Variety (March 1954)

Walimtot March 10, 1954 RABIO-TELEVISION leside Staff-Radio-TV Cartoonist A1 Capp {“L’il Abner”), who has made a number of tv appearances, bloomed forth on two successive days last week with text lampooning giveaway shows of the agony type. Characters were caused to bellylaugh at the plight' of unfortunates, and in one of the treatises Capp set up a ''misery meter” with such classifications as “unbearingly tragic,” “sickeningly heart-breaking," "sickening,” “heart-breaking,” ••depressing” and down to just plain “sad.” An award of $10,000 was “made” to the person with “the most entertaining tragedy” and one of the “producers” remarks, “it’d cost us $50,000 for professional en- tertainers. We get you poor slobs for’peanuts.” ' *1 . % Walter I. (Izzie) Seigal and his CBS photo staff, have been awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the American Institute of Graphic Arts for the work they contributed to the web’s 1952 annual report. Cita- tion reads: “In recognition of fine craftsmanship in an outstanding example of commercial printing selected by a jury for the National Exhibition of Design and Printing for Commerce, 1954.” CBS-TV has hypoed its merchandising campaign to keep up with the competition at NBC. It arranged for five new toys based on web properties or personalities to break on market with opening of the annual American Toy Pair in New York on Monday (8). Replicas of Bil Baird’s Charlemane the Lion, of Robin Morgan as Dagmar of the “Mama” show and of “Mr. Lookit,” the web’s promotion figure which appears during station: breaks, have been made by manu- facturers for showing at exhibit. A parlor game (clock included) has been named after "Beat the Clock” and a “neutralizer” gun and holster set modeled after ones used on “Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers.” V . ■ ■ ■ ■ NBC v.p. Ted Cott will do another turn as coordinator of United Cerebral Palsy’s opening night share in Ringling Bros.-Bamum and Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden, March 31. John Ringling North is giving preeih night proceeds to the charity. Into program will be integrated personalities off the stage and from behind the mike. Tinder Cott’s guidance, they will take part along with regular circus performers, in big production numbers. Frank Fitzgerald, account exec at NBC, will assist the operating v.p. Finkel to Meg Gobel Hollywood, March 9. NBC-TV producer Ed Beloin has tapped Bob Finkel to direct the audition of George Gobel’s upcom- ing show for the web. Kinnie will be shot March 18 at the El Capitan Theatre. U.S. Army Recruiting Service-produced “Talent Patrol” tv’er on ABC will use Armed Forces personnel stationed in Europe for the first time on its April 15 telecast.. If the one-shot test, worked out with Pan American Airways, works out, the overseas contestants may become a regular feature of the Arlene Francis-femceed sustained Robert M. Massell of Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample (which handles the recruiting account and produces, the show while the Army supplies the program^-but not time—coin and talent) ahd William T. Chichester, an Army soldier show advisor, leave for Europe Saturday (12) to screen- talent in overseas installations. Winners get 15 days in the States and other video appearances. In a recent Peggy Marshall advertisement two telephone numbers were listed as ILlinois 7-4195 and TWining 7-4292. The latter number should have read TWining 7-4792. CBS Radio’s special publicity service to newspapers and mag editors is a weekly mimeographed column titled “Manhattan — Days and Nights” synthetically bylined “Guyon Madison.” It interlards show biz, offbeat humor and human interest matter with specific web items with the overall aim of appealing to personal tastes of editors on Press Info’s regular list. Chi NBC = Continued from page 29 ss framework Weaver is creating, with upcoming Chi projects the outgrowth of joint New York-Chl planning from their inception^. And it’s figured to be a two-way street with Park having a voice in the home echelon’s long-range agenda designed to give NBC-TV an over-all programming personal- ity with a consistent philosophy based on Weaver’s tv concepts of service, entertainment and reality. It’s in this latter area that Park has received his first big assign- ment in the new NBC-TV scheme of things. He shoots a pilot kinny March 15 of an hour-long farm show angled for a Saturday morn- ing berth, and which, when its reg- ularly scheduled, will be a live re- mote from an actual homestead a few miles outside the city. As pro- jected, the show is to get the full treatment, with a budget in the $15-20,000 a week area and. using film and sub-remotes from other parts of the country to explore a definite agricultural theme each visit to the farm. It’ll be aimed at both urban and rural dialers with no special targeting at the Saturday a. m. moppet audience other than It’s inherent out-on4he- farm flavor. Venture has excited the interest of the U. S. Department of Agri- culture with Secretary Ezra Ben- son appearing on the pilot via a specially filmed report. Also in the planning stage, al- though not so far along, is a re- vival of “Portrait of America,” likewise in the true-to-life docu- mentary vein, as a summer replace- ment. Series won attention a few years back via its .visits into the “homes” of Mr. and Mrs. Regular Citizen. New York Recommended for closing “Per- son to Person" show of season; Ed Murrow Be'wife being interviewed by Eric Sevareld. Holmes fit Edwards division of international Silver renewing “Show of Shows” participation through May . Joseph Jacobs Production staging “The Purim Story” for Maxwell House Instant Coffee via WABC-TV next Sunday 114) . . . Four Lads subbing for va- cationing Perry Como on CBS-TV tonight (Wed.) . . .Martha Wright guesting on the Eddie Fisher show On NBC-TV Friday (12). Joe Silver exiting the Red But- tons show as a contract player after March 15 but may freelance on the CBS stanza. Thus Silver is free to take on other -assignments for the first time in two years . . . Kajar the magician booked to do a repeat March 20 on WCBS-TV’s “On the Carousel . . . Metopera star Patrice Munsel planed to Coast for guesting on the Jimmy Durante NBC “Comedy Hour” (14) . . Barry Kadisoh, veteran heavy whose immense dimensions are his tv trademark, cast for Ralph Bel- lamy’s “Man Against Crime” Sun- day < 14) on DuMont . . Warren E. Abrams named account exec ("Morning Show”) of CBS-TV net- work sales in N. Y., leaving Spot Sales managerial post in Detroit which goes to Tony Moe, a.e. of KNTT, web’s Hollywood station . A girl for the Irving Kahns (Teleprompter boss). Irwin Rosten quits his post as DuMont's manager of news and public affairs on March 19 to head permanently to the Coast He has not indicated his plans yet . . John Henry Faulk mil be tomor- row’s (Thurs.) guest at the Radio- Television Execs luncheon . WPIX, N. Y., has inked Kiwi Polish to big sked of ID announcements . . . Bobby McGuire, after a four year absence from show, resumed his panel slot on DuMont’s “Twen- ty Questions” on Monday . General Carlos Romulo, past presi- dent of the Philippines, was Barry Gray’s guest via DuMont last night (Tues.). Chicago Jack Drees working the next three Pabst CBS-TV fights while Russ Hodges covers tne N. Y. Giants spring training ... WGN- TV will again do a two and half- hour remote from the Chi auto show Saturday (13) with Harry Creighton, Howard Dorsey, George Bauer and Vince Lloyd handling the commentary and Dick Von Albrecht producing ... Western NBC-TV spot sales chief Walt Davison a Chi stopover visitor last week . . . Frazier Thomas’ "Petti- coat Party” renewed for another 13 weeks on WBBM-TV by Common- wealth Edison . . . Paul Harvey bows as moderator Friday (12) of a new panel show via WGN-TV with. Burton - Dixie bankrolling . . . Bruce McGilinness added to the Kling Studios scripting stable .‘ : . WBBM-TV director Phil Ruslcln to host a scries of three workshop classes sponsored by the station’s education department for the insti- tutions who have been using WBBM-TV’s “Operation New Hori- zons” to-gain experience in educa- tional tv . ., NBC-TV’s “Ding Dong School” and “Mr. Wizard" cited as “best” in their categories by the National Assn, for Better Radio and TV . ,. Nu Dell Plastics bought Alex Dreier’s WNBQ news squib Tuesday nights ! Gottfried Motors picked up WBBM-TV's Sat- urday night late film . . . Tom Con- nolly, CBS-TV program sales man- ager. in town pitching web’s “Morning Show” and other new properties . . . WBKB has latched onto “Garfield Goose," moppet- angled show packaged by Per- sonality Features and hosted by Frazier Thomas which was dropped recently by WBBM-TV. “Goose” starts as a weekday strip on WBKB March 29. Seattle — Loren Stone, former , manager of KBRO, Bremerton, and KIRO. Seattle, has been named manager of local educational tele- vision station on Channel 9. Stone will have responsibility of assem- bling and training staff, setting up station and planning programs for preem next falL “Here is a young man a re new a GARRY MOORE jonathan winters Thanks LE RUBAN BLEU - for extending a TWO WEEK Engagement into 10 WEEKS! TV Guest Appearance —"OMNIBUS"——Mar* 7th (elusive Representative AARTIN GOODMAN, 65 West.54th Street, NEW YORK, N. Y. i