Motion Picture Herald (Nov-Dec 1944)

Television Will Help Screen fheatre^ Says Royal, The While Pledging Decency John F. Royal Television will benefit, rather than hurt, the Lotion picture theatre, and both entertainment ^edia will benefit by cooperating with i each other, John F. Royal believes. Mr. Royal, vice-president of the National Broadcasting Company, last week was placed in charge of that company's television ac tivities, newly organ 4 -H^IH ized on an autonomous ^HB basis. ^ , , .-i^W"'! Mewing broadly television's relationship to both motion pictures £ radio, and dis ifl aSS» cussing , the stages through which he expects the new medium to pass, Mr. Royal inalyzing the television situation of the future, .ees : 1. An important part for motion pictures ji television programs. He hopes Hollywood jvill supply them, but if not some one else >7ill. 2. Television as an exploitation aid for motion picture theatres. ' 3. New studios designed and built especially for television. 4. Talent developed by and for television. 5. A television code of decency. The pledge that the radio industry's largest proponent of television would adopt a written code of decencv was emphatic, from Mr. Royal. "The fact that we go straight into the home makes our responsibility even greater than that of the films," he said. "We have, anyivay, a policy of clean, wholesome entertainment, hut it is not written for specific instances now. But it will be and it will be religiously adhered to. Mr. Royal is now responsible for the propriety of programs in NBC television. Films will be an important part of television ; certainly NBC television, Mr. Royal believes. "They will be important in themselves, and in combination with talent as picture sequences." he said. "We hope the film industry will be a partner in our new art; we know in any event someone, when television develops, will be making pictures for television. Even now, there are plenty making plans and trying to negotiate. Would Like to Use Hollywood Films "We would like to use Hollywood's films — if we can get them, and they're good. We would like to get new films — we're hoping, and can't get arrested for hoping." Mr. Royal deplored the belief among some of the film industry that films on television, or even television, would hurt theatre business. "Nothing can hurt a good picture in a theatre. Theatre going is a great social institution. Television in the home will help it. When I was an exhibitor, we used to run a machine in the lobby with extracts from the films. It attracted people into the theatre. That's television. "I tell you people are not going to stay home every night looking at television. When it saturates the country and gets into a habit, people will wash, fix their clothing, and go to a movie house as they always did as a weekly habit. "The parallel is with newspapers and the movies when the radio came along. People said the radio would ruin them. People are always saying such things. Look at the biggest stars in the pictures ; they're radio people. Sees Public Relations Value ■'It's all mutual; we are interdependent; Hollywood, instead of bucking us, could easily get on the band wagon, and benefit. Furthermore, you know now that when even an extra girl in Hollywood is involved in a scandal, the whole country hears about it. These sensations hurt Hollywood. Television can be used by Hollywood as a public relations agent. Hollywood will be able through television to enter the homes of America, and show itself in a good light." NBC television does not want, if it can avoid it, to duplicate the services it can obtain from others, Mr. Royal pointed out. "Take news, for instance," he said. "We have our chance of having our own newsreel locally, nationally, or internationally, or of participating with recognized newsgathering groups. If we can't make a deal, we will definitely get our own news; but we'd like to make the deal." The need for new studios, and large ones, is immediately evident, Mr. Royal said. "When we built Radio City, we were obsolete before we moved in. We are not going to be in that situation with television." NBC plans to have its own staff in television. The department was established separately because it was found that men serving radio and television were handicapped, and that in the two mediums they developed dilYerent talents. The staff will include actors and actresses on contract, as in Hollywood. None has been signed thus far, Mr. Royal said, pointing out that this development awaited the Government go-ahead signal, which also would be a signal for NBC to acquire new technical equipment which for the duration of the war, will be in the laboratory stage. Will Have Own Divisions The television department will have its own production, art directors, rights, research, scenery, makeup divisions ; for the present it will rely on the radio section for legal talent and certain engineers. "At the beginning, we are going to have as many people as possible doubling in brass," Mr. Royal said. "We'll go through what will be known as 'the good old days of television'.'' The research department will be most important, in his opinion. While television shows will be repeated where radio shows are not, the medium still demands enormous material, he noted. "As for the stars, we'll make them," he said, " but to keep them will be some job." Whether NBC will have audiences in its television programs, Mr. Royal doesn't yet know; but he said his "guess is that studio audiences will vanish." It probably will be too hard to combine situations, the picture appeal, with gags, the ear appeal, to make the studio audiences laugh properly ; and, possibly, they would detract from the reality. NBC will telecast legitimate theatre shows, Mr. Royal promised, pointing out it has been done in England. However, he said, "the picture people are buying in the Broadway shows now, and they'll probably say we can't televise. The picture industry will try to control television rights for everything. "It's going to be costly," he said. Television Groups To See First Film Made for Medium The first film subject made especially for television will be telecast to the New York City television public Monday night over Station WABD, as part of the television demonstration accompanying the first annual television conference, which begins that day at the Hotel Commodore, sponsored by the Television Broadcasters Association. The picture is "Talk Fast, Mister," from an original story by Clarence Buddington Kelland, with Eddie Nugent, Raymond Greenleaf and others, sponsored by the Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, and produced for the advertiser by the RKO Television Corporation. The station is owned by the DuMont Laboratories. •The picture was made at the RKO Pathe studio, in New York, and supervised by Thomas Hutchinson, the corporation's production chief, and Ted Long, television head for Batton, Bartin, Durstine and Osborne, representing the advertiser. WABD and WENT, of NBC, will telecast a one-hour program, supervised by Ralph Austrian, executive vice-president of RKO Television. Speakers at the convention will be Allen B. DuMont, president of the TBA, and head of the DttMont Laboratories; J. R. Poppele, chairman of the convention, and chief engineer of WOR; Dr. W. R. G. Baker, vice-president of the General Electric Company, and chairman of the Radio Technical Planning Board; E. W. Engstrom, director of research of the RCA Laboratories at Princton, N. J.; John F. Royal, vice-president in charge of television for the National Broadcasting Company; Robert L. Gibson, GE; Thomas Hutchinson, RKO Television; Harold S. Osborne, chief engineer of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company. Also, Lewis Allen Weiss, executive vice-president of the Don Lee Broadcasting System; Dorman D. Israel, vice-president in charge of engineering for the Emerson Radio and Television Corporation; Samuel CuiT, DuMont Laboratoris; Commander WiUiam Eddy, U. S. Navy; John T. Wilhams, NBC; Harry Lubcke, Don Lee; Paul Knight, Philco: Klaus Landsberg, Telvision Productions, Inc.; C. A. Priest, GE; Charles Robbins, Emerson; Paul Chamberlain, and J. E. Keister, GE; Dr. Peter Goldmark, Columbia Broadcasting System; Walter Lemmon, International Business Machines. Also, in the theatres panel meeting, Paul Larsen, Society of Motion Picture Engineers ; Mr. Austrian; Paul Raibourn, Paramount; Ralph Beal, and Dr. B. W. Epstein, RCA, Also, in the talent panel meeting, William Morris, Morris Agency; Ed Wynn, Garson Kanin, Larry Brooks, Walter O'Keefe, Jessica Dragonette, Ilka Chase, Selma Lee, Hope Bunin. Also, in a technical round-table forum. Dr. Alfred Goldsmith, vice-chairman of the Radio Technical Planning Board; O. B. Hanson, NBC; Dr. C. B. Jolifle, RCA. The convention will comprise the panel meetings, general addresses and discussions, luncheons, the first day banquet and television demonstrations, a general session, a cocktail party sponsored by the first television network, NBC, GE, and Philco, visits to television studios, and the annual meeting of the TBA, open only to members. La Roche Suggests Televised Film Trailers to Homes "Cooperate with us," Chester LaRoche, vicechairman of the Blue Network, asked film companies last week, in New York. At a luncheon meeting with the press, Mr. LaRoche said his net\york would interchange ideas with film companies, and desired to know their plans in television. He added the network could aid films by telecasting trailers into homes. The network was expected this week to open its projected television department. MOTION PICTURE HERALD, DECEMBER 9, 1944 15