Life, 1926-11-11 · page 13 of 45
Life — November 11, 1926 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes college football, specifically **Old Bleasburg's** struggling football team. The cartoon "Nubville Spark" depicts **Life Tewkins, a local ice-man**, humorously described as "playin' his way through college on the football team"—suggesting he's an unlikely or unqualified player. The accompanying article mocks Bleasburg's repeated defeats and weak performance (lacking aggression, backfield strength, and forward-pass execution). Coach Murgle is portrayed as attempting to salvage the season through harder drilling. The smaller cartoon "Playing Safe" is a domestic joke about a mother objecting to her son kissing. The page's humor relies on contemporary college football culture and small-town American life in the 1920s—presenting amateur athletes and coaching struggles with gentle, affectionate mockery typical of Life's satirical approach.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
t we llow high isn't : on Life Hope Springs EPT. 6, 1926. “If the husky bunch of candidates who ap- peared for the first day’s workout at Sol B. Levy Memorial Field are any criterion, the coming football season will find Old Bleasburg with the strong- est aggregation inyears. Al- though he has only four of last year's veterans left, Coach Mur- gle has enough promising mate- rial on hand to insure that last year's chief weaknesses -lackofag- gressive ness, fumbles at critical periods, inability to break up th pass, and aw line—will be corrected in this year’s squad. Coach Murgle also is devel- oping a fast plunging backfield, a good punter, and a consistent for- MAN, 18 Playing Safe Shes No—MY MOTHER OBJECTS TO KISSING. He: wet. pIwN’T ASK TO KISS YOUR MOTHER. THROUGH COLL FOOTBALL TEAM ward-pass attack, all of which were sorely missed last r.” Oct. 10 “...Although Bleasburg was defeated by thirty-six points, she was by no means disgraced. The chief weak- nesses of this year’s aggrega- tion, as revealed y’s game, were inability to use the forward pass, lack of backfield strength, and fumbling at critical periods. However, this workout was what the boys is) WAY needed, and their ON THE followers will see a vastly im- proved team in their remaining games.” Oct. 29. “... Despite Bleasburg’s third successive defeat, her followers are by no means disheartened. Coach Murgle will drill the team hard this week in an attempt to break up the forward- pass attack which netted thirty-five of their oppo- nents’ sixty-three points, and he predicts a real re- versal of form in their Old Bleasburg were nosed out to the tune of 75-0, The team’s chief defect — lack of aggres- siveness — again showed in their work throughout the game. Coach Murgle will work his charges hard this week, and al- though the team has yet to make a first down, they promise to break into the winning column at the expense of their ancient rival, Fritchie, the season's final game ¥ 1 Score: Fritchic, 96; Bleasburg, 0.” Sept. 5, 1927. “If the husky bunch of candi- He: 1 JUST HEARD A RUMOR THAT BIFF HAWKINS MADE A TOUCHDOWN FOR Us. ND HIM AN AP- CARD. She: sweiu! PLAU d. who appeared for the first day workout ct Sol B. Levy Memorial Field are any crite ‘ the coming season will find Old Bleasburg with the strongest aggre- gation in years,” ete., ete. L. C. Beutel. Rivals a psychiatrist is crazy “Yes, and there’s an entomologist who is bugs over her, too.” HEN the next war comes Chi- cago won't notice it, comicbooks.com