Variety (April 1953)

Wednesday., April 1, 195? AFTRA Tackles $64 Question Hollywood, March 31. When the Un-American Activities Committee, ends its hearings here on Communism, the American'Federation of Television-Radio Artists board of directors will meet to take action on members who refused to answer the $64 question, executive secretary Claude McCue said Monday. Before the committee convened, AFTRA members voted a reso- lution demanding subpdenaed members to answer queries regard- ing present and past associations with the Communist party, » The resolution gives the AFTRA board the power to expel mem- bers who decline to answer. McCue said that actress Jody Gilbert, dancer Libby Burke and other members, who didn’t answer will be called before-the board April 13 or possibly sooner. Kids Getting to School Late, So Telecomics’ Gets Earlier Period Two considerations nark - the earlier opening (7:30 a. m. instead of 8) of WCBS-TV, N. Y., which started Monday, March 30. One is to get the kiddie shows, ‘Telecomics” and “Time for Beany,” on the air earlier. Let- ters from parents have complained that their tots have been, getting to school late. The shows have been popular on the ARB rating charts. The other is to pitch the entire “Kovacs Unlimited” show, former- ly from 8:30 to 9:30 a, m., against a whole hour of “Today,” and get away from the entertainment com- petition of Morey Amsterdam’s "Breakfast with Music” on WNBT. "Time for Beany” picks up a I sponsor April 6. Cocoa-Marsh at that time begins three participa- tions a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday. ‘SUPERMAN’ GETS A GLOBAL RADIO SPREAD * “Superman” with a British ac- cent is currently being sold in a number of world markets, along with a Spanish version of the radio series. Fremantle Overseas Radio, AM syndication outfit, has set deals for sponsorship of the program in» some 14 countries, with more deals pending. Paul Talbot, Fremantle chief, se- cured rights to the airer for world syndication with the exception of the U. S. and Canada. The British- accent open-ender, made in Aus-, tralia, is sponsored by Kellogg in South Africa. It’s on the air in. Australia, New Zealand and Cey- lon, with a deal pending in British West Indies. Spanish version, made in Mexico City, has Kellogg picking up the tab in Mexico and Costa Rica, with other bankrollers in Colombia and Peru. Rights to the series are owned by National Comics, which also distributes foreign-langauage comic versions in those countries, j — i Wiley New Flack Chief For CBS Central Div. Chicago, March 31. Chuck Wiley, director of Special Events for CBS Central Division, has been named public relations chief for the division, succeeding Stuart Riordon, who resigned last Friday (28). ' The public relations end will be split into two sections, with video publicity under Andrew Murphy, former CBS staffer, cur- rently with Thor Corp., and with bam Paxton heading the audio ackery. Wiley will retain his spe- cial events duties. Sen* Johnson Series Dallas, March 31. U. S. Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson, of Texas, will make his debut in a regular weekly report to tjie state each Sunday over stations of the Texas State Network and added outlets. The talks, carried as a public service, will report to the people of Texas on happenings in Wash- ington and on how they affect the state. JETT ABC Sets Simulcast As Metop Fund Benefit ABC radio and television net- works will air a special broadcast for the Metropolitan^Opera Fund next Monday (6), with a top line- up of Met stars. Composer, and critic Deems Taylor will emcee. Lineup fpr the simulcast, set 1 for 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. with an additional half-hour on radio, includes Zinka Milanoy, Mario Del Monaco, George London, Lucia Albanese, Salvatore Baccaloni and Robert Merrill. Met conductors Fausto Cleva and Max Rudolf will lead the ABC Symphony orch. Show will present scenes from various operas as well as straight arias. Network had done a benefit broadcast for the Opera’s fund two years ago on radio, but this is the first telecast of such a show, and the first on such a scale. Henry Souvaine produces, while William Marshall directs on TV and Mar- shall Diskin megs the radio ver- sion. RADIO-TELEVISION Cry TouF Over Busing s Ouster By ‘Packager of DuM Boxing Bouts Dropping of Ted Husing as com- mentator on the Monday night fights from Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway Arena on DuMont net- work has set a precedent which is being labelled as a discredit to the industry. First reports had it that Husing was dropped for reasons of economy, a reason Husing himself subscribed to. But-subsequent revelations indi- cate he was fired because of criti- cism levelled at him by boxers, managers and other segments of the boxing industry. It wasn’t Du- Mont which fired him; it was Emil Lence, “packager” of the bouts for the web and promoter at the Arena. Lence pays all the Salaries involved in th^ tele productions— and has the final say. Unhappy aspect of the situation Is fact that DuMont let a boxing promoter package and control the production of its telecasts of the fights. With all the criticism levelled at handling of boxing by the commentators, and all the charges of “buildups” by sponsors, agencies and networks, the revela- tion that a segment of the boxing world itself should control produc- tion of a network telecast is seen indicating the need for some basic changes in the viewpoint of the networks. Under .the present setup, if a commentator remarks about the slow pace of a fight, the fact .hat one of the participants isn’t pitch- ing, or delivers any adverse com- mentary, the fight promoters them- selves can enforce censorship. Greensboro, N. C. — WFMY-TV has welcomed back one of its vet- eran staff members, Don Hardison, after his two-year Army hitch. Millions of nickels in juke boxes tell the story of the Italian Influence on modern American life. They go to pay for repeated playings of American hits based on Italian originals* More and more American hit tunes; such as those pictured above, are adapta- tions from Italian popular songs. In their original form, WOV was first to bring them to American airwaves. What is.today a nationwide hit may have been familiar, a year and more ago, to over two million Italian-Americans to whom WOV directs its Italian-language broadcasting.' In every phase of American life, Italian creativeness makes its daily con- tribution.^ From music to motor cars, from fashions to films to food, Americans have eagerly accepted the good things the Italian Influence brings us. In New York, with the/ greatest Italian population of any city in the world, the Italian Influence makes its first and most penetrating.impact. WOV will show you the way to turn this Influence to the profit of the product you advertise.- Representatives! John E. Pearson Co*, 730 FIFTH AVE., NEW YORK 19 • ROME STUDIOS: VIA di PORTA PlNCIANA 4