Life, 1929-01-04 · page 6 of 36
Life — January 4, 1929 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains several joke sections typical of early 20th-century satirical magazines: **"Dumb Alice"** and related items are brief humorous verses poking fun at romantic misadventures and social situations—standard fare for Life's humor section. **"Knock! Knock!"** presents a series of short jokes about everyday life: debt collectors, household chores, and social pretensions. These reflect common anxieties of the era. **The main cartoon** (top left) depicts a golf stunt gone wrong, with spectators reacting in shock. The caption "Gosh! A stunt like that sure takes a steady nerve" / "Steady nerve me eye, it's just a dollar watch" satirizes both daredevil entertainment culture and cheap merchandise, suggesting the stunt performer's confidence comes from gambling with worthless equipment rather than genuine courage. The humor relies on period-specific social contexts now largely obsolete.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Dumb Alice “Don’t you remember sweet Alice, Bolt? a Sweet Alice, whose hair was so brown; thi Who wept with delight when you gave buy her a smile And trembled with fear at your frown?” No wonder the boy friends left poor Alice firs t! I Who'd want to remember a wet smack tra’ like that? Baron Ireland, “My son’s home from college.” “D “How do you know?” . “T haven't had a letter from him for three weeks.” PIONEER STOCK “Have you lived in this town many years?” “Yep—I been here longer’n the sted pens down to the postoffice.” Tue Next cigarette will be tested by one who is first blindfolded, bound hand and foot and then gagged. GOOD, CLEAN PUN “How long have you been celanes “Gosh! A stunt like that sure takes a steady nerve.” gowns?” . an 1; “Steady nerve me eye, it’s just a dollar watch.” ‘Oh, just for a little voil. KNOCK! KNOCK! You don’t have to make a better mouse- trap now. Just neglect to pay your in- stallments on time and sce that path get worn to your door. Tue old-fashioned girl who used to make ash receivers out of cigar bands now has a daughter who makes one out of the parlor rug. | ; ( Sue: Gol Leave this house! And never darken my guest towel again. \ Awnotner thing about Dr. For- han’s pet disease: Four out of five can’t . : 4 spell it. } > ‘ . \ “T near that plumper figures are likely to be fashionable soon.” “Yes, I think we're about due for a ‘Back-to-the-Girth’ movement.” Fill ’er up, Buddy! comicbooks.com