Sponsor (Oct-Dec 1963)

If JACK WEBB Prodiutioii h<-ad, WB-TV "We're going to ignore psychiatric problems. I'm very tired of being lectured to on tv. You get quite enough of that on commercials. The industry is going to have to retool and get back to entertainment." ard Simmons; an untitled Stan Freberg "Situationless" comedy series for Revue; a ghost story series, produced by Joe Stefano; a 60-min. musical from Warner Bros., produced by Alan Handle)' and Bob Wynn, and a half-hour comedy, No Time for St'rgcrt»/.9, also from WB, with Robert Welch as producer; a 60-min. localed-in-Rome drama, produced by Herbert B. Leonard (Naked City, Route 66); Grand Hotel, based on the Metro film of 1931, a 60-min. drama from MGMTV, produced by Leonard Freeman. Among other Holhwood projects: Remin<iton, 60-min. drama about the western artist Frederic Remington, produced b\ Leonard Freeman for MGM-TV; Killer on the Turnpike, 60-min. action series based on the William McGivern book of that name, produced by Robert Altman for Revue, and to be a spinoff on its Kraft Suspense theater. A Johnny Crawford-starring halfhour drama produced at F'our Star by Jules Levy, Arthur Gardner, Arnold Laven; Overni<iht to Nancy and Case of Sg^ Ryker. both 60min. dramas produced b\' Frank Telford for Revue, both spinoffs on the Kraft scries; a half-hour comedy series starring Don Wilson and to be a s]iinoff on TJie Jack Benny Show, produced at Revue by Edward Montague (McII ale's Navy). A half-hour comedv series star 26 ring Dwayne Hickman, being produced by Bob Sweene\' for Desilu Studios; a Donald O'Connor comedy series being produced at Desilu; Please Don't Eat the Daisies and Min and Bill, both half-hour comedies, at MGM-TV; Take Me To Your Leader, half-hour comedyfantasy being produced bv MGMTV. Parole, 60-min. drama being produced by Matthew Rapf for Bing Crosby Productions; The Spy, 60min. espionage series being produced by the Crosby company; tentatively titled half-hour comedy series, The John McGiver Show, produced by Parke Levy for MGMTV; a 60-min. drama spinoff on Wagon Train, being produced at Revue by Howard Christie; The Paul Lynde Show, half-hour comedy, being produced at Screen Gems by Harry Ackcrman; Dear Old Rutley, half-hour comedy starring Eddie Mayehoff, produced by Roland Kibbce at Revue; a 60-min. drama about an in\estigator in the l^S. Attorney General's office, being produced by Screen Gems; The Chase, a 60-min. action series created by Rod Serling. CBS T\^ may be in on a co-production deal for the Serling venture. Already firmed for production next season are two series: Tycoon. a half-hour comed\ show created and produced by Charlie Isaacs, and starring Walter Brennan. Dan ny Thomas bankrolled this xenture, and ABC TV has already snapped it up, sans pilot, ordering 26 segments with option for more, for 1964-65. CBS' TV bought on firm order from Jackie Cooper a 60-min. series starring Cooper as a Coimty Agent in the southwest. But add all these up, and sometimes they mean nary a thing. Example: Last (1962-63) season, the greatest number of pilots in Hollywood was turned out by the largest vidfilm studio. Revue. It didn't sell a single pilot, although it has since sold a number of series projects without pilots, including Arrest and Trial, Kraft Suspense Theater and the Bob Hope specialsplus-anthology series. On the other hand, a small independent company, Filmways, made just one pilot last season and sold it — Beverly Hillhillies. Before a production company has a chance to show its series wares to the public, it must first persuade a network of the quality and commercial value of that series. Sometimes the network disagrees. If all three networks disagree, a producer may as well burn his film. How to sell a good tv pilot Couple of years ago, Bing Crosby Productions turned out an hour pilot, going in defiance of one of those made-in-Holh'wood myths that the public "doesn't \\'ant such series." BCP has a contractual deal with ABC TV, and when the web saw the pilot it agreed with that built-in m\th, and didn't want the show Onl> through long weeks of persuasion and salesmanship by the BCF people was the web finally per suaded to take the series. And Bci Casey turned out to be a hit. .\ pilot often does not accurateh reflect that quality of a series be cause the production company wil spend more on the pilot, in orde; to make a sale. That's wh\ adver tisers and networks these days art as interested in reputation and rec ord of a company, as the\ are in th( product itself. Just what exactly does it take t( sell a series? A combination of political inflii ence; being able to get through th( right doors; luck; qualit>; and (it' vers' helpful) a good track rec ord'. ' # SPONSOR '4 NOVEMBER \% :