Motion Picture Daily (Jan-Mar 1940)

Wednesday, January 31, 1940 Motion Picture Daily 9 Sees New Art In Programs On Television "Television should not attempt to excel or imitate any prior art in its .arogram material ; it must develop }i own technique," says Harry R. f^ubcke, director of television for the Don Lee Broadcasting System, who is in town for a few days after attending the F.C.C. hearings in Washington. "The present format of programs is due to change and a new style will be developed in the same manner that radio introduced new entertainment standards," he asserts. "It is the most difficult theatrical task ever undertaken." Programs With Variety, Pace Lubcke believes that a video program should have variety and pace. The Don Lee station, W6XAO, in Los Angeles, uses a singer, a short playlet, a dance act, and an educational film, all on one program. There have been about 25 advertisers on W6XAO. The longest repeat program was the Automobile Show which was telecast for nine days. Lubcke is now experimenting with the simultaneous telecasting of a show which is being broadcast and has had good results, he says. 300 Sets in Los Angeles Area There are between 300 and 400 sets in the Los Angeles area at the present time but he believes that the lowering of prices and increased dealer cooperation will greatly increase^ the number sold within a short while. W6XAO started operations on Dec. 23, 1931, and has been on the air ever since. About 2,500 programs have been aired for a total of about 5,500 hours. A total of 11,000,000 feet of film have been telecast. Formerly, the Don Lee station was permitted to use major company product but now it is restricted to commercial and educational pictures. Programs are tranrmitted daily except Sundays and holidays, for a total of nine evening hours and three afternoon hours. Four and three-quarter hours are devoted to live talent shows and the remainder are from film. Goldwyn Will Film Maugham's Novel Hollywood, Jan. 30. — Samuel Goldwyn today announced that he now has three new pictures in preparation, with the start of the adaptation of Somerset Maugham's "Macintosh," which will be re-titled "Tahiti." Jon Hall and Dorothy Lamour will be starred. Other Goldwyn films in preparation are "The Little Foxes" and "Black Gold." Arthur Tuckerman, magazine writer and formerly press agent for the New Zealand government, has been hired for the adaptation of the Maugham novel. Ona Munson Honored Ona Munson, who plays Belle Watling in "Gone With the Wind," will be guest of honor at a press dinner at the Hotel Towers, Brooklyn, tomor row night before the opening of the film at Loew's Metropolitan Theatre Television All Ready to Go On Network Basis in East N.Y., Washington, Boston Link Visioned; FCC Approval Needed (Continued from page 1) operate automatically on 10-watt power without attendants. The transmission distance varies according to the terrain, but the average distance between relay points is expected to be 30 miles. Frequency used is 500,000 k.c. In operation, the transmitting station sends out regular signal and is picked up at the first relay point where it is changed to ultra-high frequency. It is then sent from point to point until it is received at another television station where the frequency is again reduced and transmitted over the regular waveband. The signal clarity of the re-transmitted program is not affected, officials said. Success After Long Experiments RCA Communications has been experimenting with relay stations for many years. The first television relay was set up on an experimental basis between New York and Camden sev°n years ago. Four years ago Philadelphia was linked to New York by relay, but the system was found not feasible for television, although it carried telegraph, teletype and facsimile successfully. The present system has been in operation for about a year on an experimental basis between the Empire State building transmitter and Riverhead, L. I. Relay points are at Hauppague, L. I., 45 miles from the Empire State, from where it is relayed to Rocky Point, L. I., 15 miles away, and from there is sent to Riverhead, another 15 miles away. New Schnectady System The new system differs from other methods of radio relay in that it makes use of frequencies many times higher than those used by regular television broadcasters. Another method of network television is being tested in Schenectadv where General Electric plans to pick up the NBC signal and retransmit it on another band. RCA officials refused to disclose whether separate relay stations would have to be established for each system. If this can be accomplished, it would eliminate the necessity of building new towers when another telecaster, such as CBS, wishes to start a network of its own. Griffis Sees Mayor On Eastern Films Stanton Griffis, chairman of the board of directors of Paramount Pic tures, conferred at length with Mayor La Guardia and his aide, Clendenin F. Ryan, Jr., several days ago on Eastern production, reliable sources disclosed yesterday. The discussion centered about the feasibility of using Paramount's Eastern Service Studios in Long Island City for local film production, it was stated by one of the Mayor's aides. Griffis expressed readiness to cooperate with the Mayor in his plans, it was said. Close Canada's Far Northern Theatre Toronto, Jan. 30.— The fading out of the mining boom at Yellowknife in the Arctic regions has resulted in the closing of Canada's most northerly theatre, which was opened there by Nat Rothstein. The population of Yellowknife has dwindled from 1,000 to 300, the capacity of the theatre, and Rothstein also had trouble in keeping the house supplied with films. Radio FCC to Hunt Facts As Television Lab Tour Starts Today (Continued from page 1) show home reception of a program from the Empire State Building. The two following days will be spent in New York, where NBC and Cath-Ray Electronic Laboratories will give demonstrations of reception and Allen B. Dumont Laboratories will demonstrate its flexible system of transmission. Next Monday the Commissioners will inspect the RCA plant at Camden, to see large-screen projection, and then will go to Philadelphia for demonstration by Philco of polarization mitigation of interference. Invited to visit the Don Lee broadcasting system in Los Angeles, the Commission was forced to decline because of the distance but designated its local inspector-in-charge to view a demonstration there. Suggestions that it might be well for the Commission to see the latest developments were made by F.C.C. Chairman Fly during the recent hearings on the proposed new television regulations. Distribution Started By Ad Accessories Distribution of Paramount and RKO ad accessories through National Screen Service's new unit. Advertising Accessories, Inc., will begin tomorrow. Accessories of Universal will be added to the new service on Feb. 15. Negotiations with other large distributors are now in progress and further additions to Advertising Accessories' list depend upon their outcome. At the outset. Advertising Accessories' offices will be maintained at Paramount exchanges wherever National Screen branches are not established. Brevities Grainger on Tour James R. Grainger, Republic president, left last night by plane for Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Chicago, where he will preside at sales meetings. He will return Monday. THE Jack Benny program has again risen to top place among commercial evening network programs with a rating of 41.4, according to the report issued yesterday by Cooperative Analysis of Broadcasting (Crossley) . Bergen and McCarthy are now in second place with a rating of 40. Noteworthy is the fact that the latter show dropped only two points in changing from a full hour to a half hour show. Lowell Thomas has hit an all-time high for his career with a rating close to 20, fully 30 per cent ahead of the commentator in second place. Kraft Music Hall, with Bing Crosby,, Bob Burns, Johnny Trotter's band and the Music Maids, leads the full hour shows with 34.5, and is closely followed by the Lux Radio Theatre. Weather conditions are probably the cause for the unusually high ratings some of the shows on the air are obtaining these weeks. Personalities in the News "Humanizing Publicity" is the subject chosen by William Kostka, NBC manager of the press department, for an address before the Northeast Conference of the American College Publicity Association at Springfield, Mass., this weekend. . . . Bea Wain of "The Hit Parade" lias been chosen "The Valentine Girl of 1940" by Telegraph Delivery Service, national organization of florists. . . . Melvyn Douglas, Ann Sothern and Robert Young will be heard in "I Met Him in Paris" on the Gidf Oil "Screen Guild Theatre" Sunday night. . . . Bruno Walter will conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra for five concerts beginning Saturday evening. . . . Eddie 'Green, comedian, joins "Quaker Party" cast beginning Monday. Telecast Uses Film Technique Documentary technic used in historical films will be employed by the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. tonight for a telecast of the story of the railroad over W2XBS at 8:30. Since this is a commercial program, it will be watched closely to determine whether this type of show is an effective medium for a sponsor. Program News Six new members have been added to the cast of "Manhattan Mother" to make a total of 11 permanent members, one of the largest casts used on daytime shows. New additions are Ethel Owen, John Davenport Seymour, James Van Dyke, Eleanor Phelps, John Anthony and Eric Dressier. . . . George A. Hormell Co. has extended its contract for an addition month for "It Happened in Hollywood" over CBS. . . . Charles Stookey, CBS director of agricultural programs, who conducts "Columbia's Country Journal," is novo offering two $5 prises for letters on agricultural problems. . . . I. J. Fox has renewed its participation in "Milkman's Matinee" for an additional 26 zveeks. . . . Mary Martin and Dick Powell will join "Good News of 1940" when it is cut to a half-hour on March 7. Fannie Brice, Hanley Stafford and Meredith Willson's orchestra continue with the show