Variety (February 1955)

Wednesday, February 2, 1955 RADIO-TELEVISION 23 TELEVISION’S BIGGEST GAMBLE - Comos Singing Commercial Whether by design or completely unaware of the NBC vs. CBS “stay on your own side of the street” talent “boycotting” that seems to be reaching new heights, Perry Como probably precipi- tated some added inter-network discomfitures on Sunday (30) when the CBS star did a guest stint on the NBC Max Liebman “Variety” spectacular. Como, who along with Herb Shriner represented (unofficially) the Columbia contingent on the rival web’s spec, surprised every- one when he paid an on-camera tribute to Liebman. It was strictly an ad lib not-in-the-script testimonial (combined, incidentally, with an occasional Ed Sullivan plug for NBC on his “Toast of the Town” tribute to radio on the same night) that, if anything, only accented the “how silly can you get” two-web rivalry. CBS-TV’s Tamiment Showcase Full Hour Summer Replacement Show Planned From Pocono Retreat Camp Tamiment, the summer re- treat in the Pocono Mts. of Penn- sylvania, famed as perhaps one of the foremost incubating grounds for some of tv’s most gifted talents (Max Liebman, Sid Caesar, lmo- gene Coca. etq. >, may be the origi- nating point for a full-hour sum- mer replacement series on CBS-TV this year. Project is now being evolved under the collective aus- pices of CBS, Jonas Silverstone, the show biz lawyer-manager; Moe Hack, as producer, and agent Abe Lyons. Primarily such a series, it’s felt, will Jllow for a showcasing of new talent and development of new techniques. The Tamiment Work- shop is perhaps one of the most ambitious in the strawhat sectors (camp puts on a full two-hour pro- duction weekly) and it’s the feel- ing at the web that the Tamiment Workshop could be utilized as a tryout spot for directors, pro- ducers, choreographers, designers, etc. , What hour the Tamiment show would occupy, if a deal is finalized, remains to be determined, depend- ing on a crystallization of the sum- mertime schedules. Bing’s 200G Tag On Pair or TV’ers Hollywood, Feb. 1. Bing Crosby’s pair of 60-minute telepix shows will carry a budget tag of $200,000 with sponsqr split- ting the tab and CBS figuring on recouping the balance via the re- run route. Latter angle is also tied in with the coin potential on re- lease of the Crosby twain as the- atrical pix abroad. Producer-director Ralph Levy (who masterminds the Benny shows! says the key to partial solu- tion of tv’s whammo appetite for material lies in hour long tele- filmcrs such as the Crosby type fbr network exposure. Fact of residual values, including theatrical exhibi- tion, gives a producer greater op- portunities to latch on to major story properties unreachable by half-hour pix reiners. As an ex- ample. Levy cited Sir James Barrie’s "A Kiss for Cinderella” as possible Crosby starrer being negotiated. Incidentally. Levy’s deal for Crosby, Burns & Allen, and Benny to appear in a full hour “Mikado” treatment collapsed* w hen the rights couldn’t be cleared, but the web is still negotiating. Crosby’s first tv film will roll in March, but there’s been no decision yet on content. CBS-TV ‘Morning Show’ Hits Revlon Coin Jackpot CBS-TV has wrapped up one of its biggest orders for “Morning Show.” Revlon Products is down for 104 participations in the Jack Parr-ringmastered 7 to 9 a.m. stanza. Cosmetic outfit is taking Wednesday at 7:40-43 and Friday at 7:35-40 and those days thereaf- ter starting next week <9>. William H. Wentraub agency set the deal for Revlon. Revlon Axes ‘Panto’ Revlon has brought the axe down on its ABC-TV exposure of “Pantomime Quiz,” with the show exiting its Sunday-at-9:30 slot Feb. 27. Win. Weintraub agency asked ABC for another time slot, but when the web offered all its open time, agency found none of the slots acceptable. Net -hasn’t come up with a re- placement yet. It would like to continue “Panto” in the time, but the show is under contract to Rev- lon. Sullivan’s 51.8 An All-Time High In Sunday Rivalry In delivering its Trendex big blowr Sunday (30) against Max Liebman’s NBC “Variety” telacu- lar, Ed Sullivan’s CBSalute to the radio era on “Toast” pulled a 51.8 for its final half-hour, an all- time segment record in the show’s seven-year span. The Lincoln-Mer- cury menu w'ound up with an over- all overnight rating of 45 to Lieb- man’s 16.7. The spec drew a low calorie 12.3 while “Toast” was rid- ing to its plus-51 peak. Liebman’s stanza got in its best licks for the first 30 minutes against “Toast.” with 29.7 (to Sulli- van’s score of 38.2). The specola was holding to its batting stance in the 29-point class that it had built in the 7:30 to 8 slot, where it en- joyed morel than a five point edge over Ann Sothern’s “Private Secre- tary.” which racked 23.5. II Liebman May Do Regular Series Next Season (Plus Some Specs) By GEORGE ROSEN The greatest gamble in show business today, and you have Niel- sen’s word (and figures* for it, is the regulation half-hour tv net- work show. It’s a strange turn of events when one considers that only two or^three years ago any other buy would have been char- acterized as unorthodox and in- volving too great an element of risk. But things are different to- day, as witness: Item One: On ABC-TV, there is not a single half-hour show' in the 8 to 10:30 periods, based on the newest Nielsens, that can boast a rating of 30. (Considering the high cost of programming to- day, it’s not unreasonable for a client to shoot for a 30, or a 28 at the least, to achieve a satisfactory cost-per-thousand return on his investment.) Certainly the best situation com- edy on the ABC-TV channels (and one of the best in video) is Danny Thomas’ "Make Room for Daddy,” but the last Nielsen gives it the unrewarding score of 16.2. (Show' carries a $40,000 weekly price tag.) In the same cost range is the Ray Bolger show (reportedly in sponsor trouble). It doesn’t do better than a 13.0. ABC does have a smash in its "Disneyland” Wednesday night entry—but it’s a full-hour show, if anything a departure from the stereotype B attractions inundat- ing the video lanes that charac- terize the majority of the Holly- wood-originating halLhour product. Item Two: Of the approximately 30 half-hour network shows that put in an appearance since the start of the ’54-’55 season, only three can be called a success in 4erms of copping a 30 rating— George Gobel on NBC-TV; “De- cember Bride” Monday nights on CBS-TV (which manages to inherit some of the “Lucy” audience but even so has yet to hit the Nielsen peak that Red Buttons attained in the same slot a couple seasons back); and the Sunday night at 9 "General Electric Theatre” on CBS-TV. which seems to have hit on the right star and story formula that makes for the bigtime. A Dismal Picture Otherwise it*s been a pretty dis- mal picture so far. Even the Thursday night “Justice” on NBC- TV, sandwiched between Groucho Marx’s 45 and “Dragnet’s” 44, manages no better than a 25 rat- ing. CBS’ Friday night “Lineup" has yet to hit a 30 (last Nielsen reading was 27.9>; the costly Mickey Rooney Saturday night show on NBC-TV is a flopperoo with its 19.1; ditto “Father Knows Best” (the cancellation warning is already posted), which shows up with an 18.8; Art Link- -(Continued on page 46* Millionaire Stanton Frank Stanton, CBS prexy, has personally made $2,800,- 000 on the stock market—on paper, at any rate. The Wall St. Journal yesterday (Tues.) noted that the current bull market is bringing huge paper profits to execs in many U S. corporations, with the CBS proxy’s returns among the most spectacular. • Stanton, since 1950, has been isued options permitting him to purchase 50,000 shares of the corp’s stock for $1,703,- 000. At market prices this week, the same 50,000 shares were worth about $4,500,000 (if Stanton bought', an ad- vance bf 164?r, according to The Journal. Hope Tired No TV Next Season; Mebbe As Guest Hollyw'ood, Feb. 1. Agent James Saphier will make no television deal* for Bob Hope next season, on instructions of the comedian, who is making a tem- porary retirement from tv because he’s tired. Hope wants to take it easier. His present NBC contract expires alter this cycle. Deal with General Foods for monthly show runs year to year. He’s not renewing either. Tem- porary retirement came to light w hen General Motors made him a fabulous offer for series next sea- son. His only activity will be indie pix. possibly an occasional guest shot on a color spectacular or a show of the stature of Chrysler’s current series. He feels he’s had too little time for himself. ♦ Max Liebman has indicated that he may go back to a regular week- ly series next season, in all prob- ability an hour-length show. That being the case, he would cut dowji drastically on' producing the spec- taculars, settling for perhaps a few throughout the ’55-’56 season. Liebman will not, however, re- vive his association with either Sid Caesar or Imogene Coca (although it’s understood the latter has made some overtures toward a reunion next season). Caesar is happy with the progress of his 60-minute Monday night show, particularly since the integration of Nanette Fabray in to tht^ permanent cast, and NBC teels assured that the same sponsors will be back in the fall. Liebman is still negotiating on his future contract with the web, having met with both prexy Pat Weave* and Abe Lastfogel (Wil- liam Morris). Nothing, however, has been finalized as yet. As for the specs, Raymond Spec- tor will definitely yank his Hazel Bishop client out of the 90-minute Sunday night once-a-month series, (lie would have done it a long time ago except for a contractual com- mitment.) Oldsmobile, which spon- sors the Saturday night specs, has indicated that it’ll be back in next fall (client has been heartened considerably by its No. 1 Nielsen status for the “Babes in Toyland” production), and the fact that the Monday night “Producers Show- case” series is already projecting the Sol Hurok talent pacts in terms of next season suggests a. continu- ance of the Fred Coe productions. 'There’s Good (Gov’t,) News Tonight 9 It may not show’ on the surface, but Gabriel Heatter’s famed phrase, “there’s good news to- night,” is now figured by foremost executives in the television news field to apply throughout the year in the Federal Government area. the product bluepeneilled than not to have any product available at all. Some of them will even set- tle for a weekly five-minute ses- sion on celluloid, theorizing that such a capsule would be of suf- ficient impact as a highlight when given so regularly, whereas an “ex- tended play” (15 minutes to a half- With Speaker Sam Rayburn having hour) might easily become a dull put the kibosh on “cameras in the routine with few surprises. Congress” immediately upon re-1 Broadcasting news sectors have suming his lofty seat in the House last month, news toppers now feel satisfied that they are reaching the halls of Congress through th« back door, at least, with direct frontal invasion not too far off. The first dent in the lines came some months back when Ike & Co. permitted the tv cameras to look in on them in prearranged Cabinet session. The next big breakthrough, of course, was the film of the President’s news con- ference a couple of weeks ago un- der a White House censorship to which there was no known objec- tion before the fact. Some tv news and public affairs factotums take the position that it is better to have long been knocking at the door for permission to enter Congress it- self, but as has been pointed out, this was merely for the purpose | invasion, of establishing a principle of equal ! newsmen (though visual) access to the news vis-a-vis the dailies, wire services, etc. These same sectors wouldn't turn any handsprings at being given the daily “live show”.passkey to either of the houses of Congress; the money factor is but one prob- lem, but even, if the HCL—High Cost of Lensing—were not in- volved, the biggest headache w'ould be in the programming field: up- 1 nouncements, is setting of regular (including com- J easier, quicker. merciaD schedules, with no guar- LESTER GOTTLIEB’S CBS-TV ONE-SHOT CBS Radio program v.p. Lester Gottlieb, one of the strongest ad- l herents of the aural medium, turns his attention to television Feb. 16 when he’ll produce as a one-shot venture the Wednesday night “Arthur Godfrey & His Friends.” Godfrey will be on vacation at the time, and the show' will feature the 1 regular “friends” cast plus special guests. It’ll have a Washington s Birthday theme. It's Gottlieb's first try at adding I sight to sound. you and De- lias could be maintained. (How do go about producing Kefauver McArmy hearings, with those Mille overtones?) Meanwhile, another door been opened in Edward R. Mur- row'.x two-part looksee of the Senate Foreign Relations Commit- tee in action both as an assembled panel and for individual -question- ing by the CBS analyst via his "See It Now.” If such a strategic committee can be cracked, it’s fig- ured that nearly every other com- mittee is wide open for a similar Some Washington based think the Murrow ap- proach provided by indirection how futile it would be to pitch the cameras *>t Congress itself. Their thinking is that it’s the committees that produce the major news, so that, when an Important issue arises that Ls not yet ready for kick- ing around in the House of Reps or the Senate, lensing the panel as a group or with individual pro- the answer. It’s less costly and doesn’t impinge as much on regu- P&G Seeks Comic Vice Fireside’ Procter & Gamble plans ringing the curtain down on the oldest con- tinually sponsored telefilm series, "Fireside Theatre,” after six years with the show. Compton agency is currently scouting for a comic to step Into the Tuesday-at-9 NBC slot in the fall as a replacement for “Fireside,” which has been riding the pickup from Milton Berle & Co. at 8 p. m. for some years now’. Decision to cancel the show at the end of the season follows by a couple of months Frank Wisbar’s exit as producer. ‘Wisbar turned in his resignation over a reported policy disagreement. "Fireside” has long been viewed as the grand- daddy of the vidpixers, not only from length of time on the air but from the unsurpassed record of residuals the show has racked up in rerun syndication. Original P&G deal on production, incident- ally, pioneered the pattern under which the producer of a telepixer turned out the films for under cost to the sponsor in return for a hold on residual rights, with the bank- roller also getting a share in the rerun coin. antee that viewer interest would or , lar programming. Pabst Bouts Return To Every Week Slot in May When ‘B’way’ Cycle Ends Pabst Beer will get back into an every-Wednesday kick on its box- ing bouts after May 4 when “Best of Broadway” gives the last in ils cycle of hour long dramatics. West- inghouse had made a deal with the lager outfit to take over the 10 to 11 p.in. slot every fourth Wed- nesday of the time held by Blue Ribbon. Pabst will thus be on the prowl to stock the stanza with bigtime fights on a steady Jjasis despite the fact that uniaterrupted scheduling of the fisticuffs with star-tagged bouts is difficult to achieve. The one upbeat factor, however, is that spring and summer make passible an al fresco setting for the fights and the outdoor jousts often have some interest on that basis alone.