Variety (December 1950)

Record Details:

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a^Dio Pk^lETT WeAiestlay, December 6, 1950 Radio Reviews Continued from page 28 ties important in their fields or by ^judged by an applause nveter, with lies luipvit p^,| 2 es given .in accordance nersoTi.s who have an entertaining ; prize.s given ,in accoraance with | Sr j the rating garnered. On precm j Fpr the time-change inaugural,; Saturday l2), contestants included i Miss Dcttinger’s show with an exceedingly and con probe of modern by Nelle Fisher and Jerr>' Ross aiso went over sockp and Mar- guerite Piazza scored solidly with . heiv rendition of “Musetta's Waltz." i A vocal highlight was Jack Russell and choir in a prayer meeting set- ting of “David and Goliath." The Hamilton Trio hit itwell wdth a flapper era dance. ’ The preceding Jack Carter concentrated heavily Inside Stuff President Truman on Monday (4) accepted the first copy of a “Voice of Freedom" record album, Album consists of one 12-inch, long-play* ing i>ecord which highlights voices of great Americans, commencing with a 1901 talk on Philippine freedom by William Jennings Bi’yan. Others on the platter are President William Howard Taft, Thomas A, Edison, Adm. Robert E. Perry, discoverer of the North Pole; Theodore art In one comer was Frederic Taubes, art critic, arti.st and author, while his adversary was George L. K. Morris, al.so an artist who heads an organization. known as the American Ab.stract Artists. Opinions of the guests often were at such sharp variance that Miss Dettinger was hard pressed ; w oman who to get a word in edgewise. To i one with such queries as “do you he did to the tune of “Tea Two." Also heard w’as a five-year- old kid reciting “When My Father Carves a Duck"; an aircraft^ parts came up ^ a vouth who yearned to play musie j ^wJehes with nIuicv’ Andrews as I Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Amelia Earhart, Will Rogers, Franklin D. spirited pro I on his grandfather’s teeth, 'vhich l j, uiaior Outsider on the show\ j Roosevelt and President Truman. Narration bridges are by Robert R. Tw v,« rua tnup of “Tcm io^* i qii this type format lies w-itii' iMur YiAoia+m* ' the fact that Carter plays Garter, ' no matter whether it’s Napoleon 1 or an underw'oiid character he s ' portrayingi With Miss Andrew's, ’ he did a sketch on the home life : of a burglar. Napoleon and i ' Josephine and they sounded pretty | finH <:omP-' nuich alike. There w'ere some ; \\ anted to Hnd som e j scenes J to conveise generaily the sketches weren’t , too bright ‘ and the enactments . were on a .iohnny-one-note level. in.spector giving his description of a horse race, a guy married to a former femme Marine telling how he had to rehabilitate his w'ife w'ho had outranked him in sex’vice; a, to find some- Whom: to converse believe j German and another who w:asn’t Oh modem ail reflects pur limes?" speaking terms with her husband, Taubes gave an annoyed brushoff. : an extravagant Scot. “That’s sheer nonsense.’’ he said,! Film actress Marjorie L;oid ■'^‘an empty phrase tossed around ; guested on the show', paiticipating by dilettantes ; . a reconeiliation sequence be- Eyen Morris, who managed to tw een the Scotsman and his wile retain his composure de,spite: ; which fOUoU'ed an obvious pattern Taubes’ excited verbal barbs, ad- that had her plaj mitted near the close of the pro-, Stewart handles gram that ”it s hard to say w^hat ■ and authority. McCormick, NBC commentator. Presentation was made by Df. John Steelihan, assistant to Mr. Trii* man, and William R. Me Andrew, manager of the NBC radio and TV stations in Washington, “Voices of Freedom" was produced by Sol Panitz and is released for publiG sale by Educational SeiTices of Wash- ingtom 'y modern art is." While the discus- sion Was an interesting one, most listeners couldn’t have been much enlightened on the issues, A re- turn match is in order. . On the basis of Monday’s ses- sion, Miss Dettinger has a format with fascinating possibilities. How- ever. the quality of the program ing up to the guy; stanza with ease Gros; INSIDE PHILADELPHIA With Jerry Warren; announcer, John Franklin 15 Mins.; Fri., 10:45 p.m. LAND TITLE BANK & TRUST ■ ■ CO. '■ • ' KYW. Phila. Togged out as a column of the obviously will tend to vary depend- • air/ “Inside Philadelphia" features ing upon the guests available, j locally slanted items, with sports Withal, she has. a friendly de-; and internatiohal new's added, and meanor and probably could keep “Faith for Today," half-hour re- ligious program bankrolled by the Seventh Day: Adyentists on WJZ- TV joined the ABC net Sunday ^ .(3» via kinescope in five other key . cities in the east atid midwest. On ; the ABC flagship since last May, ! the stanza retains its basic format I of acquainting the public with the , ■ value of the Bible. Sunday’s program was built around a recalcitrant father who thought that religion takes aw^ay " one’s liberty. His attitude brought him into sharp conflict W'ife- w'ho had no such Cleveland Plain Dealer’s 21st annual poll has been copped by CBS* Arthur Godfrey, who won in the favorite program, favorite entertainer and best variety show categories; Other victors were; Lowell Thomas/ best network news; Bill Thompson, WTAM, best local news; “Sus- pense," best mystery; “Firestone Hour," best musical program; “Lux Radio Theatre/' best dramatic program; “The Ohio Stoi'y," WTAM, best Cleveland program; Guy Lonvbardo. bert orch; Bill Randle, WERE, best disk jock; Jimmy Dudley, WERE, best sports announcer; and “Faii*y Tale Theatre," WGAR, best juvenile show'. Review Of “Ford Theatre of Canada" in NoV. 22 issue of Variety stated that the series is carried on “48 stations of the Canadian Broad- casting Corp." Actually; airer is Carried by the Dominion network of the <CBG which is made tip of one CBC station (GJBC, Toronto), while all the other stations on it are privately owmed and operated. They are incorrectly identified with the CBC because all nets in Canada are in the control of the CBC. with his illuoions. L Coiitlhned from page 26 things mox'Ing in situations where interviewees are less talkative than modern art experts. Plugs for a silk fabric firm and a Bronx de- partment store were well integrat- ed into the ad lib. airer. Gilb. and international news aaaea, apaj appealed to her pastor a the an insert ot a tape recordmg_ in-. ^^,as adjusted by nuitiial understanding. JAY STEWART SHOW Producer-Director: Harfield Weedin Writers: Vance Colvig, Jim Critch- field 30 Mins.: Sat., 9:30 p.m.. Sustaining ABC, from Hollywood Tills new ABC audience-partici- pation show fails to project a feel- ing of spontaneity. Bits offered .«r^ 9 em rehearsed and at times im-1 press as having been dug from the bottom of the barrel. Material could be chosen vvith a keene:i^ eye to entertainment values. Program, w'ith emcee Jay Stewart as judge, brings on con- testants with particular problems or desires they w’ish aired. Worthi- ness of the participant’s stint is terview with some visiting celeb- rity; In charge of the interview is Jerry SVarren, who limits himself to a few pertinent questions and lets the subject give his'opinions, Without interruptions. Self-etface- ment of reporter is smart in view of calibre of subjects he has been taping. On program caught, guest was Gen. Hersey, who spoke on prOb lem of maintaining an army of 3,000,000 men and cleared up a number Of points about the draft, of direct interest to majority of listeners. Other taped guests have included Vice President Barkley, Mine. Pandit, Admiral Nimitz, as well as notables in education, sports, theatre, music, etc. Taped, sect ion of show runs approxi- j mately three minutes. Another feature of the program is the selection of the Land Title’s Incident portrayed appeared to be done on a film strip with the I balance =of the airer live action. 1 Illustration was rather far fetched !for it seems hard to believe tnat la father would dissuade his I dren from going to chin-ch as 'the scene depicted. Aclmg of couple was also unconvincing '' the wife lacking spirit I The competition it provides is ter -1 that rapidly filled its near-empty I rific. Even When ball games are reservoir of funds from which play- er pensions are paid. Thus, It is “Man of the Week," in vvhich an outstanding Philadelphian is cited 1 for his contributions to the ! munity. Recipients h a v e included churchmen, .sports headliners, the j judiciary and entertainers. The ‘ two commercials, are done by War- ren and John Franklin and are in- stitutional bank copy, stressing the friendly s e r vice and goodwill of sponsor. Gagh. Tele Followup Continued from page 34 Miss Coca repeated her modeling routine. Glenda Farrell did a good job at emceeing and contributed to a sketch in vvhich Caesar played a director. The Hilly Williams Quartet showed up nicely. Dances m the vyltli and the husband a sully type*who mouthed such Tines as “I don’t need an ab- stract deity to tell me what to dp. Reportedly the Adventists have made an appropriation of $‘370,000 for the TV series. Their idea of family relations counsel through the Bible is a good, one. But it be infinitely more forcelul if the Perhaps if some of tlie budget were diverted to bolster : weak points, “Faith for Today com-! could gain a wider audience, com , figure of the progiam was the Rev. William A. Fagal. ^ Plain and homespun, he impressed with his sincerity in solving the filmed problem. In keeping with the stanza's general tenor were the harmonies of the Gospel Singers, a male quartet. Viewers were ot- fered a fiee home Bible correni I spondence course and no appeal for donations from the public was made, unlike some religious pro- i grams. not being televised; people stay at home to see good television shows and, in so doing, refuse to spend money to attend ball games.’’ Support for Saigh’s stand is found in the liouse-to-house radio and TV survey conducted by the Boston Braves. One overwhelming public opinion was expressed: “On a night of poor weather con- ditions no matter how good the attraction I’d rather stay at home and watch the game on television than go to the park." William DeWitt, Saigh’s opposite number on the St. Louis Browns, addressed himself to minor league officials bluntly: Major league broadcasts are examples portrayed were j hurting your baseball. Springfield, written and .better ^ acted, i m ^ and Springfield, Mo come graveyards for minor league understandable that the world se- ries and all-star games are exempt- ed from the outright ban On broad- casts and telecasts that Will come before the minor league delegates on motion of Frank Lawrence, head of the Portsmouth, Va., club of the Piedmont League, the same league that eyes the World Series TV lake to balance the minors’ books. The final outcome appears, with each statement, to reseilible the “plea for, sanity" of Joe Reardon, director of minor league farms for the Philadelphia Phillies. “TV," Reardon says, “will be a piece of furniture in a few years. But, until then, and people tire of have be- i baseball inust not blame out- siders. A saner solution is to con- of '1 I We're jproud of the successful company we keep on WJBK STOKIEY f<50DS f AIMOLIVE SOAP FEENAMINT GARREH WINES OLSON RUG company PHILIP MORRIS PACKARD MOTORS blondex BORDEN’S INSTANT COFFEE CAMEL CIGARETTES COLGATE VEl t?'. I royal DESSERTS folhw these leetders and boost your salost WJBK-TV, a CBS and Dumont affiliate. WJBK-AM<TV-DETROIT NATIONAL SALES HEADQUARTERS: 488 MADISON AVENUE NEW YORK 22, ELDORADO 5-2455 Represented Nationally by THE KATZ AGENCY. INC. Chi Package Outfit Also Finding Answers For ball because of the heavy diet major broadcasts and telecasts. j One minor league grave was' quickly dug in 1949, when baseball: in Newark, N. J., was assassinated by baseball telecasts from riearby New York, In 19.50, Newark’s neighbor, Jersey City, was made ready for the last rites. The first complete league to fold expired in mid-summer^the Colonial in New York and Connecticut. Withdrawal of the New York Giants from Tren- ton, as they have from Jersey City, threatens existence of the Inter-, State League. Civic pride of Wil- mington’s . oxyner, Bob Carpenter, of the duPont Carpenters, alone prevents xvithdrawal there and col -1 lapse of the league. 8,000,000 Attendance Dive Prodded by an 8.000,000 dive in , attendance in 1950, the minors have conducted their own inquiry as to the responsibility of radio ’ and TV. Preliminary study of ques-' tionnaires returned from *300 clubs . to the National Association, blames j broadcasting as primarily responsi-: ble. I Oddly, Robert Finch, National Association public relations direc- tor, laid no blame for decreased at- tendance on television. The associa- • tipn president, George Trautman; > maintains an^opon mind as to Ty, i as do the majority of major league owners. Chicago Cub officials in- ' sist TV will help basebali in: the i long run, but they are alone as yet. . In the face of redrihk splattered ledgers of their “farm’’ elub af- dropped $5 - ■ 000,000_ in operating minor league ’ readying its North Side plant for i clubs in 1950, the big leaguers ; video operations. Being offered for i. ^fiep^d the wait-and-see poi trol tlie distribution of TV and ra- dio, xvitli each major league club confining its broadcasts xvithih its own state." Chicago, Dec. 5. At least a partial solution of the troublesome space and facilities problems facing Chi tele stations is being pitched at station execs and packagers by the American Television Productions, Ihc. New organization, an adjunct of U. A. Sanabria’s American Television en- gineering school and manufactur- ing outfit,' is set up to rent out fully equipped studios for rehears- als, closed circuit auditions or acr tual telecasting. Harold Stokes, ormer Chi ABC program director, is general man- ager and executive director of the service organization, whieh is also developing its own tele packages. ATP has shelled out $500,000 Dec. 14 7:45 P.M. MILBOURNE CHRISTOPHER Hotus Focuses on the FAYE EMERSON SHOW Records Personal Appearances for am '<>•■ TV "SUNDAY SERENADE" "SO YOU WANT TO LEAD A BAND" Pers. Mgt. DAVID 407 5th Ave., KRENCEL, N. Y. rental are two studios, one 40x60. feet, and the other 25X57, equipped with cameras and lighting. On the packaging side, Sto.kes has worked out 26 half-hour seg- ments, complete with seats, of a tele series built around the ex- ploits of Josepli (Yelloxv Kid i Weil; ex-pon man. Scheduled to be put! before the icy, nieanxvbile moving to wring ex'ery cent possible from the TV sponsor. i ” The Paciflc eoa.st league, for' another example, tlirealcns a ban on teteca.sts unless .TV interests come Up with "an agreeable finan- i cial offer.”, eiark Griffith, the sole ' major league official up froifi the ' ranks of player W'ho operates'pre- camera , next week is , . the first of a projected series of! as an independent with- 30-minute boxing films tailored wealthy partners, has doubled specifit-ally for teevee. Reels xvill j the TV price-tag for 1951~to be shot in the Rainbo Arena, using ; 3 sum, he says, required amateur boxers. Fix'e briefie elimi-i offset concession losses from nation bouts xvill be fought during declined attendance, the half-hour film, xvitli the four' But, baseball is not unaware of losers taking on the xvinner for a . the $800,000 received for televising “battle royal" windup. jthe world series,of lOSO-^a pipeline Save 50% on Your f^cording Tape MO Ft. Reel. $1.45; 120p Ft.. $L95 postasie prepaid oh checks or M. O, yo.ur charge COD , orders.. ACME ^8 jay SI.. Brooklyn/ N. Y. Top Comedy TV Show tooking for New, Untried Writers to Augrrient Its Staff Box V-7324, Variety. 154 W. 44lh Si., New York 19. N. Y,