Life, 1927-06-16 · page 11 of 34
Life — June 16, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three unrelated humorous pieces: 1. **"The Movie Producer Manages a Symphony Orchestra"**: A producer complains that Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony" is too obscure and uncommercial. He proposes discarding the original composition and hiring someone to write a catchy, recognizable title instead—mocking Hollywood's tendency to prioritize entertainment value and marketing over artistic merit. 2. **"Behind the Scenes of a Great Industry"**: A cartoon showing film crew members filling oil cans from glycerine tanks for a crying scene—satirizing the artificial, manufactured nature of movie emotions and special effects. 3. **"The Same Set"** and **"Impressions of a Smart Advertisement"**: Brief satirical pieces about wedding scenes and consumer marketing language respectively. The overall theme critiques Hollywood's commercialism and superficiality.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Li The Movie Producer Manages a Symphony Orchestra “wits the name of this piece you're going to y? Schubert's ‘Unfinished Symphony’? I ess ). K.—if you can get a couple of quick writers to finish it before the concert. How does it go? Whistle it for me....Terrible! Lousy! We can’t use it. The public would never sit through a thing like that. It don’t mean anything. It ain't loud enough. Throw it away and we'll hire a guy to write an original piece around the title. A cousin of my brother-in-law’s aunt was telling me about a swell tune. It goes like this, see. ..-Do I care if it’s a last year’s popular song? That's the kind of tune audiences like. I drive three Rolls- Royces because I know what audiences like. Who is this guy, Schubert, that wrote the original ‘script? Is he related to Lee and J. J.? No? Well, why should I spend my good money help- ing some unknown guy who'll never do me any good? Honestly, the grief I go through in this business is driving me crazy. I got a notion to disband the orchestra and go to Europe for a vacation. When I come back I can hire all new musi- cians. And we got to have a new title for the piece. ‘Unfinished Symphony’ don’t mean a thing. Quick— think me up a brand-new, snappy, high-class title that has some entertainment-value.”” Robert Lord. The Same Set Que (archly): Promise you won't tell anybody we're engaged ! . He: I don’t know anybody you haven't told atready. xl Vin AA SENNETT BATHING GIRL RELAXING AFTER A HARD DAY AT THE FACTORY. THAT NEW SWEDISH STAR USED Two GALLONS / OF THS STUFF GLYCERINE TANK No.3 PLADITUDINOYS Fiing comPorenon, FILLING THE OIL CANS From THE GUYCERINE TEAR, TANKS ~ FOR THE DAYS CRYING AT A BIG MOVIE STUDIO BEHIND THE SCENES OF A GREAT INDUSTRY Impressions of a Smart Advertisement Reader MART...smart...exclusive...Her Maj American woman. ..smart...chic...cay ting... .smart...smart ... distinguished --smart...unusual ... chic... --old-world elegance... mart...lovely...s mart... lusive...exclusively smart...smartly -chic...chic...smart...s mart... + Smart. ..smart. Ww. s. smart. smartest exclusive... smart. ..smart. sophisticated. HE object for which our reformers are striving ap- pears to be sex repeal. The Movie Usher (assisting at a wedding): asovr HALP-wAy DowN, sir? comicbooks.com