Variety (April 1953)

42 RADIO-TELEVISION ns(» Television Chatter New York Vincent McConnor moving to California in June, where he and Fletcher Marble, both exiting “Stu- dio One,” will continue to work for CBS as a team . . . Robert Cummings, having completed four “My Hero” telefilms in 10 days, in N. Y. last Saturday, on Berle show last night 128), and headed for the Coronation . . . Paul Tripp arid wife Ruth Enders weekended at Newton. N. J. . . . William Boyd due in N. Y. May 4 for 10-day stay. Johnny Dugan signed by NBC for its talent and comedy develop- ment project . . . John Thomas, announcer for NBC-TV’s “Sight- seeing with the Swayzes”... Helen Halpin, of NBC-TV’s upcoming “Whoops. It's Daring” show, to wed Frank McCarney in Boston, May 16. Rex Marshall signed as announc- er for the Westinghouse CBS-TV “Freedom Rings” audience-partici- ation series . .. Joan Coopersmith as rejoined CBS-TV as assistant to Jerry Danzig and John Peyser, producer and director of “Crime Syndicated” . . . Maura Dooner, TV and radio casting director of Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample, married Saturday (25) to Peter Marziale, a non-professional . . . Barbara Joyce playing lead on NBC-TV’s “Eye Witness” May 4. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen gets tjie Advertising Club of N. Y. bronze plaque today (Wed.) for his Du- Mont “Life Is Worth Living” se- ries . . . The Mariners, of Arthur Godfrey’s troupe, signed for a con- cert tour next season by Colum- bia Lecture Bureau, under man- agement of veepee Eastman Bloom- er. Tour starts in October . . . ’Rose Tobias handling guest shot arrangements for Knickerbocker’s new “Talk of the Town” on WABC- TV . .' . Jack F. A. Flynn named weekend manager at WPIX. He’s currently program administrative assistant there . . . Trendex board elected Mary Smith secretary of the corporation, and re-elected Edward G. Hynes, Jr., president P%Rmrt and treasurer and Robert G. Rogers exec veepee . , . Duncan MacDon- ald, supervisor of women’s and re- ligious programming at DuMont, to participate in annual convention of American Women in Radio & Television in Atlanta this week. She’s president of the N. Y. chap- ter . . . Announcer Jack Gregson became a member of the Million Mile Club, via piloting his private plane to and from assignments . . . Ruth Warrick joins the panel of “Where Was I?” on DuMont, re- placing Nancy Guild, who leaves for Europe to join husband Ernest Martin for opening of his “Guys and Dolls” in London . . . Zenith Pictures threw a cocktail party. Monday (27) celebrating opening of their new studios-offices. WPIX newscaster John Tillman making the lecture rounds with a speech yesterday (Tues.) on TV’s selling impact before the 55th an- nual convention of the American Ceramics Society at the Statler and a scheduled talk to the Brooff- lyn Council of the Boy Scouts of America tomorrow (Thurs.) at Brooklyn’s Towers Hotel... ABC- TV will telecast a portion of the conference on adult education from York Junior College, York, Pa., on May 6 . .WPIX announced first two of the 13 Yankee road Wednesday, April 29, 1953 games it will telecast; they are night games against the White Sox from Chicago May 1 and the In- dians from Cleveland May 5. Charles C. (Bud) Barry, NBC programming chief, met one of his television stars for the first time last Thursday (23)—six and a half months after she has been on the air, Star is Dr, Frances Horwich, the schoolmarm of NBC-TV’s “Ding Dong School” (which has a Chicago origination), who was in New York for her Peabody award. Chicago Bill and Bernard Goodman have taken over the production reins of WBKB's “Caruso Show” . . . NBC- TV’s “Ethel and Albert” show in the 6:30 p.m. Saturday slot, thanks to bankrolling by Sunbeam Corp. . . . Boh Donnelly added to A1 Morey’s sales staff at Prockter TV . . . Mitchell Laclunan back at Bozell & Jacobs ad agency after two years in uniform . . . Jack Ryan, former NBC flack, joined World Book Encyclopedia . . . Ex- veep Alben Barklej teleguesting on CBS’ “Quiz Kids” and Mutual’s “Down You Go” ... The Leo Bur- nett Agency has renewed “Smilin’ Ed McConnell and His Gang” for the fall telecasts • . . James and George Anderson severing a nine- year affiliation with packager \V Biggie Levin to start their own tee- vee bundle firm . . . NBC educa- tional director Judith Waller, com- plete with broken wrist, in Gotham for the “Ping Dong School” Pea- body award . . . WGN-TV’s “Little Chinchilla Theatre” will feature a new batch of telepix dubbed “The Vigilantes Are Coming” . .. Manor House Coffee will bankroll the WNBQ Thursday eve 9:30 slot for 58 weeks starting May 21. Fprmat replacing the “China Smith” tele- pix has not as yet been decided . . . The May 20th meeting of the Chi Television Council , wil salute the Windy City network orgina- tions . , . NBC newsman Len O’Connor will gab a tape and tele slide slot for WNBQ. Five minute TV vignet called “The City” adopts the format' of the WMAQ “News on the Spot” . . . Fran Al- lison subbing on the April 27 tele- cast for “Welcome Traveler” host Tommy Bartlett , . ,* Model Jo Hoppe to enhance the scenery on the NBC “Welcome Traveler” tele- casts . . . R. Marlin Perkins of WNBQ’s “Zoo Parade” and “Mr. Wizard’s” Don Herbert’s swamp searching for snakes . . . Thursday night tabs for the “Tom Duggan Show” have been picked up by Borg-Warner. recognition must be deserved! AWARD ToWIP How To Run a Radio Station 1952-53 Billboard First Place Adward 1952-53 Billboard Third Place Audience and Sales Promotion 1952-53 B.A.B, First Place To WIP Radio Gets Results VARIETY, BIUBOABB and the BROADCAST ADVERTISING BUREAU AIL AGREE ON ONE THING * In 1952-53 no other station in Philadelphia (or in the entire nation) was so unanimously acclaimed as WIP for the three cornerstones of increased sales for advertisers: Pro- gramming, Merchandising and Promotion. ' This is no news to our sponsors! Over 27% of them have been with us from 10 to 15 years. In 1952 more advertising was placed on WIP than ever before in our 31 years of service to Philadelphia. * We're proud of these awards because such recbgnition comes from results, and results are what you get most when you buy WIP for your advertising campaign. ^VARIETY SHOWMANSHIP AWARD "How To Run A Radio Station” Billboard First Place Merchandising Billboard Third Place Audience and Sales Promotion B.A.B. First Place Adward and three Honorable Mentions "Radio Gets Results." PHILADELPHIA’S PIONEER VOICE Hollywood Bob Davis’ show tees off on KLAC-TV tomorrow night (Thurs.), with Barbara Logan, Polly Darling and the Frontiersmen also lined up. . . . “Stars on Stage,” on KTTV, sliced from hour to half-hour and retagged Art Baker-Frank DeVol show . . . Tennessee Ernie, back from his date at the London Palla- dium, resumes on “Hometown Jamboree* on KLAC-TV . . . Pro- ducers Phil Krasne and Jack Gross tossed party celebrating first anni at California Studios, with guests including United Television Pro- grams prexy Gerald T. King, UTP veepees Milton Blink and Ben Frye and ad manager Monroe Mendel- sohn . . . Reps of newly-formed Nippon Television Corp. of Toky o confabbed with UTP execs re prod- uct for Jap station now being con- structed . . . Judith Evelyn inked for ABC-TV’s “A Tale of Two Cities” May 3-10 . . . “Invitation Playhouse” on KLAC-TV sponsored by Beverjy Hills Provision Co. . .. Stuart* Reynolds to N. Y, on biz. . . . Russ Severin emcees KNBH's new “Knock Knock” twice-weekly show . .. Hal Roach, Jr., back from biz trek in Gotham . . . “Draw-It,” with Frank Webb and Valerie Lan- don, starts on KTLA this week. San Francisco Personnel changes: Phil Thorn- ton named KPIX studio manager ... Mac Nishikida to KRON films ... Milt Frankel back at KGO-TV after Army service,. .KRON trans- mitter supervisor Bill Sadler to KSTP, St. Paul, replaced here by Rodger Woodruff . Cancelling: Joe Verducci’s “Sports” show on KPIX . Expanding: Les Malloy’s KGO-TV matinee from four to five days a week... New shows In the making: Judy Deane in a once-a- week KGO-TV stanza called “Mr. 88.”...Jerry Bundsen emceeing a new KGO-TV quiz idea, “Shoot the Works”.. Comic Harry Mimmo capered through town after sign- ing Columbia Pictures deal for pix shorts. London Max Bygraves turned down an offer from Betty Hutton in order to have his own BBC-TV show, which will have its first airing May 9. Script is by Eric Sykes and series will be produced by Bill Lyon-Shaw . . . Robert Beatty and Dorothy Alison head the cast of “Thanksgiving Day,” a new com- edy by Roy Russell to be beamed next Tuesday (5). Leonard Brett produces, and cast includes Ruth Dunning and John Boulter . . . Alan Chivers presented a special TV performance of “Three Cheers” before an invited audience at the London Casino Monday (27). Pro- gram featured Vic Oliver, Wiere Bros., Jane Morgan, Page 8c Bray, Romano Bros., Canfield „ Smith & Snodgrass . . . Dobson 8c Young return to television today (Wed.) in a new series, “Active Leisure,” to be telecast from Manchester ... Another new series, “Reggie Little At Large,” starring Desmond IVal- ter-ElIis, starts May 6. Graeme Muir produces and script is by Godfrey Harrison . . . Peter Sel- lars, Joyce Golding, Harry Bailey, Billy Soott, Lita Roza and Ker Ben & Ly have been Inked for the next Music Hall program. New Orleans—Total number of TV sets in use in the New Orleans metropolitan area as of March 31, 1953, was listed as 182,111 in a survey by the New Orleans Pub- lic Service, Inc. Sets sold in the area during March totaled 7,626.