Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

— 7 — Programming TAPE INNOCENTS ABROAD: What amounts to a small scale bonanza in European tape assignments for network shows and TV commercials is being struck by Intercontinental TV, the newly-organized production firm that intends to be the European production base for U.S. video interests. On Tuesday (Mar. 24), NBC-TV and ITV announced a deal to tape 5 two-hour live shows in Paris to be aired on Dave Garroway’s Today during the week of April 27-May 1. Shooting will cover 5 different location points in Paris, and will use ITV’s new 15-ton $300,000 Ampex-equipped mobile unit. The shows, which will cost about $75,000, will be televised just 24 hours after shooting. Many of the Today commercials will be produced in Paris during the location week — largely at the request of sponsors. Several other overseas tape deals are currently brewing for Intercontinental, according to ex-NBC producer David A. Lown, pres., and Hugo Seiler, exec, v.p.: Ed Sullivan is discussing a taped spectacular of Soviet talent to be shot in Moscow in late Sept., using the ITV mobile unit and flying the tapes by jet to the U.S. Jack Paar has changed his mind about a Paris junket and is now planning a Garroway-fashion tape session in Europe with ITV for late May & early June covering some 2 week’s worth of shows. Also being discussed is a fortnight of tape shows with Elsa Maxwell in Rome. ITV will also function as the “pool” facility for the 3 U.S. networks in live TV coverage of the upcoming foreign ministers’ meeting & the future “summit meeting” in Geneva starting in May, the tapes to be flown to U.S. * * * The first Europe-and-U.S. closed-circuit telecast, for a leading firm in the medical field, is also set. ITV will tape segments in Europe, with the footage being spliced into an over-all program due to be aired later this year on closedcircuit in both Europe & in this country. At least 2 U.S. sponsors are discussing Europeantaped music spectaculars with ITV. Pontiac is planning a one-man spectacular starring Victor Borge, appearing in {concert this summer in Copenhagen. Special Pontiac commercials may also be taped at the same time. Also in the works is a live jazz spectacular, featuring European artists for Timex. Being discussed with NBC, but not set because of lack of sponsor commitment, is a plan for ITV to tape a Gian-Carlo Menotti music festival in Spoleto, Italy, starring ballerina Nora Kaye and the Modern Jazz Quartet. Intercontinental is also eyeing the outside-U.S. TV market. One plan due for exploration is to tape weekend bullfights in Madrid & Seville, and then rush the highlights by plane to tape-equipped stations in Mexico City, Havana, Caracas and other Latin-American markets. Lown and his group may take a plunge into packaging on their own. Already being discussed with ABC and CBS are 2 taped dramatic shows, one a cloak-&-dagger series and the other a romantic comedy. Both would be produced on location throughout Europe. Lown is also considering deals to tape full-length operas in such famous centers as La Scala & I’Opera de Paris for telecasting here. Intercontinental expects to have a $100,000 “translator depot” in Geneva ready by July to process tapes from European to U.S. video standards, and vice-versa (along with necessary voice dubbing) as international program exchanges develop. Things are equally busy for Intercontinental in the field of overseas-lensed commercials. One of the U.S. auto majors 7K)w importing a French-built car has scheduled a series of commercials to be done in France for U.S. network use. Oasis cigarets is developing its “Oasis takes you away” theme, wants a set of tape commercials taking U.S. viewers to such spots as Venice, Rome, Paris and London. A leading aluminum firm has scheduled a set of TV commercials which ITV will shoot in Switzerland featuring aluminum skis, poles and other winter gear. And, discussions have been held with NTA’s Telestudios (N.Y.) and Tapix Productions (Hollywood) for ITV to function as a location facility for both tape programs & commercials. “Just a few weeks ago, we didn’t know if this tape operation would get off the ground,” Lown told us. “Now, we have well over $1 million in orders and our open dates are rapidly disappearing.” More about NEXT SEASON’S SHOWS: Hour-long filmed shows are finding favor among Hollywood producers who are now mapping next season’s plans. About 10 such projects are under way, they tell us. This development is surpi’ising, because the hour-long series haven’t done too well this season. (Exceptions: Wagon Train, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip. Initially 20th Century-Fox TV had planned its Adventures in Paradise as a half-hour series, but ABC, when ordering the show, insisted it be expanded to the hour-long segment. The sad part of the frantic pilot activity in Hollywood is that while almost 200 pilots will be made before the rush is over, only a fraction of them wull sell, with the losers taking big financial lumps. A few companies have solved this problem by shooting a pilot, then tossing it into an on-the-air anthology series. Revue Productions has been following this practice for years. Four Star does it, is currently shooting a film starring Julie London which is a pilot, but will be showcased on its David Niven Show. Screen Gems observes the same practice. And any telefilm producer with an anthology series would do the same. As it is, the millions to be lost by shows that don’t make the grade (only about 12% will sell) are inescapable. Just how high the total loss will be is difficult to estimate, but a minimum figure would be $7,000,000 — on average pilot cost of $40,000. The most noticeable fact about program trends in the many pilots already in production or about to be is that they are all pretty much on a play-it-safe, bread-&-butter level. You can’t really blame the producer, who is already sticking his financial neck all the way out. But it’s revealing as to why viewers are not apt to see much of anything different by way of film on their screens next season. Producers argue that if they try something different it gets a cool look from Madison Ave., and has only a slim chance of selling. Look at what they’re buying (Westerns, whodunits, etc.) and who can rebut their contentions? Madison Ave., on the other hand, contends they’re offered nothing different. So it’s a Mexican standoff. We checked Hollywood’s film makers for a breakdown of their pilot activities, and while the following list is as accurate as such a check allows, it represents the minimum in pilots. Rea.son: Some companies, like MCA’s Revue, won’t talk about their pilot activity. And Bill Dozier, CBS Coast v.p. who has at least 12 pilot projects, won’t talk. However, we did get some Revue and CBS items elsewhere.