Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

VOL. 15: No. 32 13 men who want to know when tape can be edited like film, I usually say that in one or 2 years this will happen, but meanwhile tape can be edited like film in many, but not all ways.” Martin Ransohoff, pres., Filmways Productions: “Six months ago, agencies were asking questions out of curiosity; today, they’re asking them out of necessity, with more & more agencies using taped TV commercials. Many agencies are concerned with the use of tape commercials on a spot basis, and ask about spot tape placement. We tell them that Ampex has some 365 tape recorders in stations throughout the world, of which 260 recorders are in the U.S., covering most TV areas in which a sponsor would have interest. Costs are still a factor in agency questions, and our answer is generally that if you make one tape commercial, it’s expensive — but if you make a series in one day’s shooting, it’s inexpensive.” Film & Tape Rally Round the Writer: Author Max Shulman, after working in both TV and movies, tells us from the writer’s standpoint, TV is far more satisfying creatively. Shulman is co-owner and script editor of Dobie Gillis which 20th-Fox TV is currently filming for a fall start. Rod Amateau is producer of the series which stars Dwayne Hickman and Tuesday Weld. When we visited the set last week, Shulman told us the difference between the 2 media is great, and illustrated by telling of his deal whereby he sold his best-selling book, Rally Round the Flag, to 20th-Fox for a movie. “I was supposed to write the screenplay for Leo McCarey, who was producing. I had written 50 pages when they called me into the front office and said they had decided to have McCarey and someone else write the screenplay. They proceeded to throw away my book. The movie was sickening. I don’t know why they bought my book, they didn’t use it.” However, in TV Shulman has the say on stories and no matter what the fate of the comedy series he will know he has had a hand in shaping it, he tells us confidently. Originally George Burns’ McCadden Productions negotiated for the “Gillis” property, but Burns “wanted us to use his son, Ronnie, in the lead, and I wanted Hickman,” says Shulman. Ad agencies should move into TV production to earn new money needed to offset rising costs & slimming profit margins, advises Robert Durham in a Sponsor article on the advertiser & agency consultant who has figured in 31 of the 34 agency mergers in the past 20 months. Durham suggests that agencies & advertisers jointly finance TV pilot films in order to reap the rewards of re-sale & capital gains. “Every 39 weeks,” he points out, “a filmed TV show builds up approximately $1 million in future revenue from the sale of foreign & re-run rights. This money represents the capital gain potential of any filmed TV series.” KCOP Los Angeles is taping for syndication a 60min. special about the X-15, the first U.S. aircraft designed to go into outer space. The independent station has had crews at U.S. Air Force bases in Utah & California for 3 months, and plans to shoot the plane’s takeoff for outer space, as well as its return — if all goes well. Station v.p.-gen. mgr. Alvin Flanagan told us KCOP last week acquired 2 new Ampex Videotape machine units (making 4) to handle the 6 series now being taped by the station and new programs being planned. TELEFILMERS SHY ABOUT TAPE-CASTING: Six months ago such Hollywood outfits as Revue Productions, 20thFox TV, Four Star, Desilu and MGM-TV let it be known they were seriously considering going into tape in the coming season. MGM and 20th even announced taped projects. Since then none of the plans have jelled. Instead there has been a growing belief that tape is not commercially or creatively feasible for the makers of telefilms. True, some taped shows are being done in Hollywood, but not by the top telefilm companies. They are lowbudget shows taped by independent L.A. stations such as KTTV, KHJ-TV and KCOP. In this area there is a need for tape and a different attitude toward it, stations say. But among the big-league telefilm operators. Revue, for instance — the No. 1 company in Holl3rwood — has delayed its tape experiments and is cautiously watching the situation. Four Star pres. Dick Powell says next year he hopes to tape some live specials, but no telefilm series. Martin Manulis, 20th-Fox TV production chief, has shelved his plans to tape some shows now, has no tape plans. Desilu exec. v.p. Martin Leeds doesn’t — at this point of its development — see much future in tape for telefilmers, financially or creatively. The reasons? Desilu’s exec, producer Bert Granet gives these: “For the investment involved, there’s no reason to do our shows on tape. There aren’t enough markets. You can’t sell taped shows overseas. You can’t redub them. You can’t edit. You can’t do all the optical tricks. It’s still a poor man’s substitute. Everybody is watching it to see what develops, but at this stage tape is not ready from our standpoint. It is not yet at a proper point commercially for distribution nor is it technically able to get the quality we need.” Granet’s views appear to be shared by most of the telefilm executives & producers we talked to. They see the merit of tape for the recording of live shows — but not in telefilms. However, in 2 CBS series in Hollywood, some segments are being taped — in order to cut production costs. They are the Rod Sterling series. Twilight Zone, & GE Theatre. Sanka, sponsoring “Zone,” balked at high production costs and accepted the series on the basis of 26 on film ($51,000 each), 13 on tape ($37,000 each) and 13 reruns (Vol. 15:12). For GE Theatre, 23 films are being produced by Revue and 10 taped segments will be made by Peter Kortner at CBS, starting late this month. (For the latest Madison Ave. slants on tape see p. 12.) Broadcasting vs. Movies: Hollywood still leads broad casting in contributions to the national income (beforetax profits, wages paid, interest paid on debts, social security contributions). But TV & radio are gaining steadily, according to the Commerce Dept.’s U.S. “economic performance” report in July Survey of Current Business. The movie industry’s share in the all-industry national income of $366 billion last year was $797 million vs. $836 million in 1957 and $891 million in 1956. In 1958 TVradio’s national income was $762 million — up from $734 million in 1957 and $683 million in 1956. Recreation expenditures by the public for TV & radio receivers, records & m.usical instruments (categories not broken down) last year totaled $3 billion vs. $1 billion for movie tickets and $2 billion for magazines & newspapers. Other Commerce Dept, statistics: Last year 80,000 broadcasting industry employes averaged $7038 in earnings — topping all other industry groups except stock brokers, who averaged $7867. In the movie industry, 181,000 employes averaged $4209 in 1958.