Life, 1925-10-22 · page 61 of 74
Life — October 22, 1925 — page 61: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces typical of 1920s Life magazine humor: **"A Man of Few Words"** mocks the taciturn groom—a stock character type—by listing his minimal utterances to various family members before marriage, suggesting men become emotionally withdrawn or unromantic once married. **"Flapdoodle"** is an editor's note seeking a writer named Mencken (likely H.L. Mencken, the famous cultural critic) to conduct a "Love Advice" column, satirizing magazines' trend of hiring recognizable names regardless of actual expertise. **The motorist cartoon** jokes about the slow development of rural Florida—a "thirty year" journey to Miami humorously suggests the region's remoteness and poor infrastructure. **"It Isn't the First Cost"** satirizes hidden expenses and poor value. Simpson receives "cheap" football tickets but must spend thousands on fur coats, a car, and hotels to make the outing respectable—only to sit where "nobody who mattered" could see them, and miss the game entirely when his glasses break. All pieces target consumer excess and social pretension characteristic of the prosperous 1920s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
A Man of Few Words To Her ] LOVE yous will you marry me?” To Her Father I'd like to have your daughter.” To His Father L need a job; I'm getting married.” To His Mother You'll like Mary: she’s fine.” To Her Mother I'll be good to her.” To His Sisters Don't make a big fuss; the wed- “’s to-morrow.” To the Rest of Both Families Come and see us some time.” JL ALS. Flapdoodle EPITOR or Terrible Tales (to sec- retary): Find out where this writer Mencken lives, and try to get in touch with him. I see him mentioned in the papers a good deal. He seems popular, wid we want somebody with a well- known name to conduct our new “Love I. Best” department. Motorist: Native: HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE ME TO GET TO MIAMI? WAAL, | BEEN TRYIN’ FER THIRTY YEAR AN’ I AIN'T GOT THAR YIT! “Tt Isn’t the First Cost” S a special favor, Simpson's busi- ness partner gave him four seats to the big football game at exactly what they cost him, thus giving Simpson a chance to take his wife, daughter and } Covntry Doctor? AND WHAT SEEMS TO BE WRONG WITH HIM, /MRS. BROWN? ELL, 1 DONNO, THE OTHER NIGHT HE WAS READIN’ ‘UFF THAT'S IN THE AIR—JAZZ AN’ LECTUR! }™TIME STORIES—PASSES CLEAN THROUGH A BODY WITHOUT A BODY K: WERE RADIO TH’ PAPER HOW ALL THIS AN’ STOCK REPORTS AN” WIN’ TT, AN’ EVER SINCE HE'S JEST BEEN KINDA UPSET IN ‘IS STUMMICK son. The fur coats cost Simpson a thousand dollars and the new car for the trip twenty-five hundred. Three days away from the office he figured at fifteen hundred and two for resting after the game meant about a thousand. Five hundred for hotel bills brought the total cost up to sixty-five hundred dollars. This wouldn't have been so bad, but the seats were in a corner of the field where nobody who mattered sat, so no- body knew the Simpsons were there. Then, to cap the climax, Edyth, the seventeen-year-old daughter, refused to ride back home in the new car because she didn’t like the color. To get her consent Simpson had to promise her a roadster of her own. The last time Simpson counted up, those bargain tickets had cost him a little over cighty- five hundred dollars. And he didn’t see the game at that price because just as the whistle blew for the kick-off somebody knocked his glasses off and broke them. McCready Huston, Indian Summer ND now come the days of crowded cellars and garages, after the neighbors have returnéd the lawn mower for the last time, and before they have begun to borrow the snow shovel comicbooks.com