Judge — December 17, 1927 — page 23: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical comic about theatrical/vaudeville performers and their social pretensions. The main joke centers on **"weather girl" and "back East"** characters—likely vaudeville or Broadway performers discussing their sophistication and earnings. The humor targets: 1. **Class pretension**: Performers claiming refinement while using crude language ("naughty word," gin references) 2. **Show business gossip**: References to performers' scandals, with mentions of "George Olsen and his orchestra" (a real 1920s-30s bandleader), suggesting real theatrical figures are being mocked 3. **Family embarrassment**: One character mentions his brother using the cat in the tropics—crude humor about performers' unseemly behavior 4. **Holiday season satire**: The final panels show awkward post-dinner small talk, ending with a character saying "Merry Xmas Girls!" The overall point: theatrical people affect sophistication but reveal themselves as vain, gossipy, and morally questionable through their chatter. This reflects Jazz Age anxieties about entertainment industry morality.