Life, 1927-12-01 · page 73 of 80
Life — December 1, 1927 — page 73: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **cigarette advertisement**, not satire. It features entertainer **Eddie Cantor** (identified by photograph and signature) endorsing Lucky Strike cigarettes to other performers—Andrew Tombes, Claire Luce, and Frances Upton—during a *Ziegfeld Follies* rehearsal. The ad promotes Lucky Strikes' "toasting" process as eliminating throat irritation, a key selling point for performers who used their voices professionally. Cantor's testimonial claims he smokes daily without throat damage, positioning the product as safe for constant use. This represents **mid-20th century advertising norms**: celebrity endorsements were common and unregulated; health claims were made without scientific substantiation; and smoking was advertised without health warnings. Modern readers would recognize this as both a period artifact and an example of how corporations marketed harmful products using trusted public figures.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
_ Life _ 7 “With Eddie Cantor I agree that Luckies never irritate the throat” Said Andrew Tombes to Claire Luce and Frances Upton during a rehearsal of The Ziegfeld Follies. You, too, will find that LUCKY STRIKES give the greatest pleasure —Mild and Mellow, the finest ciga- rettes you ever smoked. Made of the choicest tobaccos, properly aged and blended with great skill, and there is an extra process—“IT’S ; TOASTED”—no harshness, not peadie Coma. a bit of bite. writes: “My voice must be in condition 365 nights a year and when I smoke, I insist upon Lucky Strikes 66 ° 99 e d because I found from experience that they don’ tirritate my throat.” No Throat Irritation-No Cough. ¢ tie Cause, comicbooks.com