Life, 1927-09-15 · page 40 of 40
Life — September 15, 1927 — page 40: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cigarette advertisement** disguised as editorial content, featuring Russian-American actress Alla Nazimova endorsing Lucky Strike cigarettes. **The Setup:** The page opens with a framing device—two beachgoers (Consuelo Flowerton and Frank DeWeese) agreeing with "Nazimova," leading into her testimonial. This creates false authority by attributing the pitch to a real, famous actress. **The Appeal:** Nazimova's quoted endorsement emphasizes: - Exotic sophistication (she's tried cigarettes worldwide) - Voice protection for performers (a key health claim of the era) - American superiority ("favorite...here in my adopted country") **The Satire/Irony (for modern readers):** The ad's claim of "No Throat Irritation—No Cough" appears absurd today; we now know cigarettes cause exactly these problems. The "toasting" process was a marketing invention with no proven health benefit. The endorsement by a professional voice-user was deliberately calculated to suggest safety—a practice now illegal in advertising. This exemplifies early 20th-century celebrity endorsement marketing before tobacco regulations existed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Life [RENIN NT ON TN ONT NS UNG ING NGS NCD RCS NET NES NS “T certainly agree with Nazimova” Said Consuelo Flowerton to Frank DeWeese as they rested be- tween swimsat Rockland Beach. Nazimova, brilliant actress, writes: "The Russian lady—ah, how she delights in the puff of a fragrant cigarette! As a Russian I have tried them all—the cigarettes of Cairo, Paris, London, Madrid—but here in my adopted country, America, Thave found my favorite cigarette ‘The LuckyStrike.’ In addition to its lovely fragrance and wonderful flavor it has no bad effect upon my voice—so even when I go abroad I carry with me my little trunk of Luckies—and enjoy a puff from America.” Aegina “It’s toasted” No Throat Irritation-No Cough. | | comicbooks.com