St Thomas More High School - Utopian Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

Page 82 text:

f--CI ., 1 x .W wi N 5, fm :QW , x W- H I' A as H.. Jw- g 1' X M H-nl . A: , A rg ,. f ' gi 'VF'-irh gf 1' ' ek, s 9 ilvs llifvs-Sv Us I l I if A ' x v f Il 'www 1 ,. v. Y . ' lf' :JI A ' it My' v- if I W Illustration by MR. GERARD McCAULEY AROLD T. PAXTON turned in his swivel chair and glanced proudly about his im- maculate office. He could afford to be proud, for Harold T. Paxton was the most famous, the richest, and the most successful producer of technical motion pictures in Holly- wood. Actually he was the first to make films of darkest Africa, the first to go to the wild Brazilian jungles, the first to invade the wild waste lands of Australia. His last and most spectacular picture enthralled millions of people as he transported them to the moon while they sat in their theatre seats. Paxton and adventure were synonymous words to the cinema public. .lust now Paxton's office was a mad scramble. 78.. People were rushing in and out all morning, for Paxton today was to set out on his most fabulous of all motion picture jaunts. A friend of his, Robert A. Talmadge, who was a Wall Street millionaire, and who, as a hobby, hunted big game on the African and Asian Continents, had told Paxton of an old native superstition about a huge ape, living in the depths of the jungle where no white man had ever set foot. So convincing and exciting was Talmadgeis story, that Paxton,s interest was fired to a pitch. His keen mind foresaw a film that would thrill a public condemned to a humdrum ollice and factory existence. Paxton was ready to gamble his entire . THE CHELSEA REVIEW

Page 81 text:

send him to college at the time, he went to work. Two years later, he was appointed to the U. S. Military Academy at West Point. In 1915, he graduated from the upper third of his class as Second Lieutenant of the Infantry. Kings, Queens, Presidents, and Princes have decorated General Eisenhower for his unselfish service to humanity. As Ike achieved great- ness both as a soldier and as a diplomat, his stature as a leader in world affairs increased proportionately. His enormous responsibilities as Supreme Commander of the Allied Expedi- tionary Forces in World War II, and later as NATO Commander, brought him into constant association with the greatest world-statesmen of today. From then on, it would seem, Destiny pointed her finger at him, singling him out to the world as a man to be noted. He proved himself to be an administrator of exceptional ability by planning and coordin- ating the great Crusade in Europe, which be- gan early in June, 1944. Historians doubtless will regard the Normandy Invasion as the high point of General Eisenhower's military career, because it marked the turning point of the war. The Supreme Commander toured the beach- heads of Europe and planned the successive steps of the never-to-be-forgotten Crusade which freed the world from the threat of the social- istic totalitarianism of Facism and Nazism. The fact that the Allies lost the peace, it is generally believed, to the most vicious of all isms -Communism-after the war was a fault that could not be attributed to General Eisen- hower. Nevertheless, his success then and his subsequent successes later on made him a marked man in the minds of his fellow-citizens at home. Dwight Eisenhower was called home in 1952 to head another crusade, but this time, it was a crusade of a political nature. At the Republican Convention, held in Chicago, he won the presidential nomination of his party on the first ballot. He carried the message of his crusade throughout the Coun- try, by automobile, rail, and air. He went even into the deep South, the stronghold of the Demo- cratic Party. His words found attentive ears there, too, as the voting returns indicated on election night. Americans in all walks of life found hope in his sincerity, his humane quali- ties, his deep religious faith. The slogan We THE CHELSEA REVIEW . Like Ike swept the Country, and swept the Republican Candidate into the White House. Candidate Eisenhower made a promise to the American people during the Campaign. Sensing their innermost concern at the time, he promised to go to Korea in order to study the situation there, to see what might be done to lessen the stress of the military potential there. He kept that promise faithfully. While in Korea, he visited many fighting units. He spoke with, listened to, and ate with the sons of Americans who had voted for him to be their next President. How worthwhile his trip to Korea actually was, only History will be able to tell. I was proud to witness the transfer of power from one party to another, a transfer that may well be the most momentous in our history. That we are the strongest nation in the world is an indisputable fact. But strength in itself is not enough. A really strong government must be a well-ordered government. The strength of our democratic form of government was suc- cessfully tested. It changed parties, but it re- mained intact. The extent of the authority of the Executive Branch of the Federal Govern- ment is much greater than it has been in many decades. Circumstances of our war-torn gener- ation have increased notably its prestige and im- portance. A f At the same time, no transfer of power in our history has been so carefully prepared. The credit for this belongs mainly to former Presi- dent Truman, who did all in his power to lessen the jolt of the governmental change of hands. The President-elect helped considerably by appointing his Cabinet as quickly as possible and by facilitating the association between the outgoing and incoming Cabinets. The American people were assured that those at the head of the new Government were well informed. But there is a further and more fundamental reason why this transition was so easily effected. That the incoming administration was in agreement, in principle at least, with the outgoing one was pertinently clear during the campaigning period before the election. This unity of purpose should strengthen the fundamental purposes of both parties and lessen, as a matter of course, the urgency of their minor political differences. fContinued on page 801 . 77

Page 83 text:

14 fortune on the adventurous story, even if it turned out to be only a native superstition. He was sailing with over two hundred and seventy- Iive people, cameras of all types and descrip- tionsg various trinkets and gadgets, which he knew would win the friendship of the natives, many guns and more than enough ammunition. As usual with Paxton, everything went off as smooth as silk. At two oiclock sailing time, the ship gingerly made her way out of the dock, and by nightfall was well out on the vast expanse of the Pacific . Ocean. if - ' Africa was a long way off, but 9 gf the weather was good, and the ship 'si made splendid time on its long 4 voyage. A certain tension pre- j 41, vailed upon everyone. Even the i T sturdy seamen felt it in spite of the 1 4 fact that they are used to most I. - everything on the seag everyone, that is, except Harold T. Paxton, knew this was the prelude to his greatest picture, and from past experiences was almost afraid to anticipate what was going to happen. Finally after three weeks of sailing, the goal was in sight. It was only then that he told his crew the story that inspired this journey. There was only one species of a pre- historic ape left in the world. It was over eighty feet tall. He was worshipped out of fear by the natives and ruled the part of the jungle in which he lived. No white man had ever seen him because the natives had built a huge wall which completely encircled their villageg a wall that looked so big that it seemed anxious to block out the sun. No one knew how the wall had been built, but it stood there-an unbelievable sight to anyone who had seen it. As they proceeded from ship to shore, fear and uncertainty clouded the minds of all, but they had faith in Harold Paxton, believing that performing the impossible was his forte. They arrived just in time to witness an incredible sight. A young girl, bedecked in flowers, was THE CHELSEA REVIEW . BY PAUL DONAHIE, '53 being carried outside the gate. She was bound to a small platform, and then all returned to the village. Then the gate was closed and the drums began to sound, calling the monster-lord of the jungle. All was silent, except for the pounding of the drums and the screams of the forlorn girl. Then a terrible roar was heard. The ape approached the altarg he was every bit of eighty feet tall, possibly even taller. With one huge hand he grabbed the girl and carried her back to the jungle. The ape-king accepted his sacrifice as the natives behind the wall sighed their relief and bewailed their cowardice. The next day the party left the village in search of Tiny, as he was nicked-named by the party because of his tremendous size. They were heavily armed with this country's latest weapons of self-defense. The trail was not hard to follow, for he had laid waste to all that he came into contact with. This was his realm, he could travel with swift certainty. It was strange and forbidden even to the natives. After spending a weary night in the jungle, travel was resumed early in the morning, and soon the ape's lair was discovered. They arrived before he had awakened, and proceeded to lay traps and to set up the cameras. Paxton was overwhelmed with joy. This would be his greatest triumph. Finally Tiny stirred and came out to look for some food. The traps went like a Fourth of July celebration magnified a hundred times. But when the smoke cleared away, the ape was still standing, injured serious- ly, but not enough to knock him down. He was infuriated. He staggered toward them, his red eyes gleaming like burning coals. The entire company proceeded to Ere at him, but it did not faze the ape. On he came. The natives and crew began to race back to the village with the wounded ape in hot pursuit. The unlucky ones, caught by the ape, were slaughtered like ants under a disinterested heel. Upon reaching the village, the lucky survivors rapidly and desperately sought shelter and protection. Now ..79