Entre hommes

I saw this movie a couple of months ago and for the most part, I concur with the earlier comments. I was very surprised to see the issue of fraternity hazing tackled in a fifties film, considering the fact that `social consciousness' wasn't politically correct until the seventies. To give fair warning, this film has rather anemic cinematography, but that's forgivable due to age. Sherman Rose, however, provided horrific editing -- even a `B' film deserves better treatment than the unforgivable butchering job he performed. Quite frankly, I could have done better with my pocketknife and cellophane tape.

Paul Henreid, however, should be commended for his directing ability because the quality of the acting is really good. Henreid proved he could spot talent by casting a young ensemble full of potential stars: Margaret `mother of Sally' Field, a beautiful Vera `Psycho' Miles, Kathleen `touch me and I'll scream' Hughes, Robert `the good scribe' Sherman, and of course, the most improbable villain for anyone born after the mid 1950s -- Russell `and the rest' Johnson. With the exception of maybe Field, I believe most of these actors got their big break with this film. I know Russell Johnson has said so.

The plot, which (of course) involves fraternity hazing to its extreme, pits Henreid (the good professor) against Johnson (the handsome, yet sadistic, frat leader). There are moments of both suspense and humor throughout. I, too, noticed Henreid's trademark of staring into the corner of the room with valor. You could almost see the halo over his head as easily as you could see the horns behind Johnson's. Add a good string arrangement and the symbolism is complete. Henreid's heavy accent is also quite humorous when you consider he was representing American suburbia. However, it was referenced in the film that Henreid was educated in Germany. Apparently Henreid knew that there definitely was a need for an explanation! I felt Field got a shortchanged a bit as Henreid's wife. Her role was significant, but I don't believe it was developed to its full potential. Hughes' performance as a rake was good -- both appalling and funny. Sherman and Miles played the young couple in love, and in a way I think Miles had more sense than anyone else did in the movie. There is also some truth to the sexual innuendo in the opening scenes with a barechested Sherman being hazed by his `brothers.' Johnson (who for once was introduced at the beginning of the credits), believe it or not, gave a strong performance and was very convincing as the villain (who was actually a big coward underneath). I believe Johnson was shipwrecked in more than one way on `Gilligan's Island.'

I don't think you'll find this movie at your local video store, but I do know it's currently available on videotape at moviesunlimited.com. It would be interesting to see this film remade for the twenty-first century. Recommended for Paul Henreid fans, `Gilligan's Island' fanatics, and film aficionados. Not recommended for members of PETA or the faint at heart.

Paul Henreid made this disappointing expose movie about fraternity hazing on a college campus, way too tame for its "explosive" subject matter. Happy ending belies the fact that seven decades later the abhorrent practice still occurs.

New faces in the cast include Vera Miles as an innocent heroine and Kathleen Hughes as a sort of junior varsity femme fatale. She is posed sexily in the advertising and marketing of the movie, strictly phony since her role on screen is relatively tame.

As a preachy hero, Henreid is too good to be true, and the severity of the hazing is not graphic enough to qualify for the trashy content one expects for exploitation cinema. A far better, more serious treatment came decades later in "Fraternity Row".

Paul Heinreid was moved enough by this script and recent college deaths due to hazing that he produced, starred and directed this B picture. It's surprisingly good, not only for the snapshot of the early 50s, but also for some of the supporting players. This film introduced a gorgeous Vera Miles in her first big role(The Searchers,Psycho and tons of tv work came later) - also Russell Johnson, later in This Island Earth and Gilligan's Island, practicing his sneer. Robert Johnson also debuts, altho he had better claim to fame as a writer for classic tv like Rawhide, The Invaders, Kung Fu and MacGuyver among many others. (I had to look that up here, but I recognize the face). For its time, this was a fairly advanced social picture when the genre wasn't doing well against monsters, Westerns and the 50s gimmicks of 3-D, Cinemascope and the like. It even manages to sneak in some anti-Semitism and homoerotic tension during some of the college "boys" hazing(back when "boys" were in their 20s). Johnson is particularly interested in a hairy,wet barechested Sherman during opening credits, proving to be a sadist in the making thruout. However, Heinreid is clearly 'the star', trying to ease his accent into the dream of 50s suburbia, with a wife in pleated skirts, slippers and martinis. His trademark staring into the corner of the room with honor and morality (aka Casablanca, Now Voyager,etc.)comes into play thruout. In the plot, a young man going thru a grueling hazing balks at the last step, which involves a horrible cruelty to an animal. For this, he is hounded out of school and to his death. Heinreid, the good chemistry professor, finds out the death wasn't accidental and starts digging, unearthing more than his marriage or social position can shoulder. I saw this once on 16MM ,remember many key scenes and would recommend a viewing to recall how much the 50s were hiding and what they couldn't hide. Three and a half to four stars of five. - MDM

This was Paul Henreid's debut as a director, and more films would follow. Vera Miles makes her debut as one of his students and as the girl friend of the real protagonist, Robert Sherman as Tod Palmer, the student who gets harassed to death. The film and story exposes a problem of rather universal and omnipresent actuality, as there are bullies everywhere, who unfortunately tend to get organised, hiding behind authorities and groups and riding high on group mentalities. The "fraternity" here gives you associations to mobs like Ku Klux Klan and mafia syndicates, and boys like this could very well develop into bosses for such kinds of fraternities. We find the same problem in for instance English public schools and Swedish boarding schools (like in Jan Guillou's "Evil" (2003). Paul Henreid had never directed before and could not resist the urgency of a matter like this being treated and exposed, as it apparently was common in colleges all over America. It is still an urgent issue probably all over the world, so it could never be enough discussed and brought to light.

"For Men Only" is a film designed to expose the excesses and cruelties of fraternity hazings. It's apparently based on a real incident where a fraternity informed its pledges they needed to kill a dog to join! A nice group of 'kids', huh?!

Tod is trying to join a fraternity at Wake College. However, the leader of the fraternity rush program, Ky Walker (Russell Johnson...the Professor from "Gilligan's Island"), is a read sadist and has made it his job to break Tod...though so far, Tod has accepted Ky's torments without complaint. However, on initiation night, Ky tells Tod to murder a puppy...and Tod naturally refuses and goes to the faculty about this. But the police and faculty mostly ignore the accusation...particularly when the frat brothers uniformly lie about the puppy killing. What's next for Tod? Well, it only gets worse...yes worse than just a dead puppy! And, it also gets pretty bad for a professor who tries to stand up against this evil fraternity system.

This is an interesting film because one of the only faculty members who believes Beanie is played by Paul Henreid...who also directed and produced the film. He's excellent in all these roles and the movie is exceptional considering it's a cast of mostly unknowns aside from Henreid (Johnson was in his first film...so he, too, was an unknown at the time).

So is it worth seeing? Of course. It makes a strong statement economically and is never dull nor schmaltzy.