Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

14 AUGUST 17, 1959 NEW YORK ROUNDUP NTA-BBC co-production, The Third Man starring Michael Rennie, has junked plans to shoot additional 30-min. film episodes in Britain because “presistent labor trouble was adding 25% to the total cost.” With 3 episodes (out of a planned 19) completed at British Lion studios, NT A will shift production back to Hollywood, where 20 episodes have already been done. Ziv syndicated telefilms attract more than 4 times as many supermarket chains & food product advertisers today as compared to 3 years ago, sales mgr. Len Firestone reports. Food sponsors represent 23% of Ziv’s total sales (some 3000 food advertisers in more than 350 U.S. markets) . Other industries accounting for major slices of Ziv’s total tales are breweries (21%) and tobacco companies (16%). ITC’s Four Just Men has been sold in 74 markets “for a gross of $1 million” since it went on the block 4 weeks ago. Volkswagen (reflecting the import auto’s increasing TV-awareness ; see Vol. 15:31), Schaefer Beer, the Crosley station group and Standard Oil of Texas have made regional buys of the series. A 40-station line-up on CBC also has been contracted. ABC Films picked up 17 new stations for 26 Men in the last 2 weeks. The series is now in 176 markets . . . Ziv’s Bat Masterson will be launched as a comic strip character in 125 newspapers Sept. 7 by Columbia Features. The daily strip will parallel Masterson’s NBC-TV adventures. Trans-Video Productions Ltd., of which ex-N.Y. TV producer Robert Maxwell is production head, plans to shoot 26 telefilm episodes of National Velvet, based on the old MGM movie, in Canada this season, using an all-Canadian cast. No network or syndication deal has been made for the series in the U.S., however. NTA’s package of 160 newly-released 20th Century Fox films has been bought for the CBS-TV 0-&-0 stations in N.Y., Phila., L.A. and Chicago for a total purchase price reportedly near $6 million. Further film activity at 0-&-0 WCBS-TV involves pre-emption of The Late Show Aug. 29 by Schaefer Brewing Co. for the third fully-sponsored Shaefer Award Theatre. The local special film will be “Arsenic & Old Lace,” with Cary Grant. Rod Serling, who signed a 3-year contract with CBSTV last week, joins the list of top creative talent being signed by the networks for next season’s “special” sprint. NBC signed Robert Alan Aurthur last June for executive producer duties on the Sunday Showcase series . . . Joseph A. Brandt, TV film investment consultant and exNTA controller, has opened offices at 250 W. 67th St., N.Y. Robert M. Fisk, ex-ABC Films mgr. of film operations, has joined Fremantle International, as a supervisor, Latin American sales . . . Lloyd Burns, v.p. & gen. mgr. of Screen Gems Ltd., Toronto, appointed v.p. in chg. of SG international operations . . . Walter Lowendahl, ex-Transfilm executive, has joined Wilding Inc. as an exec, producer in the N.Y. div. Fremantle International has added Nigeria to its growing list of foreign markets buying American TV programs. A telefilm package sold to Nigeria TV in Ibadan includes Hopalony Cassidy, Animal Parade, and Movie Museum. Philip Besser promoted from program dir. to production coordinator (East), ITC; Herb Lazarus promoted from sales planning mgr. to sales coordinator. HOLLYWOOD ROUNDUP Four Star’s June Allyson series had no trouble finding a suitable lead for the hostess-star of the anthology show. It signed her husband — Four Star pres. Dick Powell. His appearance with her in an episode will be the first time they will have been seen together in a picture in 10 years . . . Lenwil Productions will produce Screen Gems’ Stakeout in partnership with SG . . . George Draine Enterprises are planning a new series. Assignment 7 Seas. Phil Saltzman has been named story editor of 5 Fingers at 20th-Fox TV . . . Patricia Smith, ex-Screen Gems, ITC, is now story editor of NBC’s Bonanza series. John B. Cron, ex-Screen Gems, named pres, of Great American Publications’ new subsidiary set up to produce TV film & tape programs . . . William Hillpot and Jack Flax named v.p. for natl. sales and v.p. for syndication sales respectively. Video International. Producer Jack Chertok has the go-ahead from NBC to produce the 60-min. pilot of Trace Hunter — a possible Jan. starter on the network. Chertok’s now casting . . . ABC Films will syndicate 39 episodes of Bandido, to be filmed by Ron Gordon productions in Mexico. Production combine of Arthur Gardner, Jules Levy and Arnold Laven {Captain of Detectives, The Rifleman, Tales of the Plainsmen), preparing 3 pilots — Lariat (Western), Miss Penny (comedy). Attorney General (documentary) . The last-named may be 30 or 60-min., the others are 30-min. Levy tells us the properties may be ready for Jan. sales. Arthur N. Nadel, ex-McCann-Erickson, has joined the company as associated prod. Anthony Veillcr plans to produce a TV series. The Adventures of Inspector Chafik of the Baghdad Police, in London . . . 20th-Fox TV now has 64 writers scripting. Merger negotiations between Screen Directors Guild in Hollywood and Screen Directors International Guild will resume in N.Y. in 2 weeks. “Complete agreement” has been reached on some points, we were told by Joe Youngerman, exec, director of SDG. In addition, SDG is close to a merger with Radio & TV Directors Guild, which, if successfully concluded, would he the first talent-group merger in TV. Screen Gems is currently considering a list of potential series for the 1960 season, we’re told by production v.p. Harry Ackerman. A possible starter is the Writers Guild of America West anthology, but until WGAW delivers 39 scrips in Sept. — as required by its contract — no decision can be made on that property. Unsold pilots being groomed for possible year-end sales are The Big Walk, The Blandings and 60-min. The Fat Man. Africa Corp. has been formed by Pete Barnum to film a TV series in South Africa. Ed Love & Eugene Trope are partnered with Barnum in the company . . . PEM Productions, owned by Norman Retchin, plans Young Man With a Badge, starring Tommy Cook, as a co-production series with Desilu. Betty Hutton established some sort of record last week by acquiring her third producer on her Goldie series which doesn’t debut until the fall. Newest producer, William Harmon, succeeds Stanley Roberts and Frank Baur (Vol. 15:32) . . . Fletcher Markle, ex-CBS-TV producer, has joined Hubbell Robinson Jr. as one of his assistants on the Ford specials . . . Leon Mirell, ex-CBS, has been named head of MGM-TV’s business affairs dept., replacing Fred Wile, who remains with MGM-TV in a production position.