Broadcasting Telecasting (Apr-Jun 1957)

FILM Film Tv Rentals Paid, 20th Century-Fox Told THOUGH the leasing of its pre1948 motion pictures to tv last summer was "propitiously timed" and produced "maximum benefits to the company," 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. is "disappointed" with its principal operation of motion picture production, Spyros P. Skouras, president, declared last week. Mr. Skouras, who expressed the belief motion picture production conditions "will change substantially" in the near future, made his comments on the firm's healthy activity in television in its annual report distributed to stockholders last week. With its income derived from a number of sources such as rental to tv of its backlog, its wholly-owned film printing lab (DeLuxe), new films made especially for tv, foreign theatre operations and oil and natural gas operations, 20th Century-Fox increased its over-all income by $1.4 million — from $120,807,208 in 1955 to $122,251,864 in 1956. Last summer it licensed to National Telefilm Assoc. 52 of its old films for seven years "for a consideration of $2,340,000," the report noted [B»T, May 21, 1956]. Last September, it signed another agreement with NTA whereby it licensed for five years two blocks of 78 pre1948 pictures for a "minimum consideration" of $5,850,000 per group, acquiring at the same time 50% of the NTA Film Network's stock. Addi tionally, it holds an option to require NTA to license three other groups, also for five years; and its tv subsidiary, TCF Television Productions Inc. will make new films for NTA. The NTA Film Network went into operation last October. Mr. Skouras also discussed the activities of TCF Productions, which currently accounts for the products seen on three regular tv network series: CBS-TV's 20th CenturyFox Hour, sponsored by Revlon Products; ABC-TV's Broken Arrow, sponsored by Miles Labs and General Electric Co., and CBS-TV's By Friend Flicka, now sustaining. (It has also produced episode for CBS-TV's You Are There series which will go into syndication, probably next year.) "As an indication that our series on television will be extended in the autumn," Mr. Skouras said, "our television department is developing, in addition to the programs mentioned, a number of new one-half hour series." He did not elaborate on these. Nor did he enlarge upon the "important study" now under way at 20th Century-Fox in connection with the company's unoccupied and/ or unused production lots and facilities. Up in the air are the following questions: Whether 20th Century-Fox will choose to sell "for cash" assets such as unused studio property, whether to spin off its oil and gas operations and whether to "distribute our library to tv stations through our own distributing organization." Mr. Skouras and the directors also took cognizance of "a slight box office improvement, due not only to our pictures, but also to our use of television in the carefullytimed release of some of our older films." On film rentals alone — including films to tv — 20th Century-Fox last year accounted for $60,299,658 in the U. S. and $52,481,2 1 1 abroad. The tv rental picture does not affect the corporation's overseas operations at this time. Income from oil and gas for 1956 was over $2.8 million. The television operations at the company are expected to receive further airing at the forthcoming stockholders' meeting in New York next month. MR. CROST MR. PICKENS Schwimmer Names Crost, Pickens APPOINTMENTS of Bernard Crost as vice president in charge of sales and Arthur E. Pickens Jr. as vice president for programming at Walter Schwimmer Co. have been announced by Walter Schwimmer. president of the film syndication-distribution firm. Haan Tyler & Assoc., Hollywood, Calif., was named to head West Coast sales operations of Walter Schwimmer Co., with headquarters at 5746 Sunset Blvd. Schwimmer firm handles All-Star Golf, Championship Bowling, Eddy Arnold Time and other film properties, with headquarters in Chicago and offices in New York under Jack Arden. WREC-TV Buys AAP Package A CONTRACT involving nearly $1 million was signed last week by Associated Artists Productions with WREC-TV Memphis for the Warner Bros, feature package. The deal was handled by Hoyt B. Wooten, station owner, with Don Klauber, AAP's national sales manager, and Robert Montgomery, AAP's account executive in Dallas. Bartok, Paal Form Company FILM star Eva Bartok and producer Alexander Paal have formed their own company, Profile Productions Inc., and will produce a new television series for Screen Gems Inc. The new program, starring Miss Bartok, is tentatively titled Forever . . . Eva. The series will be produced by Mr. Paal and is scheduled as half-hour shows. Bonded Gets NTA Network Job BONDED Tv Film Service, New York, has been appointed by NTA Film Network to tv film prints, it has been announced by Chester M. Ross, president of Bonded. The job entails supplying film to 133 stations, inserting commercials and inspecting. Media Director Sold on Audit Bureau of Circulations FRED BARRETT Media Director Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborne, Inc., New York "Now in its 43d year, the Audit Bureau of Circulations has long since stabilized factual information about circidations so difficult, if not impossible, to obtain prior to its establishment. Because we believe that its reports are so valuable to agencies, advertisers and publications themselves, we congratulate you as one of the 97 publications which have joined this highly regarded organisation during 1956, and welcome you as a fellow member." (signed) Fred Barrett B»T is the only paper in the vertical radio-tv field with A.B.C. membership . . . your further guarantee of integrity in reporting circulation facts. B»T, with the largest paid circulation in its field, is basic for subscribers and advertisers alike. BROADCASTING TELECASTING THI BUS I N E 'i 9 Ml E E K L \ 0 F R k D i © A HP ¥ 1 1 E V f $ i © Hi Page 90 • April 29, 1957 Broadcasting • Telecasting