Life — December 9, 1920 — page 5: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 1081 This page contains three distinct sections: **"Be Honest"** (left): A humorous questionnaire for aspiring slapstick comedians, asking whether candidates have the physical tolerance for comedy—crossing eyes, working in boiler shops, falling in beds of mortar, losing teeth, staying underwater. This satirizes the physical demands and pain involved in silent-film slapstick comedy, which was hugely popular in the 1920s. **"A Diplomatic Flatterer"** and **"His Ideal"**: Two brief joke sections about social manners and ambition. **Right side**: Primarily advertisements for a Mediterranean cruise on the Cunard Line's R.M.S. "Caronia" and the La France vacuum cleaner. The cartoon at bottom shows a child with a Ouija board, captioned about "sending a letter to Sandy Claus"—a playful misspelling suggesting children's mishearing of "Santa Claus."