Variety (November 1954)

Wednesday, November 17, 1954 RADIO-TELEVISION 31 IT’S NO GAMBLE CBS wasn’t too happy When it learned last week that NBC had initiated * overtures to spot Ed Murrbw in a co-emcee, slot (With Bob Hope and Eddie Fisher) on the projected 90-minute spectacular to salute the Overseas Press Club.' Spec is scheduled* for Monday ight, Dec: 13, to coincide with the Press Club’s dedication of its new clubhouse in New . York. Since Murrow is so prominently identified with the Overseas correspondents, it was felt he would be a natural to emcee the showcase; What clinched CBS’ unhappy state in the NBC Murrow slotting was. the; fact that the spec chosen for the oecasion Was the one co-sponsored byi of all people; RCA, .Nonetheless plans are going ahead for Murrow’s appearance as per original schedule. Lecture-and-Merchanciisihg Circuit Keeps WRCA Talent Busy It’s getting so a radio or tv de- partmental executive is practically ineligible for .hiring unless .he has a bicycle built in. Many on-the air newsmen, personalities, et al., have long since, established reps as itin- erants on the leCture-and-merchan- dislng “glad to be here?’ circuits. It's basic to their craft as actors, newscasters, cooking and cosmetic, demonstrations, etc. But it’s the sedentary behind-scenes Staffers whb; by dint , of either hard work or previous experience on th “per- sonal appearance” route, are mak- ing surprising maybe hot .so surprising forays into the service club, charity,, chain store and kin- dred extra-curricular .fields. It figures to boost their stock with networks, stations or, as the case may be, in good will vis-a-vis af- filiate groups around the country and sundry organizations. One of the most active in the last year or so, dating from about the time he was tapped as news’ and special events boss of WRCA and WRCA-TV (formerly with the “NBC” N. -Y. .call letters), Bill Berno. He’s long had a practical yen for mastery of.the ceremonials and in his indie station work of some years ago did that very thing as a sideline .tied in to his func- tions as a special everitsman. What makes it hunky-dory all around is that the web’s Gotham outlets are ultra merchandising - conscious, with. Berns’ gallivanting falling rieatiy into the “I-have-^n-A&P- speech-Wiil-travel” designs of Max Buck, the ad-promotion-merchan- dising factotum of the o&o’s. (They’re always surprised in and found. 30 Rockefeller Plaza when (Continued on page 42) Selznick, NBC Huddles NBC and David 6; Selznick are reported finalizing a deal whereby the film, producer will moVe into the tv network operation, probably identifying himself With spectacu- lars or other major production, ef- forts. Since doing his recent two-hoyr all-network. Light's Diamond Jubi- lee Selznick has. been bullish over the medi in's jpotentialiti , with NBC echelon reported sharing a sjahiiar view as' to Selznick’s con- tribution to video/ TV ‘Comedy Hour Hollywood; Nov. 16, What may be the first interna- tional revue .telecast live from out-' side the U,. S. is being formulated in Mexico City by Fred Wile, NBC- TV program veepee in Hollywood. Hour show using Mexican talent, would be slated for “Colgate Com- edy Hour” early next year. In negotiations With Emilio Az- carraga Jr., exec veepee of Telb- vicentro, Wile will be joined today (Tues.) by Austin Peterson, Ted Bates agency veepee in Hollywood. Wile is proceeding with discussions .in anticipation’that facilities, for transmitting the show from;: the Mexican capital will be established, soon after the first of yeaf. Jackie Gleason’s two-week Para- mount, N.Y., engagement, Which gets under way today (Wed.f and which, features his entire video company, poses a ticklish problem on just, how he’s going to squeeze in . those two Saturday nights on CBS. Situation has.never come,up before since the comic’s ventures into presentation houses occurred during his summer layoff period from tv. Gleason will.be doing five shows a .day, seven days a week. It’s just a case of trying to squeeze in enougn time for rehearsals. Glea- son’s writing staff, on instructions from the comic, has prepared two j full-hour Scripts based on the Honeymooners, but if the rigors of the ’Par. engagement are too de- manding it. could well be that Glea- son Will reprise some old flTaterial which would .require a minimum of rehearsal-. Then it becomes a ques- tion Of what the tv sponsors, will say. Gleason, incidentally, is doing three tv sketches, as part of his stage snow By GEORGE ROSEN When Procter & .Gamble decided last week to pour l ill ions of dol- lars .into established nighttime tel- evision programs through its alter* nate-week sponsorship of “I. Love Lucy,” ’‘My Favorite Husband”.and “Topper” (along with the previ- ously pacted “This Ts Your Life”), it was tantamount to fomenting a- revolution in terms'-of bigtime ad- vertiser thinking. In the process of pouring an ap- proximate $8,000,000 into the four- show network parlay (representing in itself probably the biggest bundle of program buying in tv annals) P&G served notice then and . there that it was;, abdicating from, show biz While embracing .ex- clusively a circulation yardstick. • P&G has thus decided. to play it safe, but in the process it will have no control over any of the newly- acquired properties, merely .fitting in the commercials in its allotted time slots.. And for th privilege of staking an alternate-week claim in guaranteed mass circulation, it is paying anywhere from two to three times the cost of, the. in- dividual, shows. The soap, company for years has been the biggest spender in radio ‘Nothing Doin' Pop' Fact that Tommy Sarnoff, brother of exec veepee Robert Sarnoff, has been sitting in on some high level NBC ses- -sions: in New York has. cued some wonder within the net- work whether Boss Man David Sarnoff is propping for a switchover of his Coast- berthed son to New York. However, Bob Sarnoff has dispelled such reports, assert- ing “Tom wanted to see the Brooklyn color studio setup and? other phases, .of The Got- ham home base, Otherwise., you couldn't pry him out of California for anything.” I Silvers, ‘You Are There’ Being Filmed in N. Y. CBS-packaged Phil Silvers tv se- ries will be filmed in New York via DuMont studio facilities. But there’s, another switch in that the director of the show. Al DeCapno, is currently in Hollywood observ- ing telepix techniques. The Silvers show, with Nat Hiken as chief writer, is the sec- ond CBS series to be shot in Goth- am, with “You Are There,” live since its kickoff a few seasons ago. having already gone before -the' cameras. Gen. Mills’ 2-Network Hoopla to Mark 22d Anm of ‘Lone Ranger’ General Mills and Dancer-Fitz- gerald-Sample are clearing time on two networks for a January one- hour one-shot celebrating the 22d anni of the “Lone Ranger” show. Program will be on .film—it’s al- ready been shot by Jack Chertok on the-‘Coast and -is in the cutting rooms:—and will: trace the: history of the cowboy character,, his meet- ing with Tonto,. the silver bullets, etc. Show will air on AB.C-TV and CBS-TV, but not in th regular “Ranger” time. That’s one of the phases, of an Overall merchandising»publicity - promotion program launched this week by Lone Ranger Inc,, the new group headed by Jack Wrather which purchased the property this summer from Trendie-Campbell- Meur original owners of the show." At a dinner for, network, agency,, sponsor, merchandising and trade press personnel, Wrath- er and his associates unveiled an jail-round program to “revitalize” the property. ‘Lucy' as Catch-All CBS-TV. isr on the "sponsor prowl for “I Love Lucy” in re- prise form.. .Plan is to run. the earliest installments for a Sun- day afternoon feed of appeal riot only to teenagers or lower but family gi'oups who .missed ’em because either they didn’t have a telesot Then or never got around to Ball & Arnaz until they got noised about. It’s figured the repeats - would start early next year. (and now in tv). Its daytime serials oil the. networks have spelled suc- cess and sales through the years, probably the biggest single factor in the emergence of P&G as the No.l company among, u. S. soaps and suds. But nighttime has been something else agai . With the possible exception of “Fireside Theatre” on NBC-TV (and this largely attributable to its post- Milton Berle Tuesday, night, slot- ting) it. has had .indifferent results from after-dark programming, as for example, with its Loretta Young Sunday night vidpix. series, the re- cent. Sunday at 7 Paul Winchell show on NBC-TV which was a sea-: son’s-end casualty, etc. But these were “by and for” P&G, with, ex- clusive identity and with, the client involved in production. Now comes a complete turnabout in which P&G’s sole thinking is based on the magazine concept of circulation. In effect P&G is tell- ing. all and sundry; “Let the oth- ers worry themselves about the show biz facets of the medium; we’ll pay big money but we got to have guaranteed circulation.” Com- ing from the biggest advertiser in the medium, it practically clinches the status of the major networks in retaining; control over program- ming. .. And since, like . the. automotive industry, the Soap business is a highly competitive, one, the P.&G move is bound to open the Rood- gates. in terms' of rival companies embracing the “circulation-happy” concept. Finalization of the deal last week whereby the Eastman Kodak-spon- sored “Norby” color telefilm s<r-) Ties will wind up in the NBC Wed- nesday evening at 7 period starting in January accents anew the plight of *new clients being forced (into fringe time areas, regardless of trie major coin rap it entails?, : Kodak series of half-hour films represents a $3,000,000 expendi- ture for a cycle of 39, making it one of the most expensive 30-niin- ute entries in video. Yet as a late- comer in. the programming sweep- stakes, it couldn’t even get to first base at either NBC or, CBS in try- ing to penetrate the prime 8 to _ 10:30 periods. In desperation it i settled for the 7 o’clock segment,, which, is station time; thus throw- ing itself, at the mercy of the af- filiates who are riot obligated, to take it at that hour. NBC did a lot of cajoling before it finally managed to get itself a 7 to 7:30 network lineup, so the “Norby” pact was. finally consummated.’ While some prime time program cancellations are in the offing, the clients obviously aren’t going to relinquish their franchise on the periods. It’s just a question of changing shows. But these. are-| rough days for first-time-up bank- rollers bringing in their own pack- ages, as in the case of the David Wayne-starred “Norby.” ABC is boiling mad over what it terms an “arbitrary abuse" of American Telephone & Telegraph Co. in preempting the web’s line to Richmond, Va., last Monday (8) in order to pipe in the Met Opera closed-circuit theatrecast in place of the network’s regularly sched- led “Voice of Firestone.” . ABC, according to station relations veep Ernest Lee Jahncke, is considering one of three courses of action: (i) Releasing the full text of its wir of protest to AT&T, (2) Filing complaint with the Federal Com- munications Coriimissiori, or (3) Filing suit for damages. According, to . Jahncke’s version of .what happened, AT&T’s long lines department notified the web Monday morning that it was turn- ing Over the line which would normally feed “Firestone” to WTOV there to Theatre Network Television for the theatrecast of the Met opening- ABC protested all day long, ,but without success.- it thereupon filed a long wire of pro- test to the telephone company, charging it .with’ an “arbitral" abuse of its. position of monopoly^” Web insisted that AT&T had, “contractual obligation” to carry the : “Firestone” show, that the rob was eritiitled to “prior, co.nsidera- tion” in .the public, interest and convenience. ABC made the point that th “Firestone” show had been fed to Richmond by. ABC through the phone company every week since last June, that it regularly serviced more than 50,000 families, whereas the Met theatrecast was a one-shot that would be seen by perhaps 400. persons in Richmond., theatres. Phone company maintained that ABC had released the line under a verbal conversation and some months ago had ,given written no- tice to release the Richmond line iri favor of Norfolk When ABCs UHF affiliate in Richmond had folded. But WTOV has been carrying ABC programs all. along arid the release never went into effect. “Firestone’s” been: carried since June when it went to ABC and the line has been kept by ABC on an eight-hour-daily basis. Topper to the entire situation is that under its contract with the phone com- pany, ABC will be charged for the half-hour feed it never got. NANETTE FABRAY AS REGULAR FOR CAESAR Nanette Fabray . has won one of the. cushiest berths of the season and certainly No. 1 on the post- script parade. She’s pacted as regular of Sid Caesar's NBC-TV Monday nigliter and the first femme mainstay .since stanza’s launching a couple of months ago. Singer-aCrres. 'as cast for the Caesar “Hour” Monday (15) as one-shot guestar and on that out- ing had the deal sealed perma- nently^ As Web Pacts Expire Negotiations between the Amer- ican Federation Of Television & Radio Artists and the networks arc apparently proceeding smoothly; although the AFTRA contract with the , nets .: expired Monday (.15 L. AFTRA exec secretary George TToi- ler said that while.he couldn’t com- ment on the negotiations, another meeting would be held today (Wed.)? and hie “might.have some-, thing to announce by the end of the, week ” Heller said there’s been no head- line set for a contract s? J .t;lemorit, arid the fact that' present contracts have expired is no cause ;6f con- cern to the union. He indicated that length of the negotiations are indefinite insofar as union action to force settlement re con- cerned. Will‘Peter Pan 1,000,000 for Canada Ottawa. Nov. 16. Millionth television receiver made in Canada copies off the as- sembly line qf one of 23 Canadian companies one day this month. This year’s production alone lias exceeded 500,000 .and they’re sec- ond only to cars in order of value of consumer products bought by | Canadians; They've been made •here nly since 1948. NBC has been initiating fresh overtures to bring Mary Marti into the spec picture. However, with her "Peter Pan” legiter a click in New York-with likelihood of an indefinite run beyond the •originally-" scheduled 16 - week Winter Garden booking, neither the star nor her husband,. Richard Halliday. with whom the. web: has been huddling, will commit them- selves one way or trie other, NBC, of course, would . like to get Miss Martin for a (‘Peter Pan” one-shot' -which was the original intent when Leland Hayward was identified, with the Monday night series of specs; But. at that tim. the future of “Peter Pari',” trying out in Frisco, was. iri a nebulous . stale, with. certainty that it would be brought in to New Yprk; AlsOi Hayward’s.- bowout from the spec, picture because of his health, altered the situation - . It isn’t likely that co-producer Halliday or Miss Martin would hold still for a video. version until after the Winter Garden run. Bing’s ‘P to P’ Edward R. Murrow will “Person to Person” Bing Crosby, from lat- ter’s; Coast home Dec. 3. Der • Bingle’s new cross-the-bor- der for the radio side of the CBS web will, kick off next Monday (22)", but. “P to P” comniitnients made it impossible* to sked Crosby in advance of that date.