Life, 1929-06-07 · page 34 of 48
Life — June 7, 1929 — page 34: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily **an advertisement for AT&T's telephone technology**, disguised as editorial content in *Life* magazine. The top image shows underground infrastructure beneath a city street, illustrating the cramped conditions beneath urban areas. The ad's point: AT&T engineers have solved a major engineering problem—fitting more telephone conversations through existing underground cables. Where a cable once carried 900 pairs of wires, the new design carries 1,800 conversations through a cable only 2.625 inches thick (half the previous size). This demonstrates technological progress and innovation. The small cartoon below is unrelated satire: a man named John J. Jiblets finds a 100-year-old bottle of wine while digging his cellar but—being a "law-abiding citizen"—smashes it, presumably due to Prohibition laws. It's dark humor about government alcohol restrictions. The right column contains entertainment reviews and nightclub listings, typical *Life* magazine content of this era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
ig wd “et __| 1800 conversations at once through a cable less than 3 inches thick An Advertisement of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company Tue earth beneath our great cities is crowded. Steam, gas, sewer and water-mains, com- pressed air pipes, pneumatic tube sys- tems, telephone and telegraph cables, light, power and rapid transit conduits lie so close together that any further additions create serious engineering problems. Yet the number of telephone calls that must flash through the under- ground arteries of great cities is steadily increasing. The challenge to the scientific minds of the Bell System was to find a way for more conversations in existing conduits. Fifteen years ago, the pride of the System was a cable containing nine hundred pairs of wires. Then by many improvements a cable of twelve hundred pairs was perfected. It was rightly considered a scientific triumph. Today, cables containing eighteen hundred pairs of wires are in service and these cables with every wire insulated are only two and five- eighths inches in diameter, one-half as large as the first nine hundred-pair cable. Eighteen hundred conversations at once—six hundred more than before —can now pulse through this two and five-eighths inches of cable. There is no standing still in the Bell System. Better and better tele- phone service at the lowest cost is the goal. Present improvements con- stantly going into effect are but the foundation for the greater service of the future. While digging the cellar for his new house John J. Jiblets unearthed a bottle of rare wine, a hundred years old. But, being a law-abiding citizen, he prompt- ly smashed it. MonTMarTE, Confide tial Guide (Continued {§ from Page 30) Tue Desert Sone. (Tatxie) Warner Brothers —A commendable effort in scrcening the first operetta in its entirety, John Boles gives a fine performance. Snow Boat. (Tatxiz) Universal—Don't be. lieve the ads. It’s terrible. Tue Raiwsow Man, (Tarxte) Sono-drt—An entertaining tear-jerker. Frankie n c Darro gives a fine performance. | Cooverre. (Tatxix) United Artists—Mary Pickford cuts off her curls, puts her rompers in storage and becomes an adult talkie star. You'll probably like her. Tne Spire Marniace. (Souxp) Metro-Gold- wyn—Buster Keaton furnishes some hearty chuckles with the assistance of Dorothy Se. bastian and a set of false whiskers. Heanrs in Dixie, (Taxis) For—An excel- lent study of the Southern rural negro. Good singing and a swell comedy per- formance by Stepin Fetchit. Broapway Metopy. (Tatxit) Metro-Gold- wyn—Entertaining song-and-dance talkie, A triumph for Bessie Love. Tue Inox Mask. (Sounn) United A) The sequel to “The Three Musketeers”, but not quite as good. Two short talking se- quences by Doug Fairbanks for their adver- Using value. | Tne Fuvine Furer. (Sounn) Metro-Goldwyn —Ramon Novarro shows how graduates become flyers. plane photography. Tre Barker, (Tarxie) First National—A really good talking picture. Milton Sills supported by lots of sex-appeal. Recom mended for adults. Annapolis Exceptional acro | Supper Clubs "Dressy, © Cover Charge. H Head Waiter. Aamassaporn Gritt, Park Avenue at sist. Nice quiet place to dance. *C.$1.50-2.00. Casanova, 151 West sqth. Roof now open. C.$3.00. Cuvs Praza, Plaza Hotel, Nice place. Popular at Tea Dances. Great hang-out Lipo, 7th Ave. at sand, Very Park Avenue. $5.00. H.Cabiati. 20s West 50, Oldest supper club in town and still popular. C.$3.v0. H.Charlie. Mocanor, 51st St. East of Brway. Nice place. C$3.00. Rexpezvous, Winter Garden Theatre. Cl. ton, Jackson and Durante, the funnicst birds in town. C.$3.00-3.00, H.Leon. Regis Hotel, Vincent Lopez *C.$1.50-3.00. H.Charles. Seactapr, Si speaking. Dance Numbers (Sheet Music) “Or What Have You" (Little Show) “Moanin’ Low” (Little Show) “Hut in Hoboken” (Little Show) “Song in My Heart” (Spring is Here) ‘ours Sincerely” (Spring is Here) “Button Up Your Overcoat” (Follow Thru) “I Want To Be Bad" (Follow Thru) “When My Dreams Come True” (No show) “Baby's Awake Now” (Spring is Here) (Continued on Page 36) comicbooks.com