Variety (January 1951)

112 RADIO-TV Worty-fifth p^HIETY Anniver$ary Wedijiesday, January 3, 1951 Mike and lke(onoscope) They’re Not Alike By WILBUR STARK Oil and water don’t mix— and, let’s face it, neither do radio and television. . Let’s start at the undisputed basic premise — the radio listener, by .virtue , of being itierely a listener, . must create in. his mind images of the characters, costumes, • locales, etc. And he sees, what he wants to see. The; video viewer ha.s very little left to his imagination—he sees everything. And he either accepts or rejects what . he set'.s. It seems so simple yet we prpdiicers are. constantly confusing the issue— and the air, ’ We don’t often enough realize that, not only the programming, but the adver; tising ,as .well, must be different (and we don’t mean just superficially different) in each, medium if the viewer and the advertiser ■ are both to receive fU|ll benefit for the money,' lime aSnd 'effort' e.xpehded. There can be no over. lapping of top thinking which .Xil . ters dov’n the line, so that by the time it reaches the consumer, basic thoughts and ideas are dif, fused, with much less than ■ the maximum results obtained. (f keep referring to ‘‘top brass” and ‘‘top thinking” because it must start there. .If it doesn’t, how can the correct thoughts be conveyed to the lower echelons— the writers, the directors, the performers, etc?) Let’s take some specific shows ' to analyze this subject further. And, please remember that .1 am voicing purely personal views now. “People Are Funny” and “Candid Microphone” have always been two of itiy favorite radio shows. , When Art Linkletter puts his radio contestants through the paces, I sit back and chuckle. I not only am amused, but there, is a great deal of rapport betw'eCn Linkletter (also his contestants) and me. . Why? Because l am merely listening. I use my imagination as to what the contestants are doing'. And I have the kind of mental images I want. The net result is that “People Are Funny” is a warm, cozy radio show not beset by any embarrassing reaction on the part of the listener. [ Destroying a Mental Concept | If the contestant seems silly, I can subconsciously reject that concept and accept only what I want to. There’s no jarring barrier between me and the show. ‘Every listener has his ow‘n visual concept of what’s going on and every listener finds it pleasant because he wants it to be pleasant. But what happens when I watch the T'V version of the same show? And, unfortunately, it is the same show as the radio version. I see Mrs. Bloop, a woman in her fifties, who may remind me of my Aunt of whom I am fond; it reminds another viewer of the kindly lady next door; it evokes an image of a viewer in Chicago of his mother. When Mrs. Bloop -gets slapped in the face with a pie or acts in a rather undignified fashion, we resent it. There is this Sub-conscious association, which spoils the fun for Us. We are embarrassed, just as. we are embarrassed to eavesdrop on the people whom Alien Flint is visually ribbing on “Candid Camera.” We didn’t mind it on “Candid Microphone” but when we see someone being prodded and . know J;hat their reactions are exposed to others, it rubs us the wrong way. Conversely, Milton Berle and the zany team of: Martin ;and Lewis, all smash sensations in television, were dismal flops in radio. There was nothing essentially wrong with them as radio comedians; the fault was that Of — hold your hats, boys, here \ve go again —top brass. Berle and Martin and Lewis stein from the strongly visual mediums of nightclubs and vaudeville, where their madcap routines were seen, as well as heard. When they were put into radio, . there \vas no attempt, to mold them to a different medium — a sightless one. They were put on with the same types of comedy that had had visual audiences screaming with laughter, It couldn’t and didn’t work. Now', let’s take a look at the eternal phenomenon of radio — soap operas. Their success over the years has been explained as due to the identification of the listener with the characters on the air. One’s problems became the others. The listener has her owm picture of the characters, etc. But — -when the soapers had a recent trial on TV, what happened? They fell flat on their problems. The main reason for the fiasco, as I View it, is that the characters in the radio soapers, altho somewhat unbelievable, are completely accepted by the . listeners— all of whom evoked different images of them. But, TV is more down-toearth — the viewer sees the characters in her own living room. Therefore, the same basic human problems, presented via more believable characters, have a far better chance of acceptance than a video transplanting of the radio characters. Mr. Top Brass, don’t expect your I subordinates to work it out for 'you. Most scripiters will write the ; way yoii think; most producers and directors will treat the script jin conformity with your judgment; I most performers will fall in line. I After all, they’re paid by you. It’s up to you to set the policy and see that it’s followed through. And the policy might very well be a paraphrase of Kipling’s famous lines, “Radio is radio and TV is TV; but never the twain shall 'meet.” Birth of a By ROBERT A. SCHMID (V. P., MuUial Broadcasting Systeni) When this piece reaches the light of day, any syntactical slips it may contain can be blamed on the fact that this is written in the flicker of a single candle. The candle decorates a cake which, along with a quarter-acre of. advertising space, signifies the first anniversary of the only animated trade mark in netw'ork radio. “Mister Plus” bowed, into the public prints just 12 months ago —right here in Variety, it so happened—and he has been busy telling the Mutual . story ever since. The suggestion that we now tell his own story, here in this annh versary issue, takes us back a few months prior to that inaugural bow. It was in late summer, ’49, that “Mister Plus” was' actually conceived—if . that isn’t too graphic a word, and I don’t think it is: he has become a real-life character around here, His parents were, respectively, a new set of facts about Mutual, and an urgent need to convey those facts We gathered our facts the hard way — through a dispassionate, leave-uj?-face-it study of this network— and they revealed a Mutual . that was basically “different”; that didn’t need to “imitate” any other web; that qualified on certain counts as quite, a medium in its own right. This suggested a new kind of sales promotion approach, and our urge was to get these points across to .reasonably bright minds in a manner that w'as not unreasonably dull. Since each basic point shaped up as a specific “plus,” the idea of putting hands, feet, and a microphone head on a big plus-mark must, in retrospect, seem more inevitable than inspired. And yet, it took, in all, about six months to I get it right and we probably set a new advertising record for labor pains. In any case, that’s how “Mister Plus” got born. The Glory Road To By DR. ALLEN B. DU MONT Anyone who attempts to predict accurately what the television picture will be in 1960 is stickihg his neck but as far as a present-day mike boom. The tremendous progress of the industry since its first post-war year, 1946, so far surpassed even, the fondest predictions of those of US in the industry that the best vve can do at this time is to make calculated guesses* These guesses are based on the advanced uses of present-day and oh-the-drawing innovations, on the personalities and industries invading the yideto field and the involved economics of a rising industry, In 1960, coast-tocoast transmission of television programs should be a regular feature. Frorh the two talent centers of the world,. New York and Hollywood, will come a stream of programs as they do in present radio. By 1960 there vvill be more than 1,000 television stations, utilizing both VHF and UHF bands. Full daytime programs will be an accepted thing from these 1,000 stations. At that time, a fully compatible, electronic color .-, .systen\ will, .be in vogue, and color progjrams aavilable via full coast-tocoast networks, Television will be darting through the. sky across continents. This phase of video development Avill tend to create the dominance of a few languages, possibly four, and will establish an infinitely greater understanding between nations than has ever been dreamed of in the past. An International B,oard of Arbitration will probably be formed to secure free interchange of program material. By 1960, its policies and procedures will have become sufficiently established and accepted by all nations of good will so that they will represent a force of sufficient power to suppress billigerency in other countries and prevent war. The bridge between nations established by television will be strengthened by supports of other international structures, representing transportation, trade and other links of communication. Together these links will be so tightly welded that the economic, cultural, educational, linguistic, entertainment and technological interdependence between the nations of the world may well solve problems that have resisted the bonds of pacts and treaties. News coverage will have attained a speed approaching the instantaneous. Fleet aircraft and racing trucks will rush equipment to the scenes of news events. Helicopters will be used as a vantage point from which large sporting and news events can be televised. Transmitters will be smaller and more compact and field television pickup equipment will operate entirely by radio wave. ^ ' I pr. A. B. Du Mont TV’s Educational Sphere Quick Change Specialist i I HAPW ANNIVERSARY! MAGGI McNELLIS ''Leave It to the Girls," NBC-TV “Say It With Acting,” NBC-TV “Somerset Maugham Theatre,’^ CBS-TV But his rigid stance, itself, will probably keep him quickly recognized— rat least as long as the standard plus-sign retains its present shape (which would seem to be safe for a few* thousand years anyway). Seriously, What we like best about “Mister Plus” is that he combines— in an easily recognized Way — two of the simplest, best known symbols in the world today . . . a microphone and a plus mark. It is this combination that makes him — in our eyes anyw'ay— a closeto-ideal trademark for Mutual. “Mister Plus,” by ' the way, has proved to be remarkably versatile as a costume change specialist. Opinions may differ as to exactly where the hips occur on a plusmark, but a six-gun strapped anywhere below the cross-piece quickly spells “cowboy” — especially with a sombrero and kerchief up top and spurred boots below. From the start “Mister Plus” has seemed to warrant a third dimension, so each new role he a.ssumes has been matched in sculpture, Some two feet tall. These statuettes hold sway so successfully over sales meetings and conventions that we’re contemplating a life-size, robot-style creature wired for sound. And “Mister Plus” has even provided ' tangible support for client trousers by getting woven into a limited edition of suspenders'! The reaction .to “Mister Plus” further afield has been uniformly enthusia.s.tic, though not always orthodox. With a happy nod from us, more and more of our stations are working him into their own promotion— but without any hod from us at all, a suit manufacturer blithely started a newspaper cahipaign featuring the “Tailor-Plus,” intact, until we reminded them about our copyright. Also a leading confectioner has expre.ssed interest in creating a' “Mister Plus” candy bar. All in all, the first year in the life of this character has kept us hopping, here in the wings. On a performance like this, it’s impossible to count the house or even analyze the boxoffice stubs. Quite often, though, folks from the audience drop in at the dressing room, and they seem to think we've got a real asset in oiir hands. We think so, too. In 1960 the educational potentialities of television will have been fully realized. Schools, colleges and industrial training ihstitutions will use television programs as an integral part of their curriculum. A mere handful of instructors and equipment will be brought before unlimited and scattered audiences, greatly simplifying any training programs. The field of informal, adult education will be greatly enhanced. Material on travel, industrial science, history and allied fields— somewhat barred by movie houses in 1950 because they instruct rather than entertain— and will have an adequate and appreciative audience via telecasting. American industry will find in television an important adjunct. The medical world, many and varied branehes of industry and the multipfe fields of merchandising will have general use for television .in their every-day operations. In an era of. industrial research and deViCTopment with more and more emphasis being placed on aiitoniatic control of remote processes, three-dimensional television will be in widespread use. Three-dimensional television will make it possible for exacting step-by-step personal supervision of projects where formerly for reasons of safety comfort, inaccessibility, height, pressure, etc., research men were unable to ylew the operations personally. receivers in I960 will all be large .size, with the 30-inch being the most popular, f amilies will have two and possibly three receivers in each home, capable of providing both black and white and electronic color pictures without the need for unvvieldly mechanical appurtenances. Simplification of circuits and improved tube research will reduce the number of components in each set, bringing down the price su Dstsnt icilly , In 1960 television will look back on this present day period with a tolerance and mellowness which seems almost impossible for us to Ausualize now. The events of 1946-1960 will have passed into history. Many names prominent in the field today will have been forgotten and Will have arisen. There will be a new group of men at the helm of television. ^ rV • s true leaders will, even as today, not be interested in what has happened in the past. Their sights Will be trained forward. SEASON'S GREETINGS CHARLOm BROWN MANSON