Variety (November 1954)

48 TV-FDLMS * f The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organiza- tion is 'encouraging a plan for an international tv film and kinescope distribution setup for both com- mercial and educational interests;. Though UNESCO will not take an active part in the “clearing house” after its start, a meeting under its aegis will be held next spring or summer in Europe, and currently the “dos” and “don'ts” of import- ing and exporting kines and tele- film are being surveyed by UNESCO specialists. The film festivals at Venice in July and at Cannes in April have both extended invitations to the Chicago, Nov. 9. - McConkey Artists Corp. is ex- panding further into the telepix arena, via its MAC Studios subsid, Prexy Dick Shelton has inked a syndication .pact with (Governor Films to handle latter’s “Bulldog Drummond” and “Topper” series, plus a bundle of Hal Roach fea- tures. MAC is dropping its orch depart- ment to step up its vidpix activi- ties. group. Besides announcing these activi- ties, UNESCO’s Henry Cassirer warned vidfilmers in the U. S. not to expect nations. abroad to act as “dumping grounds” for American telepic product. He said that all of Europe is alert for fear the U.S. will not permit reciprocal, agree- ments- ° ne of the “clearing house” concepts is to see that there is an exchange of celluloid product, be- cause,- it’s; said in effect, no organi- zation can work effectively unless European producers are given op- portunity to sell in this' market; First thing, Cassirer would like to see exchange. • agreements negoti- ated. He said the “clearing house will delve into such problems as an equitable means for international vidpix payments and establishment of mobile; screening facilities, par- ticularly for Europe Where tele- casters how have difficulty viewing foreign vidfilni, this militating against more extensive use of same. Plenty Info . The UNESCO pattern calls for information on the preparation of film that would be more useful in all languages and in all countries; improvement of machinery for, both educational and commercial vidfilm (not features) via setting up a central office able to supply info on (1) video rights, that in- cluding music rights, union clear- ances (on kine shows particularly); (2) separate sound tracks (music and effects tracks); (3) scripts for foreign language translation; (6) lip sync methods. . Cassirer said that producers to-, day do not think in terms of inter- national distribution on either filmed or live (kine) shows. In ad- dition to performers' rights being an obstacle to international dis- tribution, there are more basic things like failure Of producers to supply "international soundtrack” to facilitate foreign usage. Since UNESCO cannot actually become part of the “clearing house” idea but can only “organize and advise,” it’s feared that final organization of the deal will be difficult to consummate. A couple of educational broadcasters who’ve already been approached (National Assn, of Educational Broadcasters having resolved to study the UNESCO proposal) are fearful that I commercial telecasters will frown on giving product a “more inter- national flavor” since it might de- tract from showing in the U.S. Screen Gems last, week tied up ; Johnny Weissmuller to Star in “Jungle Jim.” after, several weeks of dickering. Series, based on the King Features comic strip, goes before the cameras in January,. With Harold Greene producing and Earl Bellamy directing the 26 half-hours. Series will prob- ably. be offered for national sale before any thought is given to. syndication. Columbia Pictures subsidiary aiso signed ex-Paramount producer Mel Epstein and William SackhCim to produce the half-hour dramatic anthology series for Falstaff Brew- ing Co. which Will preem in 40 markets next fail. ♦♦+♦»♦♦» > +»♦♦♦ > »♦» Vidpix Chatter ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦♦♦♦»♦♦ ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ ♦ > » New York Don Kearney, ABC Syndication sales v.p., starting the lecture route, via a talk, Week before last to the Third Annual Business Sym- posium at Manhattan College and a scheduled appearance for' Feb- ruary at the N.Y. Advertising Club’s radio-tv cliriic of its adver- tising and selling course, Byron Lord, a director of Pearl Dean Ltd, of London, producers of mo- tion picture theatre advertising Which is planning to start, turning out tv filmed, commercials, in. town for a series of discussions with Joe Forest, creative director of Trans- film. .NBC Film Division took on three new salesmen: Edward Quin- cy Adams, former assistant ad manager of Standard Rate & Data, who replaces Tom Shull, now prez of Inland .Broadcasting, in the mid- west; Robert D. Ingwerson, ex- Borden Co., replacing John Burns, recently moved to the homeofficd, also in the midwest; and Jules V. Arbib, formerly with Permabook, who’s added to the N.Y. sales, staff Official Films veep Herman Rush off on a three-week sales tour .Guild Films’ client relations and sales promotion departments moving into new temporary quar- ters pending the entire firm’s Jan. .1 move to ease the overcrowding ... . Mike O’Shea back from his Mo- tion Pictures for Television Coast trip and cleaning up prior to exit- ing the firm Nov. 15. ■t Morgan-Solow ‘Journal' On Sponsorship Block Series based on Lloyd C. Doug- las’ novel; “Dr. Hudson’s Secret Journal,” is being offered for na- tional sponsorship by United Tele- vision Programs on behalf of Brewster Morgan and Eugene So- low, who have tifed up rights to the book. Decision to go to. a full se- ries on the story came about through good agency reception of one of the films in the Morgan- Solow "Authors Playhouse” series, already in production with UTP repping the series oil sales. “Playhouse” is an anthology se- ries based on Works of top Ameri- can authors. Morgan and Solow made “Dr. Hudson’s Secret Jour- nal” as one of the films in the series, but they’re now using the pic as a pilot for a new series on the Douglas character, who’s a‘ sci-ir entist. “Journal” first appeared as a segment of “Magnificent Obses- sion,” but Douglas later wrote ah entire novel as a sequence to the “Obsession” insert. Series Would be based on this novel, with John Howard playing the lead: Pilot Was. directed by Peter Godfrey, Ziv has just firmed a contract opening the Italo market for its product. After weeks of negotiat- ing, the vidpix outfit came to terms with Radio Audizione Italian, the government-protected network. For the rights to play 13 half- hours of “My Favorite Story,” 13 of the “Cisco Kid” and a mixed package of 13 segments from “Bos- ton Blackie” and “Mr.rDistrict At- torney.” RAX has in turn promised to dub these 39 properties for use in other Italo-language markets— certainly South America (Brazil, for one) where Italian is spoken, possibly Africa and ultimately- for redistribution to Italo stations in the U. S, Furthermore, Ziv is getting from RAI an estimated $240 for term use of each pic. The dubbing deal was the chief matter for concern in negotiations, ar- ranged through Italian Films Ex- port i N. Y; and finalized via its Rome office in the last few days. RAI chose the four series from among seven offered, by Ziv, The. others were “I Led Three Lives,” “Yesterday’s Newsreels” and. the “Unexpected^’ The deal strengthens Ziv as the U. S, vidpix distrib with the largest stake in foreign exposure. Along lines of its two-yeaf-old Latino dis- tributioh, the company lately pact- ed a deal with Bogota. Screencraft Huddles On Fuller, Other Shows Regional reps of Screencraft Pic- tures planed in to New York this week for a series of homeoffice con- ferences on upcoming syndicated product the firm, which thus far has restricted itself to the feature field, plans to put on the market. One of these is “Jimmy Fidler in Hollywood,” which preems Nov. 28 in 40 markets.. Another may be the Arthur Lake family comedy show. •r Those new "Groucho in Europe’’ (every Thursday on Be Soto’s ''You Bet Your were filmed abroad by. . Life”!) \ let doit! // k Producing films for Television and Industry in our own air-conditioned studio at 1600 Broadway in the heart of New York City, Circle 7-2264 Wednesday, November 10, 1954 Sheldon Reynolds Was quoted in Art Buchwald’s Paris column in the N. Y. Herald Tribune last week as: saying that, to protect himself against some one else releasing any Sherlock Holmes films on tv, he “had to buy up the 11 feature films Which were owned by Universal- International Pictures’’ and that he “now owns all the film rights for 1 Sherlock Holmes.” . Apparently there’s no argument on theatrical release * rights, but there seems to be some dispute as to ty Clearance. Reynolds, producer of the “Foreign intrigue” series, also is repped on syndicated-tv With the Sherlock made-for-video half-hour skein.' However/Universal sold 12 Sherlock Holmes films (with. Basil Rathbone and others) for tv display. In New- York, for instance, WCBS-TV, already has shown eight of the features (distributed by Associated Artists) with four to go in a playoff that started in September and will conclude next September with six ruins for each for a total of 72 presentations. The Reynolds-made 30-minuters are running on WRCA-TV in Ni Y. Wilson—That’s All (LB.) Continued from page 24 — pendent’by nature to be an obedi- ent affiliate. Very definitely he got in both networks’ hair. L. B. had one rule of thumb he liked to apply to the webs. He wanted to be assured that his terms were as good as whatever other 50,000-watter he had reason to be- lieve had the best obtainable sta- tion compensation terms. In the snakepit which was radio station relations in the mad, bad days, this Was loaded: Being loaded, it ex- ploded. Lenox Lohr, the army en- gineer iriajcr, who Was President of NBC for a time, had been a particular peeve of Wilson's; Lohr, with his lack of humor, Which eventually fouled him up with the advertising agencies, was. not a man with whom Wilson could feel comfortable, and Wilson had the politician’s 1 innate skill in most interpersonal relationships. In the end, the 20th floor at CBS and L. B. agreed to disagree. There Were euphemisms on both sides but basically it was a case of CBS’ slick management finding too probing an interrogator in the fast- thinking and colorful talking Ken- tuckian. , A Variety wag when he saw L. B. Wilson for the first time cracked, “He’s the only guy smaller than Abe Lastfogel,” There was a legend that the L. B. stood for “pound,” arid that was all he weighed at birth. Nobody ever es- tablished that L. B. stood for given names. One version had the L. for one side of the parentage, the B. for another. Ever the showman, L. B. was not one to choke off an interesting line of speculation about himself. Before he became a broadcaster, and that’s clearly where his true zest always lay, Wilson had been connected with show business. With his brother Hansford, he did a tumbling act in the varieties. They got a last-minute booking in Spain before World War I and cancelled passage to return to the States on a brand-new liner, the Titanic. Brother Hansford stayed in show business. Wilson came tb own five film houses in Coving- ton. He was also a banker (see the story, Separately printed in this issue, of Wilson’s estate) and very much a participant in all sorts of side-businesses. He had a natural talent for making money and for the showmanship flair. Wilson astonished the broadcasting indus- try, arid this publication back in the depression years, by contract- ing for several splurges. He’d take eight consecutive half pages in a single Variety issue. You couldn’t help loving the. man. Wilson went to the theatre for his Wife. Jean Oliver, now co-ex- ecutor of the estate, Was playing dramatic stock leads in Ohio back before radio and talking pictures assassinated this form of public entertainment. Jean Wilson has said that it was as much fun, and better paying, being the wife of a broadcaster; L. B. Was a lavish host but he fought shy of those who tried to reciprocate.. He Was a nervous guest. He was happiest when en- gaged in : radio shop talk and he once stood in the water at Miami Beach, reaching this present writer’s shoulder, brilliantly, dis- secting the CBS versus the NBC. managements for an hour while the waves broke unnoticed by he who spoke arid he who listened. It was always an education to hear L. B. Wilson talk. A large num- ber of broadcasting, advertising and tradepaper gentry will not see his like again. Topmiller Named Cincinnati, Nov. 9. Charles H. Topmiller is the new president and general manager of WCKY, succeeding L. B. Wilson, founder of the independent 50,000 waiter, who died here Oct. 28 in his hotel suite at the Sheraton-Gibson. Principal heirs .to the Wilson es- tate elected Topmiller at a meeting Friday (5) in Miami Beach, follow- ing the filing pf "the will in the Dade County Probate Court. Wil- son’s official residence for many years was In Miami Beach, where he was buried Wed. (3): Thomas A. Welstead, New York, the station’s eastern sales man- ager; was elected v.p. Mrs. Jeanette Hei exec sec- retary of the sta tion, was named corporate secretary. Wilson’s wid- ow, Mrs. Constance F. Wilson, Miami Beach, was elected treasurer. All officers were bequeathed stock in L. B. Wilsori, Inc., parent of WCKY andi applicant for television channel .10 in Miami, They were, elected to the company’s board of directors. Value of the Wilson estate was estimated at $2,500,000. Mrs. Wil- son and the Miami Beach National Bank were named executors. The will provides that 50% of the estate shall go to Wilson’s widow, including 40% of the com- pany stock, and 50% of the re- mainder will go to his brother, Hansford B. Wilson, New York. The other 50% of the balance will go mainly to Topmiller, Welstead, Mrs. Heihze and Mrs. Essie Rupp, director of continuity. Each of the 60 or so statiori employes at the time of Wilson’s death will benefit under the will to the extent of $500, Hollywood, Nov. 9. AFTRA “closed the books” on the “Ruggles” tv series with the payment of $20,000 to cast mem- bers as a result of the sale by Rob- ert Raisbeck of TV productions' of 91 kinescopes of the show to KHJ- TV. Deal is in accordance with-an agreement between Raisbeck and AFTRA exec secretary Claude Me- Cue, Payment brings to more than $100,000. the coin paid to date to. AFTRA members for reuse of “Th Ruggles” kines. ‘RACKET SQUAD’ AS THEATRICAL FILM Hollywood, Nov. 9> “Racket Squad” is. the latest tv film property headed for conver- sion into a theatrical film. . . Allied Artists, which registered the tag With the MPA A Oct. 29, is negotiating a deal for filming the show with Hal RoacK Jr., producer of the t'eleversion. AA may pro- duce, or Roach may produce it for Allied release, but that hasn’t been determined as yet, exec producer Walter Mirisch said. Reed Hadley starred in the video show which is no longer in produc- tion, Roach shuttering the show after canning.78, replacing it with “Public Defender,” also starring Hadley. AA wants Hadley for its film version. WANT E D T.V. AND COMMERCIAL SHORT FILMS BRITISH NEWS-REELS, LIMITED 147 Wordour St., London, Eng.