Motion Picture Daily (Oct-Dec 1960)

©nday, December 19, I960 EVIEW: Motion Picture Daily Television Today ittle Angel j Gordon Murray A winner of the Grand Prize and inerva at the Venice Film Festival 1959, "Little Angel" is not so much story told through the medium of ation pictures as it is a series of gnettes from the childhood of a ral Mexican girl recorded by a curiis camera. This K. Gordon Murray esentation was made at Churubus-Azteca Studios in Mexico City and, is the case with much product from ir neighbor to the South, it is charterized by outstanding color phography accomplished here by abriel Figueroa. The first episodes of the film intro'ice us to pretty little Maria Gracia 'id tell of her mild adventures with >:r playmates and the animals on her andmother's farm where the phaned girl lives. Maria is serenely ippy in her country surroundings 'id especially with her close relationip with her grandmother's shepherd, irge Martines de Hoyos. All is well until Maria's first day : school arrives. She eagerly looks irward to the event until the harsh,3ss of her teacher and the mean beI ^ivior of her fellow pupils disappoint „j ner. She prays to the Virgin of Guadaipe that she may be spared the aniuish of going to school and also that ,er pet cow, unknown by Maria in its •:st stages of pregnancy, might be ble to give more milk. When she links her prayers have gone unnswered, Maria runs away. 0 Through the efforts of Figueroa "nd the local bishop, Maria's faith is stored and her disappointment ases as she realizes that she cannot e granted every whim and the child's evotion to the Virgin and Her Cruci ed Son grows. Director Roberto Rodriguez, who ilso wrote the original story and 'creenplay, has captured much of the eeling of the Mexican peasant and 1 sequence in the square of the Basil,ca of St. Mary of Guadalupe which .hows pagans dancing in their primi tve feathered costumes in contrast [nth the pious churchgoers advancing .n their knees is especially effective. Raul Lavista has scored the picture ivith charming rural melodies and ich religious chants. Jose Louis "elis produced "Little Angel" which s fine family entertainment and hould find a place for itself on the teighborhood double bill. The film las a dubbed English sound track. \unning time, 90 minutes. Release in anuary, 1961. 7 W. W. AROUND THE !TV CIRCUIT with PINKY HERMAN O URE was a luckv break for WOR and WOR-TV when among a S group of national figures which included Ex-Senator (Conn.) Wilfcjn Benton, Clinton Rossiter of Cornell U„ John Gardner of the CarnegteCorp. and John Knox Jessup, moderated by John Wmgate was Dean Rusk During the program, which incidentally was a joint public service venture bv Channel 9 and Time Magazine, the newly-appointed Secretary of State, gave his views on health, welfare, education, religion and other phases of national scene and so the program ^f^fY^^ was a "natural." ... The untimely passing of Agent John ny Gr^utrecalls to mind the fact that Johnny is the man wk booked the first a ray of talent for the "Ed CBSullivan Show" back in 1948. Is Dick Rubin of MCA cooking up a deal with 20th Century-Fox TV to obtain the services of Lewis Freedman, who's been turning in a sensational job as producer of the "Play of the Week" TVia WNTA? . . . Brooke Hayward actress daughter of the late Margaret Sullavan and Le land Hayward has been signed to appear opposite Dane Clark the Wednesday Jan. 25 presentation over CBS-TV of the drama The Devil Makes Sunday " on "U.S. Steel Hour." . . . Disk Jockeys will be glad to learn that Shellev Berman will tape his droll routines "Shelley Berman at the Waldorf" for his latest LP. And while we're about this wax jazz lets impart the info that the wonderful comedy of Smith & Dale is being sought bv Jerry Blaine and right after the New Year you may look for a series of LP's by this great comedy team on the Jubilee Label. . . . Vaughn Monroe is convafescing from surgery at St Elizabeth s Hospital in Boston. . . . Alan King will revisit the Perry NBComo show Jan. 4 for his 2nd appearance with the ex-tonsoriole and current tonsil-oriole artist. King is also set to flv to England where hell make with the laughs for a week starting March 12 as a feature on British television. Procter & Gamble has purchased sponsorship of one-half °f the presentation of the "Oscars Awards" TVia the ABChannels April 17, 1961 from 10:30-12:30 P.M. It is estimated that about 75 million people viewed the program last year. . . . Sammy Davis, Jr will star m Budd Schulberg's prize-fight story, "Memory In White,' CB Sunday, Jan. 8 on the "General Electric Theatre." . . . Allen Funt has signed George Gobel to appear in an upcoming "Candid Camera CBSeg, skedded to be filmed early next month. This highly-rated FUNt program cant miss being recognized as one of the best new????? programs to have come along in years Leonard E. Hammer, who joined United Artists Associated three years ago, has been upped to . Eastern Division sa es manager by veep Erwin H. Ezzes. . . . Revlon, who signed Bobby Darin to star in a tv CBSpecial next month, trying to get Bobby to line up his bride Sandra Dee for a featured role in the program How ternpus does fugit! a quarter century ago, because Ted Husing was too busy to take on another assignment, CBS gave a newcomer his first sportscasting iob-to announce the Vanderbilt Cup Auto Races which, due to a heavy rainfall had to be cancelled but which required the new sportscaster to ad-lib for 50 minutes. Last week, this same sportscaster doing the N. Y. Giants-Washington Redskins telecast, again had to ad-lib tor 50 minutes while a snowstorm delayed the game. His name? Mel Allen. For the Mon. Jan. 2 ABCoverage of the "Tournament of Roses Parade," they'll again utilize "Shotgun Mike" which was first used for this nationally known and popular event last year and wh.ch proved so successful that it was again utilized in shooting the national presidential convention. . . . IJohnston Dinner ( Continued from page 1 ) epresentative of Allied States Association; Sam Pinanski, representing Theatre Owners of America; and Abe 'Vlontague, representing the Motion 3icture Association of America. Others who have thus far accepted Downing' s invitation to serve on the committee are Harry Brandt, president, Independent Theatre Owners \ssociation; Leslie R. Schwartz, president, Metropolitan Motion Picture Theatres Association; Albert M. Pickus, president, TOA; Sol A. Schwartz, president, American Congress of Exhibitors; Edward Emanuel, chief barker, Variety Clubs International; Walter Mirisch president, Screen Producers Guild; Herman Renin, president, American Federation of Musicians; Richard Walsh, president, IATSE; Y. Frank Freeman, chairman of the board, Motion Picture Producers Association. Correction Jack Y. Brodsky was incorrectly identified as one of the interested persons acting as a trustee in the estate of Herbert J. Elliott, deceased, in a Motion Picture Daily story pertaining to a suit at law involving the Fern Rock Theatre in Philadelphia. Brodsky has resigned as trustee for the estate because of conflicting interests in the motion picture industry. Who's Where Leonard E. Hammer, director of national sales for United Artists Associated, will take over additional responsibilities as Eastern division manager, effective immediately. He has been with UAA since 1957 and has served as station sales coordinator in addition to his current duties as national sales director. Before joining UAA, he was an account executive for WABC-TV, and before that was with MCA-TV here in the same capacity. □ Arthur Manella, a member of the Hollywood law firm of Irell and Manella, has been elected a member of the board of directors of Desilu Productions, Inc. He has served Desilu during the past eight years as special tax consultant. □ Joe Charles Friedman, a copywriter in the program promotion and merchandising department of CBS Radio since February, 1959, has been named assistant manager of program promotion and merchandising, effective immediately. He will continue to report to Arthur L. Hecht, manager of the department. Friedman, an ex-newspaper man, came to CBS Radio after two years as director and producer for WNBC Radio here. □ Arthur Zeiger, formerly assistant to the president of Broadcast Management, Inc., and before that an attorney with the American Broadcasting Co., has joined MGM-TV as assistant director of business affairs on the East Coast. His duties will include the handling of negotiations with talent, packages and networks. Predicts $40 Millions Sales for Met. Bdcstg. Special to THE DAILY DETROIT, Dec. 18. Sales of Metropolitan Broadcasting Corp. this year will approximate $40,000,000, John W. Kluge, chairman and president, told the Detroit Society of Security Analysts last week. Two years ago, he said, sales were $14,400,000. In the same period, gross assets of the company rose from $12,700,000 to $36,900,000 as the company acquired a VHF tv station in California, two UHF stations in Illinois, a radio station in Philadelphia, the WorldWide Broadcasting System, and the Foster & Kleiser outdoor advertising division of W. R. Grace & Co. Expansion Will Continue Because of a favorable depreciation situation in Foster & Kleiser, cash flow has grown from $1.58 per share to an indicated $3.50 a share. Kluge termed this an important consideration as regards the further growth of Metropolitan, which intends to continue expanding.