For Men Only

Despite its suggestive title and an unusually fraudulent advertising campaign. For Men Only is the relatively straight story of a college fraternity--Omega Nu. As such it marks the first half-way honest attempt to illustrate some ridiculous and sadistic aspects of fraternity initiations; unfortunately the film wanders off into a side-plot that softens its impact.

For Men Only deserves credit for a sensitive exposition of what goes on during pledge period at a frat college. It traces the course of a student through the multiple senseless humiliations and 'stunts' of "hell Week," culminating in "Hell Night." Blindfolded and dressed in sacks, the initiates are led to a sacred spot where they go through the standard candle-light mumbo-jumbo routines. Then as a final test of his worthiness, one pledge is asked to sacrifice a dog. He refuses, and subsequently starts a campus revolt against "Hell Week" with the aid of a sympathetic professor (Paul Henreid). Those who feel that this picture exagerates initiations might visit our State University (where pledges tour the country wearing toilet seats) or one Mid Western frat, where Hell Night includes branding of the 'new brothers' with cattle irons.

At this point For Men Only dilutes its story with such exagerated side-plots as the attempt of Omega Nu's president to trump up a morals charge against the professor. But in the course of this sidetrack, we get a picture of the college administration performing various acrobatic hush-up operations to prevent "the alumni's pens from freezing in their checkbooks."

Incidents like these are far from fictional, but the film fails to touch on the basic problem here--why some collegiate social organizations, from Mid-West frats to Harvard clubs, feel it necessary to make humiliation an integral part of initiation.