Life, 1926-12-02 · page 24 of 81
Life — December 2, 1926 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents national stereotypes through Christmas vignettes mocking different cultures: **England**: Upper-class couple exchange insincere gifts with exaggerated indifference ("Putrid," "Ghastly"). **France**: Santa emerges from chimney to seduce a woman with passionate French dialogue, then hides in her stocking when her husband arrives—satirizing French romantic stereotypes. **Italy**: Mussolini violently displaces Santa Claus, claiming the identity for himself—a sharp political jab at fascist authoritarianism and ego. **Germany**: A wife lists exhaustively detailed German foods; the husband finds even this enormous meal inadequate—mocking German excess and materialism. **America**: A spoiled son, given luxuries (automobile, saxophone, pearls, machine gun), demands a Baldwin locomotive instead—satirizing American consumerism and children's ingratitude. The crude ethnic caricatures and stereotyped dialects reflect period attitudes. The Italy and America sketches carry sharper social criticism than the lighter cultural mockery elsewhere.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Christmas Ty i fe umber “Christmas in Many Lands” ENGLAND (Scene: A house in Mayfair.) 2: I say, old fruit—have you a minute? Sue: What is it? He: Christmas Eve. (He hands her a diamond necklace.) ) Thanks. ke it? Sue: Putrid. I say, catch. (She throws him a tie.) Like it? He: Ghastly. Jolly old custom, Christmas, what? Suz: Rotten (They go out sep- arate doors.) FRANCE (Santa Claus is emerging from the chimney. He has on a silk hat, a frock coat and spats.) Tuer Noél! Sana: Céleste! (Embracing her pas- sionately.) Ah, ja- voozem javoozaddor! Mongtresor mon g- puttee boojoo!... Mmhh ... mmhh... mmbh! Tur Woman (yielding): Noél! Ah, non, non, non, non, non! Santa: Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui, oui. Mmhh,..mmbh... mmbhh,..WARF! Tur Woman: Well, have it your own way. (A noise is heard, off.) Ciel! My husband! Santa: Mong doo! Your husband ! . Tue Woman: Quick, jump in my stocking which hangs by the mantelpiece. (Ie does so, just as the hus- band enters, And that’s your first act.) ITALY (Discovered: Mussolini and Santa Claus.) Woman: CO-EDUCATIONA Polly have da audocity to stand in front deesa hin- telligence haudience and tella me you are Santo Niccolo? Cheese, you gotta da crust, Santa: Shoo! Santo Niccolo, datsa me, In Duce: You craze lika fool. Santo Niccolo, datsa ME! (Mussolini shoots Santa Claus and puts on his costume.) GERMANY (A dining-room in a house in Berlin.) Tue Wire: Lovie, haf a little noodel soup, Schmorbraten mit Kartoffelklopse, Gansebrust, Ro t- kohl und Bratwurst, Geristete Huhn, Schinken, —Schwein- fiisse mit Sauerkraut, Salat, Pfefferniisse, Apfelstrudel, Sandtorte, Stollen, Schmierkiise, Marzipan und Kaffee, Tue Huspann: Choor. (He has a whole lot.) Tur Wire: A_ pretty good Christmas dinner, aindt it, Looi Tue Huss. : Vat— iss dis Christmas dinner? I thought it was chust a liddle light lunch! (Faintly from the dis- tant cathedral the strains of “Heilige Nacht” are heard on the chimes.) Peggy: COULD YOU RECOMMEND A GooD INSTITU AMERICA yES—MARRIAG (A handsome house, com- plete with mortgage.) Tur Dotinc Motuer: I hope you had a nice Christmas, my boy. See—you have a fur coat, a watch, a saxophone, an automobile, a movie camera, a case of gin, genuine pearl studs for your little dinner jacket, a machine gun, and ever so many more things which it is unnecessary to mention. Are you con- tented? Tue Son: No! I wanted a Baldwin loco- motive and cight thousand miles of track! Henry William Hanemann. A Minor Problem nexstows = ae Lower Cliff Dweller: wow po you In Duce: LIKE YOUR NEW HOME? you? Upper Cliff Dweller: top note, orp Santa: Santo Niccolo. MAN, TOP HOLE. In Duce: What! You Hey! Who-a ARBARA: I can’t decide what to get for my husband's Christmas present. Margorte: Can't you think of anything you need ? eRe re en ter caer comicbooks.com