Prueba de fuego

This is a valuable teaching tool for anyone working with fraternity systems in Colleges and Universities.

I saw it on TV while I was a College student. I eventually worked in Higher Education for over 20 years and for a long time wished I had a copy to use for Greek in-service education. A few years ago I was able to purchase a copy on ebay. I received a document which attests that Fraternity Row is a public domain movie.

The narration is smooth and focused. The acting, centered and honest. While it can be looked on as time capsule body of work the relevance of this true story still resonates with college students today.

I first saw this movie on vacation in San Diego in 1977 and was immediately struck by the star quality of the two leads, Gregory Harrison (who became a star) and the female (a film student who apparently never made another movie). I'd love to see this again, but have never seen it listed on T.V. and it doesn't appear available on video tape. It was a film project of the USC Film School.

When this film was released by Paramount, it was hyped as an anti fraternity, expose'. The marketers played up the alcohol, pledging rituals and other negative stereotypes commonly attributed to fraternities. In actuality, this film which was a student production at USC and depicts a true story from the late 50's, is the loving but critical tribute by its author/producer to his friend whose story is told in this film.

While it looks with an blinking and critical eye at the many shortcomings including bigotry and other evils of pledging in that era it also is clear that the writer has a love for the ideal of fraternity and what it can be to young idealists such as Zac, the protagonist. That the reality, in this instance, falls far short of the ideal and results in terrible tragedy, provides the irony and conflict of this really very well done thesis project.

Although it was released by Paramount, it is still owned by USC and for that reason has never been released to video. Probably the only way to see it is by direct rental from USC or when it occasionally shows up on television.

Purportedly based on a true incident. This takes place in a (fictional) college in the 1950s. It involves some freshman who want to get into a fraternity. They pledge and have to go through hell and hazing to be accepted. One of the fraternity brothers (Scott Newman in his last role) really has it in for the freshman...and it leads to deadly results.

I caught this years ago on TV. It played with no fanfare on a summer afternoon. I was impressed by how well made it is and the cast of (then) unknowns were very good. Newman and Gregory Harrison especially were excellent. It's a grim sobering look of what can happen when hazing gets completely out of hand. There are laws against hazing in most colleges in the US...but it still goes on and young men still die. This should be required viewing for ALL college students. Also a rare chance to see Paul Newman's only son in an acting role--he sadly died of a drug overdose a year after this came out. Worth catching--if you get the chance.

This movie tells the story of one college student and his trials and tribulations as he pledges the Gamma Nu Pi Fraternity at a fictional Eastern school. Strikingly honest portrayal that shows what pledging was truly like in the 1950's. Good acting by a largely unknown cast, along with a good script makes for an engaging movie. Almost a must see for anyone who has gone through fraternity pledging.