Life, 1928-06-14 · page 20 of 42
Life — June 14, 1928 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Top Cartoon ("Tourists Loged")**: A hotel clerk explains to frustrated guests that their room offers either running water OR a mountain view, but not both. This satirizes poor accommodations at tourist lodgings—a common complaint about American hotels of the era. The joke mocks both the inadequacy of facilities and the clerk's matter-of-fact acceptance of substandard conditions. **Middle Section**: A theater review of Senator Simon D. Fess's keynote speech, written in Variety magazine's vaudeville-review style. The critic treats the political speech as entertainment, noting Fess's "easy delivery" but criticizing material as dated. A joke about Eddie Cantor extending tariff protections to English actors gets the only genuine laugh. The review suggests the speech relied on familiar material and avoided controversial topics like oil scandals. **Bottom Cartoon ("Ninety Cents an Hour")**: Six sequential illustrations of a laborer performing various digging/shoveling tasks. This appears to comment on manual labor wages during the period.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Tourists Lovcep A stony ~ “You can have the running water or the mountain view, but I haven't got both in one room.” Variety’s Reporter Reviews the Keynote Speech Simtow D. Fess ("'Sen."") Talking 52 Mins.; Full Conveni Variety's files show an S. D. Fess in Washington last year in a talking act, from description this single impressing as possibly similar or same. Older type po- itical routine here, reminiscent of the late Cliff Gordon, et al., but working minus dialect. Dressing natty but standard, with cutaway, striped pants and wing. nsas City Following “National Emblem” by house band, Fess opens mildly but in- gratiates with easy delivery and presence. Light returns until reference to prosper- jous conditions in farming districts panicked the wise mob out front, but received upstairs with silence clammier than a bar towel. Gag thought unsuited for locals. Later interlude on protective tariff as holding off foreign competition proved hearty yawn until Eddie Cantor, entering late in box, wise-cracked audibly to have tariff extended to English actors. Much material a rehash of familiars, but in the main sure-fire and accepta yet impressing as overlooking a failure to include oil scandal in routine, a winner through the topical angle and possible Sinclair jury gags. Likewise has | tendency not to make travesty sufh | broad in places. However, well shaped on the whole, and Fess held them in spite of large house and carly Novelty of old-type turn re for once around on any time, and asa possible bet for talking pictures. Closes with “Stars and Stripes” for patriotic fia- ish. Seven bows. Harry V. Wade, Ninety Cents an Hour NO USE START Anp | mence Teach peach: all yo out in own ¢ here 1 so hay going atterw month will great, be in Augus why it Sin even ¢ which hits. ¢ Ce naught down house ever” shaken statisti clude such “Paris comicbooks.com