1940
Author of the critically-acclaimed cinematic satire, The Front, released to the movie circuits in early November, is classmate Walter Bernstein, who has wrested from a career-crippling experience in his own life 25 years ago a film which could be his biggest hit.
Walter, whose earlier films include Fail-Safe and The Mollie Maguires, has written in TheFront a tragedy which is also a comedy with a message. Based on the McCarthy era black-listing of many in radio, television, and films, it depicts an exercise in widespread unofficial censorship totally outside of due process, on the basis often of little more than suspicion of Communist sympathy.
The film's special authority and the integrity of its humor stem from Walter's having been there - a writer not so long back from World War II combat and just beginning to get recognition. And he found himself among the blacklisted. As best he can guess, he was among those denied markets for their work because, as a war-time writer for Yank, he made his way through Nazi lines to become the first western newsman to interview Yugoslavia's embattled Tito, who subsequently awarded him Yugoslavia's Partisan Order of Merit Medal.
Walter took an economic beating, but survived the ordeal with his optimism and humor intact. Since then he has steadily been rebuilding his career. And, if critical praise is any indicator, The Front should be a winner.
Vincent Canby, '45, film critic of the NewYork Times, reflected the general tone of reviews I've read, calling Walter's work "a moving, haunted film about the panic that swept this country during the late 1940's and early '50's."
Walter helped to make it possible for the film to be previewed early on campus in a special showing to benefit the fund for the advancement of film studies at Dartmouth. Prior to the preview, which he attended, he cautioned that students should not expect a political diatribe. "The movie is not a polemic," he said. "In fact, there's a great deal of humor in it because being a blacklisted writer at that time led to some outrageously funny situations."
Woody Allen, starring for the first time in a film which he did not also help to create, has noted that he agreed to act in The Front "because it was one of the best pieces of material that has ever been offered to me."
It was a happy time for Jack Little shortly after the 1976 commencement, which brought together three generations of Littles holding the Dartmouth A.B. With Jack was his father, Lester K. Little, '14, and his son, Carl von Kienbusch Little, '76. And with Carl graduated, Jack then took time for a little more "education" himself, flying to Athens to join the alumni voyage through the Black Sea and the Aegean.
Confirming what the Class of '40 already knew, Time, Inc. has acknowledged what a good man they have in class president John Crandali by promoting him to publisher of its well-named magazine, Money. He learned of the promotion only a day or so prior to returning to Hanover to preside at the class's mini-reunion meeting the morning of the near-miss Harvard game.
The game, back in Hanover for only the fourth time in history, proved a real magnet. Noted at the class meeting, at Bob and CrosbieMacmillan's home for pre-game brunch, at the game, or at the Grahams' establishment for a post-game gourmet gathering were 39 members of the Class with their wives, ex-wives, friends, and/or children.
Returning classmates were Oscar Acer, Joe Adams, John Allen, Ken Arwe, Bob Austin, Joe Bird, Lloyd Blanchard, Chet Brett, Elmer Brown, Bill Bumsted, Joe Burnett, Bob Clark, John Cowen, John Crandell, Hugh Dryfoos, Sid Harrington, Cliff Holmes, Staff King, Ted Lewitt, Jack Little, Manny Mansfield, Jack McDonald, Bill Martin, Mark Miller, John Moody, Art Ostrander, Tuffy Reeves, Joe Rinehart, Scott Rogers, Art Rosenthal, Cal Sterling, George Sheldon, Jordan Van Cleve, Frank Whaland, Stet Whitcher, Sam Williams, and Howie Zagor.
For those with long-range vision who would like to join the roll call in '77, the dates agreed upon for next year's fall gathering are October 21-22, the weekend the Big Green hosts Cornell. 20 rooms are reserved at the Maple Leaf Motel for those two nights, and so is the Drake Room in the Hopkins Center for drinks and supper on the Friday night prior to the game to give us the frame for another fun weekend. Put the date in your calendar now!
Little '40 (left), Little '14, and Little '76.
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