Motion Picture Herald (Mar-Apr 1945)

TELEVISION OUT OF THE BLUE TO YOU Network Uses Facilities of General Electric and DuMont Stations by BILL FORMBY in Schenectady Television, which had not as of last Sunday "rounded the corner" itself, lured a group of press representatives around the corner up in Schenectady, N. Y., to the industrial acreage of General Electric Company and the facilities of telecaster WRGB. The Blue Network was the host and the occasion was the telecasting of the network's radio show, "Ladies Be Seated." There in the party atmosphere of convivial technology, engineers and producers and others of varying degree of intimacy with their subject talked television. A considerable portion was perhaps significant, and most of it was interesting. Technicians, being a bit reticent by dint of habit and condition of servitude, stepped gingerly and anonymously on the matter of competition between television and the motion picture. There was, they agreed, an area where one medium might conceivably impinge on the other — the overlapping frontages being governed more by attitudes than by actualities. There was considerable argument aimed at operation "in mutual trust and in mutual cooperation." One art needed the other, and the new aspiring, and sometimes perspiring, medium would have to lean heavily upon the talent and the resources of the elder cousin. Would Avoid Wrangling When Mark Woods, president of the Blue Network, came to town he arrived quickly enough at specifics. Declaring that the new industry might face costly and progress-blocking difficulties if jurisdictional battles which appeared to be threatening were not avoided, Mr. Woods urged the broadcasters, the television stations and all others concerned to work out union problems quickly. He suggested that workers be given the advantage of increased rates as rapidly as the financial development of the industry would permit. He asked that William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor, with which most of the unions are affiliated, be asked to settle any jurisdictional rows that threatened operations. The labor situation was highlighted recently by a statement from Richard F. Walsh, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, that his union would organize workers in television. At the time it was anticipated that such action might clash with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and with the National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians, other unions which might claim jurisdiction. Show First of Its Kind for Blue The Sunday telecast was the first such Blue Network show, but was followed by the debut Tuesday evening of the network's "On Stage, Everybody" as a weekly series over the facilities of the DuMont station in New York. Arrangements also were being discussed to put Blue shows into the Balaban & Katz station in Chicago for shows which originate there. Actually, the Blue acts more in the capacity of sponsor for these shows, supplying the talent but using other companies' facilities. One of the largest and most completely equipped in use, the WRGB studio permitted a large audience to view the proceedings. Brilliantly lighted with new type GE mercury vapor water-cooled lamps, the set was comfortable for Johnny Olsen, master of ceremonies, and the audience participants. Three cameras were employed, and two pre-war receiving sets brought the television show to the press representatives. See Pattern Ideally Suited In deciding upon "Ladies Be Seated" for the spot, officials of the network backed their belief that audience participation programs were ideally suited to telecasting on the ground that they offered a variety of special acts. Paul Mowrey is head of television for the network. Because pre-war receiving sets were used, the image was subject to the usual distortions and other difficulties of such sets. Three short subjects were shown, with somewhat clearer results despite the fact that the productions were old. Improvement was noted over some earlier shows, with hope high in sponsors' hearts for release soon of badly needed equipment. On the ride home, one technician observer dusted the matter of screen-size television lightly. "We're having enough trouble perfecting an 18xl2-inch home screen," he said, "without worrying a great deal about the imminency of theatre television." He shook his head sadly over what he termed the cumulative woe generated somewhat in ratio to the enlargement of the image. The party, pursuing the formula of luncheon and buffet dinner with General Electric as host, was in all ways up to the Hollywood and New York standard for such occasions. Decorators Win WLB Decision In Dispute with IATSE The long jurisdictional dispute between Screen Set Decorators' local No. 1421, Los Angeles, and the IATSE, which last autumn caused a studio walkout, seemed ended last week, when Thomas Tongue, War Labor Board arbitrator, decided in favor of the decorators. Edward Mussa, business manager for the decorators, declared the union was satisfied with the decision, which opens the way for employing producers to negotiate changes in the present contract, which runs until April, 1947, or a new contract to supersede it. Herbert Sorrell, president of the Conference of Studio Unions, which supported the decorators in the dispute, said the producers' labor contact, Pat Casey, had agreed to open negotiations on the basis of the WLB decision. Marlcham Named TBA Director Emerson Markham, associated with the General Electric Company in Schenectady, N. Y., for the past 20 years, has been named a director of the Television Broadcasting Association, Inc. Mr. Markham will fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Robert L. Gibson. Birmingham Theatre Burns The Galax theatre, Birmingham, Ala., was partially destroyed by fire last week. The theatre is operated by the Acme Theatre Company. There are no immediate plans for the reopening of the theatre. FCC Hearings on Allocation of FM Begin in Capital Hearings before the Federal Communications Commission in Washington were begun Wednesday on the FCC's proposed allocation in the radio spectrum of FM (frequency modulation). Briefs were filed last week with the commission, preparatory to the hearing including those of Columbia Broadcasting System, National Broadcasting Company and Radio Corporation of America ; Television Eroadcasters Association, Allen B. DuMont Laboratories and FM Broadcasters, Inc. It was indicated that the big decision facing the commission would be the location of FM, not television, in the radio spectrum. The FCC proposed allocation of frequencies to the various classes of non-governmental services from 25,000 to 30,000,000 kilocycles. Opposing the FCC proposal to move FM from the 42-50 megacycle band to 84-102, were FM Broadcasters, Inc., and Major Edwin H. Armstrong, FM inventor, and Panel 5 of the Radio Technical Planning Board. The Blue Network, CBS and NBC supported the commission's findings and found no fault with the FM allocation, according to the briefs. However, NBC objected to the commission setting aside the 102-108 megacycle band "without assignment for the present, pending development of television, FM, the emergency services or facsimile." NBC contended that television was ready, but that FM was not and therefore the FCC should give the 102-108 mc band to television if FM got the 84-102 band. The Blue Network said a certain amount oi equipment and receivers would become obsolete if FM were moved up the spectrum, "but it is felt that this is inevitable since the mere extension of the present FM band would bring about the same result." CBS supported the FCC's proposal to move FM upward but recommended that "no frequencies be assigned to theatre television and subscription radio services because they would be available to the public only upon payment of a fee and could utilize wire lines rather than radio frequencies used by broadcasters who provide the public with program services gratis." Dr. Alfred N. Goldsmith, consulting engineer in radio, television and motion pictures, also filed a brief with the FCC. He urged allocation of a 200megacycle band between 2,500 and 5,000 mcs to the experimental development of radio "center casting". This is a service which would permit the rapid polling by radio of a large group of people located in a given area "by methods fully protected against incorrect operation and susceptible of speedy analysis and utilization of the results of the poll." Experimental use of center casting has been recommended by panel 13 of the Planning Board. Testimonial Party March 21 For Gertrude Merriam A testimonial party will be given Gertrude Merriam, associate editor of the Managers' Round Table department of Motion Picture Herald, by industry friends, celebrating her forthcoming marriage to Howard Ernstthal. The party, which is being arranged by a committee of Miss Merriam's friends, will be held at the New Amsterdam Theatre Roof March 21. The New Amsterdam Roof was offered for the occasion by Max A. Cohen, president of Cinema Circuit. Tickets are available from the ticket chairman, Herb Berg, at United Artists. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" Has New York Opening Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," which had its world premiere Wednesday at the Roxy theatre, New York, has been designated a Twentieth Century-Fox 30th anniversary special heralding the company's celebration in April. '(8 MOTION PICTURE HERALD, MARCH 3, 1945