Judge — July 14, 1928 — page 21: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This multi-panel cartoon satirizes **theatrical performances and audience behavior** at Keith's vaudeville circuit venues. The humor centers on the contrast between performers' intentions and actual outcomes. The top panel shows well-dressed patrons at what appears to be a formal entertainment, with characters suggesting they "play post office" (a parlor game) instead—mocking the sophistication of the venue. Subsequent panels feature performers and audience members exchanging increasingly absurd commentary. One character references "Louise Groody," likely a **contemporary theatrical performer** (1920s era), and jokes about inappropriate theater behavior—mooning from boxes, finger-nail related incidents. The satire targets **vaudeville culture's mix of refined pretense and base comedy**, poking fun at both performers' overconfidence and audiences' crude behavior. The cartoonist (signed by Edward Alien) uses rapid-fire, increasingly ridiculous dialogue to mock the contradictions between what theaters claimed to offer versus actual audience conduct.