The Seaforth News, 1961-12-28, Page 6Coshing in On
Cockeyed F 6s ory
At Pointe; du -Hoc on the Nor-
mandy coast of France, several
hundred yards from 0 ni a h a
Beach, D Day was 'being re-
enacted seventeen years later,
Five "dead German" soldiers
gulped ice water flavored with
Pernod, cursed the heat in their
native French, and waited for
timing to begin on "The Long -
eat Day," Behind them, a recon-
atructed pillbox which would
turn out to have no guns in it
was the object of attack by the
Second Ranger Battalion, which
included teen-age singing idol
Fabian, Three times the dirt-
eaked Fabian had blownthe
line, "You mean we come all
the way up here for nothin'?"
and, with money ticking away
at the rate of $35,000 a day, tem-
pers were rising, Director An-
drew Marton called for another
take, and an eager prop man be-
gan waving his smoke ran to-
ward the camera.
"There's too much smoke,"
rasped producer Darryl F, Zan-
uck. "Cut!"
Marton whirled around, sweat
popping out on his forehead,
"Nobody says cut!" he bellowed.
"Nobody says action but me
when I'm directing, Nobody!"
Zanuck reddened, took a fierce
bite on his ever-present cigar,
and stalked off the set, "It's D
for 'Dollar' Day now," comment-
ed Cornelius Ryan. author of
the best-selling book and the
screenplay,
From the beginning, the recre-
ation of the grim realities of D
Day had had a surrealistic over-
tone. Filming in Corsica with
the assistance of 1.600 Marines
and 22 ships of the Sixth Fleet
—the largest concentration since
the Sixth Fleet began operating
in the Mediterranean—the pro-
duction was held up by a 5,000 -
pound unexploded bomb found
in the sand. Trying to re-create
a parachute drop on nearby
Sainte - Mere - Eglise, seventeen
French stuntmen (in American
uniforms) popped out of heli- •
eopters nightly for two weeks
and, blown by the wind, landed
every place but in the town
where they were supposed to
Among the movie's personnel
is a German ex -paratrooper as-
signed to train two do z en
Frenchmen, some of whom also
fought in the war, to imperson-
ate German soldiers. A Dutch
youth with the scars of a Nazi
whipping on his back walks
around unhappily in a green
Wehrmacht uniform, Omaha
Beach itself could not be used in
the film, because a D -Day monu-
ment had been erected there, So
Pointe du Hoc was burned off
and shell holes were blasted, and
138 men from the Eighth Divi-
sion
ivision were called in for cliff seal-
ing.
The movie's cast is strange:
Peter Lawford, William Holden,
and sing e r s Fabian, Tommy
Sands, and Paul Anka; French
pantomimist Marc e 1 Marceau,
and Britain's Richard Todd. a
D -Day veteran who will play his
own real-llfe commanding offi-
cer, Maj. John Howard. Comdr.
Phillipe Keiffer of the French
Marines is an adviser on the film.
Another adviser was to be
Comdr. Joseph Driller, the Ger-
man who strafed Keiffer on the
beach and killed five of his men,
but the meeting never took
place; five weeks ago Priller
died of a heart attack.
"I don't think anyone's ever
had to spend so much time put-
ting so little on film," Zanuck
said to a visitor, at lunch, "Right
here we're spending two and' a
half weeks and half a million
dollars for four minutes of film,
Our problem is that we've got
27 principal roles. We've got to
depend on history to hold it all
together , , . Moviemaking costs
so much you lie awake all night
worrying -about it, I'd like this
to be the best picture I've ever
made. But I dont know ,
Back on the set, director Mar-
ton ran through a scene in which
four German soldiers stagger out
of the pillbox, yell "Bitte, bitte"
in an attempt to surrender, and
are mowed down by Tommy
Sands, who asks his buddy, "1
wonder what 'bitte' means," Jon
lleinrieh, the .German paratroop
veteran, stood watching. "At
least," he said, "it shows there
was bestiality on all sides."
Author Ryan was asked if it
wasn't incongruous to see Pointe
du Hoc being assaulted by three
rock and roll singers. "Well,
when you're spending 11 million
dollars on a movie," he an-
swered, "you have to take out a
little insuranee, Zanuck wanted
popular young stars to help bring
the kids into the film, Well, be-
lieve me, these are the only kids
you can find in this age bracket."
Zenuck's assistant, Elmo Wil-
liams, came over. "Pointe du
Hoc being taken by a bunch of
warblers? he said, "I was
shocked when I heard it myself.
But really these kids have done
everything we've asked them.
Anka had to fall off a ladder
seventeen times before we got
one scene right,"
On the cliff, Anka was swish-
ing the air with a carbine, its.
bayonet fixed. "Hey Anka, you're
some boy with that pig sticker,"
a U.S. Ranger called.
"Yeah," said Anka enthusias-
tically. "I love this film. Boy,
this is great, This is really fun,
man."
Looking on, author Ryan said:
"Me, I'm getting out of here next
month. I want to forget about
D Day for a while. I've become
a kind of lost -letters box for
everyone who has any interest
in D Day. I'm always getting
calls from somebody in Wichita
who wants to know what hap-
pened to a barmaid in Caen; and
phone calls that begin: 'I say old
boy, do you suppose we night
have a spot of lunch some day?
I did want to talk to you a bit
about ...'
"You know, when we signed
this deal I got a cable from Hem-
ingway. It said 'Don't Don't
Don't,' But, really, I've got no
complaints. Zanuck's terrifically
tense now and he's putting his
oar into every phase of this mo-
vie, He tends to be a tyrant, But
he's also a decent man. He's
straight, and you can reason with
him."
Nearby, Sgt. First Class Joseph
T. Lowe of the 81st Field Artil-
lery watched the filming impas-
sively. Lowe had landed only a
few hundred yards away, at
Omaha Beach, on D Day. Was it
all realistic?
"Oh, it's very realistic," he
said.
Was it like D Day?
"Oh. No sir, it wasn't nothing
like this. Nothing will ever be
like that, believe me, sir."
Modern Etiquette
13y Anne Ashley
Q. Is it proper to ask the guest -
of -honor at our dinnertable to
say grace before the nieal?
A. Only if your guest is a
clergyman. Otherwise, gra c e
should be spoken by the host, or,
in his absence, by the hostess,
Q. Is it all right for a hostess
to serve several dishes at a time,
if she must do all the serving
herself?
A. Certainly; considerate guests
wouldn't think of criticizing her
for this.
Q. Since I do not drink al-
coholic beverages, what am I
supposed to do at a wedding din-
ner when a toast is proposed to
the bridal couple?
A. Hold the drink that has been
poured for you in your hand,
rise, lift it when the toast is
made, and then put it down at
the first opportunity.
WILL BE DIVORCED ---Singer Dinah Shore announced she
and her husband, actor George Montgomery, will be divorced
after almost 18 years of marriage. She is shown above with
her husband and her two children, Melissa, 13, and John, 7.
HAVE A HEART, GIRLS—Those tears indicate that Gary
Lyn Kisel doesn't appreciate the attention of two such pretty
lasses as Janet Schnorr, 17, right, and Marilyn Myers, 17.
The girls will reign over Heart M9nth in February. Gary, had
open heart surgery last July and he's.doing fine,
i C,°iwq.,n .olin.e P. Clexike
A Happy.Christmas to yen all!
It is not yet time for our
Christmas (glory be!) because
this column gees to press three
weeks ahead of the date that you
actually read it. So you see what
I mean when I say it is not yet
time for our. Christmas. However,
at this season of the year it is
easy to anticipate. For that rea-
son I know that in every home
where these "Chonicles" are read
and in thousands where trey
are not — there is at this moment
a fever of activity. There is prob-
ably a Christmas tree, gaily dec-
orated and illuminated; parcels
Swift Sewing
PRINTED PATTicRN
4700
14y2 -241/s
TWO main pattern parts. no
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Zips up back for smooth fit, can
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Printed Pattern 4700: Hall
Sizes 14%, 161/2, 181/2, 201/2. 221/2,
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54 -inch; blouse 17/s yards 39 -inch.
Send FIFTY CENTS (stamps
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NAME, ADDRESS, STYLE
NUMBER,
Send order to ANNE ADAMS,
Box 1, 123 Eighteenth St„ New
Toronto, Ont,
FALL'S 100 BEST FASHIONS
—separates, dresses, sults, en-
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Ontario residents must include
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LOG ordered There is no sales
tax on the patterns,
tucked away in secret places;
Christmas cards galore bringing
best wishes from a host of
friends; and unexpected letters
from some with whom we had
almost lost contact. There are
oldish folk, a little tired and tak-
ing every chance they get for a
quiet snooze, or maybe sitting
quietly day -dreaming, remem-
bering other Christmases so long
ago. And the children — who
can what this Christmas will
mean to them? This season of
mysticism — everything so mixed
up in their childish minds —
birth of the Christ -Child, annual .
visit of Santa Claus; the getting
and giving of gifts. Don't you
sometimes wonder what any
child can make of it all? Do we
take the right attitude in regard
to children and Christmas?
Be that as it may it is not my
intention to moralize. 1 just want
to say in all sincerity that I hope
this will be for you the hest
Chrislmas yet, not necessarily in
regard to gifts but because of the
inner happiness' that comes
through close association with
those we love. That is what real-
ly counts, don't you think?
Has It ever occurred to you
that memory is one of our great-
est possessions? Without it the
present would have little mean-
ing and inspiration for the future
would be sadly lacking. Natural-
ly the extent of our memory
depends ippon age and experience.
T remdmber the Christmases 1.
spent in England as a child. My
father died when I was five and
my mother took in dressmaking
to support her five children, the
youngest born threemonths after
my father died but lived for only
sixteen months. My mother had
a hard Life — there was no baby
bonus or hospital insurance in
those days. Everything we ate
and the clothes we wore all
bought with the money my moth-
er made by sewing. But I can't
remember a Christmas t h at
wasn't happy. As children we
hung up our stockings at the
head of our beds on Christmas
Eve. In the morning they were
always full — will nuts, an or-
ange, homemade candy and a
simple toy. We didn't have a
Christmas tree and the holly and
evergreens around the house
were what we children had
gathered from the woods Our
decorations were festoons on
coloured "paperchatrs" the mak-
ing of Which kept us cccupicd,for
many happy hours before Christ-
Christmas morning we were
awoke at dawn, exploring our
Chri emus eiockin„ s. Moth e r
would come in singing and c.`.tp-
ping her hands
"Tis Christmas Das, 'tis CS i',t-
ma: Day, how happy we ell
should be with plenty of toys for
girls and boys
And a jolly nig Clr :ernes
Tree!"
Then there was broakfar t and
after breakfast we stood around
the old tattle piano sinning carets
to my mother's acenmeenamcr"t
At neon we had a roast ducker)
dinner—the only time my mother
could afford to buy ell'ela n 1, r
chaser! there v,'w, host ,'et
plum a ::i;ing — with a slots .rt
holly un top S. u..;,. r: ul cUiui.
Mother alwave "'44 ' eel to Het
threepeers wl i th of baseinds- in
the house for Chrktente. This
was poured over tau and lit ',i+nd
lighted with a m a tch. The danc-
ing' blue flames leaein 1 up and
around the pudding were c fas
cinating sight for us all.
Christmas night' we nearly al-
ways had "high tea" and 'friends
in to share it. There was easel
singing again . afterwards, AS I
look back I can only hope that
Mother got as much enjoyment
Out of Christmas as she gave to
her family, I rather think she
did as she was that sort of, per-
son. She lived for others if ever
anyone did,
After I was married, came to
Canada and had children of my'
own, memory of my mother was
my greatest inspiration at Christ-
mas time, During the 'Thirties
things were none too easy — :as
those who lived through the de-
pression very well know but
when money was scarce I would
remember Mother and tried to do
for my children what she did for
us. an that I had Partner to help,
whereas Mother had no one..
Actually I suppose Christmas is
what we make it, If we lack
worldly goods 'we can at least
.provide happy memories for our
families to carry with them
through the years, So — Happy
Christmas everyone — and happy
memories . , . now and always.
•
Package Astray
In Distant Space
LOST: 350 million copper
wires. Disappeared about
2,000 miles in space Lf found,
please notify Massachussetts
Institute of Technology or
U.S, Air Force, care "of Pro-
ject West Ford.
MIT's missing package, a 27 -
inch -long stack of fine needles
embedded in naphathalene, was
launched Oct. 21 from Point
Arguello in a trial of a unique
communications technique. On
the basis of two years of elabo-
rate ground tests, technicians at
the Lincoln Laboratory in Lex-
ington, Mass., had predicted that
the napthalene would vaporize
within a few days in the vacuum
of space, gradually spreading the
whiskerlike wires (,each 7/10 of
an inch long and one-third the
thickness of a human hair) in an
earth -circling belt 5 miles wide
and 25 miles thick. The idea was
that each whisker would act as
an antenna, capable of reflect-
ing radio waves, and provide the
Air Force with a means of com-
munication independent of the
vagaries of magnetic storms (and
invulnerable to any possible sab-
otage).
But something went wrong
with the project (which has been
hotly criticized by astronomers
both here and abroad on the
ground that a sky full of whisk-
ers would interfere with their
.interstellar observations). The
napthalene apparently did not
vaporize and the whiskers never
separated or they did not dis-
perse.
"We are rerunning many of the
tests and calculations," said a
spokesman for Lincoln Lab, "and '
trying to sett the package with
our radar. We have had four
radar contacts in the past month
that may have been the package,
but we're not sura it's the right
one. Seeing it is like being in
Boston and trying to see a foot-
ball over Denver. We are still
looking, If we find it, perhaps
we can find out why the whisk-
ers didn't disperse, before any
follow-up is attempted."
There is nothing like the first
horseback ride to make a person
feel better off.
Foto! Lure Of
The Bright Lights
In the tropical gardens of the
south coast of Viti Levu, Fiji,
there is .a brilliantly -lit square,
measuring, about sixty square
Yards,
Tlluiniaation comes from a
criss-cress pattern of wires strung
from tree to tree, and festooned
with hundreds of white neon
110 Ls,
The wires splutter continuous-
ly, and with each splutter there
is a tiny flash, Each flash means
that another insect'; has been elec-
trocuted, for the wires carry a
heavy charge,
This is the inseot - o - eutor,
which costs about $260 in local
currency, and is rapidly helping
the islands solve then' insect .
problem., However, the "fried"
insects that tall to the ground
are attracting giant toads.
Each night, an army of toads
arrives on the scene, to await the
feast from above,
The toads were imported years'
ago to deal with an insect pest,
but now their number has so in-
creased that another invention
will soon be :needed to drive the
toads away,
Trio of Treasures
(9LJ frame. W ve.
A gift Or a possession to be
enjoyed all year and always —
filet -crochet doilies!
Use these rose doilies 'round
the house, or for a luncheon set
—smallest size under . candle-
sticks. Pattern 522: directions;
charts for 3 doilies in No. 50.
Send THIRTY-FIVE CENTS
(Stamps cannot be accepted, use
postal note for safety) for this
pattern to Laura Wheeler, Box 1,
123 Eighteenth St., New Toronto,
Ont. Print plainly PATTERN
'NUMBER, your NAME and AD-
DRESS.
FOR THE FIRST TIME! Over
200 designs in our new, 1962
Needlecraft Catalog — biggest
ever! Pages, pages. pages of fash-
ions, home accessories to knit,
crochet, sew, weave, embroider,
quilt. See jumbo -knit hits, cloths,
spreads. toys, linens, afghans plus
free patterns. Send 25t.
Ontario residents must include �.
lo Sales Tax for each CATA-
LOG 01dered There is no sales
tax on the patterns.
ISSUE 51 — 1961
ROYAL. PILGRIMS—Sheltered by huge canopies carried by
by attendants, King Savong Vethana of Loos and his wife
leave a Buddhist shrine at That Luang 1 -le had joined other
government figures in an annual pilgrimage to the spot, near,
the capital of Vientiane, following festivities.
llissaaa