Life, 1924-09-25 · page 26 of 37
Life — September 25, 1924 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1920s satirical page mocks two social trends: **"The Scandal Shop"** is the main cartoon, lampooning gossip as a commercialized commodity. The joke: a department store now sells gossip like merchandise, with different "departments" organized by scandal type—society leaders' affairs, movie queens' drama, divorce details, and a "home-wrecking counter." This satirizes how 1920s consumer culture had monetized everything, including private scandal and rumor. The reference to "bobbed" hair in the opening poem relates to the "flapper" era's modern, independent women, whose personal lives fueled endless gossip. **"Shoes Across the Sea"** features a series of cartoon panels showing characters playing what appears to be a game or dance, likely satirizing some contemporary fad or fashion. The page's smaller items ("A Few Touches," "Unavoidable") are brief jokes about advertisement clichés and predictable romantic/marital situations. The overall tone mocks both emerging consumer culture and the era's obsession with celebrity scandal and gossip.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
24 Bobbed “PRAPUNZEL! Rapunzel! Let down your golden hair!” “I'm sorry, sir,” the maiden cried, “But it simply isn’t there.” EB... Rs The Scandal Shop ation of industry has Gossip, that most commodities, is no telephones ations, but id commer- (The speciai reached its height. alluring of all longer dispensed gratis o and in surreptitious con has been placed upon a se cial basis, and is being retailed in one of The Avenue’s greatest department stores. The scene of the following is laid near the entrance to the elevators.) IRST SHOPPER: Where do I go to get the low-down on Mrs. Gaye- Dogge, please? Society leaders two aisles to the right, madam. Seconp Suorrer: Could you tell me if you have anything on Fritzi Fragile to-day? FLOORWALKER ? There's an exceptic movie queens now going on in the base- Yes indeed, madam al bargain sale on ment. Titiro Snorper: Say, mister, Hester Blowitz has been talkin’ about me, an’ I wanna get even on her. Where do J Froorwa.ker: Neighborhood dirt on the third floor rear, ma’am. Fourtn Suerrer: Say, I see by the papers that Roxanna Reno is gonna apply for— FLoorwatker: Don't believe every- thing you see in the papers, lady. Au- thentic information on divoreées may be had on the cleventh floor. Fietu Suorrer: Psst! Please don't breathe a word of it, but I just heard from somebody who ought to know that: Fioorwatker: Go to our purchasing department. Top floor. Stxtu Suorrer: My good man, has anything been heard recently concern- ing the Dowager Mrs. Whuf? Fioor ER Antiques, — family skeletons and sleeping dogs next floor. Seventn Suorrer: Mister, I been married cighteen years and I'm getting kind of sick of it. Hasn't anything ever been said about my wife? Fioorwatker: Ah, sir, you have come to exactly the right place. Take SHOES ACROSS THE SEA the stairs on the left for our Depart- ment of Circumstantial Evidence and Groundless Suspicions. Any clerk there will direct you to our Home- wrecking counter. The most complete line of goods in the city. Tip Bliss. A Few Touches THE finishing ———— ‘A skin you love to The common “One ———— of nature makes the whole world kin.” “Say, old man, could you lend me five for a few days?” Unavoidable MARY: I hear that the shy Mr. Ruddy was in an automobile ac- cident. Jane: Yes—Betty Cuddle crowded him off a country road. Mary: I didn't know she drove a She doesn’t. She went for a ride with him. MAN'S troubles are merely com parative. During the summer he is crazy with the heat, while throughout the winter he is crazier with the heater, comicbooks.com