Life, 1928-06-21 · page 24 of 38
Life — June 21, 1928 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical pieces typical of 1920s-30s American humor: **"Hungry as a Wolf and Cross as a Bear"**: A couple's car trip devolves into comic complaints. The wife finds each proposed lunch spot inadequate—too dusty, too public, too dirty—until finally at 3 p.m. she gives up. The humor targets indecisive, perpetually dissatisfied travelers (likely wives, given period gender dynamics). **"The Unfortunate Guest"**: A man at an interior decorator's home sits in a chair positioned awkwardly against decorative panels, creating an absurd visual. The humor mocks both his obliviousness and interior design pretension. **"The Problem Is Solved!"**: Two panels show a husband frantically packing a trunk, then his wife appearing with more luggage. The joke: there's never enough space for a woman's "last-minute things"—a common marital complaint about female shopping habits and overpacking. The opening text by John Kieran critiques golf spectators' experiences—blocked views and exhaustion—suggesting golf tournaments were fashionable social events where attendance mattered more than actual enjoyment.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
holes. As for the spectators, they run neck and neck with pneumonia, heart failure, contusions, abrasions and general ex- haustion at every tournament. When thousands crowd around one tee or one green, half the spectators get an extraor- dinary view of panama hats and summer millinery and practically nothing else of importance. They have to look in the papers next day to find out what hap- pened. It is said that with the modern 7,200-yard_ courses, the seventy-two-hole chase for the championship is not so much a test of skill as an endurance con- test. It is—for the spectators. Undoubt- edly what the well-dressed spectator should wear is a running suit and a pair of gloves, eight-ounce gloves by prefer- ence. Either that, or the whole revolving riot should be viewed from the cupola of an armored tank. John Kieran. Hungry as a Wolf and Cross as a Bear (10 a. M.) “Henry, stop about noon at a nice shady spot and we'll eat our lunch.” (Noon) “It’s too dusty here. Drive on till we come to a better place.” (1 Pp. M.) “This won't do. There's not cnough privacy. I want to be sheltered from the road.” 27. M.) “I couldn't possibly relish anything here. It’s too bad people don’t know enough to clean up their rubbish.” (3 P.M.) “Not here, Henry. There's a_ party right ahead of us. Isn’t that a shame!” {he BROWS — Tue Unrortunate Guest Wxo Piacep His Cram in tHE Wronc Postion at THE Interior Decorator’s House (3:01 ep. M. Henry can keep silent no LATE RETURNS longer.) “Hexto, old man! How is your com “Dammit! We might as well carry} panionate bride?” those blamed sandwiches three miles fur-] “Well, the last I heard she was ther and eat them at home.” divorcing me and suing her father for Bill Sykes. | alimony.” Great tun The Problem Is Solved! “John, have you left space for my last-minute things?” “Here you are, my love.” comicbooks.com