Life, 1927-04-14 · page 14 of 38
Life — April 14, 1927 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several humorous short pieces satirizing early 20th-century social pretensions and cultural attitudes. **"The Key"** mocks art-world affectation—the author describes becoming an "art wow" after being humiliated at a gallery, now offering vapid criticisms to impress others. The satire targets how people adopt insider jargon ("Cezannish," "superb refraction of light") without genuine understanding, hoping to seem cultured. **"A Cameraman Lights His Favorite Star"** is a slapstick film-industry joke about a cameraman giving contradictory, absurd directions to an actress during filming. Other pieces include **"Justifiable"** (a brief poem about being quizzed), and **"Prenatal Influence,"** where a rooster claims to have coached eggs to avoid cubist art exhibits—a jab at avant-garde modernism as ridiculous and unnatural. The overall theme: mocking cultural pretension, artistic pretense, and intellectual affectation.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA OF ALL THE MILK BOTTLES?” “IP THE FAMILY HEARS ME COMING IN THEY’LL THINK I'M THE MILKMAN.” A Cameraman Lights His Favorite Star IRST CAMERAMAN: Drop 318 on her nose! Seconp Cameraman: Hit her in the back with 500! Finst Cameraman: Pull your gobo out! Seconp Cameraman: Kill your baby! First Camenam Break 107’s neck! Seconp Cameraman: Throw that nigger out! First CameraMan: That broad’s too hot! Let’s go! Director: Now, please, Miss Prettiface, let me see your soul in your eyes! CAMERA........... Assistant Director: Lunch! HL. Justifiable (After Leigh Hunt) J ENNIE quizzed me; that’s my plea— First one question, then another— Where's the Adriatic Sea? Who was Artaxerxes’ brother? Say I'm brutal; say I'm bad, When to Sing Sing they have whizzed me, But in justice you must add: Jennie quizzed me. Tom De Plume. we) Prenatal Influence Rooster (pointing to Easter Eggs): sippy, How OFTEN HAVE I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THOSE CUBIST ART EXHIBITS? The Key HAT is more embarrassing than to be marched up to a painting somebody admires, and to be asked: “Now tell me frankly, what do you think of it?” What sort of comment do knowing people make, any- way? Having been twice humil- iated by a vague inarticulate- ness, I crept into an art gal- lery, armed with pad and pencil. For an entire after- noon I hung around the most arty-looking visitors, mak- ing copious notes. Since that day, I have be- come a wow. Now, I merely squint at a picture, teeter slowly back and forth on my heels, and toss off one of the following observa- _ tions with plenty of em- phasis: “Ah, painty, that one, eh ?” “Nice feeling the re— nice.” “A bit Cezannish, there in the background.” “Knows his anatomy, all right, all right.” “Superb refraction of light, there—superb!" | “Power—God, what power!” “Will you look at that!” “What a touch—oh, what a touch.” “Nice quality there; nice.” “Hands are the one real test of a painter, after all.” I am acquiring a reputation as a fellow of nice taste— one who knows what's what. Yearners hang upon my words. Try it yourself—don’t be a disappointment to your friends. Stanley Jones. Senator Bulger (speak- ing over radio): BEvoRE I BEGIN MY ADDRESS I WANT TO ASSURE MY UN> SEEN AUDIENCE THAT ANY FAULT THEY MAY FIND WITH MY TALK TO-NIGHT 18 DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE MORNING NEWSPA- PERS WILL MISQUOTE ME, And Why Not? “THE Anti-Saloon League demands a_ Prohibition commissioner who believes in the law he is to enforce,” says Wayne B. Wheeler. Or, to put it more tersely: “For Prohibition commissioner — Wayne B. Wheeler.” “RHE old Scotchman has become a baseball fan. Does he go very often?” “Every timethere’s a double- header.” comicbooks.com . tpeenet