Life, 1928-09-14 · page 22 of 40
Life — September 14, 1928 — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several satirical pieces typical of 1920s-30s Life magazine humor: **Top cartoon**: Shows a couple at a railing looking at nothing, satirizing modern entertainment and passive leisure—getting "dizzy looking at nothing" mocks contemporary consumerism and novelty-seeking. **"Not Dictated"**: A poem by Arthur L. Lippmann satirizing office romance. A man fantasizes about his secretary Miss Thompson but is constrained by marriage, baldness, and fatness. The repeated refrain "take a letter, please!" undercuts romantic notions with mundane workplace reality—a common theme mocking unfulfilled desires and social propriety. **"His Real Nature"**: A brief joke about marital discord where a wife claims her "good provider" husband was cruel—his crime being hogging camera close-ups in home movies. This satirizes the emerging vanity of home film-making and suggests priorities are comically inverted. **Bottom cartoon**: "The Optician Visits the Great American Indian"—likely satirizing Native American stereotypes and modern eyewear sales, though specific reference is unclear. The overall tone mocks modern consumer culture, workplace dynamics, and domestic life.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Let's go in—I'm getting dizzy looking at nothing.” I should like to explain to the writer of that advertisement that I should not think of eating a six-months-old peach, for my logic would be just as good as his. But Samuel's reaction was far better than mine, for he quoth, ‘That's right. Six- month ginger ale mixed with half-an-hour gin.” Home betimes, turning on the new electrola which plays twelve records in succession, and its mechanism so_fas- cinated me that I stood as spellbound be- fore it as the yaps in town who watch the mechanical sand derricks. Then began Patrick Hamilton's ‘“Twopence — Col- oured,” finding it so good that I became all a-twitter, even communicating my excitement to the servant who came in to lay out Sam's clothing and who proved himself a man of parts by inquiring if 1 had got the volume through a book-of- the-month club, and when I said I had not, he did confide in me that a boot- legging acquaintance of his had sub- scribed to one of those organizations, and what did I think he had received as its first contribution? A book of poetry! Baird Leonard. DIAGNOSIS “How is Mrs. Bloop at conversation?” “Well, she’s pretty good, all right, but she doesn’t get nearly so much out of a symptom as Mrs. Bleep docs.” Kaytor: If they gave you a job as general manager what would you make? Tavtor: Whoopee! Not Dictated Fair Helen with her vaunted charms Could not have been more wondrous fair! I long to hold you in my arms And stroke the gold you call your hair You hum, your voice a silver bell, As precious fingers tap the keys— But there's the wite....and kids... .oh, well. ... “MISS THOMPSON, take a letter, please!"” ’ Together we could roam the land And live a life unfettered, free; Together wander hand in hand, Our backs on snug propriety. A willing captive, ‘neath your spell I'd gladly worship on my knees— But IT am_ bald....and fat... .ch, well... . “MISS THOMPSON, take a letter, please!” Arthur L, Lippmann, HIS REAL NATURE Juoce: Why do you say your husband was guilty of cruel and abusive treat ment? He scems to have been a good provider, faithful, kind and a good father. Wire: Yes, but he always hogged the close-ups in our home movies. Tre Orncan Visits tHe Great AMERICAN INDIAN comicbooks.com