Life, 1928-08-23 · page 8 of 36
Life — August 23, 1928 — page 8: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The top cartoon satirizes a film director who has become so absorbed in making a "talkie" (early sound film) that he's forgotten his actual romantic relationship. The woman says "Hey! Act like you love her!" — the irony being that the director treats his real girlfriend with less attention than he demands his actors display on screen. The main article parodies the "Swami Babu" — likely a reference to Indian spiritualism trends popular in 1920s America — speaking in exaggerated, nonsensical pseudo-mystical language about a Woman's Club event. It's mocking both the spiritual fad and theatrical affectation of the era. The side article discusses Prohibition enforcement efforts, showing federal agents conducting raids, reflecting the 1920s-era "noble experiment" of alcohol bans.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Tre Director Wo Forcot He Was Makinc a “TALkte” The Woman’s Club of Camphor, Ill., Tunes in on the Infinite Mrs. Pearl Pott Prout Introduces Swami Bahoo to a Little Circle of Earnest Seekers, “Laypizz awy thee Woomunz Cllllubb! Sisssssstuzz in seeececking affftuh thee parr-fect oooway! I cumm tew yew thiss afftuh-newn az thee joey-fool herruld awv wun hooz head iz ubbuv thee culloudz, ubbuv thee dussssst anduh gurrime awy owuh munn-dane sssfeee-ugh! Hizz fecet may ressst uppawn owuh hum-bull pave- mentsss, hizz nosssstrillz may inn-hay-ull theee uffending owe-duzz awv owuh teececeeceming — sivvy-lie-zay-shun, butt hizz eyes ummung starzz! Hizz ece-yuzz eck-sstend ssensssy- tivvleh tawd thee inn-finny-tessy-mull whisspuzz frawm thee Gurrate Sye-luntss, peckssss awv thee hevvunz! Hizz speary- chull eye iz boring intew thee misssss- turriz, seceeeecking thee keececece tew thee Life Fawce! Onleh thee other day, sso hee tellz mee, huwwile walking ubbout thee uppart-ment awv a diss-eye- ull, deeep inn meddy-tay-shun weeuth er uppawn ob-skewer subb-jex, hee bumpt intew an open daw, bringing on a painful diss-culler-ay-shun awv thee fizzy-cull eye frawm hoowitch hee sstill thee | » frawm out thee /nn-finnit, thee Awl-Inn-} '< Wunn, thee Evv-urry-whah! Anduh, whutt duzz hee heeeceer? Ssssoundz tew delly-cate faw owuh munn-dane cee-yuzz tew ass-immy-late! Thee sawngz awv thee plannitts inn their caw-sezz! Thee voy- ssssssss awv thee yoonie-varse! Thee tune awv thee Inn-finnit! Awv cawss, huwwen I sspeeeek awv ece-yuzz, I meeen speary- chull, nott fizzy-cull, eee-yuzz. Anduh sso tew weeuth eyes—hizz fizzy-cull eyes may resst uppawn a currowd awv pecepul surr-jing home-wudd frawm their daileh toe-ill, or purr-haps a fie-yah enn-junn anssurring ann ullahm awv fie-yah—butt duzz hizz speary-chull eye seee theze oddy-nurry seeeeeenz? NO! Hizz speary- chuil eye iz penny-trayting thee ay- S| from liquor sell “Vera, you must stand right me everything you saw!” ssuffuzz. All thoze hoo open clozed dee. uzz, hoo peceer behind thee Curtain, hoo follow thingz tew their sauce, expoze themselves tew theze dane-juzz. Buy thee Swommeh himself assures mee thi thee ree-waud was fah, fah gurrater thay thee pain awv hizz brewzd eel... Anduh so it iz weeuth uss, Sisstuzz up pawn thee Huwweel awv Life! Wee mug escape frawm owuh boddizz, anduh flo like thissull-down uppawn_ thee wings awv thee Cozz-mick Gale! Wee mus shed thee crissy-liss, wee musst bulloom fawth, wee musst dizzolve intew thee Gurrayter Conshushnesss —— I mean Conssussnesh — Lett uss curreep within thee proe-tecting orra awv thee awl. umbracing Wun-nesss awv thee Non- dimm-enshunnul!....Anduh now, |, az a hum-bull pecyoo-pill, will give way tew thee Marssturr! I will sssssit anduh abbssssorb!....1 have thee honor tew pree-zent tew yoo thisss afftuh-newn wun tew hoom thee hiddun_poe-tenshy-alls tecez awv Life are az an oc-punn boooook, theee missssss-turrrizzz az tranz-pay-ruat az a poooool awv cleecece-yah wotta..., + ...Swommeh Bah-hooooc0000000000!" (The Swami gracefully swallows his chew of Piper Heidsieck and advances to the center of the platform.) Heman Fay, Jr. Progress of Prohibition Enforcement Feverat agents spend $75,000.00 for “evi- dence,” and Texas Guinan puts money in the bank; Herbert Hoover calls Prohibi- tion a noble experiment, and the Amer- can Chemical Society suggests poison gas to close speakeasies; an assistant United States attorney estimates there are 20,000 blind tigers in Manhattan alone, and a bartender thirteen years old goes to jail; a bootleggers’ price war in Idaho cuts whiskey costs to $8.00 a gallon, and the Paradis Club of Washington, D. C., is padlocked for serving ginger ale; night clubs in Democratic New York are raided, and wide-open saloons in Republican Philadelphia remain wide open; the Glass Bottle Blowers’ Association reports more whiskey glasses are being made than ever before, and a gangster collecting tithes les is arrested for “im rsonating an officer.” re W. W. Scott, FIFTEEN MINUTES’ REST He: May I have this dance? Sue (an ex-marathon dancer): Let’s sleep this one out. comicbooks.com \\