Judge, 1921-07-09 · page 27 of 36
Judge — July 9, 1921 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the 1920 play "Nice People," starring Francine Larrimmore and Robert Ames. The satire mocks the play's apparent message about modern courtship and etiquette for "socially eager" young people. The cartoon ridicules what the play presents as proper romantic conduct. The captions employ heavy irony—suggesting that "gallantry" involves relieving women of burdens (shown grabbing a woman), that overalls represent "distinction" in a prospective mother-in-law's home, and that physical restraint ("grabbing her forearm") or whistling after women represents acceptable behavior. The final caption's blunt "TREAT 'EM ROUGH" underscores the satire. The joke targets both the play itself and broader post-WWI anxieties about changing gender relations and "modern" youth behavior. By presenting crude, physically aggressive conduct as "polite," the cartoonist critiques what he views as the play's endorsement of coarse treatment of women under the guise of contemporary social progress.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
In the Play “Nice People” Now Instruct- ing the Socially The Perfect Guide to Polite Con- duct as Demon- strated hers— ushing 30 you ” and r your ts his hope Francine LarriMore 4 ano Rosert Ames stings 4 , SHOW HOW A YOUNG LADY SHOULD ALLOW A YOUNG GENTLEMAN TO DELICATELY INDICATE HIS INTEREST IN HER. THE FIRST INSTINCT OF GALLAN- TRY IS TO RELIEVE A WOMAN OF HER BURDENS, EVEN WHEN SHE WEARS A HAMMER IN HER BACK POCKET FOR USE IN A SPECIAL EMERGENCY. THIs Is THE WAY, ACCORDING TO Miss LarrIMoRE, A WELL-BRED GIRL SHOULD ENTER THE HOME OF HER PROSPECTIVE MOTHER-IN- LAW. OVERALLS GIVE THE RIGHT TOUCH OF DISTINCTION. 27 ALWAYS DETAIN A YOUNG LADY BY GRABBING HER FOREARM. Do NOT WHISTLE AFTER HER UNLESS SHE IS TOO FAR BEYOND REACH TO PIN HER TO THE DOORWAY. TREAT ’EM ROUGH. comicbooks.com