Life — April 14, 1927 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Alibi Contest Page This page features Life's "Alibi Contest," a humorous puzzle where readers submit creative excuses to explain awkward social situations. **Alibi Number Thirteen** (left): Shows two women in conversation. The winning entry (by I. Shepard of Massachusetts) addresses why someone claimed they could swim the Catalina Channel yesterday but couldn't swim a stroke today—the alibi being they didn't want Tom to know they could swim. **Alibi Number Eighteen** (right): Depicts a dining scene where someone must explain ordering fifty dollars' worth of ginger ale and sandwiches. The joke hinges on creating a plausible excuse for this extravagant order. These contest entries satirize the everyday social excuses people make to cover embarrassing contradictions or suspicious behavior—a relatable form of 1920s-era humor that prizes clever, inventive explanations.