Judge, 1922-02-25 · page 35 of 36
Judge — February 25, 1922 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Leslie's Weekly advertisement** (not a cartoon) promoting the February 25 issue. The page itself contains no political cartoon or caricature—it's purely promotional copy. The ad addresses a genuine contemporary problem: Broadway's theatrical slump, with over 100 plays produced that season and dozens failing. It frames this crisis through rhetorical questions—whether audiences had less money, better taste, or faced high ticket prices—before promising that Samuel Hopkins Adams's analytical article will explain the situation. The page also promotes two other features: Severance Johnson's series "Is It Chiro-Quack-tic?" (attacking chiropractors as fraudulent) and Scammon Lockwood's serial "The Safety Valve." For modern readers: this reveals early 20th-century concerns about theater's commercial viability, skepticism toward alternative medicine, and Leslie's Weekly's role as an influential satirical magazine offering serious journalism alongside humor.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
What Ails the Theater Business? LAY after play has been produced this theatrical season— considerably more than a hundred of ’em—-and dozens of them have failed. From theaterdom comes a howl that this season is one of the most disastrous in Broadway’s history. What is the matter? Is the theater-going public shorter in money or longer in discrimination these days? Is its taste get- ting better or are the plays getting worse? Is the price of tickets too highP Are there too many theaters? What is the cause of the slump, anyhow? New and extremely interesting light is shed on this situa- tion in an article by Samuel Hopkins Adams in Leslie’s Weekly for February 25. Mr. Adams presents a vivid, analytical survey of the theatrical situation, in the same interesting style employed in his notable “Buck Up, Business!” series, recently con- cluded in Leslie’s. In this same issue Severance Johnson contributes the sixth article of his series, “Is It Chiro-Quack-tic?” which has at- tracted nation-wide attention and comment. This issue contains also a final installment, including the denouement, of Scammon Lockwood’s arresting serial, “The Safety Valve.” These are only a few of the array of splendid illustrated features in Leslie’s for February 25. Don’t miss it! Remember, you can buy Leslie’s Weekly from your news dealer for 10 cents a copy, or have it delivered weekly at your home as a subscriber for Five Dollars a year. DO IT NOW!