Life, 1928-12-14 · page 28 of 48
Life — December 14, 1928 — page 28: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
**Main Cartoon (Left):** "Lion Tamer" depicts a circus ringmaster instructing his assistant on performing with a lion—a dark joke about show business danger, emphasizing the need to maintain composure ("wink") even while risking death. **"The Movies" Section (Right):** Reviews Chic Sale's talking picture "Marching On." Sale was a famous vaudeville comedian known for impersonating rural characters. The reviewer praises how the Movietone newsreel camera work captures Sale's portrayal of a Civil War veteran reminiscing about Lincoln, noting the new "talkie" technology effectively records every detail of his performance through city streets and parades. The reviewer admits bias (weeping at Lincoln memorials) but enthusiastically recommends the film. **Sidebar Humor Sections:** Include economic observations (gasoline pricing across distribution chains) and a college joke about an exam-cheating student demanding profit-sharing. The page reflects early sound-film enthusiasm and vaudeville culture circa the late 1920s.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Renearsat. “Now, we'll run through this act once more—an’ the next time, when you get your head in his mouth, I want you to look out at the crowd and wink.” More Light on the Subject “Ie you were cast away on a desert 8 ) island, what book would you most want Gasottne at the refinery sells for 12 cents to have with you?” a gallon. In tank-car lots the wholesaler pays 14 “ “Swimming for Beginners.’ ” | THE MOVIES _ “Marching On” Trost who know Chic Sale are acutely aware that he is one of the greatest and mose faithful of come- dians — that his imper- sonations of various native specimens are so funny because they are so unassailably true; but those who know the talkies, as they have progressed to date, will be amazed to observe that this new infant art has suddenly seemed to grow up in “Marching On.” The Movietone functions perfectly this time. It brings out all the superb quality of Mr. Sale’s characterization of the Civil War veteran who knew Lincoln. It fol- lows him about, like the roving camera of F. W. Murnau, upstairs and down, through streets at night (with dogs bark- ing .in the distance), through a_ parade (with a village band, wheezing and boom- ing); it records every false note of his battered “tuby"; it jumps from one scene to another without uttering any squawky protests. Being one who invariably weeps when shown a news-reel picture of the Lincoln Memorial, with “John Brown’s Body” as accompaniment, I naturally found “Marching On” overwhelmingly tearful; so perhaps you should pay no attention to me when I advise you to see this fine picture by all means and at all costs. But by R. E. Sherwood cents. The filling-station proprietor buys it for 18 cents a gallon at tank-wagon prices. The motorist pays from 20 cents a gal-| lon up for his gas. | The operator of a cigarette lighter, | when he hands over two bits for a can of | lighter fluid, is paying for his gas at the rate of $6.40 a gallon. | Bill Sykes. EQUITY Arter terrific struggles, the freshman fi- nally finished his examination paper, and | then, at the end, wrote: “Dear Professor— If you sell any of my answers to the funny papers, I expect you to split fifty- | * fifty with me.” December 24— December 25— comicbooks.com W