Life, 1926-10-28 · page 19 of 36
Life — October 28, 1926 — page 19: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon titled "Here's to Crime!" satirizes Prohibition-era corruption. It depicts a bartender serving drinks at what appears to be an illegal speakeasy, with patrons labeled "Bootlegger," "Polly Food" (likely "Policy"), and others. The sign reads "Prohibition," mocking how the law created criminal enterprises rather than eliminating drinking. Below, "How to Be a Successful Crook" by Gerald Cosgrove offers tongue-in-cheek advice on committing crimes—adopting nicknames like "Baby Bandit" and "Master Mind of Nation-wide Crime Ring"—satirizing organized crime's prevalence during Prohibition. The smaller cartoon "So Much Handier" shows a woman faint at news, with caption "Officer, where do I go to apologize for shooting my husband?"—darkly joking about domestic violence and legal impunity.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘*Here’s to Crime! How to Be a Successful Crook So Much Handier sibly sce faring more than inact afraid that his + just plya folk and come (In crime, as in other professions, mediocrity im- GY LAPPE Oh, I'm afraid I'm going to faint! wee : poses its own penalty. Thousands of ambitious Sarurap: Here—let me get you a glass of y on the pack of a royal en week] in bi e at undred dpllars. 1s ten per|cent. commission out co-st: featured. ring? A Queen, r: Twenty fi ed. wenty-< Twent It's for my people, you r: My peaple, too. They're [HL wear §ative costume. t: Twenlf a week. then. ritors, betring hot biscuits cts.) Well, roblfry, (shak- nen) sigoH—Queen Marie Ropert Benchley. American youths who seek glory and pecuniary gain in paths outside the law fail because they havi ¢ not been grounded in the fundamentals. To add impetus to the campaign for more and better crimes, Lare casts before aspiring crooklets the 1. rr) wouldn't be here at all.” following pearls.) GET a trade mark. Suggestions a) “Baby Bandit.” Lisp when you address your victims. b) “Debonair Highwayman.” Brush your hair and wear a white collar and a smirk. c) “Master Mind of Nation-wide Crime Ring.” Work with another crookologist. d) “Phantom Gunman.” Hide behind a tree when you hear siren on police car half a mile away. e) “Scion of Aristocratic Family.” Drop a toothbrush and a cork-tipped cigarette at scene of crime. Be ethical in your relations with the police. Suggestions a) Always leave a clue, preferably something with a personal touch, such as a shoestrin, b) Remain at scene of crime and allow Police to Grill you as Suspect. c) Don’t lose your temper when you read a description of the secret trap which will be set for you to-morrow. Gerald Cosgrove. RISONER’S SONG, slightly more to the point —"Oh, if I had the wings of an angel, I water. Fiaprer: Oh, don’t trouble—gin will do. “OFFICER, WHERE DO 1 GO TO APOLOGIZE SHOOTING MY ItUsBAND?” comicbooks.com