Life, 1924-03-13 · page 27 of 40
Life — March 13, 1924 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the Prohibition era's "speakeasy" culture through mock restaurant reviews. During Prohibition (1920-1933), illegal establishments served alcohol despite the law, and the piece humorously exposes their absurd practices and inflated prices. The cartoon (top right) depicts a wealthy "new rich" man boasting about his prosperity to someone visiting from his small hometown—a dig at nouveau riche pretension of the Jazz Age. The reviews mock speakeasies by highlighting their actual conditions: "Federal Agents" in kitchens (law enforcement presence), exorbitant prices, poor food quality, the need to "reserve your table a month in advance," and references to bringing "Liberty Bonds" to afford them. The "Volstead Glide" dance references the Volstead Act (Prohibition's legal basis). The lower sections include unrelated travel humor and domestic comedy, typical of Life's miscellaneous content. The satire targets both the illegal establishments' brazen operation and the wealthy patrons willing to pay absurdly for mediocre, illicit service.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Condensed Guide to Our Gayest Supper Restaurants Te Pelican: Five jazz bands with never a second’s let-up. Waiters on roller skates. Tables that shimmy Always a mob. Food uneatable, but nty of synthetic liquor ular with sub-debutantes Very pop: ¢ Club High Life: wear evening clothes, and you can act as you please Gin only twenty bones a pint. Kitchen packed with Federal Agents. Open till daybreak. Dancing on the tables after 3AM Vandal Land of the very latest Headwaiter may give you a table for fifteen dollars, Ch Couvert charge, es doubtful the price of an over coat. Advise leaving your hat and coat in the taxi The De Luxe: toy balloons a dollar apiece. Caviar ten berries a gulp Headwaiter’s salary a thousand a week Reserve your table a month in adv Standing room only on Saturday Razzle Dazzle” Orchestra joosch at the piano nights. The with “Lefty” The St. Moritz: very new. As the name suggests, the walls and ceili depict scenes from the South Sea Islands. Miss Gladys Lavender dances the “Coochee Coo” nightly at 3:30 and 5a. mM. Bring all your Liberty Bonds and whatever other negotiable securities you have. You'll probably need them. The Plenty legation: open all night near-Scotch and almost- absinthe. Even the coat-room boy sells the stuff. The “Volstead Glide” ren dered every other hour by Miss Lucille Blatz accompanied by the Mullan-Gage Chorus. A rollicking resort Jake's Pl Located at the back of a mildewed cel doesn't open till 2a. lar. Covered with cobwebs, mud and weeds. Very chic. The Bordelaise nd. Nothing but champagne served Evening dress obliga wry. The Café Swindle: just opened. The date of the month, the number of your hat check, and your approximate age always added to the bill. The price of a demi-tasse equal to that of a barrel of coffee at the grocery store around the corner. Charles G. Shar “NEWRICH SEEMS PERFECTLY “WHY, HE'S SO PROSPEROUS HE TALKS oF ¢ OLD HOME SATIS Southern Travel Note E did not go to Palm Be winter. The Millers, wh larly complete our t ge id the our nearest neighbors. The FT went as usual, and who were really the influence whi duced us to trade our Rosenblatt for a Lovely Six, took all their children and a maid, and the W last winter's cook left their to grace ours, d with whom we s| Bar Harbor last summer, were on way as soon as the Christmas presents had been opened and contents noted. although the Barclays, who are always at least four up on us at the eighth at Green Brook, remained in’ town cnough to give an after-New Year's te dance. And even the Port th and offspring, piled Beach Pullman one zero morning wasn't the same towr No, we didn't winter. Do y Last of the Tribe VISITOR Good farming around here Garack M be uw il we se I* the modern girl must have a ne for of ad t. hy not ha: “Fre comicbooks.com