Variety (April 1950)

■ ; Hollywood, ApririB. ’ First Interniitioiial television cir- cuit oK reqprdi dnibracing every phake of production and: televising, V wil'l be fe^t UP this week by; a syn- ■ dica’t® ' presid^bt'bf^Mexico City’s. Chu- ‘ rubusco Studios, theatre circuit op- erator and chairrtian of ihe Mexir Can government radio commission. He is president of the new Arm, Han;- American Television Corp, Fra‘nk’\F6uce, who owns the Mayan, ' Mason ' and other Spanish houses here, is Veepee. Others in the pool are showmen in Cuba, Brazil and s Argentina, Herbert Silverberg' is handling legal details in connec- I lion with filing of corporation I papers in Sacramento^ Programming will tee off with XEW-TV, Me^co City’s first tele- station, now operating experi- . mentally, in September. tJ. S. sub- sidiary, which will have offices here and in N. Y„ will act mostly as a buying''agency for programs. Opera tiOns format also calls ;for the manufacture of - TV sets in Mi T<>p 10 for (Pulse Ratingss April I'l) (Evening Shows) Texaco Star Theatre.. 60.1 The Goldbetgs,...; .. v* 46;8 Toast of the Towh . i;. . 42 8 Godfrey's; Talent Scouts. 41.8 Studio One ....,......: Saturday Night Revue.: Philco Playhouse...... Godfrey & His Friends!. Lights Out . ..,....... Suspense ....... 39,2 .36.1 33.6 33.0 31.6 31.0 Mexico City. FoUc.e, who will head T^rpm^r • the' * company’s procurement de- exerci^ its option for partinent, has already ^ordered of^e Nassour studios vtriansmitters for yaripus members within six months, it was disclosed of; thor pool. front • eastern equip- ment\j0utfit5, pj*16r to opening of 5 ® their: own factory, (51 yp), took a-, longterm lease on In addition to purchasing U; S. Nassour sound stages and pf- tele-pix, w'hich will be dubbed in ^^es last month and will move its Spani^, company will produce its entire pperation into the studios own films for TV at Ghurubusco. 15* Reason for the move XEWtTV Will lee off vdth three wilL be three-fold, hour.s of programming daily, all Times-Mirror Cp. will buy out sustaining. Indications are it will the CBS interest in HTTV^ Inc., be oii 40 hours a week hy the mid- When the network purchases an- (dlle of next year, Foiice said, with outlet for itself here. Origr kineScoped U. S, shows in addition ibal contract between the Times to domestic talent. . and CBS set up the terms for pur- “It w^as tod much of a load for chase of K'TTV by either factor at any one country to handle,” Fouce the initial investment plus a per- stated,. ”so radio and theatre men centage of the coin rolled into the from each country got together to station following the original deal, underwrite it.” He added that he which was inked on April 28, ’48. has already lined up 1,500 hours Contract called for a $1,(>00,000 of film programs .from here and corporatioh. Buying out price at that his group is “looking forward this time has not been, revealed, to showing their Idniiies in the but the Times will definitely buy U. S.” . and retain the entire corporation Group is also banking on over- when CBS moves out. teas yen for Latin TV shows. It . Present plans for the filming of wa.s reported that Azcalraga will live shows on KTTV arid tailored go to London this summer to hudr packages will necessitate the die With J. Arthur Rank abou^t that station's taking over all four sound •Ogle- stages at“ Nassour. This coiricW^^^ “— ■ ■■ ■■ with the station's plan for its » M Hji financing, exhibition and distribii- IIiIait tion firm. With only two stages, I 2V6 IfldV KTTV will not iiave enough room . to present its regularly scheduled w ^ live shows and also do filming pres- ■ 4 v D ea I Ic V ently being considered. Station llO DqIjK LII IjDiJ plans to film a series Which the new firm will distribute to a pro- Faye Emerson Show. IS-minute Sv<m ot video to Washifigton, April 18. CBS prexy Frank Stanton told the FC(!J yesterday (17) his com- pany is prepared to form a $50,- 000,000 corporation, financed by putside capital, to distribute and possibly manufacture color televi- sion receivers if the Columbia sys- tem is authorized. ; Testifying urider cross exariiina- tiori at commission color hearings, Stanton said he preferred to- use such a device to a^ure that rioior sets for, the CBS system are put on the maiicet father than have the FCC compel manufacturers to pro- duce the quipment. RCA had tes- tified last wepk that it could not give: assurance such sets would be made if CBS color is authorized. SUnton deciared that CBS is ‘■philosophical]^" oppos,ed to Ori- tering trie radio manufacturing business but was prepared to launch such a company if major producers won't go along with an F(Zj(j decision favoring Golumbia: However, he said; “I dOh’t' think compulsion will bO necessary. I can’t conceive of l^ge mariufac- turOrs losing their markets to com- petitors or a large new Corpora- ' tion.” ■ The new corporatidn, Stanton in- dicated, would be financed by the "Sale of 10,000,000 shares of stock at $5 per share and licensed under CBS patents. The company might contract with othermanufacturers to . make its sets, Confining its op- erations largely to distifbiition, or might inake the srits itself; It was understood that the cpm- panyi if formed', would be geared to produce or distribute 2,000,000 “Columbia” sets a year. Stanton told the Commission his confidence that manufacturers would produce sets for CBS color Was shaken aftef- last week’s testiriiony during which RCA and Philcp exckiutives indicated a “boycott” against pro- ducing receivers for the Columbia system.-, In reply to questions by FCC counsel Harry Plotkin, who asked whether the Commission should believe W'hat the Radio Mfrs. Assn, has told it, he said:“People tend to resist change, but price: you cross that line and come oiit with your decision, you'll find a scairipering on the part of the manufacturers to sell mei*chandise,” Earlier, under qUe^ionitig by RCA counsel. John T. (jahill, a (Continued on page 4()) '■ [■& CBS-TV’s deal for exclusive ^ • i Video rights; to a- series of 26 Sat^ vpp ijtay$ Uutsid^ ■. urdav night events at Madison J^q. Washingtbri, April 18. Oarden,:N..Y., next fall and winter Elaborating on his tesH- seen as a move by the web to mony before the FCC* Frank fight off the top-heavy competitipri Stanton, CBS ; prexy, told of ^ NBC-TV’s "Saturday Night Re- Variety todaf (18) CBS itself vUe.” CBS shelled put a reported would hot invest iri the cprpo- $100,000 fof rights to the Garden. ^ ration it “Would forrn to dis- events arid is now pitching thein tribute or produce receivers to potential bankrollers, hoping .to for Columbia color, CBS, he find one that will take all 26 nights said, will license the compahy V. h ^ckage deal, to riianufacture or contract NBC's^ ‘ Revue” ha$ taken most with other manufacturers to ^-rie Saturday ;night play away produce sets under its patents. from competing networks and has It’s understood that several Ed Wynn show ;\Vall Street houses, are ready . on CBS to switch froin Saturday to to underwrite the $50,000,000 : nights. While the latter stock issue under Which- the concedes the, lufp pfj”Revue” corporation Would be financed. for the musicomedy fans, it is con- Stantori tpld the Gommissioh ^riere is a potentially^ largp CBS does not want to get into audience available for spch . top the radio manufacturing busi- . sports shows on Saturday nights as 1 . the Garden stages; Garden deal IS : ' V thus part of CBS’: overall rilove to ! mako its Saturday night program- IkT P /\ ming as different as possible from mIA IlnPIl “Revue,” with trie web already liv.UUllllllV* Vpvll haying scheduled an hourdong ; drama series to take over thq 9 to : f 1 f /^flP T*1F iO slot that night. ■ ^ HAIICA St I KNw I V CBS plans to start the Garden ; . WVlIvv ttl, VlwM A ,", pickups each week at 10 p.m, ■ While the starting time will make li lil I it possible to pick up the finals of p Alf M Q A If Q If D If C whatever event is being staged and 1 Ul » tl VII O K V I O wiU also permit for the full hour' dramatic show • preceding, : that CBS-TV, while it will admittedly time is also viewed as a cpiiipetir haVe its hands full in lining up “Revue” summer replacements for the spon- ing.in Ajrith the Garden show halt- sored showl ^klng a hiatus; will an-hpur befpre “Revue’’ signs off, still not throw the doors wide open CBS hopes to cut iritp its rival’s to indie producers and their pack- - neuvered the same type of rivalry ages. by slotting its Robert Montgomery Web execs declared this week series Monday nights at 9:30-10:30, they will be glad to work with out- the first half-hour side producers but only if they can O"®'" from retain full rights to all programs; List of events to which CBS has They emphasized they don’t want acquired rights includes prac- merely to showcase the indies’ pro- all the Garden spoils except gram ideas, pointing out that too p,ayed o„ Sundays and will prob- Often in the past an outside pro- (ably again be televised next sea- ducer would offer his show on a sob by the N. Y. Daily News’ orie-shbt trial basis and then, if it CBS will have access to recelyed favorable audience recep- rodeo, horse , showj the top weekly chit-chat stanza starring the film-legit actress, was Teported this station exhibitors. Another factor being reckoned week to be angling'for a return to with by the Times is that of j li- the CBS-TV web, even though it risdictional union trouble. The shifted from there to NBC video ! lATSE considers all men working only last week. iw production at Nassour studios Arnold Bakeries, which bank- under its jurisdiction. However, rolls the show through Benton & KTTV recently signed Contracts Bowles, switched from CBS to NBC M'ith the IBEW following a National in order to take advantage of NBC’s Labor Relations Board election, in topheavy Saturday night pull via which staffers indicated they pre- its “Saturday Night Revue.” Miss fened the IB. Before submitting to Emer.son teed off her new series any jiuisdictional strife between the last week (15) in the. 10:30 to 10:45 two unions, the Times will buy Nas- P m. Saturday slot, inimediaiely sour, which means there will be ho following the “Rcvue.” Since trie J A men oh the lot. As it stands latter show is soheduled to begin there is a mixture becatise of mo- ils summer hiatus May 20, h0vv‘- tion pictures beihg megged on the ever, that would leave Miss Emer- Nassour lot along with the tele>- son practically alone Saturday! vision activities. :nights on-NBC.-. .'.I .V ' ^ Show thus may return to CBS,; ^ \ _ , ,, Cafe: Contiiienlal Due for My Showing J red . Waring Show, and where it -cafe Continental;” vidpic series would follow Ed Sullivan’s ‘’Toast niade in London with top European ot the Tqivn.” Miss Emerson’s talent and based on the BBC pro* stanza js packaged ■ by Hardie gram; is making its debut this week r neberg Productions, under sponsorship of Coninar yip* ' pers. Number of other manufac- epoper Gets Kay^ turers of clothing and luggage are . Sammy. K has, signed with participating, the Prank Cooper agencY for radio Show will be scheduled in eight and tele representation. ’General cities on stations of three webs, .Artist Corp. will rep the riiaestro NBC-TV, CBS-TV and . ABC-Ty. in other fields, . ■ : Kickoff in Gotham is tomorrow; Deal was made last week upon . (Thurs.) oh WNBT at 10;30-10:45 expirationqibis contract w^^^^ p. m. Agency is Willihm Wevn* in radio and videp., • traub. ;v ^ ' tion, sell It to the highest bidder. In th^ way, the CBS execs said, the indies saVe themselves the ex- pense of the usual kinescope audi- tion. " Maj ority of tli e s u m met replace- ments are still question marks, ac^ eording to web program toppers, with the picture only jgradually rounding into shape. So far, CBS has decided to retain “Toast of the Town” on a sustaining basis during the eight weeks that the LinGoln- Mercury Dealers lay off, with guest emcees probably subbing for Ed Sullivan while the latter vacations: trackmeets and all college basket- ball, including the National Irivi- tatiori Tournanient and the Nar tiohhi.. Coilegiate Athletic Assn, finals* ' CBS has signed a deal with Ed Sullivan and Mario Lewis wherer Snowerop Marketers, a subdivi- sion of Clinton Foods, lias picked up the tab on the 10 p.m.-10:30. segment of NBC’s Saturday night parlay, “Your Show of Shows.” With Speidel picking up sponsor- ship Of the Jack Carter section of the program, starting May 6, the entire 2'/ 2 -hGUr show is now com- pletely spbriSored. With spbnsor.ship' rates reduced to $6,000 per haifihbur for the Car- ter show and $7,500 for trie N. Y. end. NBC figures that it will: have gotten back up to $300,000. of its investment in it,s. Saturday night programnri ng venture, Chain fig- lires that .by the time the New York originated show goes off trie air May 20, venture Will have cost only about $250,000, which Is satis- faciory to them, since they figure on a hit show in live fall. Spon.sor lineup in three weeks will comprise Speidel. from 8-9 p m.; MagnaVox for tile half-liour starting at 9 p.m.. three spots bqught by RCA. Lnited Fruit and Swifts, during the next half-hour; and Clinton Fpod.s for the final segment. John Dodge, of the NBC sales staff, who handled tl^e Magnavoxi ijind Speidel sales, also landed the Snowerop contract. “Beat the Clock,’’ quiz show now | by both go "on staff” in the web’s alternatirig with the Ken Murray video depai-tment. As salaried stainza Saturdays from 8 to 9 p.m., will go every week starting July I , producers, in the web’s creative programming department, they’ll when the Murray hiatus begins, in | have office space at CBS’ N. Y. addition, “Starlight T h e a t r e," | headquarters. Sullivan will con-, series of half-hour dramatic shpws i tinue his syndicated N.Y. Daily now aired Sunday nights as a sus-j ^“'vs column, while Lewis has tainer, will probably move into the I ^uit the Blaine Thompson ad Monday night at 8 slot to fill in f^^' j agency. Where he was veepee. “Silver Theatre” while the latter, ! Pacting pf Sullivan and Lewii bankrolled by International Silver, ; has ho bearing pn the CBS Sunday lakes its Vacation : j night Tpast of the TPwn,’A which . i : '• ^ •'■■■■. ■: i Sulliyan eriicee.s arid \vrih which Lewis has been identified as pro- CBS An^lin|[: SjpOnSQrS GBS. figure.«: that as idea, men P H i i r b bl arid m developirig TV variety prop- T 01* p€Ft LOhr. Bon BlUO ertles for the web, both Sul 1 ivan rr^xT t -.X 1 1 J xi 1 ^nd Lewis, working either as a CBS-TV lastweek tensed fiual, tejalri Pr individually, will be an irn- kinescppe auditions pf two half- pPi^ant adjunct to the video prp- liPur shows; one staiTing Bert Lah gramming setup; Move is in- and the other,Ben Blue, Both prp^ spired, too, by the web’s desire to grams receij^ favor^le i^eaction p^ greater .accent on coiiiedyr from the CBS execs but the Web .variety programming in view of has decided npt to put either on the the already-hcavy . cmpha.sis on I air until a.; spPnsor;is signed, dramatic shows, though/Sulliyanr j.They're being pitched to potential ' Lewis combo won’t be confined to j bankro.llers and .agencies'via the ■ the variety format.; ikinesePp.es,.' I Each series ; Is : to : have i m Tinrv^ TXT ruTC 1 sicpiriedy.fprrriat. With a stpry line, 1 Wa iZ-1 y ur/io xILJub [ Lahr show will be aired live from ' Detroit, April 18. ' N. Yv. while the. Blue stanza is Ip WXYE:-Ty has signed a contract 1 oi'iginate on the Coa.st and be kin- with Masterpiece Productions, Inc., I niod for tr: rivsniissiori over the in- for motion picture feature.s'‘to be i lercbnnected siati(?ns. I shown between May 1 and Aug. I,