Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

Motion Picture Daily Television Today Who's Where TV-Set Sales REVIEW: Jazz Boat The promotion of George D. Matson to the newly created position of vice-president, assistant to the president, was announced by Robert E. Kintner, president of the National Broadcasting Company. At the same time, Walter D. Scott, executive vicepresident, television network, announced that Robert L. Stone, who has been vice-president, operations and engineering, has been promoted to the position of vice-president, general manager, NBC Television Network, the post previously held by Matson. James A. Stabile, vice-president, standards and practices, has been promoted to the new position of vice-president, staff, NBC television network. Stone and Stabile will report to Scott. Other promotions resulting from these changes include William H. Trevarthen, formerly vice-president, television network operations, who succeeds Stone as vice-president, operations and engineering, and Ernest Lee Jahncke, Jr., director, standards and practices, who will head up that department as Stabile's successor. □ John N. Manson III has resigned as vice-president and general manager of Screen Gems de Mexico, S.A., a post he has held for the past five years. The reason for his resignation, which becomes effective Feb. 1, 1961, is to set up a business of his own in Mexico City. Lloyd Burns, vice-president in charge of international operations for Screen Gems, said he expected to be able to announce a replacement within the next few weeks. □ The appointment of Harold Black as production manager, advertising and sales promotion department, CBS television stations division, was announced by Thomas Means, director of that department. Appointment is effective immediately. □ Glenn Marshall, Jr., president of WJXT, Jacksonville, Fla., has been elected chairman of the board of the Television Bureau of Advertising, succeeding Otto P. Brandt, vice-president of KING-TV, Seattle, Wash. ( Continued from page 1 ) first five months of the year. This brings the total of tv sets in use abroad up to 38,650,000, of which 32,650,000 are in the non-bloc countries and 6,000,000 are in the Communist bloc. In addition, the agency said, overseas tv transmitting stations increased by 116 since June from 1,237 to 1,353. Of these, 1,105 (including 97 new ones) are in the non-bloc countries and 248 (including 19 new ones) are in the Communist bloc. The figures were included in a survey of overseas television developments sent to USIA posts abroad. The survey, from June 1 to Oct. 1, excludes the U. S. and its territories! U. S. Armed Forces stations and Canada. Harris Renamed Head of NBC Affiliates Board Jack Harris, vice-president and general manager of KPRC-TV, Houston, was unanimously re-elected chairman of the NBC Television affiliates board of delegates at the annual meeting of the affiliates here. Also re-elected were vice-chairmen Edwin K. Wheeler, general manager of WWJ-TV, Detroit, and Robert Ferguson, executive vice-president of WTRF, Wheeling, W. Va. Louis Read, vice-president and general manager of WDSU-TV, New Orleans, was re-elected secretarytreasurer. Appointed to fill vacancies on the NBC-TV affiliates board were: Owen Saddler, executive vice-president and general manager of KMTV, Omaha, and Van Beuren DeVries,' vice-president and general manager of WGR-TV, Buffalo, N. Y. Other members of the board of delegates are: Marcus Bartlett, general manager of WSB-TV, Atlanta; Joseph H. Bryant, president of KCBDTV, Lubbock, Tex.; Richard O. Dunning, president and general manager of KHQ-TV, Spokane, Wash.; Harold Grams, general manager of KSD-TV, St. Louis; and Richard Lewis, presir"°nt and general manager of KVAR, Phoenix. □ John Vrba, vice-president in charge of sales for KTTV, Los Angeles and Russel Woodward, executive vicepresident of Peters, Griffin, Woodward, Inc. have been elected cochairmen of the TvB sales advisory committee. They succeed John Dickinson of Harrington, Righter & Parsons and H. P. Lasker of the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation. ASCAP Retains Rifkind Stanley Adams, president of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, announced that, at the request of the Society's general attorney, Herman Finkelstein, the board of directors unanimously approved the retainer of the Hon. Simon H. Rifkind of the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as special counsel for the Society. Judge Rifkind served as judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York from 1941 to 1950. Warwick — Columbia — CinemaScope A Warwick Production, this film centers around the underworld activities of a group of English "Teddy Boys" and is set to music which is neither rock-'n'-roll nor jazz. To add to the incongruity of the film, director Ken Hughes seems to have tried for comedy with a script that includes vandalism, a jewel robbery, female face-slashing and a sadistic beating by a policeman. The story tells of Anthony Newley as an electrician who becomes involved with a gang of hoodlums after repairing the alarm system of a jewelry store. He makes the mistake of passing as a notorious thief and the gang forces him to participate in breaking into the jewel shop. He escapes with the loot and the mob pursues. The title of the Columbia release comes from the fact that the climaxtakes place on a huge ship which features dancing to various jazz ensembles, a popular form of diversion in Europe. On the boat, the gems change hands a couple of times and Newley cavorts around the decks in a sunbather's dress while his girl friend is attacked by the hoodlums. This is an example of the picture's humor. With the help of a policeman with a grudge, the "Teddy Boys" are jailed, the leader having maimed his moll for attempting to seduce Newley while she had the jewels, and the former electrician is freed. The picture was made in CinemaScope and features famed musician Ted Heath. Running time, 90 minutes. Release, in December. William Werneth Desilu Plans 3 or 4 Theatre Films Yearly Desilu Prods., which recently completed "The Facts of Life," starring Bob Hope and Desilu vice-president Lucille Ball, for United Artists release, expects to film "three or four" more theatrical releases in 1961, Desi Arnaz, president, told the Wall Street Journal in a Los Angeles interview this week. Arnaz said it is possible that Desilu may own part of the new films to be made. "Facts of Life" was filmed by Desilu on a cost plus fixed fee basis with no Desilu ownership interest in the film. Arnaz also disclosed that Desilu is considering leasing six acres on its Cul ver City studio lots for commercial and industrial enterprises. He said profits in the second quarter ended Oct. 29 wiped out a first quarter loss of $201,397. Profits for the nine months ending Jan. 30 should be "within 10 per cent" of the corresponding period last year, when earnings of $708,121 were reported. Network telecasts of shows in which Desilu has varying degrees of ownership account for about half of Desilu's profits this year. Another 25 per cent comes from residual usage of older Friday, November 25, Negro Grouj (Continued from page 1 ) ing and publicizing new feature f to the "new" Negro audience. In its lengthy report the maKa> nrst traces the urbanization of Ar ican Negroes in the period betw 1940-1950. The figurefgiven £2 large increase in Negro popula ' in the north and west, contrast vJ a negligible gain in southern Ne population. In the north the incre was 47.2 per cent; west, 237.4 cent; and south, 3.1 per cent. Between 1950 and 1955 an ac eration of this trend has taken plJ Population increases in that peri by city are as follows: Chicago 33 000; New York, 150,000; Philac phia, 120,000; Washington, D. 110,000; Los Angeles, 65,000 1 troit; 61,000; Baltimore, 40,0 Cleveland, 53,000; San Francis; Oakland, 37,000. One-Third of Audience Claimec "This trend," the report says, 1 dicates that today's Negro will' rj resent approximately one-third of tl movie-going population of Philad phia and Chicago, and better thi half of Washington, D. C." It was marketing people particularly the in the motion picture industry "face the challenge of changing th. approach to include marketing effo that will effectively sell this stratej cally located urbanized Negro mov: goer." Other figures in the report indica that the Negro population in the mc important major metropolitan areas located adjacent to or surroundir the downtown shopping-entertainme area. Strike Meet Tomorrow ( Continued from page 1 ) Screen Actors Guild, will meet wi1 negotiators for the networks in wh; was described on Wednesday as final effort to avert a strike. The performers' contract with th networks expired Nov. 15 without a agreement on terms of a new cor tract having been reached. In th meantime, regional boards and men bers of the performers' unions, repre senting nearly 30,000 members in al have authorized a strike call if an; when union officials deem one neceJ sary. The networks are known to hav, been preparing for a strike by as sembling quantities of filmed pro grams, including large numbers of oh theatrical films. Increased fees to per1 formers was the major issue in th negotiations, which were called oi last week. shows and 25 per cent is from renta of production facilities and service to shows filmed on Desilu lots. He said Desilu has invested $350. 000 in "Wildcat," a stage play star ring Miss Ball, which is due to ope? in New York on Dec. 15. Advanc: sales amount to $1,000,000, he said and receipts from sale of the casl album come to $60,000.