Life, 1927-07-28 · page 30 of 36
Life — July 28, 1927 — page 30: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page combines a carbonated beverage advertisement with Life's "Alibi Contest"—a popular weekly humor feature where readers submitted humorous explanations for captioned illustrations, competing for cash prizes ($50 first place, $10 runners-up). **The Advertisement:** The left side promotes bottled carbonated beverages with a stylish illustration of a man in a suit and hat holding a beverage case near an automobile. The ad warns against unsafe roadside water sources, positioning commercial sodas as safe, pure alternatives. This reflects 1920s public health concerns and the growing commercial beverage industry. **The Contest:** The right side details rules for submitting "alibis"—witty twenty-five-word excuses completing the prompt "Well, you see, it's this way..." Winners would be announced September 1, 1927. This participatory contest was Life magazine's signature humor feature, engaging readers directly while filling pages inexpensively. The small joke snippet ("That's Easy") at bottom mocks columnists fishing for reader feedback—meta-humor about publishing itself.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
_ Life Ps Conditions of the Great Bottled Carbonated Beverages >, Alibi Contest These taste tempting crinks also are known by less me fiained «ss tents a New Englond (Please turn to page 11 for other information.) FACE week we will publish a dif- ferent picture in the ALIBI CONTEST—the picture this week being marked “ALIBI NUMBER THIRTY-THREE.” The first prize of $50.00 will be awarded each week to the contestant who, in the opinion of the Judges, furnishes the cleverest and most in- genious conclusion to the sentence which starts, ‘Well, you see, it's this way "Five second prizes of $10.00 cach will be awarded to the runners-up. Answers must not exceed twenty- five words in length; this word limit, however, is not intended to include the captions under the Contest pic tures as originally published in Larr ‘There is no limit to the number of answers to each Contest picture that any one contestant may submit. Nor is it necessary for a contestant to submit answers to more than one of the Contest pictures to be eligible for a prize. The Judges will be three of the Editors of Lire. In the event of a tie, the full amount of the prize will be awarded to each of the tying con- testants. Answers should be typewritten or clearly written on one side of the paper. Every single sheet of manu- script submitted must be plainly marked with the contestant’s name ind address. The Judges cannot un dertake to return any of the manu- seripts submitted in this Contest Answers to ALIBI NUMBER THIRTY-THREE should be so marked, and sent to ALIBI CON- TEST EDITOR, Lire, 598 Mad- ison Avenue, New York City. answers to ALT BI NUMB must re along a case | FW PROPRIA it oe winners will be made in the issue of September 1, 1927. EWARE the menace of roadside The Contest is open to all and is ells and springs. Such water not limited to subscribers to Lir is often dangerous to health. Play Members of Lire’s staff, and their safe! Drink refreshing, delicious families, are barred from competi- bottled carbonated beverages, made tion in the Contest. from pure water, finest sugar and wholesome taste- tempting flavors. That's Easy SPONSORED BY “Wowprr if the public is reading my os Sa stuff?” said the columnist to the editor. hs “Make a big break and the editor replied. —Florida Times-Union. Sow Ero Makes Trousers Haag Straight in your tow mnt ec are eT. Ora ites Washington, L comicbooks.com