Thursday, December 16, 1954 University Daily Kansan
Page 3
1954-Crises, Stalemate, Accord
Bv NANCY NEVILLE
As the last two weeks of 1954 begin, it is time to consider just what the year has accomplished in the way of international and national progress.
During the past 12 months, the public read and watched world agreements, national issues, and public sentiments regarding these events. Certain national issues overshadowed those which normally would have had much more significance to the rest of the world. Political leaders became public figures, dominating the front page of every newspaper with their attempts to relieve or comment on the world tension today.
For the first time in 20 years, there was no active war going on in the world. Outside of some scattered attacks by the Communist Chinese on the Nationalist islands of Quemoy, the Pescadores, and Tachens, there was no "hot" war between nations. All major fighting had ended after the Geneva conference.
During the year, nations were tawn closer together by notable agreements. Seven nations in
Southeast Asia united in the Southeast Asian Treaty organization in a mutual defense pact. Once again black gold began flowing from the Iranian oil wells for the world market after the international consortium involving eight nations was set up. This agreement alone was a step forward in bringing the East and West closer together.
The Anglo-Egyptian negotiations on the Suez canal bases were successfully completed this summer marking an end to the era of British occupation of the cana zone. The 72-year-old dispute which had made Suez another "no spot" in the world, had been characterized by uprisings and tense relations between Great Britain and Egypt. This agreement was another example of closer ties being made between countries.
Meanwhile, however, South African Prime Minister Malan stepped for Johannes Stryjidom, who promised to continue Malan's policies of white supremacy.
The world is watching to see the fate of the German rearmament plan. The French people, remembering Germany's strength and
power less than 20 years ago, are carefully weighing all sides while listening to Mendes-France, who is staking his political career on the plan.
plan
Another troublesome gap in Western defense was closed with the Trieste agreement this fall.
Through Anglo-American diplomacy, Italy and Yugoslavia signed a pact on Trieste.
The "mutual understanding" agreement between Russia and Red China linked the two countries more closely politically, scientifically, technically, and industrially. The debate continued in the United Nations over Red China's seat, strengthened by Japan's new prime minister, Hatoyama, backing Red China.
While the East and West were agreeing on many former splits, Russia continued its policy of "peaceful co-existence." A gradual increase in the Soviet's cooperation in the UN was seen most notably in its ratifying Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" plan. Western officials hopefully, yet cautiously, studied Russia's atomic control and arms reduction proposals, while both the United States and Russia conti-
used to build up their defense plans and equipment. Yet a general feeling began to take hold in the United States that Russia also was interested in keeping the peace if at all possible . . perhaps out of fright from United States strength, but nevertheless, the possibility of a third world war in the near future was becoming dimmer.
Although East-West relations became stronger, Red China's recent holding of 11 American airmen provoked anger from the non-Communist nations. The people wait to see what action the United States will take in Sen. Knowland's blockade proposal. It could mean war; but it is more likely that the airmen are victims of the Communists' passive aggression.
Here at home. Sen. McCarthy dominated the American scene. Other nations undoubtedly have become confused about the United States foreign policy with so many conflicting views being shouted back and forth between statesmen. The far right wing of the Republican party seized upon America's fear of national security to effect its policies.
4 policies.
Into the Senate had come a man
who defied public opinion and who did not care what choice of words he used in expressing his feelings. Whether his "cause" be for political or personal reasons, he nevertheless entrenched the words, "communism," "Red," and "subversive" deeper in the minds of the American people. He was censored, yet his statements will perhaps never be stricken from the public's memory.
The stock market went over the 1929 peak, the highest ever reached. Prices and wages rose, as the CIO and AF of L talk of a merger. Business is on a strong level, as the nation pulled out of a slight recession this summer to continue the standard of living on its upward trend.
The effect of the congressional election cannot be evaluated so early. The prediction by experts that the Democrats would have a sweeping victory did not come true. Their narrow margin strongly gave the President a "vote of confidence." The American people seized not as inclined to consider only politics when they voted, but turned to the candidate himself. They are entirely swept away by Mr. Eisenhower.
Dior Look, Pink Shirts, Marilyn-This Was'54
By MARY BESS STEPHENS
A quickly passing year, filled with important international events, general elections, and a million little stories. A year of dust and hurricanes. A fashionable, gay, modern 1954. An underneath tense, unsure year. This was America, 1954.
year, my mother leaped to the fore. Christian Dior came out with the H-Look, requiring a complete redistribution of nature's gifts to women The sale of foundation garments boomed.
boomed.
Audrey Hepburn captivated both the theater crowd with "Ondine" and the movie crowd with "Sa-ina." The gamin look was in, and tweezers were thrown out as the girls let heavy eyebrows grow back in, a la Audrey.
Creative designs for men were on the way. Fancy vests, pink shirts, and charcoal suits, business suits with shirt trousers appeared. Tuxedos in the Bermuda length were seen more and more.
n Audrey.
Pipes for women came on the market, and got a good response. The beads of the '20's came back to decorate the new—and higher, bust-lines. Bermuda shorts and Scotch kilt gave the English country look to the "at home" American women.
Something approaching another Christine made the news. This time reverse was pulled, and Vernon Bredshaw, about to be sentenced to a man's reformatory on an embezement charge, was hastily sent to a woman's reformatory instead. A brother identified "Vernon" as Viilet—she apparently disagreed with the idea that it's a woman's world.
The elections brought a power shift to the Democrats, but Republicans said they weren't afraid of 1956.
1956. The year's most controversial figure, Sen. McCarthy, was censured and there was talk of a third party. The pro-Joe "10 million Americans" petition indicated a reserve of strength.
out of the hats. Mamie's new hats in shades of pink, the millinery people a new color—"Mamie Pink"—and the shoe industry of America said no one can expect to find Ike with a hole in his shoe.
m in marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio. Marilyn monroe. Soon it was all over, and Marilyn cried and cried in court.
Nannie Doss, the giggling grandmother from Oklahoma, accused of killing four husbands, said about Sam, the last one. "He sure did like prunes." Sam sure did, he ate a box of them—laced with arsenic.
Millions of American breakfast tables were enlivened with the daily stories coming in about the bloody Broomhill trial.
The stock market was high, and people took advantage of the big ads drumming up European cruises.
frumming up Europe and husband Helena Rubenstein
cashed in on male vanity. They opened a New York beauty salon dedicated to the men-complete with facials and mud packs. Business was excellent.
Pola Negri, the heavy lidded vamp of the silent screen who was noted for the huge whoppers she used to circulate (she claims to have divorced a Pope of Rome) wanted to make a new movie. Hollywood wasn't impressed.
Marlon Brando, the year's outstanding actor with three top movies to his credit—"The Wild One," "On the Waterfront," and "Desiree," shed his blue jeans for a conservative business suit and his independence for a fiancee, Josane Mariani of France.
of France
Smiley Liberace—the favorite of thirteen and the seat of an equal number of jokes, decided to become engaged "if she will wait for me." "She" is Joanne Rio, a pert little nightclub singer.
nightclub singer. John Wayne once more said the matrimonial vows, and once more his partner is a Latin beauty. This one is Pilar, a Peruvian he first saw in Lawrence, Kans., when they both were passing through the old town.
Porfirio "Ruby" Rubiriosa took Zsa Zsa Gabor to the Dominion Republic to meet the home folks—all got along nicely.
got along best.
Betty Hutton "retired" from show business, Gina Lollobrigida brings movie-goers a shot in the arm. The Italian beauty was the center of the most publicity to be given a foreign story since Ingrid Bergman.
over the hatbox. "The Phhfft," the new Judy Holliday picture, was the center of high-up Hollywood controversy. The boys didn't like the title with two "ff's" and added another.
Billy Graham turned down movie offers and publishers' bids to publish his autobiography. Billy said he still had too much preaching to do to think about writing books or making movies.
Juvenile hell-raisers ran throughout the country—a group known as the Pachucoos, identified by a tattoo on the wrist, stumped police officials over the nation.
A 10-pound meteorite fell from the sky and landed on a very surprised Mrs. Hulett Hodges, of Syracuse, Ala. It caused a big bruise, a lot of publicity, and a great deal of controversy as to who owned it.
Mrs. Hodge's husband wanted it, and offered to sell it for $5,000. The mayor wanted it for the historical museum. But the Air Force got it. Well, it did come from the sky, they said.
saf. Filtered cigarettes were seen everywhere as the researchers got closer and closer to the cancer problem.
Nervously laughing—gay but unsure—this was America, 1954—a peaceful land—a waiting land.
But Good Ones Are Rare—
Movies Get Plenty of Screen
By KAREN HILMER
The 1954 trend in motion pictures has been toward big productions with gigantic casts and plenty—and we mean PLENTY—on screen.
CinemaScope was further developed this year into something that seemed to defeat the elements of good acting. There was too much concentration on settings in many pictures and not enough concentration on the performances in many of the pictures filmed in CinemaScope.
Chris Henshaw.
A newcomer, Vista Vision, wrigled its way into filmdom and was introduced in "White Christmas."
One picture of 1954 should take top honors in everything, including acting, direction, and photography. "On the Waterfront," a big-shouldered drama of New York dockside corruption, is the No. 1 picture of the year.
the year.
The excellent acting by Marlon Brando was surpassed only by the superb and authentic photography of Boris Kaufman. And Elia Kazan did the year's best direction.
Here is a list of pictures worthy of mention. They were the most popular at the box office, the most favorably reviewed throughout the year by critics, and most enjoyed by us.
as. "Executive Suite"—in which William Holden and Fredric March battle it out for big business.
"Sabrina"—the story of a poor little rich girl in love with a rich playboy. It is an old familiar plot done up in a bright, new style.
"A Star Is Born" in which the "Wizard of Oz" girl, Judy Garland, makes a dramatic comeback. It is the story of a girl's progress from singing with a jazz band to eminence in Hollywood.
"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"-based on Stephen Vincent Benet's "The Sobbin' Women." This musical was the closest approach to "Oklahoma" and "An American in Paris."
"Night People"—starring Gregory Peck and Broderick Crawford, who engage in skull duggery behind the iron Curtain.
"The Caine Mutiny—taken from
the book of the same name. Van Johnson and Humphrey Bogart took the lead in acting.
the lead in the film "Rear Window"—the story for eavesdroppers, starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly.
Stewart said Grace "Dial M for Murder"—in which Ray Milland tries to kill Grace Kelly.
"Broken Lance"—the best western of the year, starring Spencer Tracy. "Ugetsu"—an outstanding Japanese picture about two peasants in medieval Japan.
nedeuvai Japan.
"It Should Happen to You"—with Judy Holliday lampooning the ad-certising game.
verifying game "The Little Kidnappers"—in w h i c h a pair of small boys show that the innocence of the young triumphs over the unbalanced morality of the old.
anced morality of "High and Dry" in which Paul Douglas plays a defeated American who tries to get his belongings off of a Scottish ship bound for heaven knows where.
"Carmen Jones" - Dorothy Dandridge puts a torch to Bizet's babe with the help of Harry Belafonte and Pearl Bailey.
"The Country Girl" starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and William Holden in an acting sensation.
McCarthy Hearings, George Gobel, Evans' 'Macbeth' Highlight TV Year
By JUDITH FERRELL
McCarthy and Gobel, Disney and Macbeth, color and the elections—all drew thousands of viewers on the television scene this year.
Television coverage of Sen. McCarthy's activities rated top spot in the news and special events classification. Both the subcommittee's hearings and its fight with the Army went before the cameras. They provoked heated controversy throughout the country.
But a comedian with a deadpan face and a gift for monologue accused almost as much comment as Sen. McCarthy, George Gobel's style of delivery now is imitated from grade school to the college campus and even on staid Wall street.
Another new show -Disneyland—has succeeded in winning ABC a first 10 ranking for the first time. Adults have joined children to watch cuts from famous Walt Disney productions as well as brand-new entertainment. Even the commercials are Disney-Tinker Bell waves her magic wand to conjure up the commercial messages.
up the committee TV drama has improved, even though the trend toward weak endings has alienated some viewers.
Hallmark's presentation of "Maebeth" highlighted the year. Audiences watched probably the outfitting Shakespearean actor of our time, Maurice Evans, combine his talents with Judith Anderson to give a fine performance of the classic.
Both NBC and CBS have turned out variety shows generally known as spectaculars. They're from one and one half to two hours long and range from music to comedy to serious drama and back again.
New shows include "Medic," the realistic hospital drama that is NBC's newest competitor with CBSS" "I Love Lucy." Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca split their comedy team, each going into separate shows. Celeste Holm made her TV debut with a light comedy series about a girl reporter. CBSA introduced "Morning Show." its answer to "Today" . . . very good if one is up at 7 a.m.
Through the late summer and early fall the politicians took over the spotlight. Best TV performances were given by Richard Nixon, President Eisenhower, Adalai Stevenson, and Everett Dirksen.
General Electric popped up with one of the most lavish shows yet produced. The two-hour "Diamond Jubilee of Light" was packed with top-flight stars and big name writers. Even President Eisenhower made a filmed appearance.
Ralph Edwards did a show on "This is our Life" about Douglas Stringfellow from Utah, the Congressman who later admitted his tale of war heroism is a hoax. Sports coverage improved and Canadian football games took over on Sunday afternoons.
Turning to radio, two feature programs—on Glenn Miller and Bing Crosby—were especially well done. Edward R. Murrow presented a tribute to Winston Churchill on the occasion of Churchill's 80th birthday.
A new trend has become apparent in radio. It's toward a program schedule of news and music . . designed for the casual listener, the driver, or the busy housewife. In this area, WHB was the first station to cut its network affiliations and revise its station policy along these lines.