"Animal House"

There are a lot of people (deans come immediately to mind) who believe that the world would be a better and more sober place if this particular gift had never been delivered. Mad Chris Miller '63 not brought his account of fraternity hijinks to the silver screen. Dartmouth would not have an Animal House image to live down. Why couldn't the College have been associated with "The Paper Chase" or even "Love Story"?

On the other hand, "Animal House" was a far better movie. It was recently cited by The New Yorker as one of the few films that have had a real social impact. "Animal House" reversed the fraternity slump of the Vietnam years and made food fights and togas fashionable again. Political correctness and tougher drinking laws have recently turned Miller, the self-proclaimed crusader for "good old irresponsible, sophomoric, hedonistic, over-the-top fun," into something of an anachronism. Even so, the realworld counterparts of his celluloid heroes—Otter, Flounder, Pintocontinue to give deans fits.