Life, 1928-01-12 · page 34 of 39
Life — January 12, 1928 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains **one major advertisement and two brief humorous pieces**, typical of Life magazine's satirical format. The **main advertisement for Bell Telephone** uses patriotic nostalgia, comparing telephone operators and linemen to Pony Express riders of the 1860s. It argues that both share a spirit of duty to "get the message through" despite danger—whether facing storms on horseback or fire and flood at switchboards. This was corporate messaging meant to glorify telephone workers during an era of labor tensions. The **"New Prizefighting" piece** satirizes radio broadcasts of boxing matches, mocking how families gather around the radio, with father offering outdated commentary from the Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight (1890s), while children stay up late and mother serves lemonade. The humor lies in depicting prizefighting as now a domestic entertainment rather than a live spectacle. The remaining items are minor jokes and a juice extractor advertisement—standard filler for the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Get the message through” An Advertisement of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company ly In tHE Sixties the “pony ff express” carried the mail over mountains and Indian wildernesses from St. Joseph, Missouri, to San Francisco. The express riders and station keepers won undying fame for getting the message through, regardless of hardship or danger. Today, in the city of Denver, there is rising on the site of one of the old pony express corrals another splendid structure dedi- cated to the service of modern message-bearing—the new headquarters building of one of the companies of the Bell Sys- tem. In fact and in spirit, the Bell System is the lineai descendant of the pony express. It is this spirit of responsibility that causes operators to risk their lives by remaining at their switchboards in the face of fire, flood or other great danger. The same spirit calls linemen or re- pairmen to go out, even at the risk of their lives, to repair the lines in time of accident orstorm. There are no instructions re- quiring Bell System employees to endanger their lives. It is the spirit of communication that bids them, “Get the message through.” The New Prizefighting Tue happy family reunion around the radio the night of the big fight, with grandma knitting and nodding in pleased approval when the broadcaster describes a wicked punch. The glee of the little ones on being allowed to stay up for the main event. They are permitted to be up until 10:30 on Christmas, Fourth of July, and fight nights. Evangeline, aged nine, is ex- plaining with lovely patience to Phobe what the one-two and the left jab are. The satisfaction of father, at the dials, Father adds information to that given by the announcer, basing his comments on his recollections of the newspaper re- ports of the Corbett-Fitzsimmons affair thirty years ago. If father wouldn't in- sist on telling what he would do if he were in the champion’s corner the audi- ence would have a better time. Mother beaming over the fine recep- tion on the set, the Joneses and Smiths having been asked in to hear the returns and for lemonade. Big brother's disgust over the proceed- ings as he passes out on his way to the nearest pool room, wondering what box- ing is coming to anyway.—McCready Huston, in Saturday Evening Post. Secondary Splendor Sriaxixo of things in and near the line of entertainment, trouble is not un- likely to break out at the Times Square Theatre any day now. Over the side. walk an iconoclastic electrician has placed bulbs to read: “SUNRISE Mvssouist Movietoxr.” —New York Herald Tribune. A Sporting Spirit Sue: Robert tells me all his secrets, Her Friexp: Well, you don't object to that, do you? “Oh, I don’t now. I think I'd rather find them out.”—Boston Transcript. Vow can squeeze six oranges in one minute with this perfect juice extractor! Mail the coupon today for a 3-day trial of this new, instant Seald-Sweet juice extractor. If’ you're still squeezing lemons, orai grapefruit the old way—grasping the dish with one hand, wrenching the fruit with the other, and using what you don’t spill— Just try this wonderful little machine! —turn the handle—out comes alt the juice. —clamps firmly to any shelf or table. —handles lemons, oranges, grapefruit. —1-8 the time and about 1-10 the effort. Send for it. Try it. Just clip and mail the | coupon with check or money order for $3 closed. Or—send one wrapper from a Sca Sweet orange or grapefruit and your dealer's name with the coupon, and the price is $2.00. If you aren't delighted with this great little extractor, ater 3 days return it and your moncy will be refunded. Florida Citrus Exchange, Tampa—Distribu- tors of Florida’s Finest Oranges, Grapefruit and Tangerines. Florida Citrus Exchange 402 Citrus Exchange Bldg., Tampa, Fla. Please send me 1 Seald-Sweet Extractor for trial. 1 enclose $3—check or money order— ($2 if with dealer's name and 1 Seald-Sweet wrapper). If the extractor is not satisfactory I willrecusn it after 3 days for Name. drit and bef thir yon cou wh: cou stul Veg for tos fac’ wit true nat D comicbooks.com