelson committed his first major bank robbery in Grand Haven,
Michigan. It was almost his last bank robbery, too. After holding up the Peoples Savings
Bank, the car carrying Nelson and his crew crashed into a tree after a tire went flat. The
robbers abandoned their car and then held up three boys in a smaller car and drove away
in it. On the floor of the wrecked car, police found a check drawn on the Peoples Savings
Bank of Grand Haven. Police searched for the bank robbers to no avail.

After being dubbed a "public enemy" by J. Edgar Hoover and spending time on the
"most wanted" list, Nelson was killed in a running gun battle with F.B.I. agents. 

Thursday, August 17, 1933

Stayed all night last nite at Ruby's. Went up to Emmett's for dinner. Stayed all night up to Gladys's.

Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig (June 19, 1903 – June 2, 1941)
Nicknamed "The Iron Horse" for his durability

On August 17, 1933, New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig
plays in his 1,308th consecutive game, breaking former Yankee
Everett Scott's record for consecutive games played. Gehrig would
go on to play in 2,130 games in a row, setting a record that would
stand for over half a century.

Wednesday, August 16, 1933

I went down to Ruby's last night. Then we went up to Emmett and Melvin's for dinner and supper.

August 16, 1933 - Kansas City, Missouri
Mobster Charles Gargotta - AKA "Mad Dog - (center) being escorted to his arraignment
to face charges of murdering bootlegger Ferris Anthon and the attempted murder of
Sheriff Thomas  Bash on August 12, 1933. He is being escorted by Chief Deputy
William Schickhardt (left) and Deputy Al Finkelstine.

At the behest of crime boss John Lazia, Gargotta and several other mobsters shot
Anthon as he was entering his apartment building in Kansas City. However, Jackson
County Sheriff Tom Bash and a depty came upon the scene and opened fire. Two of
Lazia's men were killed and one escaped. During the firefight, Gargotta leaped from
the car, emptied a Colt .45 automatic at Bash, and then surrendered, yelling, "Don't
shoot me! Don't shoot me!"

Eventually Gargotta was acquitted of the homicide charge but convicted of the
illegal possession of a handgun. Charges flew that the jury had been bribed, and
the police offer handling the evidence was convicted of perjury. Over protests from the
police department, among others, the Governor of Missouri pardoned Gargotta.

Tuesday, August 15, 1933

Rode up to Emmett and Melvin's, then went back to Henry's. Ruby stayed all night. My dad went to Kansas City, Kansas.

Soft tucked crown of sparkling Crystalline straw fabric, flattering over brim of
fine hair and Lacey pedaline straw and tiny harmonizing rayon plush flowers
for trimming. In Black and White or Blue and Lavender.

Monday, August 14, 1933

Went down to Olive's. Ruby and I put on our bathing suits and stayed in the rain until it quit. We went up to store. Got some candy.

This was in the middle of the great depression, and many farms had been decimated
due to the drought which created dust bowls out of farming land. With no money for new
tractors, some farmers turned their Ford Model As or Ts into tractors by replacing
the regular tires with a giant pair of tractor wheels together with the required
gearing for the old back axle of their Fords. One owner claimed it did the cultivating
work of three horses on 6 gallons of gasoline a day - all for $99.50

Sunday, August 13, 1933

Went to church at Parallel, then all of us up to Aunt Nellie's for dinner. Had fried chicken. Went horseback riding, then went home with Ruby's. Daddy came up.

"The Cousins"
L-R: Ruth, Rita Mae, Gladys, Ruby
Clay Center, Kansas

Saturday, August 12, 1933

Rita Mae and I and Mart's and Mother went to Clay (Center) today. I bought me a tablet and ice cream cone. Had ice cream for supper.

Detective Fiction Weekly - August 12, 1933
Issue #9 in The Compleat Adventures of Satan Hall
Starring: Detective Frank "Satan" Hall
Author: Carroll John Daly

Friday, August 11, 1933

I lost my nickel that Daddy gave me. The girls all played with the cats. All of us (everybody) went up to Henry and Newt's and had muskmelon and watermelon.



CCC* Company 879

Davis Mountains State Park, Texas

August 11, 1933

Copyright (c) E. O. Goldbeck

CCC* Civilian Conservation Corps



Thursday, August 10, 1933

Helen and I went down to Rita Mae's again. We got some candy. We stayed all night at Rita Mae's.

1933 Volkswagen Prototype

Designed by Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, the People's Car (Volkswagen)
included an air-cooled, horizontally opposed  four-cylinder engine
 mounted in the rear which would power a 650 kg car to a maximum speed 
of 100 km/h with average fuel consumption of less than 14 litres per 100
 kilometres. This car, which Porsche called the Type 60 (and which would
become the VW 30 prototype), would be able to climb a 30 per cent grade
in first gear. It would have all-independent suspension, in an era when most
cars did not even have independent springing at the front, let alone the rear.

Wednesday, August 9, 1933

We stayed all night at Henry's. Helen and I and Rita Mae went down to Ruby's, and Olive and them went to Rita Mae's. Went back to Henry's.

1933 Clay Center, Kansas Depression Scrip Set

Denominations: .05c, .50c, $1.00.

Issuer: Chamber of Commerce

Depression scrip was used during the depression era (1930's) as a substitute for

government issued currency.  Because of the banks closing temporarily and the

lack of physical currency, someone had to come up with another form of currency

to keep the economy going and a way for trade to continue.  Therefore the old idea

 of local currency was reborn.  Paper, cardboard, wood, metal tokens, leather, clam shells

 and even parchment made from fish skin was used.

Tuesday, August 8, 1933

Mother and I went up home with Aunt Katie and Uncle Laten and Helen. Left at 5:30 p.m. and got there at 12:30 a.m.

White Rose Gas Station
Country Club Plaza
Kansas City, Missouri
This is where Ruth's Uncle Laten likely filled his car with gasoline.

The boy-with-the-slate in the front was the brand of the National Refining Company of
Cleveland, Ohio, (ENARCO), which owned the White Rose stations. His sign here says:
"The weak days - yesterday and tomorrow"

The average price of gasoline in 1933: 10 - 20 cents per gallon,
depending on where you lived (East and West coasts higher).



Monday, August 7, 1933

Daddy called up Aunt Katie. I believe we are going up home (Clay Center, KS) sometime tomorrow. I got my suitcase packed.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Circus Magazine
 and Daily Review Program from 1933 when they celebrated their Golden Jubilee.

There are B&W photos of performers and articles about the circus. Also printed in the
program is the listing of acts that appeared during this season. Big name acts appearing
 this year included Wallendas High Wire Act, Clyde Beatty, Con Colleano Wire Walker,
 Flying Concellos and Hugo Zacchini Human Cannon Act. Clowns included Felix Adler,
 Lou Jacobs and Jackie LeClaire, plus many more.  

Sunday, August 6, 1933

I went over and played with Betty this morning. I think we are going up home (Clay Center, KS) pretty soon. I went up to the playground.

Colt-made Thompson Submachine gun - 1921 model

In 1933 the Kansas City Missouri Police Department had three Thompson Submachine
 guns in their possession. All three guns were purchased by the Department in 1932. It is
unknown if these guns were ever registered per requirements of the National Firearms Act
 of 1934. It is believed these are the only Thompsons the department ever owned.

During patrol duty, the Thompsons were normally kept in the Department's two radio
cars. Approximately two weeks before the transfer of Frank Nash through Union Station
 in Kansas City, Missouri, (see June 17 entry) all three Thompsons were mysteriously
missing from the radio cars and remained unaccountable. Then about two weeks after
 the massacre at Union Station, the Thompsons once again magically reappeared
in the possession of the Kansas City Police Department!

It is reported that the guns have since been kept in the Department's gun vault.



Saturday, August 5, 1933

I baked a chocolate cake for Daddy. Today was his birthday. Pauline and I went to the show and saw White Zombie. SCAREY!

White Zombie
Starring Bela Lugosi and Madge Bellamy
Directed by Victor Halperin
Written by Garnett Weston

 Plot Summary: A young man turns to a witch doctor to lure the woman
he loves away from her fiance, but instead turns her into a zombie slave.

Friday, August 4, 1933

We sold some more trash and got a dime for it. We got us all some candy. Nadine was down and we all went out and played.

Trans World Airlines
Founded in 1925 as Western Air Express

TWA's corporate history dates from the July 16, 1930, forced merger of

Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) and Western Air Express to form

Transcontinental & Western Air (T&WA). The companies merged at the

urging of Postmaster General Walter Folger Brown, who was looking for bigger

airlines to give airmail contracts.

Both airlines brought high-profile aviation pioneers who would give the airline

the panache of being called "The Airline Run by Flyers." Transcontinental, the

bigger of the two, had the marquee expertise of Charles Lindbergh and was already

offering a 48-hour combination of plane and train trip across the United States. Western,

which was slightly older having been founded in 1925, had the expertise of Jack Frye.

On October 25, 1930, the airline offered one of the first all-plane scheduled service

 from coast to coast: the Lindbergh Route. The route took 36 hours and initially called

for overnights in Kansas City. In summer 1931, TWA moved its headquarters from New

 York to Kansas City, Missouri, where it remained until 1964, when it moved back to New York.







Thursday, August 3, 1933

Pauline, N and I sold some trash. We got 17 cents. We bought us eacher Milk Nickel (chocolate covered ice milk on a stick). Helen and them were by.

The first version of the Ingersoll Mickey Mouse Wrist Watch from 1933.

It cost $2.75 new.

At auction it brought $6,160.





Wednesday, August 2, 1933

I went out and swung up under the tree. It rained a little today. Bernice came down and Pauline and her and I went to lunch.

Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra

Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra was the most successful jazz band
in the Midwest. The band toured all over the country and had a top-selling
recording in 1927 called "South." In 1929 Count Basie of The Blue Devils
joined the band, and then several other members of the Devils followed him
to the orchestra. Count Basie took over the orchestra in 1935 after Moten's
death from a botched tonsillectomy. Under Basie's leadership the band emerged
as one of the greatest of all jazz bands.





Tuesday, August 1, 1933

I went out and played today with Pauline. Mother washed. It rained. Daddy made me a swing but it done broke and he had to fix it.

Dickie Dare - August 1, 1933
Copyright (c) Milton Caniff

In the fall of 1932, Caniff went to New York City to work at Associated Press
 as staff artist. He was soon asked to take over the panel cartoon Mister
Gilfeather from another young artist, Al Capp, when Capp went to work
 as Ham Fisher's assistant on Joe Palooka. Caniff transformed the feature into
The Gay Thirties, a folksy reflection of daily life.

In late July 1933, Caniff created a new comic strip, Dickie Dare,
 which was based on the dream adventures of a little boy.