SUNDAY, JUNE 2, 1940
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
PAGE THREE
Budget Is Only Defect Of University Movie
By Jim Bell, c'40
"Far Above the Golden Valley," the Bureau of Visual Instruction's movie of University life, should serve its avowed purpose—to sell K.U. to high school seniors and their parents.
Although the premiere audience Tuesday night was inclined to scoff quietly, it realized that the picture is not intended to be a picture of K. U. life as Hillies know it, nor is it supposed to be any technical masterpiece—not with that slim budget on which director Allen Crafton and cameraman Art Wolf had to work. What it is supposed to be is an inexpensive picture of a segment of college life, as realistic as the director possibly could make it with limited facilities, and an instrument with which K.U. can combat, to some extent, the fantastic rumors of our rumming, anti-religion, high living and rebellious life that are circulated about the state. As this, the picture is a fine success.
The picture is no polished masterpiece. It can't be, considering the conditions under which it was filmed. When you see it, remember that the director and author is a full time professor who was carrying a full academic load during the filming, that the cameraman is a hard working law student and that all the actors are students who volunteered their
time between classes and study periods.
The story concerns five University students and how they grew. There is Ann, the daughter of a small town restaurant proprietress, played by Ann Rightmire; Bernice, a "snobish" sorority girl, who is impressed only by her social station, portrayed by Esther; Mitchell; Carl, a farm boy, acted by Larry David; Dave, an indolent fraternity man, played by Fred Littooy; and Les, a homesick young man from a small town, Les Hixon.
Ann and Carl make their adjustments easily and Les comes around from his incessant desire to pack up and go home in a reasonable length of time, but the fraternity man and the sorority girl don't do so well. One of the picture's two bad points is that it appears to be an indictment against the fraternity system. It's going to hurt rushing in small towns.
The other fault is Bernice's snob-bishness. This reviewer feels that outstate audiences will forget that the girl was a snob before she came to the Hill and that she was eventually cured. They will remember solely the fact that she was a snob—one of the many they hear infest Mt. Oread.
Real acting honor goes to Les Hixon, Larry David and Mary Frances McAnaw. Hixon and David are veteran performers on the K.U. stage, but Miss McAnaw is a new-comer. The story is told how she, as a Daily Kansan reporter, failed to get
a story about, tryouts in the paper and was the only one to show up. In a moment of playful rage, Director Crafton made her take a screen test, and lo and behold, a star was born. She plays Ann's roommate very nicely. The parents in Hounds Ditch, Kan., will think she is wonderful.
'Wacky' French Gardener Inspires His Countrymen
David, who this writer suspects never saw anything closer to a farm than Central Park in New York City, has no trouble at all becoming an ambitious young farmer boy with a horn. He spends the picture trying to learn to play a trumpet. It is a good thing that the picture was not shot for sound.
London, June 1—(UP)—A 60-year-old French gardner, once described as "un peu touche," (a little touched in the head) today was the inspiration for thousands of British civilian home defenders.
The gardener lived on an estate in Rheims. He was too old for military service, but when the Germans started their big push, he got his old, second-hand Swedish machine gun out of the attic of his little cottage.
Hixon's performance is, in many respects, the best in the picture. He seemed to understand the part perfectly and carried it off with ease.
He had spent most of his savings on the gun when the war started last September. His constant polishing of the gun and his pride in its ownership was a source of much amusement of the wits in the Rheims grog shops.
At the edge of Rheims, the story goes, the gardener was waiting with his finger on the trigger of his pet. It popped faithfully and the German bomber hit the dust.
A harmless old duffer playing soldier, "un peu touche," the wise-acres said.
But it is to director Crafton than the biggest part of the credit is due. He wrote the script and managed the production. Don Dixon served as his assistant. Whatever the picture's success is, it belongs to Crafton. He knew his subject and, we are sure, was perfectly aware of the minor defects pointed out elsewhere in this review.
But one day a German bomber reached the edge of the town, after the invasion of the low countries, and military machine gunners blaze away and missed.
The bomber was too low for the heavy anti-aircraft guns.
Now the "pop-pop" man of Rheims is the pride of his town and his feat is cited here as an inspiration for Britain's thousands of "parashootists."
At the premiere, Fred Montgomery, head of the Bureau of Visual Instruction, presided with the grace of a professional master of ceremonies. Kaw Valley orchids (Iris) were presented to the stars following the picture's showing.
The production should serve as a valuable bit of experience, pointing the way to future work in this field. It should certainly justify the expenditure of more money for more films of the same sort. The University can use some of this good publicity!
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This Week-
Where To Go; What To Do
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MONDAY
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June 3
TUESDAY
June 4
WEDNESDAY
June 5
THURSDAY
June 6
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10:30 classes, 5, 4, 3 hours at 8:30 to 11:20
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