Life, 1923-06-14 · page 11 of 44
Life — June 14, 1923 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical commentary rather than a political cartoon. The main image, titled "American Street Scene As it is imagined by European movie fans," depicts a chaotic urban street where multiple figures are suspended or falling from a multi-story tenement building. The satire targets European perceptions of American city life, suggesting that European filmgoers imagine American streets as lawless and dangerous—with people literally falling from buildings. This mocks both exaggerated Hollywood depictions of American urban chaos and European stereotypes about American roughness. The accompanying text includes editorial pieces on film censorship, school films, and brief humor items, suggesting this reflects 1920s-era anxieties about cinema's influence on international perceptions of American culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
What the Movie Game Has to Offer F a man makes good as a super he may get a minor part. If he makes good in a minor part he may be selected to play a “lead.” \f he makes good as a player of leads he may become a star. lf he makes good as a star he may become his own producer. If he makes good as his own pro- ducer he may abandon the com- mercial field and devote his talents solely to million-dollar-and-up pro- ductions. lf he makes good at that, he will soon be in a position to a) take unto himself a newer and better wife, (b) buy the place where he was born and present it to his home town as a memorial, and (c) call on Will Hays without making an appointment. FLW. Those School Films (Extract from a Bulletin of the National Board of Film Censor- ship, Washington, D. C.) HE Firtu PropositTion oF Euctip (National Education Association, 5 reels) — This picture has been previously reviewed under the title of “The Eternal Triangle.” As it is now reissued, certain objectionable fea- tures will have to be eliminated be- fore the film can be released. T1tLE—Disapproved as sugges- tive. “The Fifth Proposition of Euclid” is considered harmful to the adolescent mind, as it insinu- ates that Euclid had had previous propositions. Substitute: “‘The Innocence of Isosceles.” Protocue—lIn the subtitle: “The angles at the base of an isosceles triangle are equal,” eliminate the word “base,” which the dictionary defines as “morally low, ignoble.” Reet 1—In scenes showing the girlhood of Isosceles, eliminate views where lines are being drawn. Suggestive. Eliminate subtitle: “Mother, where do the little angles come from?” Eliminate close-up of acute angle. Recent ruling of board allows only obtuse angles to be shown, Reet 2—In scenes showing Eu- clid building Pons Asinorum, elim- inate word “Asinorum” wherever it American Street Scene As it is imagined by European movie fans. occurs. Might be construed as re- flecting on Congress. Make second subtitle read: “Later in the after- noon” instead of: “That Night.” Reet 3—In scenes between Eu- clid and Isosceles, eliminate dotted lines wherever they occur. Cut to flash scene of struggle at bridge. Eliminate subtitle: “You are noth- ing but a common hypotenuse !” Reet 4—Cut entirely with ex- ception of brief scene preceding subtitle: “And so Lines BE and CD, being parallel, parted never to meet again.” Reet 5—Eliminate scene in which Euclid uses reductio ad ab- surdum, Illustrative of methods of criminals. Cut to shortest possible flash chase, scenes leading up to subtitle: “Q. E. D.” Insert at end following subtitle: “Dawn breaks over the Sierras—the Dawn of a Better Day.” S.K. Publicity UBLICITY! you jade, Revealed place— A hypocrite with lucre paid To sanction virtue or disgrace. shameless within the market Publicity, we all assert We scorn the power you com- mand, The while we creep behind your skirt To slip a pourboire in your hand! M.H.C. Thrift THE man who put something aside for a rainy day has nothing on the fellow who did likewise for a dry one. SLANDER degrades two people. comicbooks.com