Monday, Aug. 15, 1938
High Jinks
Three weeks ago, when Douglas Gorce Corrigan landed his nine-year-old plane in Dublin and cracked a joke about having started out for Los Angeles, the U. S. press crowed with delight. Still crowing last week, they did more than their share in the celebrations that marked the hero's return. Star reporters wrote front-page stories in fake Irish dialect. As a million people watched him go up Broadway, Corrigan's modest self-assurance set Manhattan's press crowing louder than ever. Said F. Raymond Daniell of the Times: "A hero with his tongue in his cheek, blarney on his lips and the twinkle of the devil in his eyes." Said William D. O'Brien of the World-Telegram: ". . . A sight of Corrigan himself, with the lean peaked face alight with the puckish smile, the same captivating gift coming, it seemed sure, from the Little Folk of the very land he startled." Said Edwin C. Hill of the Journal and American: "The Corrigan, as cocky a bantam as ever was, opened his eyes in a big, soft bed at the Hotel McAlpin today, and looked out upon a Broadway which had become for the likes of him a street of dreams. And he said to me, The Corrigan: . . ."
The city desks cut up. The Post ran an eight-column head: NAGIRROC YAW GNORW OT LIAH. The Journal and American (Hearst) ran a banner head, WELCOME TO YOU O'CORRIGAN in Gaelic, later got a better idea, printed it in green. The Sun, which had previously used Corrigan's unorthodox navigation as a stick to beat the New Deal, announced: PARADE GOES RIGHT WAY. In various cities of the U. S., papers printed their front pages in green. The Los Angeles Herald and Express used the Post's idea, with the added note: "If You Haven't Guessed, Read This Backwards!"
This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.