I was wondering what the object is called that appears after the stork in the titles? It is a kind of cardboard box/game with holes punched out and a wooden peg. I think it reads "Mable" on a piece of paper below it. Does anyone know?
I love the series by the way. Happy viewing and thanks!
I have no idea what that thing is.
I love the series, too. Among other things, Jim Hutton was so unbelievably hot in this series!!! I have dedicated my signature to him. Always a pleasure to watch and rewatch the episodes.
JimHutton:talented gorgeous HOT;adorable as ElleryQueen;SEXIEST ACTOR EVER
It's a "punchboard" gambling device, kind of like scratch-off lottery tickets today. They were solid blocks of cardboard with a bunch of holes drilled in them. The holes were stuffed with rolled up slips of paper, and a cover sheet of foil was put over the top. You'd pay whoever was running the game for a chance and punch out a hole with that stick you see to pull out one of the slips. The winning numbers/words were printed on the cover sheet; if your slip had one, you won. They were popular in the early half of the 20th century through the 1970s, but especially in the 30s/40s.
The one in the Ellery Queen titles costs 5 cents for a punch. I think it says "Every Girl's a winner" on it, so maybe the slips of paper had girls' names on them and each was worth a different amount. I see a lot of "Mable" slips, so that one probably wasn't worth very much.
Thanks very much for the detailed answer! I guessed it was some sort of game, but would never have known where to look for the answer. Very interesting. Thanks again!
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