Plans for Second Flicker Shape Up As Ivy Films Ends Successful Year

Wile Hollywood continues to sweat out a sag in movie attendance, Harvard's Ivy Films Productions seems likely to wipe off tripods, wind up the cameras, and blandly start production this summer on its second film.

Right now, the club's treasury is getting a financial transfusion thanks to the unusual success "A Touch of the Times" has had so far. Still unseen by the public, "A Touch" has been snatched up for international amateur film distribution, professional showings, and television broadcasts. This sort of stuff just doesn't happen to silent movies unless they are exceptional.

With money for sound equipment, Ivy threatens to hit the industry with highly professional talkies. Still in the midst of a script writing contest, Charles A. Yoder '49, president of the group, admits that the topic is not yet definite. "But," he asserts, "We've get a lot on the fire."

Harvard Film Rumored

Rumors have been circulating to the effect that Ivy may get the contract for for a short on University life now being considered by the corporation. Neither Yoder or University officials have any thing definite to say about this, but Ivy would seem to have a lot of good arguments in its favor.

First. "A Touch of the Times" was financed on less that $2000, with a final cost per foot so low that Hollywood could well stand to take a lesson. And secondly, as an undergraduate organization, Ivy is doing much to increase respect nationally for student ability and professionalism. So far, Ivy's company at Harvard has been probably the most successful of college movie clubs.

Proef of the pudding won't really come until next tall. At that time a world premiere of "A touch," with all the trappings, is scheduled for the University Theater. Up to now, the "critics" haven't gotten at the film and faith in the film shown by commercial distributors may belie its merits. Come what way, the Harvard audience will be first to find out.

Original Music

From an artistic standpoint, "A Touch of the Times" has much so its credit. Photography has been under the direction of Hugh C. Foster '49, an Academy Award winner for his camera work on the Antarctic documentary, "Secret Land." And in place of running dialogue, an original musical score has been completed by a promising local composer. Yoder is highly enthusiastic about this music, and terms it one of the movie's biggest assets.

Acting in the movie as such is practically nil. Few club members knew bow to act which is fine. The way it turned out, characters are natural by necessity, especially so when they didn't know they were being filmed. This happened more than once to curious spectators who came over to watch the company "on location" in an around Boston.

But no matter what the critics say about "A Touch," they had better keep their pencils sharpened. Ivy plans to keep on making movies come what may, as long as the money lasts. Hollywood, beware-and the devil take J. Arthur Rank et al.