Variety (July 1949)

July 1949 f7 GIVEAWAYS REACH FEVER STAGE Cantor Ponders on Comb Just before taking off a quickie Pari* jaunt aboard the S. S. America on Saturday (9>, Eddie Cantor got himself set on two radio shows — as emcee of the ‘‘Take It or Leave" Eversharp show and an NBC option deal. And, in the midst of agency and general trade palaver, he got Into a discussion on comedians. * His veteran background naturally touched on the yesterj’ear monologists like Will Rogers. Julius Tannen, W. C. Kelly (‘‘The Virginia Judge”), et al., and Cantor was moved to compare them to today’s crop. “In those years a comedian scored with every crack. Each bon mot was a gem; if it didn’t hit it was refined until it did, or discarded. Today's comics are of another school. You’ll note they’re •11 of the same pattern — staccato, gatling-gun type of gagsters who breathlessly uncork dozens upon dozens of cracks. They may total over 100 assorted nifties, throwaways, toppers, quips, jokes, rehearsed ad libs, topical asides, and the like. If they register eight or 10 yaks or boffolas they’re satisfied, and seemingly so are the customers and the managements. They’re usually nitery type comics you’ll note, talking fast, and sometimes they hit. more often they don’t. “Since there’s nothing wrong with that school, since it’s so-called *niodei-n,’ I guess there’s little need of comment. But 1 must not overlook the fact that of a great durable school of memorable comedians of not so long ago. we did have people like the following who. somehow, left greater impress. And I’m wondering, therefore, only how the so-called present generation funsters w'ill compare years hence as now do Bert Williams. W. C’. Fields. >'annie Brice. Wilkie Bard, Frank Van Hoven, Jack Rose, Ted Ilealy, Harry Lauder, and so on.” ABC Launches 2-Way Drive for Ad Coin; Invites Soapers, Small Bml^ets ALL ' OUT WEB ^ Webster, Subjecting Him to Hot 3d Degree In a two-pronged oflfensive to-^ lure advertising coin, ABC is relaxing its ban on soap opeias and gearing its sales and research organizations to tap the budgets of small and middle-sized manufacturers. When the Blue network was split off from NBC and set up as ABC, it conducted a market survey which showed little hope of gamering business from soaper sponsors and at the same time put Into effect a policy of ban*ing the daytime serials. Last week, however. a memo went out to the sales staff stating that the cliffhangers were now' acceptable. ABC programmers won’t build any w'ashboard weepers of their own. but if they can entice a bankroller who has one into the fold, the bar is down. The web is also going all-out for the strategy outlined by Piexy Mark Wood.*, to bring into radio the thousands of smaller firms that have never used broadca.st adveitising because they feel it is too expensive. The new Kate Smith disk Jockey show, which will start next month for two hours on IMonday nights at 9. is particularly designed for these smaller companies. Quarter-hour periods are being offered at $750, plus time charges. "This means that an outfit can have a national program with a name star for a small cost,” according to Ted Oberfelder, adver;‘^*'8’P5’omotion-research director. , On this and other stanzas v e’ve j been able to get spon.sors new to , radio, who used to hav4 the mis (Continued on page 34 » CBS Saving 111 1,000 lo Its Lopping Off Of ‘You Are There’ Series . ,9®^' decision to lop ofi' its ainollious "You Are There" series, as part of the web’s overall retrenchpolicy, will represent in itself • saving of $111,000. That was the •mount of coin poured Into the 39series last season, including pioduction co.sts. research and salines ol staffers assigned exclusive to the show. addition to the axing of Robert L. Shayon, who was No. 1 man aJv production, the lop also cued the exit of Mike oKiar and Ii*ving Tunick, w'riters on show; Lorraine Dougherty, seceiary and assistant to Shayon, and Erskine, researcher. Show nad been scaled so ambitiously as 0 require practically an organization ol its own. pavidson Taylor, CBS public afi«rs veepee, says it’s possible that Are There” may he brought •ck In the fall as a once-a-month •oowcase. After Surveying the TV Hori%onn Russel (irouse boosts ^There It Stands — Legit* ★ ★ ★ on iotorosting byllRO footaro in tho 4th ArumoI Rodio-TV R«vi*w & Pr«vi«w Number of Out Thh Month Chicago Papers Plan Charges On Special Listing Chicago. July 12. Ad directors of C’lii newspapers, meeting the past two w'eeks in hush-hush atmo.sphere. have decided to sock radio and television stations lor special listings in their daily logs, starting thl^ fall. Stations haven’t been notified as yet, but the word has readied them through the grapevine, and they’re reported sore about it. Station spokesmen think they’re getting a had deal, claiming tlie gravy train is over for iadi<» and tele liasn’t yet become a mone\maker. They are pointing to ll)e ad figures for the local newspapers as examples of wliy the decision looks ’ pretty greedy’’ on the part of ll>e black-and-white boys. None of the papers has suffered in advertising. tl>ey say. especially the Trib. which is up a reported 13%, and the rest, which range from a 2^"o drop to slightly larger losses. One radio .spokesman suggested that the papers “do the same thing radio Is doing lo make money, i.e. trim expenses ’’ Rates charged the stations would be only for special listings, meaning hold face and enlargements, although there was some talk as to whether all listings would be hilled. Usual local display rates are expected to be followed. How this would affect stations which had special tieups with new’spapers remains to he woiked out. Special listings are now being given WGN and WC.N-TV by the Tribune and and WBKB by the Sun-Time*. In the face of the decision of the Federal Communications Commission to look the other way. after I its initial warning to the industiw, j the giveaway fever over the past couple of weeks has become hotter than the July temperatures. On the basis of what’s been happening— and what’s in store for the fall — last season’s telejihonic giveaway whirl on CBS. ABC and NBC was just a warmup. The telephone company has been burning up the coa.st-tt>-coa.st lines in the wake of a flock of new marathon entries, including NBC's U)ngheralded Sunday “Hollywood Calling’’ hour program, whicti preemed last Sunday (10>. (Trade gagsters opine that if .\texander Graham Bell were alive and cut in for a royalty, he’d be the the richest guy in the world i. After generally lamenting the fact that NBC chose to fight it out on the Sunday at 7 firing line by pitting a non-creative giveaway stanza against the Jack Benny competition, CBS w ent them one better 1 and jammed through Its 4.5-minute cross-the-board “Spin to Win” giveaw'ay as summer replacements for the Procter A Gamble and Campbell Soup hiatus periods. ' i That adds up to nearly tour hours j j a W'eek of merchandizing payoffs j for the lop marathon long-distanceI calling session on the networks. Take Your Pick I Evidence of the increasing impact of the giveaway programming is reflected in tlie succession of moves that also finds: ABC mulling extension of its “Stop the Music" Sunday night show to an hour and a quarter, with ' Walter Winchell’s sponsor. KaiserI Frazier, planning to buy the additional 15 minutes (9-9; 15 » as the ' summer replacement for WW. I "Strike It Rich” prepping a new feature for its fall return permil! ting for a grand payott of $1,000.OOO in merchandise. ABC adding still another giyeaway to its long ro.ster. wiili ’’.Add a Line," a disk jocke\ quiz, giveaw'ay variation whieli preemed last week. NBC, which once decreed a ceiling on the number of Light Lp the Drown S«x TV Dir«cUr Marc DaiiieU An int«r««rin9 byllN* in Hi* 4tli AnnmoI Radie-TV Rtvl«w & Pr«vi«w Number of f^KIEff Out Thin Month GuedeFs 1-Man 'Americanizing’ Job in Europe John Cuedel, whose radio pack: age enterprises include “People* Are Funny,” the Groucho Marx audience participation show . and “Hou.se Party.’’ returned lo this countiy over the weekend from what, to all Intents and purposes, w'as a 19-day vacation jaunt in Europe. Hero’s what Guedel encompassed on his "vacation”: A deal with Radio l.uxemlmurg. the commercial broadcasting operation. whereby transcribed versions of "People Are Funny” and "House Party" will be carried on 47 Lux stations, in four languages— English, Italian. Spanish and French. A deal with a London baby carriage factory’ to manufacture a new-type baby carriage for countries on the Continent. Initiating a move to make Europe "popcorn con.scious.” It involves popcorn conce.ssions in 1.700 Ihcatres in France, the Netherlands. Italy and England, as well as street sales. The corn will he grown in giveaways i the south of F'rance. Collaborating Wa.shington. July 12. If any proof wa.s needed that (he Senate is going to keep a watchful eye on the FCC, particularly on how it handles television, the hearing last week on the nomination of Edward M. Weh.ster for a new’ term as Commissioner should have resolved all doubts. Webster is now' temporarily off tl)« Commission. His term, expired .lime 30 and he w41l have to wait until the Senate Committee on Interstate and Foreign CommercN acts on his confirmation. Sen. Charles W. Tohey (R.. N.H.t, has more questions to ask him. Tobey got through a list of almut 2.>0 questions to Web.stor at a liearing last Wednesday (fi* which cov1 ered a lot of territory. The Senator. who is especially concerned i that televi.slon isn’t monopolized I by big interests, examined Webster j closely on his concept of the "public interest.” He had the nominee I backed against the wall, denying I he could ever have made a statement that "manufacturers are tlie public, too" and explaining that the alleged remark probably resultled from his belief that the broad I industry front should be considI ered In determining FCC policy, j Toboy had Webster coming * around to Committee criticism of FCC in his rc.spon.se to other questions. He had the nominee saying he would like the Commission to go over its problems "more often" with the Committee, that h* doesn’t hobnob with the manufacturers (even lo find out what they’“e doing on color television that he didn't see how FC( policy : on color “could have been geared to benefit RCA." that he has been wondering whether the question of eligibility of motion picture antitrust violator.s fur television siiouldn’t be handled by the D«partinent of Ju.stice. But the biggest concession, some tnembers of the Committee, including Chairman Edwin C. Johnson (Continued on page 32 > w'hen it W'as still filing the SRO colors', is taking Brislol Myers ■ "Break the Bank” off the .^BC rosi.tei as replacement fNr “Dufiy’s I Tavern." CBS’ 60-mimite "Sing It .\gain” I with its $.50,000 Jackpot. ha.s been ' hot on the sponsorship trait the ' past three weeks, i “Winner Take All," currently i heard as a 15-minute cross-theboard stanza on CBS. goes wholeI hog and expands t<» a iialf-liuur starting next Monda.i (18'. j on this venture will be Sam Pieri’e. ! who currently resides in Nice while ' transcribing the Maurice Chevalier show for Mutual. i While in Amsterdam and Taii cerne, Guedel negotiated via long ' di.stance the sale of "House Party” ' to Pill.sbury Flour for an ABC ' afternoon showcasing. 2 Out of 5 Radi(i Actors Earn More Doing Outside Work, Sez Dept, of Labor ' Frisco Power Failure ! Stops ‘Stop the Music’ For 27-Minute Stretch San Francisco. .Inly 12. A powei failure Sunday ill)' at the Pacific Gas and Electric Newark substation located in Fri.sco’s I Lower Bay area really "slopped the music” when It cut that proI gram and all other major l<K‘al stations off the air lor a period of I 19 to 27 minutes starting at 4:36 ! Pacific time. "Stop the MiiNic.” over KGO • ABC', remained off lor 120 minutes with William .1. Hope, a salesman Jiving In a Frisco I suburb, managing to get under the wire with a tali from Bert Parks at 4;20 which resulted in his winning a film projector. BOB HUDSON QUnTING Roliert Hudson, for the last four yeais CB.S director of edm-ation (both AM and TV'. Is quilting the I network about Sept. 1. proliably lo become director of radio ol one of the major universities. Under the recent realignment of the CBS public affairs division under Davidson Ta.vlor, he became assisl.ml to L.vnian Bryson, who was shifted from a consulting to adminisltaI live status. Before joining the network. Hudson was director of the Rocky Mountain Radio Council. Washington, .Inly 12. Actors and singers are the poorest paid of radio arti.st.s and the maioi’ity have to depimd on earning.s outside broadcasting for their livelihood. Two out of five get more income from other work than they cTo from radio. So reported the Dept, of Labor today (Tues. >. In its tlilrd rei>ort on a survey i/vfx y^S'’ lit Cooperation wilii fRS FOR IINIV |0R‘ A FRA. the department found that less Hian $1,700 in 1947, one nut of tw'o earned more than $4,000, and one out of four grossed over $10,300. Among singers one out of four gro.s.sed over $2,400, one out ol two over $4,800 and one out of tom over $8,800, The “median” earning.s of actors was $4,000 and lhal of singers $4,800, the lalter liaving greater rcgulaiity of employment. Stall announcer.s, with greater legularity of work tlian actors and singers, earned from $3, 200 up to $10,300. Freelance announce< !i made from $3,300 up to $26.2(M). Rut in the.se occupations also outle earnings were im|>ortanl. a .•mall proportion making more fiami other work than from radio. Oholer on ‘Voice’ Washington. .Iul> 12. State Deparuneni lias repermi.ssion from Areh to translate his radio in the major foreign languages for tran.smission oi> “Voice of America” broadcasts. Oboler gave his okay to use any of plays published in .several books of his selected works. U S quested Oboler dramas Flarry of Pink Slips Hits Hub Stations Boston Jiilv 12. ' Economy wave has hit Hub radio stations with a ftiirr.i ot pink slips handed out at WF.EI and WH7,. Six members of WKEI staff. Including personnel «>f prodm-tion and sales department'*. were trimmed down Others to feel the axe were telephone oj>eralots and secretaries. ■At WBZ. Rakov and In' orcli, which Iiad alread> been i iit fiom 10 men to six. were handed a twonionth layoff, llie fii»t in iiis many jeai.s there. Cleveland’s 8th Gets OK Cleveland. July 12. Civic Rroadca.sting, Inc. becomes this city's eighth AM station with rcieipt of FCC okay. Organizers include Frederick Wolf, president of the Cleveland Recording Co, Wallicrg Hrown, musical director, WTAM-WNBK. Edward Skleniika, William Hlavin, Major John R. Bennett and Emil Jelinek. Opening broadcast expected to come this November with aludioi m Cleveland Recording Co.