Life, 1927-05-12 · page 15 of 43
Life — May 12, 1927 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **puzzle/contest page** rather than political satire. Life magazine's "Alibi Contest" invites readers to solve a visual mystery for cash prizes ($50 first prize, five $10 second prizes). **Alibi Number Twenty-Two** shows a cartoon illustration of a well-dressed man confronting a woman in what appears to be a bedroom or private space. The caption poses a riddle: "She: What is the meaning of this intrusion? He: Well, you see, it's this way..." Readers must complete his alibi—his explanation for being there—in 25 words or fewer. The humor relies on the suggestive, compromising scenario: the man needs a clever excuse for his presence in an intimate setting. This was a popular interactive entertainment format in early-20th-century magazines.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ALIBI CONTEST Conditions of the Contest on page 36 $100.00 Weekly in Prizes / iX “wx NEO ALIBI NUMBER SEVENTEEN Conductor: THAT Boy YoU PAID HALF-FARE FOR IS IN THE WASHROOM SHAVING, HOW ABOUT IT? Perplexed Father: wet, you see, 11's THs way. ..He merely went in there to scrape up a couple of ac- quaintances. This Alibi, which wins the first prize of $50.00, was submitted by Husert H. Dunwap, $225 Navy Building, Washington, D. C. Five second prizes of $10.00 each have been awarded to the following: Katuteen C. Biss, Louisa, Vir- ginia, for the Alibi: “When I gave you his ticket I said, ‘I have six more at home’ and you said, ‘That's fair enough.’ "” H. Bovxer, Wellesley, Massa- chusetts, for the Alibi: “I figgered that if he shaved on this road, he'd be entitled to ‘cut’ rates.” Euizapetu Pascuar, Wellesley, Massachusetts, for the Alibi: “The boy was under age when we bought the ticket but that was before my wife had fully decided what to wear on the trip.” Mary F. Ricketts, Chicago, Il- linois, for the Alibi: “He's been used in jokes of this kind for so long, he’s grown whiskers.” Crype H. Watkins, Wichita Falls, Texas, for the Alibi: “You must remember that boys are much older much younger now than we who are much older were when we were much younger.” HE Alibi, ladies and gentlemen, is the last word in convenience. No one should dream of being with- out one of these little devices, so in- dispensable to one’s happiness, com- fort and even safety. All our smartest people go in heavily for the Alibi; the smarter the people, the better the Alibi. For this week’s contest, Lire has engaged the so-clever French artist whose signature appears on the pic- ture below to delineate a piquant situation, fraught with mystery. The gentleman on the ladder is under the necessity of explaining to the outraged lady what in the heck he is doing there. This is where you come in. Complete, in twenty-five words, or less, his A xeuse. Send in as many answers as you like, and if you can make them sufficiently clever and ingenious, you are eligible for one of the prizes, which are as fol- lows: First Prize, $50.00 Five Second Prizes of $10.00 each ALIBI NUMBER TWENTY- THREE will be published in Lire next week, with a new set of prizes offered. Read the conditions carefully— and go to it! -—— ALIBI NUMBER TWENTY-TWO ea ee She: Wav 18 THE MEANING OF THIS INTRUSION? He: wei., you sek, 17's THIS WAY... comicbooks.com