Life, 1929-07-19 · page 25 of 36
Life — July 19, 1929 — page 25: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page contains three satirical commentaries on 1920s New York entertainment and society: **"Equity"** critiques white patrons' condescending attitudes toward Black performers. The text mocks the wealthy (particularly "Park Avenue" elites) who view Black entertainers as amusing curiosities worthy of charitable patronage rather than legitimate artists. It names accomplished Black performers—Bill Robinson, Charles Gilpin, Paul Robeson, Wallace Thurman, Adelaide Hall—arguing they deserve equal critical judgment without condescension. **"Earl Carroll's 'Smut Book'"** attacks theatrical producer Earl Carroll's hypocrisy. The satire exposes how Carroll advertises moral virtue (chorus girls brushing teeth, visiting beauty parlors) while presenting explicitly crude shows. The joke about girls not wearing pocketbooks on opening night suggests indecent exposure. **"Clean-Up"** demands city action against theatrical obscenity, calling for Mayor intervention and vigilante-style enforcement if necessary—arguing moral standards matter more than parking violations. Overall, the page advocates for both racial equity in arts appreciation and stricter standards for theatrical decency.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
New York Life they look upon a colored show in much the same light as an amateur performance . . . they smile down upon them with amused tolerance . . . they don’t have to be good ... they're just amateurs, children . . . when they rave about a dusky artist, a wave of beneficence sweeps over them the same as when they throw pennies toa // dancing ragamuffin of //4 the streets, or when‘ they invite a colored cabaret performer to sit at their table... they feel they are making the grand gesture but it is really just an assurance of their own superior- ity. Equity The colored show should be judged on its merits the same as any other show .. . there are great colored artists just as there are great white ones... . Jules 133 57 Bledsoe, Bill Robin- son, Charles Gilpin, Paul Robson, Wal- lace Thurman, Adelaide Hall ...they don’t need pat- ronizing by the lilies of Park Avenue. Earl Carroll's “Smut Book™ Hanging over the stage door of the Earl Carroll theatre is a sign which reads: “Through these portals pass the most beautiful girls in the world” and, we might add, the dirtiest jokes ... in the program of the same show there is an ex- planation of Mr. Carroll's genius, and his great generos- ity in paying his chorus girls higher salaries than any other chorus in the show business . . . it goes on to tell how the dear gels apply for jobs in Mr. Carroll’s “Smut Book” ...they line up on the stage in their bathing suits and Mr, Carroll “attired in a sand colored smock” makes his selec- tions ... and then this classic line—“Through modesty perhaps, they wear coats over their suits and carry their pocketbooks” . . . the night the show opened they didn’t even wear their pocketbooks! ... here's another line... “Every chorus girl’s contract stipulates that she must brush her teeth five times a day and visit a beauty parlor twice a week” +++ Mr. Carroll ought to follow the same procedure, using ivory soap as a mouth wash and instead of a beauty parlor, visita psycho analyst. . IS ANS Clean-Up fh What this city needs is another Vigi- lantes... Earl Carroll ought to be run out of town and if Grover Wha- len is too busy towing away parked cars to bother about crime in our thea- tres let’s do it ourselves . . . execrable taste is a far more serious misdemeanor than parking overtime or selling liquor . +. the pleasure side of New York is getting worse every day and it’s time the Mayor started a Clean-up week. comicbooks.com