Stuff and Nonsense in the Good Old East End, Vol. 1, No. 6, Tuesday, December 5, 1944

Mrs. L. G. (Lou Guntzelman) had big Simons' son out for a walk one Sunday afternoon and when they passed the Blue Room, he let a hell of a big bellow. I wonder if he wanted to stop in.

We had a fish fry one Sunday night at the Blue Room, but the fish were a little rare.  The one thing that the Dog had was still kicking when he bit into it.  Our chief cook was very much vexed at the manner in which her culinary efforts were received. Mary Ellen Butler said it was the last damn thing she'll ever cook for any of them.  (We wonder!)

We have one hell of a time getting cigarettes.  You should see the rush to Prinzbach's every Thursday and the same at Dornheggen's on Friday.

Gasoline is still rationed so Shinzo, Willie and Jerk Butler don't ride street cars alone.

The game of "hearts" still holds the floor almost every night with the same amount of cussing and hell raising as of old.  Ah, how my thoughts go back to the Monday nights when we held the 500 tournaments.  Can you recall all the hell you would get for just one dumb play? How many of you would like to be here right now with a large beer at your side?

Bill Kroner joined the Disabled American Veterans.  He might be a veteran, but I doubt like hell if he is very disabled.  Ask the gang at the Topper.  And I might add that our Willie now drives a Dodge.

Fennessy took the examination for the police force and failed to make the grade.  It seems the Civil Service commission looked up his record when he was a motorman.  They were afraid it would be too much of a gamble to give him a revolver and turn him loose in a scout car.

Radiotrician 2-C Walter Cooper was trying like hell to dry up the Blue Room while he was home.  But no matter how much he would drink, there always seemed to be some left.  He was game though, I will say he sure did try.

I want to tip some of you birds off to something.  Don't come home thinking you can out-drink Dog Benton. The old Purp has been practicing every Sunday night and he is getting damn good.

1943

Joe Pharo came all the way from the South Pacific to the Blue Room to see what I meant by the regular Sunday night floor show. The first Sunday night he was in the place, along about midnight, the juke box was giving or sending to its utmost.  The number was one of the local favorites.  Mr. and Mrs. "B" were doing the neatest piece of rug cutting that ever hit the place.  Joe remarked that the Dog was listing a little on the port side.  I told him not to worry, the old Pup would settle at a pretty even keel.  (And he did). But all through the dance the Bee was keeping right in step and singing the number to the Dog, "Straighten Up and Fly Right." Joe said, "who ever picked that number for them to dance to sure had something on the ball."

Then Kroner came in, and in keeping with that old Blue Room custom, he and Joe ordered "one more beer" then they took off. When I saw Joe Monday morn, his "sinus" was bothering him a little, and the only thing that bothered the Dog was his conscience.

There was a hell of a swell party at Butlers the night I was there.

Joe Pharo

Mary Ellen had a party while Joe Fischer and Joe Pharo were still here. But I was kidnapped and taken from the party and left out in the cold while lunch was served.

It was brought to my attention earlier that a move like that was to be made but I passed on it lightly, in fact too damn lightly. Along about 11:30 AM, Bob Meldon, Frank Benton, and Bill Buerk suggested that we "GO OUT" for a shot. We did, but they left me and WE DID NOT come back together. By the time I got back all the dishes were clean as a whistle. You know I am NOT much of an eater so I figured that someone over estimated my capacity. Anyhow, I did not get a bite to eat. What a hell of a party that was, as far as I was concerned. Oh yes, I did get something to drink.

Vol. 1, No. 5 Tuesday, September 19, 1944

My good friends, at this time, I would like to present the greatest newspaper in the world. I'd like to present the most humorous newspaper in the world and the most popular newspaper in the world. But this is war and when we can't get what we like, we have to take the substitute. So here it is -- THE BLUE ROOM BELCH. 

I write so much to you military people that I feel as if I am quite military myself. I do have a military physique, my chest is retreating and stomach is advancing and the rest of my body looks like it was on a furlough.

One of the gang wrote in and said he wanted to hear the dope. Well, to him and all the rest, here I am, the dope, Neighbor.

In this issue I'm not going to beat around the bush with a lot of nonsense. I'm going to be like the hen who built her nest in the middle of the state highway. I'm going to "lay it on the line."

Who knows but what this may be a V Edition for all of you who are heading the kraut eaters. And I do hope it is. So should this be the case, I want to be able to face at least some of you with as little fear as possible.

Instead of a Christmas dinner in Tokyo, Burma or Berlin, lets make it drinks for the house at the Blue Room. I can recall many a Christmas when you met Santa Claus with three sheets in the wind and a new necktie dragging the bar at the Op'ry House. So what the hell is to keep you from playing a return engagement this Christmas. As much as we can gather from our local papers, all of you are on your way, so keep going. Don't tell me we have to go through another holiday season with a lot of 4F's and a few feeble elderly.

I still think that they should have called on Benton, Pappy Norris and myself to clean up this mess. Picture the old dog with that one good lamp of his sighting down the barrel of a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle); I imagine it would be enough to make anyone shudder. Even the enemy. Of course, Pappy Norris would go OK, but me, I differ from the powers that be on certain things.

They tell me a soldier's first duty is his willingness to give his life for his country. I should think first duty would be to make the enemy give their life for their country. Maybe I'm wrong. But granting that all of you are doing OK by way of your Uncle, I still think we might have been a help someplace.

But in all seriousness, should it be another Christmas away from home for any or all of you, you can bet that Kroner, Benton or myself join the whole neighborhood in wishing you God's richest blessings for this Christmas and many more to come.

Return Mail Light, But Good, Vol. 1, No. 2, March 4, 1944

Lou Guntzelman (left) editor of Blue Room Belch
In front of Fisher's Grocery
Photo Credit: Ray Pharo via Bryan Phillips 

Howdy, Gang. Well, here we go again. Judging from the return mail, what little there was, we can't say whether the first edition of the Blue Room Belch was a success or not. Some of you birds wrote back and said give the job of editor to Cocky Sellers. Others said to forget the first issue and start over. Some wanted to know what issue would have the news first, about 50% said 92 different things were wrong. One fellow went so far as to say we didn't give the weather forecast for the day.

All joking aside, thanks a million gang for your reply to our efforts. Kroner, Benton and myself feel well repaid for all the nice things you said, and hope, in our own feeble way to express our thanks for the manner in which you received our efforts. We hope this issue and the following will give a little more and better news of local concern that may appeal to you all.

We are thinking of getting a mail box and put all the mail that comes addressed to the Belch in the box. Then when this is all over, why some slow evening we will drag it all out and go over all the old letters.

A lot of fellows want addresses printed in the paper, but it would take a lot of space, but we will do our best in the next issue.

First Edition of the New Year, Vol. 1, No. 1, Monday, January 24, 1944

New Years 1944
Photo Credit:  Stars and Stripes

Howdy gang -- and we're off. This, my good friends, is the first edition of the Blue Room Belch. How all this came about, and will continue, is another thing.

No doubt most of you know that Bill Kroner was forced to leave the Air Corps due to that shoulder of his. Much to Bill's regret, he was given a C.D.D. Section 2 (Certificate of Determination of Disability) and sent home.  Well, being the man that he is, his first thoughts were of those who didn't get to come home. The importance of mail to those in the service must mean more than the "stay at homes" realize.  So Bill hit upon the idea of a local publication that would deal with news that might have some interest to our gang in service.

Bill will look after the printing of this sheet, but like all GOOD publications, it takes more than just printing.  So he contacted Frank "Dog" Benton and asked him to act as Circulation Manager. In other words, the "Old Dog" was to see that everyone in our gang that he could reach would get a paper.  Well, you know the "Dog," the answer was "SURE."

Then making up the sheet and getting hold of local news or nonsense was something else.  So yours truly "Neighbor" was asked to make up the first sheet. Whether I ever get the chance to make up another one is a horse of a different complexion.  I'm afraid that when the return mail starts hitting the Blue Room, I'll look like Ned in the third reader. But I have one consolation, and that is: you can't head me off on this one, but "oh my" look out for the next.  If your next Editor happens to be "Cocky" Sellers, I hope you will understand.

And now about mailing this to you, get this straight, "THIS PAPER IS NOT FOR SALE." The cost of postage will be taken care of by the good patrons of the old Blue Room.  So please don't embarrass us by sending us anything other than your candid opinion of our efforts.  Our only hope is that somewhere among this nonsense you may find something that holds a little interest to you.  Should you care to write to us, just address your mail to anyone of the three of us, Frank Benton, William Kroner, or Lou Guntzelman and make it 2470 Eastern Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio.