Life, 1924-01-10 · page 19 of 44
Life — January 10, 1924 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct satirical pieces from the Prohibition era (likely 1920s-early 1930s): **Top cartoon**: A nervous gentleman asks a young man for the time on a wet street. The joke plays on paranoia—the gentleman fears mugging ("hold-ups in this neighborhood") and won't risk showing his watch, so he asks someone else to check theirs instead. **"The Bootlegger"**: This profile satirizes illegal alcohol dealers who flourished during Prohibition. The irony is central: this flashy criminal—wearing expensive jewelry, owning multiple properties, driving high-powered cars—*claims* to be a "absolute teetotaler" who contributes to Prohibition campaigns. The satire mocks both the bootlegger's hypocrisy and the absurdity of Prohibition itself, which enriched criminals while supposedly promoting temperance. **"My Friends"**: A lighter humor piece providing brief character sketches of various recognizable social types, mostly gentle observations about their quirks or contradictions. The page reflects Jazz Age anxieties about crime, lawlessness, and the unintended consequences of Prohibition policy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Nervous Gentleman a WOULD YOU BE GOOD ENOUGH TO TELL ME THE TIME? Polite Youth (consulting his watch): JUST TEN MINUTES PAST TEN. rvous Gentleman: THANK You so MUCH. The Bootlegger H 2 wears a gray plaid suit and his hair parted on the left; across his chest dangles a heavy gold watch chain His shoes are tan and heavy, and in his striped silk tie blazes a sparkling horse- shoe. Almost any day he may be seen lunching in some well-known restaurant On his card are inscribed his name and telephone number, but not his ad- dress. He can get you anything if you only ¢ him time. He is constantly shifting his office, but will invariably advise you of its change of location. soft and striped. In the left breast pocket of his waist- coat he carries several large cigars, one of which he is more than likely to offer you. He owns three town houses, one house in the country, and two high- powered cars. Moreover, he is an ab- solute teetotaler, and contributes gen- erously to the Prohibition campaign. His collars are THAT 1 DIDN'T PARE TAKE MY WATCH JENN LUG» ‘amanen: So VI, 2 ‘= THE LAGGARD “GOOD NIGHT!—IF 1 RING THE BELL Now VLL WAKE HER FATHER SURE—AND 1 SHOULD'VE LEFT HOURS Go.” THERE MAVE BEEN SO MANY HOLD-UPs IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD OUT. My Friends An Anthology of People Worth While ARY SWEET ducing monologue Harry Sport—his Ford brought out the worst in him. Jack Goodfellow—he's a gentleman traffic cop. Mary Handsome—she girls’ ages go at that. Tom Splendid—he spares me intro- ductions to his brother salesmen. Si Noble—he would give up farming hefore he raised billboards. Walter White—Prohibition driven him to drink. Will Dandy—he doesn’t sell seats in his movie theatre that are not there. Gloria Best—her checks for acting are the only things she endorses. Tom Wit—he never takes the words out of my mouth when we meet Gertrude Wonder—she’s a school- teacher and she doesn't hide her guilty secret B..J. Ky she has no re- hasn't lets other hasn't comicbooks.com