Judge, 1927-10-29 · page 10 of 36
Judge — October 29, 1927 — page 10: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# "The Radio Haut Monde" - Judge Magazine Satire This page satirizes 1920s American consumerism and social climbing through radio ownership. The main cartoon "Cataclysmic Moments" shows Bernarr Macfadden (famous fitness promoter) having a breakdown, likely mocking his extreme health philosophies. The larger piece "The Radio Haut Monde" (French for "high society") ridicules how radio sets became status symbols. A narrator describes how his neighbor Montgomery gained social prestige and attracted wealthy visitors by progressively upgrading from cheap crystal sets to increasingly expensive tube radios (6-tube, then 10-tube, now 12-tube models). The satire suggests that owning the latest radio technology—not character or actual accomplishment—now determines social standing. The narrator envies Montgomery's newfound importance and dreams of eventually affording a comparable set himself, exposing the absurdity of valuing people based on their possessions rather than their merit.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
JUDGE that six-tube neutrodyne, at that time the finest set in Rusti Gardens, the Suburb Beautiful. After that he just sailed right along. They had that famous cight-tube outfit, that splendid ten-tube superheterodyne, and then, last fall, he proudly in- stalled his present twelve-tube self-reflexing, totally shielded beauty Luc! fellow, Montgomery. His new set has given him pre tige, poise and importance. Pe ple flock to him. When there’s a fight or a special program on the air some of the best people in town drop in at his home. Once Mr. Gelzer, that well-known Ch > banker, the man with the fif- teen tube set, spent a week-end at | the Montgomery xt month a big New York banker who owns a nineteen tube outfit is going to spend the holidays with him. Pearl and I gaze wistfully at our little two tube headphone set and we make the rosiest plans. If that Billings contract breaks for me, and things continue as they are now, it won't be long be- fore we'll have a ten-tube Ilo hooked up to the loudspeaker. And it looks as if in a year or two, with any kind of luck at all, we'll be the proud possessors of sargantuan with what you need is exercise / CATACLYSMIC MOME Bernarr Macfadden has a breakdown. | The Radio Haut Monde It came in the afternoon mail— that friendly little note inviting us over to the Montgomery’s on Thursday evening. My wife was thrilled and though I’m not quite as demonstrative as she is, I must admit that I was a little flattered to receive an invitation to the home of a man who owns a twelve tube ra et. I can remember the day, not so very long ago, when the Mont- gomerys had to struggle along with a cheap little crystal set that had a range of only about ten miles. After he was made general manager of the plant he got a dandy three-tube outfit. It wasn’t long before they made him vice- president and he brought home How to save tires and keep your car without a scratch or dent. comicbooks.com