Broadcasting Telecasting (Oct-Dec 1957)

IN REVIEW THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Those who have charged that television lacks purpose and direction ought to take another look, especially at CBS-TV's The Twentieth Century series which premiered yesterday evening (Sunday). It is an ambitious, free-wheeling project which not only embodies the past, the present and the future, but which also involves tv's first "standby advertising contract" [Advertisers & Agencies, March 18]. If this series in the future lives up to the near-perfect craftsmanship of the first two episodes, then CBS will have scored nothing less than an absolute triumph. This, in spite of the fact that Twentieth Century comes at least two years after rival NBC launched its now-famous Project XX telementaries. Last night's effort will be hard to surpass. Within the span of an hour — uninterrupted by a single commercial or station break — CBS-TV issued a brilliant "portrait in sight and sound" of 83-year-old Sir Winston S. Churchill. Viewers watched Sir Winston climb to the pinnacles of greatness only to fall into valleys of ridicule and despair, and saw him rise again like a latter-day Phoenix. It remains to be seen whether the other Twentieth Century offerings will be as moving as this one, but a screening of the rough proofs of next week's "V-2: Guided Missiles" and other blockbusters in the CBS Public Affairs arsenal, would indicate the season has produced the best documentary series in tv history. Unlike Henry Salomon's Project XX group, which so far has restricted itself to categorizing historical events, Burton (Bud) Benjamin and staff have imposed no space or time limits. With the Benjamin group looking into the past, Jim (Air Power) Faichney and Les Midgeley handling the present and Al Wasserman and Steve Fleischman scouting the future, the world appears to be CBS-TV's oyster and so far it looks to be most appetizing tv fare. While there is something to be said for the charge that tv is devouring the flesh and blood of the theatrical newsreel it is helping to kill, Twentieth Century proves that it takes more than a skilled film editor's hand to make a show. It takes daring and imagination and above all, skilled writing which CBS-TV has hired from outside the medium, in itself a noteworthy act. A final word about the "hook" — one of the most imaginative openings in program history: It is a 30-second animated film tableau by Storyboard Inc.'s John Hubley that can leave no doubt in anyone's mind that The Twentieth Century was, is, and will continue to be a program of excitement and ingenuity. Production costs: Approximately $80,000 for the one-hour, $45,000 for 30-minute shows. Sponsored by Prudential Insurance Co. of America through Reach, McClinton Co., on CBS-TV, Sun., 6-7 p.m. EDT (Churchill). Started Oct. 19. Producer: Burton (Bud) Benjamin; associate producer: Isaac Kleinerman; narrator: Walter Cronkite; musical director: Alfredo Broadcasting Antonini; production manager: Norton Bloom; score: George Antheil. Churchill script by John Davenport and Burton Benjamin; V-2 script by Hanson W. Baldwin. THE OCT. 13 SPECIALS An entertainment lateral from Rexall to Edsel to Esso succeeded in making Oct. 13 one of the more delightful Sunday evenings in network television, Three specials had viewers tuning to NBC-TV at 6:30 for the hour-long "adult" version of Pinocchio, switching to CBS-TV for 60 minutes of nostalgia and music from the Edsel Show and jumping back to NBC-TV for the nightcap — Standard Oil's 75th Anniversary Show. The very palatable tv fare was served this way: PINOCCHIO — Excellent staging and minor miracles with cameras enhanced good scripting and fine talent. The deepest bow probably goes to the dance team of Mata & Hari. Their interpretative dancing sequences might have been a bit confusing to some children who have not been exposed to such modern treatment of the fairy tale. But it was enjoyable for all ages. Likewise, Jerry Colonna and Stubby Kaye digressed from the storybook concepts of their roles with success. Walter Slezak did well throughout, even in the whale-stomach sequence where he found the inscription, "Jonah Was Here." A last point: Mickey Rooney's publicity agents for years have cried out that their boss is typed as Andy Hardy and seeks mature roles. The last such outburst came earlier this year when Mickey did a George M. Cohan tv role. Shortly thereafter, he signed to be Pinocchio, certainly the epitome of a juvenile role. His success Oct. 13 should persuade him to drop his "protest." THE EDSEL SHOW— Up until 8 p.m., Oct. 13, those moments on tv when genuine talent is allowed its course — with style — have been few and far between. Not since last year's Chevrolet romp with Dinah Shore and guest Frank Sinatra, the oneshot Ford 50th Anniversary (MermanMartin) or the Light Diamond Jubilee shows has there been such an hour of unrestrained joy as the Edsel-sponsored special. Even if the Ford people didn't quite succeed in making America "Edsel-happy" overnight, they should bask in an afterglow of satisfaction for this effort. While the laurels may be expensive, with $350,000 sunk into the Edsel Show, Ford ought to feel particularly proud at sanctioning something so rare, so marvelously simple and so stylish among the "big ... big shows." This was a show that had to be seen to be believed. From Bing Crosby's opening with Louis Armstrong on "That's Jazz!" to the solid finish in which Mr. Crosby was joined by Frank Sinatra and Rosemary Clooney, the production never once faltered. Add to this lineup a "surprise" appearance by Bob Hope, the talents of two dancers named Mr. Conn and Mr. Mann, the Norman Luboff choir, a Gonzaga U. undergraduate named Lindsay Crosby and a script unContinued on page 20 PROFILE OF YOUR KBIG AUDIENCE 61% 30% 4l/2% 4%% Adult Adult Teens Children Women Men MATURE . . . MALE & FEMALE . . . COMFORTABLY WELL OFF THAT'S A QUICK PROFILE of the audience which rides the 740 spot of the Southern California radio dial, as analyzed in a new qualitative study by The Pulse, Inc. FIVE YEARS OF WOOING with middle-of-the-road memory music, interrupted only by award-winning five-minute newscasts and easy-going but brief chats by matured announcers, have won an adult, able-to-buy audience for KBIG. RENTAL GROUPS 45% 32% 14% 9% $60 $50 $35 Under and Over to $59 to $49 $35 Any KBIG or Weed man would like to show you the full picture. JOHN POOLE BROADCASTING GO. 6640 Sunset Blvd.. Los Angeles 28, California Telephone: Hollywood 3-3S0S Nat. Rep. WEED and Company October 21, 1957 Page 17