University of Oklahoma - Sooner Yearbook (Norman, OK)

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l From the House toa honeymoon: Gerald Ford by Don Huntington Political fortunes were made and destroyed in this past year of turmoil in this country. President Richard M. Nixon took a mandate from the people and went into his second tumultuous term as president with the clouds of Watergate over his head. Then the rains carne. In disclosure after disclosure, in- formation compiled against him until the stonewall could no longer hold back the tide. That was at 11:03 Central Daylight Time, Friday, August 9, 1974: Richard M. Nixon resigned from the office of President of the United States, only the first man to do so. With the departure of this President under seige, Gerald R. Ford became the 38th President of the United States. The Ford term is one marked by firsts. Ford was the first Vice-President sworn into office using the newly installed 25th amendment to the constitution. He then became the only President serving that had not been elected to either of the highest offices of the land. He was not elected to either of the highest offices of the land. He was not elected to the Vice-Presidency but voted in by the House of Representatives. So began the honeymoon of the Congress of the United States with one of their own. The ex-representative from Michigan, the House Republican Leader and Capitol Hill veteran, named from the ranks of the legislative branch, had risen to the highest post possible in the American government. Leaders from both sides of the isle and both houses of government flocked to the White House to show support for their friend who was now President. Pledges of support V FOR VICTORY , Ford salutes to the assembled Republicans of Oklahoma City, as he receives their enthusiastic applause.

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Another reason the opener is generally a small show is because of the time element. We have two and a half weeks for rehearsal, Suggs said, 'which isn't that long a time. Normally, prior to the casting, the production meeting is held in which costuming, lighting, sets, and such are discussed. At the beginning of the school year, there isn't time for that. You have to cast immediately and then start rehearsals. Behind the scenes, make-up, costumes, and food for the show took tedious effort by crew members. The problems of families haven't changed a good deal, Suggs said, except there is less formalism in today's society. People are trying to be less stereotyped than they were when this play was set. But instead of being free we're - ' Y ' UQ! . are n U N IVERSITY THEATR 'Fifi K. wwf J 'W' asf 41 rl J' IV -249' A7033 fc up w, it T M. M I X35 bvgmt lr 9 ,N task.: wflggii-795' F' f R -1' -Rx Ni L1 4. 5 f H'-fs lotgrfwg, r v fe . - ,I 4 --- :1 1 '. ' ' r 5 ' QI, W.: N r , . , V I . 1 . , if 533 3 ' , ,vi i il -. . 1-vw? -P ' :sl-H. .'5H ?S':i- -J . 'l .hr 1, , --s, :ff af'-L ' . - 5 f?-1, ' Q' T I is-L, .I I-1 '1 A PIJ4' 'Q . w m .- '7' -wwf ..-.. 1 , , I r 4 . .4 - -,.2 , It .. -.kigayc-I , ...E sr-e - V ' ' 3.5-. ' 5 1,---, . . ' 1- .' ' 4- - Fw. ' J ' 1 , - 7 S4 2. My ' ,Ci -f'f'.f?2sff4-TW J' j, ' --wsN.'f--g'?':-is ff 'E-.-. ' Yrs , J V?-1:35, f 1 A, ' fc.-4g?gg75'Q,Q. r .. , s' gg:-' : ,Q -sw , -21-. cv .1 ,, , u'! 4 ' 4 . 1 f- H .m-ff .-i'ff?' .15 , 59' it my ,ea I '-I i j I 1 . t .,. mv. 1 r -Pr: , , 5.7.35 M , J-, :if '-, .. .- A ,,,.,.'.-., 1'--. A Aw, I r 9' ... if-A ga- . ., v .,.....,-. -gw ,fm ' - .4. W. -f V- vs.. - l X .f, 1- - ff-231'-5. .M . . ...., 541- N' W 'affff-. ' 1. IM., 1 A uf .J ., f, .Q A -1f?..- V-f .'... ,FY .4 - - '. Y. .fi-a .9'1g, necessary to establish Life With Fathern as a period piece. ln spite of this country's belief that nostalgia is merely wide lapels, slicked back hair and '57 Chevys, a popular work of art is not nostalgic unless it brings out the sentiments of the time, preferably tying it in to the times of today. And if Life With Father's flirtation with the politics of the day, in a reactionary manner brought to mind the fascination the television viewers seem to have with Archie Bunker, then I suppose the production succeeded. The audiences were entertained by the season's opener though, just as they're supposed to be. Life With Father was a typical opener: good, entertaining theatre that can be provocative but can also be entertaining for its own worth. Perhaps that is a compromising way to conduct an entire season of theatre, but it is the only way to begin one. sf E ix ,MO ,,,,, , EASON X, S 8543 much more tethered than we used to be.' Though not wanting to sound reactionaryf, Suggs still saw sense in formalizmg Everybody in that play knew who they were, he said. Today nobody knows who they are. At least one review of Life With Father questioned the relevancy of the play. Suggs was quick to point out the tie- in the play had with the feminist movement of today. The relevance IS evident with all of today's woman's liberation. Life With Father is the beginning of the decay of the family patriarch f1gure.' The patriarch figure himself, as well as some of the other artifacts of that era's formalism may have seemed unfamiliar at the least, obnoxious at the most. But it is 'f I , , Ax 1 E ' L S . , v - 1 . w f f 5 l 1 4 ' F11 ,i E. ly -f it L i -N , l 1 l l, F f i: ' ' :Fl ' l l A 'P 2 .' 2- ' : L,- Ln E gl Ht it l ' . ' 1. l 'I 'f i , .l, Q I t 1 l A N J r 9- -A sj a- me J J 2, . .1 , x, I , , V. .' '- T ' I l s , .1 1 , '-' I we 'I ' if - V ,i -H -Ewa eq-sg.. flifjl' ' '- - ' ' -1 :J-, 1. w g- 4: -rf--. ' ---'.,:'-fl.. wit-e511 1 -' - ' .-iz wg, 1 r as i,1.-J-- ltr .-if : -i'1IA'?'1'f:Lb::'r:', ' - ' ' , gl .I .1 ,KP ,. 'x,, 1 ':t'5Q'x,.Q..f:.. i.',g,1Hf.73,Q:y,l 11315, - 1 X ns. f .A - - f+Hf-1544. L, Sly -- -!.',l3f:igfS.f'U5:3l1' Y C Q v -- .rw--Z 552. - 13-gjj?j:,-1 .1 ,. f ffsffiggkf .-53-172.18-gg-Q K ' A 'l .,..,. .1 ' 4..-h -5.4 ,gil V 3' .LI- JJ-f-if-. :lim --- H1--.r'11 9f'?s. ' Il --gg., -. Vg- . V--rf.-ui-, , ug 'Eff-21 .- ,. af 1 it . 1, Q t, q,-c..QsA..,--. Q- - '45-fm-1,v. ' pf: P, ,-, T- ::. .'.-..,. 3111, 'ir F rf 1.4. -2 . -f5,,- '-3,54--'I'ifF5, yr' , 154 if 499- fer? gf., .. 5,1 . 3- dl. t , , v - , 1 25' .A-Tf'-f L ::-J.f Q ,-ffff' gb-:I ---tin . - 1 . L n., .,I'fG?f' ff-1f:'sff:.f-1 . 'Z 4' 1 '5 g 3' -.f t'C'As s ' ' 5 1- ' -Qs : ' 31'z:uf-,43.,- - - .f-sf., -V -, -1 A N if tif'-sz-451- -U' f - ' ,afijt 1 ' J fr 1' . V- ,far-.am - 42 -f 3Q,s..gaE.g-V,:il,,..- 5, - Y f- .gf 1, ' T- Vt-.Z ,3 5' ..' ., 1-s k s L are f-. tr ff s f? - , if er? ,fi -557- 3'f 337- .,-1 3 -ff? , 9 17T1ffi?T1f':fb-1 -'f5'fff'Ef -rugs YW .F I 1 Q IC L5 ' Ll L ' ' ! . . . , KG 1 MONEY, MONEY, MONEY seems to excite Mary Wrobleski and Debi Woolley as they sell their first ticket to Greta Schmidt.

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and promises of cooperation flowed like the waters of the Mississippi rather than the flood of Watergate. Then slowly but surely the honeymoon wore thin. In- flation was eating at the economy of the nation. Unem- ployment was on the rise. The balance of payments be- tween the U.S. and foreign nations ran further and further into the red. Then the final split to the honeymoon was announced when President Gerald R. Ford pardoned Richard M. Nixon for all possible crimes that he might have committed during the years that he was president. Public reaction was tremendous. Many felt that the President had acted prematurely. Many felt that he had done the right thing, that for a President to resign from office was punishment enough. The country was divided. Public outcry grew toward a subversion of justice. Questions arose as to how a man could be pardoned for something he hadn't been convicted of doing? How could the President do this without due process of law? But Ford stood firm. He said that it was for the welfare of the nation that he had pardoned Nixon. He said that the whole affair of Watergate needed to be buried so that the country could get focused on the needs that were more pressing and more urgent. He urged Americans to turn from the petty rhetoric of Watergate to the real problem facing the country. But debate raged on. Senate hearings and House judiciary hearings were held in order to officially discuss the moves made by President Ford. Finally Ford made his move to quiet the storm. He made an appearance before the House Judiciary sub-committee which had originally probed the Nixon- Watergate scandal and had made impeachment recommendations to the House Judiciary Committee. This committee eventually voted articles of impeachment against Nixon. This seemed to cool the debate of the pardon. Congress settled back to a routine legislative process and the President returned to trying to solve some of the problems his administration had inherited from the Nixon ad- ministration. Both seemed to be waiting for the month-long legislative recess just prior to the off-year election. The democrats seemed to be waiting for the right moment in the elections when they could spring all the ills of the country and the stench of Watergate upon the republican hopefuls and end up with a democratically dominant legislative branch, President Ford seemed to be biding his time. He wanted to wait and throw his support behind troubled republican candidates in order to swing the tone of the election into the GOP's favor. When it was all over and the weight for both sides had been thrown, the President and the republicans had lost ground. Voters had gone to the polls and elected a veto proof House of Representatives and had come within eight seats in the senate of electing a Hveto proof U.S. Senate. Even in the home district of the House of Represen- tatives where Gerald Ford had been elected, voters put a democrat into that seat, a seat that had been a republican stronghold for the last 12 elections. All across the nation democrats had taken hold from the gf- 1-it HIS SENATORlAl. ASPIRATIONS riding high, Republican Henry Bellmon addresses OU law students during his campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate. republicans. Democrats enjoyed successes they had not had since 1958 and increased their hold on the governors' houses across the land. Whether it was the stench of Watergate or the sagging economy is hard to say. It is even harder to say what the months to come will bring for the President, the Congress and the nation. Whether a republican President can work and solve real problems in the face of a democratically controlled Congress is the big question. Whether that democratically controlled Congress can promote programs that will ease the problems of the nation and still be acceptable to a republican President is another question up for debate. Only time will tell. Q