Variety (December 1954)

Wednesday, December 8, 1954 TV-FILMS 39 TAKING THE KIDS OUT OF KIDPIX •f Onward & Upward With ‘Vidpix Webs’ Consummation of the deal whereby Westinghouse acquires WDTV in Pittsburgh from DuMont, may have the effect of bringing the outlet into the Guild Films-Vitapix vidpix network lineup. That was one of the prime topics oi discussion a couple of weeks ago between Guild prexy Reub Kaufman and DuMont topper Ted Bcrgmann, but no conclusions were reached at those huddles. However, Westinghouse is one of the avid Vitapix members, with Westinghouse v.p. Joseph Baudino also Vitapix’s v.p. Group’s WBZ-TV in Boston is a Vitapix outlet and so is WPTZ in Phila- delphia. Also, with the WDTV negotiations out of the way. DuMont will be in a better position to dicker a deal for WABD in New York and WTTG in Washington to join the Vitapix lineup. Chances of this happening are also increased since the Pittsburgh sale undoubtedly will reduce the selling power of the DuMont network, thereby leaving the two stations more friendly to overtures of a film net affiliation. Republic Puts 27 Features, Produced For $20,080,000, Into Video Release Hollywood, Dec. 7. ♦ Republic’s “Diamond Group,” a block of 27 of the highest-budgeted films ever turned out by the valley studio, will be released to tele- vision next year. They represent a production outlay of more than $ 20 , 000 , 000 . Pix, all made betw’een 1940 and 1948. carried budgets ranging from SOOO.OOO to $1,250,000. Earl Col- lins, prexy of Rep’s tv subsid, Hol- lywood Television Service, will liandle sales after the first of the year and hopes to peddle them on a regional basis. Only one of the 27 pictures is not in the Diamond group. “Bill and Coo.” bird picture made by Ken Murray at a cost of $475,000. was originally sold as a “sparkler.” Most of the studio’s top product included in the block buy have had reissues. Among stars appearing in the pictures to be sold to tv are Susan Hayward, Alan Ladd, Vera Ral- ston, Eve Arden, Dennis Day, Joe E. Brown, Judy Canova, Eddie Al- bert, Mona Freeman, James Dunne, Richard Arlen, Edward Everett Horton, Tito Guizar, Vir- ginia Bruce, Victor McLaglen. Ann Jeffreys and Freddy Martin. Among the pictures they appear in are “Change of Heart” (former- ly “Hit Parade”), “Brazil.” “In Old Wyoming,” “Earl Carroll Sketch Book,” "In Old Sacramen- to” and “Rendezvous With Annie.” Rep’s old releases have been shown on 275 tv stations. CBS’ Loud Blow On 'Whistler Coin CBS Television Film Sales this week landed three key regional deals on “The Whistler” that projects the series into 11 new- major markets. Deals were set with Hamm Brewing Co.., House- hold Finance Corp. and Block Drugs, the latter directly with the firm. Hamm bought the series in Den- ver, Salt Lake City and Albu- querque. HFC picked it up in Kansas City, Milwaukee, Detroit and Cleveland. Block Drug deal (firm has assigned the Grey agency to the account, incidentally) is for Cincinnati, San Diego, Syracuse and Providence. Meanwhile, the initial pactees for the show. Standard Oil of Cali- fornia and Lipton’s Tea, have set their alternate week sponsorship of the segment in seven Coast markets. Series goes into Los An- geles. Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Fresno and Bakersfield. Guild’s 10c Divvy Guild Films this week declared a 10c dividend on its common >hares. Divvy is payable Jan. 3 to stockholders of record as of Dec. 20 . It’s the first such dividend Guild has paid, coming only little more than two months after Guild be- came a public corporation by float- ing its 250,000-share over-the- counter issue. NELS0N-C0HAN A DUO ON SANDRA VIDPIX CO. Jimipy Nelson and his personal manager, Louis W. Cohan, have formed Sandra TV Film Produc-! tions to lens a new variety series J starring the ventriloquist. Series will be titled "Jimmy Nelson Show” and will go into production in New York in January. Studio , hasn't been set yet. Series will first be offered for national sale, then for syndication if no national deal pans, with syn- dication to be through an estab- lished distrib. Cohan is prez of and Nelson v.p. of Sandra's Ventrilo- quist’s ABC-TV panel show, “Come i Closer,” goes off next Monday (13). 'Authors Playh’se’ Nabs 4 CBS Rides “Authors Playhouse,” the Brew- ster Morgan-Eugene Solow’ tele- film series based on works of American writers, will get a tem- porary network showcasing via CBS-TV starting this weekend. Web has signed for four of the films as an interim replacement for “Honestly Celeste" in Bristol- Myers’ Sunday at 9:30 slot. “Playhouse” sale, incidentally, is a tipoff to the fact that the merger between Music Corp. of America and United Television Programs has been firmed even though papers haven’t actually been* signed. Sale to CBS-TV was made by MCA, but the property, which is shooting on the Gross-Krasne California Studios lot, has been repped up till now by UTP. Lat- ter has been showing it to agen- cies for a national sale, and has also been mulling syndication. Fact that representation on the series was turned over to MCA is the first substantial indication that the merger deal has gone through. First of the group of four, which starts Sunday (12), is “Leave It to Hannah,” with Ethel Waters star- ring. ‘China Smith’ Now Off SAG’s ‘Unfair’ List Hollywood, Dec. 7. Following agreement reached re r garding rerun coin due actois who worked in the first batch of "China Smith” telefilms. Screen Actors Guild has removed pro- ducer Bernard Tabakin and his "Smith” series from its “unfair” list. Consequently, actors were notified they are now free to work for Tabakin. Meanwhile, the Guild placed Coleman Motion Pictures and Reynolds & How-e Film Associates of Cleveland on its “unfair list and removed a Cleveland ad agency. Griswold-Eshleman Co., from the list after it signed a Guild pact. By BOB CHANDLER Telefilm syndicators and produc- ers are coming to the realization that there’s a strong untapped adult audience in the early eve- ning hours, a time period tradi- tionally blocked out for the juve- nile audience. With prime evening hours becoming increasingly diffi- cult to clear in the major markets, distribs are now pitching that 6 o’clock exposure for shows they previously considered "adult only,” and they’re convincing sponsors and agencies who in the past wouldn't venture into pre-7:30 time that there’s an audience of adults to be had at dinnertime. Meanwhile, the shift to early evening, necessitated by the night- time clearance problem, has cued some new thinking on the part of producers. If their “adult” series are to be sold in early evening time, some drastic budget revamp- ing is necessary because of the lower price range. While telepix syndicators have no pat formula for market-by-market pricing of their product and there’s no direct ratio between price and station rates, the fact that a series is sold for Class B or Class C time does bring the price down. Producers of high-budgeted kidshows have found this to be true, much to their sorrow when they started re- estimating their market break-even point. Trend to early evening will activate new production analysis on how to .reduce costs on the shows. Syndicators, though in the past pitching the early evening hours for westerns and other juvenile product, have long suspected the presence of an actual viewing adult audience but hadn’t researched it to the point where they could ac- tually make a pitch on the basis of audience composition. Now’, how- ever, CBS Television Film Sales, along with other distribs, have col- lated rating and composition stud- ies and find, for example, that the 6 to 7 p.m. weeknight audience consists of more adults than chil- dren, while the weekend audience for the same period is even greater in proportion of adults. Breakdown CBS study, taken from Tele- Pulse ratings for the period cover- ing January to June this year, show that the weeknight audience for 6-7 p.m. in multiple station markets consists of 26.8% men, 29.1% women, 9.7% teens and 34.4% children. Totals come to 55.9% adults as compared with 44.1% children. In one- and tw’o- station markets, the composition is 27.7% men, 28.6% women, 9.8% teens and 33.9% children, which totals to 56.3% adults compared with 43.7% teens and children. Weekend figures for multiple sta- tion markets are 30.4% men, 34.0% women, 9.2% teens and 26.4% children, or totals of 64.4% adults and 35.6% teens and chil- dren. In one- and tw’o-station mar- kets, it’s 31.5% men, 35.6% wom- en, 8.5% teens and 24.4%„ chil-_ dren, totalling to 67.1% adults and 32.9% teens and children. Same TelePulse period also shows sets-in-use during the 6-7 hours at levels from 25% to 35%, as compared with 35% to 60% from the 8 to 10 period. While this sets-in-use comparison would make the early evening circulation suffer by comparison with the prime eve- ning hours, the lower Class B and C ratecard in terms of time costs along with program price would compensate in terms of cost-per- thousand viewers. And with the disclosures on audience composi- tion in those hours, it’s likely that more and more advertisers will take advantage of them. Schenectady—Earle Jerris, form- er member of the Charlie Spivak and Art Mooney bands, began a half-hour song and piano program 1 on WRGB-TV here Monday (6>. Jerris, who has also toured night ! clubs as a single, is telecasting : thrice weekly. He joined the WRGB and WGY announcing staffs | last June. Coast Vidpix Production So Busy, Have to Use Holidays for Shooting Katz to Guild Films Aaron Katz Is exiting Ted Ash- ley Associates, where he’s been active in the financing phase of %• and film production, to join Guild Films as treasurer. Katz moves in later this week, taking over the financial end of the Guild opera- tion, with John Mahon, who’s been controller for several months, mov- ing into second-in-command. Up to now, Jane Kaye, wife of prexy Reub Kaufman, has been acting as treasurer of the corpora- tion. With the firm’s expansion and its tie-in with Vitapix, how- ever, it was felt necessary to have a specialist in the post. Brisson to Sing For 'Supper Pix Carl Brisson this week signed a five-year, $1,000,000 deal for a vid- pix series to be produced by North American Television Productions. Skein will go into production next month for release in the spring. Show will employ a musical for- mat with a supper club back- ground. Guest artists will be used in the half-hour films, along with fashion features and interviews. Filming will be done initially in black-and-white, but North Amer- ican prexy E. M. Glucksman said that color pilot films would be shot with the aim of going into tint as soon as it’s ready. Series will be shot at company’s New York stu- dios. While North American will pro- duce, it hasn’t yet been decided whether the firm will also dis- tribute. NA’s other productions include “Tenth of a Nation” and “American Newsreel,” and while active in production, it’s turned its properties over to distrib compa- nies for sale. Singer-personality Brisson had been talking a deal with Guild FilnW before signing with North American, and while it’s not known whether any dis- cussions have taken place since, it's conceivable tfeat Guild might take the property over for distri- bution. Vidpix Chatter New York Calvin Co. of Kansas City has produced a 20-minute color film on highway safety for the Caterpillar Tractor Co., available to tv stations on a public service basis via local Caterpillar dealers ... J. Milton Salzburg's Award Productions lo- cationed in Houston last week shooting additional episodes in color of the Jimmy Demaret show, quarter-hour golf - and - celebrities series... George A. Ottins, previ- ■misly supervisor of tv spots at I Transfilm, upped to manager of the |N.Y. production outfit’s animation j department ... CBS Television’s film service dept, moved from its W. 54th St. site into web’s 57th St. Production Center.. Frank Baxter inked by Fuller & Smith & Ross for Alcoa’s “See It Now” commer- cial.. .Official Films v.p. Herman Rush back at homeoffice after four-week sales and supervisory jaunt.. .Betty White in from Coast last week for huddles with Guild Films prexy Reub Kaufman and program chief Larry Menkin on future formats on her “Life With Elizabeth” series ... Construction got underway last week on NBC’s new film exchange in Englewood Cliffs, N. J. Harry S. Goodman inked Ten- ney-King Productions of Denver as Rocky Mountain sales rep. largely to handle line of part stock, part i “made to order” film commercials ..Thetis, Italo telefilmery, was launched with strictly Italian funds, equalling about $400,000 in American coin . Richard H. Rog- ers to Sterling sales, covering [southeast. Hollywood, Dec. 7. Usual year-end slump in theatri- cal film production will be offset this month by steady, continued telefilm production, with employ- ment expected to remain high dur- ing the Christmas holidays as a result. Most of the telefilmeries are planning to shoot straight through ^ the holiday season, taking only a couple of days off for Christmas and New Year’s. This is' in sharp contrast with the past pix pattern of slowing down for three weeks or more during the holiday season. At the Hal Roach Studios, for ex- ample, there’s a full tv sked straight through this month, with the lot near capacity, and employ- ment at a peak. A survey reveals pretty much the same story holds true at other vidfllmeries, such as Motion Picture Centre, American National Studios, General Service • and California studios. As an example of the current situation, highest employment in its history has been chalked up by IATSE film editors Local 776. with 92% of its 1,200 members working, business agent John Lehners said. Lehners estimated that 50% of cutters now employed are with the major filmeries; 40% in tele- film companies, and 10% w’ith in- dies. He stressed that vidpix have hypoed the union’s employment situation considerably, and said the overall scene looks very good. “As fast as a man finishes a pic- ture, he goes right to work on an- other assignment,” he added. IA Local 44, propmen’s union, had a 100% employment figure a few weeks ago, but a temporary **-,j lull in pix production has cut that to 85%, according to B. C. (“Cap- py”) DuVal, business agent. Union has 2.800 members. Makeup Local 706 business agent Fred Phillips reports all the 370 makeup members were employed three weeks ago, but since Nov. 22 the percentage is down to about 83%. Generally, makeup union employment is the best it’s been since the lush war years, with the work evenly divided between pix and telepix, says Phillips. Dig ’Em in Rome For Archeo Pix New’ series based on archeologi- cal discoveries is being produced by the newly-formed Uca Produc- tions, firm headed by Dr. Paul Ilton, who’s a digger and a film consultant as well as a lecturer and author. Dr. Ilton’s already shot two half-hours, has scripts on eight more and synopses on the remain- ing 29. He’s currently dickering a distribution deal on the series, which is titled “It Came to Pass.” First two pix, shot in Rome, are “The Reflection,” a murder story set in Egypt 6,000 years ago which traces the origin of cosmetics, and “The Inquiry.” a story on gambling in the Roman Empire in 30 A. D. and the first “Kefauver” commit- tee. Films, shot on location in Rome, star John Sostini, an American actor there. Westbrook Van Voorhees narrates the pix. Dr. Ilton, who while in Rome wound the scriping of Titanus Studios’ production of “Last Days of Sodom and Gomorrah” (tentatively slated for United Artists release here), said production on the series would resume in January in New York. Ginsburg’s Ad-Sales Post at Studio Films Norman S. Ginsburg. who exited DuMont and WABD, N. Y., a few weeks ago after a couple of years as advertising-promotion chief at the web. has joined Studio Films as director of advertising and sales promotion. Studio’s current cata- log consists of the three-minute musical telescriptions and the up- coming all-Negro musical series.