Life, 1927-06-16 · page 13 of 34
Life — June 16, 1927 — page 13: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features Life magazine's weekly "Alibi Contest"—a humor competition where readers submit creative excuses. The featured cartoon (Alibi #27) depicts a scene at what appears to be a soda fountain or diner counter. A woman's fiancé has arrived unexpectedly, and she must explain her presence there to Cecil B. DeMille's "right-hand man." The humor lies in the absurd explanation she's concocting on the spot. The contest invites readers to complete the narrative: explain why the "newly arrived fiancée" is working at this establishment instead of where she claimed to be. Readers could win $50 for the best answer. This reflects 1920s-era humor conventions where elaborate, implausible excuses were treated as entertainment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
n- ALIBi| NUMBER TWENTY-TWO She: WHAT 18 THE MEANING OF THIS INTRUSION ? Ile: WELL, YOU SEE, IT’S THIS WAY ...I’m in the etiquette book busi- ness, and I’m posing fora picture, “Should She Invite Him In?” This Alibi, which wins the first prize of $50.00, was submitted by: Artuur M. Sitversiart, McKinlock Hall D-41, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Five second prizes of $10.00 each have been awarded to the following: Hecen M. Atren, London, Eng- land, for the Alibi: “The-Persisto- Life- Insurance-Soe: ich-I-rep- resent- combines - - new- policy- seven - especially-attractive-features- which - I -would - like - you - to-con- sider es Mrs. Marcus ANprew Hirscut, Chicago, Tllinois, for the Alibi: “Lire’s Fashion Number says it’s quite proper nowadays merely to wear a brassy-air and step-in!” Hazex A. Nauman, E. Strouds- burg, Pennsylvania, for the Alibi: “The water will be turned off for the next two hours for plumbing re- pairs.”” E. B. Ostrom, Alexandria, On- tario, Canada, for the Alibi: “I’m the author of ‘Moonbeam, Kiss Her for Me’ and I merely wanted to sec if my instructions were being carried out.” W. R. Wicut, Hebbronville, Teras, for the Alibi: “I felt like a Don Juan to-night so I just had to Don Juan of my dress suits and call on you.” ALIBI CONTEST Conditions of the Contest on page 31 R the edification and enrich- ment of the ever increasing army of Alibi hunters, Lire offers this week a Super-De Luxe-Special- Feature Picture, in one reel and a sob, dealing with that sure-fire sub- ject—Broken Hearts of Hollywood. All this picture needs is a sub- title. The reply of the young hero is incomplete and, in order that the tears of his home-town sweetie may be dried, it must be complete, and then some. The boy friend must explain (with your assistance) just why he is working in a soda-fountain instead of in the De Mille studios. This is your opportunity to try $100.00 Weekly in Prizes your hand at “titling,” as Holly- wood calls it. ‘Help the young man to produce, in twenty-five words or less, an Alibi, or excuse, which will be sufficiently clever and in- genious to satisfy his fiancéc. The prizes are as follows: First Prize, $50.00 Five Second Prizes of $10.00 each ALIBI NUMBER TWENTY- EIGHT 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-SEVEN Newly Arrived Fiancée (in Hollywood): you wrote ME you WERE CECIL B. DE MILLE’S RIGHT-HAND MAN, DOING HERE? Would-Be Movie Star: we.L, HONEY, YOU SEE, IT WAS THIS WAY... WHAT ARE YOU comicbooks.com