Variety (February 1950)

Wedneaday, Febttiwf 22, 1950 2S Paul Douglas, currently in New Orleans winding up his new 20th-FQX pic; is due In NeW York the first week in March, at which time heil jcut an audition record for NBG for a; situation. comedy series dalled‘‘Samson and the Lady.'' NBG is pinning hopes bn / the show and the re-emergence of Douglas in radio this time as a higtime comedy personality. : Intriguing to the trade ' is the Douglas saga since the pre-war days, wheu he was ari announcer on such big-league network en- tries as the Fred Waring^ Ghesterfield show; etc. Less thah four years ago Douglas waS attempting a comeback, but found the go- ing rough in radio* He a job. Ed Wynn Was also try- ing to stage a comeback, Through the persuasion of Bill Joyce, of the William Morris office, Douglas was given a Chance as the foil bn the comedy show Borden had purchased, which aiso marked Wyhn's attempted comeback. The show flopped. Wynn and Douglas were again Out. Subse- nueritly it took TV to re-establish Wynn as a No. 1 persbnality. And Douglas, tob; had to look to other show biz pastures to es- tablish his niche, clicking in the“Born Yesterday” legiter and then moving bn into pix and; eventually stbrdom on' the 2bth-Fox ■lot.. : . .... V ^ \ Now radio is an open sesame to; Douglas. NBG has first crack at the ex-annouhcer who got the AM brushbh after the war. Washington, Feb. 21. 4 There‘s a good chance that the FGC may order hearings in a few weeks to look into the legality of Transit Radio. Agency now has Several petitions before it claiming that the service is being operated in violation Of rules govefning FM broadcast Stations. Action on these petitions Js expected soon. Latest^ complaint was filed by Franklin S. Pbllak and Guy Martin, local attorneys, who have been ac- tive in^a continuing effort tb stop •‘forced listening” in Washington buses and trolleys. They have asked the Gbmmissioh to revoke licenses of stations selling TR serv- ice, to withhold action On applica-. tions, renewals and construction permits by broadcasters involved with TR, and to appoint “public counsel” to present the case before ^It. Poliak'and Martin contend that TR, violates Commission r u 1 e s through its unbalanced program- ming, through longterm arrange- ments whereby a licensee“disables himself from making a judgment (Continued on page 40) CBS' efforts to romance the “Telephone Hour'- Monday night show away from NBG is still In the “no decision” stage. Golumbia is Offering the Tuesday night at 1() period, to permit for a simulcast. N. W, Ayer, agency on the ac- count, says it’s still being mulled. CBS, with a wide-open Friday night on its hands, is using the split network technique with a brace of rival oil companies as sponsors to get off the 10-10:30 hook. (with . program shifts and cancellation of the Joan Davis j show, the Web is playing the sus- taining circuit from 8 p. m. on). CBS has sold to Phillips Petro" leunv the half-hour segment for a 50-station pibkup (through the mid- west and southwest) of a . program starring Rex Allen, the cowboy film ■;star:: ' ■ 'y'' The same half hour in the east is going to Richfield Oil, with negotia- tions completed for sponsorship of the webi’s “Escape” program oh 30 stations starting April 2,1. on finally Gives lowdown . Standard’ lead for the hard- pressed .network flack starts but, ‘‘For the first time In radio . . or the new" variation, ‘‘for the first time in television.”’ And if the handout gets printed, there’s al- w'ays a rush of calls or letters from a dozen other broadcasters estab- lishing, more or less conclusively, tlieir prior claim- Now, however, “for the first time” in publishing histoi'y, Joseph Nathan Kane has tabulated all the “firsts’- to settle the various disputes. (Someone’s alv;ays making It tough for the pub- licity fraternity.) “Break the Bank” writer Kane (Gontinued bn page 38) Due to Sipiawks? On the basis of trade sentiment and/.some sponsor rGaction, Mu- tual's projected“Game of the Day” American League pickups; While recognized as laudable In intent, might wind up in left field as far as getting the necessary bankroller commitments. Mutual would like to snare at least one national sponsor for the series, but in View of major league franchises in the key cities and the feeling of ball club owners that the “Game of the Day” broadcasts may injure them competitively, it’s an- ticipated that there will be mount- ing squawks. It’s recognized, too, so far as na- tional sponsor acceptance goes, that the whole area from Washings ton to Boston and west to St. Louis is automatically ruled out because of major ball club commitments, And^ since this, Is essence, repre- sents the basic network accounting for 60 to 70% of sales, the majbr Mutual pickings must of necessity come froih the lesS-lucratiye noh- metropolitan areas. An indication of the preyailing. sentiment was ABC’s Harry Wis- mer rap at the “Game of the Day” airings before the Chicago Radio Maii^jement club last Week. Al- though the Mutual scheme is fine for the fans. Wispier pointed but, It will probably cue loud beefs; from stations and clients broadcast- ihg local major league contests. Some minor league Officials; wor- lued about the effect of the “Game’' On their gate, have already aired complaints, W'ismer told> the club membership. ■ Network sponsors face a; wholbr sale blackout of shows on. affiliate stations around the country both bn AM Ahd TV because this spring aiid sumiher Will find nighttime baseball ridifig wide and handsome on the local kilocycles. The situation will be particularly acute in the cities and toWhs har- boring minor league baseball. With stations—affiliated and una;ffiliaied alike^ominitting themselves to a pickup of 70 to; 80 home games during the season. There’s but one redeeming ele- ment favoring the iietworks and their clients at the moment---the probability that radio listeners and TV viewers will become so sur- feited \w baseball (since every broadcaster and his uncle wants tb go for the nine-inning ride); that many stations (and audiences) will welcome a return to entertainnient. Particularly pn TV, the situatiop threatens to antagonize mbny a na- tional spbrisor. Video stations on the direct coaxial route have pacted lucrative sponsorship deals with local clients for full haseball pickups. If it’s a Tuesday night twilight game; as frequently hap- pens without even advance notice, it automatically means cancelling out Milton Berle's “'Texaco Star Theatre,” ahd since Texaco and the Kudher agency frown on slotting, even kine versions on any other time segment, the show gets heaved from that town. Arid so on down the line with other top coin shows. National spot accounts also fig- ure to get hit as badly. Invariably a station will sell adjacency station break time to a local client to com- plement the ball game. It’s good coin for the station, but it involves an indiscriminate tbssout of na-r I tional spot accounts; Here, too, it puts the Web in an embarrassing pbsitiori with tfie national client, arid makes it tougher for the out- let’s station rep in romancing the spot buyer on future deals. Radio’fl Stromboli They had a new name last we0k for the $150,000 radio all-industry film, .“Lightriihg That Talks,” which got a nix from the; Board of Directors of the National Assn, of Broad- casters and created- unfavor- able comment among preview- ers of the pic in N.; Y. They’re now callihg It ‘■Ra- dio’s Stromboli.”; PICKED UP tY CBS last week picked u^ Abe Burrows’ option at the end of his first year’s contract. Multiplicity Of AM-TV formats has been tossed at the comic, since he was signed to a CBS exclusive. At present, he’s getting a three-way spread via the Sunday night“This Is Show Business” on TV, his own Wednesday night video show and the AM “We Take Your Word” panel discussion. CBS last week found itself alter- nating between bewilderment and jubilation over the hew HOoper re- port, which found Artfiur Godfrey’s Monday night “Talent Scouts” pro- gram in NO . 2 position with a 23.9, only five-tenths of a point under Jack Benny’s leadoff rating. .I*obk- ing over the record, CBS discov- ered it was the highest Hooper copped to date by the Godfrey stanza, although the show’s Top 10 payoff has become a habit* ■ The bewilderment stems from the fact that bn the night the Hooper boys were checkirig, God- frey wasn’t even on the show. It Was the week of : his layoff, with Cedric Adam's subbing for him. CBS (and the trade) doesn't min- imize the Godfrey pheriomenon, but the facts remains that, even though listeners had the opportuh- ity of tuning out after the first couple of iriiriutes, everybody ap- parently stayed With it. The web’s jubilation, in turn,: stems from the fact that Adams is currently getting a CBS buildup via his own afternoori stanza, The web figures if he can command I that kind of nighttime draw, he’s i a cinch for the buildup treatment. Hollywood, Feb. 21. The drama, one of radio's ear-, and most successful formatt and the device that inade Holly- wood the nation’s key originating point,: i$ beglnriirig to feel the ef- fects of its age. The progressibii Of cycles has shunted It rudely, to the • sidelines ^nd only k 'Shell re- mains of What was once the salva- tion of the kilocycles. Time, was that.'wheri a dramatid show; displayed signs of wavering the check book came put arid a film star was brought on to hypo the rating. It rarely failed to turn the trick, but of recent “ears the panacea has. failed to resuscitate the patient. The agency-spbnsbr de- duction was that mebhe “he arm was too full for another shot. When a vogue was struck for whoduriits arid other escapist Offshoots of the dramatic mainspring, the straight acting job began to feel the strain of the competing elements, It wai becoming too slow for this fast age and when a jet can span the land in fiye hoiirs and people began to talk about the catastrophie blight of the H-bomb., 'the credo seems to be “speed it up” and the old stage plays and their modern counterparts can’t match, the .tempo.' Not too many years ago there; were more thap a dozen straight dramatic shows on the air, arid all well regarded by the setside sit- ters. What’s left for Hollywood fu- ture, a season away, are all of four in the commercial column. Sci'een Guild ’Theatre is iri the process of being absorbed by Lux Radio Theatre^ Ariacin is dropping Hollywood Star Theatre, and Pru- dential has put Family Hour of Stars oh notice. ’That leaves only Lux, Hallmark Playhouse, Screen Directors Playhouse and Stars (Continued On page 34) He Can Belhe for Par Hollywood; Feb. 21. Bob Hope won a teniporary vic- tory' in his fight with Lever Bros, to tape, his radio shows. Permis- sion was grarited by the soap rtiak- ers to, record three programs so be could fill a theatre date at New York’s Paramohnt. Lords of Lever, hpWeyer, said the concession was not to be con- strued as a change in policy, which would iridicate the high brass gp alorig with the recently resigned |*prexy, Charles Luckmari, who I fought Hope through arbitration for live broadcastsy Chicago, Feb, 21. Fearful that even the cool Dayc I Garroway may be facing his motor j a bit under a too heavy work load, the Ciii NBC man of many tasks has been given a respite from his local WMAQ late evening slot, “The iI60 Club ” Besides this show, which runs from midnight to 1:25 a. m. five Although Rexall is dropping the high-budgeted Phil Harris-Alice Faye Sunday night NBC show, the drug outfit, via BBD&O agency, will .In all probability remain in radio with another, hut less expen- sive, half-hour show. Rexall,‘ however, will have to va- cate the 7:30 time, which “belongs” to Harris under hi.s new three-year NBC exclusive. Once Rexall gives the “we’re sticking” signal, it’s an- ticipated that all the webs will make a concerted bid for the busi- ness. ^ Meanwhile, NBC is proffering the Harris-Faye stanza to potential clients. The possibility of a Lever Bros, bankrolling would appear re- mote, in view of the Lever sponsor- nights a week, Garroway’s other . _ AM activities Include a local 30-! ship of Amos ’n’ Andy in the com- peting time period on CBS* Even though it involved different prod- ucts, it’s considered extremely im- likely that Lever would go fOr a Boston, Feb. 21. Fred Allen, Who recently wran- gled with Massachusetts Commis- ! sioner of Taxes Henry : F. Long re- i gardirig his legal residence, with i Long putting on a strong pitch to [put the bite on him for state taxes, ' has reluctantly been declared a ripn-resident by the commissioner, i However, Long asserted that : Allen would: always be welcome [ back as a resident. The Hooper* Jack Benny (CBS) .. Talent Scouts iCBS) . Lux Radio Theatre (CBS) Bob Hope (NBG), . V,... My Friend Irnia (CBS) Bing Crosby (CBS)... Fibber & Molly (NBC)., . Amos ’n* Andy (CBS): . Mr. Chameleon (CBS);.. Walter Winchell (ABC) .. .people Are Funny (NB(^). Mysterj" Theatre (CBS) . Truth or Conseq’es (NBC) Burns*& Alien (CBS). . . . Bob Hawk (CBS) 24:5 : 23.9 22.8 21.0 20.7 20.6 20.2 19.1 18.2 17.8 16.B 16.7 16.5 16,3 15.9 Rating as Aftenioon minute afternoon show aqross-the- ! board; a i5-minute morning net- work show acr6ss“he-board, and a ! weekly SOi-minute network slot. ‘ “Theii on Sunday nights there’slsplit audience, his half-hour TV network show, r— “Garroway at Large.’’ ; According to present plans he; will work “1160”.from time to time, [ but Gregg Donovan Will handle the show on a more or less regular I basis. Garroway first [ attracted I midwest attention when he took oyer; ‘*1160” shpHly after One of those “radip-is-a-crazy-; as a lower echelon WMAQ staff, business” situatioris has cropped announcer. lup on CBS in connection with the[ Gari-y Moore afternoon show. Last week; When Moore officially learned that his hour variety show was being axed because Colgate I was moving into the time with its Negotiations are reported neat the : own crOss-the-board stanza, , tha inking stage for Bernard S. SchU-j comic-emcee hit a high 5;6 Nielsen bert to take over the Phillips Lord j rating:' puts |t up with the operation. Music, Gprp. of Amer- i afternoon champs. Schubert Slatied For ica has been, in there pitching for the acqulsltiori, but Schubert has outbid MCA[ Properties involved iri the I switchover will Include “Gangbus- ters” and“Couivterspy” on radio In addition, Mboire, soliciting lis- tener response with the announce- nient that “an agency wants to know whether people listen to us,” got 91,000 letters in five days. CBS has nighttime plans for and the“Black Robe” on tele- Mppre, either TV or radio. He’s vision. 1 expected east spoil for BudiUotis.