The Weakly Reporter (by Chuck Jones c. 1944)

[Daffysleftfoot]

This has been bugging me for a while. There's one gag in this cartoon that I don't get. A store clerk is counting his money in broad daylight. Suddenly some gangsters come in and stick him up. However, instead of taking the money, the clerk gives them his alarm clock.

Is this a reference to a movie from that time? Is it based on a slogan some people kept saying back then? What's going on??? :confused:

[absolutpaul]

It is probably a gag refering to steel recycling. People were urged to donate items like this to be used for the war effort. The gag is probably that the alarm clock is worth more than the money! You'll find other gags like this around that time involving nylon (panty hose), gasoline (A cards) and food items that were rationed during wartime ("And now due to popular demand we're going to show you the steak again!")

[Do-Do]

That cartoon doesn't seem so funny 60 years later. It's one of the most dated WB cartoons.

[Daffysleftfoot]

It is probably a gag refering to steel recycling.
If so then why did he give a clock in perfect working order? Why not an old stove or something? That's the part that confuses me the most. :(

[Jack]

Maybe metal objects, such as alarm clocks, were hard to get during WWII, making a working clock worth more than money since you couldn't buy a new one. I think absolutpaul was referring to the desire the public had for hard-to-get rationed items.