“Write that letter now”

[Sid Bennet (Whit Bissell) is surprised to see his sister Sheila (Evelyn Keyes). From The Killer That Stalked New York (dir. Earl McEvoy, 1950). Click for a larger view.]

Sid Bennet manages The Moon, a Third Avenue flophouse. His sister Sheila has shown up looking for a place to stay. I noticed that sign to Sid’s left: “Write that letter now.” A hangover from the war? I think so.

From a record review in Billboard (October 30, 1943): “The Hill Toppers remind us to write that letter now and send it to your soldier boy tonight.” A snippet of something in Collier’s (October 1944): “Write that letter now. Write it V-mail.”

The sign to Sid’s right: “Have you forgotten any personal property?”

Have you forgotten any personal property? If so, go back and get it. And then write someone a letter.