Ross reports -- television index. (1957)

ROSS REPORTS -TELEVISION INDEX DECEMBER 18, 1957 VOLUME 9 NUMBER 51 A EDITOR: Jerry Leichter a PROGRAMS • ADVERTISERS • TALENT 551 Fifth Avenue • New York 17 • MUrray Hill 2-5910 PUBLISHED BY TELEVISION INDEX , INC. receive MID-WEEK SPECIAL NEWS COMMENT POSSIBILITIES 1 8 19! M OENEHAL Litii Because the coming Holidays fall on Wednesdays, this will be the last "Mid-Week Special" for this year - the next issue will be January 8. Charles Isaacs, producer and head writer for The Glsele MacKenzle Show, who has asked to be replaced by January 11 because of excessive interference from one spon¬ sor, its agency and MCA, is either "courageous" or "foolhardy", depending on whose opinion you listen to. Isaacs said that chamelon changes in attitude (the show is great ... .you’ll be fired if you don’t change it.... less comedy, more music.... let Gisele talk more.... it was a great show.... it isn't the type of show we want) have con¬ vinced him that his stomach won't stand the pace for the duration of the 37 -'week contract. He charged that Scott Paper Co and J. Walter Thompson Co put the pressure on for more music and less comedy and that MCA, which requested changes in the show, never really decided what the changes should be. Isaacs had no complaint of inter¬ ference from the alternate week sponsor, Schick, or its agency, Benton & Bowles, both of which seemed to be satisfied with the program. Isaacs' blast is not expected to lead to any other moves by other production people, since most of them prefer to slide out of situations as quietly as possible to preserve customer relations for a possible new job another day. It's no secret in the business that ad agency and tal¬ ent agency execs have meddled in the production of major shows, some with measurable improvement, but several with disastrous effects (later blamed on the unfortunate production people who can't afford to bite a payroll). You'll be getting a lot of Kitty Foyle all over NBC for the next few weeks, if the great "talent search" managers for the program have their way. The "search" for the actress to play the title role in the new daytime drama has been narrowed to 15 girls (any of whom would give their eyeteeth for the regular employment the role car¬ ries with it), and the first program in the series is scheduled for Jan 13 (Mon thru Fri, 2 :30-3pm NYT over NBC), when the program replaces Bride and Groom. The program is getting more planning in the pre-production buildup than any sustaining show NBC has programmed, aside from the public service series. Kitty Foyle is a Henry Jaffe Enterprises package, with Charles Irving as producer; Hal Cooper, associate producer and director; Gary Simpson, director, and Carlton E. Morse and Sarett Rudley, writers. . ABC's new Sid Caesar show, starting Jan 26, Sunday, 9-9 :30pm NYT, will be packaged by his Shellrick Corp., and produced by Hal Janis, with Frank Bunetta as director. The writing staff will include Mel Tolkin (longest service of writers with Caesar), Neil Simon, Mike Stewart and Danny Simon. Casting for the Caesar-Coca show will be handled by Berenice Weiler at the Shellrick office . Seven Lively Arts, on final notice from CBS after 10 shows, goes dramatic on January 26 with "The Blast at Centralia No. 5," a mining disaster story . When Harbourmaster switches from CBS to ABC it will also have a new title. Adventure at Scott Island, the latter name previously dropped as the name of the CBS series before it went on the air. Page 1 (MORE) ROSS REPORTS TELEVISION INDEX, Service Subscription Rates: $110 per year (or $30 quarterly, minimum one year subscription). Addi¬ tional or multiple subscriptions at lower rates. 1 1 Service includes: Weekly reports on current television production, programs, advertisers, talent movements; unlimited telephone and mail information service; periodic reports on special aspects of television; semi-annual and annual industry surveys, and The Television Index card file.