Life, 1927-04-28 · page 23 of 35
Life — April 28, 1927 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes Hollywood's treatment of actresses and the gap between glamorous public image and private reality. **Main cartoon (top):** An elderly couple observes a young woman on a film set. The caption shows a reversal: fifty years ago the man preached against women wearing trousers; now he prays God will send them quickly—suggesting moral standards have collapsed so severely that even modest clothing seems preferable to current immodesty. **Article below:** Written as an actress's stream-of-consciousness monologue by Robert Lord, it mocks the superficiality and desperation of film actresses. She's hungover from a party, financially desperate (writing bad checks), physically uncomfortable, and verbally mistreated by a foreign director ("Mr. Blazootsky"), yet maintains a false professional demeanor. The satire exposes the actress as simultaneously vain about appearance, cynical about her craft, and trapped by circumstances. **Bottom cartoons:** Simple diet humor illustrations (unrelated to main content). The overall point critiques both Hollywood's exploitation of women and actresses' complicity through vanity and moral compromise.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
------- and Shorter “PIFTY YEARS AGO, ELIZABETH, I PREACHED AGAINST TROUSERS FOR WOMEN. Now 1M PRAYING GOD WILL SEND THEM QUICK...BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE.” The Movie Actress Wat a headache I took away from that party! Guess I shouldn't ought to of gone. But a girl only lives once. Thank God! I'll sure look great in my close-ups to-day. Oh, well, whassa difference? They | don’t know what it’s all about on this lot anyhow. Say, why don’t that sap director call me? Tell you to be ) all made up at nine, then let you sit around for a week before they're ready. Maybe if I put some more bead ) on my eyelashes the old lamps wouldn't look so goggly. Ah, it’s too much trouble. Gee, I got to raise a coupla grand somewhere quick or they'll put me in the jug for OF DIET writin’ hot checks. My insides feel awful funny. I shouldn’t ought to of mixed my drinks like that. “Good morning, Mr. Blazootsky. Yes, indeed, I’m quite ready.” What's this slob blabberin’ to me about? Say, why don't they get some directors who can talk good English? “Yes, Mr. Blazootsky, I understand perfectly. I know exactly what you want me to do.” Boy, the old knees are sure gonna wobble when I get out of this chair. Listen at that guy yell at me to hurry up. Aw, go on back to waitin’ on tables in Russia where you come from! “Yes, Mr. Blazootsky, I’m coming.” Robert Lord. Dietesle. comicbooks.com