Variety (December 1950)

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W euiiCDUwy^ Lrt:u«:iiiucr u, Inside Stuff—Television The Evangelist, official weekly of the Albany Catholic Diocese and for years outspoken in its comments on radio and motion pictures, declared in an editorial Friday (1) that “an inci'easing percentage of television shows tend to vulgarity and immodesty.” It added: “Unless the producers of television shows quickly evidence an awareness of their responsibility to intelligent and decent-minded people, there is reason to believe that some sort Of censorship will be invoked. Many TV programs are of the highest calibre. Much of the slapstick comedy is innocuous. But an increasing percentage of the shows-tend to vul- garity and immodesty.” Pointing out that television “enters the privacy of millions of Amer- ican homes,” The Evangelist urged that “care should be exercised to present a type of entertainment that is suitable and worthwhile for the ever-increasing numbers of children and adults who are video fans. It will be. of small satisfaction to the TV industry if its sustaining audi- ence is limited to those unfortunates who are Confined to mental insti- tutions.” (The editorial referred to the recent observation by a mental hospital superintendent, who praised TV as an aid to the mentally deranged.) UBIETY RADIO 41 DuMont television, as the only network to carry Secretary of State Dean Acheson’s report to the nation last Wednesday night <29), suc- ceeded in snaring 27 stations which had been committed to the three competing webs for commercial shows. DuMont had “Famous Jury Trials” scheduled for the 9 to 9:30 slot that night, sponsored by Ghev- rolet, with the show being carried by only two stations. Web moved it back into the 8:30 to 9 slot,which had previously aired a sustaining film .show, in order to scan the Acheson speech and, in the process, picked up a 29-station hookup for Acheson. Remaining 27 outiets were snared on a fairly even basis from NBC’s “Kraft Theatre,” CBS’ “Somerset Maugham Theatre” and ABC’s “Don McNeill ShOw.” Web also paid the full cable costs to the outlying stations, .with the stations themselves presumably giving their regular sponsors a credit charge for the pre-empted time,. Other three webs offered as an excuse for their not carrying Acheson the fact that they had received an advance text of the speech and believed that it wasn’t of sufficient importance to warrant their pre-empting their bankrollei-s’ time. They covered, it in their regular newscasts later that same ■evening.'. ^ Urged to Use U.S. Video To Hypo Trade Influx Ottawa, Dec. 5. Use Of U. S. television In Can- ada’s national and provincial tour- ist programs was urged at the an- nual federal-proVincial tourist in- dustry sessioiis here, Leo Dolan, director , of the Canadian Govern- ment Travel Bureau, told the con- ference of plans for his bureau to pact for S. video space and urged tile provinciail bureaus to do the same. Dolan g- ve no details of the proposed video role in the Canada tourist promotion layout, but did refer to the providing of free 16m films tO TV south of the border, where they were aired lyithout cort, over the' past several years, not as direct advertisements but as travelogs, backgrounds, etc. Proposals for the next year call for paid TV time. Dolan told the conference of the success reported on a similar ven- ture by N. Y. State last year and pointed out the benefits of placing Canada’s tourist attractions before potential visitors by means of TV; Don Mulhollartd, executive pro- ducer, and W. Arthur Irwin, Cana- dian government film commission- er, both of the National Film ■ Board, spoke oh films for video and the use of Canadian films in the- atres and 16m outlets. Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has -accepted HCA prexy Frank M- Folsom’s proposal to award the David Sarnoff Gold Medal annually to the engineer making the most outstanding contribution to TV. Award is named for the RCA board chairman and, according to SMPTE prez Earl I. Sppriable, will be presented at the society’s annual fail meeting for work in some technical phase of video, either in research, development, design^ manufacture or operation, or in theatre TV. ^ ■ Award will be the counterpart to the society’s Samuel L. Warner memoriai award, established by WamerS several years ago for oiit- standing contributions in motion picture sound engineering. In addi- tion to the gold medal, the Sarnoff award will include a bronze replica and a citation. Recipient is to be selected by a special committee, which will be appointed each year. Hollywood, Dec. 5. Production of feature - length films for initial release to theatres and subsequent television use is being mulled by a new'iy-fbrmed syndicate of 12 newspaper-owned television stations. Group expects to go into operation next year, with a definite schedule of five program series solely for tele- visibn, but details of the projected theatre-and-teleyision films still re- main to be worked out. Corporation, represented locally by KTTV, has already had pre- liminary talks with independent film producers Robert Lippert and Joe Justman concernirig the feasi- bility of making films for $40,600 to $50,000. They would be screened in major cities oiiiy, the syndi- cate believing that negative costs could thus be recouped. When the break-even point is reached, the films would be made available to member stations. Producers; would participate in the profits on a 50-50 basis. Plans for syndicate’s own pro- duction of the television series in- volve an operation patterned after that of the major film studios. Syn- dicate will finance the entire series Itself and also plans to ink thesps to the standard sevemyear con- tracts. Series, which the syndicate is un- able to' film itself will be farmed out, deals already havirig been set- tled with Roland Reed TV Pro- ductions, Consolidated Television Productions, Jerry Fairbanks Pro- ductions and Hal Roach, Jr. Out- side producers will either work on a cost-plus basis or make the films in return for a percentage of the profits with the syndicate footing all costs. : Williams Leasing 26 Hollywood, Pec, 5. ' U. S. Television rights to 26 new British pictures have been ac-^ quired by Renee Williams, who will distribute them under the. banner of Williams Productlonsv’ Pix will be leased oh a flat, fee basis, depending upon the ske of the individual markets iriyolved. None of the filnis have ever been seen here but some have been shown in British theatres. Walter Klinger, ' formey tele chief of the Paul Kohnbr Agency, is associated with Williams in the new outfit. CBS comic Alan Young, contrary to trade reports, will not switch origination of his television program from L.A. to N.Y. Young; who was in N.Y' over the Weekend for huddles with execs of Esso, Which bankrolls his show in the east, declared that his sponsors are well satisfied with the quality of kinescoping turned out by CBS and have no objections to his staying on the Coast. Show currently is aired live only in L.A. and San Diego and kinescoped’for all other markets. Young, who now has one of the few bigtime* TV shows originating from the Coast, believes that neither Hollywood or N.Y. will wind up as the video program capital. Unlike other Cbastites who see TV emigrating to Hollywood within the next few years, he believes there is too much talent in the N. Y. area to be brushed off. As ai result, he predicted programming eventually will level off to the point where about half of it will originate from N.Y. and half from Hollywood. Kroger’s, incidentally, which sponsors the Young sho\y in a number of midwestern markets, picked up its option this week, for at least one more cycle. Variety’s Chart of TV Network Program costs incorrectly listed Gobey Ruskin as producer of CBS-TV’s “Star of the Family.” Neivt Stammer has been producing the airer since its inception. “Pulitzer Prize Playhouse” was madvertently omitted from the Chart. The ABC-TV stanza, backed by Schlitz via Young &; Rubicam, is pro- duced by Edgar Peterson. Weekly nut is $25,000. Old Warner Bros, studio on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood is again in the minds of local video stations. CBS, which once had an option on the spot, reportedly is still interested. NBC recently viewed the lot as a possible headquarters for KNBH activities, and in the past week officials of KLAC-TV and KTLA strolled in to look the building over with an eye to its television potentialities. Structure now houses radio station KFWB and a 52-1 ane bowling alley. IiicUided in the 10 acres is a bad- minton court and parking lot. Actress Eva Gabori besides not missing a perfoTniance in a year’s run of “Happy Time” on Broadway, has taken over practically the entire production job on her weekly television show via WJZ-TV, N. Y. She attends auditions to select her own guest talent, does the major share of the Writing and supervises rehearsals,. Besides attracting the top performer names and producers and direc- tors, television is also attraeting some of the top promotion and pub relations men in show business. Indicative is Jack Goldstein,who until now, has handled Eddie Cantor’s personal promotion on aii exclusive basis. Now that Cantor has woiind up his tour of one-nighters, Gold- stein is. expanding bis office to take on other personalities and attrac- tions, and is also going into film prombtion. Baltimore Sunpapefs published a 32-page special television section Sunday (3), including stories on both the national and local video scenes. Paper points out that set circulation in the Maryland metrop- olis lias hit 250,000 and the city’s three tele stations are now beaming about 230 hours of programming weekly. TELEPIC EDITORS aT REGULAR FUH SCALE Hollywood, pec. 5. Pay sccTle for film editors on tele- pix will be increased Dec. 18 to «?qual those Of colleagues working on theatrical films.. . Scale jumps from $166.66 for a 48-hour week to $222.21 for 54 hours. Old scale wa.s once used for film editors working on short subjects fit the major studios and was set up for television two years ago to enable telefilm producers to get parted/ . .. Hollywood, pec. 5v Bob Hussey, of Young & Riibi- eam, plucked three picture names for the ieads in the “Bigelow The- atre” telecast of “Rewrite for Love.” They are Wanda Hendrix, Chick Chandler and Gig Young. Coming up fOr filming at Jerry Fairbanks is Steve Longstreet’s “Man From Scotland Yard.” Frank Woodruff is directing the half-hour [dramas for Bigelow-Stanford, LEADER.«.in of Ainerica Thii is 0 BIG morlcet —^ 13>58,000 poopU (3,611,800 radio fdmiliosi. It'i fho WIW Merchandise-oblo Areo. (330 coontioi of tbyon sfafes.) In if, is fho omong medio.v.WLW reaches MORE of U$ people MORE oftert/to sell MORE products for MORE ddvertisers at a LOWER cost per impressiort than any other single medium, ‘ Vork Xp «30 Fifth AvfL CIrcU I . Chltofo V d<60 Hi AAichlfiSn 91«>« S-OSM . Cineftinati 9 140 W. Ninth SI. CH*i?v isaa I Ftallywoe# 2t HottywMO tIvA Hoiyu f^Ot CIOSLIY iRQADCASnNQ CORrORATlON