Sponsor (1964)

FRIDAY AT 5 Embassy's Tv Gross in 18 Months: $6 Million Joe Levine's production-distribution firm has mapped out six television series, advertiser merchandising, more features New York — With station demand for feature-film product continuing unchecked, and with a network swing toward filmed action-adventure and monedy clearly in evidence, television is acquiring much the same importance as theatrical distribution in the plans of leading motion picture production-distribution firms. This play-it-down-the-middle attitude could be clearly seen in the remarks of Joseph E. Levine, president of Embassy Pictures, at a news conference in New York last week. In only 18 months of tv activity Embassy had already grossed more than $6 million, Levine said, and plans to release in 1965-66 a major package of 115 movies to tv syndication. "We're not in the motion picture business and we're not in the television business . . . Our business is entertainment," he said, later adding: "As far as theater owners are concerned, I don't know any exhibitors who would sit on top of something worth $6 million in tv. Actually, if it were not for the sale of our pictures ultimately to tv, we could not continue to supply theaters with pictures. In any case, we try for a 'reasonable' time lag of about three years between theaters and tv on pictures we produce. On those we simply buy or distribute, it may be much less." Levine's Embassy Pictures, which has boomed steadily since its first splash with "Hercules" (an Italianmade picture whose U.S. and Canadian rights Levine acquired for about $12,000), is now concerned with more Levine Eyes L.I. UHF Outlet New York — "I've got a taste of what it's like to be in the tv business," says Embassy Pictures president Joseph E. Levine. "I like it ;ind I'm going to stay." Among long-range levine plans for staying in tv is a move into station ownership, via purchase of UHF independent in Long Island's wealthy, growing Suffolk County, in the Riverhcad area. "There's room for "community television" in upper-income areas," he says. than just feature distribution in tv. A total of six tv series with a total production investment of $20 million are blueprinted by Embassy, of which two are sold for 1965-66 network: "Hercules," a filmed-in-color hourlong series starring Gordon Scott, sold to ABC-TV and budgeted at an eyeopening $300,000 per episode; "Steptoe and Son," an Americanized version of a British comedy sold to NBC-TV; "Casanova and D'Artagnan," a pair of hour-long, filmed-in-Europe ad venture shews: "The Adventuress," sort of female version of James Bor "Dodo," a British-made animated c; toon series; and "Nevada Smith," I vine's newest tv project, which is bas on a character in his current movie i lease, "The Carpetbbaggers." Levine, one of the few "colorl showmen" active in the film busine intends to bring to tv production mu> of the flair and hoopla associated wi his movie ventures, promises "m works and sponsors the same type aggressive showmanship" that is tl Levine trademark. He is also bulli on the subject of color (75 percent Embassy tv features are color-filmei and stated: "The future of movies ai television" lies in this area. STV Set (or Frisco Premier, Gets Top Motion Picture San Francisco — Subscription Television has its promotion guns trained on San Francisco this week, with the controversial pay tv system bowing Friday, Aug. 14. Currently, about 5000 residents have ordered the system, although STV officials were not able to say at presstime how many homes have actually been wired. In Los Angeles and San Francisco combined (the system made its debut in Los Angeles July 1 7), a total of 29,000 orders have been placed, according to an STV spokesman. In addition to heavy newspaper advertising heralding STV's arrival, the company has invited a substantial roster of stars to journey to San Francisco for the premier. Acceptances have been received from Joseph Cotten, Patricia Medina, June Lockhart and Ralph Bellamy. As in Los Angeles, an hour-long free presentation, featuring a talk by STV president Sylvester (Pat) Weaver, will precede the see-for-pay programs. First night fare will include a surfing film (75 cents), the Giants versus the Braves ($1.50), the Second City Revue ($1.50) and a 120-minute film dramatization of Maxim Gorki's "Lower Depths" ($2). Latest coup by STV in the area of viewing properties was a deal closed with the Paramount Film Distribution Corp. for a group of 20 big boxoffice motion pictures including "Hud." "Come Blow Your Horn." "Roman Holiday" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The films, slated to bow on STV within the next few weeks, will be shown twice each evening. Paramount had previously supplit feature motion pictures to its own p; tv system. Telemeter in Toronto, ar to the RKO General Telcradio oper tion in Hartford, Conn. McGraven-Guild Splits, Will Sell by Market Size New York — The concept which h; worked so well for Blair over tl years in the selling of tv stations about to get a run in radio. McGr vcn-Guild is being separated into tw selling companies — the Daren F. M Graven Co. will represent stations major markets (one million populatic or more) and the McGraven-Gui: Co. will specialize in stations in ma kets below the one million populatic mark. Strategy behind the move, as in th case of Blair Television and Blair 1 Associates is. obviously, that a diffe ent sales tack should be taken for st; tions in varying market sizes, by specialized sales force. As it works ou the old McGraven-Guild list will b sliced down the middle, with each necompany representing 14 of the st. tions. Split coincides with the merger i the year-old Robert L. Williams Co which will add six or seven smaOei market stations to the McGraven-Guil list. Another instance of the rep firm suing to greater specialization is th appointment of Richard McCauley, salesman with McGraven-Guild sine January of this year, as director c sports of the new Daren F. McGra\e ( o. to handle all sporting events. SPONSOR