Life, 1928-01-05 · page 12 of 34
Life — January 5, 1928 — page 12: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This illustration satirizes social behavior during the 1890s ("Gay Nineties"). The scene depicts well-dressed men gathered around a table, apparently coercing a reluctant companion into signing a pledge—likely a temperance or moral commitment. The text explains that January 1st opened "Convivial Souls" season, and avoiding the pledge-signing meant using servants' entrances for a month, returning "redolent with the odor of cloves" (masking alcohol on one's breath). The satire targets the era's hypocrisy: respectable society publicly embraced moral pledges while privately maintaining drinking habits. The accompanying review of "Elmer Gantry" reinforces this theme of religious pretense masking vice, mocking fraudulent preachers and their congregations' willingness to be duped.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Gay Nineties January Ist in the Nineties was the official open season for Convivial Souls, and lucky was the Ale Fellow, Well Met, who could survive the day without being coerced into signing the pledge, which meant that for the following month or so he would have to use the Family Entrance instead of the familiar Swinging Doors and come home redolent with the odor of cloves: Variety’s Critic Reviews ‘‘Elmer Gantry” THIS ought to be a panic. Name not too hot but it’s sexy with a new twist, and Lewis's rep’s a cinch to click with the brows. The plot is about a big prayer- and-sermon man who starts out playing the sticks till his act brodys. Then he picks up with a round-heeled gal who has a big time preaching road show. This doll has plenty of S.A. and they lay ‘em out in the aisles till her church burns up and the dame gets bumped off. Gantry takes it on the lam in the fire and then shows up as a hero. This kibitzer’s ace-deuce line hooks him up with another big-time outfit. He always milked the audience with an act full of larceny but it held up the exits. Gantry two-timed his ball and chain and gave the others plenty of fast counts, but they never squawked. He was a heel, but the Bible-boosting game was a push- over, so he gave the peasants the works and ended up on the Main Stem with his own show. This book started like a smash and looks set for a run. W.J.P., Jr. @ comicbooks.com