Variety (June 1952)

Jimo ll r 1952 ) Jk^LSJsA TV-MIMS Studied as Alternative to Vidpix Hollywood, June 10, +■ Ted Mills, Chicago’s gift to tele- Vision and wonder boy successor to radio’s Arch Oboler, Norman Cor- win and Dee Engelbach, has come up with what he helidves to be a road block :in the path of talepix. Not only is he confident of . its suc- cess but NBC is going along wlth him to the extent of gambling sev- eral thousand dollars on his proj- get To test his experiment, Mills last Saturday staged the Ezio Pinza teevee show on the mission grounds of San Juan Capistrano, where the sparrows come back to, and 60 miles to the south. New York and the cable cities figure in his stroke of genius via kinescope of the show, which is the core of the noble ex- periment. Last Saturday Mills took a TV crew to Capistrano to put on the show. Over a microwave relay in- stalled by the telephone company, the show was fed to Hollywood for recording at NBC. Audio and video was recorded and the kine edited in takes like they do in pictures. Dave Rose’s music will be syn- chronized live on night of the tele- C3St« * Mills explains his experiment in this wise: “The technique is in- tended to combine the mobility of motion pictures with the great cost and time-saving factors of live TV, It is our plan to further these ex- periments in the hope that remote kine will be of. long range im- portance to RCA.” 4 What Mills’ .didn’t say was that by this hew process he hoped to circumvent high union costs in the technical phases by.using TV cam- eras instead .of motion picture equipment and personnel. Mills? has done what others have Jong talked about, to get around the high co$t of telefllming. End result will be closely watched by the trade as- well as the picture studio unions. TV ‘Grind’ Policy Low-Cost Device The “grind” policy adopted by some New York stations last* week —with WNBT screening its fea- ture three times on Saturday af- ternoons and WJZ-TV running its feature two or three times on Sat- urday nights—has an economic basis in filling a lot of empty time at relatively low cost. Distributors are not getting any more for the “continuous perform- ances” than they would for a one- time showing. In this way the cost to the station is cut to one-third. Additionally, where a station couldn’t afford to nay the price on some quality product if it .would be used in one hour, it can afford the distrib’s figure on the'basis of its filling three hours. . Film.. distribs feel that- they’re not losing much, if anything, by permitting the repeat performance for the flat fee. They believe that the additional audience gained on the same station doesn’t represent a drastic cut into the potential market on other stations, later screenings when there are new h o. me s that weren’t viewing at the time, etc. Set Ameche Series ~ ., Hollywood, June 10. Procktor Syndicated Interna- tional will begin production on seriess of 13 15 -minute vidpix July 1 in N. Y., with Don Ameche as format and narrator for dramatic -^her, inked as director- writer, leaves here June 9 for work n series, returning to resume di- recti° n °f Love Lucy” Aug. 14/ Bernard Procktor will produce se- es. MCA set Asher for the se- plans 26 in series, with mmediate production calling for 16 to be shot in eight-week -period. Bapti»t» File for TV Corpus Christi, June 10. f^st local organization to submit nn application to the FCC ior a license to operate a TV out- A' e "‘pder the new relaxed tii^ U T> at * s HWBXJ, operated by Texas .^ enera ^ Convention of Hollywood . Hedy Lamarr stars in series of ..... 36 half-hour vidpix, “Great Loves,” ■ _ ^ to be produced by Victor Fahlen, Rwd to Study Vidpic Fairbanks Shakos Staff Production III Ellffilift gets residual plus salary for tele- I- II • , . pix , . . Stu Reynolds closed sale Hollywood, June 10. of 13 Screen TeleYldeo vidpix, to Survey of Europe to determine Sunkist Growers Assn., package In Retrenchment Move Hollywood, June 10. Inking of Columbia Pictures by Ford Motors to produce a series of 39 half-hour films specifically for television may be the clincher to a wholesale swing of major studio production facilities 'into the TV Survey of Europe to determine Sunkist Grower Assn., package Undisclosed number of employes mm business. Under terms of the . , , C ieasiDuity or proauemg KTLA as “Sunkist Premiere Play- h aVe w n nink-sllDoed in re- c °ntract, which were revealed yes- telepix abroad will be made by house." . Director Sobey Mar- trenchmen” ‘move. Almost entlre terday (Tues.). the vidpix are to be producer Boland Heed, who left "lurt'”?w? r "Th» st « ff was 8*ven two weeks annual produced by Screen Gems, Ine., ItiA itfaaVam^ XJlaCKie uHG. vWO . JLIie U nex- m/vaamILo J ...L au. MA4.«««hM Pfll f C WllrtUv-ATimArl irl/Ifllm r»iiU^ XI* vie* VU tJXJU « « i JUajL JLVVaLi 1 OGUULUOl 4 ' T i ill _ _ _ It. 1 f IA • Producer of several series in- vidpix center, has TV set for the in g« • ?w U +S’ its considered^ significant eluding “Beulah” and “Mv Little first time, as “Racket Squad” pro- Denying any overall economy ^pis marks ihe first pact ever Margie” Reed nlans visits to Enc ducer Carroll Case installed one wave is under way, Fairbanks v.p. directly between a national landf'ltaly^ Fran'c " S Norway? ££ £ » Sid W sald ,f, ^ a stadio for Frances p'otentla^vldplx^lnteire H< h 1$. Production , 5 > MCA’s vidpix overhead* Ne S ™dd ton lfhus^on Both Screen Gems, and United Guy Thayer, Jr. associate, pro- commercial films, that TV product Worid Films, Universal’s vidfilm ducer and v.p. of the company, will exec producer of newly-formed * s planned, and. added, “For years Uoto for’ TAf V of P coume ed ReDub r helm operations during Reed’s ab- Wilshire Television Productions, you’ve been hearing Fairbanks is f. d ? s w nSlvwoo'fl ■™ sence. with Hollywood attorney Nathan going broke. Actually we’re busy Hollywood rg Service and O. Freedman as chairman of board selling product already completed.’’ “onogiams Interstate TV have # . . . Jack Danov and Dick Crane Among those no longer with -keen* active iu production of Sait iWnhvr VlflniY Of “Rocky Jones, Space Ranger” company is story editor Lou Lilly, vidpix. All their shows, however,, ufllt yUCUUIl I llipiA. returned from biz junket to Frisco with Fairbanks 10 years. . He is uave-been turned out for syndica- Hollywood, June 10. " * • • Prints of “My Little Margie” setting .up his own telepix and f ion purposes, meaning they are “Duffy of San Quentin,” based h°w enroute to station around commercial firm - lensed with no specific national ad- on Warden Duffy’s book, “The San country. Gale Stprm-Charles Ear- vertiser in mind but nr* ™id i^l ‘San Quentin’ Vidpix Quentin Story,” will be made by f*’ 1 „ s ? ries „ ”? la< 2 n £ 7,J 0V ? Swartz-Doniger Productions as a cy new telefilm series with Paul Kelly crake’ vfdnix^edes d with ItSlSr starred. Lensing gets .under way SSden and Arllne Judge at Hal July 1 at Motion Picture Center K h stndios^! Shootingof42 Studios. “Hnnnlnncf vidniv ‘Pillow Network* Ap£t. San Antonio, June 10, vertiser in mind but are sold local- ly to various Individual TV sta- tions around the country. Screen Gems is thus the first to tap the highly-liicratlve national advertis- Gregg Winters has been-named ing co i n and, if it earns a profit manager of KBAH, the Brooke on the deal, it’s expected that other Amv Hocnirnl r c ‘'niliAin Ynif'iir/wlr** .* $250,000 by a New York syndicate tions at Monogram ranch, with at the same time to patients headed by David Stillman of the Boyd exec producer; Bob Stabler, p in ow headsets. firm of Stillman. & Stillman. (Continued on page 35P Winters succeeds Bill Feille. On the TV side, the Screen Gems-Ford deal, set through the J. Walter Thompson ad agency and m m m the NBC video network, also solves TV Films in Production I use in the Thursday^nlgii^t^OiSO ' slot it now occupies on NBC. Dur- ■ » • — = as of Friday, June 6 > -■■■ ' ■ .-- ■ — ing the season just ending, Ford s » sponsored the James Melton show ARROW PRODUCTIONS of 52 half-hour vldeoter*. Jack Ma- Charles FarreU and Gale Storm head cast, but indicated its decision tb cancel KTTV Hollywood honey, nick Jones h$ad cast. Philip Morris sponsors. OP^ juncli» half. Producer: Louis Gray Producer: Hal Roach cn3t one Several months ago. hour lumrle adventure teleDix series now nirectors: Wallace Fox, Geo. Archalnbaud Director: Hal Yates Rothschild New series of half-hour western dramas HaiTy S ’ « othscllU<1 ’ entiUed "DKATH VALLEY DAYS" now ta «onrTOMTo.rD as of Friday, June 6 ARROW PRODUCTIONS KTTV Studio*. HoUywood Leon Fromkess. Film Producer: Rudolph FlOthow Director: Wally Fox ATHENA PRODUCTIONS, INC. California Studios: Hollywood Three series of 13 chapter play* each "SON OF KOBIN HOOD" skedded to be- gin shooting latter part of June. Producer-director: Clifford Sanforth Associate producer: A1 Westen Assistant directors Nate Barrage? Writer: Howard Laurence Field shooting. Producer: Darrell McGowan Director; Stuart McGowan GROSS-JXRASNE, INC?* Producer: Revue Productions Under present plflns, the series General Service e Studios: Hollywood Director: Richard Irving, Norman Lloyd, will -employ top-name film actor* Now shooting "BIG TOWN" series of 20, ft,_ nf j. n „ half hour telepix sponsored by Lever* tt» t pAtpirT ppnnTTrTTnMc: ana utilize the services Of top dl- Brothers. Patrick McVey and Jan* Nigh JrKUDLit!-lUiNb rectors and SCrlpters. Jules Brick- set leads. Hal Roach Studio*: Culver City Producers: Jack J. Gross and Philip N. "AMO* 'N' ANDY" series of character, Screen Gems, Will produce Krasne comedy telepix now shooting. Sponsored at Col S studio. First film will be REVUE PRODUCTIONS that one several months ago. Screen Gems vidpix series will preem In the Thursday night pe- riod Oct. 2, with 51 NBC stations M.. lined up to carry the films. Series plx resume shooting June 12 for Revue is to be titled Ford Theatre.” Prods. yt._ j n . Prods. Producer: Revue Production* BREAKSTON-STAHL PRODS. _ _ , . .... , UIJ , General Service Studios: Hollywood JOHN GUEDEL PRODS. Horace Stewart. "SAFARI BILL" series of 26 half hour 600 Taft Bldg.. Hollywood • Supervisors: Freeman Gosden, Cb telepix to begin shooting June 15. Loca- Art Llnkletter starring in a series of Correll. Sidney Van Keuren tion shots to be filmed in British East 104 15-mlnute vidpix’titlcd "LINKLETTER Director: Charles Barton Africa. AND THE KIDS." Production executive: James Fonda Martha Hyor heads cast, parts to fill. Producer-director: Maxwell Shan* Assistant director: Emmett Emerson Producer-director: Breakston-Stahl Associate producer: Irvin Atkins - Director: E. A. Dupont. cL®Tim Moor^speScSwmiams. Alvin an adaptation of Nathaniel Haw- - Childress. Ernestine Wade, Johnny Lee. thome S Snow Image,” now being Producer-director: Breakston-Stahl Associate producer: Irene Breakston Technical executive: John R. Carter Supervisors: "Freeman Gosden, Charles by Edward • Hope. Second Correll, Sidney Van Keuren is to be Understudy,” an original by Jo Swerllng now being adapted by Cyril Hume. Third is a special TV adaptation of “Turnip’s Bibod,” the Rachel Maddux novel. Pix will ROY ROGERS PRODUCTIONS Goldwyii Studio, Hollywood have no continuity from week to aecnnicaj execuuve^Jonn r. carter HOLLYWOOD TELEVISION GoIdwvn studio , Hollywood WILLIAM F. BROIDT PRODS. , SERVICE boy »wgeiib now shootii^ m oato week hut Instead each "The h,U W t0 be an eDtity ln itSelf ’ Ie?£. v1dp^\r n eliaShou 1 ?Sa 1 ch. 0 ^ week, but Instead . each, stanza is series of half heads cast with parts to fill. Judd Holdren. Aline I Executive producer: William F. Broidy. with William SchaUert In support. Producer: Wesley Barry Producer: Franklin Adreon Associate producers: Bob Bailey, Hugh Director: Fred Brannon King Director: Frank McDonald WATTW GT ARc; Judd Holdren* Aline Town© head cast J5?2.*5!?? e T5 HOUR GLASS PRODS. 810 N. Highland, HoUywood T A r'TT npnnc oiu n. jnugniana, xioi JACK. LHbfilUh l KUUb. Shooting "MAN OF TOM OS . General Service Studios. Hollywood of 15-minut* telepix. "LONE RANOER" half hour series of 52 Producer: Wanda Tuchock videoaters now shooting. John HArt, Jay Director: George deNormand Sllvcrhecls set leads. Producer: Jack Chcrtok t YTkjrfVEii» onr 1 i r rir 1 hptft T?' Associate Producer: Harry Poppe. . 1 iblvol,1LLL Associate producer: Jack Lacey Director: Bob Walker SCREEN GEMS 1302 N. Gower, Hollywood "NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE" half- hour drama shooting for DuPont’s "CAV- COURNEYA PRODUCTIONS E thcl A BaiVym^re. skedded for ^uTe § ct, ^f°S uc ?L s start in "ETHEL BARRYMORE TELI- Shooting Noah Beery, Jr. Adventure VISION THEATRE" series. Series." 26 15-minute telepix. Producer: Lee Savin Cast: Noah Beery, Jr., Ann Savin*. Jack Directors: Lewis Allan, WlU Jason Harris, Norma Fenton. - Producer-director: Jerry Coumeya * . ■»i>rkTvrT/’V¥i’i/Yiirc Supervising film editor; Jimmy Moor* LANCER PRODUCTIONS ■ ■ - ■ RKO-Pathe: Culver City »Tvn mrtClTlV FVTFIfPWTCJirt? "THOSE WIRE THE DAY*" half hour BIN Lx LxS 1 LKX'KloLo telepix series now shooting. Producerji: RKO-Pathe. Culver City Bernard Girard, Richard Dorso. Shooting "REBOUND" ’series of half "CORNY JOHNSON" series of half hour hour adult dramas sponsored by Packard comedy plx now shooting. CBSTV to Co-op Summer Films CBS-TV will Inaugurate the ' INTERSTATE TELEVISION Eagle Lion Studios. Hollywood unique procedure of offering' fea- 4 Monogram Studios; Hollywood "CAVALCADE OF AMERICA" series of fnrA films on a network CO-OD basis "DAUGHTERS OF MARS," starring half-hour drama telepix shooting. I In ul rJ?” fo *°o „ii* Ethel Barrymore, skedded for June 5 Producers: Gil Ralston, Jaqucs Braurtsteln to fill its Tuesday night o to 9 Blot Shooting "MAN OF TOMORROW" series ALCADE OF AMERICA" series. Producer-director: Jules Brlckcn Assistant director: Eddie Seata SCREEN TELEVIDEO PRODS. Eagle Lion Studios. Hollywood this summer. Web advised its af- filiates this week that it will pro- "racket**q u ad" series now shooting gram the films for 14 weeks, and .i* i.i: i .t ii i ii - i. .il ill i ^ Motor Car Corp. Executive producer: Basil Grlllo Producer: Bernard Girard Director: B. Girard Half hour series of adult drama films for "CROWN THEATRE" shooting. Producer-director; Bernard Girard EDWARD LEWIS PRCDS. Motion picture Center, Hollywood half hour telepix series. Producer: Hal Roaeh, Jr.; Carroll Cas* Director: Jim Tinling SNADER TELESCRIPTIONS 177 S. BeVerly- Dr., Beverly Hills Resume shooting telescrlptions featur- ing different artists each week June. Producer: Louis D, Snader ADRIAN WEISS PRODS. 655 N. Fairfax; Hollywood "CRAIG KENNEDY-GRIMINOLOGIST" that the stations will have six min- ute spots and two 10-second an- nouncements to sell locally each week. Time period, Which bucks NBC’s Milton Berle show and Bishop Ful- ton J. Sheen’s “Life Is Worth Liv- ing” on DuMont, is now occupied by two half-hour sustainers, the Producers: Richard Dorso. Bernard Girard, Irene Dunne as femcee resume shooting June 13. FRANK FERRIN PRODUCTIONS Producer: Edward Lewis 6528 Sunset Blvd.. HoUywood Production manager: William Steven* 6528 Sunset Blvd., HoUywood Casting: Virginia Mazzuca "SMILIN' ED'S GANG" series now shoot. Ing. Ed McConnell, Nino Marcel head east. Producer-director: Frank Ferrin n Associate producer: Ralph Ferrin Assistant director: Don Olsen FILMCRAFT PRODS. 8451 Melrose. Hollywood - GROUCHO MARX starred in 36 half-hour audience participation film productions, to be made once a week for NBC. DeSoto- Plymouth sponsoring. "THE BICKERSON*" series of 39 half SBSi'SSSS i a , m .. Le S°S ^ and ;? raw me is. t elC| Pix shooting to June 12 . Win.” With Berle taking his usual JfflfflE.SSflifSlto-. c-v-n. Ca ! b «8S?summer hiatus, It had been thought to be cast. . Producer-director: Adrian Weiss MARCH OF TIME ' Assistant director: Bob Farfan 369 Lexington Avo., N. Y. ■ • "AMERICAN WIT . AND HUMOR" so- FRANK WISBAR PRODS^ ries of 26 half-hour pix. Thomas Mitchell, Eagle Lion Studios: HoUywc narrator, with cast Including Gene Lock- "FIRESIDE THEATRE" series hart, Jeffrey Lynn, Arnold Moss, Ann hour adult dramas now shooting. that CBS would attempt to use the hour to showcase new packages during the summer, which might be able to compete against Berle FiR a Es?DE THEATRE" H seri« 0 2f half- next fall. But the web decided on Burr and Olive Dcerlng. Producer: Marlon Parsonnet Directors: Fred Stephani. PHILLIPS tORD PRODS. Visual Drama Studios: HoUywood "GANG BUSTER" Series for NBC-TV. Producer-director: Frank Wisbar Associate producer: Sidney Smith WEATHER TELEVISON PRODS. INC. the relatively inexpensive pro- cedure of filling the time with film. Where the web’s film- procure- ment department is obtaining th« hour comedy telepix now shooting. Phil sponsored bv Chesterfield, now shooting. Rapp is writer-director.- Producer? PhilUm? Lord sophisticated_comecllcs now shooting. TTa11«,«ia A J **»^A*V V4VI/M4. VlilVlAb VUVUMIUAA ?H' LADY" S& rt y j£u hour film has not been divulged. De- Rapp is writer-director,- Producer: John Guedel Film producer: I. Lindenbaum Directors: Bob Dwan, Bcrnie Smith Producer: Phillips Lord Director: Lew Landers Directors: Bob Ewan. Bcrnlc Smltl, EOLAND REED PEODS. S Wrathor. Robert Mann FLYING A PRODUCTIONS No^ahootfi “«ULAlfy .StoS 30 - A “ oclatc prodocor, Sljcnnan A. Harrl, 6920 Sunset Blvd.. Hollywood minute situation comedies. . "ANNIE OAKLEY" new series of 52 Cast: Louise Beavers, Ernie Whitman, 5 ? u5 „ I 9ilc t v2 e ^'«-^, olly 5 ood „ u » half-hour videoaters now shooting, Gail Ruby Dandridgc, David Bruce. Jane Four In UNEXPECTED series of half- Davis, Billy Gray head cast. Parts to fill. Frazee, Stuffy Singer. hour telepix shoot hi June. Four "BQS- Second scries of 52 half-hour Gene Producer: Tom McKnight TON BLACKIE half-hour telepix sclicd- Autry Western telepix shooting. Gene Director: Abby Berlin ii 1 ,® 4 * f or ^ u S, e , shooting. Autry, Pat Buttram sot leads. "MY LITTLE MARGIE" series of half Directors: Eddie Davis, Sobey Martin* "RANGE RIDER" shoottn^econd sc-^hojtr y c 9 m<ul,y _t f lc ? ix ^ $oy A .shootln?.^ 4 Gep^ M. C^han.^ , sophisticated comedies now shooting. partment chiefs are keetoing mum Gaines, Lee Patrick, Charley Smith. OB the Source for COmpellitiVe rea- Nicholas Joy. „ ^ „ sons, but maintained that eight of Associat^produc^^s^ufnns^i 1 ^. 1 !!^!:; 11 tho 14 features have never before ZIV TV been shown on TV. With the Sat- 5255 Clinton st., Hollywood urday night “Songs for Sale” also Four In "UNEXPECTED" series of half- scheduled to Close shop for the hour telepix shoot In June. Four "BOS- TT ton blackie" half-hour telepix sched- summer, CBS may program the en- uied for June shooting. tire 8 to 11 Saturday night period D te l «S’ s ° hcy M “ lm ‘ as well with feature film.