Frankie Manning (1914-2009)

Of the many, many Brooklyn Emilys I know, at least two have memorialized the innovative and much-loved Lindy Hop aerialist Frankie Manning. Here's Emily Gordon. The other Emily used Facebook to share a fond memory of dancing with Manning at his 85th birthday party. I believe this is video from that event, held at Roseland.



Source (4:17)


And here's more of a glimpse of how Frankie liked to celebrate his birthdays. I'm glad I learned about him from the Emilys!



Source (2:56)

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION CONTESTS CONTINUE!

Before moving along to this week's winners and nominees, here's a nod to Erik Gunther's thorough interview with Emily "Emdashes" Gordon over at Yahoo! Picks.

And now for the main course....

In Caption Contest 119 (Danny Shanahan's businessman in large cradle), the winner is

"If he wakes up, you can give him a Martini."
Alan Schulman (Richmond, VA)

That makes two winners in a row from Virginia, which is now in fourth place. Va-va-voom!


New York, long in second place, now seems perched to provide a real challenge to front-runner California—especially if Lynn Tudor finally enters the winner's circle. That's because the nominees in Caption Contest 121 (Harry Bliss's "funny glasses" factory) are

"This part of the job is easy—it's the whoopee-cushion testing that annoys me."
Eric Lindstrom (Ithaca, NY)

"Yeah, that one's funny, too. Next."
James Keegan (Milton, DE)

"I'm just glad we don't make lingerie."
Steven Scher (Bronx, NY)

My appallingly clumsy loser:

"If only the masses understood the hard work behind their laughter."

On reflection, I think I should've gone with

"It wasn't even funny the first time."

In Anti-Caption Contest 120 (P.C. Vey's judge doing dishes), the winner is

"As a liberal judge, I need to keep my hands soft so those slaps on the wrist don't hurt too much. That's why I use Palmolive. It's more than just mild, it softens hands while you do the dishes. Palmolive: tough on grime, but soft on crime!"
Walt

My crude loser:

"Anyone who needs to take a piss while I'm doing the dishes can use the urinal on my left."

Caption Contest 123 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 123 is here.


And the latest on the Thanksgiving cartoon contests can be found here and here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

20 California

18 New York (16 from the Big Apple)

10 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

5 Virginia (two from Richmond)

4 Connecticut (two from New Haven, two not)
4 Illinois (three from Chicago, one from Lake Bluff)
4 Maryland (none named Mary)

3 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 North Carolina
3 Ohio
3 Texas

2 District of Columbia
2 Mississippi
2 Missouri
2 New Hampshire
2 Oregon (both named Eric, both from Portland)
2 Rhode Island
2 Utah
2 Vermont

1 Alabama
1 Alaska
1 Arizona
1 Florida
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Michigan
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Washington

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION CONTESTS CREEP AHEAD!

This is one of those weeks when The New Yorker doesn't start a new contest, so many of us must seek another object of obsession.

The ever-thoughtful Dan Radosh fills the gap by recycling a James Thurber cartoon for recaptioning and promises to reveal the original caption as well.

I'd be willing to wager that Emily of Emdashes already recognizes it.

She and Radosh have also linked to this interesting profile of Caption Contest winner Fairleigh Brooks of Louisville, Kentucky. Here's the winner that put Brooks on the map.

ADDENDUM And now Emdashes offers an original (and funny) interview between intern John Bucher of Canada and Caption Contest 98 winner Richard Hine of New York. Hine, it turns out was also a nominee in Caption Contest 82 with "It's like paradise for the first few days. But you wouldn't want to live here."


Caption Contest 101 is here. Anti-Caption Contest 101 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

17 California

14 New York (13 from the Big Apple)

9 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

4 Connecticut (two from New Haven, two not)

3 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
3 Illinois
3 Maryland (none named Mary)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 North Carolina
3 Ohio

2 District of Columbia
2 New Hampshire
2 Texas
2 Utah
2 Virginia

1 Alabama
1 Arizona
1 Florida
1 Iowa
1 Kentucky
1 Mississippi
1 Missouri
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Oregon
1 Rhode Island
1 Vermont
1 Washington

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION CONTESTS CONTINUE!

Welcome to the latest weekly round-up of cartoon caption/anti-caption contest results, duly recorded here and on this handy map!

Before getting into the results this week, I'd like to offer a friendly "hello" to John Bucher, the new intern of Emdashes. John, who hails from Canada, will now perform all sorts of services for Emily Gordon in her attempt to capture the essence of The New Yorker in blog posts. Feel free to leave a welcome for John in the Emdashes comments section--where you'll be in good company with the likes of Carolita Johnson--cartoonist and NYkette.

And now...the captions!


In Caption Contest #95 (two business men observing a filer fending off a tiger), the winner is

"You know, I'm gonna miss this when we go paperless."
Christopher Farber (New York, NY)

Let's hear it for Brooklyn's Farber, who has reduced the gap between New York and first-place California to a mere four points! Rah rah rah.


In Caption Contest #97 (whack-a-mole office), the candidates are

"Go fetch your mallet, Wilkins--we'll play doubles."
Joel Brouwer (Tuscaloosa, AL)

"I'm having my tech guys set them to music."
Laura Shanahan Egloff (Los Angeles, CA)

"The negotiator for their union was very timid."
Arthur Litoff (York Springs, PA)

My loser:

"What a holy mess."

In Anti-Caption Contest #98 (office with guy pointing telescope thingy into wall), the winner is

"Hey, is that some sort of artillery gun barrel protruding through the wall? Why don't you look at it and see. Heh-heh-heh... (Sound of armor-piercing depleted uranium rounds being loaded in the next room.)"
John Tabin

My loser:

"Tom, Tom, Tom."

Caption Contest #99 is here. Anti-Caption Contest #99 is here.


THE STANDINGS

Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

17 California

13 New York (12 from the Big Apple)

9 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

4 Connecticut (two from New Haven, two not)

3 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
3 Illinois
3 Maryland (none named Mary)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 North Carolina
3 Ohio

2 District of Columbia
2 New Hampshire
2 Texas
2 Utah
2 Virginia

1 Arizona
1 Florida
1 Iowa
1 Mississippi
1 Missouri
1 Nevada
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Oregon
1 Rhode Island
1 Vermont
1 Washington

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone

CARTOON CAPTION/ANTI-CAPTION CONTESTS CONTINUE!

Before the usual salute to the latest winners and losers, I'd like to take note of the animated New Yorker cartoons now available on the Internets. Thanks to Emily of Emdashes and then Dan Radosh for spreading this awfully exciting news.

And now...the results!


The winner of Caption Contest #84 (doctor accosted by ghost in scrub room) is

"So sue me."
Daniel Crossen (Los Angeles, CA)

That extends California's lead to four over New York.


California could gain another win in Caption Contest #86 (golfers confront militarized zone on the links). Here are the nominees:

"If we truly believe in golf, I don't think we have much of a choice."
Jonathan Steinhoff (Burbank, CA)

"I support our troops as much as the next guy, but do we have to let them play through?"
Charlie Freund (Glendale, CA)

"Tom, I think you should stop shouting 'Bombs away!' every time you drive the ball."
Kiran Ghia (Brookline, MA)

My loser:

"I think I see why we couldn't find a caddy."

A winner in Anti-Caption Contest #87 could be announced at any moment, but I don't want to wait any longer.

Caption Contest #88 is here. Anti-Caption Contest #88 is here.


THE STANDINGS
Here is the current New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest breakdown by state. You can find it all mapped out here.

15 California

11 New York (10 from the Big Apple)

8 New Jersey

6 Massachusetts
6 Pennsylvania

3 Georgia (includes two-time winner Carl Gables)
3 Minnesota (Minneapolis 2, St. Paul 1)
3 North Carolina
3 Ohio

2 Connecticut (both women, both from New Haven)
2 District of Columbia
2 Illinois
2 Maryland (both women, neither named Mary)
2 New Hampshire
2 Texas
2 Utah
2 Virginia

1 Arizona
1 Iowa
1 Mississippi
1 Missouri
1 New Mexico
1 Oklahoma
1 Oregon
1 Rhode Island
1 Vermont
1 Washington

Map Introduction

Thanks to Andriy Bidochko for Map Builder.

Image by David Marc Fischer using Samsung cameraphone

EMDASHES VALENTINES. Hold on to a fruitcake long enough and it'll morph into a Valentine's Day gift! That's the kind of thing that happened with a bunch of New Yorker gift ideas solicited last year by Emily Gordon of Emdashes from yours truly and others including Daniel "Lemony Snicket" Handler, Carolita Johnson, and Patricia Storms. Check 'em out here!