Variety (July 1953)

Wednesday, July 29, 1953 1IRV1KW-PIIKVIKW $1 First program of commercial television’s most ambitious educational series— CBS-TV’$ projected 26 half hour telefilms, "The Search," ..' presenting projects :. of U, S. universities— has been com It is “The Language That .Unites/’ based on the U,* oLMichV gan’s Language Institute course which \ teaches, foreign students, from all over the, world: to speak English in eight weeks.^ . / ;"/• •With the . series scheduled to debut/: in mid October/ producer Roy Lockwbbd, who caine from the. March of Time/ expepts. '■■■to-, Haye six programs; ; and;, three additional scripts, coinpieted by the . end of August It : takes eight weeks to put one of the programs; together. Two U n i ts-/-each made up of . a cameraman, an assistant cameraman,. a sou ri d m a n , a unit manager, ah assistant producer arid, a script gitd^-are currently, on the: toad filming, already-sef projects. : Unit manage rs are Norton Bloom and Sandy White. A third unit Will , start operations on the Coast , in the fall. Foiir teams of writers, who like tire directors are hired on a one-show basis, will be out visiting the campuses of the : 26 participating universities when the schools reopen* in September. . /Idea Of the iseries, now considered the educational equivalent of NBC . TV’s.;: nmbitiO-ti5..;:;CO]ate.iiti-po’ra ry , history series, "Victory at Sea,” • gdjl started last . year, wheri Sig Mickeison, CBS^TV news and public-affairs topper, , wanted the net to do some tele work with a university, Lockwood was brought in. to explpre several schools . After visiting. Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Iowa and Louisville universities, he found that each place had a' story to tell. Re proposed a series of 26 half-hour programs, at an estimated cost of $500,000, W.hich CBS board chairman William S. Paley immediately okayed to the; surprise of some of his coniinerciaily minded subordinates. "."./ ••/ :: In effect, Lockwood is producing for ■‘The Search” ai weekly threereel fijrti at pne-h undredth the. cost heretofore. Crews are shooting in 35m; and i6m reduction prints are being made for the colleges, . : Procedure is to have, Lockwood I visit a university for an average: of ! one to two days ( he has been to 1 $ )' , j to decide what project will be i filmed and. line ; up: the . : Story. Writer follows for a week stay; Back inCBS-TV’s Sheffield Fa rnV.s production center-— where Lock? wood’s staff also . includes script editor .Franz Spencer,, production manager Bob Milford and supervisory editor Sid KatzWhe' script ;is; finished and .. approved,' after a unit goes opt to shoot the Five, cutters. Work on the raw lakes. ‘.T.i-strvn to -.'La 'ey” ' " ' WINS Series ainis to show, the' teleyislon a udience so me, of the coun t ry ’s' leading, universities and /the .pro-/ jects they’re • engaged, in /the •‘search for truth , but ai so a sea rob that leads us. down strange new pathways to greater understa ndj hg an d be 1 1 e r Ilyin g f o r a 1 1.” At the U, q f Mi nneSota , for i nstanee /the p rojeet only receniiy shot, was the psy;chdlbgicai hygietm lab’s; invesrtiga-: lion inio cardiac research; ’Lab has been exploring the real origins of heart disease by observing year after year the same group of people who volunteered to serve . as liu man guinea . pigs. Results may change actuarial tables, with heart deaths n o \V account i n g . f or ha 1 f o f the deaths in the U.S. "The Search,” designed as a commercial show, has a‘ good chance of hitting .the air with a sponsor, according to. net officials. Sales boys arc* ..stressing, threi; facts; 1 1 } the potential : inass a ud ionic, with ' Americans hungry. Tor Otl-iioa--’ L ion and ed.u ca lion wit h entertainment a proven successful formula, i-2 1 the potential specialized audience in youngsters trying to decide which school to attend, and ,(3> possible, integration of sponsor identic lie a; lion so ih at l’utu res ho wing — at /Universities.- \voii!d amount to a. .bonus. ••/•'■ • .• : . Chicago. July 28. Some of Flu’s top educators have found that a Phi Beta Kappa key will .. open, t he door to fame; and In some cases, fortune, oil local radio niui TV outlets. . While most of the performing professors enter the media with only the most altruist ie motives, a few.; of the nil play for pay. • i Not able among I lie . lall er Is Dr... Be rg-eii Ewans , a f a.c u 1 ty me i n he iv o f Northwestern l5., who ieeeiitly launched H‘Siiper (Ihost/’ his second net Work slum , in . addition to another NBC -TV // \w>l> , effort, "iVown You . Co.": that also features. Dr. Robert Breen, a fellow N U. lie as; a panelist. Another, prominent member, of the" class °f teachers oif TV is lb'.. Frances. Ilorwicli, .conductor of NBC-TV’s : "Ding Doug ' School.” Popularity of this Hmw. and; i|s resulting financial wi m I la 1 1 in salary, and from tlu* sale of bonks and records . based ..on the. TV school for moppets, has caused Dr. Horwieli ,to play 'hookey/. pel" mane nl ly from her Bo os eve It Col* lege classroom;. VvIiimo. she headed the education department. Also set for. TV exploit a I ion is Dr: Irving. Lee. a pro lessor of semantics at. N.U. Beeenl l.yv auditioned by NBC TV. : the pallet s I i o w In* 0 in e e. e s , ‘ ’ So / . S' oi i . ” to inns as. a possibil it y for n elsvofk ■ ' d is play In. the fall, Radio Vets' " . Oiy the other side of the .fence is ii lengl hy roslei' of sliows feat lirjng teachers who offer their talents free in the interests of public service.. In this I'alegoj/v-, two rad i () vets lo| ) t Ii e I i yl ,/ T h e Oil I esl ‘ iii point 'of service is lr. ot Clti | eago NBC’s "UniVerMly ot/ (’hi cage Roundtable," now in its 22(1 year fob that network. . Another oidtliner, “The Northwestern University Reviewing Stand," been aired continuously by Mutual for over ID years. Other Clvi area, colleges have: long been in the radio, and now are joining the TV act. /'Operations New Uorizons’’ on WIVBMTV rotates weekly among Lake Forest College;/ u. . of . . IlUnois, IlliuoisV Instil uie of Technology, Roosevelt Coleite and Loyola U.» / and fealiives -faculty; inembers from tlie '/Various- i list itutioHshiyolved; • . '. :/ •..'/•;• • / Northwestern thy leader In ex*, plori iig I'inli o a nil T-V as. a n |nex *_ pensive iii ea ns of Ini i I il i ng good public relations; is . f url lier ropror scnteii; at NBC with ; l)r/ Mart in Maioney, ../ .emceeing/ "'The Meaning(Vf / AiiUMMi'a’’ series, aiiii Dr. liiehard A, Wider mail’s "Erorii ’I’oitl Tom I o 1 )iilgi*rlddi>,” oil W [VI A Q, and Dr. C’liarles Hunter as modern a tor of "Live Sc. Learn” oil WNBQ. liOeal indie, WIN D progf ains tlio weekly, "Eoru in b,f the Air/’ Witli N.lJ.’s Donniey EeddersOn at tlio helm; Even t h e ’ med ical / scluiOl is reiiresent ed ivitli Dr.. Theodora H. Van DelleiTs. " You r I tea I t hy” ii. weekly . public service oflering by W(iN:TV. ;/'/;■ W;... / :. Various, id her school radlo-TV; cooperative efforts poi> /up i,,(,uv linu*-lo;lime, with the most, act ivo. pa r 1 1 ci'pa n t , I foy o hi / 11 . s ke d d i u g five shows oil ; five di Iferent local A M but let s for the fall. While /most of : the professora. have been generous Iii of ferlnff t iieir I i me and t alents, rVee to. i>ul>lie.; service . ventores, more anil ' more t hey ai;e cost l ng; lo'ngihg eyea . in tlie. dti-ecl ion of radio and TV/ Continued from i>aKe 36 the Kioenek”; and Florence Rome said; "Momma, it isn’t • Kleenek, it’s Kleenex." And, her mother said, "Sweetheart, I only Want one." ‘ / J, y. « ALLEN: Well/ Sid, I think Arthur was born about 8 centuries too late; he could haye been a wonderful tale. : teller. / Sj; I don’t think Arthur would have been happy 800 years ago. ALLEN: Why not? '. Tofea for IVloola SJ:: Wearing a toga; he wouldn’t have had any place to . carry his royalties. , ' , . . ALLEN: He could wear a toga after he pays his taxes; anything Arthur has left he could carry in one hand. SJ: The only depressing note 1: can’t figure out is where the performers of tomorrow are .coming from. ALLEN: They will come from the future, the way they have,, come from the. past, Sid. If you. want to see a young inan who has. been perfecting his artistry in recent yeai s, meet the world’s, foremost authority, Professor Irwin Corey. ■/ COREY: Early this evening I was approached by some dignitaries; from the Theatre Ouild, The Theatre Guildians, and they have asked me what Julius— Willum Shakespeare— —had in mind when he wrote the ^ Theati e. Guild production of the. play "Othello/.’ ; . , Well, fortunately, I .have studied' at Oxford University, have done my research at the British Museum and have matriculated at Brooklyn College, and I have dug. deep . into the Shakespearean drama of the Elizabethan period: during the Shakespearean day. and found out tha|? during that, day, Shakespeare lived.’ Well, he wrote numerous plays— nu me rica 1 i y. Well , each . :of his plays consisted of five acts and each act was considered an, entity by itself and could have been given alone ; and away from each. But -how did Julius— hpw did Wil. : liam— keep all these entities together to make ia complete eut? Well,hn-the play ‘,Othello/’ which wevknoWras "Ham-. ; iet/' he employs., a/ supernatural phenomenon -/wh icli up . .u(?h | then was heretof ore Unknown even, then / . .; ; • Now. youj. will notice in. the unex wrgated version of . "H'amlei /’Id^./biun^/iforth:. a ghost in * the : first . act. Now/you •will/noiLce tbit -. ’thii; first.--a(hd ..^ecoihd acts are repetL '/tious -of ;each . other. In/otiier words/ redundant/ // ;/;//: ;v. ■ ... Weil. ;the eilrtam opens ori the. first act. We fin d Ha mlet thinking, in his parlor/ First, act, first / p|ii/Ibr,>:thin.ki'ng!-. Ha. mlet is going to devise a /schcnie wher.eby he can. trap ■ -hikuncle • into thev corifessipn. of': the ; cri the.: f b is dastgrd ly ■ . -deed, tlijs nioiislro.us /./, in ,t-h2. .first' -.ae.t, • Haihle/l •••8bIpq.u-iC|>,\; ‘first' to. Iiimself; after .he. knows., wliat lie is going to say, . he talks out loud and doesn’t care who. hears/ . . The. curtain Ppons on the .third act, Hamlet first, to himself ar|rl then out loud. Third act; '. ; /■ blank, linsuht.U*.. si in |>1<V, poignant. Mv philosophy is you (Ian get more with a kind word and a gun than With just a khui hol'd ’’ . This Was iuy answer to the Theatre Guild. 1 ALLRN: . Well, Sid/. exhibit, Irwin Corey .should convince yoU that in sjiite of. tlu* machine age: and tlie lijany hazards ; that confront him, the comie performer will, survive. ; SJ: And I still think that the comic performer is facing and waging' ^ f ut ile ' AL apprtt nit w •— •. . . , , j. . . SJ: I’ni sorry to say, Fred, the world may laugh, but. I do believe.it lias a contempt far the man who amuses it; the comic', performer is frequent ly dismissed as a jackanapes and pantaloon and ai nonentity,'. ALLEN: He is not respected by the world? SJ: No, Fred;, to be respected you have to be solemn, a stuffed shirt. Mh.st of the great monuments on earth have been erected to .stuffed shirts. ALLEN: On this futile note, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Perelman. and I take leave of. the comic performer, (he meeting is adjourned. Thank. you. very miich. wiiieiv he i> doing business, face eouu.l less problems,, ta wliicb. he personally never is exposed; problems luvolvinff local needs and local de ve 1 b p n i cut s vv I i if h se I do in, if ever, t an. be; {irdieipafed to any accural e degree.: Similarly, 'agencies ami sponsors' also must recognize that, a produeeF faces problems with whicli they are eonvpU'tely iiiifandl iar and to wivieli l bey are never likely to be exposed . Reebgr; nili o*n of Ibis fact by. botli parti(‘s eonstilutes lnsurahcfl that tin* final results will meet witli /every success pb.t .. LLE.N : Not futile, Sid;, don’t you : think the people reciate tlie comic performer? ;/. • A sponsor’s aiiility to handle a program Is a niiel.uating one. At the time of t lie. initial coiiversatiims, the producer and agency or sponsor, must be prepared to eonforra.. with each Ollier’s later heeds, needs dielated by circumstances and developments. I )ori’l i /onipromiHe on (ju a! it y ii (’ontlnued from page 37 ^ii i involved. Some like playing to an audienee, some don’t. The use of the Margie Method or the Joan Method involves an additional process ; . . putting in the laughs, or, more politely, the "audience reaction.” Two choices are open. The laughs can' be dubbed in, using chuckle t racks,' laugh tracks yock tracks or boff tracks in various combinations. Or tlie picture can be shown to an. audience and their laughs . recorded and used as the audience reaction track/. This is; the way it is done with the Joan Davis show, and it is the mo i/e .satisfactory way io d<> it because you have spontaneous, natural reactions and you are able to control the laugh, track independently. so;as not to lose any of. the dialog; '. ' . Wliy.’ do there' have fo be laughs? / Well .: ^ * that, is a highly controversial subject. Let’s skip it. By Wlf I J AM F, UKOHJiY ' ■ W'f o'. ■F.:'.Br(jidy Pro':lii'rtio.i>i\ : /. '/• 0.■■■'/’■■ /;/; / / :,.■/// : . ,/■'.. iro.ll.vwood. I)(uii>le-Talk Hanilei . "AVliat a rogue.' in , peasant’s: clot lies am 1. Is i t .not in on-. . strouk that this -player here, but in a fix, iii a dream /of., passion could force, his soul so to his. own ..conceit,., but froin her. working all his./Visits ; won, tears an his eyes, a broken, voice and his whole function soothing with foams to His own conceit and all for nothing. Fool heck /(rouble talk) / ; . . what Would he do. had he the moods of . passion ... that I have? How are things, in Chelsea? Oh, horrible. — flrosv* inchcT^ HiTirardT^ ^ tlTaTTi^yl^rn^ ~1— "Ii 'there a murderer here? Yes. I am. Then fly. I'd rather hate myiolf. Then the highwayman came riding. I have a simple philosophy which is poignant. Shoot a: point; point v\ • • _ . 1 * ' •* Basic ^.prol ••ctio.'ii for. both paidies is piTlia]).^ I lie fore. most/ requirhment/ifi any; biisincss 'transa.(«t:iVh-i-.;.>'/But/o;ncif that, prytect ion h as .'-bet' n. esl a 1>1 i si i ed , a /.biisiness arrange ment lin.m ed iaje 1 y :rn list' iixsume'/the/visage of a jdirit';vehr / tureV hr its chances of success, are virtually nil/ /•.••• .-. If pact between1 tvvo. parties/ is not primarily.' a; :pact/of confidencei it is Ho pact at all. C)nce the basic agreement has/ been set forlh/ln . wiiiting,. for tlie rniitual. acivah.i/ige pf evi/rvone concerned,'r it should be locked, iri a de-k drawer and Jro/m that point on, tlie relatloriihip ihouhd •. be a strictly .personal One' of give and /take/ according to tllc exigencie-r and development of the business at hand. • Tlie ■ foregoi ng is' true fob any business deal , but it is Csp/cidhy true in: the case of/tehfvislon, film. “p/bductioHr ; Where a . producer /tmikes . a contract w ith an adverli sing ■ agency; .a-.:spbns'er or: a tele vision Klali'oi), .and w here tlie , entire/ maiter of launching a television Series or film production is dependent entirely Upon the personal equation. Froduction of entertainment is a personal bu si ness, composed of personal elements. It. never; cun be entirely, free from these personal influences, simply beau/e it is a-Pmb =b i n ahi-6 n=u n a 1 i t i es^whos’Cr-fma L-ob j ex-ti vai-ls Hie eutefe. tainment of millions of other, persons. The producer certainly must, recognize that Uie agency and its sponsor, as well as those television .stations with Tin* basic premise upon whicli any Series ... must b« founded, if il is to .serve its purpose, is one of a hopeful, long life.'. Without this; Hie producer is insecure, and t lids is lemp ed to make liis iiroduct.as clieapiy .as possible* at t he expense of quality, . The sponsor and/or. agency, similarly, caiinol proceed wilb coiifUlence to invest huriv dreds of tin usands of dollars to launch the neW serie* if it. does net believe, at the .outset, that the series will pay off al ’ p|int-of-pureliase: in product males, Security iijhe one fundamental factor uporr which ih« agreement is: based. Despite the fact that; the very rial ur« of our business precludes any certainty of long life und security; if tiiere is complete confidence between the par* t iri pants at thi* outset, each will work with the other to. uiiniiiiize Hie chances of a .shorl-llved series. There is always the great possibility that the planned series, Once completed;, will not achieve production, oe sales results desired/ But it Is also equally true that no orie ever starts out to do anything but his level best to assure best . possible results, by ironing out in advarico every possible objection (>r tiossible failing, and by injecting int o il. every possible .Clement, of mass entertainment appea-!., // : . / : thipeniioil in Hie sponsor’s or agency’s mind;; mi I u rally, • is tlie pavoiV [ihase of the program, i.e>, the. direct m/T* ch'i rnJ run g rtd’urns. I O the sponsor in terms ol sales/ Arid • (hi.,, too, must be tfiorbugbly; integrated Into aiiy teje1 vj/,ion veriK to guarantee that (mtertahunimt-xind • . uonf-. ■/rmTTi^l:T^^trh^WTlTbc:'(mricmnitanl.;;'::Hur^ ■ vane/ pfnihing' stag(*, cV(h;y consideration. iYiUst-' be g;i vm;i . to fm s\i bli* i ritygrat iorV of t h(* sponsor’s prod ucl ifi'the'/s.hqy/ il>,(*lf/i.l f/asihle, /arid to iivirig-rooi.n rcactibrls as -ihe 'shov/ ' coVi'iMmns flie anti ci;pa ted ' product to. be Teprcscrited;:;/: • ' / (/ ..T-ljeh* i> /till arioihhr V" .vvjilr'i'i . .'(.0/51 '/'li| ri^<;/ii^x"t r* h-lh/riiu st'':-'" a diVlal >* . I h«* ovei/all . produtdiqil .'of 1 lie /.ser/ies. '.Public 're hi; -p fjohi* wi/e.-.ihe. PnginaT-prqgrarii prcmr.;e /rnust/.fev xoprid for" i.he -sponsor; it' must '.possess the' ability, to : efigeuder /, .goodwill, on Hu* part of the natioria I . au.d i e ri(:e; | o w/i r *J fhp. company and i Is product. Lacking this^pjal.ity, tlf* fiinl.. / success ■ of a ■ progrdrn cannot possibly be achieve/J; and / xmnnot'. r<* UJlt/irr, anything,; but...complet(‘ (JisasPu/ i;m -a It . coriecrned . Fsieritifiliy, of course, this: i>/t h.e'.re,p ih .ibiiify or I he agerif-V: and the. sponsor, but ber-m ve lie1 , :vi ..bin' d •»* A hiervla j I v : a part of the projei I, it :.mi.i,l. hv: -I'.cj1 I m U as/ welt, by , the, producer/ lie nm .l a-. ,ui.e • lint! -'/M hM', /^ d'r hti a/ product ion . st amipoihf Hie -•! j;’s -.. ar *• t'rr*. g ) >d . • l ist';., and of high; calibre, f>ol h m sior/ .^i rm '.oi .* an J .e-'/li-. nii'/il .quality, /•• ■' / , The confidence .ori-*. places in the .olli*’!’, .tne open spii it of cooperation ; lit '■ a. given, plarincd project , and /the; ahild y to give /and. fake ideas and const Tuctive criticism a / the "three c ir dnial requirerhent.s toward tlie achievernmit of ^u(:c;//s : . Given these, together -with -the all/essenl.ial -Undersi andjng of human nature, and * human foibles, ;.wo. can Count on being ha 1 1 ; Way, a t~I.< 1 as l, fow:i td (lie hoped fur grjal-nandfhrlcontractcang^ii'drdu'ituritoUselfdri.somo; desk -drawer, :