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University Daily Kansan Wednesday, Feb. 6, 1957
Slanted Account—
Loaded Story Unfair
Good taste and unbiased reporting seem to have been tossed lightly aside when Bill Mayer, managing editor of the Lawrence Journal-World, expanded on what might well have been an off-hand comment by Gov. George Docking.
The story, which was given the No. 1 position in Monday's Journal-World, leaves much to the reader's imagination—or rather prejudice.
bGov. George Docking of Lawrence today stated in Topeka that he is viewing gate receipts at Allen Field House as a possible source of state revenue," was Mr. Mayer's opening statement.
What the governor actually said or implied is lost in the obviously biased account of what transpired as reported by Mr. Mayer.
When asked to comment on the story, Gov. Docking remarked, "I never comment on anything that self-styled newspaper ever says, and you may quote me."
Whether or not the governor is considering gate receipts from ball games at the field house as a source of state revenue is beside the point. What is of first concern is the unfair advantage taken of the governor by the Journal-World.
Coloring a news story with comments from unnamed individuals is a low trick, and could cause ill-will among associates of the governor if they allow themselves to be cajoled into believing what an inaccurate editorial in the news columns of the Journal-World spouts forth.
If an editorial is to run in the news columns of any newspaper, it should be tabbed as such. Mr. Mayer's "story" would have been more appropriate on the editorial page.
—Jerry Dawson
'Baby Doll'
Year's Most Talked Of Film Is Worth Talking About
"Baby Doll," the most cussed and discussed film of the year, isn't the best that the writer Tennessee Williams-director Elia Kazan combination has produced. The film, now playing at a local theater, is, however, an important contribution by both.
Williams, as he has done in his other plays, searches for the worst in the South for both characters and plot—and finds it.
The result is more than just a good movie — it is an excellent study of three characters endowed with more than their share of certain undesirable human traits.
Kazan, who is the best director in Hollywood for a Williams written film, got nearly the exact effect that Williams must have desired.
Baby Doll Meighan (Caroll Baker) has been married for two years to a man she has come to know as a failure. a braggart, a coward who backs down from any problem and takes his anger out on something that cannot fight back.
To add to Archie Lee's frustrations his business is bad — in fact he has best all of it. A syndiacute cotton gin with new equipment has run him out of business. He solves this problem in a typical Archie Lee way — by burning down the competing gin.
Her husband, Archie Lee, (Karl Malden) has his share of problems When he and Baby Doll married she decided that she wasn't ready. Archie Lee was forced to agree to wait until her 20th birthday before his marriage could be consummated with a wedding night.
Silva Vacarro (Eli Wallach) is the manager of the gin that burned. He
COLD NO'S
No, your snow-snoot isn't of much help. And while you're at it, defrost your wires as well as your windshield so you won't get caught with your panes down again. You must see danger to avoid it, so keep those defrosters and wipers working. Don't forget the heater, tire chains and headlights, either, when preparing for winter.
knows who burned it and his only interest is proving it and getting revenge. This he achieves but he goes about it in a strange way.
The morning after Silva's gin is burned he appears at Archie Lee's gin to get the syndicate's cotton processed.
Archie Lee sees himself as a success. He again has business for his cotton gin and at midnight that night Baby Doll becomes 20 years old. His money problems and physical frustrations are over.
He leaves Silva at the house to be entertained his wife and goes to the gin to work. Silva starts his game to make Baby Doll sign a statement that her husband burned down the syndicate gin.
Silva, a shrewd Sicilian who says he "lives by Biblical law — an eye for an eye" finds that the person that he must get the confession from is in most respects, a baby. He starts his subtle game of revenge by treating her as a child. Baby Doll, who pushed herself into a child's world because of her physical repulsion to her "fat, old man" likes the game and responds perfectly to the childish treatment. The game and the morning end in a game of hide and seek and a signed confession.
What results during the course of the rainy afternoon brings Baby-Doll out of her dream world and she becomes 20 years old.
This and the presence of Silva asleep in Baby Doll's crib has a disastrous effect upon Archie Lee. He takes action in the only way his mind will allow.
He says, "I'm gonna wipe that smile off your greasy woj face."
Baker, Malden, and Wallach do excellent acting jobs. There is too much of other Kazan directed actresses, however, in Baker to make her job really outstanding.
It is for the characters that "Baby Doll" is worth seeing - the frustrated, inepth husband who is married but only in name, the wife who seeks the sanctuary of a baby crib to avoid her husband, the revengeful Sicilian who seeks his own justice for a wrong.
Kazan, who has always done better with his male leads, got the best out of Malden and Wallach. Wallach, whose portrayal of Silva had to be much more subtle than what was called for in the relatively simple character of Archie Lee, does the best job of the three.
The movie lacks one thing that could have made it stronger and more important - a proper mood. Williams and Kazen sprinkled the film with shots and lines that were out of place and unnecessary. The effect is damaging.
"Baby Doll" is an almost film - it is almost equal to Hollywood's best - and it is much better than the usual fare that one gets from that city.
Gen. Lew Wallace, appointed territorial Governor of New Mexico in 1878, wrote much of his 'celebrated novel "Ben Hur" while serving in office.
Jerry Thomas
Our first attempt at book reviewing is forthwith recorded.
The title of the book we decided to review, "Webster's Dictionary," was somewhat misleading, for "dictionary" was mentioned only once in the whole tome, and then only in passing.
However, the author was extremely careful in his treatment of his subject, giving every possible bit of information
We thought that perhaps his use of odd little marks and italic phrases was a bit overdone, but for continuity the work is unsurpassed.
bit of information he could.
For the convenience of the reader and to
Dawson
save his eyes, the author broke up the treatise into many paragraphs. In the true spirit of good paragraphing, each dealt with one subject. As a matter of fact it was at times hard to determine the relationship of one to the next.
The breaking up of the work into chapters had a unique touch. Whereas most people use numbers—either Arabic or Roman—to denote first, second, and third chapters, the author of "Webster's Dictionary" used letters of the alphabet.
Though faulty phrasing and incomplete sentences were profuse throughout the work, it appears right from the first that the author knew what he was writing about. He evidently spent at least several weeks in completing the book.
Incidentally, movie rights have not as yet been purchased, but as the trend is to make movies of almost any book that is printed, we feel sure that this will entertain movie goers the world over.
The plot ends on a 'very weak note. We felt sure that the villian did it, even though he too was mentioned only once in the whole book, but a surprise ending leaves you breathless with the realization that Zyyzogeton (n.) (NL., fr. zyzza (prob. fr. Sp. zisza zigzag) is the real culprit.
Daily Hansan
Ad booki. Jerry Dawson
University of Kansas student newspaper
1904, trilweekly 1908, daily Jan. 16, 1913
1920, weekly 1917
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Associated Collegiate Press. Represented by National Advertising Service, 420 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y. News service: United Press. Mail subscription rates: $3 a semester or $4.50 a year. Published in Lawrence, Kan., every after-saturday. The University year except Saturdays and Sundays. Holidays, and examination periods. Entitled as second-class matter Sept. 17, 1910, at Lawrence, Kan., post office under act of March 3, 1879.
NEWS DEPARTMENT
Kent Theatre Company Editor
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT
Jerry Dawson
Editorial Editor
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