Life, 1927-06-02 · page 29 of 46
Life — June 2, 1927 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This 1920s humor page mocks several social pretensions of the era: **"Just Between Us Girls"** features a woman complaining that *Life* magazine's contest hasn't published her submitted answers, despite her believing them hilarious. The satire targets both her delusional self-assessment and the broader complaint that success in publishing requires "pull" (connections) rather than merit. Her affected speech patterns (capitalizing random words for emphasis) ridicule affected upper-class affectation. **"The Helping Hand"** offers quick one-liners mocking recent college graduates—one claims to help people "get rid of their inhibitions," satirizing pseudo-psychological fads of the period; another "bond salesman" admits his only credentials are three feet of shelves and a scrapbook, mocking credential inflation. **"Sonnet to an Obstinate Bow Tie"** humorously dramatizes the frustration of formal dress codes, particularly the bow tie's difficulty, suggesting buying one on an elastic string instead—poking fun at men's fashion constraints. The **Adolphus Oldgrad cartoons** appear to reference alumni fundraising appeals, a recurring satirical target.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
«cs tually, my dear, I'm SIMply LIVid—I mean I'm so MAD I could gargle BUTtermilk at this point because I am honestly all hot and BOTHered about this odd ALibi contest which they have put in this LIFE magazine—can you BEAR it? I mean I have been x REAMS of the CLEVerest ANswers for 2KS past, my dear, but they have not used ONE of them or given me a SINgle PRIZE! I mean they COULDn’t be RUDer, do you know what I mean? Be- cause HONestly, my dear, these ANswers that I have thought UP and sent in to this LIFE magazine have been HEAPS funnier than the ones that have been WINning all these PRIZes be- cause I mean I have SHOWED them to people who are really FRIGHT fully inTELligent and all, and they have SIMply HOWLED when I showed them what I have written for this FOUL ALibi contest—can you BEAR it, my dear? But, ANY- ways, | know a terribly rman who is WRITing all the TIME only he never SELLS anything because he says that it does not make any DIFf’rence HOW clever you are because they will simply NEVer give you any- thing for what you WRITE unless you have a DRAG with somebody, and I mean I think it just SHOWS you how unFAIR everything is because even if you are really a GENius like this perfectly SWEET MAN said I was when he read some of these ANswers, you simply have NO CHANCE unless you have PULL, do you know what I mean? HONestly, my dear, I think it is the most perVERTed idea in the WORLD—I mean I ACtually DO!” Lloyd Mayer. The Helping Hand IRST SWEET GIRL GRADUATE: Have you de- cided what your work is going to be? Seconn Cuarsinc Pest: Not yet; for a while I’m just helping people get rid of their inhibitions. HAVE YoU A EDUCATION ? Would-Be Bond Salesman: A GRADUATE OF THREE FT SHELVES AND A SCRAP BOOK. Employer: COLLEGE 1M pOOT ADOLPHUS OLDGRAD ANNOUNCES ERTNAMEOF COL FOR DEAR OLD ID Sonnet to an Obstinate Bow Tie O#, that there were such vivid words to say That I could scare this tie into a bow! Here I've been wrangling with it half a d And all I have is wrinkled silk to show! I've no technique, and, too well-bred to swear, I vent my rage in molten beads of sweat, Restrain the inside urge to take and tear This puny thing that’s caused so much regret. Were I not going to a dance to-night, I'd wear my usual modest four-in-hand, But that, worn with a Tux, would be a sight— And so, defying more the mode's command, I'll buy, if still I cannot tie this thing, One on the end of an elastic string. Robert R. Wallstein. I know a good joke, but it’s slightly off-color. Sue: Oh, that’s all right—I'm color-blind, ADOLPHUS OLDGRAD IS REQUESTED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE TEACHERS’ SALARY INCRE F NAMEOF COLLEGE, D OF DEAR OLD INSERT- comicbooks.com