Queen of the Seas

Above: The RMS Queen Mary arriving at New York harbor accompanied by a flotilla of escorts on June 1, 1936. (liverpool.ac.uk)

The RMS Queen Mary was launched in the age of superliners that included the SS Bremen, the SS Île de France and the SS Normandie. These and other liners competed for the Blue Riband, an unofficial honor bestowed on Atlantic Ocean liners achieving the highest average speed. These ships also vied for the distinction of being the most luxurious.

May 30, 1936 cover by **Rea Irvin,** celebrating the arrival of the June bride.

The Queen Mary was a top contender for both honors when she departed on her maiden voyage from Southampton on May 27, 1936. London correspondent Samuel Jeake, Jr (aka American poet and novelist Conrad Aiken) paid a visit to the liner just days before her first Atlantic crossing. Excerpts:

BOAT AFLOAT…Clockwise, from top left, a Bentley automobile is brought aboard the *Queen Mary* before her maiden voyage; the liner departs from Southampton, May 27, 1936; first-class passengers dining during that first crossing; the *Queen Mary* arriving at the newly built Pier 90 in New York Harbor, June 1, 1936. The *Queen Mary* and the SS *Normandie* were speedy competitors for the Blue Riband in the 1930s. *(RMS Queen Mary via Facebook/NYC Municipal Archives)*

SEEING STARS…Celebrities on the maiden voyage included **John F. Kennedy** and his father, **Joseph P. Kennedy** (top left), as well as actress **Joan Crawford** (right). **Bob Hope, Mae West,** and **Noël Coward** were also spotted aboard the maiden voyage. **Douglas Fairbanks Jr.** and **Dolores Del Rio** (bottom left) were photographed on the liner’s second departure from Southhampton. (cruiselinehistory.com/RMS Queen Mary via Facebook)

HOME AWAY FROM HOME…First-class accommodations on the *Queen Mary* included, clockwise from top left, the Main Lounge; the Queen Mary Suite; swimming pool; and Observation Bar. (*RMS Queen Mary via Facebook)*

NOT BAD…**Conrad Aiken** called the liner’s second-class (Tourist class) sections “one of the best travel bargains in the world.” Photos at left show lounge areas, while at right is the ship’s Shopping Centre, open to all passengers. (*RMS Queen Mary via Facebook)*

OUT TO PASTURE…The majority of the great superliners were either destroyed during World War II or scrapped after their service. However the RMS Queen Mary, after her retirement in 1967, was permanently moored at Long Beach, California as a hotel, museum, and convention space. During her years of service she crossed the Atlantic 1,001 times, carrying more than two million passengers. From 1939 to 1946 the liner also served the war effort, transporting more than 800,000 troops. (visitlongbeach.com)

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Green Acres

It’s hard to believe that at one time Greenwich Village was home to trash-filled back yards and deteriorating tenements. Beginning in the 1920s, residents transformed these back yards into communal green oases. “The Talk of the Town” visited three that had “more or less grown together.” Spot art by Christina Malman. Excerpts:

URBAN OASIS…Undated photo shows the interior courtyard garden shared by twenty-one row houses of the Macdougal-Sullivan Gardens Historic District in Greenwich Village. *(nytimes.com)*

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Art for the People

Geoffrey Hellman penned a profile of social realist artist George Biddle (1885– 1973), who played a major role in establishing the WPA’s Federal Art Project and who created murals for government buildings in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico. Excerpt:

SERVING THE PUBLIC GOOD…**George Biddle** at work on a fresco titled *Society Freed through Justice,* located in the fifth floor lobby of the Attorney General’s office in the Department of Justice Building, Washington, D.C. *(Wikipedia)*

AMERICAN IDEAL…Detail from Biddle’s fresco painting *Society Freed Through Justice*. (Library of Congress)

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The Shoe Fits

Architecture critic Lewis Mumford was unimpressed with latest designs in commercial shops, however for “some mysterious reason” he was quite taken with various shoe stores in Midtown. Excerpts:

BRIGHT SPOTS…**Lewis Mumford** lauded the shoe company Thom McAn (top left) for its pioneering designs. Other notables included I. Miller & Sons (top right) on Fifth Avenue, and below, Florsheim Shoe on West 37th. *(clickamericana.com)*

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A Pirate Sets Sail

In her “Tables for Two” column, Lois Long noted a few of the summertime getaways near the city including the Westchester Embassy Club. She also mentioned the re-emergence of Don Dickerman, famed for his series of gaudy themed restaurants in the West Village from the late 1910s to 1930. Among those was his famed Pirate’s Den, which was destroyed in a 1929 fire. With the stock market crash Dickerman (1893-1981) was forced to sell the location, and he declared bankruptcy in 1932. However by 1936 he was on his way back, opening a pirate-themed enterprise near Port Chester:

SUMMER DIVERSIONS…At top is a postcard image of the Westchester Embassy Club; below, **Don Dickerman** at his Los Angeles Pirates’ Den with his fifth wife, **Thelma Mills Wunder** (he had at least seven known wives). Originally a fixture of Greenwich Village, Dickerman emerged from his 1932 bankruptcy to open themed restaurants in Miami, Miami Beach, Port Chester, NY , Washington DC, and Hollywood. Bottom right, a matchbook cover from Dickerman’s revived Pirate’s Den at Port Chester, which was mentioned by **Lois Long**. *(facebook.com/restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/ebay.com)*

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At the Movies

Under the strict moral guidelines of the Hays Code, gangster films of the Pre-Code era gave way to milder fare, much to the chagrin of film critic John Mosher.

KINDER, GENTLER GANGSTERS…Clockwise from top left, poster for *Bullets or Ballots* gave **Edward G. Robinson** top billing with Joan Blondell also prominently featured—**Humphrey Bogart** was a relative newcomer in the movies, seen here in a scene with Robinson in *Bullets or Ballots*; **Robert Young** and Betty Furness in *The 3 Wise Guys;* **James Cagney** and **Loretta Young** in the pre-Code film *Taxi,* which was released in 1932 but reissued in 1936 **(SEE BELOW)** to capitalize on Cagney’s new superstar status. The film also featured the famously misquoted line: “Come out and take it, you dirty yellow-bellied rat.” *(imdb.com/tcm.com)*

In the following week’s issue (June 6), Mosher noted that he’d forgotten about his previous review of the Cagney film Taxi in 1932:

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From Our Advertisers

Appropriately buried in the back pages of The New Yorker was this tiny ad promoting Don Dickerman’s new Pirates’ Den at Port Chester, referenced above in Lois Long’s “Tables for Two” column…

…the Cunard White Star Line took out this two-page spread to announce the launch of the Queen Mary…

…illustrators with European roots brought modern touches to fashion advertisements…the Ukrainian-born Simeon Braguin (1907–1997), who created the ad below for Bergdorf Goodman, emerged in the 1930s as a prominent fashion illustrator, ultimately becoming the Creative Director for Vogue…during that time (1940s) he supported the work of an unknown artist, Andy Warhol…

…the artist behind this next fashion illustration was the prominent French-Hungarian costume designer and illustrator Marcel Vertès (1895–1961)…

…the prolific illustrator R. John Holmgren (1897- 1963) worked for dozens of publications, and was well known for his White Rock ads in the 1930s and 40s…

…the folks at R.J. Reynolds were still pushing their digestion claims along with their cigarettes…here they demonstrated the appeal of Camels to both the working class and the classy…

…Brown & Williamson introduced a new cigarette to the market…Viceroy was the first brand to feature a cork-tipped filter…

…Liggett & Myers continued to run their somewhat old-fashioned ads with softly lit, romantic settings…illustrator McClelland Barclay (1891–1943) created this look to promote the company’s Chesterfield brand…