Life, 1912-02-08 · page 21 of 44
Life — February 8, 1912 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains theater reviews and two cartoons satirizing social climbing and artistic pretension in early 20th-century America. **The Main Cartoon ("Artist's Wife"):** A man stands on a fire escape in shabby clothing while his wife leans from a window demanding rent. He apologizes that his husband has "just gone out"—a non-sequitur joke playing on the artist couple's poverty despite aspirations to refinement. The satire targets struggling artists who maintain pretenses of sophistication while unable to pay basic bills. **"The Optimist" Cartoon:** Shows a man confidently stating he won't pay his coal bill because he has "one consolation"—another absurdist joke mocking delusional optimism in financial hardship. **Context:** The opening essay criticizes the play "Elevating a Husband" for recycling tired "new money" jokes (millionaires with poor manners, wives who mangle language) that no longer amuse. The satire reflects Gilded Age anxiety about social mobility and the difficulty of depicting class climbing freshly—the comedy has worn thin because social climbing itself was so pervasive.
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OCIAL climbing in various aspects is a more frequent dramatic motive in this country than elsewhere, perhaps because with our unfixed conditions it affects more people and more kinds of people. It has to be expertly pictured, though, of it becomes t Even jokes about new millionaires eating with their knives have lost their novelty and the malapropisms of their wives have to be decidedly off-color to rouse even a faint. smile. Therefore “Elevating a Husband,” in which Mr, Louis Mann made a praiseworthy attempt to get from the limitations of dialect failed to strike anyone as being a new or entertaining proposition. Its jumor was based on the old theme and even that was not humorously set forth rhe play also contained a cheap appeal to the “mother” sentiment which our melodramatic stage long ago robbed of its power to open the tear-ducts or ex- cite the horny-handed to applause. The clevator in “Elevating a Hus- band" seems to be stuck between floors, with no prospect of being able to lift the box-office receipts at the Liberty Thea- Metcalfe. esonic. suway comedy, Aster—* The Red Widow." Mr. Raymond Hitehcock’s fun the principal feature of a diverting musical show. Belasco" The Return of Peter Grimm.” Mr. David Warficld and good company. in interesting drama dealing with the doings of a disembodied spirit. —_ The Optimist: THeEwe's oxe cox- pox’ TIS COAL BELL SOLATION, 1 MAvE TO FOOT Artist's Wife: ou! Mave you CoME FoR THE RENT? wet, VM SORRY, BUT MY HUSBAND MAS JUST GONE OUT Extremely. interest ing an Arabian Nights play done with. out words and with unusual scenic effects. Century—" The Garden of Allah.” Elab orate stage pictures impressively done as ad- junct to an interesting drama, Cohan's—" The Little Millionaire.” sical show, mostly Cohan, and therefore s and not refined. Comedy—" Bunty Pulls the Strings lightfully acted and very funny Scov ical comedy. Criterion—" White Magic, Elliott. See above. Daly's—“ The Rose of Panama. usually good music and a stupid book, with @ not extraordinary cast. Empire—Revival of the polite English comedy Cousin Kate" and a new turn by Ethel Barrymore which will be noticed later. Making Good.” Notice later. Officer 666." See above. Over the River.” Amusing mu- with Mr, Eddie Foy and the very latest things in the way of dances, Horris—* The Talker. Clever and timely play, mostly comedy but incidentally teach ing a lesson without preaching. Herald Square—* The Mi able and thoroughly innocuou Hippodrome—The big stage * Around the World" backed up by and water spectacle, Hedson—" The Return from Jerusalem.” Combination of the French triangle and French anti-Semitism, with Mme. Simone at with Gertrude Laugh rench farce pictures ot ballet better advantage than hitherto. tremely valuable coml Broadway—The reincarnation of the old Weber and Fields company. Notice later. Knickerbocker —" Kismet.” Interesting drama drawn from “The Arabian Nights. and brilliantly staged, with good company headed by Mr, Otis Skinner. Lyceum—Margaret Anglin in “Lydia Gil more.” Notice later. Lyrie—" Little Boy Blue.” Extremely agreeable musical show well done and with some novel features. Maxine Elliott's—" The Bird of Paradise.” An interesting and unusual drama with Ha waii picturesquely reproduced as a scenic background. _Park—" The Quaker Girl.” Charming mu- sical show of the London type with pleasant music and dainty presentation. Playhouse—" Bought and Paid For." Con temporary drama well staged and combining fun and pathos. Republic—" The Woman.” . An absorbing play with its. scenes characters. drawn rom corrupt. political in Washington. Thirty-ninth Street—" A Butterfly on the Wheel.” English society and the way it handles its divorce scandals in private life and in an impressive reproduction of an Eng: lish court. Wallack"s—Mr. George Arliss in“ Dis- racli.”” Pleasant play of the Victorian era and artistic delineation of the British min: ister. Winter Garden—Viverting vaudeville and extravaganza, with Annette Kellerman and Russian dancers as the important features, Not an ex