Sponsor (July-Dec 1954)

a forum on questions of current interest to air advertisers and their agencies \\ Imt steps van be taken as a safety measure in ease the star of a program eau'i appear By Nicholas E. Keesely Senior ' ice President in Charge Radio &■ 7'r. Lennen <V Newell, IVew York This is a question I hate to think about. Frankly, after so nianv years in this business, I still am proud of the old phrase, "The show must go on." I take pride in knowing those entertainers who regard themselves as servants of the public and make every effort to preserve the tradition of holding nothing back if it helps the show. As you think about this situation, you cannot help but be surprised at the small percentage of times a star actual]) fails l<> make a show. Sacrifice i a common practice among our more successful entertainers. It was true in the halcyon da\s of vaudeville and it is still the tradition of t\. However, on those occasions when the star fails to appear, a substitute has usuall) been made available without i"" much effort. Sometimes the show will suffer, bul toda) the modern audience i conditioned to accept the substitute when necessar) and without resentment. In audiem e participation, panel or quiz shows not dependent in their entiret) "ii the star there is reall) no serious problem, aside from the last minute inconvenience in getting someone to carr) on. I he expense "I tele* ision prohibits the employment "I star understudies; .ill one can do is hire the best substitute a\ ailable when necessar) . Hope for the best ii you den i have a -pale kilie. There are too main things that keep me awake nights with shows where the star always shows up to consider this question beyond this at the moment. I just pray that everybody stays health*, including me. By Joel P. Nixon Radio & Television Department Maxon, Metr York A sudden attack of high-priced absenteeism is like one of Rocky Marciano's overhand rights — it will hurt \ ou but \ (Hi can roll with the punch if you're looking lor it. In simplest terms, a producer should look for trouble in advance and make some plans for the possibility of losing the star on embarassinglv short notice. Depending on the nature of the show. he can provide for an understud\ or for suitable stand-by, material. A straight unserialized dramatic program ma) lose some of its zip if the little blonde in the back row has to pinch hit for the leading lad) but it's still a dramatic show. Sometimes the format of a program i so completer) wrapped around the particular talents of the star that it is impossible to brim: in an understudy. Mien substitute material live or film must be employed. Some advance thought can make that material suitableand entertaining. The minimal < "-I involved in lining this up are well worth it when you consider the investment being protected. In some pro1 ams, o| ( ourse. it i pos-ihle to -ul> -titute a kinescope of an earlier show chosen for its lack of topicality. There is nothing that can be done to prevent absence due to sicknes or injur* where the talent is concerned. But particular!* at sport or special event remotes another problem is intensified — that of getting the talent where he is supposed to get safely and on time. \n\one who has fought the crowd outside a champion-hip prize fight, seen credentials torn out of peoples' hands, or waited in traffic as the time of the bout neared knows that the trivial seeming matter of pinning down adequate transportation or even police aid for all involved is very important. Coping with the problems created by a missing Btai i> no picnic, but looking for trouble in advance makes it a bit easier to handle when it comes. Veirs Vole In a recent t\ rehearsal 30 minute before airtime Red Skelton plunged headlong into a door and suffered a concussion. \t the last minute a replacement was found and the show went on as scheduled. \\ hat precautions can a sponsor take to avoid lastminute frenz) in case his star is unable to go on? Some advert i^ Lng executives give their suggestions on these pagi In the case of the Skelton -how. performance b) the replacement, Johnn) Carson, won this praise from Time magazine: ". . . did a \er\ funn) job. . ." Carson is a nightclub veteran, has his own CHS -how. 78 SPONSOR