Life, 1927-07-28 · page 8 of 36
Life — July 28, 1927 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes early 20th-century American social and cultural trends through multiple cartoons and commentary. **Top cartoon**: Mocks the "coolest movie theater" advertisement—showing a packed theater advertising ice-cooled air, with the caption highlighting the absurdity of people being "frozen to death" by new cooling technology. **Middle section "Proper Place"**: A domestic joke where a husband is a garbage collector, satirizing class consciousness and marital dynamics of the era. **"A Meeting of the Bored"**: Depicts upper-class figures sitting listlessly, mocking wealthy society's lack of meaningful engagement. **Right column poetry**: Nostalgic social commentary comparing past decades (references to "Comstock," Temperance Leagues, Prohibition) with modern times, suggesting the current age is paradoxically both more permissive and more foolish. The overall theme critiques technological novelty, class pretension, and social decline.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“WHAT'S THE EXCITEMEN “TUREE PEOPLE WERE JUST FROZEN TO DEATH IN THAT NEW MOVIE THEATRE.” ICE-COOLED That's Settled WIEE: F think we should have a new car. Hesnaxp: I'm perfectly satisfied with the old or Wire: Fine! new one. Proper Place GIRST WOMAN: How husband ? Srconp He's in the dumps most of the time. F. W.: What is his occupation? : Garbage and junk collector. is your Woman Then I can have the MEETING OF THE BORED, ~~] O Tempora! O Morons! GIGGLE. uncontrollably ‘To think how in the Nineties they Would weep at) “Break — the News to Mother”; And then I brother Sob out the latest tragic lay Of mammy down in Tennessee. hear my modern Thank Heaven we are past the times When Comstock waged his war against That pho.” innocent, insipid “Sap- Yet loose no quick, ironic laugh: censed By our unbridled drama’s crimes. Sumner's frenziedly in The Were perfect screams; they sought to prove One glass of beer led to. perdi- tion. But nowadays there's Prohibi- tion. break the you've An urge to take a sip of wine. mperance Leagues, in '99, You law if nation’s back they cried The couples Three ‘spooned”; the men got “boiled”; They “bunny-! 1" quaint dances We now siy, “So is your Aunt at their Frances’ We we're “tanked,” who's not toiled To learn the mad Black through?... and Bottom I love to thumb the moldy page Of yesterday—it gives me glee; But far more comic (though less pleasant) Is it to view the vital present. How awfully dumb they used to be! How much more dumb the current age! Simonetta. Registering Rage EL OLLYWOOD is still talking of the Director who, wanting to get a bit of realistic acting from a matic handed her a notice of the ten per cent. sal- ary cut just before he began to film anger actress, the scene. comicbooks.com