Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1956)

on Picture Daily ^LYWOOD, Monday, October 29, 1956 Television Jqday U. S. A.: WOOD: Hal Roach, Jr., iveral predictions on the imfuture in television, in a members of the Radio and »n Women of Southern na: Bad shows, getting as oney as good shows for reill now be eliminated. Some h-ant type of programming instituted to meet the sponpd for point of sales interfeater concentration on local onal time buys will be inon multiple sponsored pro> satisfy local sponsor comThese problems can only «red with "films" that can ■d into various time slots. Listry will demand a more narket for its product to the investment. The tredevelopment of creative nong women for the mediow recognized. . . . s a switch: Ralph Edwards family are scheduled for o Person November 2. . . . lar Jubilee will present the >-hour film over the CBSVork, November 3. The film :"The Wizard of Oz," the 'e that MGM film will be udy Garland stars Ironi 'idence: Kate Smith had the on the Sullivan show at precisely the same time that Abbott & Costello were doing their famous "Who's on First" bit for Steve Allen on the other network. For those who like to tax their memory — Abbott & Costello zoomed into the big time with that banter when Ktae Smith gave the pair a regular spotlight break on her popular radio program. "Playhouse 90" announced Friday it signed seven-year-old Evelyn Rudie to play the title role of Kay Thompson's "Eloise." . . . Lawrence Welk, Plymouth-Dodge executives and Grant AdvertisingAgency heads had good rhyme and reason for that shindig at the ABCTV studios. The network musical variety program with top tunes and new talent was loaded with happy entertainment. The commercials were novel, entertaining, with just the right amount of sales appeal. . . . "Hey, Jeannie!" We're sure glad that daylight saving time problem is out of the way, and that you made it okay this Saturday. Rushed home after that top notch Ford Star "Cole Porter Festival" Jubilee the week before to catch the show. Discovered the postponement on account of the spec and time problem. —SAMUEL D. BERNS jo's Where t D. Levitt, vice-presiid general manager of ia National Productions, 1 be chief executive officer 4BC subsidiary, it is anby Charles R. Denny, ; vice-president, operations. V. Livingston, formerly t of California National, i named head of NBC-TV s originating from the s Pacific Division. Landay, executive proftf WRCA and WRCA^ex and Jinx" radio and i programs, has been roducer of program syndi^or Tex and Jinx, a new "or which plans presently ig formulated. Associate Hank Wexler will rer. Landay as executive : a Schnitzer has been i vice-president in charge uction for Volcano EnInc, and will headat the firm's Hollywood General Service Studios, lounced by James Bank, ; of Volcano. Kaufman, president of ilms, has announced the appointment of Herbert J. Leder, veteran producer of television film shows, as story editor for the company's programs. Allan B. Connal has been promoted to supervisor, facility staging, for WRCA-TV, effective immediately. Mr. Connal was formerly senior studio supervisor, WRCA-TV. In his new position Mr. Connal will be responsible for unit supervisors, designers, make up and wardrobe personnel. He will report to Peter Appe, operation manager for WRCA-TV. Stan M. Cole, former director of Industrial Films Division of Mel Gold Productions, Inc., has been named sales manager of that company, it is announced by Melvin L. Gold, president. Frank Langley has joined WPIX, New York, as assistant to the publicity and public relations manager. He will take over the duties of Virginia Everett, resigned. Mr. Langley was formerly assistant to the public relations director at WOR-TV. Murray Benson has been appointed director of merchandising for Television Programs of America (TPA), it is announced by Milton A. Gordon, president. Licensing and merchandising will now be handled direct, instead of through Stone Associates, as in the past. NBC's Closed Circuit Traces Rise of Man and Merchandise in Color by VINCENT CANBY Not all of the most imaginative television programming these days is going out over air to wander aimlessly from booster station to booster station. Last week in New York NBC's Telesales Department conceived, produced and sent forth to Chicago's Drake Hotel — by closed circuit — a special 30-minute production designed to sell color television to the 600 delegates at the annual convention of the Association of National Advertisers. Originating from the comparatively cramped quarters of Studio 3-K, the show had as its all-encompassing theme, Man's Life in a World of Color. It wasn't Arnold Toynbee, exactly, but it did detail in terms both amusing and trenchant how Man and Merchandise will go onward and upward to greater rewards as a result of color TV. Produced by Dave Lowndes from an idea thrashed out with another Telesales member, Bob Koch, and directed by Craig Allen, "Man's Life" was able to suggest — almost at one and the same time — that the brilliant red of the apple may have hastened Adam's fall from grace, that art is color and that color is emotion as well as a means of communication. In less abstract phraseology, color sells. The production utilized the services of singers, dancers, one tomtom player and Ernie Kovacs, the latter seen briefly as a somewhat befuddled color TV pioneer, trying to explain why, in the early days, you had to paint a pumpkin blue to make it come out yellow. The show was in turn climaxed by a panel discussion, in New York and for the benefit of the Chicago audience, on what exactly color means to the advertiser as far as cost and quality are concerned. The soft-sell message of "Man's Life" did not come at the ANA delegates without some manner of preface. This was in the form of a hard-sell speech, delivered to the delegates in person in Chicago by Richard A. R. Pinkham, new vicepresident in charge of advertising for NBC. The highlights of Mr. Pinkham's address were predictions that advertisers will be investing $150,000,000 a year in network color shows by 1957 and $600,000,000 by 1960; that the total of 100,000 color receivers now in operation will grow to 300,000 by January, 1957, and 40,900,000 by 1965. Mr. Pinkham also said that preliminary findings in the NBC Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn ColorTown survey revealed such gee-whizzers as: owning a color set tends to increase TV viewing; there are more viewers per color set, and that color boosts the impact of commercials — "the total recall (of a color commercial) is twice that of black-andwhite commercials." Mr. Pinkham thus cued in from Studio 3-K in New York the Telesales fantasia. As only color TV can do, this put the message over in sight, sound, demonstration, circulation and, of course, color. It cost approximately 10,000 bucks, borne completely by NBC which has come to regard such items, in the long view of history and Man's search to better himself, as a shrewd investment. SPOTLIGHT {Continued) seconds of ID, it is claimed the new flashing call-letters keep the visual pace of the preceding commercials. Don Mack, vice-president, cites the new technique's value in promoting the station — by the station, via the animated flashing call-letters. Return of Mama ► "Mama," one of television's oldest and most popular television series, refuses to fade away even though it's been off the air for a matter of months now. CBS-TV announced last week that the series, starring Peggy Wood, will return to the network on film and with entirely new episodes Sunday, December 9. The cast, including Judson Laire, Rosemary Rice, Dick Van Patten and Robin Morgan, remains the same. Third Time Around ► A notable experiment in documentary presentation first offered on the CBS network March 18 last will have a third time around come November 25. "Out of Darkness," done by the CBS Public Affairs unit, and telling the story of mental illness, had a second appearance on the network last April 29, and was as well received as at the initial presentation. 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