Ross reports -- television index. (1957)

Hal March's replacements on The $6*1,000 Question during his six -week leave of absence will include Ed Sullivan on June 25, Charlton Heston on July 2, Gene Kelly on July 9, Celeste Holm on July 1 6 and two other replacements for the remaining weeks to be named. ..... .At a luncheon today (19) in New York, the Fund for the Republic awarded the two top prizes of the $55,000 Robert E. Sherwood Television Awards to CBS for the best programs during the year dealing with freedom and Justice. A prize of $20,000 for the best network documentary went to See It Now’s "Clinton and the Law," produced by Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly. The $20,000 prize winner in the drama category was "Island in the Sky," produced on Climax I, written by Adrian Spies, produced by Edgar Peterson and directed by Buzz Kulik. The $15,000 award for the best program dealing with freedom and Justice presented over an independent sta¬ tion was not given because the Jurors felt that none of the nominees warranted the honor. Instead, the Jurors voted $5,000 prizes to three program series which have "done much to stimulate intelligent and forthright discussion of important issues af¬ fecting live in a democratic society." The prizes went to: Open Mind, produced by Richard Heffner, over WRCA-TV(NY); Camera Three, produced by Lewis Freedman on WCBSTV(NY), also seen over the CBS net, and Nlghtbeat, created by Mike Wallace, Ted Yates and Ted Cott for WABD(NY). The People's Choice will be sponsored over the NBC net (Thu, 9-9 :30pm NYT) for the 1957-58 season by the Borden Company (renewing) and the American Home Foods Div of American Home Products Corp., beginning Oct 3 and 10 respectively . ABC’s Ozark Jubilee will be re-titled Country Music Jubilee beginning July 6 (Sat, 1010:30pm NYT), and will also be given a new production and talent look. Your Hit Parade and BBDO’s Dan Lounsbery has been named special producer of the program for the ABC net and will work with the program's Springfield, Mo., producers all during June propping for the changeover . Howard Erskine will be producer for "Junior Miss," hour -and -a-half version of the Broadway and movie hit, to be presented next December over CBS as one of the Du Pont Company's series of 10 specials for next season. Will Glickman and Joe Stein are writing the book, based on Max Gordon's stage production of Sally Benson's stories. Dorothy Fields will write the lyrics for music being created by Burton Lane . NBC has contracted for additional films for Al Simon's Panic series. Even if a sponsor doesn't pick the show up for next season the additional films will fill out a 39-film package for syndication use . The NTA Film Network is offering a "triple exposure plan" of TV sponsorship availabili¬ ties, offering three advertisers representation on three different new half-hour film series weekly on the NTA Film Network stations, all In prime time. The pro¬ grams offered include TCF-TV’s How to Marry a Millionaire and Desilu's This Is Alice and The Last Marshal. The series are being offered for a 110-station lineup. The Kellogg Co thru Leo Burnett, Inc(Chi), last week bought alternate week time on five ABC daytime programs for next season and one nighttime show. The firm has bought alternate week sponsorships in four shows: Superman (Mon), Wild Bill Hlckok (Tue), Adventures of Sir Lancelot (Wed), and The Buccaneers (Frl), all to be seen 5-5 :30pm NYT. The Thursday program will be Woody Woodpecker and will be sponsored weekly by Kellogg. The evening program, also on an alternate week basis, will be Circus Boy, Thursdays, 7 :30-8pm NYT. Daytime sponsorships start Sept 30, the night¬ time commitment begins Sept 19 . Guild Films has acquired world distribution rights to The Michaels in Africa, the authentic adventures of a white hunter and his family during their safaries in the jungles of Rhodesia, Kenya and Bechuanaland; 39 half-hour episodes in color, produced by George Michael . The Desi Arnaz-Lucille Ball one -hour films for Ford Motor Co will be produced by Bert Granet. Jerry Thorpe directs the first one, rolling at Desilu starting June 28. ROSS REPORTS MID-WEEK SPECIAL 6/19/57 Page 2