Page Six
The Rams Horn
April, 1969
ACP Review-Premier Gov. Scott Speaks
Of “Where Eagles Dare” On Student Riots
By LEWIS HYDE
“Whare Eagles Dare,” with
Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood,
and Mary Ure, is a spy adventure
set in the Austrian Alps during
World War II.
Burton and Eastwood
penetrate an impenetrable castle
to free a captured British flyer.
Like all good spy stories, the tale
becomes endlessly complicated
and convoluted before the end.
The tension stays high. As
soon as you figure out what’s
happening, it isn’t During the
brief periods when you know
what’s going on, the tension is
maintained by intensely
dangerous situations and
showers of violence and
brutality like in any nine million
dollar movie.
Burton plays the infallible lead
spy, always ahead of the other
men, fast and cool. It’s a simple
part and he does it well.
Eastwood plays the American
from Montana; not quite with it,
doing his job well, saying slight,
low-key witicisms whenever he
kills someone.
The form of the movie is
absolute HoUwood, bordering on
spoof. The Germans ^eak
English with German accents,
the Gestapo chief is blond and
angular, every passing train
whistles, the German general
wears a monocle, none of the
good guys gets hurt, Germans
die like flies, a helicopter
appears years before its
invention, every plant that’s hit
burns, every car that crashes
blows up, a girl is parachuted in
so the publicity can show
Burton smooching... the list
goes on.
Reality is casually sacrificed to
entertain. AH movies do it.
However, the departures in this
one are so cliched that,
compounded with the excessive
and formulaic violence, the
movie ends up uncreative,
retarded. It could have been
made in 1942 (except no one
found the ward entertaining
then).
I talked to the director, Brian
Hutton, and asked, “Well, do
you like your movie?” He told
us, “a film it’s not; a movie, yes.
It’s for the guy who works in the
factory six days a week for
$2.50 an hour. It hits him on the
head—not that he needs it, ha
ha—but it’s not Antonioni, it’s
not Bergman... ” And, Clint
Eastwood told us, “I personally
don’t like message films.”
One can’t help but agree.
You’d sound rather pompous to
claim that an uncreative movie
with no point ought not to have
been made.
Nonetheless, the movie is evil.
First, there’s the violence.
Violence is normal, I know, but
let me explain. A man bums up.
Another is fighting with Burton
on top of a coble car high above
the valley. Burton takes his ice
pick and embeds it in the man’s
arm. At one point they must kill
a radio operator. For reasons of
plot—the man has to turn in an
alarm before he dies—he’s
stabbed instead of shot. Clint,
therefore, creeps up on him for
at least 30 seconds.
Lotsa other folks get killed,
too, but none of them is human.
They are just Fascists or
something.
Violence in movies isn’t
wrong. But violence which
de-humanizes the victims and
keeps us from thinking is.
As an aside. I’ll mention that
no one at MGM seems to care
about violence. We talked to
co-producer Jenry Gershwin. He
doesn’t give a damn. We quizzed
the new MGM president, Louis
Polk, who spoke of a pluralistic
society, “You get shifts and
tendencies. . . it’s like a
pendulum... you had witch
burning in Salem. To cut
violence out, I think, is a
mistake. .. ” The gist of his
answer seemed to be that people
want to see violence.
So, “Where Eagles Dare” is a
good adventure movie. It’s also a
big, expensive, golden egg.
In light of possible
disturbances on the campuses of
State institutions of higher
learning, it might be virell to
emphasize that North Carolina
recognizes peaceful picketing
and demonstrating as legal
means of expresing dissent or a
point of view and that such
persons while so engaged are
entitled to protection under the
law.
The campuses of State
institutions of higher learning
are not places of refuge or
asylum. All persons on campuses
of State institutions of Mgha
learning are subject to the laws
of the State. Law enforcement
officers do not have to secure
any permission from the
administrative authorities of
such State institutions of higher
learning before entering in and
upon the campuses of these
institutions for the enforcement
of the criminal law. The highest
administrative officers of
universities and colleges have no
authority to suspend or prevent
the application of the criminal
law to crimes committed on
campuses. Law enforcement
officers, as a matter of courtesy,
ought to consult with
administrative officers and
campus security guards to obtain
their views as to any situation
when at all practical. However,
their opinions are not
controlling and bindii^ upon
peace officers. Institutions and
their chief administrative
ofHcers should cooperate with
appropriate authorities in the
enforcement of the laws of the
State.
When there are riots, unlawful
assemblies and other
demonstrations on campuses
which “impair or prevent the
accomplishmoit of any lawful
mission, process, or function of
an educational institution,”
administrative officers will
follow substantially the rules set
forth below:
1. Presidents and chancellors
or their designated
representative must call the
Governor and advise him as to
any situation on the campus
which is causing concern.
2. Upon being informed that
students have seized a building
on campus and are interfering
with the customary, normal use
of the building and the grounds
in and around the buikling and
refuse to vacate, or that there
are riots or unlawful
demonstrations, the
administrative officer or his
designated representative will
call the chief of police or the
sheriff of the county, or both,
and request that these officers
proceed to the campus.
3. The chief of police or the
sheriff of the county or their
designated representatives
should, immediately upon arrival
on the campus, confer with
administrative officials and
campus security officers
concerning the situation.
4. The administrative official
in charge of the facility or the
chief campus security officer,
along with such other law
enforcement officers as are
present, upon finding that a
building has been seized and
occupied by students or t^t
there is a riot or other unlawful
assembly or disturbance, shouW
first advise all persons
participating in such unlawful
activity to vacate the building or
to disperse from any riot or
unlawful assembly.
5. Upon refusal or failure to
comply, the law enforcement
officers should proceed with
arrest, recording the name and
institutk>nal status, i.e., student,
faculty member, teaching
assistaid, etc., of each persons
taken into custody.
6. Should the demonstration
take the form of occupying a
building and barricading the
facility to prevent entry, the
officers in charge should again
request that violators cease and
desist and vacate the premises. If
the request is refused, the
isresident or chancellor should
be consulted by the officer in
charge or the campus security
officer immediately. Thereafter,
the law enforcement officers
should proceed to enter the
facility and when entered,
should again repeat the process
of informing the occupants of
the facilities to cease and desist,
and upon refusal, proceed with
arrest and recording of personal
data.
7. These law enforcement
officers should be told to arrest
all parsons on the campus who
have committed a felony or a
misdemeanor in the presence of
the officer, or when the officer
has reasonable grounds to
believe that any person has
committed a felony or
misdemeanor in his presence.
8. If crimes are committed in
the presence of the officers there
is no need to consult the
president of the institution or
the chancellor for it is the duty
of the la^y enforcement officers
to arrest, and they do not have
to proceed under the direction
of the president or the
chancellor.
9. Those arrested should be
photographed for identification
purposes, their names recorded
and their status as to whether
they are students, faculty
members, teaching assistants, or
whether they are persons from
off the campus who have no
connection with the college or
university.
10. Campus police should l>e
used, but if they have reasonable
grounds to believe that they
cannot control the situation,
then they should be advised to
call in city police or members of
the sheriffs department.
11. TTiose arrested should be
promptly advised of their rights
and taken before a magistrate or
a district judge and warrants
procured as in any other
criminal case The arresting
office, campus police, deputy
sheriff, or, for that matter, any
citizen, may swear to the
warrant and cause same to be
issued.
12. The mayor or the
chairman of the County Board
of Commissioners may request
the Governor to send a
detachment of the Hi^way
Patrol or units of the National
Guard, or both, if the situation
warrants.
13. In the last analysis these
disorders should be treated as
any other law enforcement
problem, and the Governor will
^t hesitate to send in the
Highway Patrol or units of the
National Guard, or both, when
/^sonable grounds to
b«ieve it is necessary. Again,
adequate vramings should be
made before exercising the
fwocess of arrest.
Legislative Challenge
The following article is reprinted from the Lenoir Rhynean, Lenoir Rhyne College.
By Al Froneberger
The North Carolina legislature will probably be facing
more controversial questions this session than ever before.
The state can take a giant step forward in proving
that North Carolina is one of the most progressive states
in the South.
The state representatives will liandle bills dealing with
teachers pay increase, liquor-by-the-drink, state-funded
kindergartens, improvement of the colleges and universities
in North Carolina plus many other.s. Of special concern
to the young people in the state will be the bill lowering
the legal voting age to 18.
Tied directly with most of the major measures that will
confr^'nt the legislature is the matter of more money.
In past years North Carolina has had the dubious honor
of having a surplus of funds in the state treasui-y. This
surplas existed even with our public education system and
teachers pay ranking near the bottom nationally.
New Tax Needed
Now ".he representatives are faced with the fact that
more money is needed. And if it is one thing a politician
does not like to do, it is to raise taxes. Now, it is time these
men realize that reality is catching up with their dreams.
For many years the tobacco industry in the state has
been treated as if it were sacred. Now a tax on cigarettes
is absolutely necessary. Still, many legislators oppose it.
Liquor-by-the-drink will be one of the hottest questions
facing the legislature. ITie extra revenue is needed. But
you can bet that the “give ’em hell,” Bible Belt theology,
along with the state’s two largest churches will stop that
in its tracks.
It is becoming more and more evident that a i'/o sales
tax will be used to gain the money needed to finance the
needs of the state. This is a much better altei-native than
raising the income tax level.
Governor Scott has just recommended a 2-cent per gal
lon increase in the tax on gasoline. This will hit most of
us right where it hurts—in the pocket book.
People Must Speak
The people of the state want to move forward. The
fact is that if progress is to come, and it will, the people
must pay for it.
North Carolina can be a progressive state. We are still
in the middle of the transition from a rural to an urban
society. Many of the problems that will be'faced in this
general assembly will determine how successful our state
wrill be in the future.
It is the responsibility of all North Carolinians to let
their voice be heard on the crucial matters facing our
representatives. And the voice of the young should be
heard the loudest.