Broadcasting Telecasting (Jan-Mar 1963)

WARNER BROS. MAKES BIG TV PLANS Schedules dramatic series to star Bette Davis Warner Bros. Television is due for a new look, according to a blueprint for the immediate future disclosed Wednesday (March 13) by Jack Webb, who became top man of the studio's tv division on March 4. The new look, Mr. Webb told a news conference at the Warner Bros, studio in Burbank, Calif., is one which he expects to set "new audience-appeal standards" and to attract "some of the biggest 'names' in entertainment to Warner Bros." One name already attracted, Mr. Webb said, is Bette Davis, who will star in an hour-long dramatic series to be created and produced by Fay Kanin. The series will not be an anthology but will have a continuing cast headed by Miss Davis, who will appear in each week's episode. Miss Davis owns a piece of the series, Mr. Webb said, noting that this is the first time a performer has shared in ownership of a Warner Bros, tv series. Another new series in the preparatory stage is a half-hour comedy starring Dorothy Provine, previously a featured performer in the Roaring 20's which Warner Bros, produced for ABC-TV. George Burns will be overall creative supervisor of this series, in which he will also appear as narrator. Norman Paul and Willy Burns are among writers who will work on this project. A second comedy series, No Time for Sergeants, based on the successful novel, play and movie, will be written by James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, originators of the Mr. Peepers series and writers for the current Andy Griffith Show. Those programs are all being prepared for the 1964-65 season, as is The Federal Investigators, true stories based on the Pulitzer prize-winning book written by Miriam Ottenberg. Robert Conrad, now employed in the Warner theatrical motion picture, "Palm Springs Weekend," is expected to portray one of a team of agents in the new series. Although buying for the 1963-64 season is virtually over, Mr. Webb said that the pilot for one new series, Temple Houston, is now being filmed in color and should be ready for showing the first week in April. If any late buyer is interested, this series, with Jeffrey Hunter starred in the title role, could be readied to start this fall. William Conrad is directing the pilot for this "factual drama" series dealing with the son of the great Texas patriot, Sam Houston. James Coburn and Preston Foster are also starred in the episode, being filmed under the banner of Apollo Productions, owned by Mr. Hunter. On the Air ■ Warner Bros, now has The Dakotas, Hawaiian Eye and 77 Sunset Strip, all 60-minute series and on ABC-TV. Mr. Webb said that nothing is definite regarding the future of The Dakotas and 77 Sunset Strip beyond the end of the current season. "They have not been renewed and they have not been cancelled," he stated. The same applies to his own series for General Electric Co., True. CBS-TV did not put this into its 1963-64 schedule, he said, but GE has another month in which to decide whether to drop or continue this series, which might possibly move to NBC-TV as an hour-long program. If GE does decide to keep True on the air, Mr. Webb said he would be agreeable to continuing as host of the series, but otherwise he plans to devote himself exclusively to his supervisory production duties. Mr. Webb's plans call for a maximum of six hours of programming on the air each week: five hour-long dramas and two half-hour comedies. Unlike the time when all of the Warner Bros, tv production was done for broadcast on ABC-TV, the studio now hopes to have its shows appearing on all three tv networks. Asked about The Giant Step, he said that Warner Bros, had not created this series but had merely produced the pilot for CBS-TV, which had brought the show to the studio. The pilot film is now being shown in New York. Similarly, The Red Skelton Show is produced by Mr. Skelton's own production company on the Warner Bros, premises. Lee Marvin series put in syndication United Artists Television has placed the new Lee Marvin Show into syndication [Closed Circuit, Jan. 18]. The company already has completed almost $1.2 million in sales prior to production of the half-hour color series, M. J. (Bud) Rifkin, executive vice president in charge of sales for UA Tv, announced last week. Mr. Rifkin noted that the series has been sold in 50 markets, including 30 of the top 40. Among them are: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Dallas, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Indianapolis and Milwaukee. Production is scheduled to begin in April. It is said to be the initial firstrun syndication series intended for prime time showing that has been scheduled for release in 1963. UA Tv is selling the series for a fall start. The series will consist of actuality dramas, based on stories of the nation's police files, which will be filmed with the cooperation and assistance of local police chiefs. Each episode will be produced in color at the locale of the action. Mr. Marvin serves as host of the series and interviews principals in each segment. Composers Co. formed The Composers Co., a new producing group for the creation of music for broadcast commercials, Broadway shows and industrial presentations, has been formed by Sol Kaplan, Hershy Kay and Ed Sauter, writers and arrangers. Plans will be completed for establishing offices in New York, Hollywood and London, when Mr. Kaplan and Mr. Kay return from Europe later this year. 'Lucy' show set for '63-64 Lucille Ball has notified her sponsors and network that she will star in The Lucy Show for another season. Lever Bros.. General Foods and CBS-TV long WTVJ(TV) sample gives winners in election WTVJ (TV) Miami Fla., last week tried its own system for instant election results and, according to the station, predicted all 13 winners of Dade County's March 12 special elections minutes after the polls closed. The special election was held to select 12 new representatives and one senator to the Florida legislature, which was recently reapportioned. "Operation Sample" was the title given by WTVJ to a vote predicting system devised by the stations' Executive Vice President Lee Ruwitch. Mr. Ruwitch's system is based on the theory that one voting machine in a precinct will almost accurately predict the trend of other machines in the same precinct. On election day WTVJ placed two-man teams in 20 selected sample precincts. At 7 p.m. the results began flowing in and resulting predictions were ready by 7:28 p.m., the station said. The predictions were based on 5% of the total vote WTVJ said, but guessed five of the 13 races "on the nose." The station said there was an overall 1.2% of error in the WTVJ predictions. 72 (PROGRAMMING) BROADCASTING, March 18, 1963