Judge, 1923-09-22 · page 10 of 36
Judge — September 22, 1923 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Plausibility by Ralph Barton This satirical cartoon mocks theatrical conventions of the 1920s stage. The comic tracks a "hardened playgoer's" (cynical theatergoer's) reactions across the week to the same romantic scenes in the play "Little Miss Bluebeard" featuring actress Irene Bordoni at the Lyceum Theatre. Monday-Thursday show the playgoer dismissing the actor's declarations of love and passion as implausible and overwrought—"I don't believe it!", "She ain't!", "Liar!" The joke's punch comes Friday: when three male actors (Stanley Logan, Bruce McRae, Eric Blore) compete for Bordoni's affections simultaneously, the cynic finally finds it *convincing*—he "forgets the past" and sighs along with them. Barton satirizes both overwrought stage melodrama and the female star's actual power to make artificial emotion feel genuine through sheer charisma.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
PLAUSIBILITY—by RALPH BARTON As attempted by the 1923-24 model stage heroine, and attained by Irene Bordoni, in “Little Miss Bluebeard” at the Lyceum Tuesday Actor—Your loveliness maddens me! Monday Actor—You are beautiful! I love you! Night Hardened Playgoer—I don’t believe it! Night Hardened Playgoer—She ain't! You don't! Thursday Actor—Siren! Night Hardened Playgoer—Stung again! Wednesday Actor—You enchant me; bewitch me! Night Hardened Playgoer—Liar! run poo col writ spin mar fam fare Friday Night—When three gentlemen (left to right: Messrs. Stanley Logan, Bru thin Blore) vie with one another from 8.30 until 10.55 for the favorable glances of Miss Bordoni, the Hardened Playgoer forgets the past, forgives the young theatrical season, and sighs with them. 8 comicbooks.com