Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

TgjgH'5'011 T°r9M Motion Picture Daily AROUND THE TV CIRCUIT with PINKY HERMAN STARRING Paul Burke, Horace MacMahon and Nancy Malone and featuring as guest stars Eric Portman and Suzanne Pleshette, Screen Gems' initial seg of the "Naked City" telefilm series, started to roll before the cameras at the Gold Medal Studios in the Bronx under the direction of John Brahm. Herbert B. Leonard is the producer of the program. . . . August issue of Redbook Mag features MGM's "Bells Are Ringing" as Pic of the month. . . . General Motors will present Danny Kaye's TV debut (as star of his own show) next October. . . . Jan Murray will return Mon., Sept. 5 (2-2:30 P.M.) as emcee of a new audience-participation daily NBColor quizzer. . . . For many years one of the most popular of theatre short subjects, one hundred "Pete Smith Specialties," have been released for TV by MGM-TV. Series will be called "The Best of Pete Smith" and the first station to air the droll episodes is WSPT-TV in Miami, Florida. . . . Dick Raburn has been upped to NBController. Started with the net as an auditor back in 1951. . . . Associate organist for the past three years at the Radio City Music Hall and prior to that assignment, featured on numerous radio and TV shows, Jack Ward will sub for vacationing Dick Liebert at the Grand Organ for the entire month. . . . & it Monday, while chatting with Hugh Downs in the NBCorridor on the sixth floor, who bounced along in his usual peppy gait but Joe Levine. So, we took a busman's holiday, joined the studio audience for "The Jack Paar Show" and were delighted with the manner in which "Hercules" (himself— perhaps "Napoleon" might be a more apt description of the great little showman) told the inside story of his rapid ascent to the heights. "And would you believe it," he told us after the program, "right now there are 46 spectacles being filmed in Italy?" . . . Merv Griffin got in ^3BaB himself a complete new wardrobe and could deduct Hfe^ *Z2BH this as "allowable expenses.' His "Play Your Hunch fl^k^^aE! | NBContestant series was added to the Colorcast proBflBMk iM^H grams. . . . Convention co-incidence: NBC will send lose h E Levine staffers to Chicago to cover the Republican " ' National Conclave and a note from ABC reveals that their coverage of the Convention will likewise include 350 people. Sensing a possible new angle on this phase of telecasting we phoned Harry Feeney and learned that the CBStaff numbers about 349. (Could be that Bill Paley was given another assignment at the last minute). . . . Robert Emmett Dolan has been signed to orchestrate and conduct Richard Rodgers' score for the upcoming 26 half-hour documentary dramas, "Winston Churchill" which will ABCommence Sunday, Nov. 27. . . . David E. Cassidy has been named asst. to radio & TVeep Hathaway Watson at RKO General. ... NT A Return {Continued from page 1) tinue to be supervised by Oliver A. Unger, NTA president, whose home office will now be located on the East Coast. Unger pointed out that current TV sales conditions make it imperative that greater emphasis be placed on New York as the center of both national and regional sales efforts. "It is advantageous for us to maintain our key sales office where the major advertisers and program buyers are concentrated," he said, adding, "We will continue to maintain regional sale offices in other major centers." Tabakin to Stay on Coast Berne Tabakin, vice-president in charge of West Coast sales, will continue to maintain his headquarters in Beverly Hills, E. Johnny Graff, vicepresident in charge of East Coast sales, will remain here as head of the regional office. Marvin Lowe will continue in charge of NTA's Midwest office in Chicago. "NTA's future plans call for a pronounced increase in the production of video tape programs. This in turn will require closer coordination with NTA telestudios, the NTA-owned and operated tape facility, where production will take place," Landau said. Close Liaison with WNTA-TV He stated that there will be closer cooperation with WNTA-TV, where NTA tape programming is showcased. B. Gerald Cantor, board chairman and president of NT&T, said that NTA will continue to be represented in the Beverly Hills NT&T headquarters. When NT&T acquired control of NTA last year, NTA transferred most of its activities to Beverly Hills. Current readjustment is expected to give NTA greater strength on both coasts. FCC Hearings (Continued from page 1) buying practices are calculated to encourage competition or not. The inquiry, which started more than a year ago, concerns the policies and practices of networks and others in the ownership, acquisition, production, distribution, selection, sale and trade licensing of TV programs. Theatrical Productions ( Continued from page 1 ) ing of television production, Desilu president Desi Arnaz disclosed at the company's second annual public shareholders meeting today. Negotiations for distribution were reported under way with United Artists. Desilu stockholders were told that earnings per share for the fiscal year ending April 30, 1960, increased more than 250 per cent over the preceding year. Arnaz, speaking before a crowd of approximately 9,800 stockholders of record at Desilu's Hollywood studios reported the company's gross income for year was $23,406,000, with net income of $811,500, equivalent to 7-0 cents per share, an increase from 22 cents per share for the preceding year. Stockholders present approved an increase of the board of directors from five to seven members, with Argyle Nelson, vice-president in charge of production, and Milton Rudin, counsel, added to the board, which includes Arnaz, Lucille Ball Arnaz, Martin Leeds, Charles Schwartz and Edwin Holly. Following the meeting, which was flavored by friendly repartee between Desi and Lucy, and during which Arnaz announced that he and Lucy have no intention of reducing their stock holdings, the board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents per share on the common stock, payable August 26 to stockholders of record August 12. No dividends were declared on class B common, all of which is owned by Desi and Miss Ball. 'Ocean's Eleven' Bow In Las Vegas on Aug. 3 From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, July 19. A New Year's Eve celebration in mid-Summer will launch the world premiere of "Ocean's Eleven" on Aug. 3 at the Fremont Theatre in Las Vegas. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson and other stars of the Dorchester production for Warner Brothers will participate in theatre festivities which will take the form of a two-hour public "Block Party" starting at 10:00 P.M. and will be followed by the premiere showing of "Ocean's Eleven" on the theatre screen at midnight. The event will receive international newspaper, radio and television coverage. Wednesday, July 20, It J Soviet Vieii i — i ( Continued from page 1 ) 1 implying that in Russia as here J dollar, as well as the State, wl controls the film industry, does j, most talking. Pyriev made it clear that Spyro.S Skouras, Fox president, was pick > up the tab for the Soviets' two-wf junket to America. Washington I Los Angeles also are part of til itinerary, and all three emphasi' their wish to visit Disneyland, a plf declared off-limits to Nikita Khnj chev when he tried to gain entra? there last Fall. Tells His Likes and Dislikes j Pyriev, an expansive talker, did '[ evade direct and sometimes embari ing questions. He was full of opinic such as these: he was tremendoi! impressed with "The Apartment," j stars, direction and scenario; he mires the works of Stanley Krai, and John Ford; he thought the "Sj age Eye" "an interesting experimerj picture;" he thinks France's "N Wave" spends too much time on ;| pornographic, although he insisted j "400 Blows" was a superior picti'I he envisions a "New Wave" arm younger Russian directors, and, sid ficantly, he is disappointed in the I suits of die cultural exchange pij gram. Pyriev claimed that American << tributors don't do enough for So\j product released here. He would 11 such films to be shown in the largl theatres here and be fully exploit He said he was sorry that the <\ change program would be allowed ; lapse next year. "Marty" is the American picti that has made the most profound i pression on the Russians, he said. Aj he is eager to see "The Old Man a the Sea." No Dictation, He Says The director claimed that the J! viet state does not dictate film-maki1 policy to its directors and produce! These people have their own fedei: tion, of which Pyriev is a past pre! dent. Soviet film critics? "They dislf all of our pictures," Pyriev said, or half in jest. Pyriev pleaded for mutual admir; tion and understanding between Si viet and U.S. picture-makers, becau the cinema is such a significant a form. He conceded that Ameriear trade press notwithstanding, had li tie understanding of the Soviet Unicl and its film industry. But he seeme; impressed with the easy-going natuj of his audience, the press. MPAA Withdraws (Continued from page 1) Academy will now be compelled ij accept a commercial sponsor for i awards show in the spring of 196 It is regrettable that our show, whic; consistently enjoys the largest work wide listening and viewing audienc of any comparable program, will n( continue to be sponsored by the ir dustry."