Variety (April 1950)

April. WSO V ." ' . W TBUBVISmN ss rams In the h'^yday of vaudeville; one of the best protections pejiormers had viras ah unAvritten vigilante system which the stagehands policed the best. The ^*boys” had a most uhsubtle way of telling.a pilfering comic that -‘we saw Frank Fay do that bit here three weeks ago, arid better!” And if the larcenous act didn’t get the idea, and persisted doing a ”copy act,’^ somehow or other he’d find scenery get in his way while making entrances and exits, curtains drop disconcertingly while he was bowing off, and the convincer usually had something to do with counterweights and things like that falling suddenly in his, path, and somewhat un- comfortably close* This was in additioh to the traditional Protective Material Dept., ihaiigurated by Varietv, and endorsed by the Vaudeville M Protective Assn, in case there was a priority claim on a bit of business gagi.song, scene and the like. . Subsequently, Variety essayed. a Radio Prbtective Material Dept.i along the lines of Vaudeville; but it was principally a depository for mss,, with a view to. establishing priority, chiefly by registration, but little guarantee that whoever registered it first might not have swiped it from somebody else. It was abandoned for that reasom Now comes Teievisibn and, being the electronic show business that it is, a blend of vaudeyille and audio plus, the visiiai factor; the vRudeb aspects have assumed ,a sameness and a monotbny that mey under- mine a vast new form of entertainment, just as it is starting to achieve ■■its.'fuller'fruition.. ■ As a matter of fact, as much to be abhorred as the larceny of ma- terial, is the general sameness of the variety show patterns. This is a, problem all itself, hilt beiongs in this exposition on sameness of ma- jterlal-r-whether swiped or unimaginatively projected. Already too many comments are being heard on fl); the downbeat of certain programs, and (2), the sameriess in pattern or patter. Video, quite obviously, is one form of . show business which has kbpt pace with the atomic era. It has grown in such gargantuan proportions that the “noVelty” appeal has already disappeared for hundreds of thousands of lookers. Just seeing objects animate in one’s living.room no longer is unusual; The valhes have asserted themselves, Just because certain comics or people are wedded to orie or another network, because of sponsorial contractual commitmentSj is no excuse for the continuous blind spot conditioned by these immediate economic advantages. The status quo will boomerang if the networks. Who have the overall stake in; the ^future of a potent new industry, don’t assert themselves aggressively bn an improved' standard of shows and showr mahship.'' Thbre is too much compromise with convenience of sponsorship and the existing talent pool, and not enough concern for long-rahge atti- tudes. It behooves the vested interests to catch these shortcomings before the publie catches up with them. There; is a deadly parallel right now in the picture businless. Like the old gag, ”it’s the only crap game in town,” the war years made everything in celluloid ac-- ceptable, but when the chips are down, as now, the truer Values are very, much the determining factor. Television’s future ie a glowing Spectrum as .color video looms closer, but no amount of Technicolbr will . be kble to becloud; the fbndam.ental showmanship shortcomings. It’s a sorry note, therefore, to spotlight such possibility so early in the . career of a vast new industry. The Shakespearean crack about the play’s the-thing goes for tele- vision. • The material is too much under microscope for leisurely di- gestion in the undistracting confines of the home for comfort Ab'cl. Masquers Romance TV EEE-TV, DaDas Holly wood, April 4. The Masquers have paclmged a show for teievisibn and“^Bernie Schubert i.s presenting it for spon- sorship back east; Theatrical club will have more than 40 members to draw on. Format will be flexible enough for any type of show, with the em- phasis bn dramatic and variety. Philadelphia, April 4. ■. —^ ■ - ' .' Television adherence to the principles of the motion picture production code was ordered for ! WFIL-TV by Walter H. Annenberg, editor and publisher of the Phila- delphia Inquirer, which owns and operates the station. In direct instructions issued to Roger 'iV, Clipp, general manager Houston Anril 4 of WFIL-TV and WFIL, Annenberg - . _ , .. specifically called attejition to the « regulations which referred crime, vulgarity and costumes. The order became im- | Albert Lee. The mediately effective. Annenberg also urged the nets i , /-r, j Lee, local hotel owner has been (Continued on page 42) operating the TV outlet more than ^ * a year in , conjunction with his i stai^dard broadcast outlet KLEF ; For; the time being, Lee will con- I tinue to operate KLEE-TV. oPbst Dlficials said, however, the TV out- let would become known as KPRC-TV if the FCe approves the sale.; Jack Harris, general manager of the Post’s KPRG, then would as- ! sume direclibn of KPRC-TV. ■ Tel evisioii network advertisers are in. for another bobst in card rates next fall. With set salcis looking as though they’ll continue booming indefinitely, the major webs are sighting fpr , a general rate hike of 25'%-40% about liext Nov, I, on the theory that the inr crease in receiver* circuiation will still provide for a lower cost to advertisers per thousand viewers* iiiove will probably be led by NBC, which is reportedly mullihg the: feasibiUty ^ upping rates, on its five owried-and-operated, sta- tions an average 40%. That would bring the ebst of an hour of Class A time on WNBT, N. Y., flagship station, from its present $2,000 to $2,800. Sales execs of CBS and ABC said they probably would hot institute such a ; move but * inti- mated any boost by NBC would virtually force them to follow ^uit. DuMont spokesman said his- web would not be; influenced by the ac-^ tiori of its competitors hut conced- ed it Would .follow through if it epul d decrease the .cost-per-thoti- ■sand.' .■ While the, nets cannot get to- gether on a general rate hike be- cause violations of the anti-triist laws, if was pointed out that intra- industry economics would force such a move to he unaninious. Certain of the varipus o.&o. sta-: tions are the only ones operating in their parlicuiar localities and so might carry shows of competing networks. , Thus, any time the web owning such a station boosts its card rate, other webs utilizing the outlet must ask the same charges. Talk of the TV rate, boost comes at a time when some,;,sponsors are pressing for a .commensurate low- er rate In radio, on the assumption that the larger TV audience is cutting into the available AM audi- ence. Spokesmen for. all the webs, however, u n a n i m o u s 1 y agreed there would be ho such Ciit in AM charges^ contending the AM audience is still a good buy for the money. They pointed out that WFlL, Philadelphia, first AM sta- lion to lower its rates., i^actually merely switched .emphasis bn Its rate card from evenihg io daytime shows and that WFItr^TV; more- over, is rapidly nearing a black 'ink operation. That is something which no .video network can yet boast, Iri explaining the thinking be- hind the contemplated boost in TV time charges, the web exeCs also pointed out that more, streamlined produclipn facilities recently in- stituted by all networks are sav-1 ing advertisers considerable money* CBS, for example, through re-us- ing sets and props, is now able to quote production prices about j 25% below last year. On 18. spon- sored programs, the web claims it saves the bankrollers over $750,- 000, compared to what the same programs cost (hem last year. Jokes Vsi Tutoring Sam Levenspni Who switched from teaching school to telling jokes for a living, was slated to giye; the reasons for the change during hiis guest stint bn NBC's the People” simulcast Friday, night ($1), but Gulf Oil, the show’s .spon- sor, nixed the statennient. Ley- eiisbh planhed to reveal that he is now inaking $4,000 per week as a cbmic, as cbmpared to the $4i0G0 per year he earhbd as a teacher in Samuel Tildeh highsChool, Brooklyn, While he was^^^h^^ to give out with the figures, Leyehson nonetheless cited the difficulties of the; teaching pro- fessibh : via low salaries. His script was to have dwelt on “whether it’s more important to tell jokes or to teach our children.” FLOCK OF SPONSORS RIDE Occasional pickups of s cveuts. Such as N. Y.'s Easter Pa rade Sunday (9), are providing a lucrative sideline to televisipn broadcasters; NBC, CBS, DuMont ^ ^ have sold the parade 9p ji^pRC observed its 25th anni this Fifth avenue to bankrollers hoping I ^^• 4 iinj?” festiyities. j Governor W. P. Hobby is with NBC and CBS having their of the Post, with Mrs, Oveta sponsors on a network basis. Culp Hobby as executive v.p. United Fruit Co,, through j 1 BBP&O, will have th^ CBS .pick-1 1 > up, to be aired from noon to 2 p.m.; fxelaxea acneau , NBC tele versioii of “The Quiz i Televisiph; ba,seball fans in N.Y. will get much better coverage of the Yahkee, Dodger and Giant games this year, if plans now being worked out by \ the remote pickup directors who will handle the games materialize. On tap are such improvements as closer position of the cameras to the playing field; addition of .a fourth camera to the three previpusly Used, and the use of trick .Shots, such as the super- Impositioh featured In coverage of the World Series last fall; DUMPrit, covering the Yankee games for the fourth consecutive year via WABD, will operate from a hew radio-TV-press box on the mezzanine level at Yankee Sta- dium. Two Of WABD’s cameras will be located in the box, five to 10 feet to the right of home plate. Third will be stationed alpng the third-base line to cover the infield action. According to remote chief Harry Coyle, the super-impositipi^ shot of a base runner over the usual pitcher-batter-catcher .shot will be used as much as possible, Coyle doubled whether WA BD wi 11. use another camera shooting from the outfield toward home plate, ex- plaining thi.s^ would necessitate vir- tually a second camera erfw. Plans for coverage of the Giant games by WPTX and those of the Dodgers by WOR-TV are not yet complete. Latter statioh, which takes oVer the Dodgers for the first time their year, following inability (Continued on page; 42) Shortage of television story properties is still the No. 1 prob- lem confronting video producers, despite an influx of top-name film and legit writers and novelists. Script shortage is acute, according to one network story editor, and aside frbm doing eveipdhing possi- ble to acquaint experienced writ-!- efs with the medium, the webs see no; solution to the problem., Illustratihg the tremendous de- mand for TV story properties Is the fact that the; combined output of all Hollywood studios; iricluding the lowrbudget B film producers, is about 400 ;'features yearlyV Four major TV networks alone; feqtiire over 800 half<-h6ur and hour Scripts, for a/ normal 39-‘.week cyclei Fig- ure does not include shows pror duced by local video stations, nor the Serial programs^ such as “Mama,” “Goldbebgs,^’ etc. Situ- ation was pointed Up by Winston O’Keefe, producef of CBS-TV’s “Ford Theatre,” show emphasizes adaptations of former Broadway legiters, but, because of the topical factor, the number available is lim- ited. Ahdv according to O’Keefe, because; of story content or diffi- culties ; in clearing rights, Only about 10% of those remaining; can ;be used.'" ■ On the brighter side of thd^ pic- ture is the number of experienecd name writers who are how.; show- ing interest In TV. While a good half-hour script will now pay up to $500 and an hour show may pay the author up to $1,500, it’s the fact that TV has proved itself, rather than the money which is re- sponsible, according to Arthur Heineman, CBS story editoiv Heineman cited Edwin Justus (Continued on> page 42) Banson Hosiery Mi 1 is pacted 1 ast week to bankroll NBC’s pickup, while local Chevrolet Dealers will sponsor the show 6n WABD, Du- Mont’s N.Y. outlet, and the Friend- ly Frost Stores will spbnsor the WpIX coverage. Latter station a 1 so carried the St. Patrick’s Day pa- rade, with R&.H Beeb picking up tile tab. Kids,” sponsored by Miles Labbra- j tories, goes on an alternating week schedule June 9. Stint will return to weekly [ schedule Sept. 1. With three sta- tions recently added, “Kids” are now caiTied on 22 NBC TV affill* ateSi;-.' t K i < J i ) NBC' is scrapping its criticallyracclainned two-and-a-half-hour “Salurday Night Rt'vue”-r-at least for the summer—which will effect a network .saving of close to $700,000. The New York orig- inating show goes off May 20 and NBC has set Sept. 9 as the re- turn date, giving the web several mpriths in which to line up sponsors either for half-hour or full hour segments, in addition to announcement sales. The Ch^originating Jack Cafter show may • remain bn into June under a pro-tern^sponsorship deal. It’s strictly a case of NBG getting off the deep end fiiiancially. in view of its inability to carry Ihrough on the participation sale : scheme (thus far the three sponsor pariicipahts rhake up but $18,000 of the $50,000 weekly tab). Plus the fact that, it will permit Max : ■ Liebman, producer of 90-minute New York-drigihating “Show of Shows,” to ease off during the TV dog days and save some bi the Sid Gaesar-lmogene Coca talent ammunitioh for the fall., NBC has until April 20 to pick up its option on the Liebman 90-minute reviit (which follows the hour Jack Carter program from Chicago), but has already committed itself to a new pact with the; talent intact, ; ; Since .the show has, been hailed as unque.slionably the most potent entertainment package to hit.the TV screens to date, the laet that; it becomes a casualty (even though a summer PU.e) presents some- thing Of a major video Ripley, accenting aiiew the “high co.st of TV living.” NBC reportedly wants $19,000 per halfWhour, which, would fetch $ 95,060 for the five 30-mihute segments. Thus far there are no takers, although Buick is said tc be eyeing a 00- 'minute pickuic under proper financial terms. From all indications this is “open season” for Robert Q. Lewi.s jji : the commercial Video sweep- stakes. A week aHer CBS lined up Coliinibia Records as sponsor for 30 minutes of the Lewis-emceed “The Show. Goes On,” the network over the weekend negotiated a fast deal with Block Co., on behalf ; of its Ammi-dent prbduct, for a new Robert Q. showcase, With plans for expansion in the fall. Amnii-dent will pick Up the tab once-weekly (Friday) from 7:45 to 8 p.m.i for a casual, off-the-cuff: LeWik gab stanza, with a trio ac- epmpaniment and Occasional guests. It will ride for 10 weeks and in the fall the client will extend it to Mondays, also, with possibi 1 ity of a Wednesday pickup as well if the time is available. New Lewis show will be pro- duced by Barry Wood. Meanwhile CBS looks set to latch on to additional bankrolling of “Show Goes On” for the first. 30- minute TV portion. %mwiZ6r Washington, April 4 . Practrcaily: all teievisibn sot^ now being produced have scjeens of 12 Inches or larger, accordihg to a report of the Radio Mfrs.. Assn. ot‘ picture tube sales to equipment producers during February. Some 96% were. 12 inches or over and 35 % .were 14 inches or more. Month’s sales to set makers tot a)ed 427,600 units, valued at ,$10;68.*i.000j a slight decrease in volume frOrn January, but a 7% decrease in’ value, refleciing con- tinued drop in tube prices. Sales' ((3 dealers for renewals totaled 16;- 700 valued at approximalely $390,- 000, Or an average of abbut $22 ■ per lube, ■■ f-