New Life, New Laughs

Wiping three tears out of one eye, Harry Evans sat down at his desk, in the time-honored office of Life, and wrote, last week, under the caption The Movies, the following wan preamble: "With head uncovered I bow reverently and take my pen in hand to write this column, formerly edited by the dean of all moving picture critics, Robert E. Sherwood. . . ."

Two of the three tears Critic Evans shed were crocodile tears. After all he had kept his job, nay, got a better one. Many of the funnymen who have been engaged the last few years in making Life comical were looking for new markets for their quips and quiddities. Among them was Robert Sherwood himself, who, in addition to reviewing the movies, had been editor of the magazine for four years, associate editor for four years before that.

For some time, it would seem, the publishers of Life have been getting most of their fun out of reading the brisk, bright pages of their foolish contemporary and lifelong rival, Judge. Life itself didn't seem half so funny as it ought to be. So eventually they beguiled Norman Hume Anthony, editor of Judge, to come over and take Sherwood's place.

Ever since 1920 Norman Anthony had been with Judge. He was not educated primarily to be a humorist. On the contrary he went to art school in his native Buffalo and later in New York, and learned to paint compositions of fish and bananas in new and thoughtful poses. His sense of humor could not be stifled, and in 1910, when he was 21 and very free, he eloped with a Buffalo girl. This prank turned out well. Mr. & Mrs. Anthony had two children and Mr. Anthony became a comedian in earnest. After ten years of free-lancing with cartoons and covers he joined the staff of Judge and in 1922 became editor.

Last week the first issue of Life under Norman Anthony's editorship appeared. As far as it resembled the Life of 1928, this new year might as well be Anno Domini 2000.

Life and Life. No picture could be half so dismal as that of the office of a humorous magazine where the staff feels that it isn't considered funny enough. Hollow with chagrin, wild with despair, sounded the laughter in the studios of Life as the old staff prepared their swan-song for the presses. A shadow seemed to lie all through that final number, with its reprint of favorite drawings from the spent twelvemonth.

When the new Life came out the full extent of the casualties was seen. The editorial page heretofore conducted by Elmer Davis was gone; it will not be revived for anyone else.

Baird Leonard's "Mrs. Pep's Diary" was discontinued.

Walter Winchell's "Along the Main Stem" was out.

Percy L. Crosby's "Skippy" letter was missing, although Skippy may appear in the future as an occasional feature. There were other changes.

Chief among the novelties celebrating the accession of Editor Anthony was a short story contest, with $5,000 offered in prizes for the best stories published during 1929. They are to be very short--not more than 700 words. The judges are to be Ray Long, editor of Cosmopolitan; Merle Crowell, editor of American Magazine; and Robert Benchley, who survived the avalanche as associate editor of Life.

Frank Sullivan set the pace for the short-story writers with one entitled "The Cub Reporter, or The Scoop, or A Slice of Life, or Zaza."

Two new departments took up a lot of space. Under the caption "Life Abroad" there were several columns of news briefs from all around the world, with a waggish commentary appended to each. The other department, of a similar nature, came out as Life at Home.

A two-page spread was devoted by Editor Anthony to a drawing by Charles Dana Gibson, who is his new boss, as Chairman of the Board of Life Publishing Co.

Same Judge. Except for two new names on the masthead, the current number of Judge could hardly be distinguished from any of its predecessors. The new names were those of Jack Shuttleworth, editor, and Phil Rosa, art editor. Between them they shared the job abandoned by Anthony.

No foreigner at the office of Judge was its new editor. Jack Shuttleworth joined the staff in 1924. Like Norman Anthony he was born in Buffalo and inhaled the mirth-inspiring atmosphere of that city during his childhood. He tried two other ways to make a living: studied engineering at the University of Cincinnati, worked in a lumber camp in Canada. But Norman Anthony was an old friend, and pointed the way to his salvation with an invitation to come to Judge.

Shuttleworth is an editor who also reads books and things, particularly mystery stories and TIME. There is one department in his own magazine that he will read only under compulsion: the movies. He abominates them, and has yet to see a talkie.

To fill two lesser jobs on Judge, Editor Shuttleworth sent queries to 82 college wits, contributors to the Cheer Leaders department. He got Si replies, and most of the collegians were willing to quit school at once if they were offered desks.