Life, 1927-03-31 · page 11 of 35
Life — March 31, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page presents **Alibi Number Eleven** and **Alibi Number Sixteen**, part of Life magazine's humor contest asking readers to submit clever excuses. **Alibi Eleven** depicts a dentist visit gone wrong: a patient's tooth was so loose it "jumped for joy" during extraction—an absurd explanation the patient offers to explain their distress to an annoyed lady (likely a companion). The humor relies on the ridiculous excuse and the woman's justifiable anger at the patient's embarrassment. **Alibi Sixteen** shows a man caught playing cards, claiming he didn't know the difference between hearts and spades—a transparent lie mocking those who feign ignorance to escape blame. The contest awards $50 for the best alibi and $10 each for five runners-up, encouraging readers to submit humorous excuses for everyday mishaps and social failures.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ALIBI NUMBER ELEVEN The Patient: wow! you SAID THAT WASN’T GOING TO ner A Bit! The Dentist: WELL, you SEE, IT WAS THIS WAY... The tooth was so glad to be fixed that it jumped This Alibi, which wins the first prize of $50.00, was submitted by Mrs. Otive Bacon, 123 Elm Street, Andover, Massachusetts. Five second prizes of $10.00 each have been awarded to the following: FE. H. Bemis, York, Nebraska, for the Alibi: “I got to thinking about that oil stock you sold me. We must be patient and keep on drilling. Joserit Gorn, Brooklyn, N. Y., for the Alibi: “It was aslip of the tong.” Manrcaret T. Hearty, New York, N. Y., for the Alibi: “I thought one Yank would be enough; but the A. E. F, couldn't move that molar!” tan R, Jarrray, Paget West, Bermuda, for the dlibi: “That laughing gas I gave you has a peculiar sense of humor.” i. C. Sykes, New York, N. Y., for the Alibi: “The gas ¢ out and you started fighting when I said, ‘There's something wrong with that meter.’ you were a taxi driver.” The Winners of ALIBI NUMBER TWELVE Will Be Announced Next Week! I forgot. ALIBI CONTEST Conditions of the Contest on page 29 $100.00 Weekly in Prizes H4vE you tried your hand at the new National Sport, Alibi-throwing? It is good fun and good practice (you never know when you may need Alibis for personal use) ; furthermore, it’s profitable. The picture below shows an episode during one of those “friendly little games” of bridge. Imagine the feelings of the frantic gentleman at the left, and the justifiable embarrassment of the lady who has incurred his wrath. How will she cool him off? What could she say to divert attention from her own mistakes, and turn the whole thing into a joke? The prizes for the cleverest and most ingenious Alibis are as follows: First Prize, $50.00 Five Second Prizes of $10.00 each ALIBI NUMBER SEVENTEEN will be published in Lire next week, with a new set of prizes offered. Read the conditions carefully—and go to it! ALIBI NUMBER SIXTEEN He (heatedly): wuy pip you say you COULD PLAY THIS GAME WHEN YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THE DIPFER- ENCE BETW! HEARTS AND SPADES? She (apologetically) : weiu, you sre, 17's THIS WAY... comicbooks.com