Life, 1927-11-17 · page 31 of 48
Life — November 17, 1927 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **radio advertisement**, not a political cartoon. It's a 1920s commercial for Grebe Synchrophase Seven radios, positioned as a Life magazine ad (page 29). The pitch targets affluent stay-at-home audiences: instead of attending football games in person—enduring crowds, noise, and uncomfortable train rides—listeners could enjoy broadcasts via Grebe radios in comfort. The ad emphasizes technical features: rich tone, easy single-dial tuning, and "Colortone" pitch adjustment. The aerial photograph showing stadium crowds and the radio console image illustrate the contrast between outdoor mass attendance versus private domestic listening—a novel selling point when radio broadcasting was still relatively new (Grebe claimed "makers of quality radio since 1909"). Pricing is significant: $185 for the furniture model, $35 for the speaker—expensive luxury items suggesting this targets wealthy consumers.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
‘OU'LL want to see the game—but if you do have to miss it, you can get it with a Grebe—the plays, the cheering —songs and music between halves. And you miss the swirling, jostling mobs — the noisy, crowded train ride home — other irritating aftermaths, Victory or defeat, you're free to celebrate as be- fits your mood—at home! Stay-at-homes! You can get the big games better with a Grebe Synchrophase Seven and a Grebe Natural Speaker. Tone — rich, true, resonant — natural beyond belief. Ease of Control—so simple, so quick, so precise, a slight turn of the one dial brings in the desired station. Colortone—enables you to alter to your taste the pitch and clarity of the voice of the announcer. Grebe Synchrophase Seven, strikingly beautiful —French Marquetry inlay panel, $185; Grebe Natural Speaker, $35. Send for Booklet L; then have a Grebe dealer prove, in your home, that you can “get it better with a Grebe.” A. H. Grebe © Co., Inc., 109 W. 57th St., N.Y. C. Factory: Richmond Hill, N. Y. Western Branch: 443 S, San Pedro St., Los Angeles, Cal. Makers of quality radio since 1909 (REBE. SYNCHROPHASF, Tange maa! Pavone, comicbooks.com