Variety (October 03, 1951)

Complaint* of kickbacks within agency circles havt bm causing 90 little nntletf among iimry exec* In reeent week* Chiefly, the projection of tai fV kickback racket la said to stem from negotia- tions with some of tho Indio producers who are engaged In the filming of video commercials. Within tho poet year or ao literally hundred* of aurh Indie film producers have sprung up both In New York and on the Coast. and In a desperate bid for business It» reported that a number of them have been enticing aotne of the leaeer agency echelon Into aecept- mg kickbacks for the privilege of doing business with the ageocy. Since TV’s emergence into the blgtime. there has been periodic Anger-pointing at alleged kickbacks on talent-property acquisi- tions. etc. but thus far nothing approaching a full-scale scandal has hH the industry. . BY HOWABO Baltimore Oct 2 Thou II and SO minutes of straight talk on behalf of a hair shampoo and a “vitamin-mineral dietary supplement." now bring sired on some 113 AM and 29 video outlets scram the country through TV Advertising Associates. lmv r here, are strictly “entertainment " You could take the Anal four min uter of the program, say the »poo sort, lor a distinct straight out sales talk to successfully market anything. That’s the answer Charles D Ka%her president, and Allen C Kaye Martin, general manager, of TV Associates, make to recent newspaper columns attacking the programs as solid pitch ' And they boast of a raft of fan letters from delighted Listeners ami viewers to prove their point They also claim urgent requests from top sd s«en- ties for a similar treatment on te- halt of some blue chip accounts. There are plenty of orders too. they say, and at two and three bucks a throw for the shampoo, and |!i and $10 for the vttamrns. ; Kasher. a former store demon straior. and Kaye-Maiitn, an ad vertising esec with a youthful fling at the stage charged up to his salad days, have garnered a hep troupe of former pitchmen, auc- tioneers and storemen, including such compelling spellbinder* as Richard Leweilyn. Paul Bedell. Sid Hasamgp and David Klein, and thev have developed a aeries of platters and Alma on behalf of Charles Autell. Inc., for the ’'For- mula No. M Lanolin Shampoo," and National Health Aida of Baltimore. That's My Pop Contest sponsored by BCA early titan year fa gatming the date when the coast-to-coast micro-relay . would be com- pleted was won by lf-year-old Virginia Peppeie. daughter of Jack Popprle, WOK N Y . engineering v. p She caiue within 30 hours of the actual launching Ume. Miss Popprle, whose furO Was for an opening consider- ably earlier than estimates by the eiperts. won an all-ex- ^•luet-pald tnp to Hollywood and an KC\ television re- ceiver TOP ITTWICTIONS The daytime television picture represents a radical departure from radio The application of "night time thinking" into daytime TV in regards to big league variety -slant ed programs and projection of per sonalltie* becomes more and more pronounced If the housewife has a craving for visual soap opera*, it ia neither reflected in the present dny Nielsens nor In the ambitious programming formula* being blue printed by the video entepreaeurs In sharp contrast to only a year ago. when agencies and networks alike were crying *$how us the right TV soap opera pattern that's what the hausfrau still wants .” the tables appear to be reversed There have been some isolated slabs St integrating the daytime serial for- I mat into daytime TV. with such as- sorted items as CBS’ “Fir* llpn tired Years’* and NBC’s Miss Su *an." but they haven't created much of a stir 4 1 The housewife with her multiple chores. It would seem wants her TV distractions on a “retch as catch ran’* basis, and the single minded concentration on sight end sound j jibe with her 1 ■’re Glad Sez NBC on ‘Big Show* Europe Junket —And Keep Calling Arthur Godfrey, on his C'Hfl “Talent Scouts” simulcast Mon- day night tit./requested His audience not to call CBS head* quarters In N Y to learn the score of the Brooklyn Dodger*- V Y Giants playoff games In deadpan style. Godfrey pointed out the rails swamped the CBS switchboard, thereby stowing down network operations. ; "If you have to rail some body.’* he said, “I'll give you a number lt‘§ Circle 7-*3UO * That s NBC ■ ■■■ I ll ■■■■■■■ Ball in N.Y. Playoff weepers doesn’t Although NBC's “Big Show” I ^indon origina ti on pat a hitter re- ception in some segments of the British pres*, pi odurer direct or Dee Rngeiborh told Vaniarv the oversea* junk it was well worth the effoit Trek to England enabled the vhow to use Sir iaurfmc Olivier and Vivian Leigh In a preview of their ’Caesar and Cleopatra for American audiences; vocalist Vera Lynn whom NBC has Invited to come to the States In January; and to air the Hinging debut of actor George Sanders, who as a result of his ’ Big Show ’ vocalisation has been offered a •concert In Koyal Festival Hall.- Similarly, the show transcribed in France f«»r beaming here Sun- day 17» w a* able to get good: Color and put a slice of I’aruian night- life on tape Trip made possible the adililion of Gallic stars Fer- nand Gravet. Francuiar Rosay, Georgeo Alsam and Georges Gael- ary. Kngelbaeh said In nMihuii, ’ it gave Pari* Ms And public appear- lance of Josephine Baker in two vear* Be*ide* the “Big Show” regular* Tallulah Bankhead Fred Alien Meredith Willson, etc - -the Virtually the entirr television household w hedute ThatY why the m*wdry forced to r «m|ieistc ( Ran* edituqj alfcred J.uin fonlsine radio xiaoers continue their ’.1 Mo n d a y 11 * to bring viewer* from ( r who came from England' and Wtl* Z, iwl t'S- 1 ",-*- «*, '-*35 ««* .u* ti T_. * game in hlatory to be trlcviM'd L S A » sound only ' rwipivm remains now as IS years ago. the ideal meth in history to |N V to I gaming right* to the Arst National ro * <U 1 " —.Vf TV ■» »»• •» * « » I from * Y I. X A With mi ' a - a _ * KL' m w— a kl .1 ' j Rift on TV Control; the Writers guild* After RWG left the National Television Confer- ence last July, when Ms demand . - > . huuRiLjJ for dissolution of the Television l!*r^. HA C c mp f* Writers Croup was nixed the NTC J? neral recommended that the entire ment B<»> > *'»ik * ivr structure of the League be revised .*■* In Ihe interim it gave tele juris- Ob^»i ol Ih. fyrr .nl .if r»m d>rtl<H> sw(; on th , , luitn I, to «rt th. prodrnt. «n , nd 7w(i ln )h , Th „ store shelves and moving across j j the counter, says Kaye-Marlin. and they have accomplished their goals in Philadelphia. Washington and DeiroM already. In Philadelphia they are using the Wevlmghouse station. KYW, airings of the Tern pie ln.vendty football game* at •Continued ca page 42I Steps tn heal the breach be- tween factions on jurisdiction for video ampler* was taken last week at the Author* league Coun- cil l-after paused a series of reao- #l . . . _ _ lutiona seeking cessation of boa- J 5 /‘"J? * 4 ^ e */ nj,n ; tiUtie* They re all geared to the ’’take M , A, ± , awhile leava it awhiU ' w hool if Battle h a* been dll llj between projection and prar- WnteiH and Screen i all are reaping a bonanza While x*wc of the BiMish critics ‘»-aatita 5 ^aiiai-SS »>**y,ff game Monday be panned the show as too sentimental od ~0t getting away from it ail t^r.n Ihr N Y C.ianU and Brook „ r , 4MI eapcn*ive. some wehmmed Un hodgers NB4 gave up it* 1 the sample of Yankee radio tech- on It* part of the ncu niicrtprelay : ia ih.- m return for CBN granting NBC ! an okay to utilise M* pari «»f the I** 4 - , , rl ' 'JJTJ** * relay channel yesterday *Tu< * * ; modci of Inil nriPB Intev vl awa and tadgy ] to a celeh gelling humor from the ABC and WOK TV N. V Indie also took pari in Ihe ctaipeialive j4Ut(,,,w ** 1,1 ratlu wr tki> St, the proreva American Tobacco one- ***** *** *' • noteworthy demon inaMy allempled to gel the |»la>- off wm tioping In do iuiairM-** with NBC but then niaed the idea on the 4«»ompOon there auuld he no time to publu ue M Since WOI| TV which ha* carried, the I lodger home *«-hedule till* w axm preacniation Daytime TV. instead has gone “affedw business” to a big wa>. in some reapnds even mart variety conscious that nighttime, when an approximate 40% of the program mlng is channelled into dramatic adventure mysteiMso »latk» fare. The daytime TV kingpin* both in terms of audience acceptance and sponsor lure, are Kate Smith lwith her SRO for a second sea- son l; Garry Moore • with hi* $• <MM) 000 billings intake for CBS); Steve Allen. Bert Parka. Hill flood •to. Jht. 999 JNm Ameriw Kraiyres has no network and thu* no wire 1 angford hour show on ABC TV—*, connection* to American Tele- all names wMh a Cornier Make In phone A.^Telegraph headquarters j • from where the pickup could hr put on the net'. WOK pres Then-j dorr Streibert offered the w«-h right* to ABC on Ihe a*»umption [that it would b*- a simple opera-! : ti«n to connect WOK-TV with ; ABC TV. which have neighboring ■ studio* , • . j Z ■ victim and a* a noteworthy (ration of * 'peed timing and pol- ish ’ Harrington said that "Big Show” had ' brought radio bock, bv getting people to talk about AM Kven I h,nigh new* space is at a i Continued on page 471 for the networks Also in Ihe Morning The same thinking U carrying When ABC pm Kohctt Kintmi over into morning video, a* well, started to clear station*, however Arthur Godfrey's 90 minute radio it wax found that CBS alirady had showcase with its multiple sponsor* snared the rights ipresumably is getting ready for the simulcast through the efforts of Bed Boi her treatment with client* ehamping at CBS 'ports chief, who has called ro*ter Steel’s Guild’ Airer Top array of legit and Aim talent ha* been *ef tor thi» fall on U 8 . Hteel’s “Theatre Gat'd On Ihe Air” progearn, in sfamwor’s bid for lop ratmr* and NHC networks plan In strengthen it* Sunday night (Continued on page 4$’ the TV bit. Even the NBC early- all Dodger games this season on (Continued on page 471 | fContinued on page 4«* The New Economy—IVvoood Style Robert Q. Hollywood. Oct 2 The face on the cutting room Boor, the doomed hope of a thou- sand actors, la no longer a clutter of tangled reilulnid consigned to the consuming blase of a back lot pNrc Thta destiny of a cruel fate will be spared the hopefuls in greasepaint, thanks to television f and its devouring demand* tn the • ' days tn come when 2 000 tranvmit- nse over the country’s new facet of economic* to the at- trptton of the stu di o* He is Frank Fernn who salvaged more than 100 . 0 U 0 feet of completed Aim from the ti-evee series. "Smilin' Ed's Gang.** now repeating it* earlier run oh the megacycle circuit. What Feritn put away for another dev is animal footage shot tn ti»r com- pound at Thousand Oak* on the outskirts of Hollywood He paid (he price of pioneering in the new ... iters will — PIPBH . ... ^ On the ac'umptfon that "you can landscape to be fed the remnant* medium but is confident it will at light strength only with strength.” j 0 f whatever Hollywood can give or last pay off What he lo*t in tele- several *howa currently bucking apart- vision, said to he around 150 000 , ihe top-rated programs on the air j Adopting a variant paraphrased he is hopeful of recouping in pic- | from an old western legend, ture*. Hollywood Aim maker* are will open up new market* and the # this season with an extra-heavy ad there’s gold in them thar scrap*.” working on a reversal of tu* tack mounting volume of home i i-ceivers and promotion campaign although tbs mm who keep vigil over the Tbs Long Gamble 1 stabilise* price levels may feel the sponsor « axe within the next month or so Among those reportedly earmarked for scuttling •re Faye Emerson’s “Wonderful I ledgers in the sprocket plants have Town and Robert Q Lewis*] seized upon the new economy with afhow Goes On." both CBS entries j packing house efflciency, the ir* *hkb see stacked directly opposite reducible minimum of wssle NBC» “Your Show of Shows.” a Consistent top- 10 *er. CBS spokesmen declared this Biggest plum aic tan appear- *nc«*% *et for the LunU, who 11 do no other radio *»««4f* than this srrlc* la-git |Mir will do Shaa * i'’|*>gn»alion v Oct. 21. stiuh ll»ey did on fo- the Theatre ! Guild 25 year* ago. and not since, with Alfred Lunt as Frofe**or llig- telcvision to put Into a picture ran fin% -fM | h is aife Lynn K«M>tanne advantageously be applied reverse- K | lta Doolattle The Lunts will Ijr. It I* m closed circuit secret also do the premiere airing of their that the smaller picture producer* , a ^ f Mroadwav show I Know My are eyeing TV revenue ome th.»r |>,ve with date not yet set product l* our of the 1 un* The j Mn Fontaine has been set Tor word “residual” has come to lake f W o fall dates. In Main Street ” on a Hew and Ascally unpotianl ^hich *he played In last Sunday meaning to Aim maker Thai a 30 ’. and in “The Major and the picture ran have as many run* in Minor * oppoMte Hay Milland Oct. TV at in theatres la no recent dis- 14 R«>*atind Ku*aeli and Burgess eovery The Hops longs’ and Eng Meredith will star in “Skylark* tish imports have already been ion 2M Claudette Colbert a ill around four or Ave tunc* Feature appear in “Twentieth Century” Aim* bring tjielr biggest revenue \„ v 4 from continuing run*, new station* Steel ha* been hypoing the show week that thorp ora enough view- ers across the country now to support two blgtime shears, if both have sufficient drawing power. They cited Ed Sullivan'S “Toast To wipe out his lo** Fernn 1 * gambling $250,000 By now he ha* arrived tn India with a crew from Hollywood for six weeks of shoot- “We’ra burning np the proAts.” »ng “Ghanga* in the elephant said one watchdog of the ex- country The footage *»M-mbled Chequer and the cry has been there, to be processed in Techm- taken up bv indie and major alike 1 color will be integrated and edited A normal over-shooting of 20.000 with the overage from the Smilin' If Ferrin comes out on hi* ex- periment the die will be cael take what you ve got, back II up with authentic locale and background and get it out ip the market Fer- Mx budget cm the show itse'f 1 * the same as la.-4 wea«un It leave* casting of the show* to the Theatre Guild whuh doe* the angling tor the star talent. There’s been talk of Steel *|**n- feet could be made to At well the oeeda of TV for a half-hour sub- ject. perhaps not today but against of the Town” and IfBCs “Colgate 1 the time when the wedding of the C omedy Hour.” both of which are artg reaches the anniversary stage aired Sunday nf»Ms at •and both ] it « M a television producer with Ed” teevee Aim for a feature length theatrical release The project Is two-pronged, television will come later Studio heads must reason that wh.H work- for TV can work for • Continued on page 47i {vision, bowevor, who brpugbl this I pictures. What Fernn took out of | rin had hi* distribution setup for snrtng the Guild show on TV but theatrical release arranged before ; nut At ha* no surh plan* a* phrobt. he packed for India, assuring him L’nder present arrangroicntv »be a fairly safe return on his invest- Guild 1* a free agent and could g« 1 rnent. What he hopes to eventually j another backer for a TV ier y>n wrap around the spools 1 * a mod e rn tf it wished Guild version of the old Martin Johnson couple of offer*, whe b " h** wild animal pictures The differ* turned down If would -ke encc will be in a story line The Steel over to a TV ,,u Sahu of yesterday will be the far the latter ha-n 1 ♦ (Continued on page 4fl» mtereM, f • ■, (| x »