Life, 1928-11-16 · page 9 of 44
Life — November 16, 1928 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains two satirical pieces from *Life* magazine: **Top illustration**: Shows a radio studio scene where a child named Gladys Mae (age nine) is invited to sing a duet with performer John McCormack. The caption "One Advantage of the Radio" is ironic—the joke appears to mock radio's novelty by showing an awkwardly formal setup where a child performer is presented as entertainment. **Bottom cartoon ("Social Fumbler")**: Depicts two football players in uniforms. One congratulates his teammate who just scored a touchdown but was offside, making the score invalid. The humor lies in the teammate's obliviousness to the rule violation—he celebrates what technically didn't count. Both pieces use gentle satire typical of 1920s *Life*: poking fun at modern technology adoption and social/sporting mishaps rather than harsh political commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
One Abvantace or THE Rapio Gladys Mae, Aged Nine, Is Invited (by her Mother) to Sing a Duet With John McCormack about. Six different people, of all waiks of }lic. I never had ten thousand dollars in INFINITE VARIETY life, raise their hats and bow.) my life. And the last time I tried to kid] “You call on a different girl every Minister: Sure they'll know you. the clerk while cashing a check for $4.50,] night, don’t you?” Statesman: Why, everybody knows|I got kicked out of the bank. “TM say she is.” you, Mr. Jaffray! (A floral horseshoe, inscribed “To Nor- man R. Jaffray,” is brought in at this point by a messenger. Outside the bank, a band bursts into music.) Doctor: Just go up to the first window and tell them af 2 you are. N. R. J.: Oh, al right. (Goes over to the nearest clerk and smiles shyly.) Good morning. I am Charles Lindbergh. Cuerk (smiling): Oh, no, you're not. N.R. J. (winking slyly): Sure I am. Creek (enjoying the joke hugely): You aan't fool us, Mr. Jaffray! We know you! N.R. J. (taken aback): Well, this is a pleasant surprise. I was afraid I would have difficulty identifying myself. You se, I have a rather large check to cash— ten thousand dollars, in fact. Cuerk (not even bothering to look at the indorsement): Here you are, sir! (And without further delay he pushes the re- quired amount over the counter.) Soca, Fume It sounds easy, doesn’t it? But as a} The Gentleman Who Has Just Battered and Bruised His Way Eighteen Yards to a Touch- matter of fact, the whole thing is a dirty down Is Congratulated by His Team-mate, Who Was Offside comicbooks.com