Speak Easy and Carry a Big Shtick

The future of the magazine appeared gloomy indeed when Prohibition went into effect in 1920. After a year of issues loaded with such bitter and vengeful articles as, “I Told You Women Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Vote, Now Didn’t I?” and “Jesus Drank Wine and When He Comes Back He’ll Murder Every Damn One of You Dry Sons of Bitches”, Horace considered pulling up stakes and moving the entire operation to Canada.

Then he became aware of the blossoming speakeasy scene.

He traded in the old-fashioned title for something more contemporary and dropped the vengeful screeds for articles designed to aid the beleaguered American drinker, including, “Top 10 Speakeasy Knocks and Passwords”, “How to Turn Turpentine Into Top Scotch in Seventeen Easy Steps” and “The Subtle Etiquette of Bribing a Cop.”

Like a flower flourishing during a drought, the magazine began turning a profit, which Horace wisely invested in the equally thriving, if somewhat illegal, alcohol importation business. It wasn’t long before the pulp magazine thrown together in a modest Boston shack grew into a glossy affair assembled in a plush Manhattan office.