Variety (January 1953)

Wednesday* January 7, 1953 F-orty-seventh P'SrIETY Anniversary ncTims 65 4 * H’wood Best Ambassador Continued from page 5 they come at a time when the world is locked in a mortal struggle for the allegiance of mankind. Its a fight we're all in—and that in- cludes Hollywood. Right off the bat, though, I want to make it clear that Hollywood maked no claim that it is in the business of grinding out propa- ganda pictures neatly earmarked for use as weapons in the cold war. Quite the contrary. Hollywood is in the entertainment business and that’s precisely why American movies are more popular around the world than the films of any other nation. To great masses of people, forced fed as they are on uninterrupted doses of propaganda, the freedom of American movies from propa- ganda gives them an unmatched authority and authenticity. Our pictures are believed because they show all sides of America—the good and the bad. And here’s a reminder to those people who bemoan that our films are undercutting American foreign policy abroad. It’s old hat to most of us but it’s never been more true: that Hollywood films, while made to entertain, also reflect the ...spirit of a free country and there- by Carry important social and ideo- logical by-products. Cut down to size, that means that along with entertainment, people abroad get rich dividends of democracy from American films. The charge that Hollywood movies are flaying havoc with America’s foreign policy is wearing paper thin. That’s not just my opinion. It’s the judgment of a lot of people who ought to know. | Official Okays | For example, Stanton Griffis, who has -served since the war as U. S. Ambassador to four coun- tries, has this to say about the job done by American movies abroad: “You perhaps do not realize how impoi^ant I have found films in my work in Warsaw and Cairo. I make no bones about saying that I have on many occasions accom- plished more with good American pictures than with all the formal activities and paraphernalia of offi- cial diplomacy. It is my convic- tion that good American films, both screenecLj>rivately, as I used them, and in the theatres, are an invalu- able adjunct to American foreign policy.” Or take the word of Loy Hen- derson, who has served in several U. S. ambassadorial posts. Hender- son recently commented that: “Feature films are a most valu- able medium for giving foreigners a better understanding of the United .States and the American people.” Does that sound like Hollywood films are undermining American foreign policy? Far from it. But if I have left the impression up to now what I think all Amer- ican movies hit home runs, I want to knock that one down—and fast. I’m sure Hollywood would be the first to concede that it sometimes hits foul balls—and strikes out more than once, too. So do news- papers, radio, magazines, books and other mediums of expression. But taken as a whole, Holly- wood’s batting average is good and the best of its films go abroad. Hollywood, of course, is an old hand at this export business. It’s an expert at export. It is geared economically to the world market and in today’s sundered world it is acutely aware of the important unpact of its films abroad. On the economic side, perhaps no other major U. S. industry is so heavily dependent upon exports for its economic health and well being. It's a fact little known outside the industry that nine out of 10 American films cannot pay their way in the domestic market alone. A scant few years ago, about 35% ol the total revenues came from abroad. Today, the foreign mar- hot is more vital than ever to the industry. At the present time be- tween 40-50% -of the business of American producing and distribut- mg companies is done in overseas markets. Now what about the charges of in°<je who question the “selection” ot Hollywood films going abroad? ‘he selection of pictures, like m selection of boolb and maga- - nes going abroad, raises some humh problems. , 10 * s it they would have sit in n. ernent? Who is it they would determine that this film shall go overseas, or that shall not? Who would they have say whether a film is “bad” for America—or even “good” for America? Would they have government make these decisions? If that should happen the free media of expression would be turned into tools of official propaganda, as in Russia. The motion picture would become suspect in the minds of people. Its present towering in- fluence in presenting all phases of a free and’- democratic^. America would be destroyed. Or should the selection of mo- tion pictures to be exported be left to an industry which has dem- onstrated that it is sensitive to the problem and fully conscious of its responsibilities? That is the great decision. We think that in a democracy there can be only one answer. We are confident that the American peo- ple do too. Sarnoff More Active - Continued from page 3 —■ - pervision of the entire NBC radio and TV operations, and leaves the administrative aspects *to White. It is no secret that the McConnell move was a great surprise to the topmost RCA executive echelon. Colgate - Palmolive - Peet presi- dent E. H. Little has said that Mc- Connell’s prospective post as presi- dent of CPP was “premature.” This is the tipoff that Little hadn’t as yet taken the proposition to his board that he would become chair- man of the board, with McConnell succeeding him. McConnell personally handled the $9,000,000 billings from Colgate to NBC for the “Colgate Comedy Hour,” et al. Besides whatever ex- tra money and/or stock reasons for McConnell’s shift from NBC to Col- gate, a major reason is said to be his wife’s desire to keep him more in one location rather than having the peripetatic duties of a constant- ly moving supersalesman, which the NBC spot calls for. As Colgate prexy the position would be re- versed-— he*d be dispensing the $9,000,000 to NBC (it is presumed the business will remain status quo ,of course) instead of being on the selling end. That perforce ‘Premature* Tag When Variety broke the ex- clusive on Joe McConnell’s resignation to join Colgate- Palmolive-Peet, the latter’s president, E. H. Little, called the RCA echelon and stated, “if you want, we can deny the Variety story as ‘premature’.” The RCA-NBC toppers ex- pressed themselves as not car- ing one wajr or the other. The dope is that Little moves up to board chairman and McCon- nell becomes the CPP prexy. The rapid rise of McConnell from $9,000 as a staff lawyer with RCA Victor in Camden to $140,000 a year as NBC presi- dent, has led to conjecture on “how much better deal could he have gotten?” Whether it includes possible stock options is not known. Besides the 140G, McCon- nell had a company limousine and chauffeur and a town apartment in the Hotel Drake, N. Y„ for which RCA paid. will still entail considerable show •biz activity, and with it the regular business trips to Hollywood, etc. Incidentally, following his cruise to Bermuda this week with the Reynolds Metals people on a specially chartered ship, McConnell plans a two-month holiday in Flori- da before assuming his Colgate- Palmolive-Peet duties. | White, Weaver Posts 1 Confirming Variety’s exclusive last wedk on the resignation of Mc- Connell as prez of the National Broadcasting Co., the NBC board last Friday (2) named White as new prexy. Formerly veepee and gen- eral manager of NBC’S radio and TV networks, White was also named a director of the company. In other top echelon shifts, Weaver was named to the newly- created post of vice-chairman of the board. John K. (Jack) Herbert, sales veepee for the AM and TV I nets, was named to succeed Weaver as operating veepee for both media. Herbert continues also as Sales veepee, holding down the two jobs concurrently. No successor was named to White’s job and it’s not known whether he will be replaced in his former post. 1 Lauds White, McConnell j To inform its affiliates across the country of the new exec line- up, NBC staged a closed-circuit radio report at noon Friday, dur- ing which the new appointments were disclosed by Sarnoff. In announcing the exec shifts, Sarnoff lauded White, declaring that “he brings to his new re- sponsibility the practical experi- ence of a long and distinguished career in broadcasting, an unusual executive ability and a great tal- ent for human relationships, which is so important in any business and particularly in broadcasting.’’ Sarnoff also praised McConnell, declaring that the “great strides which NBC has made in speeding the development of TV and main- taining the strength of radio are in themselves the greatest tributes to his leadership.” Sarnoff said that the expansion of NBC’s activities prompted the creation of Weaver’s new position as vice-board chairman. “In his (Weaver’s) new T position,” the gen- eral said, “Weaver will be enabled to concentrate on the problems of long-range development both in radio and TV and will fill a vital function in this rapidly-expanding industry.” Under his new assign- ment, Weaver will be freed of all administrative problems and the day-to-day duties which formerly occupied much of his time. It’s expected that Edward D. Madden, formerly McConnell’s chief aide under his title of as- sistant to the president, will con- tinue in that same capacity under White’s leadership at NBC. RCA Names Sacks —^ Continued from page 3 —, ganizational disturbances unless and until Sacks deems it necessary. He will coordinate his thinking with George R. Marek, the artists & repertoire chief of Victor, and David Kapp, the diskery’s pop re- cording topper. RCA Victor’s record business is a $28,000,000 billings item, and RCA president Frank M. Folsom deems it important enough to turn it over to Sacks for trouble-shoot- ing. Board chairman General David Sarnoff also wants Sacks to revital- ize the plattery which finished with a strong fourth quarter on the strength of its new EP (Extended Play 45 rpm) line, selling 1,500,000 sets of refurbished and repackaged items. Folsom, whose background in RCA dates back to the Victor line in Camden—being shifted from there to the presidency—will keep closer tabs on the Sacks-Victor op- erations as part of the plan to pep up the plattery. Sacks came to the RCA from CBS and Columbia Records where he was the a. & r. veepee. Be- fore that he was a,Music Corp. of America agency exec. This put Sacks in the middle of key negotia- tions for all RCA-NBC talent, just as he functioned in CBS’ talent “raids” on NBC. Incidentally, Sacks will also look in more on NBC programming, as part of his expanded duties. (The Sacks’ move is part of the No. 2 segment of the “surprise” shifts within the RCA family—the other being Joseph H. McConnell’s resig- nation as NBC president, and the designation of Frank H. White, ex- Mutual Broadcasting, later NBC exec veepee, to the NBC top spot). Likens Theatres Continued from page 63 i body and to tell a story in the flesh. • In tragedy, comedy, farce, melo- drama, on the stage, the screen or in television, still there is a need for the actor and the actress to tell i the story and fulfill it into flesh. The noble and difficult work of the clown to set a crowd of hun- dreds of varied souls to shrieking with laughter is a pure philanthro- py. What greater benefaction is there than a gale of laughter? A crowded theatre is a wonder- ful thing, binding throngs of strangers together in a mood of humanity, mutual friendliness, art, and the beauty of sympathy. The actors on the stage minister to the hunger for divertissement but also for uplift of the soul. My Life with Steinbeck = j : —. —~ — - Continued front page 5 - ■-■ - — — —- ject all offers.” Sn it was decided agreed to put a picture of Cary we’d do it for the stage. Grant on th' 1 screen. We set to work in a maid’s room we hired at 2 Beekman Place, where I've lived ever since my ar- rival in New York a decade ago. I had splendid relations in the dis- trict until the day John came on to the scene with a flourishing beaver. We were both off the sauce, so we drank coffee inter- minably, usually at a little store called Left’s on the corner of First Avenue and 50th Street. Between coffees, we essayed work—on a dictaphone. Which makes me won- der why neither of us has ever had the nOd from radio. We sounded exquisite. Wired For Sound Nothing wrong about a dicta- phone unless yot ’re enchanted with the sound of your own voice. Well, John was, and, instead of devoting* himself to “The Wizard of Maine,” he insisted upon tell- ing dialect stories. Very, very funny! All day the so-and-so sat there and roared at the sound of his own voice. Very, very funny, but no work on the musical. And I had to earn my. pay from Henry Luce. Well, it might not have been such a hot musical, but that back- drop! As long as we lived, we'd drink Miller’s High Life, Chivas Regal, wear Stodwell Clothes, drape our wives in Maxi mi Ilian creations, dine at the Colony, relax at the Ruiz Galindo. Mr. Steinbeck subsequently re- turned to the form of the novel and I to article writing. However! If that creampuff Steinbeck uses our final curtain idea in “The Wayward Bus,” I want my cut, see? Sees Paperback . Continued from page 3 -1 sit up and see. This point is the contention that a number of en- tertainment mediums have not yet realized the potentialities that lay in paperback material with its huge and growing public. Paper- back‘distribution—says our point —is building potential audiences for picture, radio and TV material that have never been seen before. That Earl Wilson! One day Wilson ran an inter- view with Steinbeck, and it was a killer, except — except that it quoted John as saying, at three in the afternoon, “I guess I better call George Frazier and get him to work.” The son of a seacook—I was at work! Or so Life thought anyway. Life doesn’t like its em- ployees pulled out of the office in midafternoon to work on “The Wizard of Maine,” a project, in which they have no financial in- terest. From that point on, John and I worked nights. But that dic- taphone! Things would have been just fine if I hadn’t mentioned that I liked the Bronx Zoo. That gave John the idea for a story for Abbott & Costello. The way it went, Bud and Lou were on their way to join the Brooklyn Dodgers when their plane made a crash-landing in the African Plains of the Bronx Zoo. Abbott & Costello got confused and thought they were in Africa. Hi- larious! Well, we worked on that for a week, sent it to Al Horwits of Universal - International, another hail fellow well metten and the co-inventor, with your correspond- ent, of “Drew Berkowitz” (hail fel- low well met), and soon afterwards received an offer. We were dis- cussing it when Bud and Lou had an altercation! Well, those things happen. So we began worrying about getting our Old English Sheepdogs into the thing—“The Wizard of Maine,” that is—arid we spent hours having the mastiffs bark into the dicta- phone. They sounded real good and are available for any Broad- way production. J Author! Author! | We were finally going like the devil on this thing—“The Wizard of Maine,” that is—when John be- gan fretting about the backdrop against which the cast would take its curtain calls. (Previously we had agreed that it would be un- seemly to answer the calls of “Au- thor! Author!” unless we both ran down the aisle in track suits). Any- way, we got to thinking about this backdrop and we decided we’d .it out the opening at Ben Sonnen- berg’s or Harold Guinzburg’s or Lucille Malin’s or Molly Binion’s. But then John said, “Gosh, no, I gotta see that backdrop.” And I do not blame him, because this backdrop was insurance against a thirsty, hungry day. Indulging in recherche clu temps perdu after the fashion of old movie curtains, we were going to plug things, espe- cially things we needed—the com- plimentary case, so to speak; the economy family style, if you know what I mean. Well, while the cast was bowing to absolutely thunder- ous applause, the audience would see behind it the inducements of such pleasures as Miller’s High Life. Chinas Regal, Stodwell (a wonderful tailor), Delbeck bubbly, and Macy’s. But being unselfish, we decided to help our wives along. We then came up with a plug for Jamaica, the tourist’s Paradise; Revere ware; the Colony restaurant; Maxmillian, the elite furrier; and the Ruiz Galindo Hotel in* El Fortin, Mexico. This seemed to.be what our wives want- ed. At the last minute, we also Take an average hardbook novel. Take a far better than average one. “The Old Man Raises Cane” in its hard book trade edition sold 10,000 copies. If you don’t think that bet- ter than good, you should be a hard book novelist these days and try to eat. Give “The Old Man Raises Caine” a break and say it has five readers to every copy. That means 50,000 readers. How much of a potential audi- ence has this book for the mass entertainment field? Not much, with a mere 50,000 readers. Its value for pictures or broadcasting or video has been elevated little, if any, by its sale. Of course it is pretty well known through re- views and literary circle talk. But outside whatever intrinsic story value it has there isn’t much being offered by “The Old Man Raises Caine” for mass entertainment. Now take an average paperback. The sale of “The Girls Raise Caine”, is just about an even 500,000. Usu- ally it sells better than the most screaming hardbook bestseller, even though it gets on no best- seller list where, if it is an orig- inal, it logically belongs. With a mere four readers (it’s more de- structible than a hard,, book) to a copy this means 2,000.000 readers. 1 Vast Influe nce * | How much of a potential audi- ence has “The Girls Raise Caine” built up to be used in other medi- ums? Two million readers creates quite a splash. It makes a nice- looking line at a boxoffice or turn- ing TV and radio dials. True, “The Girls Raise Caine,” supposing it is an original novel published first* in paperback, prob- ably wasn’t much reviewed around the country, not even if it was a sincere, good, non-oensorable book that can be used in the mass en- tertainment fields. (No matter what you’ve been told, there are such, with the trend now that way). Few reviewers have been able to jump the mental bloc of a good book appearing first in paperback. And “The Girls Raise Caine” isn’t much talked about in literary cir- cles. There it is apt to be looked down upon, even by those who have not read it.. “The Girls Raise Caine,” how- ever^ is known. It is known all over the country, not just a little and spottily in the literary circles. If a picture of a video show* found- ed on it were shown it would have a ready audience spread from one end of the U.S. to the other; it is sold and read, for instance, in towns where there are no hard- book stores, which is most towns. The fact that this vast audience cannot be seen as readily as the much smaller audience created by the hard book, “The Old Man Raises Caine,” is the crux of our point, Soon, perhaps, it will be seen better. The evidence of its exist- ence is there to view. Many paper- backs reach a million sale now, some 2.000,000. a few even more than that. Take one with a mil- lion sale. That means 4,000.000 people readied to see its story in another medium. This figure is being reached reg- ularly, both by paperback reprints and originals.