'i .
51 iDAk, kk~bitUAM.1 13, 1955
O&t.llt:' /PttilR..
i
r e ' r'vuac
THE 'NEW LOOK':
Our Defense Program Depends
On a Lot of 'Ifs'
"Backward People"
?OtTICAL V,4 '- A ~ .--
y-
'COCKTAIL PARTY'
'Guileless' Production of Eliot Play
Offered by Dramatic Arts Center
(EDITOR'S NOTE: An editorial yesterday dis-
cussed some of the economic, political and psycho-
logical factors which enter into our defense plan-
ning. The following editorial discusses the military
adequacy of the "New Look.")
PROPOSED CUTS in the Army and Navy
budgets, following previous cuts in the Air
Force, are explained by the Administration on
the grounds that scientific and technological
advances, mainly in nuclear weapons, lessen
the need for manpower and conventional
weapons. Smaller atomic devices have been
developed which can be used tactically by
ground troops, and larger atomic and hydro-
gen devices make strategic bombing more dev-
astating.
It is reasonably certain that the object of
the "New Look," its companion slogan-the
"bigger bang for a buck"-has been accom-
plished. In terms of sheer firepower, we have
undoubtedly come a long way in the past few
years. Along with the increased integration of
atomic weapons, there is the simple fact that
when an expansion program is reduced, armed
forces still expand, just not as fast.
However, two questions naturally arise: 1)
Can atomic war actually be fought with fewer
me n? and 2) Does ourmilitary planning pro-
vide only for atomic war, and if so, what are
the possible consequences?
The first point is far from settled. Army
Chief of Staff Gen. Ridgway has testified
that larger combat zones required for the
mass-devastation weapons, "the need for rap-
id assembly, dispersal and reassembly, the
need for increased maintenance personnel,
indicate that for a structural field force the
need would be for more rather than fewer
men." Until the time when horrible field ex-
perience may clarify the issue, it might be well
to follow the dictates of safety.
ARE WE prepared to fight without nuclear
weapons? President Eisenhower says that
one of the principles of our defense is the
ability to fight more than one kind of war.
This does not necessarily mean, however, that
our planning includes the ability to carry on
non-atomic war. Hanson Baldwin, the New
York Times military analyst, has said "We
can still fight-and quite effectively-without
using atomic arms. But we may not be able
to if the present trend continues for another
few years." As though to remove any "if" in
Baldwin's mind, Secretary of State Dulles has
said "The present policies will gradually in.
volve the use of atomic weapons as conven-
tional weapons for tactical purposes."
Atomic weapons are now to be considered
"conventional." The "flexibility" of our armed
forces -must then be entirely within the atomic
field, the alternatives being only between com-
bat uses of nuclear weapons and all out strate-
gic bombing.
THERE ARE MANY consequences of our
reliance on atomic warfare. Our strategic
bombing capacity is great. Which side has
the lead is unimportant; what is significant
is that both sides now have, or soon will have,
the power to annihilate each other, and nei-
ther has the will to use it.
Many dangers accompany the reliance on
tactical atomic weapons as a means of oppos-
ing aggression. For example, suppose that the
Communists, likewise fearing all-out atomic
war, but using means not open to the West,
instigate a large-scale uprising in South Viet-
Nam, after smuggling thousands of peasant.
soldiers in from the north. If Ho Chi Minh's
government and regular troops abstain from
the fighting, the action might be legitimately
called a civil war.
America might decide it was a war the free
world could not afford to lose and send troops
to oppose the Communists. Of what use would
atomic weapons then be? We could hardly jus-
tify the use of atomic weapons on the "mor-
al" grounds that international law had been
broken, as we, not the Communists, would
be interfering in the "internal affairs" of an-
other nation. Atomic weapons would not be
militarily efficient for fighting in the rice-
paddies of Viet-Nam. The political consequen-
ces in neutral Asian countries would be fright-
ening, as the East was daily reminded that
America had once again used the white man's
bomb to slaughter Asian masses. Any or all
of these factors would combine in a crisis to
make a defense based on atomic weapons far
more costly than Mr. Humphrey's figures indi-
cate.
IF THE TIME ever comes when America
must fight, it must have available a variety
of means with which to meet political and
military realities. Effective, non-atomic ac-
tion on a rather large scale may be the only
means consistent with those realities. It could
easily be disastrous if present military plan-
ning were to close that alternative to future
leaders, and leave us only with the choices of
starting a devastating atomic war or surrend-
ering to Communist pressures.
OTHER DANGERS exist in our present mili-
tary planning. Chief of Naval Operations
Admiral Robert Carney emphasizes "bloc ob-
solescence," the idea that much of our fleet,
built during World War II, will grow old at
once, facing us with the burden of replacement
within a short period of time. The former Air
Force secretary Gen. Stuart Symington as-
serts that actual plane production is being
sacrificed to progress on paper.
The United Nations is actively working for
atomic disarmament. The American position
in the world organization is that we will ac-
cept a disarmament program which has ade-
quate safeguards and inspection provisions,
The Russians, with their large land armies,
may someday surprise us by accepting our
proposals, knowing that atomic disarmament
would leave us relatively helpless. What our
position would be then it is impossible to say,
but our present one is inconsistent with de-
fense policy.
THERE IS NO question as to which side in
the debate is politically expedient. The ap-
peal of lower draft calls and lower taxes is
strong. The issue our leaders must constantly
examine is: on which side lies the reasonable
certainty of fully adequate minimum defense?
Congress would do well to stand firm against
the current trend toward "Daddy-knows-
bestism," as some have called it, and not be
satisfied that the Administration is willing to
take full responsibility for its defense program.
Should our country experience disaster be-
cause of inadequate defense planning, the
question of blame will be purely academic.
IF THERE is no danger of war in the next
few years, if non-atomic war is considered
obsolete by the Russians as well as by our de-
fense planners, and if the fear of atomic war
does not paralyze our actions in opposing
Communism, if fewer men are really needed in
atomic armies, if less defense spending will
make our economy stronger to outweigh losses
in military strength, if our defense cuts do not
cause the Russians to promote small-scale
wars, if our allies do not greatly weaken the
Western position by following our example
and cutting their defense appropriations: if
all these considerations resolved in our favor,
then our defense program is adequate. The
question, put simply, is this: should America
settle for such hypothetical security?
- Pete Eckstein
A
DREW PEARSON:
TV Shows for Children
Hit by Senate Report
WASHINGTON-The big television networks have been quietly pres-
suring the Senate Juvenile Delinquency Committee to tone down
their report on the connection between TV programs and juvenile
crime. However, it doesn't look as if they would succeed.
The Senate Committee on Juvenile Delinquency did such a forth-
right job on comic books and child crime that the comic-book industry
appointed a czar to clean up. Equally forthright hearings were held
on television programs which the big networks offer up to children
during the hours between 4 and 6 p.m., and a draft report has been
written by the staff and distributed to members of the committee. A
copy of the report was also sent to interested networks for their
comment, and the howl that came back has echoed around Senate
Committee rooms.
However, the three members of the Senate committee-Langer of
North Dakota, Kefauver of Tennessee, and Hennings of Missouri-
are standing pat. They may even strengthen their report.
Meanwhile, here is some of the stinging criticism of the TV pro-
grams which the preliminary Senate report, so far still secret, levels
at the big telecasters who mold the minds of millions of children.
-GREATEST MIND-MOLDER-
"SOCIOLOGISTS have pointed out that television has wrought the
most influence 'upon the habits of the family of any technical
development since the motorcar went into mass production . . . Even
ONE would like to say some-
thing simple (but close to the
truth) about the current enter-
prise at the Dramatic Arts Cen-
ter: that it is a good production
of a bad play, or that it provides
some very good moments, or that
it is certainly food for thought or
something. Actually none of these
statements are quite accurate: the
play is neither bad nor incoherent;
the production is more than good
at times-it is almost amazing.
And if "The Cocktail Party" is
provocative, it is just as often triv-
ial and undramatic in places. Un-
fortunately, people who talk about
it, in panel discussions and the
like, are often equally trivial or
peripheral because the play is hard
to look at intact.
Whatever the resolution of all
this, it can be said, I think, that
what the Dramatic Arts Center
offers us is a production that is
as intact as possible. It is a guile-
less production and one without
nonsense. It is never unnecessarily
complicated with ritual mummery
or by virtuoso actors who would
substitute mysterious intonations
for a genuine understanding of
what they are saying. There are
perhaps opposite and very minor
divergencies in the direction of a
too-overt sterotypy of some of the
characters, but, in general, Direc-
tor Gistirak shows us what hap-
pened to Celia Copplestone and her
friends once upon a time in Lon-
don with the most forthright in-
sistence that the play stand up on
its own.
THE PROBLEM of the play,
made- admirably direct by the
cast, is how people should adjust
to unhappiness. The unhappy
characters in the drama are Ed-
ward Chamberlayne, his wife, and
a woman who has loved him, Celia
Copplestone. Foiling them are the
relaxed characters, a psychiatrist,
Sir Henry Harcourt-Riley, and two
friends of his, Julia and Alex. The
substance of the action is the ef-
fort of the relaxed, presumably
"adjusted," characters to help the
ill-adjusted ones. Sir Henry, Alex,
and Julia are indeed so inviolate
as human beings that Eliot uses
them explicitly as guardian an-
gels for the others. By the end of
the second act, his dramatic ques-
tion has been successfully advanc-
ed: will following Sir Henry's ad-
vice effectively bring happiness to
his three charges?
All this is not soap-opera over-
simplification; it is to Eliot's credit
that his question is put just easily.
His answer, however, is just as
easy and that is unfortunate. For
Celia, to whom Sir Henry has
.recommended suffering through
social service, there is a heathen
crucifixion "very near an anthill."
For the Chamberlaynes, to whom
Sir Henry has permitted a fresh
attempt to make their marriage
work, there is recaptured security
and happiness. In both cases, the
characters have found themselves,
Sir Henry implies, by having made
their "choice" and followed it to
its ultimate end. The decision to
give a cocktail party, in other
words, or the decision to write
for the movies (which another
character takes) is quite as valid
and responsible as the decision
Celia makes which ultimately leads
to her martyrdom. Those individ-
uals with a "sense of sin," as Celia
has, will make harder choices. But
this is immaterial. One man's
choice "for himself" is quite as
good as any other.
O ME, this kind of relativism
smacks of recommendations
familiar in books like "The Power
of Positive Thinking." If the
Chamberlaynes had, for example,
decided to part, the implication is
that they would be quite as "ad-
justed" at the end as if they had
remained together. Or if Celia had
decided to rob banks or run a
brothel, she too would have "rea-
lized herself" simply by having
made "a choice." In spite of the
mystic overlay in both Eliot and
Norman Vincent Peale, I think
there is something too easy in this.
It is tantamount to wholesale pro-
tection of the status quo; it de-
pends on people to make moral
decisions "to fit in," but, in the
end, it is the fitting-in alone that
matters, for the System itself is
beyond question. Eliot indeed in-
sists that the System is virtuous
when he makes Alex and Julia, the
representatives of the System, also
the representatives of God.
"The Cocktail Party," which
tells us any solution is a solution,
is in this way unreasonable and
irresponsible. However compas-
sionate the drama, however clever
and charming, the curren produc-
tion by its directness only reveals
the play's crucial falsity.
-William Wiegand
IF A NEW Einstein theory were
to come into being as a Govern-
ment report in one of our super-
laboratories there would be a real-
ly great chance that nobody would
have the patience to go through
the trash published under the
same auspices to discover it.
If criticism in its highest levels is
not distinct from creation, and
these levels are already being ap-
proximated to in our great labora-
tories, the head of a great labora-
tory must show the creative abili-
ties of a genius. Nevertheless, he
will be a bound genius and not a
free genius. He will be crippled by
the "need of reading and under-
standing an almost unlimited
batch of reports, and he will not be
able to cut the tangle and devote
his creative activity towards the
rejection of inadequate ideas on
his own part, rather than stupid
reports.
The great laboratory may do
many important things, at its best,
but at its worst it is a morass
which engulfs the abilities of the
leaders as much as those of the
followers.
-Norbert Wiener
in The Saturday Review
DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN
CURRENT MOVIES
the less dogmatic parents and
educators are beginning to be con-
cerned about the repeated ex-
posure of children to the sequence
of crime and violence on television.
"While it is not the intent of
the Subcommittee to equate crime
and violence with badness," says
the draft Senate report, "it is a
problem resulting from the re-
peated exposure of boys and girls
to a sordid and brutal fare."
To illustrate the tremendous im-
pact which TV now has on child-
ren, the Senate committee cited
a survey in the nation's capital by
Charles Haden Allendredge as fol-
lows:
"Interviews with 400 families
owning television in the metropoli-
tan area of Washington, D.C., re-
vealed that motion picture at-
tendance has fallen off 49 per
cent among children of families
that owned TV sets for more than
two years. Children read 11 per
cent fewer magazines, 15.7 per
cent fewer comics and 9.2 per cent
fewer books."
Commenting on this survey, the
Senate draft report stated: "Young
children may be termed a unique
group. For them television is not
intruding upon already established
patterns. Because they can watch
television before they are able to
read the printed word . . . they
are apt to undergo heavy exposure
to television in pre-school days.
Television is frequently the first
teacher."
Sixty-Fifth Year
Edited and managed by students of
the University of Michigan under the
authority of the Board in Control of
Student Publications.
Editorial Staff
Eugene Hartwig ......Managing Editor
Dorothy Myers ..............City Editor
Jon Sobeloff .......Editorial Director
Pat Roelofs ......Associate City Editor
Becky Conrad .........Associate Editor
Nan Swinehart ....... Associate Editor
Dave Livingston .........Sports Editor
Hanley Gurwin ... Assoc. Sports Editor
Warren wertheimer
....Associate Sports Editor
Roz*Shlimonvltz ... ...Women's Editor
Janet Smith Associate Wn en's Editor
John Hirtzei......Chief Photographer
Business Staff
Lois Pollak........Business Manager
Phil Brunskill, Assoc. Business Manager
Bill Wise.........Advertising Manager
Mary Jean Mnnknski. Finance Manager
Telephone NO 23-24-1
Member
Thr Asscciaf,-/ Press
VIOLENT PROGRAMS
INCREASE
DESPITE this, the amount of
violence which the big net-
works are dishing out to young
children has increased rather than
decreased, the Senate probers
found.
Citing a study of the seven New
York TV stations, the Senate re-
port showed that "The number of
acts and threats of violence had
increased substantially between
1952 and 1953." This means 6.2
acts and threats of violence per
hour, the survey showed.
"Furthermore, during the week
of Jan. 4-10, 1953, children's tele-
vision hours in New York were
twice as saturated with violence
as other hours," the survey stated.
Another TV survey cited by the
Senate probers inaicated that "the
domination of crime and violence
is increasing rather than dimin-
ishing."
Summarizing the obvious effect
of TV programs upon juvenile
crime, the unpublished Senate re-
port states:
"It was found that life is cheap;
death, suffering, sadism, and bru-
tality are subjects of callous in-
difference, and that judges, law-
yers and enforcement officers are
dishonest, incompetent, and stu-
pid.
"The manner and frequency
'with which crime is brought be-
fore the eyes and ears of American
children indicates a complete dis-
regard for psychological and so-
cial consequences.
CRIME VIA KNOB
"TELEVISION crime programs
are potentially much more in-
jurious to children and young peo-
ple than motion picture, radio or
comic books. Attending a movie
requires money, so an average
child's exposure to films in the
theatre tends to be limited to a
few hours a week. Comic books de-
mand strong imaginary projec-
tions. Also they must be sought
out and purchased. But television,
available at the flick of a knob
and combining visual and audible
aspects into a live story, has a
greater impact upon its child au-
dience.
"What the effects of a child see-
ing five, six and seven people kill-
ed each afternoon might be in
terms of making callous his nor-
mal sensitivity to that kind of
human destruction is'an unknown
quantity," points out the so far
unpublished Senate report.
Citing various child experts who
had studied television, the com-
mittee report stated:
"It was found that hundreds
and hundreds of exposures to the
suffering of others for the purpose
of entertainment most unfortu-
nately have brought about in
manv mr nv a h iAn n atronhv
(Continued from Page 2)
Marathon-Group Meeting for Seniors
& Grad. Students in Chemistry, Mech.
E., Ind. E., and Chem. E. and 246 W.
Engrg., 7:30 p.m.
Fri., Feb. IS8-
Leeds & Northrup Co., Phila., Penn.--
All levels in Elect., Mech., Ind., Chem.
E., and Physics for Research, Devel.,
Manufacturing, and Sales.
For appointments contact the Engrg.
Placement Office, 248 W.E., Ext. 2182.
PERSONNEL REQUESTS:
U.S. Civil Service, Veteran Admini-
stration Hospital, An Arbor, Mich., an-
nounces exam for Hospital Attendant
(genera?) - GS-621-1. Competition in
this exam is restricted by law to per-
sons entitled to veterans proference as
long as such persons are available.
Wayne County Civil service, Wayne
Co. Gen'l. Hospital, Eloise, Mich.-3
openings for Medical Lab. Tech. As-
sistants-wonen, residents of Mich.,
not over 41.
ADVANCED STUDY OPPORTUNITIES
Internat'l Ladies Garment Workers'
Training Institute, N.Y., N.Y., is now
enrolling students for 1955-1956 sessions.
All students satisfactorily completing
the year's sessions are guaranteed posi-
tions with the union. This is open to
both men and women between 21 and
35.
Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Mass.,
announces a summed course in Pub-
lishing Procedures-June 22 to Aug. 2-
open to both men and women interested
in book and magazine publishing.
Radcliffe College also announces the
Management Training Program-Sept.
23, 1955 to June 13, 1956-open to wom-
en with a degree from an accredited col-
lege. A number of fellowships covering
the cost of tuition are available.
For further information on any of the
above, contact the Bureau of Appoint-
ments, 3528 Admin. Bldg., Ext. 371.
Lectures
University Lecture in Journalism.
Mark Ethridge, publisher, Louisville
Courier-Journal, will speak on "The
Press and Your Rights" Mon., Feb. 14,
at 3:00 p.m. in the Rackham Amphi-
theatre. Open to the public.
Thomas M. Cooley Lectures, present-
ed by the University of Michigan Law
School. "Public Policy and the Dead
Hand." Lewis M. Simes, Floyd R. Mech-
em Professor of Law, 4:15 p.m., Room
120, Hutchins Hall. Admission is com-
plimentary.
Mon., Feb. 14, Lecture IV: "Should
the Dead Hand Increase Its Grasp: The
Policy Against Accumulations."
Tues., Feb. 15, Lecture V: "The Dead
Hand Achieves Immortality: Gifts to
Charity."
Academic Notices
Sophomore Electrical Engineering
Students: If you are interestedinen-
tering a cooperative program with one
of the following companies:
General Electric
Allis Chalmers
Detroit Edison
Michigan Bell Telephone
Radio Corporation of America
Chrysler Corporation
Consumers Power Company
please contast Prof. John J. Carey,
Room 2519 East Engineering Building
as soon as possible.
D. A. Darling will speak on "The Er-
godic Limit Theorems in Dissipative
systems."
The Extension Service announces
that there are still openings in the
following classes to be held Mon. eve-
ning, Feb. 14:
Elementary Engineering Drawing (En-
gineering Drawing 1). 7:00 p.m. 445
West Engineering Building. 16 weeks.
$27.00. Prof. Philip O. Potts, Instruc-
tor
Descriptive G e o m e t r y (Engineering
Drawing 2) 7:00 p.m. 445 West Engi-
gineering Building. 16 weeks. $27.00.
Prof. Philip O. Potts, Instructor
Oil Painting 7:30 p.m. 415 Architec-
ture. 16 weeks. $20.00. Prof. Frede Vi-
dar, Instructor
The Recorder and Its Music 7:30 p.m.
435 Mason Hall. 16 weeks. $18.00. Prof.
William H. Stubbins, Instructor
Registration for these courses may be
made in Room 4501 of the Administra-
tion Building on State Street during
University office hours, or in Room 164
of the School of Business Administra-
tion on Monroe Street, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Mon. through Thurs. of this week.
The Extension Service announces
that there are still openings in the
following classes to be held Tues. eve-
ning, Feb. 16:
Introduction to Oral Interpretation
(Speech 41) 7:30 p.m. 1429 Mason
Hall. 16 weeks. $18.00. Paul E. Cairns,
Instructor
Creative Drawing and Color Sketching
7:30 p.m. 415 Architecture Building,
16 weeks. $18.00, Richard L. Sears,
Instructor
Understanding the Soviet Present
Through the Russian Past. 7:30 p.m.
131 School of Business Administra-
tion. 8 weeks. $10.00. Professors Ihor
Sevcenko and Andrei A. Lobanov-
Rostovsky, Instructors
Registration for these courses may
be made in Room 4501 of the Admin-
istration Building on State Street dur-
ing University office hours, or in Room
164 of the School of Business Admin-
istration on Monroe Street, 6:30-9:30
p.m. Mon. through Thurs. of this week.
Concerts
Student Recital: Anne Alexandra
Young, pianist, will present a program
of compositions by Mozart, Schubert,
and Bach, at 8:30 p.m. Sun., Feb. 13, in
Auditorium A. Angell Hall, in partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Bachelor of Music. Miss
Young is a pupil of Benning Dexter
and her recital will be open to the pub-
lic,
Band Concert Cancelled. The con-
cert by the University of Michigan
Symphony Band, William D. Revelli,
Conductor, previously announced for
Tues., Feb. 15, in Hill Auditorium, has
been postponed until Sun., March 27,
4:15 p.m.
Events Today
Hillel: Chorus Rehearsal Sun., 4:30
p.m. in main chapel. Applications for
new members are available.
Single graduate students are invited
to meet with the Fireside Forum group
of the First Methodist Church Sun.,
Feb. 13, 7:30 p.m. in the Youth Room.
Dr. Herman Jacobs, Director of B'nai
Episcopal Student Foundation. Can-
terbury House breakfasts following both
the 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. services Sun.,
Feb. 13. Episcopal Student Foundation.
Confirmation Instruction, 4:30 p.m.
Sun., Feb. 13, atk Canterbury House.
Episcopal Student Foundation. Canter-
bury Supper Hour at 5:45 p.m. Sun.,
Feb. 13, at Canterbury House. Episcopal
Student Foundation. Evensong at 8:00
p.m. Sun., Feb. 13, followed by Coffee
Hour at Canterbury House.
The Graduate Outing Club will meet
Sun., Feb. 13, 2:00 p.m. at the Rackham
Building Entrance in the back at. the
north west corner.
First Baptist Church. Sun., 'Feb. 13:
9:45 a.m. Student Class; 11:00 a.m. Dr.
Wells, National Executive Secretary of
our Department of Student work will
preach; 7:00 p.m. Dr. Wells speaks to
Guild.
Wesleyan Guild. Sun., Feb. 13, 9:30
a.m. Discussion, Basic Christian Be-
liefs; 5:30 p.m. Fellowship Supper; 6:45
p.m. Worship Service, Dr. Edward G.
Groesbeck will speak on "What Is
Meant by the Living Christ."
The Congregational - Disciples Guild:
Sun. 6:15 p.m., dessert meeting at the
Congregational Church. Speaker: Rev.
C. W. Carpenter: "Toward Better Hu-
man Understanding."
Coming Events
The Women's Research Club will meet
Mon., Feb. 14, in the East Lecture Room
of the Rackham Building at 8:00 p.m.
Miss Gertrude Dole of the Anthropology
Department will speak on "Kinship
Among an Indian Group of Central
Brazil." This talk will be illustrated
with colored slides taken during her
seven month stay in Brazil last year.
All South Quad residents interested
in WCBNSouth Quad's radio station,
are invited to an introductory meeting
Mon., Feb. 14, at 7:15 p.m. in room
G105. Auditions will begin Feb. 15, at
7:'15 p.m.
Lane Hall Folk Dance Group will
meet Mon., 7:30-10:00 p.m. in recrea-
tion room. There will be instruction for
every dance, and beginners are welcome.
Hillel: Courses in Jewish Studies have
resumed for the second semester. Ele-
mentary Hebrew. Mon., 4:15 p.m. Span-
ish Jewish History, Mon., 7:30 p.m.
American Jewish History, Tues., 7:30
p.m. Basic Judaism, Thurs., 7:00 p.m.
Elementary Yiddish, Sun., 10:00 a.m.
La P'tite Causette will meet Mon.,
Feb. 14, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Ici on peut
parler francais; venez tout le monde.
Instructions for making mobiles will
be given in a class, meeting at Lane
Hall, Monday, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
The Undergraduate Mathematics
Club. Mon., Feb. 14, at 8:00 p.m., in
Room 35, Michigan Union. Election of
officers will be held and Prof. Bott will
speak on "Some Geometric Problems
in Topology."
Deutscher Verein's first program of
the new semester will be held in Room
3KLM of the Union at 7:30 p.m. Tues.,
Feb. 15. The program will include two
German newsreels, a film on Hamburg,
German singing, and dergleichen mehr.
Anthropology Club Meeting. Dr. H.
f
At the State...
VERA CRUZ with Gary Cooper, Burt Lan-
caster, and Denise Darcel.
THIS IS a splendid movie to miss.
Something, however, can be said for the
title, something to this effect:
"Knock, knock.
Whose there?
Vera Cruz.
Vera Cruz who?
Vera Cruz'n along Moonlight Bay .
This awful sally was murmured by two
members of the audience during an awkward
silence, the result of a defective sound-track;
and I must say their's was by far the most
distinguished performance of the evening.
THE SOUND-TRACK'S malaise may in part
account for my hazy impression of what
Vera Cruz was trying to tell us all.
Gary Cooper, a war-between-the-states vet-
eran, arrives in Mexico only to become in-
volved in another civil war: this one between
the forces of reaction-those of the Emperor
Maxilimian---and the starving Mexican pro-
letariat. Mr. Cooper has come to make a fast
buck with which to rebuild his slave cabins
back home in Virginia; it consequently takes
him some time, and not a little soul-searching,
to come around to the worthy side. He is at
all times most civil.
who shaves rarely, and, as a minor character
suggests, isn't at all sure "which hand to use"
at formal teas. Cesar Romero, who I am happy
to report eats his tortillas with a fork, is the
wicked envoy of Maximilian, in whose employ
are both Messrs. Lancaster and Cooper, not
to mention Denise Darcel and a whole bunch
of guys dressed like Spanish conquisidores;
cruel and high-strung men all of them.
SOME GOLD (6 million dollars worth) is to
be delivered to Vera Cruz, for arms with
which Maximilian hopes, once and for all,
to put down the rebellious masses. These
masses, by the way, are never shown if not
standing, facing the audience, in a straight
line way way across the "superscope" screen.
The intent is admirable-I am all for meeting
the challenge of the wide screen-but some-
how the masses don't come through as well
as they might in a less straightforward ar-
rangement.
The gold: everyone wants it. Cooper wants
it for reconstruction; Lancaster just plain
wants it, perhaps for finishing-school tuition;
Miss Darcel seeks to return to her native Par-
is, there, presumably to start a literary sa-
loon; and the rebels of course have their
plans, although limited ones, seeing as how
they can't break formation. In the end they
do get completely out of line, and might tri-
umphs over Maximilian.
THROUGHOUT, Mr. Lancaster flashed his
teeth. all thirty-three of them. and when
4
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