Life, 1918-02-28 · page 22 of 40
Life — February 28, 1918 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon satirizes Prohibition enforcement by depicting a "periscope" — a secret Congressional committee meeting viewed through a keyhole by a figure labeled "EVIDENCE," suggesting hidden deliberations about alcohol policy. The page primarily reviews theatrical productions: Mr. Carton's comedy "The Off Chance" featuring Ethel Barrymore in a London society play about divorce and marriage, and a production of Sophocles' "Electra" by Margaret Anglin. The satire's point appears to be the ironic contrast between public Prohibition policy and the "wicked world" of London high society depicted in the play — suggesting that while Congress secretly debates alcohol prohibition, the wealthy continue their dissolute ways. The periscope image mocks the futility of hiding such hypocrisy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE PROHIBITION PERISCOPE AND A SECRET MEETING OF THE CONGRESSIONAL PROMIBITION COMMITTEE, From London, Greece and Bagdad T= wicked world as shown in London fast society is, was to be expected, the scene of Mr. Carton’s latest comedy, “The Off Chance.” It is London society as we have known it in most English comedies of the last two- score years. There is not even an allusion to the present war conditions, except a line, obviously Iugged in for American consumption, in which a reference is made to Liberty Bonds. The titled folk who predominate in the cast show a yrcater familiarity with divorce than they used to in Eng- lish polite comedy, and this is the basis of most of the fun in what is a more sprightly and more than usually laugh- able play of the kind. Ethel Barrymore leads the cast as the mother of a young married woman who has left her husband because he was not the winged angel she had expected him to be. The mother, who has learned that husbands are not angels but men with both angelic and devilish qualities, uses this knowledge to bring the young couple toxether again on a basis of better understanding. The réle of the mother, who is a thorough woman of the world, disillusioned and cynical Lut not unkindly, and possessing a rather bitter sense of humor, suits EVIDENCE the star to a dot, far better than any part she has had for a long time. This and the inclusion in the cast of such comedy artists as Messrs. Emery, Keightley. Cope, Swete and Gran give a spirit and finish to the acting such as is not often to be found nowadays. With Ethel Barrymore at her best, with such an unusually good cast and with a Carton comedy quite the equal of “Lord and Lady Algy.” it looks as though the star might not be obliged to fall back on her repertory to finish out the season at the Empire. HE dead text of Greck tragedy is humanized and turned into living drama by such an impressive and picturesque performance as that of the “ Electra” of Sophocles given by Margaret Anglin and her associates. It is to the credit of every one concerned that it should be attempted at all, and more to their credit that they have so successfully bridged the cen- turies. There could he little of the commercial spirit to prompt this presentation of a Greek classic to this