Motion Picture Daily (Jul-Sep 1960)

Jeleoision Jpday Motion Picture Daily Thursday, July 28, TVT Editor Named Contest Judge Here AROUND THE Bert Lambert, general sales manager of WOR-TV, and Pinky Herman selecting the contest winners. Pinky Herman, Eastern television editor for Motion Picture Daily and a featured columnist for the publication for 20 years, is serving as awarding judge in the current "Million Dollar Music" contest being sponsored by WOR-TV in behalf of "Million Dollar Movie." The contest is in its second week and is drawing more than 1,000 contestants daily. They are seeking the 50 individual albums of music from "Million Dollar Movie" and bonus weekly prizes of 50 LP albums, especially compiled by RCA Vicor. The contest involves viewing the daily film and then checking off the lucky number flashed on the screen during each showing of die film. Herman dipped into the barrel 51 times to pick individual winners and the bonus prizes award winner. Erlanger Leaves (Continued from page 1) langer will visit Bangkok, Manila and Tokyo, returning here in about six weeks. Discussion of division of import licenses for France, Italy and Argentina occupied this week's meeting of MPEA board members here. Agreement was reached on a division of licenses for Fonnosa, and progress of wage negotiations covering film employes in Peru was studied. Treyz Off to Europe Oliver Treyz, president of the ABC Television Network, has sailed from New York aboard the "Queen Elizabeth" for a six-week business-vacation tour of the European continent. He is accompanied by Mrs. Treyz. They will return on Sept. 4. TV CIRCUIT Delay Like I with PINKY HERMAN. EXEC VEEPEE Jack Paige has just announced the acquisition by the Inter-Mountain network of four additional stations, KGEZ, KOJM, KRPK and KDBM, all in Montana and bringing the total to 54 located in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Nebraska and Nevada. . . . With Ray Junkin, prexy, a new TV production and distribution firm has been formed, Program Sales, Inc. Hal Hacket, formerly with Official Films, Walter J. Smith (son of N.Y.'s Alfred E. Smith) and Jack Anderson (Kushins, Anderson & Takaro) are veeps. . . . After four years on the NBChannels, Jack Bailey will move his daily "Queen for a Day" series to ABC-TV starting Mon., Sept. 5, from 12:30-1 P.M. (EDST) Plattershot in N.Y. The first of a new telefilm series, "Ring Classics," produced by Rocky Marciano in October features Jerry Lewis as guest. The program will highlight Madison Square Garden fights from 1951 to the present. . . . Martin Fliesler, director of Advertising and sales development for WOR-TV, is the son of Joe Fliesler, a member of the Motion Picture Pioneers and one of the ablest flacks in show biz. . . . Arthur (Street Singer) Tracey doing a fine job subbing for Joe Franklin on the latter's radio and TV shows at ABC. . . . Special Victor LP Albums, featuring theme music from the best of the "Million Dollar Movies" series, will be given away as prizes tomorrow by WOR-TV. (And who d'ya think dipped into the barrel to pick out the lucky winner? This cribbler.) . . . When "The Groucho Show" NBCommences its 11th consecutive semester in the fall, the show will be co-sponsored by P. Lorillard and the Toni Co. . . . Jonathon Kirby, one of the best news commentators on the air, because of differing viewpoints with KCBQ (San Diego) management, has resigned. We've been in show biz since 1929 and have never met a finer person, nor one who has no much savvy on gathering, writing, preparing and delivery of news and the story behind the news. If any of the nets really can use the services of a top-notcher Kirby is their man. Nets Opposed (Continued from page 1) to the public interest, and unable to provide any service that networks do not now give free to the public. "It is my belief," Harling said, "that these reports were planted by pay-TV proponents in an effort to stampede their opponents. The television networks are just as adamant today against pay-TV as they have been during the past decade, and as they publicly stated at various hearings in Washington. The reports are absolutely false." Harling, who also is chairman of the Anti-Pay-TV Committee of the Theatre Owners of America, was critical also of the request by ZenithRKO General interests that the FCC sit "en banc" (as a body) on its application for a pay-TV permit in Hartford, Conn., instead of assigning the application to an examiner for a hearing. "A hearing would give us the opportunity to ask the kind of questions which would get to the heart of the whole pay-TV matter," Harling said. "It would be the first time that any pay-TV proponent was required to answer under oath certain questions which we have been trying to get an answer to for years. An en banc session would preclude questioning. Open hearings with questioning, I am sure, is what the Zenith-RKO General interests are trying to avoid. "It was of particular interest to me Wanger Named ( Continued from page 1 ) pected back in New York early next week and is scheduled to leave at the end of the week for an extended stay in Hollywood where he will work with Goldstein and other studio officials on 20th-Fox's upcoming production schedule. Wanger is scheduled to arrive here from London by plane today for home office meetings. to read the Zenith-RKO General application for the pay-TV permit. It ran almost 180 pages. Less than four pages were devoted to the vitally important subject of programming, which the FCC has previously said must be answered in detail. In those four pages the new application was just as vague and indefinite as was Zenith more than six years ago when it first applied— unsuccessfully— for a pay-TV permit in Chicago. "Only by requiring pay-TV proponents to testify under oath will we ever find out how vague and indefinite their programming really is," Harling said. He said that Marcus Cohn, of the Washington law firm of Cohn and Marks, which has been retained by both the Joint Committee and the Connecticut Exhibitors Committee, had filed with the FCC a request on July 14 that the Zenith-RKO General application be made the subject of public hearings, and that both exhibitor organizations be made a party to the hearings. (Continued from page 1) troversy. Marcus Cohn, attorney, Connecticut and other motion pic interests, has asked FCC to fo its normal procedures in the P ford case. This would involve a H ing before an examiner. It ci easily take 18 months before I_ could reach a conclusion on the Rf. ford case if this were to happen; j FCC Has an Alternative I An alternative— and one which 1 only a tiny chance of coming to \\ -would be for FCC to make sl| shrift of all objections by saying <\ it had set forth conditions for a rj TV test in its third report, and t] this had been approved by a resfj tion of the House Commerce Ci mittee. The FCC could, on this b|J grant or deny the Hartford appl tion solely in terms of its comfoni with the third report criteria— si ping the hearing stage entirely, j Most likely to take place will blj decision some time in September t whether FCC will go along with procedure favored by Cohn by I lowing its hearing-examiner rout: or espouse the Phonevision grow view that if any hearing at all is nil essary, it should be before the i] FCC. This would speed a final dt sion on the Hartford test. Commission Still Undecided FCC itself has not been able make up its mind on how to hani the pay-TV question. In discussi the September work-load plans w die staff early in July, the comm sion is believed to have tentativt decided to set aside Sept. 16, 17, a 19 for dealing with pay-TV problei: It had not then decided whether thq would be an FCC hearing on tl point. It seems clear that the letl of protest delivered to FCC by Mi cus Cohn late on July 14 (details a pear in Motion Picture Daily dati July 15) could well have had an ii! pact on FCC's attitude. The outlook for future FCC acuY is at best cloudy. At this point, tj decision is a toss-up. But close dj servers of the commission— and of i advisers— indicate that the group no tends much more to boldness than has for some years. Rather tha pussyfoot and keep an issue aliv, but at arm's length, it is inclined I grasp problems and deal with then. If this is generally true, then it coul, be argued that the course of actio; most likely to satisfy the FCC's men bers now is to hold an early hearin before the commission itself, fbj lowed by a decision within a coup! of months on the Hartford pay-T experiment. This could have some hidden adi vantages from a Federal agency view; point. If FCC held brief hearings ii September, it could hand down : decision by the end of the year. Thij would be doubly desirable; not onl] would it be quick, but it would al take place while Congress is out o: town. EAST COAST MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION, EDITORIAL and TECHNICAL SERVICES R FOR BETTER FILMS CREATIVE EDITING AND COMPLETE PERSONAL SUPERVISION JOSEPH JOSEPHSON 45 West 45th St. Circle 6-2146 New York 36