Life, 1921-07-21 · page 11 of 34
Life — July 21, 1921 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early cinema culture through two illustrated verses by Robert E. Sherwood with drawings by John Held, Jr. **"The Ticket Girl"** mocks the stereotypical cinema usherette (Alice) who works in a movie theater booth. The verse puns on her name and position, suggesting she's distracted and directionless, seeking entertainment at the zoo rather than taking her job seriously. **"The Organist"** jokes about the cinema organist who accompanies silent films. It depicts how he struggles through dramatic moments—playing predictable chords while the plot becomes melodramatic—and suggests he'd rather be famous jazz musician J.P. Morgan or baseball star Babe Ruth. The bottom comic strip, "Never Monkey with a Monk," appears unrelated wordplay humor involving a monkey and a dentist.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
fhe Cinema Primer Verses by Robert E. Sherwood the Ticket gir] This well so-phis-ti-ca-ted Al-ice Of ““Won-der-land” (a pic-ture Pal-ace) Doth sit with-in her glaz-en Booth, Lur-ing the waste-ful, way-ward Youth, Who rash-ly Spends his hard-earned _Nick-el To see the Film, “Why Wives Are Fickle.” Her Pa-trons ne-ver are Ex-empt From her de-lib-er-ate Con-tempt, For she doth Know so ye-ry Much A-bout the Mo-vie Stars, and Such, That when she has no Work to do She seeks Di-ver-sion in the Zoo. Drawings by John Held, Jr. Ske Organist His right Hand trills the “Mis-er-er-e” The while his left plays ““Tip-per-ar-y,” And as he drones each mel-low Chord, He looks un-ut-ter-ab-ly Bored. He sees the Vil-lain throt-tle Han-nah, And steps up-on the Vox Hu-ma-na, Or, if the Gal falls for A-no-ther, He sobs, “Don’t Break the News to Mo-ther”; And when it all ends Hap-pi-ly, He pounds out “Hands A-cross the Sea.” I think I’d ra-ther play the Or-gan Than be Babe Ruth or J. P. Mor-gan. comicbooks.com