ustxtxb_obs_1955_06_06_50_00006-00000_000.pdf

CLEAR CHANNELS Daaa-vy Crockett. -i….41 -Ze4A__ “a-AAA ceae -Am0C c C2_ From an old print, for our younger readers 4 This 01′ Hound Dog He works for the Texas Observer. There’s nothing, but nothing, he’d rather do than sniff and snoop around the state, then come back to our office and bark about it. And believe 01′ Hound Dog, he’s got something to bark about. You won’t want to miss any of our hot summer issues. 01′ Hound Dog sniffs and snoops and just won’t take “no comment” for an answer. He’s a real churl, even on dog days. Subscribe now, won’t you? You’ve been reading Aunt Minnie’s paper long enough. The Texas Observer Address Drawer F, Capitol Station, Austin, Texas Name Street Address City and State \(Signe The Texas Observer, one year $4.00 IN BURNET Community Internationalism C of C, Kiwanians, the two EpsiThe Community Brotherhood, a Ion Sigma Alpha sororities, and the unique Burnet organization, had By JACK SUMNIERFIELD AUSTIN Far more experienced columnists than I have capitulated to the Davy Crockett craze. When the Boston Symphony Orchestra performs “The Ballad of Davy Crockett” and J. Frank Dobie devotes several weekly columns exclusively to Crockett, it speaks well for the power of television. Of course, it was Walt Disney, the enterprising businessman, who reawakened our interest in the “king of the wild frontier.” Even if you don’t like cowboy movies and even if the Texas history has been a bit distorted, the Disney Studios have stimulated reconsideration of three old professional traditions in the entertainment world: that a really successful show must have an established “star”; that if a motion picture is to be commercially profitable, it cannot first be shown on television; and that a broadcast will not endure repeated showings. Fess Parker, who I believe won the “Ugly Man” Contest at the University of Texas a few years ago, was certainly no star before his title role, though he was fairly sure to make the grade simply by being cast in the Disney production. Most actors work a lot longer and a lot harder before reaching public or professional prominence. But Fess is now the idol of a million youngsters and an unadmitting number of adults; Marilyn Monroe is almost forgotten, and Disney is in the counting house. Second, if you own a television set and haven’t seen many good movies on it, the reason is partly that the Hollywood studios are doing their best to “protect” themselves and the local motion picture exhibitors by refusing television showings. Sports promoters likewise refuse to televise games or fights in the interest of gate receipts. After Disney’s experience, a good many of these businessmen may be catching on that simultaneous or even advance coverage often increases their box-office take. Perhaps the most insidious of the three misconceptions which the Davy Crockett revival has helped to dispel is that a program is only good for a single broadcast. On television, Davy is now on his second life-history. With few such exceptions, television and r a d i o broadcasters have refused to accept what motion picture and stage producers have known for a long time, that a good show is good for more than one showing; and even if it isn’t a good show, it is good business to run it as often as possible. Only a handful of educational broadcasting station s, notably WGBH in Boston, operated by the Lowell Institute and ten New England cultural and educational institutions, have pioneered in and rationalized repeat performances. About the only “repeats” that come from most broadcasters are considered by them to be scheduling duplications and oversights which they will try to avoid the next time. Some of our best entertainment and education h a s come from broadcastirm, and we as listeners and viewers should induce our friends who operate radio and television stations to follow the Disney example by emphasizing personalities but not “stars” and by calling for rebroadcast of any programs which we particularly like. As for showing good, up-to-date movies on television, this is a problem which the motion picture producers are fighting just as they fight to preserve the commercial and technical leadership which their industry has enjoyed during the past decade. In any event, Disney’s Crockett is more than a popular song or a coon skin cap. He is a new sort of pioneer. He has provided us a lesson in business economics based on innovation rather than tradition. \(Edwin Sue Goree, our contributor from Burnet, writes this week of an interesting exercise in community internaBURNET Burnet peop e and a group of foreign students, mostly Asiatics, confounded the Kipling-quoters on a recent week-end when the students came to visit. East and West met and mingled and discovered that we are all just people with more similarities than differences. The idea came from Block Smith in Austin to the Rev. J. W. Newton of the Presbyterian Church here that entertaining the strangers almost within our gates would not only be scriptural but enlightening all around. The Community Brotherhood, the Ministerial Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the Junior Pen Chat Club responded with enthusiasm and offers to help. Ralph Burleson, attorney and president of the Junior C of C, was named overall organizer. The list of guests was sent over and there were some disappointed prospective hosts, for there were not enough students to go around. Students were assigned to hosts by name and country, with notes about religion and food taboos. Some families visited the county library for additional information. Children at school discussed the coming visit, and if a child had a student coming to his home, he boasted a little. The few doubters were content to wait and see. Fair Musicals Open In Dallas With ‘Kismet’ DALLAS The fourteenth season of State Fair Musicals opened this week in Dallas with the original Broadway cast’s presentation of “Kismet.” The Dallas musicals have become one of the best known entertainment features of the Southwest. Elaine Malbin and William Johnson head up the cast for “Kismet.” Miss Malbin, 23 years of age, first appeared in musicals in “Song of Norway” in 1951 and has since performed with the New York City Opera. Johnson played in “Annie Get Your Gun” and “Kiss Me Kate” in London. “Kismet” runs at the State Fair Auditorium through June 19. The next four musicals of the season will be locally produced. “South Pacific” runs June 20 to July 30; “Bitter Sweet” July 4 through July 18, with Jeannette MacDonald; “Carousel” July 18 to 31, with Gordon MacRae; and “One Touch of Venus,” opening August 1 with Janet Blair and Russell Nype. Burgess Meredith leads the Broadway cast in the final presentation of the season, “The Teahouse of the August Moon,” the last two weeks of August. State Fair Musicals, Inc., sponsors the musicals each year. R. L. Thornton, mayor of Dallas, is president. changed its usual meeting date to Friday evening to be able to entertain the students. Ladies were invited, and a barbecue dinner was served to 200 townspeople and guests. District Judge Thomas C. Ferguson made a talk, after which the Rev. Mr. Newton introduced the students to the audience. At the close, each student met his host and the visit began. If there were moments of uncertainty in the various homes, the children quickly resolved them. They were the unifying influences. They looked at the pictures of parents so far away, heard about the brother in college or the sister teaching school, inquired what the student would do when he returned to his home, what the father did to earn a living, what the student himself had played when he was younger. On Saturday morning, business houses, schools and the courthouse were visited and pictures taken for “Texas in Review” on television. The Greater Evil I hold and maintain that it is far better to endure and suffer from the ills of even a great evil than to violate, in the least, a vital principle of civil and religious liberty … The time to resist the encroachment of tyranny is at the incipient state thereof.” SAM HOUSTON \(The Autobi- ography of Sam Houston, edited by Donald Day and Harry Ul The county library was to have been visited but was crowded out. This was a pity. The United States maintains libraries in many of the countries represented, and the students might have been interested to see that we believe in bookzjor ourselves, also. The Kiwanis Club entertained the students at luncheon, after which there was a drive to Longhorn Park and Cavern and other beauty spots. The tour ended with a weiner roast at the ranch home of the Sylvester Reeds at Inks Lake. Some of the students attended church with hosts and hostesses on Sunday morning. Others had horseback rides and fun with the family. On the evening before, the students themSelves had given a program in American Legion Hall. They had introduced each other and serious talks of national interpretation had been given, interspersed with songs and dances. Their hosts had come away with more understanding, more sympathy for war-wrecked and hungry France, Germany and Japan; Turkey, Australia, Venezuelaall the 19 countries represented had ceased to be just spots on the map. The men and women of Burnet did well for themselves. We’ve been hearing Iraq and Pakistan mentioned in sidewalk conversations, and someone referred to the Premier of Ceylon by name and without skipping a syllable. Even Korea may cease to be just the scene of “Truman’s War.” We hope the story the students write home will be as reassuring to their people as their visit was to ours. EDWIN SUE GOREE El Salvador The Death of a Child Fernando Someta when death’s about. But death is a thief, Rue and crane’s bill, and a bowl of water on his grave. When he died his soul was younger than rain \(God gave We had a session. The Spirits said that water, rue-sprig, and a leaf of crane’s bill turned down the bed not sleep. He’s dead. BRUCE CUTLER