Life — March 3, 1927 — page 9: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Collegiate Impressions—No. 4: Screen Tests at USC This cartoon satirizes college football recruitment and player evaluation at the University of Southern California. The scene depicts coaches and scouts assessing potential players in a stadium setting, with various comments about their attributes: - One prospect is praised for being "tall, dark, brown eyes" with "attractive field presence" - Another is criticized as "a little pie throwing goofball" who should be a "swell forward passer" - Jack DeVere is assessed as screening "well enough right now to get on the first team" but being "a little weak in light comedy parts for a regular fullback" The humor mocks how college football programs evaluate players like movie studios test actors, reducing athletes to physical and personality traits rather than pure athletic ability. "Screen test" language blurs film and sports industry jargon.