Sponsor (July-Dec 1950)

TV MYSTERIES (Continued from page 33 I up eventually in line with general price rises; sets, costumes, scenery, and salaries will all be higher. But the biggest hike in a show's budget comes from use of name stars either as guests or running characters. Most mysteries at present do not use big-name stars, but the trend is to use them more frequently, according to George F. Foley, Jr. ( President, Foley & Brockway Co., TV package talent management firm I who was a key figure in production of both Suspense and Danger (while with Cecil & Presbrey). He says: "I think that there will be more personality or character mysteries in the future than they have had to date. With TV's intimacy, you can build character to an even greater extent than on radio or in the movies. A character mystery is a better bet for TV because in case the situation is weak, the personality can still carry the ball and hold audience. By and large, 'names' will be used for this pur KRNT . . . THE STATION WITH THE FABULOUS PERSONALITIES AND THE ASTRONOMICAL HOOPERS HOOPERATINC HIGHER • MORNING • AFTERNOON • NIGHT THAN ANY OTHER STATION IN DES MOINES ANY KATZ MAN WILL TELL YOU THE FULL FABULOUS SALES RESULTS STORY! *C. E. Hooper Audience Index, City Zone — JulyAug. 1950 pose."' No doubt the element of competition as TV grows will be another factor encouraging use of names. Not quite in accord with this view is Jerome Danzig, Director of TV Programs, CBS. He thinks it's doubtful that the future will see more big name stars on TV mysteries than today. Improved story quality, increased TV know-how plus use of skilled TV actors should do the job very well, he feels. Mysteries which use names currently include Man Against Crime, Ralph Bellamy: Martin Kane, Private Eye, William Gargan; Lights Out, with guests like Ella Raines, Boris Karloff, Tom Drake: Suspense, has used Franchot Tone and Bela Lugosi among others; The Clock, Raymond Massey, Mady Christians; Danger, Dane Clark, Van Heflin. Some shows do not star name talent regularly; stars may appear every other week, or only occasionally to hypo interest. Danger is a case in point. The problem of finding a wide enough variety of actors for shows that don't use name talent, as well as for featured and supporting roles in those that do, is a bugaboo of mystery producers. Mr. Sean Dillon of Transamerican Broadcasting and Television Corp , producers of Famous Jury Trials and The Plainclothesman (DuMont) states: "Though we don't use name stars, we do use many, many actors over a year on these shows. On radio, the same voices may be heard week after week without losing audience; TV requires much greater change and variety in faces. To find interesting types that have not been seen too much on video is a big job and one we're constantly working on." What are the main production problems in connection with mysteries? Consensus of opinion is that by and large, they are no more difficult to produce than other TV dramas I except for the supernatural type of mystery which requires additional gimmicks). The basic ingredients are the same: Good writing, good casting, good direction. Scripts come first in importance. They should be written in such a way as not to go overboard on production requirements, sets must be kept to a minimum, changes of locale can't be too frequent — yet the story must be told effectively. Sources for scripts vary. Some shows, such as Suspense and Lights Out frequently dramatize famous stories; DuMont's Hands of Mystery is 58 SPONSOR