Life — September 28, 1928 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Explanation of This Life Magazine Page The main cartoon depicts a dead fish labeled "CAFE" with its tail, illustrating a caption: "Move your tail again, Jerry. We got a nice audience now but they'll walk out on us if we don't give 'em some action." This satirizes a failing nightclub or entertainment venue during Prohibition. The "dead fish" represents a speakeasy struggling to attract customers despite legal pressure. The joke is that even with an audience present, the establishment has "died"—it's unresponsive and lifeless, suggesting the venue can't sustain itself or provide entertainment. The text section "Progress of Prohibition Enforcement" reports on anti-alcohol efforts, including bootlegger fines and liquor seizures, providing context for why such establishments were struggling during this period of alcohol prohibition in America.