Variety (February 1951)

Wednesday, February . 7, 1951 Hearing Feb. 20 In Question of union jurisdiction over thespers in vidpix, contested Jby Television Authority and Screen Actors Guild,, comes up for hearing Feb. 20 before the National tabor Relations Board in New York. TVA is contending that it should have jurisdiction over vidpix as well as live TV. SAG argues that it .already has contracts with the mo- e tion picture companies which are lensing vidpix. TVA contention is that actors working in . Vidpix aren’t covered by" the TVA agreement with webs for live teevee, and that therefore they are not doing as well as live performers. SAG reply is that the networks and agencies are not lensing their own vidpix, but are farming them out to studios al- ready covered by SAG pacts and that these offer better terms. than TVA’s. Tele Authority wants sole jurisdiction because it already has an agreement with the webs and agencies who. are the ultimate users of vidfilm. . Hearing on Feb. 20 was post- poned from January at TVA’s re- quest. TVA asked for the postpone^ ment because it engaged a new trial lawyer, Sidney Sugarman, in place of Henry Jaffe, previously skedded to argue the case. TVA Spokesman said that if the authority, which represents the unions in the Associated Actors and Artistes of America, obtains; jurisdiction over vidfilm perform- ers it would not be stymied by the * government’s recent wage freeze. It would argue that there is a “gross inequity’' between pay for live and film TV and that the latter should be brought in line with the Wages and conditions set in its pre^freeze agreement with the webs; TVA, incidentally, today (Wed.) resumes talks for scales and terms to be paid by local video stations. Detroit —Paul Toepp has been added to the staff of WXYZ-TV as program assistant. He replaces George Manno, recalled by the Army. No Gate ‘Guaranty’ For LaMotta-Robinson, Sez Pabst; Just One in Series Chicago, Feb. 6. Reports that Pabst is coming through with a gate “guaranty’’ as part of its radio-TV deal for next Wednesday’s Jake LaMotta-Ray Robinson welterweight title bout here were denied by both the brewing company and International Boxing Club spokesmen. LaMotta, in town for the contract inking; last week; stated he'd been assured of a $75,000 take from the fight. Intimation was that the tele spon- sor would make up the deficit should the gate fail to net LaMotta $75,000 as his 45% cut. Nate Perlstein, Pabst ad chief, told Variety that the LaMotta- Robinson fight is just another in the package of 35 IBC bouts which the brewing company is bankroll- ing on CBS radio and video and no Special deal was made for this par- ticular contest, which /looms as the strongest card of the season. In contracting for the fight package rip direct gate subsidy deal was ever contemplated, he stated. IBC spokesman summed up the alleged video “guarantee” as mere- ly an “aidVance” dope Story attend- ant to a world championship fight. He said LaMotta Will receive $1^500 as his share of the tele rights Which has been the standard scale for title bouts, KPRC’s TV Marathon Nets 20G for ‘Dimes’ Houston, Feb. 6. One of the longest TV shows aired hereabouts was presented over KPRC.-TV last Saturday from 10:3Q p. m. to 6 a. m. Sunday. Over $20,155 was contributed to the March of Dimes by some 2,168 peo- ple who telephoned in during the telecast, according to Jack Harris, general manager of the outlet. There were 12 m.c.’s for the telecast, which was participated in by 250 people, putting on a total of 41 acts. The total is expected to be increased by the mail donations. TET PITT TAP TIME’ AH SHOW REPRISING IN TV Pittsburgh, Feb. 6. Fort Pitt Brewing Co.’s “Tap Time” radio program, which was recently dropped from KDKA and a regional network after nearly 13 years, is Virtually being reas- sembled again in a teevee version. "When Fort Pitt abandoned the big half-hour musical in favor of a daily quarter-hopr video show over WDTV, personnel with the exception of Bill Hinds, mic., was changed, too. . Now, however, Maurice Spital- ny, who batoned “Tap Time” for its entire stretch, is returning to the TV lineup as maestro, al- though with considerably less men, and oldtime regulars like the Kinder Sisters, Mary Martha Briney and Faye Parker are being re-signed, too. Originally Pat Burke and Sylvia Rhodes were taken on as the regular singing stars along with Frank Jarema’s four-piece combo, but they’re exit- ing “Suppertime,” which is what Fort Pitt calls its television stanza, at the end of this week. RADIO-TEURVISION 31 on ", Minneapolis, Feb. 6. John Ford, WTCN. sales promo- tion and publicity director, and his associates have completed a deal for the sale of national TV rights of their gimmick, called “Winvisi- ble,” to Masterson, Reddy & Nel- son, producers of “Bride and Groom,” “Live Like a Millionaire” and other TV packages. Gimmick involves use of a pat- ented chemical to bring out invisi- ble writing and drawings on a TV screen. It was first revealed on WTCN-TV with Peg & Ed Scott starred. New York producers will utilize it on network. shows and Ford and his associates will re- ceive a percentage of its earnings. Cleveland — Eugene R. Myers, formerly' salesman for WTAM- WNBK, has been named WTAM sales manager by Cleveland NBC general manager John McCormick. New York Natalie Priest featured on CBS- TV’s “The Web” tonight (Wed.) . Mary Crosby (wife of N. Y. Herald Tribune’s John Crosby) joins NBC- TV’s “Leave It To the Girls’’ Sun- day (11) . . . Bert Kalmar, Jr., did a “show must go on” on CBS-TV’s “Show Goes On” Thursday (1); when he performed despite a frac- tured cheekbone, resulting from his having been beaten and robbed the previous week . . .Leonard L. Levinson, “Eloise Salutes Stars” scripter, has sold three sketches penned With Leonard Neubauer to the Ken Murray, “Hollywood Screen Test” and Kate Smith shows. Comedian Pat Harrington heads the talent lineup in Jerry Layton s package, “Patty’s Clambake,” now being peddled around. Ray Allen is writing and Sid Morse produc- ing . .". CBS, ABC arid NBC have cleared time from 10:30 to 11 p.m. J Feb. 27 to pick up part of the American Red Cross’ 1951 cam- paign rally from Madison Sq. Gar-; den, N. Yi . ; . Marion Parsonnet: and Edward Lewis, partnered in ; Palisades Productions, retained by Pepsi-Cdla to produce 132 15-min- ute films starring Faye Emerson > . . Irving (& Norman) Pincus back from Florida today (Wed.), day- arid-date with the “preem” of the new “floor plan” in the brothers’ expanded TV setup . . . Treva Frazee set for a role in Robert Montgomery’s production of “A Star Is Born” Monday (12) via NBC . . . WPIX currently con- structing a new studio, measuring 50x100 feet, in the Daily News’ 1 building,, which will give the 'sta- tion four studios for live program- ming . . , WABD and the DuMont web racked up a sale per day dur- ing January . . . Barbara Britton, film actress, signed to do live nar- ration for WPIX’s “Four Star Theatre,” series comprising feature film oldies . . . Donald Buka play- ing, a lead role on CBS’ “Big Town” tomorrow night (Thurs.V . . . Dusty Miller joined the Gibral- tar agency to supervise TV copy and handle publicity on the “Bonny Maid Versatile Varieties” show . . . Brunp-N. Y. renewed WNBT s “Rootie Kazootie Club” for 13 weeks . . .‘Five more DuMont af- filiates added to the “Captain Video” lineup. Hollywood Andrews Sisters have nixed four sponsor offers to do a revue-type vidfilm according to Lou Levy who maintains the trio must go into a situation-type show, with plenty of leeway for vocal efforts, or no dice ... Series of 30-minute pix made by Alfred Stury’s Crusader Films is being peddled by Agents Television Corp. at $7,500 per film. . . Ted Robinson inked Dr. Na- poleon Hill, author of “Think and Grow Rich,” for a telefilm series around the book to be made under. New World Productions banner . . . KECA-TV upped its schedule to 81 hours weekly by opening up at 9 a.m. Sunday with a three-hour wax whirl handled by Steve Shoe- maker . . , Stanley Farrar inked for one of the supporting roles in “The Ruggles” w h i c h beams Thursdays on KECA-TV ... Bob Wilson moved from KWKW, an AM outlet, into the chief an- nouncer spot at KTTV; starting his chores with “Instruction for Sur- vival” ... Connie Haines inked to make five Snader Telescriptions. .... Robert Clarke’s “Wedding Time” script purchased by the First Presbyterian Church for its KTTV program . . . Alfred Hansen named director of tele commercials for Edwin-Wasey . . . Hal Roach, Jr. signed Bill Bendix for a series of 13 telepix based on the “Mc- Guerin’s From Brooklyn” character portrayed by Bendix in three 1941- 42 Roach Films. Vidpix will cost around $10,000 per h^lf-hour. Guild : Wine will spend $4,000 weekly into a new mystery program featuring Edmund Lowe which will go out over KTTV and be kinnied for regional telelensing ... Monroe Mendelsohn named sales service coordinator. for Snader Telescriptions with E. Johnny Graff as sales manager and Lou Winston as production co- ordinator, : la That WOR-tv, channel 9, is tops in local sports,* Tues. thru Sat.? 2 a That WOR-tv — the newest tv station in New York - is 4th in national spot business? That WOR-tv clocks more spot business than the two leading independent tv stations and one leading network outlet? 3a That 10 WOR-tv shows attract audiences of more than Vi -million viewers per broadcast? 4a That WOR-tv’s wrestling matches are the top-rated for real sock-seeking in New York?* 5a That one WOR-tv program, “The Merry Mailman”, has averaged at least 2,000 pieces of mail per week during the past two months? ... that’s selling! that’s getting tv audience! that’s why you are losing tv money if you’re not using * January 1951 Pulse channel 9