Life, 1929-05-24 · page 23 of 36
Life — May 24, 1929 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page from *Life* magazine reviews Broadway theatrical performances and New York nightlife venues, likely from the late 1920s. The humor relies on contemporary references: Fred Allen's sketch jokes about a father who vanished 30 years ago while getting supplies—only to reappear, having spent decades searching for a parking spot (satire on New York's chronic parking shortage). "The Still Alarm" illustration depicts vaudeville performers in comedic poses, referencing George Kaufman's successful play. The page name-drops performers like Libby Holman and mentions venues like the Music Box theater and Casanova Roof nightclub. "Manna-About-Town" gossip references columnist Walter Winchell's reporting style and mentions a new pocket-sized liquor-testing device (likely Prohibition-era). References to "hailing their own" taxis and ignoring street taxis reflect contemporary transportation tensions. The satire is primarily theatrical/entertainment-focused rather than political, targeting New York's infrastructure problems and social scene.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
New York Life No Parking Then there’s the deaf and dumb one- act play, interpreted by Fred Allen, in which the young father is about to leave for the drug store to procure spirits of nitre for the baby . . . the poor mother tells him that that same night thirty years ago her father had left the house on the same errand and had never been seen since... suddenly in walks Grand- pop and it seems that he had been looking for a place to park! —) Clifton Webb High Spots Odd has already spoken of “The Still Alarm,” George Kaufman's for- mer Dutch Treat show hit, but in ad- justing his Inverness coat he over- looked several others... the “High Finance” sketch with a couple of bums, a street cleaner and a police- man talking the “market” and singing “Money is Easier Now.” . .. Fred Allen's ren- “The Still Alarm” dition of “Old Black Joe” with Eugene O'Neill “asides” . . . the high spot of the evening called “Napoleon” which threatens to bring a hitherto unused slang word into popular favor... Libby Holman’s “Moanin’ Low” song, the “Song of The Riveter” and last but not least Herman Hupfeld’s “Hut in Hoboken,” which had the audience beery eyed. Manna-About-Town The “Little Show” at the Music Box (Say, what does this bird do, get a rake-off?) . . . the Dance Marathon at the Garden ... the Casanova Roof, where you can see the moonshine . . . Irene Delroy coming out of the Park Central . . . new invention which fits in the vest pocket and tests liquor— turns green if liquor is good, blue if bad... the worms are gradually turning .. . many people now com- ing out of hotels and night clubs ig- nore gyp taxies parked in front and “hail their own”... after reading Winchell’s dope on Baird Leonard we suggest he change the name of his column to “Cradle of The Deep” . . there are some pretty big kids playing “The Song of the Riveter” around Eighth Avenue who can’t re- member when that thoroughfare wasn’t torn up... . Peggy Carlyle is knock- ing them over at the Richman Club “a new “find” of George Olsen's. comicbooks.com