Life, 1929-03-22 · page 11 of 36
Life — March 22, 1929 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
The main cartoon depicts movers struggling to fit a grand piano through a doorway—a common domestic predicament. The mover's exclamation "Hey! Keep that sheet o' music offen this pianner!" is humorous because it treats the piano as if it were fragile food rather than a sturdy instrument. Below are three unrelated satirical pieces: "To a Possible Soul Mate" mocks personal-ad style poetry; "Shakespeare Moderne" contains a casual joke about Einstein hiding in New York; and "Phoney Sarcasm" depicts a frustrated phone-booth user complaining about wrong numbers and mechanical "robots" as movie ushers—likely a jab at early automation anxiety and technology replacing human workers in the 1920s-1930s era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Mover: Hey! To a Possible Soul Mate I long to know your views on life,— On Freud, on Bergson, on Voltaire: T want to ask you questions but— 1 do not dare. Do you prefer a clanging street Or windy quiet on a hill? I yearn to hear your answer but— I must be still! Your preference in kinds of pie Cannot be voiced for my instruction: Because, alas, we've never had An introduction! Eileen O'Hara. But Not When To the pedestrian the beauty of the one way street is that he always knows which way he’s going to get knocked down. Cave men used to knock girls sense- less. That, of course, isn’t necessary now, Keep that sheet o’ music offen this pianner! Weak willed gent who went in to buy a handkerchief. Shakespeare Moderne All the world’s a screen, and men and women merely brayers. Bertie: What is your opinion of the Einstein theory? Gertie: I think the guy who shot him is hiding out somewhere in New York, that’s what! Phoney Sarcasm Trate GENTLEMAN 1N Prone Bootu: Listen, Operator, you've already given me three wrong numbers; please re- member I'm telephoning, not broad- casting. “What good are these mechanical men anyway? What can they use these robots for?” “Well, if they tighten some of the bolts, and make them a little more rigid they might be able eventually to use them as movie ushers.” comicbooks.com