Life, 1927-12-29 · page 26 of 41
Life — December 29, 1927 — page 26: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page collects several humorous sketches satirizing early 1920s American life: **Top panels** joke about contemporary topics: testing candidates for a football team, a whale encounter, and automobiles—specifically contrasting Ford cars (referenced twice) with other vehicles, suggesting Ford's dominance in the auto market. **Middle section** features "Fifty Cocktail Shakers," satirizing Prohibition-era drinking culture by showing novelty vessels designed to disguise alcohol consumption—a jab at Americans' resourcefulness in circumventing alcohol bans. **Bottom panels** include a "Granddaddy Satan" sketch about Hell (unclear reference) and advertising follow-up. The overall tone mocks consumer culture, automotive enthusiasm (Henry Ford's celebrity status), Prohibition enforcement, and dated slang ("old dear," "sugar"). The magazine's satire targets middle-class American preoccupations and the era's social contradictions—particularly the gap between official morality and actual behavior.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
First Cocwratt Suaxer: There's certainly 4 to be a terrible war between Henry Ford and General M Cortrce Hero: Fixsr Fresuatax: He's got a good line of wisecracks, hasn't he? the rattle of the Stcono Frrsusax: Yes, he's read every Ford in SOs ear Granooavoy Saran: Well, sugar, what do Crrricat. Fiarere: Not so hot, old dear, not so hot Forzow-ve Anvastinro 7 comicbooks.com