Life, 1926-09-30 · page 25 of 36
Life — September 30, 1926 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three distinct satirical pieces: **"Two Ad. Men Take in the Grand Canyon"** mocks advertising hyperbole. Two businessmen react to the Grand Canyon—one of Earth's natural wonders—with exaggerated praise ("Astonishing!" "Marvel of the age!"). The punchline undercuts this: they immediately want to return to their hotel to play pool, suggesting advertisers' enthusiasm is performative and shallow. **"Why Football Is Brutal"** satirizes university football's commercialization. Rather than athletes or sport, the focus is on publicity directors, radio announcers, ticket-sellers, and the university president calculating how to divert athletic funds. Faculty members want those funds for academic chairs instead. The "brutality" isn't physical—it's the cynical exploitation of the game for profit and institutional gain. **"The Dance Dialogue"** is a comedic exchange where a couple dances while each constantly apologizes for stepping on the other's feet, blaming the music. The final aside—"I wish to God some one else would!"—reveals the man's actual irritation, contrasting polite surface behavior with private frustration. All three pieces critique 1920s American culture: superficial commercialism, institutional corruption, and social hypocrisy.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Two Ad. Men Take in the Grand Canyon * ASTONISHING [° “Stupendous !” “Amazing!” “Marvel of the age!” “A itive sensation!” “Leading educators and business men endorse it!” “An Arizona product!” “A banner canyon of a banner state “A. super-eanyon “The country has Canyon!" “| like it, too. Say, let's get back to the hotel and shoot a game of pool. gone Grand W.W. Scott. Why Football Is Brutal Up along the rim of the huge bowl, the publicity director fretted over the newspapermen, while one of his aides sprayed the throats of the radio announcers. Down hour of the big game drew the si the first assistant director of publicity checked up to make sure that the photographers had brought plenty of unexposed plates. At the main entrance to the sta- dium grounds, the director of athletics listened to the merry clicking of the turnstiles, and decided that the s surplus profitably be expended on an addition to the bowl, In Seat 8, Row 1, Section D, the President of the University watched the stands — filling, and resolved that he would find a way to di- vert from the athletic fund enough money to endow that new chair of archro- logical along lines, seasc mig! “suRE—YOU'RE research “VM GETTING SICK OF THE CHARLESTON.” MEY-HEY PEVER.” STRANGE CONDUCT OF A MAN FIVE MINUTES AFTER STEPH for which he had been pining. Elsewhere in the stands, two hun- dred-odd members of the faculty brooded over a regret that somebody did not find a way to divert from the athletic fund enough money to en- dow two hundred-odd existing chairs. Down in the the head coach dressing rooms, hovered over his flock, and toyed with a convic- tion that he ought to hold out for a nice, juicy raise before signing a contract new next year. In those same dressing thirty girded selves for battle, while mentally cruising among the South Sea Islands in trim bought they had up as rooms, warriors them- yachts after cleaned pros, motion picture actors and as proficient signers of testi- as SUFFERING FROM INTRODUCED TO WILLIAM wr NG ON \ PIECE oF CIEW monials for products backed by bij advertising appropriations, The hour of the big game drew nearer. Harry L. Roberts. The Dance Dialogue SHE: I'm so glad you cut in! “* He: I'm afraid I stepped ou your foot. Sur: No, it was my mistake. your pardon. ixcuse me, I can’t seem to keep step! eso well! g pardon- all! Sue: Peculiar music, isn’t it? He: Yeah—oh, I’m sorry—I'm afraid I stepped on your foot! Sue: No—it was my mistake! He: You dance simply exquisitely ! Sie: I can’t seem to keep step, the music’s so peculiar! He: My fault. Sue: I'm so glad you cut in! He (to himself): I wish to God some one else would! I can’t seem L. M. F Mussolini wishes to restore the prestige of the Roman race, let him issue a decree abolishing the worm in the chestnut. comicbooks.com