Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6 — December 7,1972
NEW DOCUMENT TO GIVE ANSWER
What Is a Catholic University?
BY FATHER LEO E. MCFADDEN
ROME (NC) - What is a Catholic
university?
The answer to that question, years in
the making, will soon be presented by
the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic
Education and a commission of Catholic
educators, members of the International
Federation of Catholic Universities
(IFCU).
Father Theodore Hesburgh, president
of Notre Dame University in Indiana,
former president of the Federation and
delegate of IFCU at a Vatican meeting
Nov. 20-30, told NC News in Rome that
he is gratified and optimistic that the
congregation and the educators will
soon agree on a final document.
The Holy Cross priest said the
document will mean that “for the first
time in the modern history of Catholic
universities and colleges we will have a
charter which clearly states our role.
nature, freedom, in what sense we are
and are not Catholic.”
He then added:
“If you want to be prosaic about it,
say this document will also spell out for
us what our glory is.”
Father Hesburgh said the document,
under study in the Vatican and by
commissions around the wrold since
1967, will have been written and
originated by university people with the
approval of the Congregation for
Catholic Education.
The document, he said, will strike a
delicate balance between academic
freedom and the teaching authority of
the Church and define the nature and
purpose of a university.
He said it will declare that a Catholic
university has four characteristics:
“A Catholic university is faithful to
the message of Christ, dedicated to the
service of the people of God, steeped in
Christian inspiration and continuously
reflecting on all the growing fields of
knowledge in the light of the Gospel.”
Father Hesburgh said the document
will provide any educator new to the
field a sense of the long tradition he is
stepping into, whether his institution
dates back to the middle ages or was
founded a few years ago.
The document, he said, has
undergone a battery of revisions and
engendered almost unending debates.
“Right now the federation and the
congregation are closer to agreement
than we have ever been, and that’s
progress,” he said.
“I don’t blame some of the more
conservative members of both the
federation and the congregation for
arguing their side of things, for fighting
for what they believe. I fight for what I
believe too.”
Asked if the document would settle
the touchy question of the right of the
professor to academic freedom versus
the obligation of Church authority to
preserve the faith, Father Hesburgh said
that in remarks “to our group the other
day, Pope Paul gave the best answer to
that. He said there was only one
limitation to research and that was the
truth.”
Father Hesburgh said that educators
know they are not the entire Church
and that they are subject to authority.
This document will help us as
educators and those in authority
perform their roles better, he added.
La. Bishop Calls
For Investigation
At Southern U.
sonoHwo
FILM CLASSIFICATION
November 15, 1972
A SERVICE OF THE DIVISION FOR FILM AND BROADCASTING U.S.C.C.
405 LEXINGTON AVENUE, NEW YORK, N. Y. 10017 (212) TN 7-8460
Films treated in review or capsule form in the Catholic Film Newsletter are followed by the appropriate relerence to volume and issue number.
CLASS A — Section I — Morally Unobjectionable for
Biscuit Eater, The—Walt Disney/B.V. 37:6
Black Rodeo—Cinerama 37:15
Boy Friend, The—MGM 37:1
City Lights—Col. 37:8
Concert for Bangladesh, The—Fox 37:7
Cougar Country—Amer. Natl. 37:18
Country Music—Univ. 37:17
Escape From the Planet of the Apes- Fox 36:11
Fantasia—Buena Vista 35:1
Fiddler on the Roof—U.A. 36:22
Gang’s All Here, The—Fox/Spilker 37:2
Judo Saga—Toho 37:7
Lady and the Tramp—Walt Disney/B.V. 36:23
Late Spring—New Worker 37:15
Living Free—Col. 37:6
Man For All Seasons, A—Col. 37:2
Modern Times—Leisure Media, Inc. 36:23
Napoleon and Samantha—Walt Disney/BV 37:13
North Country—Amer. Natl. 37:19
Now You See Him. Now Yo'\ Don't
—Walt Disney/BV 37:13
$1,000,000 Duck. The—Walt Disney-B.V. 36:13
General Patronage
RA Expeditions, The—Interwest 37:5
Railway Children. The—Lniv. 36:21
Snoopy Come Home—Natl. Gen. 37:13
Socrates—New Yorker Films 36:23
Sounder—Fox 37:17
Tender Warrior, The—Wm. Thompson Inti. 37:4
Tokyo Story—New Yorker 37:7
Treasure Island—Natl. Gen. 37:21
Wall in Jerusalem, A—EYR Programs 37:8
Wilderness Journey. The—Amer. Natl. 37:19
What's Up Doc—W.B. 37:6
Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster—AIP 37:13
CLASS A — Section II — Morally Unobjectionable for Adults and Adolescents
Arch, The—Cinema V 37:10
Arruza—Avco Emb. 37:10
Ben—Cinerama 37:12
Blacula—AIP 37:15
Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb—AIP 37:11
Cancel My Reservation—W.B. 37:18
Darwin Adventure, The—Fox 37:19
Deadly Trap, The—Natl. Gen. 37:21
Dr. Phibes Rises Again—AIP 37:15
Emigrants, File -W.B. 37:19
Godson, The—Artists Inti. 37:18
Great Dictator, The—Col. 37:12
Hero, The—Avco Emb. 37:18
Je T’Aime, Je T’Aime—New Yorker 37:10
Joe 11 ill- Para. 36:21
Junior Bonner—Cinerama 37:12
Kidnapped—AIP 37:1
King Lear—Altura 36:23
Limelight—Col. 37:17
Little Ark, The—Natl Gen. 37:3
Malcolm X—W.B. 37:12
Man, The—Para. 37:14
Mary, Queen of Scots—Lniv. 36:24
Money Talks—U.A, 37:15
Nicholas and Alexandra—Col. 36:24
Night of the Lepus—MGM 37:16
Our Latin Thing—A&R Films 37:16
Princess Yang Kwei Fei—New Yorker 37:14
Public Eye, The—Lniv. 37:14
Rain for a Dusty Summer—Do/Bar Prod. 37:10
Sense of Loss, A—Cinema 5 37:20
Separate Peace—Para. 37:18
Silent Running—Univ. 37:5
Skyjacked—MGM 37:11
Son of Blob—Jack H. Harris 37:21
Sorrow and the Pity, The—Cinema 5 37:5
Thing With Two Heads. The—AIP 37:16
Tomorrow—Filmgroup Prod. 37:4
Trial of the Catonsville Nine, The
—Cinema 5 37:11
Trinity is Still My Name—Avco Emb. 37:18
Uncle Vanya-Artkino Pictures 37:17
Who Slew Auntie Roo?—AIP 37:2
Willard—Cinerama 36:12
Young Winston—Col. 37:19
CLASS A — Section III — Morally Unobjectionable for Adults
Airport—Univ. 35:3
Alf n" Family—Sherpix 37:17
Assassination of Trotsky, The—Cinerama 37:19
Baron Blood—AIP 37:20
B. J. Lang Presents—-Fine 37:1
Blood Thirst—Chevron 37:6
Le Boucher—Cinerama 37:1
Bronco Bullfrog—N.Y. 37:15
Buck and the Preacher—Col. 37:9
Burglars, The—Col. 37:13
Butterflies Are Free—Col. 37:14
Cabaret A.A. 37:4
Candidate, The—W.B. 37:13
Chandler -MGM 36:24
Case of the Naves Brothers—Europix Inti. 37:18
Charles—Dead or Alive—New Yorker 37:11
Chato's Land—U.A. 37:11
Chloe in the Afternoon—Col. 37:19
Come Back Charleston Blue—W.B. 37:14
Confessions of a Police Captain
—Acvo Emb. 37:13
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
—Fox 37:13
Corpse Grinders, The—Geneni 37:18
Cowboys. The—Warners 37:2
Creature With the Blue Hand—New World 37:2
Crescendo—W.B. 37:21
Culpepper Cattle Co., The—Fox 37:9
Daredevil, The -Trans-Inti. 37:10
Dcathmaster—AIP 37:15
Diamonds are Forever—U.A. 36:24
Dirty Outlaws -Transvue 37:1
Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoise, The
Fox 37:21
Doberman Gang, The—Dimension 37:19
Dr. Jekyli and Sister Hyde—AIP 37:9
Dracula A.D. 1972—W.B. 37:21
Duck, You Sucker!-—U.A. 37:13
Dulcima—Cinevision 37:14
Eagle in a Cage—Natl. Gen. 36:17
Embaliner. The—Geneni 37:18
Every Little Crook and Nanny—MGM 37:12
F.T.A.—AIP 37:14
Fat City—Col. 37:15
Figures in a Landscape—Natl. Gen. 36:15
Fillmore—Fox 37:10
Frogs—AIP 37:9
Full Life, A—N.Y. Films 37:9
Fuzz—U.A. 37:12
Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, The
—MGM 37:1
Garden of the Finzi—Continis-Cinema 5 37:1
Go-Between, The—Col. 36:14
Godfather, The—Para. 37:6
Cods and the Dead, The—N.Y. Films 37:11
Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, The—Univ. 37:7
Green Wall, The—Altura 37:18
Groundstar Conspiracy. The—Univ. 37:7
Gumshoe—Col. 37:7
Hands of the Ripper—Univ. 37.9
Happiness Cage, The—Cinerama 37:16
Harold and Maude—Para. 36:24
Honkers, The—U.A. 37:3
Hospital, The—-U.A. 36:23
Images—Col.
It Only Happens to Others—GSF Films 36:20
Island of the Burning Damned—Maron 36:23
I Want What I Want—Cinerama 37:5
Jamilya—Artkino 37:16
Jerusalem File, The—MGM 37:4
Joe Kidd—Univ. 37:12
Journey Through Rosebud—GSF 37:6
J. W. Coop—Col. 37:6
Kansas City Bomber—MGM 37:15
Roteh—Cinerama 36:19
Last of the Red Hot Lovers—Para. 37:11
Let’s Scare Jessica to Death—Para. 36:17
Limbo—Lniv. 37:21
Long Ago. Tomorrow— Cinema 5 36:19
Love Story-=iPara. 35:24
Made for Each Other—Fox 36:24
Magnificent Seven Ride!, The—U.A. 37:15
Marjoe—Cinema 5 37:14
Millhouse—-New Yorker Films 36:20
Minnie and Moseowitz—Univ. 37:1
My Uncle Antoine—Gendon Films 37:9
Necromancy—Cinerama 37:20
Night of the Blood Monster—AIP 37:14
Night of the Blood Monster-—AIP 37:14
Night of the Living Dead—W alter Reade 37:1
No Drums, No Bugles—Cinerama 36:16
Other, The—Fox 37:11
Parades—Cinerama 37:16
Pickup on 101—AIP 37:14
Play It Again, Sam—Para. 37:9
Pocket Money—Natl Gen. 37:3
Pulp—U. A.—37:20
Puppet on a Chain—Cinerama 37:9
Red Sun—Natl. Gen. 37:10
Return of Sabata—U.A. 37:17
Revengers, The—Natl. Gen. 37:11
Richard—Aurora City Group 37:17
Ryan’s Daughter—MGM 35:23
Sacco & Yanzetti—CMC 36:20
La Salamandre—New Yorker 37:11
Salzburg Connection, The—Fox 37:17
Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers
—Maron 37:7
Shaft—MGM 36:12
Skin Game—W.B. 36:18
Smic Sniac Smoc—GSF Films 37:3
Snow Job—Warners 37:3
Someone Behind the Door—GSF Films 36:24
Something Big—Natl. Gen. 36:20
Stanley—Crown Inti. 37:13
Strange Vengeance of Rosalie, The
—Fox 37:12
Superbeast—U.A. 37:17
Tales From the Crypt—Cinerama 37:5
Tam Lin—AIP 36:22
Tenehu—Japanese Film Exch. 37:3
Ten Days' Wonder—Levitt-Picknian 37:8
They Call Me Trinity—Avco Emb. 36:12
Three Lives—Impact Films 36:23 -
T. R. Baskin—Para. 36:21
Trojan Women, The—Cinerama 36:19
Twilight People—Dimension 37:19
Utamaro and His Five Women—N.Y. 37:3
\ umpire Circus—Fox 37:21
W ar Between Men and Women, The
—Natl. Gen. 37:10
Wednesday’s Child—Cinema 5 37:20
Weekend Murders, The—MGM 37:12
When the Legends Die—-Fox 37:18
Who Killed Mary Whats’ername—Cannon 36:23
Winter Soldier—Winterfilm Co-op 37:10
W ithout Apparent Motive—Fox 37:5
You’ll Like My Mother—Univ. 37:19
Zatoiehi Meets Yojimbo—Bijou of Japan 37:2
Z.P.G.—Para. 37:8
CLASS A — Section IV — Morally Unobjectionable for Adults, with Reservations
(An A-IV Classification is given to certain films which, while not morally offensive in themselves,
as a protection to the uninformed against wrong interpretations and false conclusions.)
And Now for Something Completely Different
—Col. 37:16
Bad Company—Para. 37:19
Brother Carl—New Yorker 37:15
Carnal Knowledge- Avco Emb. 36:14
Day in the Death of Joe Egg, A—Col. 37:11
Deliverance-W.B. 37:15
El Topo—Abkco 36:22
Even Dwarfs Started Small—New Line 37:4
Fellini's Roma—U.A. 37:20
French Connection. The Fox 36:20
Frenzy—Univ. 37:10
Georgia. Georgia- Cinerama 37:6
Hickey and Boggs—U.A. 37:16
1 Love You. 1 Kill You—New Yorker 37:12
Johnny Got His Gun—Cinemation 36:16
king of Marvin Gardens. The— Col. 37:20
Lady Liberty—U.A. 37:10
Lady Sings the Blues—Para. 37:21
Legend of Nigger Charley, The—Para. 37:10
Macbeth—Col. 37:1
Medicine Ball Caravan, The—W.B. 36:17
New Centurions. The—Col. 37:16
One is a Lonely Number—MGM 37:7
Play It as It Lays—l niv. 37:19
Pope Joan—Coi. 37:14
require caution and some analysis and explanation
Possession of Joel Delaney. The—Para. 37:9
Punishment Park—Chartwell 36:22
Ruling Glass. The—Avco Emb. 37:18
Slaughterhouse Five—Lniv. 37:7
Sometimes a Great Notion—Univ. 36:24
Sunday Bloody Sunday—U.A. 36:19
To Die of Love—MGM 37:3
Trick Baby—Lniv. 37:21
Two English Girls—Janus Films 37:19
l Izana's Raid—Univ. 37:17
W ind From the East—New Line 37:4
Wrath of God. The—MGM 37:14
GLASS B — Morally Objectionable in Part for All
Beast of the Yellow Night—New W orld 37:3
Billy Jack—Warners 36:10
Bloodsuckers -Chevron 37:6
Born To W in U.A. 36:21
Candidate for a Killing- GGP 37:9
Carey Treatment, The—MGM 37:8
Carry on Camping —AH’ 37:2
Carry On. Henry—AIP 37:8
Cleopatra Xanadu Projects 37:9
Countess Dracula -Fox 37:21
Dead Are Alive. The—Nat. Gen. 37:12
$ 1 Dollars)—Col. 36:24
Four Flies on Grey Velvet—Para. 37:16
Get to Know Your Rabbit—W .B. 37:12
Abductors. The—Jos. Brenner 37:3
Bananas—U.A. 36:9
Bang Bang Gang. The—Eden Inti. 37:11
Bedroom Mazurka—Sherpix 37:10
Black Belly of the Tarantula—MGM 37:12
Biindman—Fox 37:6
Bluebeard—Cinerama 37:16
Bonnie's Kids—Gen. Film 37:20
Born Black (to White Parents)
Hallmark 37:20
Boxcar Bertha AIP 37:12
Butterfly. The—Audubon 36:23
Caged Men Plus One Woman
H. H. Thomas Enterprise 37:12
Chain Gang Women—Crown Inti. 37:9
Clockwork Orange. A—Warners 37:1
Cool Breeze—MGM 37:8
Dagmar’s Hot Pants. Inc.—Trans. Amer.
—AIP 36:20
Daughters of Satan—U.A. 37:17
Dealing: or the Berkeley-to-Boston 40-BricK
Lost Bag Blues—Warners 37:4
Deep Throat—Gerard Damiano Film 37:15
Devils, The—W.B. 36:14
Dirty Harry—W.B. 36:24
Dynamite Chicken—EY R Prod, 37:2
Eroticon—Adelphia 37:11
Everything You Always Wanted to Know
About Sex* But Were Afraid to Ask
—U.A. 37:16
Greaser’s Palace---Greaser's Palace Ltd. 37:16
Hammersmith Is Out—-J. Cornelius Crean 37:11
Hannie Caulder—Para. 37:11
Happy Birthday. Wanda June—-Col. 36:24
Honky—Harris 37:1
Horror on Snape Island—Fanfare Corp. 37:10
Loot Cinevision 37:9
MacunaimaT—New Line Cinema 37:10
Marriage of a Young Stockbroker- -Fox 36:17
One Brief Summer—Cinevision 37:12
One Night at Dinner—Inti. Co-Prods. 36:22
Savage Messiah—MGM 37:20
Savages—Angelika 37:13
Shaft’s Big Score—MGM 37:13
CLASS C — Condemned
Farewell Uncle Torn—Euro Inti. 37:21
Female Bunch. The—Dalia Prod. 37:5
Final Comedown. The—New World 37:12
Four Times That Night—Cinevision 37:19
Fritz the Cat—Cinemation 37:3
Ghetto Freaks—Cinar 37:15
Glass Houses—Col. 37:2
Hammer—L.A. 37:19
I leat —Levitt-Piekman 37:19
Hollywood Babylon—I.A.E. Di>tr. 37:4
Hot Box. The—New World 37:12
House of Missing Girls—Jack H. Harris
Lady Frankenstein—-New World 37:12
La:-t Movie. The—l niv. 36:19
La>t Picture Show. The—Col. 36:19
Lizard in a Woman's Skin—AIP 36:20
Maddalena—Inti. Co-Prods. 36:23
Maid in Sweden—Cannon 36:22
Mark of the Devil—Hallmark 37:8
Melinda—MGM 37:16
Moonlighting Mistress—Dalia Prod. 3i :5
Nighteomers. The—Avco Etnb. 37:4
Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave. The
—Phase One 37:15
Oh! Calcutta—Cinemation 37:14
1000 Convicts and a Woman—AIP 36:22
Peace Killers. The—Transvue 36:20
Personals—Distribpix 37:9
Place Called Today, —Avco Emb. 37:13
Sitting Target—MGM 37:8
Soul Soldier—Fanfare 37:2
Stand l p and Be Counted—Col. 37:15
Stepmother, The—Crown Inti. 37:12
Thumb Tripping—Avco Emb. 37:13
To Find a Man—Col. 37:2
Toy are Not for Children—Maron 37:21
Twin' of Evil -lniv. 37:9
Undertaker and His Pals. Tilt—Geneni 37:18
Welcome Home. Soldier Boys—Fox 37:4
What Became of Jack and Jill?—Fox 37:12
W ild in the Skv—AIP 37:4
Wild Pack. The—AIP 37.T9
X. Y and Zee—Col. 37:4
Portnoy's Complaint—W.B. 37:13
Prime Cut—Natl. Gen. 37:11
Private Duty Nut>es -New World 37:3
Rival'—Avco Emb. 37:17
Run Before the Wind—Cinemation 37:5
School Girls. Th<—Fine Films 37:8
Secretary, The—l nited Films 37:20
Secret Rites —Avco Enth. 36:22
Seduction of Inga. The-—Cinemation 37:5
Seven Minute'. The -Fox 36:13
Slaughter—AIP 37:16
Some of My Rest Friend- Are . . .—AIP 36:18
Stigma—Charles B. Moss. Jr. 37:10
Straw Dogs—Cinerama 37:1
Suburban W ives—Scotia Inti. 37:21
Such Good Friend'—Para. 37:1
Super Fly—W .B. 37:15
Swingin' Stewardesses. The—Hemisphere 37:19
Together—Hallmark 36:18
Top of the Heap—Fanfare 37:10
Tower of Sereaming V irgins—Maron 37:2
200 Motels—U.A. 36:22
l nholy Rollers. The—AIP 37:21
V elvet V ampire. The—New W orld 36:21
Visitors. The—U.A. 37:2
Where Does It Hurt?—Cinerama 37:16
W omen In Cages—New World 36:21
Women in Revolt—Andy Warhol Films—37:5
BATON ROUGE, La. (NC) - Bishop
Robert E. Tracy of Baton Rouge has
called for an investigation of the causes
of campus unrest at Southern University
here where two students were killed in a
campus confrontation with law
enforcement officers.
Voicing his concern for the families
of the deceased and others who have
suffered, Bishop Tracy issued a
statement in which he expressed the
hope that “within the framework of the
tried and true systems of order which
have served Southern well for many
years, a thorough investigation be
carried out regarding the causes of
campus unrest and a reasonable
approach to satisfying the legitimate
aspirations of the students.”
Students at Southern University had
been demonstrating for several weeks.
They were dissatisfied with Dr. G. Leon
Netterville Jr., university president,
whom they considered authoritarian.
They wanted him to resign.
They were also dissastified with food,
living facilities and prices at the
university.
Father Howze
To Be Ordained
Bishop Jan. 28
JACKSON, Miss. (NC) - Father
Joseph Howze will be ordained auxiliary
bishop of the Natchez-Jackson diocese
here Jan. 28.
Archbishop Luigi Raimondi,
apostolic delegate in the United States,
will be principal concelebrant of the
ordination Mass for Father Howze, the
third black priest to be named a bishop
in the history of the U.S. Church.
Jose M. Anguerira, dean of social
studies at Dade College, said Archbishop
Carroll ‘with great foresight, fostered
development programs” which helped
the large number of Cubans who came
including about 50 bishops, expected to
attend. St. Peter’s co-cathedral here is
being remodeled and is too small for the
expected crowd, according to a diocesan
spokesman.
Father Howze, 49, a pastor in
Asheville, N.C., was named auxiliary to
Bishop Joseph Brunini Nov. 13.
TV Movies
(PARTIAL LISTING)
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10 — 9:00 p.m.
(ABC) - THE WORLD OF SUZIE WONG
(I960) -- It’s an old story in a new setting --
you know the way it goes . . .She loved her
man, but he done her Wong. This romantic
melodrama created a stir when it was first
released in theaters, specifically, because it
dealt with a Eurasian girl who made her living
in a brothel. Nancy Kwan plays the girl, and
William Holden is cast as the American
architect “on leave” in Hong Kong in order to
test his talents as an artist. He uses Suzie
Wong as his model, becomes romantically
inclined in an on-again, off-again manner, and
finally makes a firm commitment to her, and
she to him. The only real problem for today's
audiences is the movie’s inordinate length;
most adults will be able to place the story and
its Hollywood resolution into the proper
perspective.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 — 9:00 p.m.
(NBC) - A SHOT IN THE DARK (1964) -
Frequently hilarious, occasionally tasteless
and mildly offensive farce starring Peter
Sellers as a super-incompetent French police
inspector rying to solve a murder mystery and
not only making a mess of the investigation,
but managing to increase the number of
victims as well. Offensive visuals will
doubtless be snipped for home consumption,
but a number of tasteless situations will
remain - so be warned that this admittedly
very funny film (a car chase at the finale is a
real classic) is nonetheless a matter of adult
taste. (B)
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 —9:00 p.m.
(NBC) - MAYERLING (1968) - Mushy,
overlong, lavishly costumed “woman’s film”
starring Catherine Deneuve and Omar Sharif
in the “tragic” legendary tale of royal
romance between Austrian Crown Prince
Rudolf and his mistress Maria Vetsera. Has all
the trappings of a real tearjerker, but comes
up big and empty, unintentionally
underscoring how anti-human and futile a
gesture is suicide. You won’t shed a tear, so
why waste your time? (A-lll)
SKATING PRESIDENT -- The new president of Boston College, Father J.
Donald Monan, S.J., gets ready to take the ice in his first game of
“Flynn’s Follies,” an intramural hockey game which includes college
administrators. Although he hadn’t played in more than ten years, Father
Monan scored a goal. The game is named for a former athletic director.
(NC Photo)
1
♦
t
i
LIFE IN MUSIC
BY THE DAMEANS
It Never Rains In Southern California
Got on board a westbound 747, Didn’t think before deciding
what to do.
Oh that talk about the opportunities, t.v. breaks, and
movies rang true,
sure rang true.
Seems it never rains in Southern California
Seems I’ve often heard that kind of talk before,
It never rains in California
But girl don’t they warn ya
It pours, man it pours.
Out of work I’m out of my head,
Out of self-respect, I’m out of bread,
I’m underloved, I’m underfed, I wanna go home.
It never rains in California
But girl don’t they warn ya,
It pours, man it pours
Will you tell the folks back home, I nearly made it.
Had offers but don’t know which one to take,
Please don’t tell em how you found me.
Don’t tell em how you found me,
Give me a break
Give me a break.
Seems it never rains in Southern California.
Seems I’ve often heard that kind of talk before.
It never rains in California
But girl don’t they warn ya
It pours, man it pours.
(c D. Alfield and A. Hammond Mums, CBS)
One has to admit at the start that there is nothing real deep or profound
about this song. There are no hidden meanings or poetic nuances. The song is
self-explanatory as the writer simply says what he means. I guess I ended up
writing about it because I liked it.
It is a very pleasant song musically which makes the words appear not only
as critical as they do if they are just read. The situation, which talks of the
failure of an individual, is lightened not only by the music but also by the mild
sarcasm of the key lines of the song “it never rains in Southern California . . .it
pours!”
The story is familiar. Here is a guy who gets bored with life and is looking for
some excitement and opportunities where he can make it big. Where does he go?
West, naturally. He has heard all that talk about “T.V. breaks and movies”
and besides that is the place where it “seems it never rains.”
We are confronted here with an example of “the grass is greener on the other
side” and don’t we all know the itch. We have either dreamed about how things
COULD be or have tried so many times for that utopia that you’d think we
would learn.
So the gUy heads west. Probably ever since the gold rush, California has
loomed as the promised land, the land of milk and honey, with its coast,
mountains, nice weather, fast living and the glamour of a Hollywood (no
mention, of course, of the smog, earthquakes and traffic). No wonder then that
he boards that westbound 747 and blows!
However, the next scene brings the dreams, the hopes of “never raining,”
down to reality. He is out of work, out of his head, out of self respect, out of
bread, underfed and underloved - doesn’t leave much to work with, does it?
That must be a terrible feeling to be at the bottom of the rung, knowing that
things just didn’t pan out and that all of those dreams have turned to failures.
You don’t feel bad enough about it yourself but you have to face someone from
home and let them know that you have bombed out.
Just imagine the hassle the guy must have faced before he left ~ the people
warning him that it wouldn’t work out, telling him that things are not like he
thinks they are. On the other hand there must have been his determination that
he could make it and that he was going to show them and then .. .flop! Rather
than face all of the “I told you so” responses, he says “don’t tell them how you
found me,” “give me a break” and spare me the embarrassment of being a
failure.
Without stretching the point too far, this song does sound like a modem
version of Jesus’ parable on the prodigal son, who in the end swallows his pride
and follows through on the feeling of “I wanna go home.” In “It Never Rains in
Southern California,” we don’t find out how the story ends and are left with a
sad, disillusioned individual who had been in search for that place where “it
never rains.”
t
(All correspondence should be directed to The Dameans, St. Joseph Church, 216 Patton
Avenue, P.O. Box 5188, Shreveport, La. 71105.)