Life, 1927-02-03 · page 9 of 35
Life — February 3, 1927 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces typical of Life's humor: **"Ballad of the Immortal Wow"** mocks outdated literary and social references—the "wits of a bygone year" and forgotten cultural figures. It's satire about how quickly humor becomes irrelevant. **"Why Not?" and "Self-Made"** appear to be brief trade-gossip items poking fun at entertainment industry deals and self-aggrandizing bootleggers (likely referencing Prohibition-era figures). **The comic strip at bottom** shows a cough-medicine joke: a doctor recommends patent medicine, and a patient sarcastically notes he got it down his pants—a visual pun on medicinal efficacy. The overall page emphasizes Life's strength: mocking cultural pretension, faded fame, and dubious commercial claims with irreverent humor designed for contemporary readers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Ballade of the Immortal Wow , are the wits of a bygone Where are the Wildes and the Whistlers gay? Field—despite an occas The nineteenth century's Buried in Bartlett and laid Hidden from all but the bookworm’s Yet ‘teas of these that one used to savi “This is the humor that never dies!" Quipsters acknowledging scarce a peer. Wielders of satire’s rapier they. Now who knows them? Where does one hear A wheeze of Whistler's recalled to-day? I don’t deny that perhaps one may (One can do anything when one tries), Yet how that prediction has gone astray !— “This is the humor that nerer dies.” But when Mutt hits Jeff with a keg of heer, When Maud kicks Si through a load of 1 A When Hans } tain’s car nd Fritz to the Cap- Tie firecrackers in childish play, When Boob MeNutt’s thrown into the bay And afterwards plastered with cus- tard pics, Hark to the bray! This ix the humor that never dies. customers’ happy IExvor Prince, Hoor: Wasn't that wallop a Tut, old fellow! This i hold your chin out a_ bit. big surprise? Don't look distrait ! the humor that never dies! Baron Ireland, The Arrival of a Strip “ IMPSON seems to have made a (with that new comic of his.” “Yes: all it needs now is for to write an article for the eo explaining its symbol- [" would be impossible to call the complexion of a girl of to-day a Straight flush. Strothm aor . aon WHEN GOOD PELLOWS GET TOGETIIER Why Not? (“McGuaw Taapes Friscn ror Hoxsssy.”) E MILLE trades Leatrice Joy to Famous Players-Lasky for and two unnamed announcers. National Biscuit Co. trades office boys with H. J. Heinz Co. Harvard rooks Princeton; one halfback for two fullbacks and a quarterback is fair exchange and no robbery. Saturday Evening Post denies rumored trade with Manity Fair. Lirr receives this article and trades back one vest-pocket diction- ary. Bill Sykes. Self-Made “ TUST look at him,” said the Chicago gunman. “He's head of the biggest bootleg gang in the country, and when he first started he didn't hs but a high- powered car and a machine gun.” Fairy Story NCE. upon a time an association of manufacturers launched a that was not described as onwide.”” QOOTBALL may not be unduly emphasized, but when did two colleges sever relations because of a disputed point in a chess mateh? oo DID YEZ MEMORIZE. THE. RECIPE. FER COUGH MEDICINE. IE DOCTOR GIVE. YEZ? — (“iss BUT 1 HAD A 7 ~\ HARD TOIME GETTIN’ // IT DOWN PAT! comicbooks.com