Life, 1921-10-13 · page 23 of 34
Life — October 13, 1921 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical page mocks early cinema through three pieces: **"The Director"** caricatures film directors as megalomaniacal despots—comparing them to Caesar, Napoleon, and Jupiter. The joke: they wield godlike power over their crews (commanding them to build and destroy sets repeatedly), yet paradoxically lack social status (the narrator won't tip their hat until the director removes his sport shirt, implying he's not truly genteel). **"The Wronged Heroine"** parodies silent-film melodrama heroines—emotionally manipulative women who suffer dramatically but insincerely. The satire suggests their constant "wronging" is performative; even the narrator stops sympathizing and joins them in theatrical despair. **"Jungle Hotel Up to Date"** is a comic strip showing animals (Monk and Elephant) running a modernized jungle hotel, with the Elephant promising to "fix up" a guest. It's unclear what specific cinema reference this makes, though it appears to mock exotic or primitive settings exploited for entertainment. The overall tone ridicules cinema's emerging pretensions and narrative clichés.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
October 13 fhe Cinema Primer Verses by Robert E. Sherwood ‘oI the Director He’s Cae-sar, Foch, Na-po-le-on, And Ju-pi-ter—rolled in-to one. He tells the Men in his Em-ploy To go and Build up an-cient Troy, And af-ter it is Fin-ished, then He makes them Knock it down a-gain. No Em-per-or or King or Czar Has spread his In-flu-ence so Far, No all-per-va-ding de-i-ty Has known such Might-y Power as he; And yet—no Hat to him J’// doff, Un-til he takes that Sport Shirt off. Drawings by John Held, Jr. — SheWronged Heroine ~ She Mar-ches out in-to the Night, Wailing, “The world don’t Use me Right,” But then, she’s ne-ver real-ly Cheer-ful Un-less she’s un-der-go-ing Fear-ful Treat-ment from the un-kind Fate Which made her What she is to Date. When first I saw this Girl go wrong, My Sym-pa-thy for her was Strong, But she has erred so Fre-quent-ly That she gets no more Tears from me; And now, when-e’er I see her Plight, I, too, dash Out in-to the Night. ZD) Jungle Hotel Up to Date Monk: I told him we have showerbaths, I must make good or I'll lose him! Elephant: I get you, Monk! Leave it to me. Tl fix him up. comicbooks.com