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fre Battalion
Pag-e 2
Coillege Station, Texas
Tuesday, March 22, 1966
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SMALL CROWD ATTENDS DEBUT
cadet slouch by jim Earle Read Battalion Classifieds
‘Time Of Your Life 9 Cuts
Revealing Slice Of Life
BY LANI PRESSWOOD
Battalion Amusements Editor
Opening night crowds at pro
ductions of the Aggie Players
seldom threaten to violate exist
ing fire regulations concerning
the number of people allowed in
a building at one time.
Monday night’s sparse turnout
for the opening of “The Time of
Your Life” proved no exception.
But if the traditional trend pre
vails, the attendance figures will
soon start picking up and should
approach the boundaries of re
spectability before the play ends
its six-night run.
Those who do come out can be
guaranteed of seeing an unusual
show, one which finds over twen
ty people romping around the
Guion Hall stage at one time or
another.
People that happened to be
passing by the post office at
North Gate Friday night were
treated to a rare sight about one
in the morning.
It all started like this:
A group of amateur musicians
had been picking and singing over
at Ralph’s Pizza when closing
time came around. The boys were
just getting warmed up and they
didn’t feel like quitting. So, they
simply moved over under the light
in front of the P.O. and carried
on their impromptu serenade to
the delight of a number of late
passersby.
A banjo, guitar and kazoo pro
vided most of the melody. An
other student pulled on the
broomstick atop an inverted
wasHtub and managed to coax
sounds strangely like a bass fid
dle out of the one attached string.
A large, roly - poly figure
banged and shook up a storm on
a tambourine. A tall, stringbean
of a fellow danced with a rub
board in his hands.
The sounds were strange. The
sounds were fresh. The sounds
were bright. The sounds were
melancholy.
All the action takes place in a
run-down San Francisco bar in
1939. The realistic set construct
ed for the play under the super
vision of director Robert Wenck
is one of the production’s high
lights. A real-live juke box, a
pinball machine and row upon
row of liquor bottles lend an air
of authenticity to the imagina
tive, colorful setting.
“The Time of Your Life,”
penned by William Saroyan, is a
naturalistic, slice-of-life type
drama. The audience is allowed
to more or less peek in at a win
dow to watch this strange assort
ment of individuals briefly, and
then, with few problems really
solved, the shade is quietly drawn
again.
What has been seen is a suc
cession of distinctive characters,
even changed, but that didn’t
bother anyone. If they didn’t
know the words, they hummed
along with the tune.
The atmosphere of the moment
was heady and bubbled like cham
pagne, but the atmosphere above
the post office was much, much
heavier. First a few drops fell
here and there as a warning.
Then more and more. The singers
and participants tried their best
to ignore the falling rain, but it
would not be ignored.
A KK showed up in his patrol
car, no doubt, to control the vast,
uncontrollable mob of 25 students
that would, no doubt, ruin our
reputation of no academic non
sense. However, all that remained
were wet footprints on the black
pavement, laughing voices in the
air and a freshness that has not
been felt in a long, long time on
the campus of A&M.
Say, what are you doing next
Friday night?
Tell you what, I’ll meet you in
front of the North Gate post of
fice, and don’t forget your rub
board.
a few far-fetched, but most taken
straight from the broad avenue
of life.
This play, which won the ’39
Pulitzer Prize for drama, has to
be called a funny-sad comedy.
It’s a light-hearted show but
there are several poignant mo
ments and at various times some
serious viewpoints on life and on
living are expressed.
The play throbs with humanity,
with people, with life. Thus it is
that the production’s chief defect
is its lack of gusto. In spots the
show really moves but it drags
badly during the first act and
never really manages to sustain
the needed breezy tempo.
Roger Williams does the best
job of producing that intangible
spark during his stint as a rau
cous, middle-aged windbag with
a cow-punching background.
Getting excellent mileage out
of a good role, Williams displays
a deft sense of timing, a comic
flair and the crucial element of
vitality.
Another performer whose ap
pearances liven up the proceed
ings is Bud Franks, who plays a
young, dancer-comedian. Grace
ful movement is Franks’ chief
stage asset.
Allan Pierce handles the lead
ing role with skill, poise, and
polish and seems to become more
and more effective as the play
runs its course.
One of the play’s most diffi
cult roles belongs to Marie Crook,
who plays an emotionally tor
mented streetwalker with feeling
and sensitivity.
The cast is too large to review
individually but a list of other
actors who turned in solid per
formances would have to include
Don Carter, Dick Gustafson,
Steve Thurman, Paul Bleau, Tim
Lane, and Kirk Stewart, among
others.
Jan Gannaway’s extreme street
walking getup provides quite an
eye-opener, as does a scene which
finds Pierce and Gustafson cram
ming their mouths full of chew
ing gum, calmly talking all the
while.
And though some parts of the
play don’t move well enough, the
total effect is an enjoyable one.
“The Time of Your Life” is no
blockbuster but it does afford an
evening of warm, pleasant enter
tainment.
Reynolds'
It
ap
By Mike Reynolds
The South rose again in Dixie.
The grass was green, green. The
Saints went marching in.
Headlights of cars and the traf
fic signal seemed to keep time
with the music. The late night
air was heavy with moisture and
it stood in beads on black skin
and white skin alike. Voices rose
and fell, laughed and cried to
gether. White teeth and bright
eyes twinkled in the night.
Autos began to stop. A crowd
began to gather. Those who
chose to stop and listen could not
help smiling. They could not help
clapping. They could not help
singing along.
There was no uniform. There
was no civilian. There was no
race, color, religion or other divi
sion.
The guitar was passed from
hand to hand and each individual
led the group in his favorite song.
Some were popular, some folk
tunes, some from south of the
border. In some the language
ATTENTION SENIORS
All seniors who wish to
enter a candidate for Van
ity Fair need to turn in an
application and a 5” x 7”
picture or larger to the Stu
dent Publication Office by
March 23rd.
Application can be picked
up at the Student Publica
tion Office.
WRANGLER JEANS
NOCONA BOOTS
AMERICAN HATS
MESQUITE PANTS
at the
BUNKHOUSE
1206 W. 25th Bryan
823-5782
Vote For
Wallace T. Cowart
For
County Clerk
Brazos County
Class of ’49
TOeSPA'i — ‘Z z -
7 '.3o p.n
“As the holder of th’ record for th’ most “Dear John”
letters, I’m not sure marriage is a very immediate problem,
but I’ll go with you!”
PEANUTS
VI 7H0U6HT I \
( MAD A CLEAN
iOJHITE HANDKERCHIEF,
V IN HERE... J
PEANUTS
There's a bide one... a
6REEN ONE ..ANOTHER BLUE ONE...
A PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH IS
JUST THE SANDWICH TO BE EATIN6
(JHEN VOU'RE LOOKING ACROSS THE
PLAYGROUND AT A LITTLE RED-HAIRED
GIRL HtJU ADMIRE, BUT KNOW MOO
HAVEN'T A CHANCE OF EVER MEETING
AGGIES
FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT ! !
★ Food . . . Deliciously Prepared
★ Broiler Burgers Supreme
★ Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor
★ Soft Background Music
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE !!
★ Open Until 1:30 a. m
★ Seating Capacity For 88
★ East Gate — Hwy. 6
• Meet Your Buddies Here
★ Bring Your Books Along
★ Treat Your Dates
OPEN UNTIL 1:30 A. M.
Dutch Treat
East Gate — Hwy. 6 — Across From Golf Course
uJhat in the world happened
TO MV WHITE HANDKERCHIEF ?
UlHV 15 THAT?
IF VOU HAVE TO A5K,
VOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND!
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MATHEMATICIANS ENGINEERS PHYSICISTS
THE BATTALION
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Members of the Student Publications Board are: Joe Buser,
chairman ; Dr. David Bowers, College of Liberal Arts ; Dr.
Robert A. Clark. College of Geosciences; Dr. Frank A. Mc
Donald. College of Science; Dr. J. G. McGuire, College of
Engineering; Dr. Robert S. Titus, College of Veterinary
Medicine; and Dr. A. B. Wooten, College of Agriculture.
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EDITOR GLENN DROMGOOLE
Associate Editor Larry Jerden
Managing Editor Tommy DeFrank
Sports Editor Gerald Garcia
News Editor Dani Presswood
TRW Systems invites you to discuss programming opportunities in Houston and Los
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March 24th
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ONE SPACE PARK, REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA OR
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