Life — November 29, 1917 — page 29: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a film strip-style comic strip titled "David and Goliath Do It for the Movies," satirizing Hollywood adaptations of the biblical story. The sequential panels show a small child (David) repeatedly attempting to defeat a large adult man (Goliath) using various physical comedy props and techniques—slingshots, wrestling moves, acrobatics—reminiscent of silent film slapstick. The satire appears to mock how filmmakers dramatized and comedified classic biblical narratives for entertainment value, reducing the legendary underdog victory to physical farce. The "referee" figure suggests this is presented as sport-like entertainment rather than religious content. The joke critiques how Hollywood prioritized spectacle and humor over faithful storytelling, turning sacred material into vaudeville-style performances for profit.