Life, 1926-07-29 · page 32 of 37
Life — July 29, 1926 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page promotes Life magazine's new animated short film series, featuring three stock cartoon characters: Mike (a dim-witted but kind-hearted everyman), Myrtle (a flapper—a modern young woman of the Jazz Age), and High-Hat Harold (a petty con artist). The five films advertised parody popular Hollywood epics of the silent era (references to "Ben-Hur" and "The Thief of Bagdad" suggest early 1920s dating). The comedy titles mock melodramatic film conventions through absurd scenarios: heroines in peril on railway cars and icebergs, a hero using ridiculous methods to reach his girlfriend, and even a slapstick sequence about wayward hot dogs. The page solicits reader submissions for comedy ideas, positioning Life as collaborating with its audience. The satire targets both overblown Hollywood spectacle and contemporary popular culture anxieties about modernity, represented by the Jazz Age flapper character.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Here are the Three Stars of the Life CARTOON COMEDIES e e ‘ Mike—agood-natured boob whose heart is so big he hasn't much room for a brain. 7 e\ @ Myrtle—the Jungle- town flapper, who is more to be petted than scorned, S > High-Hat-Harold- the kind of crook who puts imitation cheese tn mouse-traps. Life HE first five of the Life CAR- TOON COMEDIES are about to burst forth on screens throughout the country. We make no extravagant claims for these super-productions. We refuse to announce that they are more stu- pendous than “Ben-Hur,” more colos- sal than “The Thief of Bagdad,” more mammoth than “The Big Parade.” In point of fact, they are commend- ably brief—about half a reel each— and their sole mission in life is to pro- vide movie audiences with a few min- utes of intensive laughter. We have already shown some of these pictures in theatres, and the giggles, chuck- les and roars of delight with which they were greeted convince us that the Life CARTOON COMEDIES are going to ac- complish alot toward promoting the Mirth of a Nation. At the left you will see portraits of the three principal characters, who appear in all the Life CARTOON COMEDIES. At the right are the titles of the first five films. Watch forthese productions at your favorite theatre. They'll be there soon. Prizes for Comedy Ideas The Life CARTOON COMEDIES are based on cartoons and jokes that appear in LIFE itself. They are produced under the supervision of LIFE'S editorial staff. We want our readers to collaborate with us on these comedies—just as they collabo- rate on the preparation of the magazine. With that in view, we propose to offer cash prizes for comedy ideas. Announcement of these prizes will be made in LIFE soon. / brs) | Mdecational OreturD | Set 2 2 THE SPICE OF THE PROGRAM The Life CARTOON COMEDIES are distributed throughout the country by Educational Film Exchanges, If your theatre owner has not already arranged to show them, he can obtain full information from the near- est Educational exchange. Cartoon Comedies Short and Snappy Comic Epics Are Now Ready! Here are the first of the Life CARTOON COMEDIES: ‘Red Hot Rails” A gripping, fast-moving melodrama in which the heroine is locked in a cattle car and hurled in- to the very teeth of the Westbound Limited. “Flaming Ice’ Adrift on a cake of ice, the heroine trembles on the brink of a lofty cata- tract while the hero has trouble adjusting his water-wings. *BalloonTired” In which the hero pass- es through every con- ceivable peril to reach his girl friend’s balcony in time for a heavy date. “The Yellow Pirate” A terrific struggle be- tween Vice and Virtue on the high seas— demonstrating a few tricks that Doug Fair- banks never even heard of, ‘Missing Links” The heart-stirring story of a string of Frank- furters that went astray, only to be rescued in the nick of time from a fate far worse than death. comicbooks.com