Life, 1920-01-08 · page 13 of 44
Life — January 8, 1920 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents a humorous comic strip sequence titled "Life's Movies" that parodies melodramatic silent film tropes. The narrative follows a will-reading scene involving "Ezra Dough," a shoestring manufacturer, and includes stock characters like "Jim, the Black Sheep of the Family" and a mysterious "need-do-well" living in a city lodging house. The satire mocks overwrought silent-film conventions: dramatic revelations ("A RIP IN THE LINING"), exaggerated character types, and implausible plot twists. The comic employs visual gags and absurdist humor typical of early 20th-century American comedy, poking fun at cinema's tendency toward melodrama and coincidence-driven narratives. The strip appears designed to entertain readers familiar with contemporary movie conventions by exaggerating their most ridiculous elements.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
GRAND-DAUGHTER, LOUISA , a LEAVE THE OLD HOMESTEAD LIFE’S MOVIES 3 UNSOUND SIGNED Geanenm chy GRANOSON NICODEMUS, THE BACK FORTY; AND MY- FAMILY ~ WEARING THE FRAYED CoAT OF BWE DEPARTS AMID THe JEERS OF HIS RELATIVES: HAD NOTHING “1D EAT SINCE B-G-BREAKFAST — comicbooks.com