Life, 1927-08-04 · page 32 of 40
Life — August 4, 1927 — page 32: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page features a satirical advertisement for Murad cigarettes positioned as a relatable cartoon about social embarrassment. The illustrated scene shows a fancy dinner party where a diner faces the awkward situation of receiving a bill ($16.85) while only having $9.26—a substantial shortfall. The joke's satirical point: the solution to this mortifying moment is to appear unconcerned by casually lighting a Murad cigarette, thereby maintaining composure and social dignity through sophisticated nonchalance. The humor relies on the advertising logic of the 1920s era, where smoking cigarettes signified worldliness, confidence, and upper-class refinement. By smoking, an embarrassed person could deflect from financial inadequacy through performed composure. The ad mocks this aspiration while simultaneously selling it—typical of *Life* magazine's advertising strategy, which often satirized consumer culture while profiting from it.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mrs. Pep’s Diary (Continued from page 1+) got some chloroform from the chem ist and smothered it, plucking it afterwards and putting it on the ice. But Lord! when they opened the ice box the next morning, an extremely naked turkey flew out at them and managed to escape through — the kitchen door and down into Lexing- ton Avenue, whereupon they gave chase, to the consternation of both pedestrians and the police. Back in comfortable season for supper on the launch, I in my usual trepidation that Sam would not make the land- ing when we stopped at the tower for the men's plunge, but we have been here almost two weeks of the sum- mer already dohe has not fallen once into the » for which I thank God, July Awake betimes, falling avidly upon “Footsteps in ISth the Night,” with which I could not go on last night for sheer terror, for never since I beeame a slave to mystery literature have I with more suspense to iph. ‘Then making. fine work of my breakfast tray, even to the orange marmalade, which God knows I am a fool to touch, and 5 pa sie oe all a-twitter over seeing a special de EMBARRASSING MOMENTS livery amongst my letters, but it was When the dinner check reads $16.85 and you nought but a line from Bob Banning have only $9.26... be nonchalant... light a to the effect that «a woman without a MURAD CIGARETTE fox scarf was reported to have been yesterday in’ Exchange Place. Then up and out for a stroll, one of the most meaningless of human pur- suits, but T did have the luck to meet up with Amy Blank, and we i a : < talked of this and that and laughed For those who feel entitled to life’s better things so merrily in the streets that the vil- | lage gossips have probably passed the word by this time that we had been imbib and amongst. other ghty matters we did decide that no man wha pays heed to his diet or health in any degree soever can be a romantic figure or even a mild Lo- thario, and that Amos ‘Tilbury’s in- digestion alone should be sufficient to In Two Weeks— allay his wife's suspicions of him. At cards all the afternoon, and then the TOURISTS’ NUMBER to the Wilbanks’ ta pick’ up Sam, ind he had a cocktayle in one hand with an alluring cover by RUSSELL PATTERSON, and and a cigarette sto io’ the ther, pictures and text by GLUYAS WILLIAMS, JOUN HELD, JR. aint wien “the Greplc neal es LLOYD MAYER, RALPH BARTON, ELLISON HOOVER, | in the defunct stub, [ knew that I ROBERT BENCHLEY, DOROTHY PARKER and many others not arrived a moment too soon. Baird Leonard. © 1922, P, Lorillard Co, Kat. 1760 For every one—abroad or at home—this number will be a vacation in itself In 1897 our pitchers a rest he- Don’t Miss It! ‘ My star southpaw goes in but there's half Louisville Conrier-Journal. comicbooks.com