Variety (December 1954)

Wednesday, December 15, 1954 RADIO-TELEVISION 39 Inside Stuff—Radio-TV t nok Magazine tv awards, to be announced in its Dec. 28 issue, will he partly on film when it takes NBC-TV’s "Place the Face” Saturday i hi slot with Toni underwriting. Inserts will include Jack Webb (best director), George Gobel (best comedian) and Groucho Marx (best quiz or panel’program). Barry Wood, web’s special events director, super- vised the filming on the Coast. The other winners: Fred Coe, as produccer; Garry Moore, as emcee; “Omnibus,” as educationaler; "U.S. Steel Hour,” as dramatics; John Cameron Swayze, as news show; "Toast of the Town,” variety; "Caval- cade of Sports,” sports; "Ding Dong School,” children’s show; Bishop Fulton Sheen, religious program, and "See It Now,” public affairs. Breakdown gives NBC seven citations, CBS four, and ABC and DuMont one each. Steve Allen, who, according to reports, would rather be caught dead than doing anything "straight and orthodox,” starts off a letter to Variety with quotation marks. And then: "Just want to present you, with my compliments, a free set of quotation marks. Actually they are yours anyway because you put them around a phrase ‘just hap- pened’ in your article concerning my reference to Hy Gardner’s book, •Champagne Before Breakfast.' Believe it or not, I did just happen to mention the phone number on the front cover (of the book) and I wanted to restore your faith in the honesty of television.” Reference is to a recent piece in the Literati section. Allen’s men- tion of the phone number on his "Tonight” show over NBC-TV drew a flood of calls to Gardner, holed up at the Sheraton-Astor Hotel. The number, of course, was that of the hotel. Variety is glad to accept the Allen version of his aversion to the superfluous quotation marks. • NBC and Macy’s, the New York emporium, have entered into an unusual tieup re the web’s "Babes in Toyland” tv spectacular this Saturday (18). The store will adopt the show’s title, with full program credits and plugs, for its toy department and will break with double- truck ads in the dailies. It’s the first of such tieups for a specola and rare for shows in general. New York chapter of the American Women in Radio and Television has worked out a Christmas project involving presentation of 2,000 gifts to some 610 children in 133 N.Y. families. AWRT plan is to have the gifts presented to parents, who in turn will give them to the children as if they came from themselves. Plan was originated by AWRT Gotham prexy Nancy Craig, and details were worked out by AWRT’s Duncan MacDonald together with Rachel B. Stephenson, co- ordinator of the Service to Families and Children, and was done under the auspices of the N.Y. Dept, of Welfare and Youth Board. Gifts were assembled at the AWRT Christmas party Monday (13) at the Warwick and will be distributed by the Welfare Dept, in time for Christmas. Chapter hopes to make the drive an annual event. "Horizons of Hope,” the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation-financed film about cancer research, which formed part of NBC’s “American Inven- tory” telecast on^)ec. 5, is available without charge of any kind to any institution or organization This is in addition to the film’s avail- ability to any interested tv station, as made clear in Variety’s review. Address Teleprograms, Inc., 30 Rockefeller Plaza, N.Y. Launching tomorrow (Thurs.) of 20th’s "There’s No Business Like Show Business” from N.Y.’s Roxy will be the first one to be sponsored by any but the pic distrib. WPIX will air the stanza locally, with Nash Motors picking up the tab. Deal was set by the station boss, Fred Thrower, and by 20th’s pub-ad veep, Charles Einfeld. "U.S. Steel Hour” director Alex Segal has been tapped for an un- usual distinction. His camera direction on the ABC-TV show has been used as the basis of a layout in Modern Photography mag to instruct amateur home moviemakers on a number of techniques to improve their indoor shots. Spread in January issue shows how Segal uses four camera techniques—a wide angle lens, shooting through a "trap,” background objects and high camera angles—all of which can be used with equal success by the indoor amateur. In addition, the mag is presenting Segal with its second award for "excellent tv photography” on Dec. 21. First such award went to CBS-TV’s "Danger” three years ago. Television will probably argue the pros-and cons of just how diffi- cult it is for a newcomer to place a script, but for a writing actress it may be different. She’s Lisa Osten, who’s just sold a short story, “Two Little Minks,” to CBS-TV’s "Studio One.” Michael Dyne is adapting it for Dec. 20. Miss Osten’s one disappointment is that she can’t appear in the show. Up to now, she’s only done bits and walkons on tele, but in this case, the real handicap is that she’s got a foreign accent. Since the story is set in New England, there’s just no spot for her in her own script. CBS Radio’s Longines Symphonette is claimant to the tiara of "longest tours of any radio-tv orch in the country.” Contingent re- turned last week from a fall safari under conductor Mishel Piastro spreading over 24 towns in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Ala- bama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Iowa. Unusual aspect of the trek was a concert at an Indian reservation in Arkansas where none of the members had ever seen or heard a full symphony orch. (If "radio goes wherever you go,” how come no receivers in teepees?) Froneh Author-Tublithor Maurice Bessy Spoilt France 9 8 Special Television Problems an lnter«tri*9 editorial feature in Hie fortkcomiitq 49th Anniversary Number ef JsSrIETy DUE SOON A special Pulse on radio in Negro areas gave WOV constant lead among all N.Y. stations from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. WWRL copped the No. 2 spot in most of the nighttime segments measured. Pulse was for week of Oct. 18 through 25. WOV has been doing nighttime Negro broadcasting for nearly five years. Guy Lombardo will handle the New Year’s Eve festivities on eight New York radio stations for the third year in a row. It’s to be done via a taped show for Liebmann Breweries (Rheingold Beer) which will air from 11:30 to 12:30 New Year’s Eve on WRCA, WABC, WINS, VVMgm and WOR; 11:35-12:30 on WNEW: 11:30-12:05 on WMCA and 11:30-11:59 on WCBS. Show is being handled by the Foote, Cone & Bolding agency, with Tom McDonnell producing-directing-writing and David Ross narrating. W BRE-TV in Wilkes Barre, Pa., is the first tele station to use 1.000,000 tVatts, making it more than two times stronger than any I’thcr UHF outlet in the country. Formal installation ceremonies were hold there last week, with RCA’s chief, Gen. David Sarnoff as a guest. The Louis G. Baltimore-owned WBRE-TV has heretofore been op- mating on 225,000 watts, but, according to an RCA engineer, the new equipment will strengthen transmission in fringe areas. Junior League Magazine, via a think-piece of its radio-tv consultant, Cuella Hoskins, advises local chapters of that organization not to scratch I ;' fli0 as a medium of community action. She argues that under present <‘icumstances the local radio station depends increasingly on local u>.iterials for its programming and will welcome overtures from the unior League, as is particularly true in Stamford, Conn.; Mobile, Ala.; t nver, Portland, Ore., and New Orleans. Stays on Grants May Haunt FCC; Trebit’s ‘Me, Too’ Washington, Dec. 14. Recent action of the Federal Communications Commission in or- dering a stay and new oral argu- ments on two television station grants brought an almost imme- diate demand in a similar case that the same step be taken. Trebit Corp., of Flint, Mich., an unsuccessful applicant for Ch. 12 there, asked the Commission to be consistent and reopen its grant of the channel to Radio Station WJR, of Detroit. Belief here is that the Commis- sion has set a precedent which will return to haunt it many times. Commission had made tv chan- nel grants in Beaumont, Texas, and Tampa, Florida. In each instance the FCC reversed the recommenda- tions of its trial examiners. Then, at the beginning of this month, Commission went into a secret hud- dle and emerged with an order to stay the grants and permit new arguments. Action is understood to have been forced by George C. McConnaughey, new FCC chair- man, who wasn’t appointed to the Commission until after the grants had been made. McConnaughey re- portedly told the FCC he wanted the cases reopened so that he could sit in on them and vote. Similar situation exists in the Flint grant to WJR. In this case the FCC overturned the recom- mendation of its trial examiner that the channel go to Trebit Corp. Matter was decided before McCon- naughey became a member of FCC. Still another applicant for the channel was the Butterfield Thea- tres chain of Michigan. Trebit and Butterfield appealed the grant and were turned down last Tuesday (7). Trebit immediate- ly filed a new request for recon- sideration, citing the Beaumont and Tampa actions. It asserted that further argu- ments should be held since not one, but two, new Commissioners have been appointed to FCC since the grant was made last May. Tre- bit wants them to vote. If FCC should refuse, said Trebit, it would be "inconsistent” and Trebit will appeal the decision to the Federal courts. IMOGENE SET FOR SPEC Imogene Coca has been signed to do the lead in "Happy Birth- day,” the February NBC-TV spec which will be staged by Max Lieb- man. Miss Coca did this play this summer on the silo circuit. CBS Commentator Charles Collingwood bos or ormulnq clomp or My Life and Times With Univac or# of tho many editorial foatoroi In tbo 49th Anniversary Number of OUT SOON The Art of Shaving on TV By MANNIE MANHEUV^ Hollywood, Dec. 14. Each year at this time we ex- amine certain phases of television advertising and our findings are recorded in this almanac. Our re- search is financed by our own Foundation and our primary aim is to supply the television industry with IG’s (Idea Germs) that may ultimately reduce the tension and strain of those who have dedicated their lives to the preservation of the tube, compatible or otherwise. Last year our IG’s were derived from the tobacco people—and our struggle to tear the cigaret paper from the Lucky Strike. But as time passes, we progress—and we find ourselves now discussing the art of shaving as done on televi- sion, whether on the face or upon a clingstone peach. We shall consider the operation of two electric razors—one that is shown on television as the proper instrument to shave a given human face; the other to shave a given garden-variety peach. Razor A (the human clipper) was discovered by our staff on a program that features a portly gen- tleman whose Ire Is aroused be- cause of the apparent lack of grati- tude by his television wife. The portly gentleman does not demon- strate the power-driven razor—he is identified only as the person who appears between the commercials, ire up. Razor A (the human-face instru- ment) is exhibited for all to see on Saturday nights. Razor B (the clingstone peach shaver) may be seen on Sunday nights. The Satur- day night exhibition of the human- face razor shares its commercial time with a potless coffee and a dipless fountain pen. The Sunday night fruit-razor alternates its commercial moments with a sweet smelling body spray for sweaty folks. Our staff gathered about the television receiving set to consider Razor A. We carefully watched a gentleman who was introduced as one who had just a few moments ago shaven with a soap and blade razor. The shavee as we shall call him was asked by the first gentle- man to power-steer the motorized razor about his human face. The shavee consented to attempt the experiment—same being to de- termine just how much human hair was uncut by the horse-and-car- riage razor, so to speak. The shavee, upon finishing the experi- ment, handed the electric shaver to the first gentleman who then un- locked the hair chamber of the mechanized instrument and emptied its contents upon a sheet of firm tissue—and we, the audi- ence, were allowed to examine these human shavings through a convex magnifying glass. Not Dubious, But— At this point of the experiment, one of our female staffers ob- served that the powdery little mound of ground hair appeared to be similar to a small hill of dog food that we had witnessed on a preceding program. This observa- tion is offered only as a sidelight to deviate for a moment from the highly technical aspect of the re- search. For the purposes of the record, our staff was favorably impressed with the gentleman who was the shavee. He appeared to be forth- right, honest, trustworthy and al- most all other adjectives generally found in a To Whom It May Con- cern letter. He was certainly clean- cut which isn’t intended to incur mirth—as during the few previous moments the shavee had shaved by soap and by power, thereby mak- ing him cleancut. The shavee’s veracity was not questioned—as it was obvious to the viewer that he came to the experiment with hair on his face, although not visible to our naked eyes. To confirm the findings of Razor A’s experiment, 7 we underwent the test ourselves and the result is worthy of mention and we feel that we have made a fine contribution to the shaving world. We followed the same procedure as the shavee on television—first with soap and blade—and without a nick upon our nationally known smooth skin. We paused five min- utes and then shaved our national- ly known smooth skin once again —but this time with an earlv edi- tion of Razor A—an electrically driven, valve in head, 130-horse- power instrument. And we can tell \ ou here and now that if you shave twice within five minutes your face is going to get good and sore and red and rough. No MagnifyinV Glass Not having a convex magnifying glass, we were unable to determine what quantity of ground hair was locked in the old hair compart- ment—but there was some—and that confirms the experiment made on the portly gentleman’s show by the Razor A people. The only puz- zlement of our test showed that the ground hair was of titian hue— Aiide our hair is on the blueish side. So there’s something wrong theie all right. Now we come to Razor B and its sales message. The makers of Razor B and its advertising agency are to be commended for their in- genuity and originality of approach in demonstrating their little power razor. If we may appear presump- tuous, and we do very often, it could be stated without fear of any booing that Razor B’s advertising campaign is a real knee-slapper. Unlike Razor A which was shown mowing human hair on a human face, Razor B combats this appar- ently obvious pitch by producing a gentleman who enters the scene with a peach in hand—and by golly, he proceeds to shave it. Darndest thing you ever saw. Peach-Casting—Not the Type Our next step was to repeat the peach shaving experiment so that this paper would constitute what Barrett operates the Strand is commonly known as an impartial survey. We hurried to the nearest fruit market, operated by Mr. B. Ternhue and situated on the fringe of the village of Pacific Palisades. We practically surrounded Mr. Ternhue as we stormed into his little store. "What do you kids want?”, he mumbled. One of us said we would like some peaches. “What do you want ’em for— canning or eating?”, Mr. Ternhue asked. “We want to shave ’em,” one of our staff replied. "Lot of folks buying shavin* peaches since they been shavin* ’em on the television. How many you want?” We thought a bushel would be just right. Then the question arose as to what quality of peach was test for shaving. Mr. Ternhue’s sage counsel helped us consider- ably. “Going to tell you kids a secret,” Mr. Ternhue said. “Those fellas on I he television are using the wrong kind of peaches for shaving fuzz. I see him the other night and the fella was trying to shave a Golden- east—now any kid knows a Golden- east is a juicy peach—and once you touch one of those electric razors to it, the thing’s going to squirt peach juice right in your eye— just like what happened to the fel- low on the television the other night. “Gotta have a firm fleshed free- stone like a Hiley—Freestones bet- ter’n clingstones for shavin’.” One of our staff asked Mr. Tern- hue what the difference was. “Freestone’s flesh separates from the stone — and the clingstone sticks to the stone—take my advice and buy a Hiley or a Babcock— lots of fuzz on them.” We had Mr. Ternhue mix up a bushel of various types of peaches —and we found that practically every peach, we shaved failed to respond to the gentle touch of Razor B. Then we tried Razor B to our human face and it worked perfectly—and then Razor A was used on the peaches—and much to our utter amazement Razor A shaved the Elberta, a yellow fleshed freestone, much faster and juicier than Razor B. And anyone who’s in the racket will tell you that an Elberta is a tough peach to shave. Sugar Bowl Fore Slot Lures Tobacco Coin ABC has sold the 10-minute seg- ment preceding the Sugar Bowl game between Navy and Missis- sippi to R. J. Reynolds for radio and tv. Deal, set via the Esty agency, leaves only the aft seg- ment to be sold. Reynolds, which last year bank- rolled the entire game on ABC radio and tv, this year cosponsored the fore and aft segments of the NCAA college football games on the web.