Life, 1910-05-05 · page 31 of 72
Life — May 5, 1910 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical theater review from *Life* magazine mocking an absurdly melodramatic stage production. The main cartoon shows "Algy" entertaining a cousin from Montana, with the caption joking that it's shameful for an able-bodied man to "pounce down onto a poor little unprotected drink"—satirizing overwrought dramatic dialogue. The text describes the plot's ridiculous elements: characters dig through ash-heaps, a man falls from a fly-loft after a "gaspipe duet," conspirators dance in the cellar while temple officials demand electrocution, and the finale is so shocking the audience either flees or requires a coroner. The humor lies in *Life*'s mocking description of early 20th-century stage melodrama—its overwrought emotions, absurd plot mechanics, and gratuitous violence. References to "free silver" and "Great Commoner" suggest this parodies contemporary political theater or populist themes popular at the time.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Z4% =a > 23" So eS) eee EMS A SHAME LIKE THAT? sobbing tones like peals of thunder that although her love for him is abso- lutely eighteen karat (acid test motif in orchestra) yet she cannot marry him until old Snortissima is bowled over, as he is her illegitimate father and watches her as the Great Commoner watches the Presidential chair. (Clicking of free silver and donkey braying motif.) ANOTHER TRIUMPH WAGGLES! AN EAT SCOTT, aie?” “NO. VIVISECTOR. ONTO A GUINEA MEN.” AUTOMO- TRANSPLANTED MY LEG ALGY ENTERTAINS THE VM GLAD NONE 0 THE WOYS AIN'T WATCHIN’ ME." After a long look into each other's eyes they by a single impulse begin dig- ging in the ash-heap in the corner and bob up at the same time holding to the ends of a piece of rusted gaspipe. With whoops of joy they rush up- stairs, and presently the fall of a huge iron weight from the fly-loft to the stage reveals to the audience the fact that the gaspipe duet has been too much for Snortissima and his throwdown is complete Wild, whirring sounds announce the re-entrance of the conspirators, who be- gin a dance orgy about the cellar, sing- ing in mad unison (Lauterbach motif for two hundred drums), while a chorus of vengeful members of the temple trust, realizing that their chief means of graft has been taken from them, rush wrath- fully in screaming, “Electrocute them! electrocute them! "? The tense stillness following the COUSIN FROM MONTANA DON'T IT, FOR AN ABLE-RODIED MAN LIKE ME TO POUNCE DOWN ONTO A POOR'LITTLE UNPROTECTED DRINK j snarling fall of the curtain indicates one of two things—either that the audience escaped before it was overcome or that the succession of shocks has given the coroner and his assistants a job that will last them for several days. Harvey Peake. comicbooks.com