Variety (Mar 1948)

flJLMS STAG F«I>lia1u!(I W?»kly at W West 4Stb Street, NeWr Torfc 19, N. X., by Voriety, Inc. Annual subscription, $1?. Slnglo conies, 86 cents. Kint«ir«A «M iKscaqjl cMtw twitter pecenilier. 23, MOS, at the Foot QKlce at New Toric, N. T., undet tba act ot UTarotii 4, f QL, 170 No 4 HIW YOKK, WEDNEBDAY, MARCH mCK-.25 CENTS t ABIO SPLIT ON VIDEO FUTURE Nm^TeieStatioiitoSpl^ Its l^ws ITm Ifew^papsr Tedim^ > .VpIX, television station now un-+- Sjiei^^jonstruetion by tlje N, Y, Daily §'jJ«'Ws. is^ planning to syndicate m»ty of its original shows to other «Hons throughout the country, yrtditalion, according to F. M. ^•lynn, News' preii and general Manager, .will be run much the 'game as a newspaper operation, .with the. News either producing shows durectly on Sim or filming its televised shows off the face oi H receiving tube, ■ ^Programs, Flynn said, are fejen .to be offered on att «^tiitabXe basis •to othfer stations in -the same way the New.? now syndicates many of its special columns and features to pther newspapers. In return, the ■News hopes to buy shows produced by other stations. With no network HffUialion yet in sight for WPIX, je^nn said, that should off«r one taiaidiaed form of obtaining and 'selling network shows. Syndica- 'tion of programs .Will be another ■ -incthod tlirough which the News • hopii's to incorporate many of its newspaper features into its video joperation.' Flynn declared that WPIX would be open to.the right offer of affili- . -ation from aiiy netw6i-k seeking a outlet. Until such an offer is iijrthcoming, however, the station . "Wfil strive to operate prpJitably on ■ « local basis. He scouted rumors -Of a pdssible tiein between WPIX •aittd WGn-TV, owned and operated "by the Chicago Tribune, pointing out that WGN ift one of the major stockholders in Ihe Mutual web. Fiynn also expressed doubts about ' the formation of any newspaper- owned netv/ork, declaring it was hardly likely that any newspaper- pwned AM station affiUated with one of the four major webs would •bypass the chance of affiliating Videowise with the same web. No. budgetary limits have been «etfar, WPIX during its first years (Continued on page 58) PRES. TRUMAN TO TOSS WIST BALL ON VIDEO \5'jiuahington, March 30. , RiilVtOnt's airing of the 1948 oaseball opener April 19 between the N. Y. Yankees and Washington . f>¥«alors from 'Washington will ■< jnqrk up another three firsts for • television—first tune the season's opener has been televised, first time the President has been . scanned throwing out the'first ball and the first time any out-of-town game has been aired in N. Y. Game, which precedes the regu- iar leagues' opening the following day Will be'picked up by WTTG, PuMont's B.C. outlet, arid piped ' «m , • '^^ "ve*^ the coaxial cable, be bankrolled in N, Y. by . .BJUiantlne's, as an added feature w the brewery's sponsorship of * Yanks' 77 home games. All three N. Y, broadcasters plan to PCK up out-of-town games during .the regular season, When the mi$ IS available. Ooiiunand Perforaiance For Borge in Denmark Boston, March 30. Victor Borge, cxuxently at the Copley Plaza here, sails April 23 for his native Denmark, fof a com- mand performance before King Frederick. He's being-sought for dates in England on his way back to the U. S. - .. . ,/ B'fayLegitersTo Be lelemed In Equity 12G Show sponsored televising of Broad- way legit hits-^with the original casts where possible—^has been proposed to Equity and accepted by the actors union and its chorus affiliate, under whose auspices it would be sponsored. At any rate, legit playeris almost exclusively .would be used. A one-hour program budgeted at $12,000 for each weekly telecast is the plan, originated by Music Corp. of America, and the show's run would extend over a period of at least 39 consecutive weeks. MCA (Continued on page 63)- Failnre of New Names To.Come Along Key T© Slide in Instruinent Biz Instrument dealers are echoteig something that daftce promoters pointed out quite a while ago. The instrument business has been sliding steadily" for months, and the retailers'think that the failure of the danceband field to come up with new outstanding instrumental- ists since the war may have a lot to do with this condition. As the bandbuyers observed be- fore them, the instrument people say that the inspiration to emulate instrumental idols isn't what it used to be, because the galaxy of name specialists has been pretty well froSi'en for the past seven or eight years and no big talent has come up to johi them. The dealers say that the idolizing element has more to do with sales than any- thing else. Kids want to learn to play when they see someone hi the lower-age brackets get himself a rep with a band or start his own combo. About all the youngsters have to idolize howadays, the dealers feel, are jazz vktuosi who made their mark before the war, such as Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Harry James. mmM »y GEORGE JROSEN The upsurge of interest in tele- vision, with the attendant claims of -the video-minded that it's des- tined for eventual top billing in the whole realm of show business, has had the effect of dividing the radio industry into two camps. On the one hand it's contended that all of radio will be integrated into the sight-and-sound pattern and will wholly supplant the pres- ent method of standard broadcast- ing.' The other camp is equally adaihaiit in its conviction that, no matter how vast its scope, video will only become a supplementary medium. The more realistic broadcasters, although alerted to the swift changing currents and patterns which they recognize are bound to have an effect on the radio indus- try, nevertheless take the vievvf "How are you going, to laugh off 40,000,000 radio families and net- work billings aggregating $200,- 000,000 a year?" As far as they're concerned radio's here to stay— and that's looldng ahead 10 to 15 years' which is the time" variance set by top tele leaders for multi- million circulation of TV receivers with its attendant coast-to-coast video networks and SKO banlcroU- ing of telle programming. At the moment, what's intriguing both the radio and tele branches of the entertainment industry is the effect the ever-increasing tele up- surge will have on radio program- ming in the immediate future. That things are beginning to hap- pen is already apparent. It's mani- fested in multiple activities around the talent agencies where, in some cases, equal emphasis is being di- rected at video packages. It's re- vealed in the advertising agencies (Continued on page 63) Hollywood Cvcks Globe to Use Frozen Funds in Film ProdiictiiHi Terrif Season Seen Next Year in Cafes A ''terrific season next fall" is forecast by the })lstro bonifaces who foresee a liish'pefiod, compara- ble to wartime spending^but without war. Indications pouit to renewed pro-, duction in war goods, uniforms, aviation, etc., as part of the peace- time conscripfion program. By the same token, all of show biz is figured to benefit accordingly. Reverend Hears Old Call As (One:Shot) *Dr. I. Q.' Mineral Wells, Tex., March 30. Rev. James McClain, rector of the Episcopal Church at Eastland, will revert to former status as "Dr. I, Q." dSwthe coast-to-coast show for one evening here for a Red Cross benefit. Rector McClain quit his Pr. I. Q. post about a year ago to become an Episcopal missionary after six years as the mental banker. More than $1,200 in cash and merchan- dise prizes have been pledged by local merchants for the program. • Tops of she Tops > Betail Bisk Seller "Manana" Betail Sheet Music Seller "Now Is The Hour" ?'Most Bequested" Disk "Manana" Seller on Coin Machines "Now Is The Hour" British Best Seller "Tree in a Meadow" Gotta Teach 1!m HowtoSefllNsb All Over Again - Now that pop disk sales have got- ten around to slipping, along vidth music sales, platter company execs are theorizing as to the reason for the slide, in factory orders. Many are convinced that an ironical twist based on the wartime seller's mar- ket hias much to. do with it; that retail store clerkSi accustomed for so long to a Sales demand beyond (Continued on page 58) Award to 'Streetcar' By NX Drama Critics Seen Strong Possibility "A Streetcar Named Desire" is the strongest possibility for the N. Y, Drama Critics award as the best new American "play of the 1947-48 Broadway season. The Critics "Circle huddles today (31) to select the best play. "Streetcar," which registered the first dramatic hit of 1947-48, would give Ten- nessee Williams his second Critic's Award, author having scored also with "The Glass Menagerie." "Mr. Roberts" (Alvih) a more recent dramatic click, looks like the runnerup, acording to current sen- timent of the critics, though it's still rated a chance to Cop. "Com- mand Decision" (Fulton) is re- garded as third choice. A majority of the reviewers on the nine dailies reportedly favor "Streetcar" but the Circle outfit has 25 members, and those not rated as flrststringers may upset the dope. Winner is expected to be decided on one ballot but another may be required in case of a tie. Best drama of foreign origin will probably be "The Respectful Pros- titute," a short play that originated in a downtown little theatre (New Stages) and is now at the Cort. One critic has signified he will vote for "The Old Lady Says No," a flop played recently by the Dublin Gate Players. Hollywood, March 30. . British tax settlement laicy hav« paved the way for an onslaught of U. S. mm production hi England, but that's not the only Country in which American producers will be working during th© next year. List of foreign locales, resembling a Rand-McNaUy, includes among others Sweden, " Canada, Italy, Mexico, France, Germany and Switzerland, , Chief factor leading to, the large- scale trek from HolIy#&d, of course, is much the same as that engendered' by the British situa- tion—a method of putting to profit- able use the blocked funds stored up in other countries.'In addition, industry officials believe that full- blown production in countries which stiu permit full remittances will tend to head off the imposis« tlon of any currency freeze. . Another important factor is the^ sky-high production costs on the Coast. Availability of natural, au- thentic sets in foreign locales is sometimes less , expensive than try- ing to reprodttcie those sets at fie studio, especially" if it means piife. ting frozen money to use tho foreign couptiSes. Also figuring in the situation' is the lower cost of labor abroad. , • Leading the junkets abroad is David 0. Selznlck, who's exporting Dorothy McOulre and a large cast' from HollywoQid: to mak^ a nluiiza- tion of as&'s "Doll's .Hotjse" ia Sweden. With V. "S. disfrlbutAon funds tied, up in Sweden, Selzniek is supplying cash, but will use a Swedish producer and director on the film, Smce "Doll's House" is set in that counfyy, DOS will also be able to take advantage of au- thentic sets. Shooting is tentatively scheduled to tee off in May; , Also trekking overseas is Colum- bia, which has contracted to turn out eight musical, films in Italy during the next year, First, 0 these, Gregor Rablnovitch's "Lia Traviata," opened Monday (29) night at the GOlderi, N. Y. Indie producer Edward Snjall has Slso" lensed "Cagiiostro" in Italy, with director Gregory Ratojflf sufiewfe- (ContinUed on pag6 8), YANK FILM BK DP: IN EUROPE WHMier OFF "Wrashh^^on, March 30. The little t)eople of Europe, as far east as satellite countries be- hind the Iron Curtain, have found a new way to express their prefer- ence for America over the Soviet Union, They are saying it at the box- offices of film houses in a dozen or more nations. According to word reaching the- State Department, business of American pictnres in Europe has been tremendous in re- cent weeks. Correspondingly there has been a boxoffice drop at theatres showing Russian pix. The situation has been reported in France, Italy, Germany, £>oland, Czechoslovakia and other nations.