Life, 1928-03-15 · page 23 of 34
Life — March 15, 1928 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains satirical "Journalistic Portraits" and humor pieces typical of 1920s Life magazine. **Henry Ford portrait**: Mocks Ford's wealth and contradictions—he's a self-made industrialist ignorant of history, yet buys antiques; mysteriously prefers old-fashioned dances despite owning modern cars. The satire highlights his recent failed Senate campaign and his shift toward promoting peace, presenting him as unknowable and inconsistent. **"Bossy" Gillis cartoon**: A brief joke about political corruption in small-town Massachusetts (Newburyport), suggesting boys who skip Sunday School become mayors—implying moral decay in local politics. **"Just Between Us Girls"**: A lengthy satirical monologue capturing flapper speech patterns of the era. The girl breathlessly discusses the 1928 presidential election, mentioning Herbert Hoover and Al Smith (a Democratic Catholic candidate facing anti-Catholic prejudice). The repeated capitalization parodies breathless, scattered female speech. The satire mocks both women's political involvement and class prejudices of the era. The remaining items are brief, unrelated humor pieces about marriage and gender roles.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Journalistic Portraits Henry Forp HE is one of the richest men in the world. There is no way of tell- ing exactly how much money he has, bat he buys any antique he wants. He has proved that he knows very little about history; in fact, nothing, except how to make it. He is a mystery to the younger generation, having any number of collegiate cars at his disposal, yet preferring to go to old-fashioned dances. He ran for the Senate once but his proverbial luck stayed with him. In the past he has done more than any man to shake the people out of their lethargy. Now he is bending his energies toward insuring peace and quict for the future. McCready Huston. His Honor, ‘‘Bossy”’ Gillis NY INISTER: Do you know what happens to little boys that pl: ball and don’t go to Sunday School? Lirtte Boy: Yeah; they get to be Mayor of Newburyport. “NAY dear, I'm simply SEETHing M with SPL rat this point— I mean I'm A ly so MAD I could GARgle BUTtermilk, no less, because MOTHer is all aGOG over the PresiDENtial ELECtion or something at this point and I'm HONestly just too TIRED of com- ing HOME and finding the HOUS simply LOUSy with odd SOULS who look like NOTHing HUman, my dear, because I mean MOTHer is ALways enterTAINing these strange-looking FEmales who belong to this ‘WHO'S HOOver Club’ or something because I mean they're ALL simply COCKeyed on the sub- ject of this HOOver person, 1 dear, who did something in the RUS- jan Revolution or something, didn’t ? Or was that DAWES, my dear? I mean the odd soul with the PIPE—you know the type. Well, ANYways, I'm for Al SMITH, my dear, and it makes MOTE 3IMply RIPping when I sort of STATE my VIEWS because I mean she thinks the RePUBlican PARty is the only straight TICKet or whatever you call it and she keeps inCINerating that the DemoCRATic ticket is CROOKed or something because on account of TAMmany HALL and the INt'rests or something, do you know what I mean? But I mean I SIM- ply aDORE Al SMITH, dear, because there's something TERribly CUT out him and I don’t think that just because he's from the EAST SIDE it ought to PREJudice NICE people aGAINST him or an thing because I mean after ALL, my dear, I think it’s the POORer classes who are the TY Pical AMERicans or something, my dear, and ought to be the PRESidents— mean I ACtually DO!" Lloyd Mayer. Carte Blanche I* you love me ‘As I love you, You're not to blame For what you do. Marne. WIFE: John, I told you to bring home some sandwiches from the drug store. You've forgotten again. Joun: No, I haven't, dear. They're Boxroinc Scrioot Gir: I wish they'd stop that silly music and announce something. I'm just dying to hear a man's voice. right here in my vest pocket. comicbooks.com