Evening star., 1951-10-11

kaltenborn, Elmer Davis.
Fellow name of Klaatu from
Mars has landed his space ship
at Keith's theater and it would
be heinous of you not to see him.
Klaatu is the hero of "The Day
The Earth Stood STILL" a science
fiction movie that has terrific ex-
citement and also lot of common
sense and comedy. These are
about as fetching ingredients as
one has a right to expect in
movie
The combination in this case is
guaranteed to provide you with
the best time you have had since
you were eight. 1t also will give
you something to think about as
did such earlier hits in the same
category as Seven Days to Noon."
and "The Thing"
Twentieth Century-Fox should
find itself with whoppingly popu-
lar production in THE Day The
Earth Stood Still" No picture
could be more timely than this
one whose theme is an earthly
visit by a man from Mars, a man
who just happens to be II times
more civilized than we are and
who. in his gentlemanly way, lets
us know we are comparative
monkeys.
The picture carries a special
filip for Washington in that it
all happens right here. with local
backgrounds. and with a strong
suggestion that we might behave
like idiots in a panicky situation.
Henry Bates wrote a zippy basic
tale for Keith's thriller. 1t is
about q space-ship that travels
1000 miles an hour from a planet
rs million miles distant and
finally comes to a landing on the
Ellipse just south of the White
House.
The military, the police and the
public, all equally jittery, turn out
to meet the sensational visitor
which looks like a gigantic flying
soup plate.
Awe. wonder and trigger tauti
nerves await the opening of the
door through which Klaatu steps.
When he opens a strange instru-
ment as he approaches the wait
ing multitude. a jittery soldier
shoots him. This inhospitable act
brings the real superman, al
Frankenstein named Gort, out of
the space ship. In reprisal, Gort
whips rays on the carbines, the
tanks, and other welcoming arms
and melts them right out from
under the defenders from Fort |
Myer.
This shows who is boss of the
Mall, but fortunately Klaatu re-
wives and shows that he is Gort's
boss.
Klaatu explains later at Walter
Reed Hospital that he wants the
White House to call a world con-
ference to permit him to give the
Earth some good advice.
When the White House explains
that the world is too full of ten
sions and threats for such a par
ley now, Klaatu escapes the hos
pitaL disguises himself as an av-
erage Washingtonian, and takes
up residence in a Harvard street
boarding house. He will see what
he can do on his own about un-
derstanding such uncivilized hu-
mans as those on Earth, of which I
we presumably are standard
samples.
The thing that irks him most is
that the atmosphere of suspicion
among the Earth nations is so
great that even he cannot make it
understood his own mission is
peaceful. While he is trying to
find small, hopeful hole in man
kinds foolishness, the military
and the police are seeking him
everywhere.
Where they never think to look /
Is in the company of an 11-year-
old boy who becomes Klaatu's pal,
takes him sightseeing. and finally
leads him to an elderly atomic
scientist. The latter is an infant
still rubbing sticks together to
make fire, as compared with Kla-
atu in knowledge. but he does
understand something of the lat
ter's problem.
If he does not get Klaatu's
world conference in session, he at
least makes it possible for the
latter to get his message across.
1t is spectacular message to the !
effect that the other planets are
sick and tired of what's going on
here. More than that. if it doesn't
stop, Klaatu says, the other plan
cts will blow this one out of
existence.
AS played by Michael Rennie, he
seems to mean every word of it.