Motion Picture Daily (Apr-June 1956)

Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, April 4, 195ij Ten-Month Income For Writers in TV More Than Tripled From THE DAILY Bureau Television HOLLYWOOD, April Joday., 3rThe Writ^ Guild of America, West, today disclosed in a report to its membership, that the aggregate writer income from television writing for the 10-month period ending Jan. 31, 1955, was $1,441,500, and that the corresponding figure for the 10-month period ended Apr. 1 is $4,583,500, indicating and increase amounting to $3,142,000. Film TV Growth (Continued from page 1) of "Who's Who and What's Where at TV Film Producers and Distributors," published by Broadcast Information Bureau. The publishers also reported that there are 373 companies making spot film commercials and that 1,432 national advertisers are using TV. 'Lovers' to Norrnandie "Lovers and Lollipops" will open at the Norrnandie Theatre here on April 17, Richard Brandt, president of Trans-Lux Distributing Corp., is releasing die film, announced. Concise and I to the Point The significant developments in television and their meaning . . . Edited for Executives Television — Radio -with Pinky Herman Arbitration Television Today Right at the start of the week — through an interpretive new style of journalism — this concise report and analysis of the significant news and events keeps you posted quickly and easily. Television Joday Published every Monday in conjunction with Motion Picture Daily FOUR members of his famous Mercury Theatre Players repertory group have been cast to support Orson Welles in his first Hollywood TV role in Ford Star Jubilee's production next CBSaturday of "Twentieth Century." The quartet are Keenan Wynn, Ray Collins, Phil Van Zandt and comic Benny Rubin, all of whom Orson hasn't seen for about 14 years. . . = Jack Ward, composer-conductor-organist of hundreds of radio and TV programs from back in 1934, has opened his own studios in Carnegie Hall where he'll teach piano and organ technique. . . . Among the several talented youngsters mentioned by William Damroth in his new tome, "How to Be Successful Before 40" (Prentice-Hall) is Bill Hobin, popular associate producer-director of the Max Liebman spectaculars. Bill owns up to 32 summers. . . . Ruth Knopf, formerly assistant to Doug Edwards at CBS, has become assistant director in the newsclip service dep't. at the Fund for the Republic. Sotto voce to Sylvia Spence: How is the "Robert Sherwood contest" progressing? Robert Q. Lewis takes the cake— the birthday cake that is— which his TV staff will present to him tomorrow. Bob is one of the hardest workers in television and easily one of the best liked by his associates. . Eve Arden will femcee the "Ed CBSullivan Show" Sunday, April 29, while the smiling Irishman is away in Japan on a talent scouting tour. ... A new teleseries, "The Professor Is Young," conceived and to be produced by Gary Stevens and starring Alan Young, will go before the cameras next week at the American National Studios in Hollywood under the aegis of Mark Stevens TV Company. Series will have a girls' college locale, will be scripted by Frank Gill, Jr. with Mark Stevens, executive producer. Wm. Morris Agency pacted the series and will handle national sales to sponsors. ... Ed Simmons and Norman Lear, scripters and directors of the "Martha Raye Show" have been released by La Raye in order to devote their full time to several TV projects skedded for NBC filming in Hollywood this summer. # # March, they say, is the breezy (windy is the correct word) month, but in the first place the March, we refer to is far from windy and, too (we've renewed our poet's license), but March, Hal, that is, has been set for quite some breezin' of his own in a 6/8 tempo this first week of April. Last night he emceed, as is his weekly wont, the "$64,000 Question." Tonight he stars in the "Kraft Television Theatre's" presentation of the comedy, "The Paper Foxhole," and Friday he'll be interviewed by Edward R. Murrow on "Person to Person.". . . All ye bridge, canasta and gin rummy hounds, harken to this friendly advice from flack Spencer Hare. If you'd like to learn how to memorize cards that have been played and thus improve your paste-board efficiency, tune in Saturday, April 14, at 6:00 P.M. Hal March tQ NyChannel 5 and pay heed to Dr. Bruno Furst, director of the School of Memory and Concentration. . . . Edward Arnold has returned to Gotham from Florida where he was featured in his 115th motion picture, "Shakedown on Biscayne Bay." He'll be seen next Wednesday on Kraft's "The Last Showdown," which will also feature Glenda Farrell, Victor Jory and Elizabeth Montgomery. •fr & ir CBStarting Monday morning, April 16, "My Little Margie," co-starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell and "Amos n' Andy," will replace "The George Skinner Show" and "Morning Memb" in the half-hour segments of the 9:00-10:00 slot. . . . Mary Scott, wife of Sir Cedric Hardwicke, will substitute for panelist Ilka Chase on the ABClever "Masquerade Party" TV'er, April 11 and 18, while Ilka sails to Monaco for an upcoming social event. . . . Composer-conductor Frank DeVol, whose music has been featured in numerous motion pictures, radio and TVehicles and currently batoneer on Don Fedderson's "Do You Trust Your Wife?" program, may soon have his own panel CBShow, "Words About Music," coast-to-coasted. With regular panelists Oscar Levant and Elsa Lanchester and featuring top-flight songwriters as guestpanelists, the program, after but two months on KNX-TV, may go network. . . . David Savage, since 1954 assistant to prexy Reub Kaufman at Guild Films, has resigned to become president of Theatrical Enterprises, Inc. it (Continued from page 1 discussions with Magna Thea|r| Corp. officials over the possible pres entation of "Oklahoma!" in Todd AO at the Missouri Theatre in St Louis, said that "arbitration to at exhibitor holds the same meaning ^ which liberty does to an American.* Points to Rodgers Policy Arbitration of a film rental on \ motion picture can never be accom plished to the satisfaction of a buye and seller, but "you could arbitratt the sales policy which is set for thi picture by the distributor," Arthu stated. He cited, as an example, th« sales policies which were in force a( M-G-M when William F. Rodger1 was general sales manager. "At thai time, the distributor set up a tes run for a top picture in a selectei situation and used this as the basi' J1 in setting his sales policy and renta1 * limits," Arthur said, advocating thaf if such a program were put inti wide-spread use by all distributor now, it would tend to alleviate man; problems brought about by film ren J1 tals. The SCTOA executive, in dis cussing the old M-G-M sales polic) said that "after a test run the filr rental would be set and would b adjusted upwards or downwards found necessary during the regula f run of the picture." Cites Case of 'Marty' Arthur said that if an industry arb: tration system was now in operatior United Artists would have the rig! to seek an upward revision in tl rentals asked for "Marty," as every one underestimated the potentiality of the film. "In this case the distribt tor would have arbitration workin for him," he said. Commenting on the product sitm tion, Arthur stated that U. S. exhib: tors should do well to cultivate the patrons' tastes for foreign films 1) booking more of them. "There is vast need to double the number films now produced and shown in a classifications," he said, adding thi such an increase in the number c films available would fill all availabl screen time and do away "wit forced runs." Favors Circuits' Production American theatres are for an move which would boost the numbs of pictures available to them, tl SCTOA head stated. "With exhib1 tion in its current state, an entry in production and distribution by a vorced circuits would be considers a good step forward in alleviatir the product situation," he state "The industry needs people to inve, money in production, and of all the; tre circuits, the divorced circuits ai the ones which have it. They all have a big need for product." Commenting on business in h own theatre circuit, Fanchon Marco Service Corp., Arthur said tli exhibition business in the past fe months hasn't lived up to expect; tions due to the product beir released. "It just has been a hi cycle," he said. Arthur will leas here on Friday for St. Louis