Life, 1925-07-30 · page 9 of 36
Life — July 30, 1925 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes the real-estate speculation boom of the 1920s. The chaotic scene depicts a movie studio lot collapsing into disaster—buildings toppling, crowds fleeing—while executives remain oblivious to the chaos around them. The caption attributes the disaster to Cecil B. DeMille's "Yes-Men," suggesting studios were run by yes-men who enabled poor decisions. The accompanying "Big Business" text mocks suburban golf-club developers planning endless real-estate schemes for profit rather than genuine need, saying "we no longer live in the suburbs to play golf; we live here to make money in real-estate deals." The satire targets both Hollywood's excess and the broader speculative mania that preceded the 1929 stock market crash, ridiculing both film industry hubris and real-estate profiteering culture.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
CATASTROPHE IN HOLLYWOOD ONE OF CECIL B. DE MILLE YES-MEN SAYS “No!” Big Business “AJOW, gentlemen,” said the president of the Wisteria Suburban Golf Club, “how soon shall we lay out another links and move into it?” “Didn't we move three months ago?” asked the Chair- man of the Greens Committee. “We did, but they are putting up another row of apart- ments on the west side, which entirely blots out the sun.” “How much money is in the treasury?” “Oh, a couple of millions. We made real money the last time.” “But is this golf?” inquired a dub in the rear. “My dear boy,” replied the president soothingly, “we no longer live in the suburbs to play golf; we live here to make money in real-estate deals by moving from one course to another.” T. L. M. The Old-Fashioned Girl HE never proposed to any man, let alone a dozen. She made it a point to be released from one engage- ment before entering another. She never thought of having a married man for a beau. She thought people got married for keeps. She was the old-fashioned girl. Just like lots of girls to-day. McC. H. comicbooks.com