Judge — June 10, 1922 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon by H.J. Peck depicts a scene outside a movie theater showing "Reuben Hicks" films. A woman on the right (likely representing a wife or female relative) greets a man returning home, while other figures gather around what appears to be a movie theater entrance with promotional posters. The title "Return of the Prodigal" references the biblical parable of a wayward son's homecoming. The satire likely comments on how cinema—particularly popular films featuring actors like "Reuben Hicks"—distracted men from their domestic responsibilities, drawing them away from home. The woman's welcoming gesture suggests she's relieved to see the man back, implying he'd been absent, absorbed in entertainment rather than family duties. This reflects early 20th-century anxieties about movies' social impact on family life and traditional values.