Life, 1927-03-17 · page 37 of 43
Life — March 17, 1927 — page 37: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains book reviews and a humorous anecdote, not political cartoons. **The illustration** shows a domestic scene: a man in a car speaks to his wife, who stands nearby. The dialogue reveals the joke's setup—he's making excuses for being late, claiming a "blowout" (tire failure). His wife responds that such an excuse wouldn't work on her because she uses Kelly-Springfield tires (a real tire brand), implying they're reliable and don't blow out. **The humor** is an advertisement disguised as a joke: it's praising Kelly-Springfield brand tires by suggesting they're so dependable that a woman couldn't use a blowout as a cover story for infidelity or tardiness. The "punchline" serves as product endorsement. The page's upper half lists contemporary books (including Sinclair Lewis's *Elmer Gantry*), while the lower section includes a separate anecdote about a child's mock "lost doll" advertisement—innocent period humor, not satire.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Among the New Books Elmer Gantry. By Sinclair Lewis 1, Brace). An expert. literary ph pher snaps another American type. This time it is the man of God. To be reviewed later. The Dark Gentleman. By G. B. Stern (Knopf). The hero is a black spaniel, the setting is the Riviera. The story for those who believe that dogs are secretly human, for the cast is all- Three Taps. By Ronald A. (Simon & Schuster). The title re- ‘o the three gas taps in the room of the dead man! Young in the Nineties. By Una Hunt (Scribner). An unpretentious story laid in a period when we (the author and I, at least) were very young. She-Shanties. By A. P. Herbert (Doubleday, Pag Light and li'ting Iyrics about the ladies, in which A. P. H. places woman on a pedestal and then pro- ceeds to kick it from under her. Billy Padley’s Wife. By Norman Venner (Doran). ¢ of those tenuous romances that annually suggest the immi- nence of spring. The Big Show. By McCready Hus- ton (Scrilmer). The story of Branch D to whom life was a_ passing By P. G. Wodehouse (Doran). jort_stories which should en- tertain your golfing friends. ilhelm Hohenzollern. By Emil iwig (Putnam). A thrilling biography of the last of the Kaisers. Philopena. By Henry Kitchell Web- ster (Robbs- Merrill) story about twins who changed personalities and wardrobes for a day or two, with complications. Rhapsody. By Arthur Schnitzter (Sim chuster). A dream novel in H izarre adventures split with reality and fantasy. Hawkers and Walkers in Early America. By Richardson Wright (Lip- '). A’ fascinating — boc about rs with an amazing bibliography my illustrations from old penis: 2dr (Harper). The beautiful i the Metropolitan's latest opera acy Aumonier Short stories Song of Life. By Fannie Hurst (kK - Short storie The Golden Centipede. By Louise Gerard (Dutton). A story of adventure Africa, with romance and_ barbaric ty on the side. One Crystal and a Mother. By Ellen DuPois Taylor (Harper). A novel lern Chicago. To be reviewed B. 1. Honor Svsaw stood beside her ind listened to some purpose one prning when the latter was telephon- ing to the local paper an advertisement concerning a lost pocketbook and offer- ing « reward for its return. A few day later Susanne went to the phone and called the paper, which happens to have a very easy number. On getting her sanne said in a clear, high little Lire want to adve'tise something. Losted, ove arm off my doll, and I must have spilt it on the street. Please bring it back to my home. Reward of merit.” —WNew York Sun. “Well, Bob, it’s five minutes past two. “Oh, I'll tell her we had a blowout.” “That would never get past MY wife. What's the story going to be?” She knows I use Kelly-Springfields.”” comicbooks.com