Life, 1925-03-05 · page 21 of 36
Life — March 5, 1925 — page 21: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon illustrates a comedic scene from the 1923 play *"Is Zat So?"* (listed in the review section as "a very funny show about prizefighters"). The image shows two men in exaggerated physical comedy typical of early 20th-century theatre—one man appears to be striking or confronting the other in a slapstick manner. The humor derives from the play's subject matter: working-class prizefighters engaged in crude, physical comedy rather than sophisticated wit. For modern readers, this reflects the era's theatrical divide between "high" comedy (cerebral, refined) and "low" comedy (physical, violent). The exaggerated caricature style and aggressive posturing were standard entertainment conventions of the 1920s, representing the broad, bodily humor that appealed to popular audiences of that period. The accompanying theatre reviews emphasize sophisticated plays alongside such lowbrow fare, reflecting diverse theatrical tastes during this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
More or Less Serious Dancing Mothers. Maxine Elliott’s—The fairly well-mulled problem of the Young F . with a new solution, The Dark Angel. Longacre—Another play of the war's aftermath, very effective. Desire Under the Elms. Fer! Carroll— The chill sex urge of New England as the © for a play of O'Neill's which is some fine and sometimes pretty rent. Provincetown—There not be- ugh plays in town dealing with, shall we say, “lust, this old one of O'Neill's has teen revived.” Better than most. The Dove. Empire—Reviewed in this ne Exiles. Neighborhood—To be reviewed next week, A Good Bad Woman. Comedy—Will prob- hy be in Bedford Reformatory by the time this. appears. Houses of Sand. next wel Ladies of the Evening. Lycenm—Street walker play No. My Son. Nora Phayer—Mild but tenacious. Old English. Rits—George Arliss as a {oldman who is almost continuously ull. Piker. Eltinge—A thief who didn't od, played by Lionel Barrymore. Rat. Colonicl—The Paris under- with regulation Apache scenes. ce. Netional—A good crook play for Warner. They Knew What They Wanted. K/ew— The old husband, the young wife and the ly young man, superbly acted by Richard tt, Pauline Lord and Glenn Anders. t Price Glory? Plymouth—A war play which has everything. White Cargo, Daly's—Showing how un- wise it is to play out in the hot sun. The Wild Duck. Forty-Eighth St.—To be reviewed later. Comedy and Things Like That Abie’s Irish Rose. Republic—Well, four more years of Coolidge. Hudson—To be reviewed HB. Ariadne. Gerrick—To be reviewed next week, Candida. Forty-Eighth St.—Shaw's fine lin the title comedy, with Katharine Cort role and an excellent cast. Cape Smoke. Martin Beck—Reviewed in this issue. The Firebrand. Morosco—Joseph Schild- kraut as Benvenuto Cellini, the tireless lover, in a couple of his more amusing amours. The Guardsman. Booth—Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt making a fairly good com- edy a great deal more than that. The Harem. Belasco—Lenore Ulric knee- deep in bilge-water. Is Zat So? Chanin's—A very funny show about’ prizefighters. Mrs. Partridge Present-— — Belmont— Delightful’ reversal of the parents’ problem, with Blanche Bates and excellent support. Pigs. Littl—Very nice. Quarantine. Henry Miller’s—Helen Hayes and Sidney Blackmer in pleasant honeymoon troubles. She Had to Know. Times Square—At last a good comedy for Grace George. The Show-Off. Playhouse—As yet un- beaten Tangletoes. seins: Ninth St—To be re viewed next week. Two by Two. later. The Undercurrent. Selwyn—To be reviewed Cort—Nothing extra. Owing to the time it takes to print Lire, readers should verify from the daily newspapers the continuance of the attractions at the theatres mentioned. The Way of the World, Princess—Con- greve revived for those who like him. The Youngest. Gaicty—Uneven_but_en- sertaining. “Henry Holl and Genevieve obin, Eye and Ear Entertainment Artists and Models. Casino—A revue of a certain sort. Betty Lee. Forty-Fourth St.—One of our lesser enthusiasms. Big Boy. Winter Garden—Al Jolson crashing along at top form Chauve-Souris. Forty-Ninth St.—Possibly the last week of these Russian entertainers, c Wallack’s—A three per cent. The Grab Bag. Globe—Ed Wynn in Ed Wynn's show. Lady, Be Good. Liberty—The Astaires and W. Vater Catlett in a darn good show Louie the Fifteenth. Cosmopolitan—To be reviewed later, The Love Song. this issue. Music Box Revue. Music Bor—Fannie Brice and plenty of other talent in the best of the series since the first. Century—Reviewed in My Girl. Vanderbilt—All right. Natja. Knickerbocker—To be reviewed next wee Patience. Greenwich Village—For the ap- parently innumerable G, and S. fans Puzzles of 1925. Fuiton—Reviewed in this issue. Rose-Marie, wow. Sky High. Shubert—To be reviewed later _ The Student Prince. Jolson’s—Reviewed in this issue, Topsy and Eva Som H. favorite Duncan Sisters in a soprano version of “Uncle Cabin.” Ziegfeld Follies. New Amsterdam—Will Rogers and that’s enough, Imperiat—The current musical 2 ROBERT ARMSTRONG AND JAMES GLEASON IN “IS ZAT SO?” comicbooks.com