Screenwriter discusses movies
By JUDY JARRELL Kansan Staff Writer
He doesn't strive to create sexy bedroom scenes or movies with real meaning. Instead, he simply wants to entertain.
William Bowers, Hollywood screenwriter, is visiting the KU campus as a representative of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the first time such a representative has been sent to a university campus.
Explaining that he is here to establish contact with people in the Midwest, Bowers said last night, "The established people in Hollywood are delighted that more universities are adding cinematography courses. I plan to write a report when I get back to tell how important it is to keep this going."
By chance a movie written and produced by Bowers "Support Your Local Sheriff," a western comedy, opens at the Varsity Theatre here tonight.
Bowers revealed that although he can't even ride a horse, western movies always have seemed to be his most successful.
He expressed a fear that the
24 KANSAN Apr.16 1969
"G" rating placed on the picture would keep persons away, labeling it "square."
Voicing his view on censorship of movies, the writer spoke of the rigid censorship in the thirties, when he began his career.
"The code was stupid. A film could only show the outside, and not the inside, of women's legs. I've seen both and I see no difference."
Now the pendulum is swinging too far in the other direction, he said, and people with no sense are making dirty movies.
"The public holds the most potent censorship, but unfortunately the public is flocking to these movies," he added.
About the concern over violence in the movies today, Bowers said the same concern was expressed in 1880 when the Buffalo Bill books were released. Violence in westerns will not ruin the younger generation; it is simply the essence of westerns, he said.
Bowers spoke casually about the various aspects of movie-making and the industry's big stars.
"The studios are cold and infuriating," he said. "They don't care about the script as long as they have the big stars. When 'The Graduate' became such a success, they were shocked to find they might have
to make a good picture to make money."
Hollywood invented the western legend, Bowers suggested. It has become such a classic, with the shoot-out at the end, that if it is varied, the audience probably would not like it.
"The actual west has been mined over by the Hollywood character. There just were not that many gunmen," he said.
He constantly complained about the high costs of producing a movie. For example, in "The Sherif" he received a bill for $12,000—for mud.
We couldn't use plain mud; it had to be "special" mud, he said.
William Bowers
Presently Bowers is writing a stage musical about Max Sennett, who provided him with a great deal of inspiration.
He was one of the founders of the Writer's Guild in the thirties.
Bowers will be on campus until Friday, speaking to classes and offering help to any student who wants help or advice on how to get into the motion picture industry.
All-America newspaper
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Balance should be maintained between various sources, provide variety of types of news in each issue and in successive issues, provide full news coverage, not just routine, scheduled events, avoid overdevelopment of any one source, provide pleasing balance between news and features but avoid too much column material, avoid long list of names of doubtful news value.
In further comments concerning the fall semester Kansan, Mace said, "I really believe in this age of emotionalism that the newspaper is really in an excellent position to expose injustices and push for improvement. The reason we aren't pushing a point of view is to be objective. If things are exposed or people are given a chance to hear both sides, the truth will eventually be found."
In addition to the ACP award, the fall semester Kansan won four William Randolph Hearst Foundation awards. The awards were for features, editorials, in depth series and news writing.
The fall semester Kansan staff included;
George Richardson, news adviser; Mel Adams, advertising adviser and associate professor of journalism; Monte Mace, managing editor; Jack Haney, Salina senior and business manager; assistant managing editors-Pat Crawford, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, senior; Charla Jenkins, Emporia副教授; Alan T. Jones, East Aurora, N.Y. senior; Steve Morgan, Shawnee Mission senior; Allen Winchester, Hutchinson senior; Bob Butler, Prairie Village junior and news editor; Joanna Wiebe, Hillsboro senior and assistant news editor; Alison Steimel, Wright senior and editorial editor; Richard Lundquist, Lindsborg senior and assistant editorial writer; Ron Yates, Shawnee senior and sports editor; Bob Kearney, Olathe junior and assistant sports editor; Rea Wilson, Mission senior and feature and society editor; Ruth Rademacher, Arkansas City junior and assistant feature editor; Copy editors-Judy Dague, Tulsa, Okla., senior; Linda McCreyer, Honolulu, Hawaii, junior; Don Westhausen, Marion senior; Sandy Zahradnik, Kansas City senator; Marilyn Zook Peterson, Wichita senior; Mike Willman, Atchison senior and advertising manager; Kathy Sanders, Lawrence senior and national advertising manager; Pam Flaton, St. Louis senior and promotion, and Jerry Bottenfield, Pittsburgh junior and circulation manager.
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