Variety (April 1953)

TV-FHJMS a iiiwiii iiTTTH,n r i inurryn wagwaagi PS&SIffl T Wednesday, 'April 8, 195* Li. Stations Hit Viilpix Jackpot, Sharing 70 Sponsored Telefilms Hollywood, April 7 4 Vidpix programming on Los An gcles’ seven stations So to phenomenal proportions th<H past six months, with 70 sponsored telefilms on the megacycles as com- paredito 47 in the fall of 1952, and 25 the previous year, a survey of local stations discloses. With 10 additional telepix shows on a sus- taining basis, overall total of 80 is unquestionably an alltime> high ana reflects the rapid growth of vidpix. Future looms even brighter for the telefilm field, with several new network show's already set. Up- coming, for example, are Lux Video Theatre" on film, Wanted by Washington," and series top- lining Barry Sullivan, Cesar Ro- mero and Rod Cameron. KNBH leads the parade in L. A.'s vidpix programming, with 23 such shows, while KNXT, KECA-TV and KTTV are .runncrsup with 13 each. KTLA and KHJ-TV jeach have seven vidfilm shows, while KLAC- TV is at the bottom of the list with four. Indie stations are particular- ly hot to get the telepix shows, and KTTV manager Dick Moore has probably expressed the opinion of all indie chiefs when he states his station prefers vidpix because they provide economical programming which many tipies features names an indie could rfever nab for a live show. Telepix shows currently seen locally are as follows, around the TV dial: KNXT: “I Love Lucy," "Four Star Playhouse,” "Our Miss Brooks," "Range Rider,” "Schlitz Playhouse of Stars," Gene-Autry, •‘Private Secretary," Burns & Allen, "My Little Margie,” "Amos •n’ Andy,” "Mr. and MrS. North,” “Racket Squad," "Big Town.” KNBH: "Dragnet,” "Ford The- atre," "Your Jewelers' Showcase,” "Fireside Theatre,” "Gruen Theatre (re-runs), "I Married Joan”,"This Is the Life,” "My Hero,” "Foreign Intrigue,” "Boston Blackie,” "Cav- alcade of America,” "Hollywood Offbeat,” * "Short Short Dramas,” Snader Te’escriptions, Red Skel- ton, Roy Rogers, "The Doctor,” "Jump Jump”, (part live)L "Victory at Sea,” "Dangerous Assignment,” "Big Story,” "Dick Tracy.” — KTLA: "Wild. Bill Hickok,” "Broadway Playhouse” (re-runs), "Smilin’ Ed’s Gang," "Star The- atre” (re-runs), "Roving Camera. KECA-TV:. "Sky King " "Super- man,” "The Unexpected^’ "Mys- tery Theatre,” "China Smith,” "Adventures of Ozzle and Harriet,” "Lone Ranger*" "Buelah,” Stu Er- win show, “Kit Carson," "Cisco Kid," "Famous Playhouse” (re- runs), "Play of the Week" (re-runs). KHJ-TV: "Craig Kennedy," "Fearless Fosdick,” "Little Thea- tre," Snader Telescriptions, "Dou- ble Play,” “From Hollywood"* (re- runs), Buster Crabbe. KTTV: Chevron Theatre, "Death Valley Days," "Hopalong Cassidy," "Favorite Story,” Abbott & Cos- tello, “Heart of the City" (rer-runs), "Ramar of .the Jungle," "Life of Riley," "Front Page Detective," "Meet Your Congress," "March of Time," "Terry and the Pirates,” "Startime Theatre,” (re-runs). KLAC-TV: "I Am the Law," Hank MoCune, Charles Laughton, "Invitation ^Playhouse.” KHJ-TV has five sustainers on its vidpix sked, KTTV two, KNBH and KTLA one each. Sinatra’s Drama Series (or Telepix Hollywood, April 7. Negotiations are under way for Frank Sinatra to star in an up- coming Desilu telepix series tenta- tively titled "Blues in the Night," a dramatic human interest story about a musician. Pilot rolls with- in month with the series aimed, at a fall start. Desilu is offering two shows to Philip Morris as a summer re- placement for "Lucy." One is an Eddie Quillan comedy format tele- film. The other is "The Whiting Girls," starring Margaret and Bar- bara Whiting in a live domestic comedy. Whichever is used will, if It makes good, be prepped for a fall series. Loretta Young Pilot Hollywood, April 7. Loretta Young’s TV starring series went before the. cameras for its first pilot. NBC has given the test film $30,000 budget on a three-day shooting schedule at RKO-Pathe studio. Tom Lewis, husband of Miss Young, produces with Robert Flo- rey directing. Series is tagged "Letter to Loretta" and package is being handled by William Mor- ris agency. Television Exploitation, headed by Oliver Unger as general man- ager, Tast week obtained exclusive distribution rights to six big TV film, prop*Ertief;, most first run, and immediately planned a sales meet- ing in New York for next week to discuss expansion of its sales force. . Properties acquired by TE are: "M. D.," first-run' series of five minutes daily, offering guidance in prevention of illness, produced in cooperation with the American Medical Assn, and county medical [associations in the U. S. and Canada by F. William Hart, in Washington: "Gulliver and the Little People,” first-run Leo Seltzer series, for a weekly half-hour se- ries; "Capsule Operas," 13Vfc min- ute first-run condensations of fa- mous operas produced by Metropa Film Co, in Rome, with Italian and American opera singers and Jacques Rachmiloyich’s 60-piece symphonic orchestra. Thirty-fojur feature films, of whjch 13 are first releases, includ- ing* 1 such titles as "Four Days Leave,” starring Cornel Wilde, "Captain Sirocco,” starring Loins Hayward, "Miraculous Journey*’ starring .Rory Calhoun, "The Lov- able Cheat,” starring Charlie Rug- gles, and "Fame Is the Spur,” starring Michael Redgrave;. "The Roller Derby,” half-hour once-a- week, produced by Leo Seltzer; "Washington Spotlight,” 15-minute discussions between columnist Mar- quis Childs and prominent guests, produced* in. Washington by Milton Hafffmer. Tfe general manager Unger was former exec veepee with Snader Productions, and National Sales Director Harold Goldman is ex- Eastern Sales Manager for Snader Telescriptlon Sales. SET IKE MALLOY’ AS TV FILM SERIES * Hollywood, April 7. Formation of Mike Malloy Pro- ductions, new vidpix outfit, was announced, this week by toppers of the firm, who include actor Steve Bfodie; Glenn Miller, former production manager for Jerry Fairbanks and Filmcraft Produc- tions; A1 Gannaway, producer and thesp; Fred Eggers, former Metro writer; Virgil Miller, motion pic- ture cameraman and Tom Hubbard, former Liberty Network exec. Firm is contracting for space at RKO-Pathe studios and will begin a series of 39 half-hour productions titled VMike Malloy,” with Brodie starring. Gannaway will produce and direct while Eggers and Hub- bard script the detective series. Pilot has been shot and remainder will be filmed following completion of "Burning Arrow” by Warners, in which Brodie is featured. Second series, also whodunits, is being readied by the firm. WPIX 'Jungle’ Sale Miracle Adhesives will sponsor a twice-weekly series of 15-minute jungle films in WPIX, N. Y., Daily News station. Series, titled "Jun- gle Macabre,” was produced by Radio & Television Packagers, with Richard I. Gart of the Ameri- can Museum of Natural History as technical director. Films are ’distributed by Cayton, Inc. Prices Soaring (or Fib Names; Seen Curbing Coast Telepix Pacts Conti Axes Lilli Palmer Birmingham, Castleman and Pierce Inc., for Conti Products, Is dropping the Lilli Palmer ^phow from the Sunday afternoon spot on WCBS-TV, N,. Y., after April 5. Reason is to avoid the baseball competition starting on following Monday. The agency is shopping for another time. Front & Rear Screen Projection Rule May Cue Drive by IATSE The National Labor Relations Board last week ruled in favor of the International Alliance of The- atre Stage Employes (AFL) in a jurisdictional dispute, over front and rear screen projection, with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers XAFL), Since an IBEW strike last September, CBS in New York had IATSE men doing the work with IBEW men as standbys. . Ruling opened the probability of a IATSE drive to move in on screen-projection operations at NBC and ABC, where NABET men handle that work. In a recent NLRB-decision, IATSE was award- ed jurisdiction ove£ "special effects projectors” at NBC. NABET, losing that case, contends that front and rear screen projection is another matter and still within its juris- diction^ BBC’S TELE HEAD SETS U.S. FILM NEWS DEALS After concluding deals making British Broadcasting Corp. news films available in America, George Barnes, BBC’s Director of Tele- vision Broadcasting, flew back last week to London, - where today j (Wed.) he will have a press show- ing of three half-hour pre^Corona- tion BBC films to be put on the American television market by William Morris Agency. BBC deals here included agree- ments with Telenews arid NBC on an exchange purchase of news films. In his American stay, Barnes spent a week each in Canada, New York, the West Coast and Wash- ington. Mariner Productions’ New Art Film for Ty New motion-picture and tele film outfit. Mariner Productions, formed in Hollywood, Has just finished a 26-minute ait film for commercial release. Title is "Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” with full text of Samuel Coler- idge’s poem narrated by Richard Whorf and Gordon Nelson. Pic- tures consist of the Gustave Dore illustrations of the Coleridge poem. Original music was composed by Donn Cambern. The new company, planning to work with the classics, isTpartner- ship of Whorf; Thomas Andre, mo- tion-picture director and producer, and novelist-writer Richard ' G. Hubler. Henrick’* Sports Telepix Tommy Henrick, the "Old Re-’ liable” of the New York Yankees, has signed fb be the regulaV emcee and narrator of . the Telenews sportsreel, "This Week in Sports.” First edition was out yesterday (7). ‘Drive-In’ TV Station Phoenix, April 7. KTYL-TV will begin opera- tion here April 26, upon com- pletion of the station’s new studios. Operated by Harry L, Nace, Sr., and bis son, Harry L. Nace, Jr., along with Dwight Harkins, KTYL-TV is expected to provide coverage for 60% of the state’s population re- siding in the central Arizona belt. New studios feature a plate- glass front facing a parking area, from which transients can watch programming and technical operations of the sta- tion. It’s a "drive-in” adapta- tion from the film ozoners. Building contains two studios for live programming, as Well as film and special effects rooms. Station has appointed Avery-Knodel as its repre- sentatives. NBC Buys 2 Series Hollywood, April 7. NBC-TV has closed a deal with Richard Johnston, former produc- tion exec at Paramount, to put intp production at Hal Roach stu- dio two telepix series to be super- vised by Robert Welch, net’s exec- utive producer. Each of the pilots carries budget of around $23,000. Test pictures are "I and Clau- dia” and "Mr. Mosby, Private Citizen,” the latter scripted by Robert Riley Crutcher. GoesItonOwn a lYiHson M. (Bill) Tuttle is re- signing as president of United Television Programs to set up his own-vidpix production firm. Jerry King, partner in. UTP and one of the original founders, steps doWn from his board chairmanship to assumfe the presidency, leaving the former post vacant. King will con- tinue to headquarter on the Coast, at UTP’s main offices. Tuttle’s move was prompted by a desire to get into the production end of the business, he said. He’s currently scouting a couple of properties for possible filming, but hasn’t lined up anything definite yet. He’s also talking partnership deals with couple of vidpix gentry.. UTP exit was on amicable terms, Tuttle said. He explained he could- n’t go into indie production and remain prexy of the firm,- since UTP distributes other producers’ products. Tuttle said he would turn over his own productions to UTP for distribution. There’s also a possibility he’ll go into live pro- gramming once*his vidpix stake is solidified. WNBT ‘Enchanted Gate’ Set for TV in France 'French television.) has accepted deal with 0 WNBT, N. Y., to take 13 kinescopes of "Through' the En- chanted Gate,” the New York sta- tion’s project with the Museum of Modem Art; for showing in France. WNBT will get a print. NBC key will be sending six copies of "Gate” this month, followed by seven next month. Par’s Coast Teleblurb Splurge for ‘Ofl Limits’ Hollywood, April 7. Paramount spent approximately $2,800 on a 12-hour TV Saturation blurb campaign Saturday plugging "Off Limits” on three L. A. sta- tions, in campaign believed to be studio’s biggest ever in this area for one day. When "Road to Bali” opened recently, studio spent $2,- 500 oh teleblurbs in single day. TV spot campaign was on KLAC- TV, KTLA and KECA-TV, with the plugs tossed in chiefly on sports and juve shows. Film clips were seen on two 20-second spots, with a theatre blurb the third plug. "Limits”" opened Easter Sunday at seven theatres in this area. Prockter’s 2 New Ones Summer production is planned for two telepix series by Bernard J. Prockter, president of Prockter Television Enterprises. Series are "International Police” and an un- titled situation comedy starring Walter Brennan. Pilot has been completed on the Brennan pic, and - scripts for the remaining 12 are being written. Series goes befpre the cameras'in August in Hollywood. Shooting on first 13 "Police” films starts . June 15 in London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Brussels and Geneva. Additional 13 in series dealing with work of po- lice of various countries will be shot^n Hollywood starting July 20. Pontiac’s Houston Vidpix Houston, April 7. Pontiac Dealers of Houston will sponsor c 26-week series on KPRC- TV starting on April 26 of “Craig Kennedy Criminologist.” This is a first run TV series and will be telecast for 30 minutes. * Hollywood, April 7 Only five telepix companies ire now bidding for top film names a result pf soaring prices. Save for those still under contract to the majors, virtually all names are now available and interested and one vidfilm producer predicted the "price "will keep going up.” Agents report top prices are be- ing paid by Screen Gems for its "Ford Theatre” series; Meridim Pictures for ‘ the "Schlitz Play. hOuse”; Sovereign Productions for General Electric; in some in- stances Revue Productions. "Four Star” Productions, which has Dick Powell, David Niven and Ronald Colman as regulars, is un- derstood to cut thesps in for healthy participation. Top price reported by agents recently i s Gross-Krasne’s $5,000 for Ann Sheridan for "Lux Theatre.” Others include Sovereign’s $3,500 for Broderick Crawford; Screen Gems’ $3,500 for Louis Hayward, $4,000 for Merle Oberon, $3,000 I for Scott Brady.^ and $3,500 for Mark Stevens. Meridian has a $2,500 top for names but.it is understood that the firm will go higher for topdrawer names. Rod Cameron and Barry Sullivan are reportedly drawing $1,000 each for upcoming vidpix series at ReVue but it is under- stood that each has a participation deal. * • Revue has inked Joan Crawford, Ray MiUand, Ronald Reagan and Dennis Morgan for "America’s Finest,” probably on participation. Miss Crawford nixed very attrac- tive flat offers because she prefers sharing. Esso Sets Vidpix For 35 Markets Esso has bought series of 26 15-minute films, as yet unmade, for spotting in 35 markets from Screen Gems, Columbia Pictures tele subsidiary. Series, which will star sportscaster Bill Stern, will be made by Screen Genys and Tele- news Productions and will be called "The Big Playback.” SG and Telenews go into pro- duction of the ^series immediately for May 15 kickoff. Telenews will supply clips for the series, which has Stern answering requests for filmed versions of great sporting events, while SG will film the other sequepces. Stern, incidental- ly, has made sports shorts for Co- lumbia. Esso pact was set by Robert Fore- man of BRD&O and John Mitchell for Screen Gems. Two film outfits will share profits evenly. Judge Halts TV Release Of 8 ’48-’49 Indie Pix Los Angeles, April 7. Judge John D. Ford, in Superior Court, issued an injunction against TV distribution of eight pictures. Named in the injunction are Chesa- peake Industries, United Artists, Eagle-Lion-Classics, Eagle Lion Films, Pictorial Films, Motion Pic- tures for Television and Motion Pictures Unlimited. Films, all released in 1948-49, are: "Enchanted Valley,” "Ali- mony,” "Headin’ For Heaven.” "Parole, Inc,,” "Ride, Ryder, Ride,” "Roll, Thunder, Roll,” "The Fight- ing Redhead” and ‘The Cowboy and the Prizefighter.” Injunction holds until litigation is settled. McCaffery, Fennelly o TV Shows Packaged Firm x>f Lordan Sc Lyons, new packaging outfit, has two new tele- vision shows on the market. First is an interview-type program with would-be authors as guests, featur- ing John K, M. McCaffery and Betsy Barton, author-daughter of Bruce Barton* It’s railed "I Could Write a Book,” Second show is a humorous de- tective series for both radio and TV starring Parker Fennelly, who was Fred Allen’s Titus Moody and featuring Evelyn Varden. Series, scripted by Gerald Holland, is based on the Asey Mayo character in the whodunits of Phoebe At- wood Taylor.