Variety (Jun 1943)

WedneBdajf June 30, 1943 waio 31 Network Time Sales StiD cm Upbeat; 4 Webs Gross $12^35j)(IO^ m Ini'oine from Hmc falos. as far as ' Itie networks are conrei-ied. i-oii- liiuics to sn anainsl the trend of pasl years. BillinKs keep Koiiiff up. instead ff falling off. The (;ro.-se.< <if till the nalional wobs. except the Bhie. for la.^l month iMayi were above what they were f.or April. In the ease of the Blue the dilTercncC aninunted to but $100,000. Columbia'.<s total for May was $4,- 875.000. or 32% belter than the .-sales for May. '42. NBC did S4.2S0.000. or W'r. The Blue'.o marRin eame to 79';, and Mutual's, 44'r. The four webs on the month were jointly 34'.a ahead of the same month of last year. The ed(je in April was 16';. The occumulative ifroiis for the flr.<:t Ave months of this year Hgures $57,770,000, as compared to $48,515.- 000 for the like period of '42. Thie difference, 19'.;. is higher than it has been for any . two parallel ■ periods since the .itart of this year. I NETWORK GROSS TIME SALES AFRA, RWG Heading for Jurisdiclional Dispute Over Writer-Announcers lE.^timaled) FOR MAY Columbia Mutual ,. NBC .... Blue .;.. ColUBbU Mutual .. NBC .... Whiteman-Ford Deal Still Indef , Hollywood^ June 29. Ford Motors had not up to yes- terday afternoon (Tue.<day) put the final okay to the Paul Whiteman serie.«, three quarter hours and a weekly half-liuur, which is .sched- uled to debut on th<> Blue Network July 10. Budget would allow White- man 45 , instrumentalists, a mixed chorus of 14 and jimmy Newill and Jane Pickens R.<t featured vocalists. Whiteman will continue on the Chase & Sanborn program iNBC) for the summer and, when he as- jsumes Ford's Sunday night half-hour «8 to (IJO^ in the fall, he will be pitted against the Edgar Bergen program of his present sponsor. C tiS. Y&R ON NATL HUNT FOR ANEW/HENRYALDRICH' Reverse Engll.sh on 'Who will be Scarlet O'Hara' technique is quietly being employed to And a new 'Henry Aldrich' to succeed Norman Tokar. soon to be drafted. Audition records, reportedly by the hundreds, are be- ing shipped in from all parts of the country and final .selection will be made without fanfare. Sponsor (Sr.nka Coffee) has lo.st two Henrys to the Army and wants the third to pick up the character without no ticeable difference when the stanza resumes after a summer layoff. Agency (Young tt Rubican^ ob- viously will favor 4-Fs. 'such as Jackie Kclk. who pl.nys "Homer', but •since studio audiences recently have been nixed on the .show, radio wags point out nobody will be the wi.ser if 'Henry' shows up wearing knick- ers or a beard. MBS Borns Granik/By SeDmg Tomm^' Son. P Jl. Spot to Serntan S. Theodore Granik is peeved at Mutual's action of selling 'from un- der hiin' the Sunday evening period (8-8:45 >, which has housed his 'American Forum of the Air" for the past nine years. His displeasure has been anything but mollilled by the network's offer at a hplf-hour on its Saturday matinee .schedule. The buyer of the Sunday 45 minutes is Serutan and the program which moves Into the .-ipo'i July 11 will be A. L. Alexander's 'Mediation Board.' The .summer opposition will be Paul Whiteman-Dinah Shore (NBC) and in the fa.1l it will be the Edgar Bergen show, for which Whiteman and Miss Shore are the pinchhitters. 'Mediation Board' will h:ive a t.wo- hour advantage over its prototype. •Good Will Hour.' The latter series tees oft over the Blue at 10 p.m. Raymond Spector is the agency on Serutan, and the hookup will con- sist of 11 stations. The cereal packing business is now j undergoing a boom of. unprecedented . I proportion.s and radio has begun to i ibenetlt from this prosperity in a big | way. KellopK's, which not- so many j 'months a^o was among the missing . Ion the network advertiser roster. Is; i.(ibout to contract for another $1,000,- | ' OOft.^ worth of proKramming on the . Blu^ Network and to allocate to ' Mutual what may amount to an ad- ditional $350,000. As It is. the account is already ; I .spending over $1,000,000 a year for j I lime and'talent on Mutual for the; , 'Superman' .serie.s. and about the ; same amount on the Blue as part ! .'pousor of the 'Breakfast At Sardi's' ! daily inning. Kellogg's second com- I mitment on the Bliie will be "The I Breakfast Club.' also a daily morning | Whirl. According to the cereal manufac- turer's present plans, the -Blue Net- work's agfiregate cut will figure $2.- 000.000 tind Mutual's Mime and tal- ent) ai'ound $1,500,000. Mutual's new piece of busine.s.s. if it materializes, will concern the plugging of All- ivun and a dog-food, Gro-Pup. Mutual has su^igested a' daily 15- minute news strip for the product. The Blue is also bidding for this allotment. Kelloggls decision to buy a second show on the Blue came with sur- prising suddenness. Dealing In a food article that is entirely unra- tioned. Kellogg recently discovered, it is reported, that the sales outlook was appreciably bigger than had been anticipated, and out of the dis- covery came the appropriation of the extra $1,000,000. The Breakfast Club' allocation 'will be handled through the Chicago office of the J. Walter Thompson agency, while all the other Kellogg radio business is coming through the Kenyon & Ek:khardt agency. Ralston, which .severed its final link with radio ('Tom Mix Straight Shooters' on the Blue) two years ago, is reported browsing around for a network show. Coiifession.s of an Oplimist By NORMAN r.ORWIN Especially Written for th. Radio Talent *REVIEVf AND PREVIEW' of I he 1943-44 SenBOii lo He Puhlithed July I I Y&R Near Deal On Terry Mason'Whodnnit Young & Rubicam agency has vir- tually clo.sed a deal for 'Perry Ma.son.' a whodunit series^to replace Manhattan at Midnight' for Cum- mer Products. It involves switching 'Battle of the .Sexes.' for Molle, into the present '.Manhattan' .spot Wed- ne.'^day nights on the Blue. 'Mason' -.vould go into the Tuesday night niche on NBC now occupied by 'Sfxes.' Starting date for the new setup is mid-July. Old Gold Moving Into Lydia Grey Spot On NBC With Bob Crosby If Lydia Grey products wants to bring its 'What's My Name'." show (Blow agency) back to NBC this fall it will have to accept a new spot, if any is available at that lime. The network last week turned over the Sunday 10:30-11 p.m. period, which ■Name' had been occupying, to Old Cold for its Bob Crosby stanza. Lat- ter event makes its debut July 18. Around 100 stations have already been cleared for it. Old Gold had originally accepted the Friday 7:.30-8 p.m. ."^pan for the Crosby iiuiing. but in due'time the network found that H. V. Kaltenborn (7:45-8) had been .void in too mariy towns locally to allow for an ample Crosby hookup. In the fall Cro.sby's competitor on CBS will be 'The Thin Man' (General Foods^. Malnerk Frontt Band Hollywood, June 29. Bob Cro.sby is turning over the band on his new. Old Gold serie.<: lo Malty .Miilneck so he can devote more time to m.c.ing the program. Miilneck takes ihe .slick and nUo look.s after the oiitHl's arriingeinents. Billed as co-host with Crosby on the cigiirel show is Les Tremnyne, former Fir.sl Nigliter.' CBS' New Assignments For Top Correspondents Wa:-hington, June 29. CBS is reported about to make a .series of important changes in aS' signment for its topflight news bioadcasici's. Changes said to be scheduled: El ic Se\'»reid, former Paris HEABINO HEW PACKAGE The Blue net Is listening to a new package show scripted by Il.<e In- tl-ator and titled 'Heartbeats.' Miss Intratoi'- e.scaped from Ger- many just before war broke out. and wrote and directed the anti-Nazi program, "Our Secret World,' over WHOM. N. Y. . Hat Firm Hires Carnegie To Win It Some Friends .I.,e« Hats has bought Dale Carnegie for a Thur.sday night (10:15-10:30) series on Mutual. ."The hookup will con.^ist of 22 stations. The starting date is July 8 and the agency is Birmingham, Castlemaii and Pierce. Adam Hats bought a weekly quar- , „. , „ ,,. , u - ter-hour .-=pot on the Blue Network Charles Cllingwood is being reas. signed lo London f!'om ."^lorth Africa. Bill Henry, CBS West Coast corropondenl. who formerly cov- ered iii Honolulu and London, is sthcduled to come to Wa.shington to head ti.e bureau here. Ed Murrow, A jurisdictional di.-puif .-.vrr the .status of writer-bi'o;ulo.--icrs is brewing between the .^nu•ri,•:lll F«.ri- crnlion of R.-.dio .Arti-ts und the Radio Wrilerp Guild. So t:ir. AFR.\ not actively opposin-." HWG".- ac- tion before the Ln'oor Bniiid in rep- resent the news wi iicr-ini'i hhuits, now under Office of Wjir liifci. mil- lion status, in the '.\ "C i;m( CBS shortwave departmrni-•. 'I'lie (;',iild made the l«tl}nr B'lard ninvc silier ihe networks had refusi' l In ni'i'O- liaie for the men u-ilis- .\FR.\ waived its right.s. The chtirc matter liuis biu-k .-ev- cral years to the time Hial AFR.\ '•urned over jiivi^dicli >)\ itt .«ii:ff writers in St. Louis. Ci'U-iiiiiiiii and el.-ewhcrc to the Guild. Ihei'« l\v set- tling an open flght, The Guild, in .seeking to negotiate for the short- wave news writer-iiiiniiMiircrs. ha^ attempted to persuade .AFR.A lo agree to some .sort of c mpei-iitive .■setup for the men, whose ac'..viiies ,Te in both the writiiiR and per- forming field. However. .^FR.\ has refused to agree to such an ar- rangement and i.s kr-ping aloof from the entire mn'ter. It has not an.swered the RWG application before the Lalxtr Board and ha.s indicated it will not do fo. It is not participating in the Giiild'j move to negotiate with ihe net- works and it is holding aloof from the entire question for the present. Whether AFRA will take any action in the matter in the future may come lip for discussion at the union's national board meeting this week, or at the annual convention next month in Chicago. Other- wise, the attitude of ii.s officials 1* that the union has nothing to gain by working with the Guild and that, as long as shortwave operations are handled by the OWI, there is lillle chance of the RWG or anyone else obtaining any sub.stantial conces- sions for the men. AGCYS. PROTEST NBC'S PUBUCmr J)EADUNE Several ad agencies have lodged a protest with NBC against a rule laid down by the network's publicity de- partment thai data on commercial Tliompson Show For RCA on Mne The program idea submitted by the J. Walter Thompson agency has received the approval of a commit- tee of six repre.senling RCA and Its various subsidiaries and it is up to the RCA board of directors, when it meets July 9, to appropriate the money for the .scries. The budget will rim in cxce.ss of Sl.DOO.OOO. The variety show, as planned, is to be of an hour's duration and start in early September on Iht Blue Net- work. The Saturday 7 to B p.m. span has been suggested by the Blue. The .series will be mostly insiitii- tional in character.' Riilhrnuff Ac for them to know that long in ad- vance what guest slars will be on the coming program. p»rliciilarly if the bookings are out of Hollywood. Such a deiidliiie. Ihe agencies con- jtended. i> ino.-t certainly out of place corrcfpon<lcnt. and now chief of the during Ihe Miiiiiner. wht-n Ihe task of Washington hureiiu. will go to Cairo. I gelling giie.-is for l eplaeeinent .shows ' is iiuuriiv.'iied programs must be at hand seven days in advance of closing date for j Ryan competed for the program nr- the 'NBC .News Service.' a mimeo- | rics. R & R holds the radio, phono graphed mail piece. The agencies graph and television pha.-cs of the pointed oul lhat it is often impossible Larry Lesueur. former Moscow man. will go lo London, while the week before. Kenton on Hope Show Hollywood. June 29. , „ . Stan Kenton will be ciistoriiiin of head of the.London staff, returns to . . . * ■ ^ , I.. J L l«. by Ihe VHcation and camp-lour Ijictors. the downbeat on the Bob Hope .<how in the fall. H? played the season'.* fader in Cleveland la.^t week and impressed to the extent of btirrg p'.it under contract. Baton switche.-- from Skinnay Ennis, now bandleader at Army ordnance base in Santa .^nita. Cal F.nglaiid ."■horily. John Diily will go to Algiers. Bethel Joins F.C.&B. Fred Bcihel. freeiancc director re- cently honor;.i:-ly discharged from Kenton opened la.>t night .Toes.) , ihe Army, hiis ji.ined the staff of i.s weighinj; ■ Fonlc. Cone Belding. al the Palladium end picture offers from Paramount and Univer.sal. He wi.s f<iriii<i.ly oil ihe Blue nct- vjork sliift. In Wholesale Lots Frank Silvernail. chief time buyer for B.B.D. At O.. is now operating with feininc a.-si.-lanls exclusively. They are the Scaiiloii si.siirs. Ger- trude iiod Elciiiior, and Aniielte Jo- .seph. £leanor Scuilon last week took over Ihc .spot \acaled by Chc>ler .SUiyboiigh. who quit lo go -wilh Mijrse Inltrniilioiial. LaBour With B.B.D.&O. n<ibe:l I.iiRoiir joined Ihe H. B. D. St O. iiL'i :icy .Monday iZH.i a» i/roduc- ti'iii miiii. LaB'MU' lefl NBC proiliirlldn .<.l:iff. account. Gladys Swarthout, Taylor Take Six-Week Hiatus Gladys Swarthout and Deems Tay- lor take a six-week vacation from iha 'Family Hour' series Sunday after- noons on CBS for Prudenlial. Their respective replacement.-. l'egi:iniiig July 4. will be Eileen Fi.rrtll imd .Mark Harrell. Miss Swiirhoul w ill make outdoor concert appciiriiiices during her layoff- from the iiir. Benton ti Bowles is the ai.( ncy en the show, which Bill K-iusseiiU diiecl.s. 'Air Force' Vice Autry .Sgt. Gene Autry's prov.i'Mii. which ^ leaves air July 11, will be Miccctdtd ■ by "This Is the Air Force.' Script ! will be written by Dave Harmon,' ; former .staff scrijitcr for CBS in New York. Show, which emanalts from Chi- cago, is produced for .Wrigley by J. Walter Thomp.son.