Life, 1926-04-15 · page 9 of 44
Life — April 15, 1926 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical article describes a humorous fishing trip involving theater people, including someone named "Galloping" Smith (whose real name is apparently a running joke). The accompanying caricature depicts a man with exaggerated features—prominent nose, thin face, stern expression—labeled "Lardner—the Artist and the Man." The piece satirizes theatrical pretension and romantic comedies. The characters attempt to act out a charade where they perform an elaborate musical number, apparently mocking both amateur dramatics and the sentimental conventions of contemporary theater. The "elusive trout" appears to be both literal (a fishing story) and metaphorical—a critique of people chasing after frivolous entertainment and artifice rather than genuine experiences.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
- LIFE: 7 The Elusive Trout HE editor of Lire has asked me B i 1 of « hing trip y cl ‘ Ring Lardner which they ayed the first tw ‘ ‘ they were ust i = p : : and Arse i ' , Ne be if I didn’t already have a husband.” tee al wate all a tah 1 was ted pera potted has submitted seve ain and Arsee th pointed e would 7 accepted by sent her an ing” a ' r and a begging as al I could not submit her next ee head t just as 1 fishing tr ‘ Pla ofa joke, Five of us were ona p Dorot s Dorothy's les Dorothy and m t ded self, there were “Gallopin| Is, five ld, repre Baru 1 Hone. Arnold Smith | Iboy t ext igh is “Galloping’s” real name, but we c } 1 ned Gapy him “Galloping” on account me | ch name, 1a bass and lung trouble. Arsce Stapleton | xophon¢ 1 a melody ( always keeps t face and you pr He i would wonder why he kept it if | Di aw him. Garn j ne is an obse can't go past a vespe Lardner—the Artist and the Man It lead them. They say she ¢ 1 i Brounher ( s er 'd 1, “| « t . them th: es : : f Whitema: FTER supper re hal irom Dirty Stories out then “Galloping” (Arnold) suggested twa € ck and ( hat we play charades. He and Garn ‘ i went out in the next room and came ! he had to breakfast ca back in a few min need ext m So w that it was a. six-syllable word, rather, two words, signifying an a ment park. They started with a scene comicbooks.com