Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

Inursday, November 3, 1960 Motion Picture Daily 5 TEST TALK Variety Club News • LONDON-The British Broadcastig Corp. was honored by Variety I'lub of Great Britain at a special incheon in the Savoy Hotel for support it has given the Variety Club and is work for children's charities. John magge, dean of Britain's commentai>rs, introduced his BBC co-workers ]nd fellow-guests, including EamJion Andrews, Rex Alston, Michael ,Lyrton, Billy Cotton, Jimmy Edwards, reddie Grisewood, Kathleen Harripn, Kenneth Home, David Jacobs, lax Jaffa, Brian Johnston, Sandy |lcPherson, Jean Metcalfe, Pete Murky, Michael Meedwin, Vic Ohver, j'ed Ray, Semprini, Tommy Trinder, jack Warner, Anona Winn and Nan , Vinton. A 1 MINNEAPOLIS— Election of board ''aembers for Tent No. 12 has been oheduled for Nov. 7. Official delegates to the international convention 'Jso will be named at that time, 'leading the nominating committee Vill be Sim Heller as chairman. Also 'erving on the committee are Joe PaHoloff, LeRoy Miller, Shelly Grengs tad Byron Shapiro. Heller has been 'lamed chairman for the 1961 oonven!ion campaign by chief barker Tom '3urke. A MEMPHIS The Variety Club of Memphis, honored only recently when t received the Heart Award from International Chief Barker Edward Emanuel, has been praised again for its humanitarian program. The honor ';ame in the form of a special tribute by the Motion Picture Theatre Owners of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee to Dr. Lorin Angier for his 'Work as director of the Variety Children's Heart Institute in Memphis. 'Doctor Angier accepted a special Plaque from Gordon Hutchins, of Russellville, Arkansas, retiring presilent of the Mid-South MPTO group. Television Today Commercials Should Mix 'Good Sell i»/i__>c |A/h«»K» With Good Sense/ Code Leader Says WnOSWnere E. K. Hartenbower, chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, and advertisers have a joint stake in Taylor Company Buys Canadian Stations Special to THE DAILY TORONTO, Nov. 2.-A group of companies, including a film producing company, have combined to purchase a radio station and a tv station in Cornwall, Ont. Beaver Films Productions, Toronto, in conjunction with Canadian Marconi, Montreal, Bushnell Broadcast Associates, Ltd., Ottawa, and Granada TV Networks, Ltd., Britain, have bought CJSS-FM and CJSS-TV Cornwall. The purchase is subject to the approval of the Board of Broadcast Governors. Partner in Other Stations Beaver Film Production is an N. A. Taylor Associates company and its executives have an interest in the Bushnell company, which holds the license for the new Ottawa tv station and is a partner in the company that will establish the Pembroke, Ont., station. Story of D.W. Griffith Slated as TV Special From THE DAILY Bureau i HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 2. The i story of David Wark Griffith, and the i glamorous show business empire he [helped create is slated as a 90-minute television special to be produced early next year by Allied Artists' informational films division. This is announced by Jack Cope,land, the division's executive producer, who also disclosed he is negotiating with Arthur Knight, an authority on the history of Hollywood, [)to write the teleplay. ., Under Copeland's supervision, preparations now are under way for the . division's initial production, "He , Reached for Eternity," life story of . scientist Albert Einstein. The script j for this 90-minute special is being written by Malvin Wald. Full Hour TV Program On 'Return to Peyton' Jerry Wald's "Return to Peyton Place" will have a public introduction via a full-hour NBC television program devoted entirely to the making of the film. The program will be televised six-months in advance of the film's release. "Project 20," NBC's documentary show, will cover the making of the film from start to finish and camera crews will photograph Wald's company in the preparation of the attraction, according to Donald Hyde, "20's" producer. Robinson, Mirell V.P.s Peter G. Robinson has been named vice president in charge of programs, and Leon I. Mirell vice president in charge of administration and business affairs, for Selmur Productions, it was announced by Selig J. Seligman, president of the wholly-owned subsidiary of American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres. Before their promotions, Robinson was program director for Selmur and supervisor of the company's two ABC-TV daytime shows, "Day In Court" and "Morning Court," which account for 10 half-hours of network programming weekly, and Robinson was program director of KABC-TV, Los Angeles, which he joined in 1954. Television Code Review Board of the will say here today that broadcasters radio-tv commercials and must strive continuously to combine "enthusiasm wi^h truth . . . good sell with good sense." Hartenbower, vice-president and general manager of KCMO-TV, Kansas City, Mo., will speak before the seventh annual new products seminar at the Savoy Hilton Hotel. Text of the speech was released yesterday. He will say broadcasting and broadcast advertising can expect more scrutiny and efforts at regulation from government agencies and congressional critics in the year ahead. The signs are too clear, to predict that "this unpleasantness will all blow away." Emphasizing that broadcasters and advertisers must work together in making more effective the codes of good practices sponsored by NAB for both radio and television, Hartenbower will tell advertisers attending the seminar: 'We Are in this Thing Together' "Like it or not, we are like the missionaries in the cannibal's cookpot .. . We are in this thing together. Regulations or policies that would hamstring us will also hamstring your efforts to introduce new goods and services to the mass buying audiences that only radio and television command. Anything that hampers the freedom and flexibility of these great media hampers your use of them." The TV Code Board Chairman will report "remarkable progress" by broadcasters and advertisers during the past year in improving the overall taste of TV commercials, but say more effort is needed in this direction, as well as in the categories of accuracy, substantiation and derogation. Urges Editing He will say Code Board members have been described as "prissy, picayune and midVictorian ... as old-fashioned as Aunt Sally's bustle," but that they have demonstrated from experience that it is "easier to edit beforehand than to produce a $20,000 commercial that disgusts the public." Responsible broadcasters and responsible advertisers, he will say ^ "are both concerned with the public's reaction because we want the public's faith." "If four out of five New York doctors are said to recommend a product, or if Brand A works three and one-half times as fast as Brand Z," he will say, "surely the broadcast licensee should have the assurance that there are reliable facts and figures to back the claims." Tex McCrary, noted broadcaster and chairman of the board of Tex McCrary, Inc., public relations, has been appointed chairman of the International Television Festival Committee of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, it was announced by Harry S. Ackerman, president. □ Jack Sobel has joined Screen Gems, Inc., as national sales manager, it was announced by John H. Mitchell, vice-president in charge of sales of the Columbia Pictures tv subsidiary. Sobel has resigned from GAC-TV, where he was vice-president and director of sales. □ The appointment of Louis J. Rauchenberger as director of accounting for the CBS Television Network, effective immediately, was announced by James H. Geer,' controller. Rauchenberger has been with CBS since 1958, most recently as assistant director of accounting. Before joining CBS he was with Arthur Young & Company, public accountants. Skelton TV Units Will Tape Bell Tele. Show From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 2. The Skelton RED-EO-TAPE mobile television units will make their debut in the entertainment field by taping in color an entire Bell Telephone Hour from Disneyland, it was jointly announced by Henry Jaffe Enterprises and Charles Luftig, executive vicepresident of Skelton Studios. The mobile tv studio will tape "The Sounds of America" segment of the Bell Hour at Disneyland in three sessions, Nov. 7 and 8, 14 and 15, 21 and 22, with important stars as yet uncast working against the backgorund of the famed amusement park. CNP Shooting in East At Miami, Greenwich From THE DAILY Bureau HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 2.-Shooting on "The Blue Angel," television series of California National Productions, is being shifted from here to Miami. The company's other series shooting in the East is "The Funny Mans," now in work at Greenwich, Conn. Meanwhile, here, CNP has resumed production of Jim Backus' "Hot Off the Wire," first episode of which is "Piano Prodigy," written by Arthur Marx, son of Groucho.