The Ridgerunner, September 15, 1967 Page 2
Editorials,
Minority Rule
Two hundred and fifty nine students vdted a full
slate of class officers into power on September 7. Of the
total student body, only] aboult one third exercised their
right and responsibility of selection. The adult world! is
full of pleas to voters at election time. A; remarkable
number of registered, adults do( not vote, despite the in
tensity of the cry in all forms of media. Students at A-B
are in a unique position. They can easily electj to office
people with whom they frequently have close association.
The prospect of knowing a good deal about Hhej various
candidates is excellent.
Lack of information 'is perhaps an excuse for negli
gence? in the world! aroiund, us, (it is a poon onq at that)
but ilt is nothing more than an expression of the “let
Greorge do it” attitude on the campus. To maintain in
telligent and responsibile leadership, we must vote, hope
fully with intellegence and responsibility ourselves, but
at least vote. '
If the students feel that they don’t have an opportim-
ity to leant about the candidates, they they should devote
some energy to changing the procedure. Campaign
speeches, printed platforms, a party system, these are
but a few of the possibilities
They Want You
Images, the student Fine arts magazine on campus,
is in need of contributions. The magazine has enjoyed
somewhat limited success with it’s past issues, buit cer
tainly not what anyone would call amazing. The con
cept of a fine arts publication by the students is a neces
sary one ta a liberal] arts college. It can be imagiinative,
exciting and a good jumping-off place for aspiring on
campus writers. To achieve these ends, however, those
who havq talenli in 'the institution must support it.
Poetry, short fiction, photography, songs, these and many
more arei acceptable contributions. They may be placed
in the “drop ^x” by (the Images office on the second
floor of the student center or delivered personally to Ken
Snelling, this year’s editor.
Letters to the Editor
*Adult Film’ Theatre Thrives
.Dear Editor,
I would like
to ask my fellow beings to
think about this and don’t you
wish they would do something
atoiit it. There are quite a
few things noticeable.
First, the meal-tlcket Is pro
vided so that the students can
save about 50f and do not havei
to carry cash around. This part
is all-right, but we can’t use
the same ticket for the Snack
bar, although the Snack-bar is
a part of college Cafeteria and
on the week-ends we do not have
any choice but the Snack-bar.
Secondly the Cafeteria mana
gement expects all 200 boys and
girls, who live on campus to go
home on the week-ends or to
keep some kind of transportation
so that we can go out and eat
somewhere uptown or downtown.
But here we run into trouble.
If we do not keep the trans
portation on the week-ends, we
do not have any choice but a
grilled-cheese or a 45? ham
burger, and we can’t get break
fast unless we force them to fry
an egg or bacon and that is after
9:00 a.m., of course. How many
students know that they can or
der eggs and bacon at the Snack
bar on the week - ends only?
( Personally, I doubt very much,
that even two percent of the
college strength knowsi) Then,
of course, we have to live on a
grilled-cheese or a 45? ham
burger for lunch and dinner both,
every week-end. Do we have a
choice? OhI yest^ we do have a
choice) We can either beg some
one to give us a ride to a place
uowntown where we can get some
thing to eat other than a ham
burger , or if a hamburger, to
a place where we can buy ham
burgers for 15?, or else, we
can do two more things, first.
Just drink a cold glass of wa
ter and stretch a blanket over
us or keep some kind of canned
foods in the room and eat it
cold or simmer it in the coffee-
maker. Now, If we do keep an
automobile, and have a scholar
ship from the institution, we may
lose our scholarship.(I almost
lost my scholarship last year
and the argument given to me was
simple — I drive my own auto
mobile.) And don’t you think that
the argument is valid, if you
can afford an automobile you
can pay for the college, its as
simple as that.
If you can wait for breakfast
until 9:00 a.m. and can live on
a grllled-cheese sandwich or a
45? hamburger on the week
ends, every week-end (fellow, you
have got it made, but If you can’t
you are in trouble. There is
however something the institution
could do for us. If kitchen
privlliges are provided, we can
experiment and can cook the
dishes of our choice on week
ends, for girls this will be good
practice. or else, the Cafe
teria must be open on week
ends for those students whocnn’t
go home (WeU,'l can’t my home,
the sweet home is 14,000^ miles
away.) I
We wish something could be
done about it, other wise wcr will,
be very disappointed. I am
sure you would like to see THE
LITTLE HARVARD’ act like a
'LITTLE HARVARD’ and pro
vide the students all the needed
means, so that they can devote
themselves to studies and could
be proud of this institution. We
do not expect too much and you
should not say that we have
expected now is TOO MUCH FOR
‘THE LITTLE HARVARD.’
HAROON SHADMAN
Mrs. Phyllis Williams mana
ges the Fine Arts theatre in
Asheville.'-^ Located on Blltmoe
Avenue, the movie house pre
sents films of an “adult” nat
ure, commonly referred to as
“Skin /licks.” In an effort to
shed some light on the opera
tion of the theatre and its func
tion in the community Mrs. Wil
liams agreed to the following
interview:
Ridgerunner: Could you tell
us something about your experi
ence with the theatre?
Mrs. Williams: I’ve worked
here for seven and one half
years, the last two of them as
manager.
R: Who owns the theatre?
W: E. M. Lowes of Boston
o^na it. It’s part of their chain
and the only one in the area.
R: How are the films you show"
chosen?
W: A professional booker in
Charlotte handles that. We have
no say In the films *we get.
R: How do you account for
the occasional “art” film in the
midst of your regular fare?
W: Mr. Lowes likes to vary
the films, usually once or twice
a year.
R: What part in the community
does the theatre play?
W: It provides a different
type of entertainment. There
is a film problem in Asheville,
however, there are shows for
adults and,for children, but none
for teen-agers.
Show Reviewed
R: Can you remeber the films
that have drawn the best box
office in the past year?
W: Yes, they were “I, A
Woman” which was an art film
and ‘ The Pink Pussycat.”
R: Do you censor any of your
films?
W: We have never censored
a film.
R: Has the theatre ever been
closed by the authorities?
W: The Fine Arts has never
been closed by the authorities.
In 1964 we closed voluntarily
after receiving pressure from
some of the high schools and
churches. They wanted to turn
us into a “second rim” theatre.
After trying the old films for
four months, we closed again at
a loss. About six months later
we re-opened with the usual bill
of adult films.
R: What would be your re
action to a closing attempt this
time?
W: I would fight it. I wouldn’t
close without orders from Bos
ton.
R: Would you define “adult”
as it applies to the theatre?
W: Adult films have stories
that wouldn’t Interest a child.
R: Would you please define
“pornography”?
W: Pornography is individual.
It depends on how far you let
your emotions and mind go.
R: How do you determine
“adults” for admission pur
poses?
W: Our patrons must be over
18 years old. If we are sus
picious we check draft cards
and drivers licenses. We turn
those away that are under 18.
Most of our customers are re
gular and live in Asheville. They
are not a low type of people,
and usually are an older group.
R: Do you receive any writ
ten complaints about your films?
W: In two years we have
received two complaints, one
from Ohio and one from Bar-
nardsville.
R: Do you experience any re
action to your advertising?
W: Some people kick about
our ads, so we revyprd them.
We can’t use titles with offensive
words in the newspaper. The
other theatres can get by with
a lot more than I can. We
couldn’t use such titles as “Days
of Sin, Nights of Nymphomania”.
If we could use what we want,
the place would be swarming.
R: Is there anything we over
looked that you’d like to comment
on?
W: Yes, The people who con
demn a place like this are for
getting that all of us who work
here are trying to make a liv
ing. I teach a Sunday School
class and when I tell people
where l work, they say, “You
work there!”
The' people are our true cen
sors. If they support us, then
we know we’re all right.
Painter Sees World Of Aliens
Tucker Cooke’s paintings cur
rently on exhibit at the Thomas
Wolfe Playhouse reveal an alien
conception of humanity. These
beings are definitely not of this
world even though the titles of
some belie this.
In “America, America” a
theme is presented which recurs
in almost every picture. The man
In the dark glasses shadowed by
a pink and plum flag creates an
aura- of shock; the man has been
unveiled and he is stunned. Mr.
Cooke seems to be saying that
the noveau-colored flag repre
sents a society of surprised and
confused beings.
And what happens when some
one is surprised? They usually
assume a defense. One would
not want to meet this pale man,
for though he seems Insipid at
first glance, he has the onimous
strength that comes when a being
has been too long without a ra
tional mind.
The unemotional aliens reap
pear In “Liriplpe”. Again the
humanity portrayed seems male
volent. The baroque twistings
of red, orange, and black are
darkly ironical. And irony has
an unmistakeable odor, unplea
sant and sickening.
In “Hell’s Angels”, though not
executed in Mr. Cooke’s char
acteristic muted idiom, there
is no response to the violent,
cubistic form. The face Is ra
vaged, yet no comment is being
made by the artist. Just as the
artist has recoiled from re
sponse, so does the viewer.
Do you know “Bayadere”? He
has a multi-colored coat as Jo
seph once had. Can this unde
fined chimera be heir to Joseph?
The face has the wanunf^miliar-
ity that all the creatures of Mr.
Cooke’s world have.
in “Jasmine,” “Lysistrata,”
and “Calendar Model” there are
invisible substances beyond the
revealed bodies which are va
guely sad-The visibly portrayed
women are*^well controlled. The
composition is ordered, the tech
nique competent. Y«t perhaps
they are too controlled. Some
thing has been left unsaid. Why
are those strange women stand
ing there, not even aware of the
flowers incised on their thighs?
The eyes are those of phantoms.
Certainly they see, but what?
Seemingly the beings which the
artist knows are removed from
the touch of man. And they are
removed by consent of both crea
tor and creation.
The composite emotion ach
ieved when all the characters
have passed before us, is one of
recoil. Rejection comes; and it
is a totally objective, unemotion
al rejection. Perhaps Mr. Cooke
feels this too, for there hangs
the “Twiggy Box”, the little lady
of today’s fad making the final,
mindless and obscene gesture —
rejecting us just as we do her.
Whether unemotional objecti
vity is the aim of Mr. Cooke’s
idiom, or whether it comes as
•a subconscious action, his works
are technically effective and sty
listically defined. But it seems
that all this has been said be
fore. Man’s alienation Is cer
tainly not new. Nor is Mr. Cooke’s
interpretation.
The Ridgerunner
Stewart Judkins Editor
Thom Mount Mananagiog Editor'
Gail Lunsford Make-up Editor
Bdb Bauer Business Onager
Karen Mowery .... Advertising Manager
George Macatee Staff Photographer
Our Letter Policy
Letters! to the Editor and subnUssions foi* guest edUorials
should bei left at the office of Tlie Ridgeraniier oc put in the
intracampus box in the Student Unirai Bulld&ng. All submsssioris
must be signed.
We welcome both! letters and longer mare comf>rehensive
articles of opinion from students, faculty, adoiinistration, and
from any citizens of the community whose contribution is
-diivcted toward the educational interests of Ifte college. All
submissions should be typed and dtwblespaced.