AustLit

A tone of light amusement and a style of bohemian anti-wowser masculinity initially marked this entertainment magazine. Its emphasis was on Girls, particularly chorus girls, for whom it ran competitions (shapely legs, Paramount screen contests) that resulted in attractive photographs for its male readers. The June 1917 issue asked 'Is it Rude to Pose in the Nude?', and while qualifying its response, answered 'no'. The December 1917 issue paid homage to 'Her Majesty -- the Chorus Girl'. The Green Room contained more synopses than reviews of films, vaudeville, and theatre, and specialised in behind-the-scenes film and theatrical gossip and anecdote. It covered New Zealand as well as Australian performances. In March 1926, it determined to introduce a health section, and became engaged in a curious relationship with the magazine of St Margaret's Hospital, Lifesaver (later Good Health), which it published first as an incongruous supplement, then as individual but unacknowledged pages, then finally dropped from February 1927. This strange interlude obviously resulted in significant tension between the Green Room's readers -- 'all interested in jazz, cocktails, Oxford and other bags, night-life and the froth of city existence generally' -- and the hospital's supporters -- 'the less gay sections of the community'.