Life, 1927-04-21 · page 22 of 39
Life — April 21, 1927 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a theater review page from Life magazine featuring entertainment listings and criticism. The main illustration depicts an adult man in formal attire standing next to a small child playing with toy soldiers and military equipment on the ground. The caption below reads: "Warlike Uncle: AND IF YOU DRILL RELIGIOUSLY EVERY DAY—WHO KNOWS WHEN THE NEXT WAR COMES, YOU MAY BE THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER!" **The satire**: This is dark political commentary on American militarism and preparedness anxiety in the 1920s. The "Warlike Uncle" indoctrinates a child into military discipline under the guise of patriotic preparation, suggesting that American culture was grooming the next generation for inevitable warfare. The phrase "Unknown Soldier" references the recently honored WWI casualties, making the joke grimly prophetic—by encouraging childhood military play, the uncle acknowledges the child might become another anonymous casualty. The joke critiques both militaristic ideology and the normalization of war preparation in everyday American life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Owing to the time it takes to print Lire, readers should verify from the daily newspapers the continuance of the attractions at the theatres mentioned, i} Fog. National—Adrift in a boat with a crew Hearts Are Trumps. Morosco—With Prank More or Less Serious of horrors ‘Sounds better than ft is Morgan and’ Vivian Mastian To be reviewed The Barker. Biltmore—A thoroughly rest Fog-Bound. Belmont—Reviewed in this issue. next week. ing account ofceeveral of the more prominent Mariners. Plymouth—Excellent acting by Her Cardboard Lover. Empire—P. emotions at work among the ballyhoo-foll Pauline Lord and the rest of the cast, but the ventional Prench comedy, with amusing Caponsacchi It is doubtful if whole thing is a little too soaked in misery. Jeanne Eagels is starred, with Leslie H bh The Ring and thi The Mystery SI Comedy—One of the helping along a lot. thought it would be acted out in costume _ worst of the mystery shows. It’s a Wow. Masque—To be reviewed later by Walter Hampden. 1, he probably wouldn't Rapid Transit. Provincetowon—To be reviewed Love Is Like That. Cort—With Basil Rath- V have minded. next week. bone and Lucile Watson. To be reviewed | Civic Repertory Theatre. (14h St.)—Eva The Second Man. Guild—With Lynn Pon- Mr. Pim Passes By. Garrick—Laura He Le Gallieane showing that the thing can be do tanne, Alfred Lunt, Margalo Gillmoreand Earle Crews in a revival of Milne's pleasantry. store made the thesis of a crime playrwhich, while _Lazimore. To be reviewed later. _ Ned McCobb's Daughter. John Golden— It is it has its buckeye moments, also has many excit- Set a Thief— Lyceum—Regulation murderin. Maine folks put into a highly interesting play - ing: mopiantes ~lemes Rengie heads the cast the-library business. featuring Alfred Lunt and Clare Eames. case; fe Crown Prince. Forrest sand The Spider. Forty-Sixth St-—The best and the Night Hawk. Frolic—What glands did hat * Basil Sydney in a r ragedy all about real ™0st ingenious of the mystery shows. one streetwalker. that Ity and everyt! The Squall. Forty-Eighth St—On the sex life The Play's the Thing. Henry Miller’s—Ho!- man, Fifty-Second St—To be reviewed next of the gypsies. Not very good. brook Blinn in something of Molnar's which is The Wooden Kimono. Fulton—A thriller funny, risqué, and not very important. least which manages to be burlesque and exciting at the Pygmalion. Guild—Good Shaw, with Lynn “Ss same time. Fontanne in addition. | oI The Road to Rome. Playhouse—History less s terms that practically every one can enderstand into . , —and like. especially as it involves Jane Cow! Comedy and Things Like That Saturday's Children. Booth—Several + dress lems of household economics stated in a manner the H Abie’s Irish Rose. Republic—Pive years ago 80. charming and quiet that you don't rea this month we had never even heard of this show. what they are. Ruth Gordon plays the Young their Ah, Youth, Youth! Wife. . Broadway. Broadhurst—A perfectly directed Sinner. Klaw—Dealing with the current seems sselodrata of hooters and Rilascers, epidemic of marital infidelity. Claiborne P tect A Chicago. Music Box—Bitter and hilarious 24 Allan Dinehart among those present spoofing at several American institutions which Spread Eagle. Martin Beck—Reviewed in sorely needed spoofing. Should be seen both for this issue. entertainment and instruction. Tommy. Eltinge—Love's young dream pleas. The Constant Wife. faxine Filiott's—Ethel antly retold. Barrymore in a comedy built for her. Two Girls Wanted. Liitlh—Pleasant. The Devil in the Cheese. Charles Hopkins— What Anne Brought Home. I'allack's— - A fantastic conception of what goes on ina young Clean, at any rate, I Ne ore mind, od, oddly enough, it is not concerned Ge with sex. . and J; Eye and Ear Entertainment pearec Bye, Bye, Bonnie. Cosmopotitan—Nothing jected extra (“Yo Cherry Blossoms. Forty-Fourth St.—Person- 9 ally, we get quite sleepy at Japanese operettas. Justic Countess Maritza. Jolsbn—A bh on the score | The, Desert Song. Cas Vivienn 1 an edi and Eddie Buzzell nething above I average. the ay Hit the Deck. Belasco—To be reviewed later | men a Honeymoon Lane. Kwickerbocker—A from which has grown into a hit through the rom i rocess of pleasing a lot of people. It is Edd Dowling’s Lady Do. Liberty—To be reviewad lat Le Maire’s Affairs. Majestic—A& vevue with Lester Allen, Charlotte Greenwood and Ted Lewis. An evening's entertainm Lucky. New Amsterdam—Walter Skeets Gallagher, Santley and Sawyer, and } Eaton in a show which is elaborately good enous HI Oh, Kay! Imperici—One of the seasor leaders, what with Gertrude Lawrence, V: au Moore and Oscar Shaw. pee Peggy-Ann. Vanderbilt—Just about the nicest of the musicals, taking the music, book and Hel (prop: Ford into consideration. pt Queen High. Ambassador—If this doesn't nce a look out, it will have run a Luella Gear Glory Prank McIntyre and Charles Rugrtes are in it thros The Ramblers. Lyric—Clark and McCul hroug Jough at play. melodr Rio Rita. Ziegfedd—A beautiful production with a modicum of comedy from Robert Woolse Tt h Bert Wheeler and Ada May snarls Scandals. Apollo—George White si vi mi Vanities. Fert Carroll—If they should send A Moran and Mack to Atlanta with Mr. Carroll ladies this department would be the leader in a bloody it also revolution. Nobody must ever harm a hair of with their beads. as pan ii ta bat ith t Varlike Uncle: an ; SLY EV — Sows— Yours Truly. Shuber!—Leon Errol at the hea Warlike Uncle: aNp 1F YOU DRILL RELIGIOUSLY EVERY DAY—WHO ENoWws og eee egy, Shuberi—Leon Ervol at the ems WHEN THE NEXT WAR COMES, YOU MAY BE THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER! singing just elegant. comicbooks.com