I had an Empire-badged cruiser/heavyweight that I sold last year. It looked like Pee Wee Herman's bike. Right when I was getting ready to sell it, I found the faint remnants of a Columbia decal somewhere on the frame (I'm afraid I can't remember where). I guessed that my bike was from the 40s (skipped-tooth chain seemed to be the main attribute), but I'm not sure as I know little about those types of bikes.

Here's a pic:

Neal