Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

Jg[fwjsjon Jo day Motion Picture Daily Wednesday, November 16 Who's Where AROUND THE Melvyn Douglas, stage and film star, has been signed for a new halfhour ^ television series, "The Hidden Key," based on real life psychiatric cases, it has been announced by Jack Goldstein, executive producer for Tri Video Corp. Morton Wishengrad will be writer and script editor for the series, which will be produced and directed by Mitchell Grayson. □ William E. Huston has joined Transfilm-Caravel Incorporated as vice-president in charge of tv commercial sales, it was announced by William Miesegaes, president of the business communications, tv and industrial film production company. Formerly, Huston was director of international sales at Filmways, Inc. Prior to his last position, Huston was for three years sales and promotion manager with MPO Productions, Inc. From 1952 until 1954, he was sales manager for tv commercial films at Screen Gems. □ Symon B. Cowles has been named director of advertising and promotion for the Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation's New York station, WNEW-TV, effective immediately, it was announced by Bennet H. Korn, executive vice-president in charge of television for the corporation. Cowles comes to his new position from the corporation's Washington, D.C. station, WTTG-TV, where he held a similar post. Ford, at NAB Meeting, Skirts Pay-TV Sut/ecf From THE DAILY Bureau WASHINGTON, Nov. 15. Federal Communications Commission chairman Frederick W. Ford made only the barest mention of pay-tv in addressing the regional fall conference of the National Association of Broadcasters here today. He merely said that the record in the Hartford Phonevision application for a pay-tv test "has moved along very rapidly," implying that it may soon be decided. Ford stressed his belief that an allchannel television receiver is needed for the U.S. market, stating that if Congress does not impose this requirement by legislation "then we will have to solve it on some administrative basis which, I'm afraid, will not be quite as satisfactory. He indicated that, for the most part, the principal issue at stake concerning community-antenna television systems— duplication — has solved itself, but he expects to have more to say on this question in the near future. Ford would like FCC to have authority to deal with the duplication ! TV CIRCUIT ■ with PINKY HERMAN THE second episode of "Winston Churchill-The Valiant Years," which will be seen Sunday, Dec. 4 (10:30-11 P.M. EST) over ABC, titled "The Combat Deepens," will feature the voice of Richard ("Camelot") Burton speaking "Churchill's words" with Gary Merrill narrating. This seg highlights the naval action during Britain's darkest days of World War II. The dramatic series is an AVC-TV Production in association with Jack LeVien International Productions and Screen Gems. . . . Songstress Felicia Sanders rebooked into The Living Room in Gotham Nov. 28-a repeat for the vocalist in less than 3 months. . . . Jeff Chandler will star as "David," in a special 2-part ABC-TVehicle filmed in Israel and based on the life of the Biblical Hebraic King. . . . Hollywood Lark Constance Towers, who'll be seen on Christmas Day in Shirley Temple's "Babes In Toyland" telefilm, has been signed for an indefinite warbling engagement at the Persian Room at the Plaza in Gotham. . . . General Foods will sponsor "Lunch With Soupv Sales" when the Detroit-originated ABComedv show resumes Saturday, Dec. 3 (12-12:30 P.M.) after a sixweek sked break to make room for the telecasts of the N.C.A.A. football games. . . . Herb Sussan will be Exec Producer and Jack Hurdle Producer of the lampoon show which the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences will present Fri, Jan. 13 at the WaldorfAstoria to honor Ed Sullivan, N.Y. Chapter's first Prexy. . . . United Artists will distribute "The Last Time I Saw Archie," which re-unites Robert Strauss and Harvey Lembeck ("Stalag 17") in a comedy by William Bowers. Co-starring Jack Webb and Robert Mitchum, the film will be a special project, the deal involving Mark XII (Webb) Talbot (Mitchum) and Manzanita (Bowers) respective production firms. . . . ic it it A special full hour program starring Dave Garroway and titled "Dave's Place" will be NBChannelled Friday (9-10 P.M.). Program will be a pictorial account of how Dave feels about Rockefeller Centre in general and the RCA Bldg. in particular; in between shots of the skating rink and some of the studios, including that whence "Today" originates; Dave will tell of the days, back iu 1937, when he was a Page Boy assigned to Studio 8 H. . . . Lush Thrush Jan McArt has been signed to star in Stanley Melba's Cotillion Room Production of "Anything Goes" next month at the Hotel Pierre in N'Yawk. ... It undoubtedly is an unusual method of inviting us to the "Thanksgiving Day" Party and because our portable victrola is in the repair shop we almost didn't get to hear the disk which proved a musical invitation to attend the Music Makers wing-ding. But we took it over to Bud Ford's office at nearby NBC and listened to it on Bill Wyse's turntable. (That's why there'll be three of us at the party Friday, Bill, Bud and us.) . . . The Dec. 15th seg of "The Untouchables," ABCrime Doesn't Pay thriller will star Sam Levene portraying "Larry Fay" with June Havoc appearing as his "moll." . . . Jackie Coogan will be seen as an "Indian Chief" on "Guestward Ho!" over ABC-TV Dec. 15. Another former child star of the movies, Peggy Ann Garner will be featured Tuesday, Dec. 6 in the "Tonight At 12:17" seg of "Alcoa Presents" on the same net. . . . Ernie Kovacs and his wife Edie Adams arrive Friday on the Leonardo da Vinci from Italy where Ernie starred in the Columbia flicker, "Five Golden Hours." They leave for Hollywood Nov. 27 to tape next season's TV series. . . . Christopher Plummer will CBStar Jan. 18 when "Dupont Show of the Month" telecasts "Prisoner of Zenda." In another CBSpecial, "Vanity Fair," adapted by Roger Hirson from Wm. Thackeray's classic novel, Joan Fontaine will appear as hostess; presented in 2 one hour shows, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 13 and 14 (7:30-8:30 P.M.) ... The 34th annual Macy's "Thanksgiving Day Parade," skedded Thursday, Nov. 24 (11-12 noon) TVia NBC, will feature 2 top moppet personalities, Bob (Howdy Doody) Smith and Paul (Mr. I Magination) Tripp. . . . Broadcasting Person^ Theme at NAB Meet I From THE DAILY Bureau I WASHINGTON, Nov. 15.-BM casters attending the National As J tion of Broadcasters' fall confeil here were told that people are! main ingredient of their industry jQ, successful operations demand the I est techniques in their employj The subject was explored by I executives of the broadcasters dtil the opening conference session. 1 overall theme was "People and 1 its." Howard H. Bell, NAB vice-p dent for industry affairs, presi Others participating were Wil Carlisle, manager of station relat, John M. Couric, manager of pij relations, and James H. Hulbert, J ager of broadcast personnel and nomics. Dr. Bruce A. Linton, presideni the Association of Professional Br, casting Education, suggested that industry offer scholarships and s mer jobs to exceptional student: encourage them to train for careei: radio and television. musifex co 45 w. 45 st. n.y.c. sound effects musical effects ci-6-4061 problem in the limited number of areas where this remains a problem. The FCC chairman noted that the commission had opposed network licensing bills that were before Congress last year, but said he would like FCC to be able to do on a direct basis with the networks what it now does with stations. In the coming session of Congress, Ford observed, FCC will be called on to discuss television channel allocations. FCC is also considering making recommendations concerning rules to govern transfers of stations and mergers, he declared. Ford also said he hopes to be able to speed FCC's internal procedures so that license applications can be processed more rapidly. Sees 'People' Vital to Profits Bell told delegates that the portance of people to profits" clearly evident by the fact that mistake in salaries, staffing or o* management problems "could spell difference between profit and lo He pointed out that nearly 60 c<j of every radio dollar and about cents of each television dollar spent on wages and salaries. Hulbert warned that overstaij and poorly-planned salary schedi can destroy profits of an otherv successful station. He urged bro casters to compare their own cc and profits with analyses prepared the NAB and die Federal Commn cations Commission. By using si material, he said, "you can see trend in the industry in your mar size and in your own market. Y can tell whether you are keeping with the trend, falling behind it, running ahead." Wants 'Successful Convincers' Carlisle, in a talk and film derm stration, described new techniques ; the art of getting people to acc<j ideas or products. He said broadcal ers must be "successful convince if they hope to convince people a to gain greater profits. Linton, chairman of the radio-t film department of the University Kansas, said APBE's membership n< includes 55 schools which are "se ously engaged in realistic programs education for broadcasting" and whi have more than 2,000 students "wl eventually hope to work in broadca* ing." HUGO A-CAS01AR0 MARTIN GOTTLIE, j 'film effects, in A 1600 BROADWAY, N.y. 19 |; 1 PIAZA 7-2098 j|fl •OPTICAL EFFECTS • STAND PHOTOGRAPHY >i •AN IMATION • TITLES • ART WORK • B 6-Wand COLOR II j A Complete Service (or Film Producer? \\