Variety (December 1954)

YE>i1ne»<lay, December IS, 1954 TV-FILMS 45 ANYBODY GOT A TIME SLOT? ■4 4 Field Salesman: Jack of All Trades Tou«h clearance problem facing syndicators has radically al- tered the distribs’ conception of what they want in a field sales* n He’s got to be a salesman, alright, but he’s also got to be - ' combination of timebuyer, time-clearer, diplomat and near-magi- cian New thinking paints the salesman with these attributes:. Salesman must know all the agencies, clients, station personnel in his territory on intimate terms, be able to contact them with m pitch on a moment’s notice. Timebuyer—must know the schedule of every station In every market in his territory by heart, must know cancellation dates and renewal dates of every local and syndicated series in his terri- tory, and must be able to latch onto a piece of time as soon as it opens up. ,, Diplomat —must be able to go into an agency or client who has a competitor’s show on the air and convince them that they’re crazy if they renew their show instead of taking his; must do the reverse when his own show is on by convincing the client and agency that the other guy’s nuts and they’d be fools not to re- new his show. Near-magician —must be if he can stay in the business and re- main sane and healthy. Lippert Reclaims Feature Group From I.ippert Pictures and its televi- sion subsidiary, Tele-Pictures Inc., last week withdrew their 130-odd feature films from Official Films, which has been distributing the package for the past year. Big question in the trade, however, is not why Lippert recovered the pix, but who’s going to distribute th^m next. Up until a year ago, the features, produced by Lippert over the past several years, were sold by Tele- Pictures, a fully-staffed sales or- ganization headed at that time by Joe Smith, presently syndicated sales v.p. of Guild Films, After the pix were turned over to Guild, Tele-Pictures was all but disband- ed, although it continued to exist as a corporate dentity. Features revert to Tele-Pictures on Jan. 15, but with no organization, the puz- zler is how Lippert prexy E. J. Baumgarton will aell the films. Understood there are three pos- sibilities—reorganization of Tele- Pictures, a distribution deal with another outfit, or direct sales through Lippert theartical fran- chise holders. Fact that Official is out in the cold comes as no surprise although Official reportedly did a volume of over $1,000,000 with the pix during the past year. Reason is that Official’s distribution deal was made with producer Bill Broidy, ^to whom Lippert turned over in*a complex deal involving theatrical production. Broidy was given tele rights to the pix for a year in return for his theatrical production deal, and he in turn handed the films over to Official for distribution. Broidy’s theatri- cal deal with Lippert never quite jelled, and Lippert gets the pic- tures back. Meanwhile, Official has no plans to take on features to replace the Lippert package. Wisbar Resigns ‘Fireside’ Stint Hollywood, Dec. 14. Frank Wisbar, who as producer- director of "Fireside Theatre’’ for the past six years ranks as the pioneer of Hollywood telefilm pro- ducers, has turned in his resigna- tion to Procter A Gamble, it’s been learned. Move came as a surprise, since Fireside’’ has long held a ton Jjding on NBC-TV, and because <£ V Char’s association with the series *mcc its inception, involving the production of 2JS0 shows for "Fire- side.” a record for any half-hour scries. Wisbar is currently wind- his season’s order of 44 films. '\isbar, contacted on the report his resignation, had no com* ?? on t. Compton agency in New *«>rk, which reps PAG on the Jhow, said it was unaware of Wis- hai k resignation, and added that " an<1 PAG w’ere merely doing a 'car-end looksee at the show’, a *>uline consideration on all phases the segment. Wisbar’s pact is U P lor renewal in March. Morey Exits OF Chicago, Dec. 14. A1 Morey has turned in his resig- nation as head of the Chi office of Official Films. Morey Joins Kling Films Jan. 3 in a creative sales capacity, work- ing out of the Chi homeoflice. Freemantle Sets Global Distrib On Davis Cup Telepix \ * Fremantle Overseas Radio and Television has distributed films of the Aussie Davis Cup tennis match- es before, but this year the setup is on a truly international basis. In addition to flying celluloid on the important games to NBC-TV in the U. S., FORTV has pacted with BBC, in England, and CBS, in Can- ada. Latin American countries (where FORTV has recently made several strides in vidpix distribu- tion) will also get the matches. Paul Talbot, FORTV prexy, says matches for the Davis Cup will be played In Australia on Dec. 27 through 29, with the first games arriving on "hot film" in England, Canada, and the U. S. by about Dec. 29. Distribution will be han- dled through several different geo- graphic routes. Talbot describes the arrangement as a "dry run” for world-wide tv film coverage of the 195(5 Olympics, to be held in Australia. Talbot says that anybody can film the Olympics. However, infor- mation from the U. S. Olympic Committee suggests a different set- up. Latter discloses that the Olym- pic organizing committee (com- prised of sports braintrusters from the country in which they are held) has the exclusive right, within a year from the date of the event, to han- dle or to appoint others to handle the official film. Nevertheless, this does not preclude FORTV from vidpix coverage of the ’56 Olym- pics. It rather auggests that the firm has a good chance of getting exclusive tv coverage rights out- side Australia since it has demon- strated in the past extremely close ties with powerful Anzac interests. VICTOR MOORE VIDFILM DEBUT Hollyw’ood, Dec. 14. Victor Moore will make his tele- film debut in "So This Is Holly- wood," series which producer Ed- mund Beloin has created for Toni sponsorship on NBC-TV, beginning Jan. 1. Moore will play an early day film star in "A Friend in Need," episode scripted by George O’Hanlon and Dean Rlsener. Regulars in the series are Mitzi Green, Virginia Gibson, Gordon Jones and Jimmy Lydon. CLEARANCE TOP VIDPIX HEADACHE More-than-casual interest shown by telepix syndicators toward day- time properties, while a natural evolution of the business, is more immediately a reflection of the pressing problem of time clearance in the major markets. More and more, the problem of selling syn- dicated shows Is becoming not so much a question of selling the cli- ent and agency on a show as guar- anteeing «them a good time slot, or for that matter, any time slot In some situations. One particular result of this sit- uation, aside from the projected expansion into the less competitive and less tight • day time area, is an upbeat in "raiding tactics." That J. Walter Thompson and Ballan- tine, for example, dropped "For- eign Intrigue” in their'21 markets and picked up Ziv’s "Eddie Cantor Comedy Theatre" instead was no accident, but the result of a strong pitch by Ziv. Nor was dropping "Intrigue” Instead of supplement- ing it with the Cantor show so much a budgetary problem as one of clearance. Facing time diffi- culties even with its four-year-old "Intrigue" franchise, Ballantine’S only course of action, once com- mitted to the Cantor show, was to install it into the "Intrigue" time slots rather than seeking addi- tional time. Same situation applies on less spectacular levels, even in single- market purchases. In a sense, the situation is comparable to the NBC and CBS network SRO’s, where the agencies are on a constant lookout for potential cancellations so that they can slip a client into the spot, and where packagers are constantly pitching shows at agen- j cies to replace one which is slip- ping. The pressures in syndica- tion are even heavier, since even 1 such strong entries as "Intrigue," with proven track records, are sub- ject to axings. What makes the older, well-en- trenched shows the target of raid- ing sorties is the remarkably good time slots they hold by virtue of their early entry in the syndicated marts. Clearance studies on "In- trigue," on "I Led Three Lives” for Phillips Petroleum and "City Detective” for Falstaff Beer reveal strong positions that make them targets for other syndicators. A 17-market study of "Intrigue” shows that it had nighttime posi- tions in 100% of the markets, was on network stations (all NBC or CBS affiliates) in 100% of the mar- kets, was on a VHF outlet In 82% and was in single or tw’o-station markets in 53% of the cases. "Three Lives,” a Ziv entry, occu- pied nighttime slots in every one of its 21 markets, was on a net- work station in every case (92% of them NBC or CBS affils), w’as on VHF in 96% of the markets and were in a one or two- station market in 50% of their markets. In "City Detective’s” (MCA) 34 markets, all time slots were nighttime, all stations were network affiliates (88% of them NBC or CBS), 91% of them were V’s and 59% were located in one or two-station markets. There’s a considerable difference today, what with NBC and CBS (Continued on page 47) Wallace Worsley Jr. who mode 'mi oh both sides of Hie blf pood, Imm come to the conclusion tfcet Producing TV Abroad Is Optimism Born Of Ignorance o o * on Interesting byline piece In tbe forthcoming 49th Anniversary Number of P'RrIETy DUE SOON TV Unfairly’ Taking Rap In Bid To Protect Kids, Sez Webb Shuttle Shooting Guild Films will pull the production switch of all time by shooting its new quarter- hour daytlmer, "It’s Fun to Reduce," entirely on week- ends. Schedule calls for Sat- urday and Sunday shooting only, no weekdays. Reason for the weekend set- up is that Margaret Firth and Marlene Cornall, who do the show live via WDTV in Pitts- burgh, will have to plane be- tween Pitt and New York* where the show will be shot. Since the show is on the air in Pittsburgh on weekdays, only time the gals can get to N. Y. for any length of time is on weekends. Guild Rolls With Two New Series For Vitapix Roster Guild Films goes into production this week on both coasts with two of the new shows it plans to put up for national sponsorship via the Vitapix station lineup. Paul Coates’ "Confidential File” W’ent before the cameras Monday (13) on the Coast, w’hile "It’s Fun to Reduce" is scheduled to shoot its first five segments in New York Saturday (18). "File,” which is slated for airing in February, will be shot mostly on location, with Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, San Francisco, New Orleans, Tennessee and the Mexican border already set as loca- tion sites for the initial show’s. First four segments in the initial 39 half- hours doemuentaries will deal with comic books, phony music publish- ing rackets, juvenile gangs and Hollywood starlets. Other topics up for coverage will include the nar- cotics racket, aftermath of punch- drunk fighters and the old age problem. Series, which airs live-and-film in Los Angeles, will be produced by newsman Jack Peck, who’s pro- duced the live version, and nar- rated and directed by Coates, who incidentally is a columnist o,f the L;A. Daily Mirror; Irvin Klrschner will be film director and super- visor, with Irwin Moskowitz as In- vestigator and reporter. Meanwhile, Guild set a rental deal on the Biltmore Studios In downtown Manhattan, near Green- wich Village, for production of "Fun to Reduce,” slated as a five- a-week daytlmer for spring deliv- ery. Guild is flying in Duke Gold- stone, who directs "Liberace,” "Florian Zabach Show” and the Frankie Laine segments on the Coast, to meg the initial five films. Local director, as yet unselected, will take over after Goldstone com- pletes the quintet. LESTER CUTLER JOINS STROTZ YIDFILMERY Pittsburgh, Dec. 14. Lester Cutler, former investment broker here and onetime indie pic- ture producer on the Coast, has joined the new tv produeing-pack- aging firm recently organized here by Sidney Strotz, ex-network big- gie and now- head of Coca Cola in Western Pennsylvania, and Harry Kodinsky, who operates a public relations agency in Pittsburgh. Cutler will make his headquarters in Hollywood supervising produc- tion of a number of the late Ful- ton Oursler properties, which Strotz and Kodinsky recently ac- quired for tv. Picture Cutler did that's best re- membered around here is "The Yanks Are Coming" By DAVE KAUFMAN Hollywood, Dec. 14. Television is dangerously close to having shows just for kids, ss the result of all those seeking cen- sorship to protect juveniles, Jack Webb declares, adding tv is un- fairly taking the rap from those over-zeal<ftu in their desire to "protect" the youngsters. Producer-director-star of "Drag- net" disagrees with charges made at recent U. S. Senate hearings on the subject that tv contributes to juvenile delinquency. He offers as evidence to back him up many let- ters from his files from Law en- forcement agencies commending the show as a crime-does-not-pay offering, also letters from kids who were in gangs, but quit after seeing a telefilm uppointing the evils of juve gangsterism. "TV should be on a parity with the motion picture industry which makes pictures for all ages. The picture industry isn’t censored be- cause it makes pictures for adults. Parental supervision can keep kids away from adult pictures, if tbe parents desire, and in tv, your ticket of admission is the knob. Parents just have to flip that dial if they don’t feel a program is suit- able for their youngsters. No one is forced to watch any tv show," said Webb. "Sex and gangsterism are not needed, but you mirror life and so you must be realistic in your ap- proach. I don’t believe we have ever done anything in bad taste, and feel strongly it’s up to the parent to decide if he w’ants his child to see the show. Producers can’t aim their shows at six-year- old minds. Walt Disney has set an ideal pattern for wholesome en- (Contlnued on page 47) lone Wolf Target Of Toledo P.TJL Toledo, Dec. 14. Lucas County probation and cor- rectional workers are up in arms against the television program, "The Lone Wolf." and have asked that the Toledo Council of Parent- Teacher Assn, join them in seeking to have the program dropped by WSPD-TV, Toledo. L. Wallace Hoff- man, head of the Lucas County So- ciety of Correctional Workers, said K had informed the tv station that the group condemned the program on two counts. It protested the portrayal of po- lice brutality, saying it is not in keeping with present-day stand- ards, and said the program violates basic precepts of law—specifically, freedom from search and seizure, from police brutality, and the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty. They said in one program, police were shown turn- ing aside while the Lone Wolf, an amateur detective, beat a confes- sion from a suspect. Program in recent w’eeks has been transferred from an 8 p.m. Tuesday spot to'10:30 p.m. Satur- day. Lester A. Dana, assistaqt manager of WSPD-TV, said the complaints had been forwarded to the program producer. ’Soldiers of Fortnne’ For RnsseH, Chandler Hollywood. Dec. 14. Revue Productions is finalizing deal for a new vidfilm series, “Sol- diers of Fortune," starring John Russell and Chick Chandler. Seven Up will sponsor, and will spot book series around the country, it’s understood. Series deals with a couple of sol- diers of fortune and their adven- tures around the world. Produc- tion is due to begin at the Revue telefflmery late this month or early in January, with the scries bow- ing April 1.