Judge, 1920-03-06 · page 7 of 36
Judge — March 6, 1920 — page 7: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis for Modern Readers This 1910s Judge magazine page satirizes both "higher criticism" (intellectual analysis of cinema) and early slapstick films themselves. The cartoon illustrates Professor Flubdub's pompous lecture to an intellectual society about movies' degrading influence. He describes attending a wedding scene film—which devolves into physical comedy: an exploding cigar, collisions, a minister knocked down, a Bible thrown, people fainting. The satire cuts two ways: First, it mocks pretentious intellectuals who condemn movies as lowbrow while missing their entertainment value (a young woman laughs at the chaos, calling it "some kelly"—slang for fun). Second, it satirizes the chaotic, violent slapstick itself—the absurd escalation where one accident triggers cascading disasters. The contrast between Flubdub's solemn disapproval and the actual silly mayhem is the joke: movies are ridiculous *and* harmless fun, not the moral threat intellectuals claimed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Drawn by ons » Orr'cer, Yeu Wansa Keer Yer Eye on Tar Guy. He's a Rapicut!” Higher Criticism and the Movies | By Kexnetn ANpREws ROF, ALOYSIUS QUIBBLIEETON FLUBDUB — ceremony begins the bride’s father, a very fat man was giving his usual Tuesday lecture to the wearing loose, baggy trousers, a plaid shirt and a tiny ladies of the Society for the Uplift. of the derby hat, is presented with a cigar. When he lights it Intellectually Submerged. The topic for the day — the cigar explodes, knocking the small derby hat from was: The Cinema, Its Peceant and Insalubrious ‘Ten- his head. At this point a young lac tting next to me to the effect that dencies. laughed loudly and said something “In gathering the material for this paper,” said the ‘that was some kelly.’ Professor, “I found it necessary to attend one of the “When the large gentleman stoops to retrieve his halls where motion pictures are displayed. [made a absurdly inadequate derby hat, he bumps into the min- few notes on the fable which was pictured, and these | ister who is conducting the service. ‘The minister ) you to demonstrate the alarming — pitches forward into the bride’s arms, and she strikes ' cof our more benighted him on the head with her bouquet, knocking him down fellow creatures have been reduced ‘The minister leaps to his fect angrily, and the follow- “The opening scene represented the nuptials of a ing caption is thrown on the seri “Rev. Sawbones comely young lady and a tall, thin young man, ‘The Goes Wild.’ He throws his Bible at the fat man but » was dressed in very short skirts which exposed — misses him an the bride’s mother in the face lower limbs and showed them to be encased in ‘This lady collapses and a small gentleman standing near striped stockings. ‘The bridegroom wore a shockingly attempts to support her. His strength proves insuffi- tight black suit and white socks. Just as the sacred — cient, however, and he falls to the floor with the bride's intellectual d strike: