Life, 1921-06-02 · page 2 of 44
Life — June 2, 1921 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **Chesterfield cigarette advertisement** rather than political satire. The page features a humorous narrative about "Parley-Voo" (French slang for "parlez-vous," meaning "do you speak French?"). The joke concerns an American who couldn't speak French visiting Paris. He attempts to communicate with a French barber through pantomime—making signs in a mirror and wiggling his fingers through his hair. The barber eventually understands and cuts his hair. The American then smokes a Chesterfield cigarette, which the advertisement humorously suggests would have satisfied the barber, implying cigarettes transcend language barriers. The cartoon illustrations show exaggerated, cartoonish faces typical of 1920s-era advertising. The humor is gentle and relies on the Universal-language appeal of smoking, rather than political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIE: Published Weekly by Lite Publishing Y Company at 17 West 31st Stree New York ‘Subscription, Vol. 77, No, 2013, Entered as Second Class Mar NY. Entered as Second Ciiss Mar Copyright in Englind an Office at New York. CHARLES DANA GIBSON, Pr 9. GRORGE B. RICHARDSON, Vice. LEROV MILLER, Troan GRORGE DU} he British Possessions BF. PROVANDIE, Western M. Air-Tight Tins of 50 Ask your dealer to show you the new vacuum- sealed tins of 50 Chester- fields. A compact, con- venient and absolutely AIR-TIGHT packing the cigarettes keep fresh indefinitely. With acknowledgments to K. C. B, Nix on the “Parley-Voo' stuff! ¢ A FRIEND of mine WHO COULDN'T speak A WORD of French | WENT TO Paris AND THE first time HE HAD to get A HAIRCUT and shave HE PRACTICED an hour MAKING SIGNS. IN THE looking glass SO THE French barber WOULD UNDERSTAND him AND THEN he went in. AND WIGGLED his fingers. THROUGH HIS hair AND STROKED his chin. AND THE barber grinned AND FINISHED the job. THEN MY friend thought. HE'D BE polite. SO HE gave the barber AN AMERICAN cigarette WHICH THE barber smoked ° AND MY friend pointed. TO HIS mouth AND SAID “Likee voo” AND THE barber roared AND SAIO “You BET 1 USED to smoke ‘em WHEN | worked IN INDIANAPOLIS. AND BELIEVE me THEY SATISFY!" ERE’S a smoke that talks in any language and needs no interpreter. Light up a Chesterfield, draw deep. more plainly than word: ur smile will tell the world “They Satisf; It’s the blend that does it-- and. you can’t get “Satisfy” anywhere except in Chesterfields, for that blend can’t be copied! Liccert & Myers Tosacco Co. comicbooks.com