Variety (April 1953)

Godfrey’s Tine Runneth Over Radio Scribe Market at New Low; CBS-TV was confronted with one of those trigger-mind decision dilemmas last Wednesday night (1) when Arthur Godfrey failed to sign off on his hour “Godfrey & Friends" show at the 9’ o’clock signal and ran over for an additional 90 seconds into the Colgate “Strike It Rich" show. Ordinarily CBS would have cut him off on time, but the fact that Godfrey was in the midst of a solemn finale attending the Easter season posed a problem. Weighing the possibility of both Colgate and affiliate squawks against the certainty of viewer pro- tests over interrupting the Godfrey bit with its sacred overtones, the network, played along with the Godfrey time extension. As it turned out, Colgate -got in its initial commercial, only a couple of stations committed to local sponsor station-break announcements! cut him off and CBS accepted Godfrey’s plea that he “couldn’t see the clock.” Wave of Congressional Eulogies Washington, April 7. The first member of the FCC to be appointed by a Republican president will take office this week, when John C. Doerfer, former chairman of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission* takes over the desk occupied by Eugene Merrill, an interim appointee. Doerfer was confirmed by the Senate last week following a unanimous recommen- dation by the Senate Committee oi Interstate Commerce. Doerfer’s nbmination was highly endorsed before the .Committee by Gov. Walter Kohler of Wisconsin and Sen. Alexander Wiley (R-Wis.). Gov, Kohler testified that Doerfer is “a man of the utmost Integrity, honesty and conscientiousness a hard worker fair and just," who ’ “will make decisions on the basis of facts" and ‘'will not yield to pressure." When Doerfer said he knew lit- tle about the FCC, Committee Chairman Charles W. Tobey de- clared: “It. is just as well, because I think it is the weakest Commis- sion in Washington, and I hope you will strengthen it. I believe you will." Sen. Wiley told the Committee' that Democratic as well as Repub- lican newspapers in Wisconsin agree that Doerfer is an “outstand- ing" man for the FCC. Among editorials he submitted from lead- ing papers was one from the Mil- waukee Journal, which said of Doerfer that “nobody, politician or otherwise, has been able to push him around." Questioned by Sen. John O. Pas- tore (D-R.I.) as to Doerfer’s record in Wisconsin for expediting cases, Gov. Kohler said it was “excellent." There are now two avowed Re- publicans on the Commission— Rosel Hyde and George Sterling. By appointing Doerfer as an Inde- pendent, President Eisenhower could select Republicans for the Commission when terms of two Democratic members expire (Comr. Paul A. Walker and JFrieda Hen- . nock>. Under the law, not more than four irfembers of the agency may be of the party in power. Pepperell Buys Coronation on AM First radio-only sponsor commit- ment for the Coronation came last week when Pepperell Manufactur ing Co., sheet makers, bought 90 minutes of Coronation broadcasts on ABC. Sheet company will spon- sor a half-hour before and after the religious ceremony and 1 half of a full-hour evening broadcast giv- ing highlights of the event. ABC will start radio coverage of the event at 5:30 a.m, on June 2, with Pepperell scheduled to come in about .6 a.m. for a half-hour, then about 8 a.m. at conclusion of the Westminster Abbey ceremonies for another 'half-hour. Network will present a taped version of highlights ■ in the eve- mng, of which Pepperell bankrolls the second half.'First half is still open. ABC-TV is currently dicker- ing for a bankroller for its early morning (8 a.m.) broadcast featur- ing shortwave audio from London, with Mary Margaret McBride, and’ stills on the video side*’ ‘Hornblower’ for ABC ABC radio has bought the “Cap- tain Horatio Hornblower’’ series, starring Michael Redgrave, for a fall showcasing. CBS aired the series last year. It’s a Towers of London package. Fore-Aft Baseball TV Billings DiG Windfall in N.Y. Nearly as important to New York tele stations as carrying of baseball games are the billings de- rived from the pre- and post-game adjacencies, which have become a $600,000 annual time-and-talent proposition. With pacting last week of N. Y. Lincoln-Mercury Dealers to bank- roll a 10-minute post-Giant game show with Frankie Frisch on WPIX, and signing of Studebaker Dealers as cosponsor of Happy Felton’s 15-minute “Talk to the Stars" wrapup of Dodger games, on WOR-TV there’s 'only one va- cancy left in the six fore and aft periods on the two stations carry r ing the games of the three clubs.- Only available spot is Laraine Day’s pre-Giant game period on WPIX, and fetation sales toppers say that’s a cinch to be sold be- (Continued on page 36) Slate Bros. Ask 300G For Ritz Bros/Use Of Baseball Skit on TV Los Angeles, April 7. Charging the Ritz Bros, with pirating one of c their skits, the Slate Bros., Henry, Syd and Jack, filed suit for $300,000 in Superior Court and asked an injunction re- straining further use of the ma- terial. Named as co-defendants were writer Sid Kuller, NBC and Colgate. JPlainliffs declared they created a baseball pantomime in 1946 and hava used it repeatedly since. They charge the Ritz Bros., with using it without permission on “Colgate Comedy Hour" Feb. 23. REVLON HAS CHANGE OF HEART ON FROMAN Jane Froman sponsorship situa- tion for next season is still being resolved, with possibility now ex- isting that Revlon will return as a co-bankroller with General Elec- tric. Revlon, which sponsors the Tuesday 15-minute segment (GE has the Thursday time) had pre- viously wanted out’in favor of a half-hour program, with GE subse- quently expressing interest in mow- ing in for both the Tuesday and Thursday slots. As of this week, however, Rev- lon appeared to have a change of 'heart and may stick. *’ MOVES 110 HIGH The ABC-UPT merger, like a delayed-action bomb,, has finally set off the big explosion in tele- vision. With CBS-TV, after an omi- nous silence in the talent bidding, snatching away Herb Shriner and his “Two for the Money" from NBC-TV (for the fall), there has now developed a three-way race for talent and programs that may eclipse the last big fuss, CBS’ raid of NBC stars back in 1948-49. The moves and countermoves are being made fast and furiously. To the loss of .Shriner, NBC is an- swering by setting a Fred Allen panel show for the fall (both Shriner and Allen sponsored by P. Lorillard for Old Golds). NBC also is bidding hotly for Betty Hut- ton and other top stars, with stiff competition from ABC, which has already made George Jessel, Ray Bolger, Paul .Hartman and Cesar Romero deals. All three webs are eager for Danny Kaye., The reasons are apparent. Springtime is tele’s sowing period for a fall reaping. And the .webs, with station clearances one of their major problems, worry about get- ting into the two-station cities when three networks are operating full blast come* the harvest moon. Activity goes far beyond the ac- tual signing of stars. NBC and CBS have gone through a star jag be- fore. Five years ago CBS.“stole” a bale of radio stars, from NBC, only to have many of them drift back to NBC television. The latter web then learned, through such an operation as the “All-Star Re- vue," that stars were not enough. Now both NBC and CBS are busying themselves in the brain- trust department. Barry’s‘Baker’s Dozen Charles C. (Bud) Barry, NBC programming topper, is aiming at a writer-producer group numbering about 13. Barry’s Baker’s Dozen already includes such men as Bob •Welsh, Ed Beloin, Joe Bigelow, Sam Fuller, Fred Coe and Robert Montgomery. This group will de- velop properties and probably par- ticipate in the packages. The NBC fall direction may well be on the situation-comedy and dramatic half-hour roads. Already slated for the fall are “Here Comes Calvin," starring Jack Carson as a vaude actor Calvin Potts with Allen Jenkins his manager, and Jack Webb’s “Pete Kelly’s Blues," a crime adventure in jazz, which had a 1951 summer radio tryout, set in the Kansas City of the 1920s. CBS, of coifrse, developed the situation comedy to a big payoff (Continued on page 36) 'Desita Playhouse’ In ABC Radio Bow Desilu Productions is moving into the radio field with a package called “Desilu Playhouse," series of dramas and comedies that will star Ronald Colman, Charles Boy- er, Dick Powell and a number of other top film names. Package is currently being shaped up by Don Sharpe, Hollywood vidfllm produ- cer and personal manager, who’s tied in with Desilu. ABC has set “Desilu Playhouse" as the title of the first in its new 13-week Playhouse series, which bows April Id. Play and star aren’t set yet, but program will be one of the new Desilu programs, pos- sibly with Colman as star. Colman and Boyer have an in- terest in the “Four Star Play- house," currently sponsored by Singer on CBS-TV. Sharpe pro- duces that series, besides his tie with Desilu, and presumably has been able to spot the stars in the AM feeries that way. He’s develop- ing his own story material and selling the shows as complete pack- ages. ABC play will be done live. TV, Re-Runs King Freelancers KVTV Bows for Cowles Omaha, April 7. Cowles Broadcasting Co. last week opened KVTV, Sioux City, outlet is affiliated with CBS and DuMont nets. . Cowles, also owner of WNAX, Yankton; KRNT.. Des Moines, as well as Look and Quick mags, Des Moines Register & Tribune and Minneapolis Star & Tribune, thus is first in Sioux City area. Station reaches 31 Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota counties. Spadea Decries ‘Impotent’ Medium In CBS-AM Exit Joe Spadea, who has been man- ager of the Detroit office for CBS since 1945,-has tendered his resig- nation to join the Hank Cristal station rep outfit as a partner. He’ll continue to be berthed in Detroit. Perhaps more than any other network official “working the De- troit beat," the Spadea spade-work among the automotives in the radio broadcasting sponsorship picture made him one of the valuable com- ponents in the CBS sales operation. No successor has been chosen as yet. Spadea’s resignation to CBS Radio sales veepee John Karol fol- lows: “When one strongly believes in CBS Network Radio as the greatest advertising value of all mass media, including Television, and then suddenly finds Network Radio declining to an impotent position, the future becomes uncertain. “My faith and confidence in Radio has never faltered at any time, but under present conditions it seems hopeless for one Individual to carry the torch alone for Net- work Radio under insurmountable odds. “Therefore, I am tendering my resignation with CBS Radio as of April 15, to join another radio or- ganization as a partner, and-with a brighter future." ABC Radio in \ 1 % Hike for 1st Quarter Biz of 0&0 Outlets Billings of ABC’s five owned- and'operated radio stations for the first quarter are up 17% over the gross for the same period last year, according to Ted Oberfelder, net- work’s veepee in charge of AM o-and-o’sr Five stations' billings are running just about 3% above figure of 1951. Oberfelder attributes increase to a couple of factors. Key to the increase, he says, is the new rate card, which equalizes daytime and nighttime rates. Secondly, he feels it might be the beginning of a trend toward more effective use of radio. Breakdown shows that there’s a 20% increase in- spots business, while local increase is only 14%. E. J. NALLY, FIRST RCA PREZ, Edward J. Nally, first president of RCA, will celebrate his 94tli birthday at his Bronxville, N. Y., home Saturday, April 11, Nally, named prexy when the firm was founded in 1919, retired in 1923 (but continued as director until 1940). His successors num- ber only three; Gen. James G. Har- bord, Gen. David Sarnoff (now board chairman), and the current president, Frank M.’Folsom. Hollywood, April 7. General reduction of program budgets as a result of television competition has plummeted em- ployment of radio scribblers to the lowest level in many years’ with only 125-150 of the Radio Writers Guild’s 425 members under con- tract. ' RWG exec secretary Mike Davidson said he .was not aware of previous ebb but employment figure is definitely the lowest in 10 years. Davidson said that while the number of AM shows originating in Hollywood on four webs is still around 60, there’s been an in- creasing trend toward musical shows. Too, six programs are using re-runs*. He said “I don’t believe we have touched the bottom yet. I think next season will see more radio shows, particularly comedy formats, in television solely." He pointed out that many top comics are beefing that AM-TV is too much of a grind. The single shot market for freelancers is now “about as dead as it ever will be" with only about three shows ac- cepting such scripts. Among top radio shows which exited i. past years: “Club 15," “Duffy’s Tav- ern," “Sam Spade," “Hollywood Star Theatre," “My Favorite Hus- band," f !Life With Luigi," “This Is Your FBI," Screen Guild, “Halls of Ivy," plus Burns and Allen, Dennis Day, Jimmy Durante, “Life of Riley" to teevee. * Another blow to writers is the re-use on “Beulah," “Smilin’ Ed McConnell," Judy Canova, Red, Skelton, Tarzan, and Clyde Beatty. For example, “Beulah" writers drew approximately $4,000 weekly origihally now get $360 for re-runs. “First Nighter” has been using old scripts without payment since they were purchased before RWG pact in 1948. Gooney & Fisher In NBC-AM Parlay NBC is negotiating a deal for a I Rosemary Clooney radio series. (Previous attempts by Coca-Cola and other sponsors to tie her to a TV series proved fruitless, with Paramount Pictures, to whom she is committed, nixing a weekly video deal.) Network plans to give her a twice-a-week airing, Tues- day and Fridays, in the 8:15-8:30 p.m. slot, thus permitting a back- to-back Eddie Fisher-Clooney sing- ing showcase. Fisher goes into the 7:30 to 7:45 p.m. period for Coca-Cola Wednes- days and Fridays on NBC-TV, starting April 29, with the taped versions going into the Tuesday- Friday at 8 pirn, slots. CBS PACTS FOR NAGS DESPITE GILLETTE NIX CBS has renewed its radio-tele contracts, for another three years, to cover racing’s Triple Crown— the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. This despite the fact that Gil- lette has- bowed out of Kentucky Derby sponsorship, after carrying the event for some seven years on CBS Radio and last year on CBS- TV. Bakers Exiling CHS Show After 13 Wks. American Bakers ‘Assn, has run out of dough and has pink-slipped “Theatre of Stars" after 13 weeks, effective May 17. Half hour pro- gram over CBS on Sundays uses stars from pictures for a 39-week tab of $700,000, time and talent. Sponsor is also’ giving up u the I time.