Life — June 30, 1927 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis of Life Magazine Page 9 This page satirizes a 1920s radio broadcast of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" sponsored by Simpson & Swink, a delicatessen company. The satire mocks the incongruity of commercial food advertising interrupting high literature. The main cartoon shows a man at a dinner table beneath stars and lightning bolts, captioned "Oh, say, can you see?" — a joke about radio's invisible medium. The accompanying sketch depicts a couple in romantic poses, referencing the tragic lovers. The text parodies how Simpson & Swink exploits the program by promoting their canned goods and specialty foods (corned beef, cheeses, caviar) as "refined" products suitable to the elevated artistic context. The humor targets both pretentious advertising claims and the absurdity of selling groceries through Shakespeare broadcasts.