Variety (August 1950)

so TELEVISION Wednesday, August 9, 1950 in TV Sun Philadelphia, Aug. 8. Protestant Radio Commission this week tossed a direct challenge at the television networks' alleged oyer-commercialism at the expense of religious shows. Rev* Everett C„ Parker, commission director, declared that the churches will not be denied access to the people through television, adding that "We will not bow before the de- mands that soap and cigarets be first in people’s thinking.” Speaking before members of the fifth annual Religious Radio Work shop at Temple Uhiy,, Rev. Park- er noted that religion to date has had a small percentage of video program time. He indicated the main reason -for this has been the high cost of TV operations, which he said has limited the number of non-commercial programs in the educational : and religious fields; He added, though: “But there are some network and station executives who think of the churches and sytiagogs as a min- ority that occasionally must be pla- cated. Religion is not a hobby with the American people, nor is it a hunger felt only by a few. It is a basic force in people’s lives. If there is an American dream that has the power to excite loyal- ties and to make men willing to die for their beliefs, it is a dream that is rooted and grounded in the HebrewrChristian faith.” Thus, he reiterated, the necessity for reach- ing but to the people via TV which, he said, “is in truth a gift from God.” . : Claiming that “radio is only whistling in the dark'When it in- sists that TV will not replace it in the immediate future,” Rev. Park- er pointed out that even rural res- idents throughout the U. S. now own video sets. Thus, he said, re- ligion must be adequately repre- sented on the medium. To meet the demands of religious TV pro- gramming, he recommended the Use of religious films produced ac- cording to good video standards, examples of which have already been made in the field by the PRC. Workshop is sponsored jointly by the PRC, interdenominational agency of the major Protestant churches iii the U. S., and the ra- dio department if Temple Univ. Chi’s Chez Paree Smith & Dale’s TV Series Joe Smith & Charles Dale (Avon Comedy Four) are extending their standard vaude repertoire into a video series, Which Miles Ihgalls is handling. Paul Gerard Smith and Chuck Callahan (& Bliss) are scripting. Cincinnati, Aug. 8. . Starting Sept. 4 the fall schedule of the Crosley TV stations linking Cincy, Dayton and Columbus, O., will be increased two and one-half hours on weekdays, boosting the weekly air time total to 104 hours. Web is affiliated with NBC. WLW-T schedule extension plus the present weekly WCPO-TV total of around 100 hours and plans of WKRC-TV to up its operating tiriie to a near 100 hours per week in early autumn will give Cincy area set owners a programming feast believed, to be unsurpassed in ahy other market. WCPO-TV has ABC and DuMont affiliations; and WKRC-TV is tied in with CBS. Crosley schedule announced by John T. Murphy, director of Cros- 'ey video operations, will kick Off at 8:30 a. m. with simulcast of ‘Morning Matinee,” starring Ruth Lyons. This full-hour show will continue to originate in studio A of downtown Crosley Square for AM airing by WLW. In all that time it has held the record locally for studio audiences, magneting large groups in chartered busses frpm towns within a 300-mile radius. The Ruth Lyons “Fifty Club,” currently simulcast at noon, will also move from the WLW-T studios on a hill overlooking the Cincy basin to Crosley Square. Chicago, Aug. 8. First television origination from a major midwest night club gets under Way Sept. 14 from the Chez Paree, and Will ride the DuMont network as a co-op. It’ll be bank- rolled on WGN-TV by Chi Nash dealers, and Nash has first refusal in all other DuMont markets. Tagged “Chez Paree on TV,” show will be a revue format, using performers appearing at the Chez, unless their radio, TV or pic con- tracts prohibit, plus the Chez band under Cee Davidson, and the line of Chez Paree Adorables. Nyles Palley will script, John S, Wiggins will produce. Package is owned by Dawson & Jackson. Deal was set by Walker Graham of Geyer, Newell & Ganger agency for Nash. NBC‘CAMEO THEATRE’ GETS REGULAR BERTH “Cameo Theatre,” NBC tele- vision’s version of the “theatre-in- the-rouhd”: technique, has now been set to hold down its present Wednesday night 8 to 8:30 slot un- til the web’s top-budgeted comedy show with rotating emcees moves into the 8 to 9 hour in early Octo- ber. At that time, “Cameo” will be shifted, over to Sunday after- noon. y Produced by Albert McCleery* “Cameo” was one of the NBC house packages given an on-the-air audi- tion in the company’s Tuesday night showcase slot several months ago. Success of the audition led NBC to assign it a four-week run on Wednesday nights, where it has been aired since. NBC reportedly has several advertisers interested in buying the series if they can be assured it will get a nighttime air- |ng. Balto’s Jim McManus SHOW TEES OFF CHANDLER ROSTER Hollywood, Aug. 8; “Buster Keator^ Show” will be the first project of New Consoli- dated Television Productions formed by Norman Chandler and J. Bert Easley for production of telefilm. Consolidated has obtained first refusal rights on all KTTV product scheduled for filming. KTTV execs stated Consolidated is in no way affiliated with station, but Chandler owns Los Angeles Times, which owns 5i% of KTTV, remaining 49% being held by CBS. Keaton show will go before cameras in two or three weeks* and will be telensed over KTTV this fall* Execs denied any knowledge of possible syndication for release to other stations, although program is one of those anounced by KTTV earlier this year as set for beam- ing by 25 newspaper-owned Vide- outlets which met locally two months ago to discuss* distribution and syndication plans* Into Fullscale Daytime Planned entry into fullscale daytime television programming by CBS, date of which is still in- definite, is to be preceded by an hour-and-a-half cross-the-board variety show aired locally only by WCBS-TV, the web’s key N. Y. outlet, starting Aug. 21. Network eventually is expected to take over the afternoon hours, at which time the local station’s programs will be moved into the morning periods. WCBS-TV’s show is to star Jim McManus, former reporter for the Baltimore Sun and later news and sports announcer for WMAR-TV, the Sun’s video outlet. McManus, utilizing the house name of “Jim McKay,” will do songs and chatter, interview guest celebs and also have a cast of regulars working With him. Format is tentatively set up to follow somewhat that Of CBS-TV’s “Arthur Godfrey & Friends” show. In addition, the program Will feature. some of the three-minute series of “Soundies,” old tune films recently leased by the web from Official Films, Plans for the show are being set by station manager Dick Swift and program chief Dick Doan. Duo are also planning a fulLhour cross-the-board woman’s show, which will start a week or so later. McManus program, as yet untitled, will, probably tee Off in the 2:30 to 4 p.m. period, directly preced- ing “Home-maker’s Exchange,” which starts the web’s program- ming each afternoon. Woman’s show will go an hour earlier, with both programs being made avail- able on a participating sponsor- ship basis. Contract covering scripters in video is moving closer with repre- sentatives of the eastern and west- ern branches of the National Tele- vision Committee of the Authors League of America meeting in Gotham this week. . Group met yesterday (Tues.) on proposals for freelance writers and will get to- gether again today on suggested pay and conditions for Staff writers. John Larkin, Screen Writers Guild rep, left L A. on Saturday (5) for the confab, since Coast chairman Oliver H. P. Garrett couldn’t make the trip. Larkin will return Friday (11) to report to the western branch of the NTC on the following day. Document being reviewed this week is the final draft of a pro- posed Minimum Basic Agreement which was drawn up by John Schiulman and William Klein, of the Arthur Garfield Hays office, ALA counsel. After the proposed MBA is agreed on by the writers, who in- clude reps of legit, radio, screen, book and magazine scribblers, it will have to be approved by the membership of the ALA’s member guilds, Meanwhile; a negotiating committee will have been set up at the current east-west parley and strategy planned. If the timetable is adhered to, the negotiators may be sitting across the table from repre- sentatives of the Video webs later this month. WWJ-TV, Univ, of Mich. Set Home Courses; Potential ‘Class’ of 1, Shriner’s Kine Audition Herb Shrineir kine auditioned a half-hour TV show for CBS last night (Tues.). Shriner has just signed a deal with Simon & Schuster for a book on humor* Coming out next spring. Third in the series of Bob Hope’s holiday one-shot shows fop Frigid- aire on the NBC-TV network has been set for Labor Day eve (Sept. 3). While it has not been decided whether the show will run an hour or an hour-and-a-half, it will start in the Sunday night at 8 slot and thus be utilized by NBC as a kick- off to its rotating emcee variety show, slated to start the following week under Colgate sponsorship. Frigidaire program, consequent- ly, will give NBC the biggest name emcee parlay it has yet been able to muster. Following Hope, Eddie Cantor will launch the Colgate pro- gram the following Sunday night, with Fred Allen taking over the next week, Guest talent lineup for the Hope show is now being worked out by NBC in association with the William Morris office. Chicago^-As a public service gesture, indie station WBKB has prepared a series of 30-second Navy recruiting spots which have been presented to the commandant of the 5th Naval District for use on. other tele stations in the Chi area. Spots, currently being aired on WBKB, were worked up by Sterling (Red) Quinlan and Chuck Bill* ♦ WOR Block Programming Policy For Video, Too; Daytime Spurt Due Oct. “Mystery Movie Night,” series of three full-length whodunit pix, will be aired every Sunday eve- ning at 7:30 p.m. by WOR-TV, N. Y. WOR and Mutual have clicked With Sunday crime mellers on AM and the tele adjunct wants to project the block policy into the evening on Video. It is also basing the move on success of its “Ford Movie Night,” which beams old reels on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. The evening will be sold in 30-minute segments. Around the saihe time, early in October, WOR-TV will launch its daytime programming operations. It’s expected that the programming concentration will be on 10 a.m. until around 4 p.m., when “Tele- Fax News” will be. aired. Station will lean heavily on WOR radio personalities, including Buddy Rogers, Barbara Welles, Martha Deane, John Gambling, etc. Grid Gabbing on Coast Hollywood, Aug. 8. Ronald Reagan is being con- sidered as. one of the sports an- nouncers, calling either color or play-by-play* for the USC-UCLA football games being televised by KTTV this fall. Reagan started his career as a sports announcer out of the midwest. Final approval;, after Reagan and KTTV get together on terms, ^ will have to come from Hoffman Tele- vision, sponsor of the grid battles*. Demand’ Seen Answer Cincinnati, Aug. 8. Public demand is the factor that has created so much wrestling on television, and “when the public is no . longer interested in wres- tling, a flip of the dial to another feature will soon make telecasters seek other forms of entertain- ment,” Robert E. Dunville, presi- dent of the Crosley Broadcasting Corp., contends. Dunviile’s opinion was in an- swer to a warning last week by Dr. Clyde Hissong, state director of education and also chief Ohio film censor, that TV stations and sponsors “will be responsible for initiating a demand on the part of the public for some kind of cen- sorship unless some voluntary censorship is imposed in the near future.” Directing criticism of wrestlers and referees, Df. Hissong stated: “During practically every wres- tling match that is telecast, there is demonstrated over and over that if pays to break rules, partici- pate in poor sportsmanship tactics and generally behave contrary to the rules of the game, and thus gain advantage over a competitor rather than to play fair. “The teaching damage to chil- dren arid other youth becomes , all the more serious when constant repetition Of ‘out of bounds’ be- havior is ‘not seen’ or is condoned by a representative in the ring Who is supposed to officially check on unintentional infractions of the game.” According to Dr. Hissong “Wres- tling matches are very real to chil- dren and they can’t be told the matches are sheer showmanship,” Crosley’s TV Cincy-Dayton-CO- lumbus network originates two Weekly wrestling shows in its own studios. WDSU’s Dept. Store Client For TV ‘Shopper Revue’ New Orleans, Aug. 8. D. H. Holmes department stores will back one of the most ambitious video stanzas yet attempted in the south over WDSU-TV, cross-the- board from 2-3 p.m., starting Sept. 18. Titled “Shoppers Revue ” it will be produced by Robert J, Enders agency, Which also handles depart- ment store telecasts in Washing- ton, Philly, Baltimore and Boston, Incepting full-scale live after- noon video in New Orleans, the airei* will be scripted by Bob Howard, former Bob Hope writer. Detroit, Aug. 8. WWJ-TV and the University of Michigan announced Sunday (6) completion of plans for a series of university courses to be projected into homes by television soon after the opening of the fall semester. Agreement on the principal fea- tures ; of the televised home-study courses was reached after a meet- ing of university and WWJ-TV executives in Ann Arbor where the university is located. Details are to be announced later. The entire academic resources of the university and the production and transmission facilities of WWJ- TV .were pledged to the program. Dean Hayward Keiiiston, of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, commented: “We are en- tering a new era in adult educa- tion and the university is in it to stay.” The university has authorized Everett J. Soop, the Extension Service Director, to plan Courses of study, publish bulletins, receive the nominal enrollment fees to be charged and conduct examinations. “Certificates of recognition” will be awarded to those successfully completing prescribed courses. A Sunday afternoon hour, to be determined shortly, will be devoted to the three-part weekly telecast. No commercial sponsor will be sought, The station estimates that more than 1,000,000 persons, as- sembled before approximately 300,000 television receivers in WWJ-TV’s coverage area, will form the potential “Class” to which mem- bers of the University of Michigan faculty will lecture. The first 20 minutes of each hour’s telecast will probably be academic in character. Lectures on history, fine arts, music arid the fundamentals of natural sciences are to be illustrated with all the visual aids employed iri under- graduate instruction. These will include charts, drawings, chalk talks, lantern slides, motion pic- tures, maps and laboratory table demonstrations. The second 20-minute segment (Continued on page 36) Washington, Aug, 8. Action of the Senate Committee on Finance in putting into the Ad- ministration’s tax bill a 10% manu- facturer’s excise tax on television receivers brought a protest last week from the NAB. National Assn, of Broadcasters. In a letter Chairman Walter F. George (D- Ga.) of the Committee, NAB coun- sel Don Petty took issue with a proposal by Secretary of the Treas- ury John Snyder that TV receivers should be taxed so that video would be competitive with entertainment businesses. Television is far more than a means of entertainment,” wrote Petty. “It is the only medium for the communication of ideas which offers immediacy, Sight, sound and motion. “In the interest of public safety and welfare, television sets should be made as readily and economical- ly available to all income groups as is consistent with the necessary allocation of essential materials. In - planning for defense, the (Continued on page 38) HADE TO AIDE John Hade, erstwhile program manager for WJZ, New York, has become business and production aide to Ed & Pegeen Fitzgerald, the Mr. and Mrs. breakfast team on the same Station. The Fitzgeralds incept a new. 5- a-Week TV series Sept. XI, which may run 30 to 45 minutes, depend- ing on whether the 11 a. m. or the noontime slot is cleared. This would be in addition to their 5-a- week AM series. This additional chore will K.O. their Hay Island (Conn;) breakfast show origination, since, of late, they have commuted in only on Wednesday and Friday for Tv, doing the AM stint from their country home..