Life, 1928-01-12 · page 28 of 39
Life — January 12, 1928 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces about automobiles during the early automotive era. **Top cartoon:** A simple joke about financial hardship—Jim wants a new car not because his current one is broken, but because he cannot afford the payments. The humor targets Depression-era economic struggles. **"The Same Old Triangle" story:** A chauffeur named George tells children a fairy tale, but replaces traditional characters with cars. A plain, hardworking "Model T Ford" loves a foreign "Mercedes coupé," but loses her to a wealthy "Model A." Heartbroken, the Model T throws himself off a cliff. The satire mocks both romantic melodrama and American car culture—treating automobiles as characters with class status and romantic worth. Model T represents the everyman; the luxurious Mercedes and newer Model A represent wealth and status. **"A New Ford and the First Rattle" cartoon:** Shows a family in a car having a collision, with "rattle" being a pun on both the sound and the verb meaning to shake or disturb. **"Ups and Downs":** A pun—the proprietor uses "sliding scale" (variable pricing) literally rather than figuratively for toboggan rides.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
~<a! Jim: 1 think I will have to get a new car. Witt: What's wrong with the one you have? Jim: I can’t pay for it. The Same Old Triangle FPAITHEUL old George, family re- tainer and chauffeur extraordi- nary, was driving the kiddies to pol in the blue limou “Tell 1 story,” begged the little ones. ell us an original story. None of these old fairy tales.” George smiled to himself, de- creased his spark, and held forth “He wasn’t a particularly at- tractive chap, but there was about him a rugged simplicity t roused admiration, and what he lacked in beauty he made up in usefulness, for he could work well and long. “She was a graceful, fragile little thing, not long from abroad and full of those little foreign mannerisms that so often captivate the prosaic Yankee. She had a tinkling laugh and a delicious sense of humor and though somewhat of a coquette it was quite obvious that she was interested in the bustling young Americano. “Into this promising situation one day came the younger brother of the rugged, honest youth. This brother had had advantages. He had been sent to good schools. pampered and watched over. Natu- rally he reflected his background and the little foreigner found this hand- A New Ford and the First Rattle. well-groomed American fas- f- The plain older brother saw the itable happening. As cach day passed the painful truth became more evident to him. He was good, steady, and zealous, but he was, alas, very ugly. A great love for his brother and the little European was in his heart, and one morning at dawn he ran up to the top of a huge mountain and threw himself from the dizzy height into the roaring break- ers belo George paused for a moment to turn a corner and the children dabbed furtively at the tears that were starting down their cheeks. “They found his mangled chassis the next day,” George concluded. “Poor old Model T Ford. He w a good boy and that little Mercedes coupé would have made him a good wife if that new Model A hadn't come into the garage on that fateful morning.” Arthur L, Lippmann. Ups and Downs ONES: How much do you charge for toboggan rides? Prorrirtor: We have a sliding scale. comicbooks.com its an pc