Variety (November 1954)

32 RADIO REVIEWS Variety BABIES C.O.D. With Ned Calmer, others Producer: Jay (McMullen Reporters: Don Kellerman, others 45 Mins., Mon. (8), 10:15 p.m. CBS, from New York There’s a school of thought which takes the position that a dramatic treatment of a real-life situation has more impact than a straight documentary on the. topic. Tairi’t so. Not, at any rate, if the documentary goes straight to the heart of the matter and deals’with the people involved. On. “Babies C.O.D:.” CBS’ expose of the baby market, the sobbing voice of an unwed mother who -can’t get .her baby back, the consciously-re- strained voice Of a woman .who had One illegally-purchased baby become blind and: another taken away~r-no actors could Simulate them, no script Could, , possibly pack the. emotion they exhibit. “Babies C.O.D.-’ was another in the series of continuing documen- taries produced by CBS’ featured projects unit (rid longer named that -now. that radio-tv news are combined^, and presented on. an in- termittent basis. This.. ..was prob- ably the most powerful the web' has ever done.. Story of the black market ' babies is not new— there’s been newspaper and maga- zine coverage a’plenty., But it’s ver been presented in such strik- ing; human terms. Producer Jay McMullen and reporter Don kel- lerman could retire after, this one and still merit the lasting grati- tude of the listening public. There were. the usual statistics,, of course, via interviews of welfare service officials. But these .were secondary to the stories of people.. There was. .-a- taped interview with 1 a childless couple who, turned down by legal adoption agencies for no apparent reason, turned to the black market, only to have one baby turn out blind and a second returned to its natural, mother. There was. a short talk with a con- victed black - marketeer, who turned the blame on the apparent heartlessness of the; legal agencies. ■And there was a hidden-micro- phone interview by a pregnant CBS staffer: with a black-niarket doctor, who told her all the tech- niques for getting rid of an illegit- imate Child without expense or embarrassment to herself. The real heartwringer, though, was the in-person story of an un- wed mother,, who, turned away by legitimate welfare and unable to support, herself, went to the black market, She had the baby -and had it. taken away, but after many steepness nights, tried .to get it back and was presented with phony death certificate. No dramatic approach could have rivalled the obvious heartbreak of the mother, and, incidentally, t e 1 e vis i o n couldn’t, have done the job that radio did on this program. This was something that only radio can do, and CBS did it in spades. It’s about time that the network threw jts full promotion facilities behind these documentaries, and that in- cludes television spots to get the widest audience, possible. “Babies C. Q. D.” is worth at least a few weH-promoted repeat exposures. Ned. Calmer did a fine job as .narrator; Alfredo, Antonini’s ex- ecution of Ben Ludlow’s music Was good and the. entire show had the aura of bigtime, professionalism about it that, alone can. retain net- work -radio’s position as an im- portant entertainment-comm unica- tions media. Clian. AT HOME With Mary Dorr, 30 Mins., Mon.-Fri. 2:30 p.m. Participating WFIL, Philadelphia There’s nothing wrong with “At Home’’ that a new blueprint Couldn't fix. The. hostess Mary Dorr is gracious and charming, but the plans for entertai ing need a shakcup. The session opens with ', closeiip of Mrs, ' Dorr asking view-.j ers. to come in and join her in her | living rod; . The three visitors sit; about the large- set; evenly and • widely separated; three- strangers who only mix with the hostess are introduced to the audience,, but not to each Other.- They sit, and. bide their time until spoken to. . Mrs.. Dorr has the knack of com- ing through strongly- without seeming to try. Not depending on glamor or brashness, with none of the prickly quality of most' femme interviewers., she nev takes the play away from her guests. On frame caught, ,a representa- tive of the Sun Life Assurance of Canada spoke on value of talking things oyer with an agent when planning financial future; . vet* emariart expounded about four: of life 92 diseases communicable from animals to man, and an archi- tect showed slides of the “House of the Week;’’ a regular, feature. If there were a crying, need for an.- olher interview show for free pitches, then the three-a-day for- lat would be justified. Gagh. '■ TPpical problem of juvenile de- linquency is getting a going over by the New York Times’ radio out- let. WQXR. A seven-part weekly series covering that subject: was inaugurated by, the' station Mon- day (8). Series is being aired over. Alma Dettiriger’s cross-the-board stanza, ^‘Other People’s Business '* Her usual half-hour stint has been expanded to 40 minutes for the Monday, sessions. Show’s format has Miss Dettin- ger interviewing authorities On ju- venile delinquency. Her guests on i itialer were Dr, Adele E. Streese- rrian, a practicing psychiatrist and consultant for the Youth Consulta- tion Service and the Women’s Prison Assn.,, and Mrs. C. Frank Naumburg, vice chairman of the Women’s. City Club Youth: and Law. Committee. Latter reported on the work done by her group, while former gave an interesting analy- sis of : the psychological aspects be- hind juve waywardness. Dr. Streeseman cited poor paren- tal care, as the major cause of ju- venile delinquency. She also tagged alcohol and the availability, of. transportation as other impor- tant factors; Another View ex- pressedby*her was that the pun- ishment should fit the personality and not the crime. Opening show, incidentally, was subtitled “Youth and Crime in New York. Gity.’’. Future, lineup includes "Re- sources For Prevention.” “The Child in juvenile Court,” ‘‘The Youth in. Criminal. Court,”. “Treat- ment and Rehabilitati “Insti- tutional Care” and “As T See De- linquency in New York City.” a summation of the series by ‘ Ken- neth Johnson, dean of the N. Y. School of Social : Work,, and Mrs. Thomas Philips, chairman of the WCC Youth and Law Committee. Jess. IT’S A WOMAN’S WORLD . . With Dick De Freitas, Aime Gau- vin Producer-Director: Sam Dann 80 Mins., Mon.-thru-Sat., lI a.m. Participating WMGM, N. Y. ’ There’s little to distinguish “It’s a Woman’s World” from the aver- age.. deejay stanza. Whether the N. Y. haUsfran is going to buy. sugar substituted for substance is highly questionable. Dick De Frei- tas. and Aime Gauvin, who; didn’t come across in the launcher (8) as distinctive personalities, (from, each other as well as from competing d.j ’s), depended on lazy delivery and sticky pipes, in pseudo roman- tic motif; De Freitas and Gaiivi 'V were adept at clipping, off a series of words that had continuity but no particular, meaning and that throughout ..the entire half-hour heard. The hew ..casing’s (the sec- ond so far under the Art Tolchin aegis) major contribution was the standard but listeriable collection, of disks. Some of those easily re- called Were “Valencia,” “Auf Weiderseh’n,” “Count Your Bless- j ings,” etc, Continuing as an objection is utilization of two gabbers when there isn’t enough of interest for one*to say. Tonally, these particu- lar voices bear too much similarity as well. Aft,. 'Closer’ Closes ABC-TV is dropping <? Come Closer,” the Jimmy Nelson panel, segment, after its .first 13-.vveek cycle is completed Dec. 13. Show would have had to make way for “Reader’s Digest’- come Jan. 10 when. “Digest” preems. for Packard- Studebaker, but the network will fill the, intervening three, weeks with.film. “Closer” was placed on the web; this fall, as. a “must” sustainer by virtue of a deal. set. with- Nelson last spring. Web couldn’t sell the show in the time it’s been oh the air arid consequently is letting it. go altogether rather than switching it to a different time period. OUTLOOK With Wayne Collins 10 Mins.: Mqn.-thru-Fri., 9:30. «m, KGMB,Honolulu What Wayne Collins, top news- caster on a :top bracket station, is attempting to prove With his nightly “Outlook” is an eyebrow- raiser. *It’s : a commentary show debunking—or at least skirtihg around the edges of:—the local scene, Accepting that premise, some of his programs seem sure to set up reactions that stamp the top. drawer scripting and voicing as “controversial.” Program seems sure to win listeners, though good- will is another matter, There’s an unfortunate chip-on- the-shoiilder tone to Colli ’ choice of words. He. either is a ShrevvQ student of word semantics . or he needs an elementary course in that subject Even though he never quite draws a bead on the crux or each problem or situation lie dis- cusses, his comments are stimulat- ing and add up as interesting lis- tening. Could be Collins is simply trying to encourage. John .Public to think for himself and riot blindly, swallow propaganda. It’s an adriiirabie .aim but isn’t it- equally true that a crusader .unconsciously becomes a propagandist for his own opinions? Walt. ' Last week American Research Bureau made its top .tv program ratings available as per first-week-in-October measurement. This week, the Nielsens covering the fortnight to Oct. 9 are ready for : the “look and see what we did” crowd. Strangely enough (or is it?L of the six on the Nielsen Top TO which didn’t riiake it on the ARBs, all of them are NBC shows, with only the Martha Raye. show not applicable to weekly exposure (although Milton Berle is not “regular” either, with 20 shows for-season). The only point at which the two services happen to. coincide, is the down-the- middle fifth with Jackie Gleason unanimous in that spot and with scores only about four points apart. Differing in positions but with figures fairly close in both riieasurem.ents are “I Love Lucy!’ arid-“Dragnet.” CBS made it 8-fpr-lO on ARB, with NBC 7-for-10 in-Nielsen’s reckoning. Coincidentally, and on the .theory that the No. 1 market i of the country! New York, with perhaps i(K?> of the nation’s te.tesets, is strategic in the national ratings, the Gleason show was posted No. 1 on ARB’s Gotham seoreboard,. with a 56,2 that ran past “Lucy” for the first time since February, 1952. (Period is for second week in October.) “Lucy” racked up 53,1. had.never been topped ■ink N.Y. on the, ARBs, and-before the latest rating had never fallen below a 60. ARB points oilt, by the way, that the October study indicates a higher percentage of total tv sets in use, in the area, but that, individual programs are rating: lower than they have: the past. Current N.Y. scores range from the 56.2 Gleason high to the 31.3 “This Is Your Life” low in’the Top 10, while last year’s rresprinding period ranged from 66.7 to 40, ith . latter . figure, the li imu needed, heretofore for inclusion .in the charthed, .Circle. Of considerable interest is the. half-hour “GE Theatre,” which Tor Oct.. TO posted, a -national ARB of 35,4 to swamp the T9.2 of .hourlong'“TV Playhouse’’ in the competing 30 minutes,. It the GE telepixer's third; show of the season, with Ronald Reagan .!; siarring (he’s , usually : the host) arid: opposite: him was his.wife! • Nancy Davis. In rriid-October of last year,- “Playhouse” nabbed 41.9 to GE’s 2L5, but latter’s format vyas altered this season, with dramatics holding sway. Here’s how the .previously printed ARBs; and the latest Nielsens compare: ARB 1. Toast of Town (CBS) . .-,52.3 2. I Love Lucy (CBS) ,521 3. Bob Hope (NBC) .47.7 4. Dragnet (NBC) '. .44.0 5. Jackie Gleason (CBS) .41.6 6! Godfrey, Friends i CBS). 36.9 7. I’ve Got Secret (CBS) . .35.5 8. G. E. Theatre (CBS) .35.4 9. Godfrey Scouts (CBS) . .35.3 : NIELSEN 1. I Love Lucy ....., . 52.9 2. Martha Raye (NBC) .51,3 3. Milton Berle (NBC), ..49.7 4. Toast of Town 45.2 5. Jackie Gleason ..,.. .45.1 6. Dragnet . . . i’.-; .43.1 7. Groupho Mar. (NBC) .. 42.0 8. Comedy Hour (NBC) . .37.9 9. This Is Your Life (NBC) .37.8 TO. What’s My Line (CBS) . .34:8 10, Caesar’s Hour (NBC) . ,37.5 We^needa^ November 10, 1954 % From the Production Centres i: . <. ■ ,. - f 4 - 4♦♦♦♦»♦ ♦ ♦ 44 4 4 4 4 4 . 4 4 4 ♦ 4 4 4 4 4 4 ♦ ♦ ♦ 4444 44 4 444 4 4 4 > ♦ + ♦+• IN NEW YORK CITY CBS prexy Adrian Murphy addressed luncheon meet , of Texas Assn. : of B’casters in Houston Monday (8) , , . Lanny Ross’ 6:30 p.m, show on WCBS gets crossboard sponsor in Auto Mfg; Specialties . Eliza- beth Lawrence (“Road of Life,” etc.) ori “Aunt Jenny” through Nov. 22 arid currently understudying Geraidine Page iri “The Rainmaker”: on B’way . Peter Stqrer tapped as CBS spot saies account exec, while Edward G. O’Berst has been named asst, research director , ,T Industrialist-painter. John. Myers and thrush Mary Ann Cohan guesting; on Mutual’s . “Manhattan Crossroads” . Ex-baseball catcher Joe Garagiola, Who’s quitting the game for sportscasting, getting some hints watching Vince Scully in action on. CBS’ “Football Roundup.” . James Rubessa to WMGM as scribbler-director . Dr. Lee De Forest feted last week at Fraunces Tavern by members of the De Forest Pioneers . ; Paul Godofsky, topper at WHLI,. to. assume, a gab role on a special stanza observing National Radio and Television Week . William J. Murray to sales at H-:R reps , . ; WAAT riow up. to three stanzas weekly ori “Hayloft Hoedown”* with thrush Tennessee Dawn and Lou vCamis’ Singing Riders . . . “Music Magazine” returns To WQXR tonight (Wed.j, Show; scribbled by Arnold Michaelis . , First place in Broadcast Advertisirig’s current “Best Satesrhan of the Month” contest is Bill Dalton, KOTA, Rapid City, S.D. . Nancy Ranson winner of Griumbacher Award in casein at Brooklyn Society of. Artists’ annual .exhibit; She’s wife of Jo Ranson, WMGM publicity chief,.' . ;.... . Terpsichore Traffic, Or Harder’s Harem: Earl Harder, traffic mgr., of WRCA-plus-tv, puts in the claim that surrounding hirii in. the .dept, are six unparalleled, beauts in an eight-member sector! Orie of them, Barbara Klopp, was Queen, of this year's! Mike-Press-Screeri dinrier, and the others ’are knocking at the door for Miss and Mr., America titles. One trouble, though, across the hall from Harder is the admin- istrative asst to Peter Tintle, mgr. of NBC’s guest relations dept. She’s : Mrs. Earl . Harder. ‘‘Caravan of WCBS Stars” opened Greater N.Y, Fund cariipaign at Macy’s emporium yesterday (Tues.) via rallies on seven floors; With a station persoriality assigned to level. Included in the Talent parade were . Lanny Ross, Bob Haymes, Joan Edwards, Martin Weldon, John Henry Faulk, Galen Drake and Jack Sterling, .Mindy Carson featured at ABC’s Plaza Hotel, shindig for adver- tisers yesterday (Tues.) arid oddly enough, she’s not contracted tp that or any other web, so the affair may have beeri an “audition” for the chantoosie Ed Robak installed last week as president of the National Society, for Crippled Children and Adults:. . Terry -Van Tell pacted by Musterole for 13 weeks o.ri the ABC “Weekend News” pack- age . . Pegeen Fitzgerald prepping a pre-Christmas, onri-woman show- irig of 35 of her oil paintings. Ahierican Horne Products Corp. has inked as bankrolled. of the Mutual Friday night session of the Gabriel Heatter 7:30 p.m. strip . ; WOR’s merchandising boss Art Dawson collected the Mennen Co.. media rrierchandising award for. ‘54 Art Rust Jr. has joined the WWRL merchandisirig staff. IN CHICAGO WBBM salesman Jack Boswell transferred to Radio Sales, New York! as eastern rep for the station . Indie WAIT now ensconced in its new Daily.News Bldg, studios . . Judith Waller, Chi NBC’s education and public affair’s topper, awarded an hqnorary membership, in the- National Assn, of Educational Broadcasters . . Virgil Reiter* Miitual’s midwest sales manager, into Gotham for homeoffice conferences . . . Maynard Bertsch airing his WLS “Dinrier Bell” show from the Wis- consin Farm Bureau convention iri Madison Tuesday (16) . John Keown producing two daily WMAQ strips featuring the Art Van Damm Quintet and hosted by Henry Cook Keystone Broadcasting keeps adding to its transcribed affiliation string, with 12 new outlets signed, bringing, the total;, to 783 ,, WGN farm director Norman Kraeft named, to the. American Farm Bureau committee to pick winners of the bureau’s distinguished service and citizenship awards Don Anderson hosting a new disk Session at 7 p.m. on WMAQ . . Evaris Fur bought a. trio of weekly segments of Bill Evans’ eye-opener ori WGN .. . Actor John Barclay joined J. Walter Thompson’s Loridori ■office-..,..; Late switch has Richard Orr, ex-farm columnist, rather than John Fink taking over as the Chicago Tribune’s No. 2 radio-iv writer, vice Tony Remenih who ankled the sheet to move to the Coast. //V PHILADELPHIA Gabc Millerand celebrating first anni on his late night KYW radio show . American Red Cross has cited WIP for outstanding support of organization’s blood donor program Boake Carter, Jr., son of the late broadcaster, has started with WPEN as a news commentator . ... “Marian Kemp’s kitchen” celebrates its sixth anni on \yCAU^TV Nov, 16, under the continuous sponsorship of American Stores Co. Show started with two programs a week arid, was expanded across the .board, Dec. 26, 1949 , Charles Vanda, v.p. in charge of tv for WCAU-TV, has accepted invite to speak at 10th anni of U. of Georgia’s Radio and Television Institute, jan. 26-28 , . Bobby Shantz, Athletics pitcher, will debut his own sports program on WPTZ, Nov, 20 .. Bob Horn’s “Bandstand” celebrates it» second yea^ pn WFIL-TV, Nov. 13 . Michael Ellis, Bucks County;Playhouse impressario, starts a nightly 10-minute tv show on WPTZ (8) tabbed “Tonight in Philadel- phia.” IN MINNEAPOLIS kEYP-TV, Tvvin Cities’ fifth video,station, going on. the air Jan; 9, 1955, announced it has worked out deal with DuMont network So that latter, while furnishing many programs, will have no control, over station’s tirne. Among other things, station will run the same movie three nights a week, Tuesdays through Thursdays at 9 jp.nl. A new tv studib is now under construction by the radio station. . . Ch.ariges in sales department of KSTP. tv . arid radio, find ; Marvin L. Rosene advanced from radio regional sales manager to general sales manager for both tv; and radio; Karl A.. Plain, formerly national Sales rtianagei, named radio sales development manager, arid William R. Brazzil re- signing as Minnesota: tv sales manager to join WJIM-TV, Lansing, Mich., as general sales manager. . . Bill Lansing, formerly of General Mills, joined WCCO to handle mercharidising arid special services . . , Walter Cronkite, CBS network personality, visited Bill Stevens, Min- neapolis Star executive editor,, here . . . Northwestern Federal Savings & Loan association inked for sponsorship of WCCO radio’s Minne- apolis Lakers 1 basketball games play by play broadcasts IN PITTSBURGH Bill Kelley, WDTV salesman, is the new coipmander of the Variety Club’s American Legion Post . . . “Faith That Works,’- new Sunday night series at 10:30 over KDKA, has just been launched by Dr. Samuel M. Shoemaker, , rector of the Cavalry Episcopal‘’ Church . . . Kathy Senior; tv model, starts her , own radio, show over WAKU in Latrobe next week. It’ll run for an hour at 3:30 Monday through Friday afternoon, a combination phone quiz and platter session origi- (Continued on page 44)