Life, 1926-09-23 · page 22 of 40
Life — September 23, 1926 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The central cartoon depicts a barber enthusiastically telling an animated story to his customer while cutting hair. The caption reads: "WHEN YOUR BARBER TELLS THAT FUNNY STORY TO HIS FRIEND." **What this satirizes:** The archetypal garrulous barber—a stock character in American humor representing the working-class gossip who regales customers with elaborate anecdotes, often exaggerated or dubious. The cartoon captures the barber's theatrical gesticulation and the customer's somewhat captive, patient demeanor. **The joke:** Barbers were notorious for monopolizing conversation, trapping customers in the chair who couldn't easily escape. This page appears from *Life's* "Confidential Guide"—theater reviews with humorous asides—so the barber's story-telling parallels theatrical entertainment, albeit uninvited and inescapable. The illustration is signed by what appears to be "Bruce Bairnsfather" or similar, and captures a relatable social observation about working-class American life in the 1920s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Owing to the time it takes to print Larz, readers should verify from the daily newspapers the continuance of the attractions at the theatres mentioned. More or Less Serious The Donovan Affair. Fulton—Reviewed in this issue, Fanny. Lyceum—Pannie Brice enters the legitimate field. To be reviewed later. _ The Ghost Train. Eltinge—Reviewed in this issue. The Great God Brown. Klaw—Por people who think with their theatre. The House of Ussher. Mayfair—Not to be confused with an author named Poe Lulu Belle. Belasco—Lenore Ulric continuing to astound—and delight—with her characteriza tion of a colored cocotte who makes good in Paris. Henry Huil ably assisting. Number 7. Times Square—To be reviewed next week. One Man's Woman. Forty-Fighth St-—This is so bad it ought to run for some time yet. Sex. Daly's—Nature in her customary cou a little duller than usual. The Shanghai Gesture. Forty- Proving that a man not even ina Chinese estat nt. Florence Reed at the piano. My Country. Forrest—If you didn’t see “Abie's Irish Rose,” don’t sce this either. No Trespassing. Harris—Billed as a “smart”* comedy, with in Nicander, Kay Johnson, and others. To be reviewed next week. Potash and Perlmutter, Detectives. Rito— Reviewed in this issue. Service for Two. Gaiety—To be reviewed next week. She Couldn't Say No. Booth—Florence Moore in hilarious farce. To be reviewed next week. Sour Grapes. Longacre—Alice Brady in a new play by Vincent Lawrence. To be reviewed next week. Two Girls Wanted. Little—To be reviewed next week. What Every Woman Knows. Bi Hayes and Barrie, a new team which s be ideal. What's the Use? Princess—To be reviewed next week. Countess Maritza. S cess which will be reviewed next week. Comedy and Things Like That Abie's Irish Rose. Republic— Don't look now, but who's that blonde with the two policemen? The Adorable Liar. Forty- Ninth St—Reviewed in this issue, At Mrs. Beam's. Guild—Con- siderable entertainment derived from a couple of suspicious char- acters in a London boarding- house. Broadway. Broadhurst—To be reviewed later. Cradle Snatchers. Music Box —We are rather sorry that this one has run so long. It makes it seem as if we had no influence at all. Henry, Behave! Nora Bayes —John Cumberland in some- thing moderately amusing. The Home Towners. Hudson — Rapid - fire comebacks by George Cohan which please any number of people. A good idea is also included in the line-up and an excellent performance by Robert Me Wade. If 1 Was Rich. Mansfeld— Joe Laurie, Jr. To be reviewed next week, Just Life. Henry Miller's— Marjorie Rambeau's new vehicle, To be reviewed later. The Little Spitfire. Cort—Re- viewed in this issue. Loose Ankles. Bilimore—The seamy side of professional es- corting, expressed in the best vernacular, WHEN YOUR BARBER TELLS THAT FU AZAGAAT NY STORY TO HIS FRIEND Eye and Ear Entertainment Americana. Belmont—A all revue which manages to appeal to something besides the eye Castles in the Air. Selweyn—With Vivienne Segal and Bernard Granvi To be reviewed t—A Continental Garrick Gaieties. Garrick—A summer satir- which invariably crowds into the The Girl Friend. Vanderbil!—Puck and White w with a justly popular score. The Great Temptations. Winter Garden—Big and buxom, with Jack Benny as interlocutor. Plymouth—Whether or not you are a Gilbert and Sullivan fan, you ought to like this. Kitty’s Kisses. Playhouse — Dancing, if that sfies you. Naughty Riquette. Cosmopol- ftan—To be reviewed later. A Night in Paris. Forty-Fourth St.—Adequate entertainms for man and beast. Queen High. Ambassador— With Luella Gear, Frank Mc- Intyre and Charles Ruggles. To be reviewed next week. Sunny. New Amsterdam—A year ago this week we said that this Marilyn Miller-Jack Don- ahue show was good. Now will you believe us? The Vagabond King. Casino —Lots of good singing. Vanities of 1926, Ear! Carroll —Here are Julius Tannen, Dale nd Smith, and Moran and ind yet it isn't a very g00d show. Ziegteld Revue. Globe —A pleasant enough affair, includiny lames Barton, Rae Dooley an Andrew Tombes. Saturday Night GHE (in Tine outside movie theatre): Dearie, is the crowd moving in? He: No, that fat man just ahead of us took a deep breath. FRENCHMAN is reported to have sold his, wife for twenty zoos francs, which is the low- abot est quotation that we ‘0 tl have yet seen. comicbooks.com