Life, 1921-03-17 · page 29 of 40
Life — March 17, 1921 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several brief satirical jokes typical of Life's humor: **"Police Efficiency"**: Absurdist joke mocking detective incompetence—a man who worked in umbrella repair is supposedly skilled at recovering *stolen* umbrellas, which is nonsensical. **"After the Banquet"**: A coal magnate's speech leaves the listener unmoved ("left me cold"), with a pun on emotional coldness. **"Nothing to It"**: Satirizes reckless driving and judicial leniency. A motorist argues he *couldn't* have deliberately hit someone while going 65 mph—an ironic defense treating dangerous speed as exculpatory. **Finger prints/criminal reference**: Dark humor suggesting criminals accept identification risks as part of their "drab existence." **Harding orchid**: Political joke—naming a prize orchid after President Harding, with sardonic hope it's a "Harding perennial" (likely mocking his administration). **Bottom cartoon**: References Western movie tropes of flagging down taxis dramatically, with the punchline involving an unexpected house party.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
March 17 Cook: AND ANOTHER THING OI'VE LEARNT. YE'LL GIT ALONG BETTER WID THE MISSUS IF YE'LL JIST SWALLOW YER PROIDE AND TRATE HER AS AN EQUAL. Police Efficiency OKUS: How does Sleuthpup rank as a detective? Poxus: Great. You know, he used to work in the repair ent of an umbrella factory. “What has that got to do with being a detective?” “Why, that fellow can recover an umbrella that has never been stolen.” After the Banquet ADABOUT: That was a great speech of Clinkers- worth, the coal magnate, on “Reasons for the Present Stavnotm: I didn’t think so. It left me cold. i” pays to smile — But it doesn’t pay much. IN PRESSION GAINED FROM THE MOVIES OF HOW A WESTERNER MIGHT HAIL A TAXL Nothing to It UDGE: This man says you deliberately ran over him. Sart Motorist: That's nonsense. I leave it to you, your Honor. How can a man deliberate when he is going sixty-five miles an hour? A FRENCH expert has ascertained that the chances for mis- take in identification with finger prints is one in seventeen billion. Nevertheless, it is little things like this that lend zest to the criminal’s otherwise drab existence. HE latest prize-winning orchid has been named Harding. All good Republicans hope it is a Harding perennial. “pUCK, BILL! THERE’S Woops! HE’S PLANNING TO GIVE A HOUSE PARTY.” comicbooks.com