Life, 1928-01-26 · page 27 of 34
Life — January 26, 1928 — page 27: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces targeting 1920s-30s American culture: **1. The Horse-Riding Commentary** (left column): Mocks Beverly Hills residents—likely Hollywood actors and wealthy leisure class—who ostentatiously ride horses on bridle paths, performing their athleticism and "collegiate" status for public view. The writer notes they rent horses from academies and ride only during daylight for visibility. The satire critiques performative leisure and vanity. **2. "Two Dorothy Parker Fans Converse"** (center): Parodies the witty, affected literary banter of Dorothy Parker's circle—affected intellectuals dropping names (Keats, Gauguin, Jacopo Bellini) and quoting/misquoting famous works while conducting melodramatic romantic dialogue. The humor lies in their self-conscious cleverness and pretension. **3. "The Good Samaritan" cartoon** (bottom): A man refusing a ride because he can't leave his unprotected car unattended, defeating the helper's purpose—satire on American materialism and car culture obsession. All three pieces mock affectation, vanity, and shallow materialism in contemporary American society.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
pull up an’ start the conversation. I've noticed that they always pick a stoppin’ spot at points where the common, non-ridin’, non-horse-own- in’ folks can see ‘em. There is just as much sport in ridin’ horseback at night as in the daytime, but you couldn't get any of these riders out after dark unless they'd illuminate the paths like Broadway. Then they’d be crowded until some onc turned off the lights. None of the gents ridin’ in Bev- erly wear hats. Without a hat you get tanned; to be tanned is collegi- ate, athletic an’ quite proper. If the day labor out here in California wasn’t done by Mexicans, who are easy to spot, there’d be a lot of Hollywood boys whose vocation might be misunderstood. A few of the horses you see on the paths are privately owned, but most of ’em come from the ridin’ schools an’ rentin’ academies. If you don't think these rentin’ horses are smart, watch ‘em when the hour is up an’ see ’em scoot for the barn. They know the horse- rentin’ riders can’t stop ’em. If you want to ride a livery horse for two hours, you’ve got to take him back to the stable at the end of cach hour an’ make a fresh start. Ridin’ what they call English fashion is quite the proper thing an’ judgin’ from what I see of it, I don’t wondera lot of the riders only ride now an’ then. From the way they bounce, it’s an even money bet which walks “Oh, dear! I’m so thrilled, so ex- cited! I just got psychoanalyzed and, would you believe it, I'm a Genius!” the farthest—the horse or the rider. As long as bouncin’ seems the proper thing, I don’t see why they don’t make them saddles out of rubber, so you could pump ’em up like a pair of water-wings, thereby a-gettin’? a higher bounce an’ enablin’ the rider to wear his clothes next day an’ sit with less of an uncertain feelin’, Tony an’ me know a lot of horses along the (Please turn to page 32) 25 Two Dorothy Parker Fans Converse “H ELLO, little lady! Have you been weeping? Your eyes are wide and warm and wet: not because of me, I bet.” “Ah, lad, it’s you who've torn my heart in shreds....Tip your hat, dear, tip your hat!” “T can only stop a minute. leave you for another lady.” “And must I cast my lot with lonely folk?” “I'm afraid so. Scratch a friend, and starve a fever, you know.” “All right, my love. To hell with you!” “Don’t go yet. We haven't said the little things that no one needs.” “It’s raining. I won't stand out here in the rain, for you or any other lad. I wouldn't stand out in the rain with Keats. I wouldn't stand out in the rain with William Cullen Bryant. I wouldn't stand out here even for Jacopo Bellini. Here’s a sentence with ‘Belli if all those endearing young charms.” “I bet you can’t use Gauguin in a sentence.” “I bet Ican! Poems are made by fools like me, but only Gauguin make a tree.” I must Norman R. Jaffray. NE thing Colonel Lindbergh is spared is being called a man with both feet on the ground. Tre Goon SAMARITAN: Come on, brother, hop in. “But I can’t leave my car here, unprotected.” “Of course not. You can bring it along with you.” comicbooks.com