Life, 1927-12-08 · page 22 of 40
Life — December 8, 1927 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is a theatre review section from Life magazine's entertainment coverage. The main cartoon illustrates "The Way of All Flesh," a theatrical production, showing two women gossiping about a mundane disappointment: one ordered a vanilla sundae but received chocolate soda instead. The other responds "Yeah, that's life, ain't it?" The joke's satire is gentle social commentary—the caption ironically uses the grand title of a serious play to frame an utterly trivial domestic complaint. This creates humor through incongruity: treating a minor consumer disappointment with the weight of philosophical resignation suggests how people dramatize everyday annoyances. The surrounding text lists numerous Broadway shows from the 1920s, many now forgotten, with brief critical assessments. Notable productions include "Porgy" (significant for depicting African American life) and shows starring recognizable performers of that era. The page reflects the vibrant theatre culture that dominated American entertainment before cinema's dominance.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
20 Owing to the time it takes to print Lave, ree ere should ve ify from the daily newspapers the continuance of the attractions at the theatres mentioned. More or Less Serious tics The Ara’ Weallack far you ca: st. tho: Whiteside wrote this play for a The Centuries. Playerights'—To be reviewed ater: Repertory. Fourteen! papers for sched: Coquette. Marine Fl Dracula. Ful really dead. Take th holidays, An Enemy of the People. /ampden's—Good Ibsen, with Walt *s exciting ac ct, with A gunman who acting but slightly Hidden. Lycenm— wing that sex will out+ Philp Merivale driving Beth Merrill wi Interference. pire—Much the same as many other Lond. er amas. well acte A. E. Matthe he res The Irish Players. Hudson—To be reviewed later The Ladder. Lyric—The flop that ran a year. The Letter. More Cornell adding se ing to Son play, which otherwrse has not mu: Nightstick. Selwyn—Reviewed in this issue: Out of the Sea. £ltinge—By Don Marquis® To be reviewed later. The Way of All Flesh MAMIE: Gee, May, here I asked for a Vanilla Sundae, and he gave me a Chawklut Soda, Matste: Yeah, that’s life, ain't it? Porgy. Republic—A fine play of Negro life. strangely set tn the theatre where “Abie's Irish Rose” held forth. The Racket. Ambassador—Reviewed in this Spellbound. Ear! Carroll—Reviewed in this The Spider. Music Box—Still throwing ences into a state of confusion and mysté fication. The Trial of Mary Dugan. made and continuously interest: all laid in a courtroom. Women Go On Porever. Forrest— Boland in a strange play which is half-cor half-tragedy. half bad and half very fine. Comedy and Things Like That Abie's Irish Rose. Somewhere ahout—We don’t quite know where this is, but we have a feeling that it isn’t far away. And So to Bed. viewed next week he Buby Cyclone. Hei amusing farce based on nc Mitchell is in it. Behold This Dreamer. what might have been a gossamer coi ‘ons on it n't let us have to National—A we g melodrar Mary dy. Sam. H. Harris—To be re Milter’: ng at all. Grant Cort—Glenn Hunter in ety had some one not sewed brass bu Broadway. Broadhurst—D about seeing this. h—Some fine love, with H. Skelly as the memorable hoofer. The Command to Love. Longacre—T: maiden aunt to this and give her a good Mary Nash and Basil Rathbone in m business. The Dector's Dilemma. Guild—To be te Viewed next week. Fallen Angeis. reviewed later Her First Affaire. with intent to shock Immoral Isabella? show runs ough, and gosh The Ivory Door. Forty. Ninth St—To be Bayes—Mild conversation Charles Hopkins—Pretty gosh-darned. w after the first half- Henry Hull is Kingy-the- Pooh. The King Can Do No Wrong. Masque—To be reviewed next week. L el Atwill is in it. The Marquise. Bilimore—Billie Burke being Billie Burke in a’ meringue of Noel Coward's. A Midsummer Night's Dream. Century—The “important” Max Reinhardt — production—in German. Worth looking a! Much Ado About Nothing. American Labora tory—Even if this were good, we wouldn't like it The 19th Hole. Cohan—A good evening for golfers. Prank Craven wrote it and is in it. People Don't Do Such Things. Forty-Eighth St.—To be reviewed next week. The Road to Rome. Playhouse—Jane Cow! Se trating how history can be made enjoy- Martin Beck—Broadway with a couple of good old- J=umes Gleason and Lucille Webster head the cast. Storm Center. Kiaw—To be Take My Advice. Belmont—Uno: pleasant, The Taming of Sydney and Mary E breaks. In modern The Wicked Age. Eye and Ear Entertainment Artists and Models. viewed in this issue A Connecticut Yankee. Vanderbilt —E¥ ing, with one of the best scores in t Iam Gaxton and Constance Carpenter. Harry Delmar's Revels. Shubert—To be reviewed later The Desert Song. /mperial—It beats all how some of these good ones hang on. The Five O'Clock Girl. Forty-Fourth St— Smart entertainment, with a couple of nice son; Mai Follies of 1937. New Cantor and everything else. unny Face. Alrin—With Witham Kent, Victor Moore an To be reviewed next week Golden Dawn. Hammersicin's—To be re- viewed later viewed later ntatiously e Shrew. Garrick—Basi! is giving Shakespeare the Daly':—Out, Winter Garden—Re- A msterdam—Ed he Astaires Allen Kearn: Good News. Forty-Sixth St—As good as they come Hit the Deck. Aelasco—Still among the best. Just Fancy. Casino—Raymond Hitchcock Santley and Sawyer show The Love Call. Majestic—Just fair. Manhattan Mary. Apallo—You know Ed Wynn. The Merry Malooes. in a show of bis own, but n The Mikado. oycle—One of those Ame revivals you hear so much about. On Monday “Jolanthe.” On Thursdays, “Pirates of Pen tance.” See them ‘My Maryland. Jolson's—Shubert chorus men freeing the slaves. Rio Rita. Ziegfeld—S eyes. Waiter Catlett, Vheeler furnish laughs. Sidewalks of New York. 4 others in a very pleasant ny Ada ing nice for the May and B, K nickerbocker—Ray Dooley in a popular concoction by Eddie Dowling. Take the Air. Waldorf—To be reviewed next week. comicbooks.com