Variety (December 1954)

Wednesday, December 1» 1954 RADIO-TE LE VISIOX 27 IT’S FUN TO BE A CONSULTANT Sylvania’s annual tv awards were announced last night. (Tues.) at a dinner in New York's Hotel Pierre with composer Deems Taylor as.- chairman of trife- judges’ committee. Accolades to: Walt Disney’s ABO “Disneyland”—series for children of all ages; ‘‘Little Schoolhouse,” KTTY, Los Angeles (Mrs. Helen Hempel) —local children’s show; “The Search,” CBS (Irving Gitlin, . producer)—educational series; George Gobel, NBC—comedian of the year; “Three-Two-One . . Zero,” NBC (Henry Salomon Jr., pro- ducer and co-writer)—documentary program; Ed Sullivan’s “Toast Of the Town,” CBS—showmanship variety entertainment; “Our Beautiful Potomac,” WRC-TV, Washington (Stuart Fin- ley, producef-narratpr)—local public service; “Twelve Angry’ Men/' by Reginald Rose, CBS-“Studio One” (Franklin Schaffner, director; Ted Miller, technical director) — mera direction; “Open Hearing,” ABC (John Daly, producer) —public informa- tion service* Philco-Goodyear ■‘Television Playhouse,” NBC (Fred Coe, Gor- don Duff, producers)—dramatic series; ~ “Man On Mountain Top,” NBC (Robert Alan Aurthur, writer; Arthur Penn, director)—finest original teleplay of the year: Steven Hill and Eva Marie Saint—dramatic actor and actress of the year; , . . E. G. Marshall and Eileen Heckart—character actor and actress of the year; Jackie Qleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows, CBS—outstand- ing comedy team; ’ “Telepix News,” WPIX, N. Y. (John Tillman, reporter) —local news coverage; < “Father Knows Rest,” CBS (Robert Young, Jane Wyatt) — Wholesome family entertainment; “Medic,” NBC (James E. Moser, creator-writer, grancl award; Worthington Miner, exec producer)—the most outstanding pro- gram. ‘Game of Pay* Shift Seen Under Consideration to Bolster Billings Hoping to bolster biz, Mutual, it’s understood, is considering a plan to run some of the upcoming baseball “Game of the Day” broad- casts at night. Hopes are that the setup wbuld help build practically non-existent after-dark network billings. Tradesters see a move by Mu- tual to nighttime broadcasts of ma- jor league baseball as a logical one, because, as the clubs more and more enter arc light games, addb tional tv stations probably will have to restrict the baseball sked rather than cut into healthy nighttime bill- ings from other programs, thus giving radio a chance to become valuable. The matter, it’s said, is being approached most cautiously for fear of incurring the wrath of the minor league .ball teams, al- ready angry because of other al- leged broadcast-telecast infringe- ments. The minors are doing most of their playing at night these days, and even radio coverage of a major league game is felt to be a touchy subject. Incidentally, the minor league meetings are now un- der way, and this, it is felt, is ad- ditional cause for caution on the (Continued on page 50) Swayze’s ‘Glad We Could Get Together’—With Hogs John Cameron Swayze, whose tagline on his NBC-TV’s “Camel News” crpssboarder is “glad we could get together,” got together with hogs yesterday (Tues.). He emceed the hog-judging contest held in connection with the Inter- national Livestock Show telecast out of Chi in a 12 :15 p. m. quarter originating from.no less a plushery than the Normandy Room of the Coni ; ad Hilton Hotel and with.27 participants flown in to. take a crack at the booty. Swayze’s chores included inter- viewing several of the : finalists arid John E. McKeen, prexy of the sponsoring Charles Pfizer Co. Shortage of topflight fcomedy writers .in television, one of the ma- jor banes “of the funnymen and the chief reason why many of them fail to register too frequently as funny, has sparked a brand new trend for the medium — the consultancy scripter. Thus writers who are al- ready cornmitted to comedy shows are, for a.fancy fee, contributing an. auxiliary assist in serving as a pul- motor for less favorable, stanzas, and already the list is a fairly im- pressive one. Last week’s negotiations whereby Young & Rubicam radio-tv veepee Nat Wolf hired Mel'Shavelson and Jack Rose as consultants on Y & R comedy shows when they're not "on call” at Paramount Studios (where they just completed the writing, production amTdirection of Bob .Hope’s “Seven Little Foys”) highlights a situation that’s been growing increasingly acute in the tv comedy sweepstakes. Even before the Shavelson-Rose- Y & R get-together, the comedy writing corisultaricy biz was flour- ishing pn several fronts as SOS calls went out in a bid to hypo floundering, properties. For exam- ple, Ed Simmons arid Norman Lear, who regularly are engaged as the writers on the Martha Raye Tues- day night show on NBC-TV, were brought in in an advisory capac- ity bn the CBS-TV Celeste Holm show when it looked like the lat- ter vehicle was in serious trouble. Similarly, Hal Goldman and A1 Gordon, who have, been added as regulars this season to the Jack Benny radio-tv writing staff, were called in to do a job on the Jack Carson one-a^month NBC-TV‘series for Pontiac, when the first show (Continued.on page 50) Mickey Ross Vice'Morgan As Sid Caesar Director Mickey Ross, who until a shor^ time ago was partnered with Ber- nie West in a vaude and nitery turn, has been- named director, for the Sid Caesar show. Ross has been getting his production experi- ence during the summer at Green Mansions, Warrensburg, N. Y. He succeeded Ernest Glucksman at that spot. Glucksman is now an NBC producer. Show is being produced by Leo Morgan who reiriai in that capacity As ‘Hallmark’ Host Edward Arnold succeeds the late Lionel Barrymore as. host On CBS Radio’s “Hallmark Hall of Fame” and. did his first narrating- chore on Sunday (28). Arnold was one of a number of stars who me- morialized Barryriiore on “Fame” the previous Sunday. Barrymore’s longtime Scrooge characterization in “Christmas Carol” will be aired on the show Dec. 19; As . an addenda to the growing awareness that tv has to “get out of town” to thus get out of its N. Y.-L. A. origination rut, it’s now revealed that NBC has some ambi- tious plans on tap for next sum- mer. This will involve originating the one-a-month color spectaculars from various cities around the country using both NBC-TV mobile equipment arid facilities, of affiliate stations (many of which are now equipped to transmit in color). Specific cities for the emanations have not designed as yet, but plans fOr the summertime series are now under discussion. As a still further step in spread- ing itself, NBC is also taking the . cross-the-board “Home” show on tour starting Jan. 3, at which time it will begin a four-day origina- tion out of Chi. On Jan. 3 the “Hoi ”, unit will riiove into Mil- waukee and from Jan. 10 to 14 will come out of San Francisco. Idea is designed not only as a stunt but as a serious attempt to. transmit to the rest of. the coun- try the local flavor (its architec- ture, etc.) of the various cities. Both “Tonight” and “Today” will be Florida-bound in January, each for week of Miami Beach origi- nations. ♦ American Federation of Labor this week dealt a $1,250,000 an- nual body blow to the Mutual net- work by pulling its cross-the-board "AFL Views the News” strip from the web and placing it with rival ABC. AFL will place the show on ABC with Edward P, Morgan as com- mentator. Morgan is resigning hi post as news director of CBS Radi to “return to the broadcasting side of the business.” He’ll replace Harry Flannery, who’s been filling the post since last summer when Frank Edwarcjs exited in a policy hassle with, the union. Show starts on ABC the first of the year, on an expanded lineup, in the 10- 10:15 slot, same as it occupied on Mutual, Business, which was brought over by consultant Morris Novik, gives ABC some $3,000,000 in union bililngs, since it’s already got. a parallel strip with the CIO featuring John W; Vandercook. Switch was made, according to Novik, to expand the lineup from 150 to 175 stations, and also to overcome a delayed broadcast sit Ur ation on the .Coast. Another factor was the fact that 30 key Mutual outlets carried it only, three times a week. Finally; Novik said ABG’s new rate structure was more favor- able. But.talk had it.that the AmerU can Federation of Musicians, which this summer struck Mutual’s WOR, N.Y.„ put pressure on the AFL to make the switch, arid this too Was a vital factor. , Morgan was named CBS news chief a few. months ago in the cor- porate merger of radio and tv news and public affairs which; saw Sig Mickelson emerge, as Veepee in charge of the combination, with Irving Gitlin tapped as public af- fairs head. Speculation centered on Morgan’s successor in his return to active broadcasting via the AFL post, and it’s assumed the job. will go to someone under the Coluinbia roof. The berth may remain open for a week dr two to allow a thor- ough study of the available timber. Operating Under the news umbrella is a “juni ” echelon any one of whom presumed to fit the specifications . 1 They are Robert A. Skedgell, James Burke arid David Zellmer, embracing raido, tv and the assignment desk, the top sub-jobs in the department. Business is bustling at ABC Radio. Web last week brought in two new pieces of business, one of them the fat American Federation of Labor strip (see separate story), the other a quarter-hour participa- tion on “Breakfast Club,” and signed five renewals. New “Break- fast” client is the Olson Rug Co., which picked up the M on< lay 9-9:15 segment, starting Jan. 10. Arid one of the renewals, Rockwood Can- dy’s, was also for the 9-9:15 seg- ment of “Breakfast;” for two days, Wednesday and Friday. Other renewals were Goodyear for “The Greatest Story Ever Told,” Assemblies of-God for “Re- vival T-ii ,” and Aero-Mayflower Transit Co. for its 12-a-week pack-' age of five-minute evening news- casts. Final deal, “The Christian Science Monitor Views the News,” involved an extension of the sta- tion lineup from 28 to 350, includ- five territorial outlets in Alaska and Hawaii. By STUDS TERKEL Chicago, Nov. 30. Alice had nothing on us. Out here, in the Gem of the Prairies, we find the ways of the east “curiouser and curiouser.” Consider the case of “Down You Go.” . It has been removed from this Land of. Pottawotamies to the Citadel of Culture, Manhattan. Sponsor’s reason:; The commercials are technically complicated. Engi- neers cannot be flown to. Chicago weekly. So—the whole snebang is Aieihg carted to N. Y. With the exception of moderator Bergen Evans, all the panelists will be new. Mind you, there was no beef in re the caliber of the Chi- cago contingent. It’s just that en- gineers can’t be flown. Obviously, airsickness is a rnalaise peculiar to these boys; and you can’t blame a sponsor for wet-nursing and hus- banding his technological talent. Nonetheless, my mid western, naivete impels me to ask a silly question: Why couldn’t the sh0w : remain here and the commercials done in N. Y.? I’ve been told it’s inechanically possible. What with the engineers having been spared the ordeal of a N. Y.-to-Chicago flight, their nerves calm, their wits nimble, they might just be able to turn this revolutionary trick. Okay. One less Chicago origi - tion. What we have left are in the nature of country cousin handouts. It’s now official; we are America’s. Number One Spectator City, By virtue of audience clout alone,, we’re entitled to some bleachers comment. Truism: All N. Y. panelists kre bright. If it comes from N. Y. it’s got to be bright, sparkling, cute. As any fool can plainly see. Just about every night in the week. But they’re all bright in the same way. Who’s in What’s Line? As a casual viewer, I've a rough time telling: one panelist from the other. Is it Jayne Meadows who guesses the secret or is it Arlene Francis. Is it Johri Daly Who guides the Face-Placers or is it Bill Cullen? I. know that one has a crew-cut and the other a hell of a- charming smile. But I’ll be damned if I know, at this moment, who’s in what line. Arid it makes for: dissension in the hinterlands. My sister-in-law is her neighbor- hood’s leading tv authority. But when someone brought up the sub- ject of panel shows the other night, my brother’s house was all con- fusion. An elderly lady challenged my sister-in-law’s pronunejamerito that Dorothy Kilgallen worked on a week night show, as well as Sun- day, She said it was Steve Allen, not Kilgallen. Voices were strid- ent. My wife, who is fairly bright iri a Chicago sort of way, inter- jected that JBob Merriam might make a good mayor, don’t they think so? We finally agreed that Paul Richards gave the Yanks the ’55 pennant. Sure, we all had a , drink. But the bourbon did not extinguish the inflamed feelirigs. No more talk of . panel shows. The prime victims of these pro- grams are the panelists. I’m sur6 they are, under more salutary cir- cumstances, intelligent, witty peo- ple, capable of good conversation. A number have distinguished . themselves in other fields. What strange process of perverse alche- my is it that transforms these unique humans into maedchen and bubchcn in uniform? Robbed of their individuality by a formula. On Bert Parks, it’d look good; on Bennett Cerf it’s not becoming. I get the blues When I see Henry Morgan, labor self-conSciously and come up with the retort vacuous. Sic transit gloria wit! The Formula is producing a new breed of Father Williams, 1 who stand incessantly on their heads, balance eels on their noses and make young men wonder what, makes them so awfully clever. Their cuteness is the cuteness of (Continued pn page 42) in Sun. Chicago, Nov. 30, NBC-TV is due to notch another* Sabbath afternoon sale this week, with Helene Curtis readying signa- tures for a reprise, of the Hume Cronyn-Jessica Tandy “Marriage” into the 4:30 (CST) slot currently berthing “Background.” With Cur- tis aboard as of the . first of the year, plus Geritol’s pickup of “Ju- veriile Jury” for the 3 O’clock slot and an unidentified client hot for the open Week on Quaker Oats* “Zoo Parade,” TtTl be.a clean Sun- day sweep for the web from 3 to 10 p. One of the details, to be ironed out is whether “Marriage” will play every week or only three, out of four. That will depend on Hail- mark’s decision on whether , it’ll continue with its monthly “Hall of Fame” hour specials or revert to a straight weekly half hour after Jan. 1. * * ‘ , , Earle Ludgin agency handles the Helene Curtis billings. FAIRBANKS NEW ABC NATIONAL SALES CHIEF Bill Fairbanks, eastern sale* manager of ABC Radio, has been named to the hew post of national sales manager of the web. He’ll be replaced in the eastern division by Neman Cash,, who joined the . web a year ago; as Fairbanks* j assistant.