Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1959)

4 Motion Picture Daily Tuesday, October 13, 1959 Television Today An Open Letter to Sen. Oren Harris Chairman Oren D. Harris Special Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight House of Representatives Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. Harris: This is the first fan letter (open or closed ) I've ever written to a Congressman but, having just read the latest disclosures made by your Special Subcommittee on Legislative Oversight, re the "TV Scandal," I feel I must congratulate on the work you and your unit are doing. For, by your fearless investigation of the ( I use the word loosely) current quiz show mess, by your indefatigable pursuit of truth, you may well be changing the entire concept of entertainment as it has been known ever since the first opportunistic and cynical entrepeneurs abandoned the religious connotations of the Mystery Plays. Even more important than the fact that this modestly conducted crusade is rubbing some of the glamor from the image of the egghead-celebrity, that un-American Frankenstein created by the quiz show, is the implication, presumably to be backed up by heretofore oversighted legislation that entertainment can be said to be fraudulent when the people participating in that entertainment are not conducting themselves exactly in the manner in which the audience assumes to be true. For the last 500 years the only way the public has been able to express its dissatisfaction with a "fraudulent" entertainment has been by the tossing of tomatoes, by booing, by tearing up the seats or, most recently by not buying a brand of tooth paste which might otherwise have made us all handsome, beautiful and irresistible ( which, in effect, twice damns the public ) . Now it seems that for the first time in history the public is going to be able to seek relief in the courts from morally ennervating, fraudulent entertainment. I cannot tell you, Mr. Harris (D., Ark.), how much I admire this bold new approach to an ancient problem. The specific disclosures of your special subcommittee would have rocked me to my foundation had I not realized they were necessary to get at the root of the cancer, and also, if I had not heard almost all of them last year. At this writing (Friday), however, my head is still spinning by the testimony printed in the morning papers. There was the callous reply by one witness, who had testified about receiving answers in advance on "Tic Tac Dough" (even that title may bear investigation ) that although she may have been "bothered," her conscience had not hurt her. That, Rep. Harris, is the youth of America talking, and to think you and I sat in our kitchens, bars, living rooms (or even Senate dining room), at 12 noon some months back, guzzling beer and eating pretzels in the naive belief that beer was non-fattening and that Miss Van Schnorkler really knew the name of the first pharoah of the XXVIth Dynasty! You and I know that the real importance of your investigations will be in the legislation which will grow out of your new knowledge. We need some laws with TEETH in them. Last night, for example, I saw a not very exciting show called "The Big Party by Revlon," which, we were told, was actually a party given by Rock Hudson for some of "his friends" in a suite at the Waldorf. Well, Mr. Harris, I think I was defrauded. That was really a TV sound stage! And furthermore, I don't believe that all those people there were Mr. Hudson's friends. A lot of them looked suspiciously like dress extras! How about some action? Also you should have a lot of fun with Hollywood films. There was a comedy last year which advertised that 736 laughs had been clocked in the film by an independent research bureau. I clocked 12. And, in that case, I had paid MONEY to get into the theatre. Isn't that fraud? Well, sir, continue the good work. Press on! And rest assured that the voters (in Arkansas, that is) will not forget you in November, 1960. Yours truly, Vincent Canby 400,000 MCA Shares Sold Out At $17.50 Each Public offering of 400,000 shares of common stock of MCA, Inc., placed on the market late last week at $17.50 a share, was oversubscribed and the books closed. MCA and its subsidiaries are engaged in the production and distribution of television film series and in representing artists in various branches of entertainment. Of the net proceeds from the offering, $6,250,000 will be applied by the company to the reduction of short term bank indebtedness and the balance will be added to working capital. The bank indebtedness was incurred to finance the acquisition of and additions to production facilities of the Universal-International Studios at Universal City, Calif., acquired by Who's Where George G. Lindsay will become central division director for the Television Bureau of Advertising, with headquarters in Chicago, effective Oct. 19, Norman E. Cash, president of TvB announced. Lindsay was formerly vice-president and sales manager in charge of Chicago operations for Weed Television where he was responsible for the addition of many new advertising accounts. He joined the station representative firm in 1953. □ Henry W. Levinson has been promoted to manager of sales development for the ABC Television Network, it was announced by Bert R. Briller, director of sales development. Levinson joined ABC in 1956 as a member of the sales development staff of the radio network. In 1958 he moved to the television network's sales development department. □ Amram Nowak has been appointed assistant program director for WABCTV, it was announced by A. L. Hollander, Jr., program director for the flagship station. Gruenberg Named V.P. Of NT A International Leonard S. Gruenberg has been named vice-president of NTA International, Inc., Harold Goldman, president of NTA International, announced. In his new post Gruenberg will be responsible for the sale and distribution activities of "Windjammer" and the development of future Cinemiracle enterprises and productions. Gruenberg joined National Telefilm Associates last February as coordinator of national sales for TV. Two months ago he was transferred to NTA International where he became general manager of the theatrical division. Before joining NTA Gruenberg was with the production and distribution organization Gross Krasne Sillerman, Inc., where he was vice-president. Buys Charleston House CHARLESTON, West Va., Oct. 12. —Albert Aaron has purchased, for an undisclosed sum, the Kearse Theatre here. MCA in February, 1959, and now operated by the company as Revue Studios. Consolidated gross revenues of the company during 1958 amounted to $48,429,749 and net income to $4,328,442. For the six months ended June 30, 1959, gross revenues were $30,141,936 compared with $25,987,472 in the corresponding six months of 1958. Net income in the respective half year periods was $2,457,308 and $2,381,154. 'Oscar' Show ( Continued from page 1 ) to sign a commercial sponsor in thei event the industry does not renew.l Indications are that a decision could not be delayed more than a few weeks additional, at the most. As matters now stand, there ap^j pears to be little likelihood of Uni-i versal changing its position against putting up money for the I960, Awards telecast. The company wasj adamant in its stand last weekend as Milton R. Rackmil, president, left' here for Hollywood with no further; discussion of the subject between him-! self and Johnston believed to have been scheduled. However, a telephone! consultation would be possible, of course, at any time. May Consult ACE Johnston told a press conference inj Hollywood last week that he planned! to explore the possibility of costs of] the "Oscar" telecast being borne by exhibitors. With that in view, it isj possible that officials of the American Congress of Exhibitors might be sought out for consultation and advice this week. Trade observers, however, see little likelihood of any substantial sum be-' ing raised through exhibitor donations j unless the leading circuits appropriate! and contribute enough to make up whatever is needed. They point to the inability of exhibition to raise | more than about $150,000 in a twoyear effort to get the all-industry business-building campaign under way last summer and the summer before.; The exhibitor commitment, mostly inj pledges, not cash, was insufficient to start the campaign. Distribution hadj agreed to match whatever exhibition] contributed. Also pointed to are the various un1 successful efforts which have been made in the past to raise enough ex \ hibition money to finance new and additional product and to buy up dis! tributors' film libraries to prevent their 1 being sold to television. Share Would Be $150,000 It is estimated that Universale share of the "Oscar" telecast and , Academy Awards financing would be about $150,000. The telecast itself runs to $610,000; there is an addition j al annual contribution of $150,000 for | Academy maintenance and a $90,000 deficit left from last year's telecast. MPAA member companies have contributed one-quarter of one per cent of their domestic gross to make up ' the annual fund. Originally, Warner Bros, also voted not to go along with the "Oscar" telecast financing for next year, but j changed its stand after Johnston sue j ceeded in persuading Jack L. Warner, ! president, to go along with the 1 majority. There is still the possibility that the MPAA member companies favoring the sponsoring for another year will agree to make up the deficit in some other way. Failing that, it is understood that Oldsmobile, which previously sponsored the "Oscar" telecast, is ready to take it again.