Montgomery County sentinel. [volume], May 09, 1963, Image 1

About Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974

Image provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

                
Movie Stars, Film Crews Come la Montgomery County
Trio of Stars In Rehearsal
Jean Seberg, Warren Beatty and Peter Fonda rehearse a three-line speak*
Ing scene from “Lilith” at Great Falls on Monday. The picnic basket
under Miss Seberg’s hand is the subject under discussion.
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Star Rests Between Takes
Director Romcu and Miss Seberg take ad
vantage of a break in the shooting to confer
as a make-up man works deftly on her hair.
Ducks, Sisler Unimpressed
Big Names, Film Crews
Shooting ‘Lilith ’ Here
By H-Joost Polak
Sentinel Reporter
These were the people at Great Falls
Monday who were not very impressed just
because Jean Seberg and Warren Beatty and
Peter H. Fonda and Robert Rossen were
there, and they were shooting a Hollywood
movie called Lilith:
Paul Sisler, who works in the Rockville
Post Office.
The ducks.
Everyone else was.
It was the first day of filming, and visi
tors to the park saw much more than falling
water.
A crew of about 70 milled about setting
up and taking down cameras, moving reflec
tors, and fixing props.
An artist named To*** Virtuoso —part of
whose job it is to paint the trees so they
photograph green, even in black and white —
was sandpapering a leather jacket Beatty will
wear in the film. The jacket is brand new,
but in the film it is supposed to look old. I
The crew is quartered at the Washing
tonian Motel in Gaithersburg. They will be in
the area about five weeks shooting local i
scenes from the 1961 novel, set in an asylum
in a suburban Maryland town named “Stone
mont.” The novel was written by J. R. Sala- i
manca of Washington Grove.
Rossen, who is producing and directing
the picture, is fresh from his success with
‘The Hustler.” Beatty, from Arlington, is
Shirley McLaine's younger brother, and
Fonda, whose first major movie role this is
brought his wife, Susan, along with him. He
is the son of veteran actor Henry Fonda.
While the movie makers milled about, she
sat quietly in a canvas chair marked PHF,
and knitted a green mohair sweater which
matched the one she was wearing.
Miss Seberg, who has been living and
working in Paris, came from the obscurity of
Marshalltown, lowa, when she was discovered
by Otto Preminger and played the title role in
“Joan of Arc.”
Sisler, who lives in Be the* da, took the
day off to be an extra. He wore a cap, and
carried a fishing pole from Centaur Enter
prises, Inc.’s, prop department It had no
hook.
“I don't get impressed very easy,” Sisler
said. “Once Ike Eisenhower and I were to
gether in Union Station and 1 didn't even
In the background, Beatty sits in a chair
marked Warren Beatty. There were about
70 working in the crew with the actors.
walk down the platform to see him.”
He admitted that the then President of
the United States didn't walk down the plat
form to see him either.
“We treated each other pretty much
equal,” he said.
He flexed his fishing pole, which had no
hook, and put it down.
“I’ll say this,” he said. “It’s not the most
money I ever made. But it’s the easiest.”
Nothing impresses the ducks. No one
impresses the ducks.
The ducks either wanted to be in the
movie, or didn't want the movie made.
When there was a camera moving, there
were ducks in front of it. When the actors
tried to cross a bridge, skipping and laughing
because they were supposed to be going to a
picnic, the ducks crossed from the other side,
waddling, because they were ducks.
When Robert Rossen —or someone just as
Important—yelled “quiet,” the ducks quacked.
Except one scene, where the script calls
for the camera to pan down Into the canal
and pick up a dozen ducks floating calmly by.
No ducks.
Mrs. Dale Barnes of Rockville, who “just
came out to chaperone my little boy,” was
given a copy of a novel and sent up the canal
to sit on a bench and be background.
She said she was too excited to get much
reading done.
Her son, Dale Jr., is one of six local
children who appear in a later scene following
their teacher to a picnic.
Donald Dietrich and his son, Don Jr., 12,
went upstream on the other side of the canal
to be fishermen. Dietrich also works at the
Rockville Post Office, and lives in Wheaton.
Don Jr., a student at Calvary Lutheran
School in Silver Spring, had a net, and his
father a fishing pole.
They didn’t catch anything, which made
them happy, because neither of them has a
license.
One boy, an 18-year-old from Rockville,
had the job of riding a bicycle up the towpath
and passing the group of actors—and ducks—
skipping and laughing and waddling to
their picnic.
They wave at him, and he smiles.
He didn't want his name in the paper.
He was skipping school
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Director Goes Into Action
Famous Director Robent Rossen snaps his fingers and calls for “action”
as a grip behind him holds a scene-board up to the camera. The crew spent
the day shooting scenes on the Maryland side of the Falla
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108th Year - No. 46—Published Every Thursday ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND THURSDAY. MAY 9. 19*3 THREE SECTIONS 10£ a Copy
‘Vote of Confidence’
Is Won by Manager
Birchers
Have Four
Unis Here
A John Birch Society
member said this week that
the organization has “four
or five” units now operating
in Montgomery County.
Mrs. John C. Burton, 5010
Del Ray Ave., Bethesda,
who describes her role in the
Society as being “more or
less a contact person” said
the groups included “a
rather powerful one up
county and a new one
formed recently.”
She also said that she "was
surprised to hear that Dr. Wil
son (County Council President
Pro Tern Thomas M. Wilson)
had a ‘Blue Book,’ ” the Birch
Society’s statement of beliefs.
Dr. Wilson said Monday that
he was given a copy of the
“Blue Book” during last fall’s
election campaign, but “never
got around to reading it.”
Although she is in fri*quent
attendance at County Council
and Board of Education meet
ings, Mrs. Burton said she had
never asked any elected official
to join the Society.
In describing the Society's
organization, the Bethesda
housewife said that the ulti
mate size of each local unit is
15.
When that number is reached,
the group splits and each half
goes on to recruit new members
until it also reaches 15. The
goal of this amoeba-like produc
tive process, she said, was two
functioning chapters In each
political precinct in the nation.
The Society’s spread, Mrs.
Burton asserted, was not limit
ed to Montgomery County. A
Maryland branch was recently
split off from the Virginia or
ganizing chapter. Growth, she
said, was particularly rapid in
the Baltimore and Annapolis
areas.
Mrs. Burton said that the
Society's April 24 meeting,
scheduled for the Battery Park
Civic Association clubhouse,
was postponed at her insistence
because the date conflicted with
the first hearing on repeal of
the County's public accommoda
tions ordinance. She told the
group’s leaders that the Socie
ty’s first duty was to protest the
“loss of constitutional rights” at
the local level.
She had asked to speak at
the hearing, but was unable to
.(Continued on Page A3)
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IVs A Tough Decision!
You spend the first five years of your life
playing and having fun and you’re starting
to figure things out but then they liaul you
off to school and sign you up for kinder
garten where you’ve got new problems.
Birch Move
‘Surprises’
Councilmen
County Council members
this week expressed opinioas
ranging from almost total
ignorance to outright dis
belief in the John Birch
Society’s existence here.
Council President John A.
Floyd said that he thought the
Society was “just a publicity
gimmick like Harvey, the in
visible talking rabbit." Calling
the Birch stir in the County “a
political red herring,” the for
mer planning commissioner
said “I’m not convinced that a
Birch Society exists, or that
there’s any real substance to it
if it does.”
The Silver Spring Republican
said that he “never saw, never
met, and never received” any
(Continued on Faga A3).
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/trea Residents Take Part
Mrs. Dale Barnes had a book as her prop; John Haywood had a bike;
Donald Dietrich and his son, Don Jr., had fishing gear. They are four of
the 50 area residents hired as extras. Sentinel Photos by H-Joost Polak
Established 1855
Well, that’s the way it goes, seems to be the
reaction of this five year old as he registers
for kindergarten this fall at Rock Creek
Palisades Elementary.
Candid Photo by Ed Mervls
Fire Chief, Superiors
Won’t Say Why He Quit
William H. Berry, chief of i
; the Rockville Volunteer Fire 1
i Department, has resigned
his post over differences ;
with the department’s top
officials.
President Marbery F. Gates, i
of RVFD, acknowledged receipt
of Chief Berry’s resignation but
refused to disclose Berry’s
stated reasons for quitting.
He said the matter would be ,
discussed at the next meeting of
1
Morris Quits 1
Robert E. Morris, a member 1
of the Rockville Civic Center
Commission, has tendered his 1
resignation to the Mayor and (
Council. An appointment to re- 1
place Morris Is expected to be
made next week, <
the fire department's top offl.
rials on May 20.
Berry, who has been chief for
about three years, also refused
to discuss the case. It was
understood, however, the differ
ences arose over fire depart
ment personnel policies which
Berry was charged with admin
istering.
Berry emphasized he resigned
only as chief. “I Intend to re
main an active member of the
department,” he said.
A full-time fire Inspector for
the county government, Berry
served as Rockville's assistant
chief for about two years before
being promoted to chief. Before
that he was captain of the de
partment for about 10 years
and he has been active as a
member lor 15 years.
Berry, who is 32, lives at 523
Anderson Ave., Rockville.
Butcher Job
Now Seen As
More Secure
By William H. Smith
Sentinel Reporter
Rumors that County Man
ager Mason A. Butcher
would be the next county of
ficial to get the ax were
firmly spiked Tuesday by
the County Council when
they gave the $25,000-a-year
top county aide a unanimous
“vote of confidence.”
The action followed by one
week the firing of John H. Has
sett, director of Information and
economic development, after he
released a statement announc
ing his resignation In the face
of pressure by the council.
Originally scheduled to step out
June 30, he was dropped Imme
diately as a result of the action.
Hassett was the fourth coun
ty official to leave since the Re
publican-dominated council as
sumed office last December. He
was preceded by Alfred Carter,
county attorney; Howard Cook,
clerk to the council, and Alex
Hancock, director of finance.
The vote of confidence In
Butcher was proposed by Dr.
Thomas M. Wilson, who seJd
he was “very much disturbed by
recent newspaper reports about
growing friction between the
council and tile manager.”
Without further discussion,
President John A. Floyd called
for a vote. The full council re
sponded with an unusually loud
and apparently enthusiastic
chorus of “ayes.”
“Thank you,” replied Butcher,
and the council Immediately
turned to other business.
Dr. Wilson said later his ac
tion was brought on by a num
ber of newspaper stories and
columns hinting that the county
manager and the council are
not getting along. One column
ist for a wpckly newspaper, he
declared, suggested only last
week that Butcher might be the
next county official to be swept
out of office.
“Maybe this will shut them
up for a while,” he said, and
added: “That Is, If they decide
to print It.”
Newspapers In the area, In
their regular coverage of gov
ernmental affairs, have from
time to time reported differ
ences between the council and
the manager.
Only last week, when Has
sett was fired, they quoted a
statement issued by Floyd him
self which included criticism of
Butcher's stand in the incident.
“This Is Tuesday. The press
announcement of his resigna
tion came out last Friday,” the
statement said. ‘“Hie council
(Continued on Fags A3),