Life, 1929-03-01 · page 23 of 36
Life — March 1, 1929 — page 23: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This Life magazine page satirizes 1920s Manhattan nightlife and culture through three sections: **Top illustration**: A speakeasy disguised as a college-themed bar near Park Avenue. The satire targets Prohibition-era establishments that required patrons to prove university affiliation for entry—mocking both the pretentious gatekeeping and the absurdity of enforcement during the alcohol ban. **"Prize Story of the Week"**: A humorous anecdote about a wealthy "young man about town" who impulsively steals a taxi for a joyride. Thinking himself clever, he poses as a cabbie, collects fares, and plans to surprise the actual driver with "profits"—only to be arrested. The joke mocks his oblivious entitlement and naïveté. **Bottom section**: Commentary on Broadway theater and a tongue-in-cheek announcement that the author (signing as "Knickerbocker, Jr.") has awarded himself a $50,000 prize for naming this department. It's self-aware satire playing on "Father Knickerbocker," the symbolic personification of New York City, establishing the author's self-appointed authority over Manhattan life commentary.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
New York Life located east of Park Avenue... two large rooms are decorated with college peanants of every description .. . there is even a Vassar flag! . . . at the rear is a long bar, also hung with ban- ners and a weird assortment of Heidel- bergish steins line the shelves... looking around you will see many campus views on the walls and you may even recognize yourself . . . along about midnight the place resembles a college reunion only even noisier . in order to gain entrance to this academic speakeasy you must convince the proprietor that you are a Univer- sity man... the advantage of a col- lege education! Things | Remember Beatrice Lillie singing “Fairies At The Bottom of Our Garden” at the Lido seeing Irene Delroy at Bar- neys ... Morton Downey _ singing “Two Little Babes in The Woods” at the Casanova... the — Illustrator’s Show at Lord & Taylors... the group picture of Our Mayor marrying Fannie Brice with Jay Brennan as Best Man... the short circuit of Eugene O'Neil’s “Dynamo” . . . the increas- ing Semitism of Opening Nights . . . the Grill Leon in Montclair . . . the utter stupidity of the show “My Girl Friday” . . . the Honolulu Punch . . . two thirds Ba- cardi, one third coffee, lemon juice and maple syrup... the Abbey Ex- hibition at the American Academy, Prize Story of the Week WEALTHY Young Man About Town About Tight came out of the Club Richman the other night and saw a driverless taxi standing in front with the engine run- ning .. . deciding it was a grand and glorious op- portunity to experience the night life of a Taxi driver he hopped in and began a personally conducted tour of the city . . . almost im- mediately he was hailed by a fare and getting a great kick out of swishing his petrified passenger to his destination and the seventy five cents for the trip he picked up another . . and then another .. . after several hours of this enjoyable work he discovered that he had col- lected nearly ten dollars, and picturing the happiness that would come stealing over the driver’s face when he proudly showed him his profits, he returned to his starting place ... but instead of the overjoyed chauf- feur he found an of- ficer of the law await- ing him and he made one more trip... to the police station where he stayed for two days. THELEN @NE— \ CASANOV--. CUD “There's Always The River!” New Yorkers, fed up with Broadway shows, will find two “Wows” in Ho- boken . . . “After Dark” at the Rialto and across the street a revival of “The Black Crook.” Big Prize Award AFTER wading through countless letters (Well, if you must insist on counting them, a dozen anyway!) containing suggestions for a name for the conductor, or motorman, of this department, I have finally decided to award the prize of $50,000 to myself! . in case you cannot read the signa- ture below it is none other than “Knickerbocker, Jr.” and when you look at the new title at the head of this page and then right back at the non de plume you realize at once how diabolically clever it is .. . New York Life... see . . .. Father Knickerbock- er, the symbolic parent of this great metropolis . . . then quick like a flash . «« Knickerbocker, Jr! ... see? ... what is this great power of mine? comicbooks.com