Variety (February 1957)

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babio-tbu^sion Radio Reviews FDR—A PORTRAIT IN SOUND With Eleanor Roosevelt, Arthur Schlesinger Jr.; Earle Hyman, narrator Producer-Writer; Henry Morgcnthau III Director; Richard Nelson Editoi-ial Consultants: Joseph Lash, Gertrude Rosenstein 55 Mins., Wed. (30), 8 p.m. WNYC, New York (transcribed) WNYC organized a 55-niinute radio' program last Wednesday (Jan. 30) about the life of the late Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who would hav^ been 75 this year had he lived. The municipally-owned New York City station only proved, through the job it did, that radio has a great interest in and capac¬ ity for these documentary profiles. If taken alone, “FDR — Por¬ trait In Sound” was an excellent program. But to consider WNYC (which when compared to the radio networks has neither the person¬ nel nor the dollars) in light of the growing number of other documen¬ tary studies on all measure of peo¬ ple and things, the stanza last week had its shortcomings. As a study in depth, it lacked sufficient comment by the late President’s enemies and critics. It summed matters up through an in1 cisive statement by historian Ar-I thur Schlesinger Jr. but the pro¬ fessor’s words, while they had au¬ thority and perspective lacked the Oldtime steamboat; races along our Ohio River Valley were often close, and hazardous to put your money on. Quite different from today’s audience race among TV stations. When ypu put your money on WSAZ-TV, you’ve picked THE winner. Survey after survey gives the title to this 69county giant — and the latest Nielsen is no exception. Consider these WSAZ-TV ihargins over the next-best station; 95,670 more homea per month 99,430 more homes per week 101,130 more daytime homes, weekdays 100,580 more nighttime homes, weekdays;,./' WSAZ-TV steams with compar¬ able popularity across a fourstate, domain wherein almost $4,000,000,000 buying power awaits advertisers who like to ride with the winner. The gang¬ way is down at any Katz office. WSAZ, Huntington & WGKV, Charleston LAWRENCE H. ROGERS, PRESIDENT Represented by The Katz Agency roundness that NBC, for instance, gives its portraits in sound— by ap¬ proaching people who Intimately knew the subject at hand yet didn’t like it or him. Granted, that on a commemorative show such as this, it may not have been produ¬ cer-writer Henry Morgenthau’s in¬ tent H feature downbeat elements. Morgcnthau,'who had help in ar¬ ranging lus content from Joseph Lash and Gertrude Rosenstein, turned to. FDR»s wife, Eleanor, a woman noted for her brightness and fairness, fpr a number of re¬ vealing studies regarding the “su¬ preme social experimentalist,” as Schlesinger called him. Much of FDR’s famous 'speeches were ex¬ cerpted and inserted in the special stanza. In retrospect/ particularly for the younger people, they, also, were rfevealing. Earle Hyman’s narrative, which was nicely paced with the help of director Richard Nelson, was rendered well if a shade too pontifically. Art. REPORT FROM WASHINGTON With Robert G. Spivak, Sen. WUliam Fulbright, guest Producer: Leon Goldstein Writer: Spivak 15 Mins., Sun., 9:30 p.m. WMCA, New York (transcribed) There’s' nothing very exciting to report about “Report from Wash¬ ington,” a transcribed radio pro¬ gram bowing on WMCA,’ New York, last Sunday (3). The quar¬ ter-hour stanza by the station, which uriquesjiionably is more con¬ scientious about its public affairs and public service programming than any other indie in town, was a listless piece arranged and run by Robert Spivak from the capital, who will Interview a different solon each week on Federal issues. ' Spivak began by giving a color¬ less, though intelligent, introduc¬ tion to an examination of Eisen¬ hower’s Middle East Doctrine, and he swerved directly into question¬ ing Sen. William Fulbright of Ar¬ kansas. In the course , of the ap¬ proximately 11-minute-long inter¬ view, Fulbright put his finger on one of the show’s greatest prob¬ lems. To a question asked by Spivack, Fulbright submitted that the answer might perhaps be too com¬ plicated to give in such a short amount of time. . As these things happen, the sen¬ ator’s apprehension proved ground¬ less, since he nianaged to squeeze out a complete answer in far less time than he obviously expected himself. Nonetheless, his doubts apply in a broad sense, since its highly unlikely Spivak will ever be able to get much information in depth in 15 minutes. Art. Tele Reviews ^ Continued from page 29 hour was Raymond Massey’s, re¬ corded reading of a Lincoln auto¬ biographical sketch with Sandburg and Newman breaking in with com¬ ments and anecdotes. If anything there was too much Massey and too little Sandburg. His reading of Lincoln’s paean to the Declaration of Independence was a high spot. Whole thing was tastefully rig¬ ged and unfolded with the pro¬ fessional polish that generally can be anticipated for anything the lo¬ cal Columbia station attempts. Dave. FOR GOD AND COUNTRY With Wai Rogers Jr., others Producer: Jack Kuney Director: A. Weston Writer: Martin Plissner 30 Mins., Sun. (3), 3:30 p.m. . CBS-TV, from Hew York CBS Public Affairs division tied up with the American Legion’s “Back To God” movement with a half-hour salute to the four chap¬ lains who died together on the troopship U.S.S. Dorchester when it went down in North Atlantic on. Feb. 3, 1943. The story of the chaplains’ sac¬ rifice was handled effectively and without dramatics in narrative by people who' knew them and their next of kin. It was done with sim¬ plicity and good taste and the message hit home. Will Rogers Jr. emceed with the proper warmth and the 160-voice West Point Chapel Choir supplied a good musi¬ cal setting with workovers of sev¬ eral hymns. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles was, beamed in from Wash¬ ington for 'a niessage from Presi¬ dent Eisenhower and Dan Daniels, the American Legion’s national commander, spoke of the org’s “Back To God” program. It all added up to a touching half-hour for a Sunday afternoon. Gros. Vedneftday, Fcbrnnry 6, 1957 B&W Boys Big Chunk Of Doug Edwards Show, Newscaster Near SRO Douglas Edwards, who for the past couple of months has been sustaining three days a week on his CBS-TV “Douglas Edwards & the News,” jumps ohto the near SRO bandwagon around the first -of April when Brown & William¬ son Tobacco takes the show for two and one-half quarter-hours a week. The B&W buy involves cvery-week sponsorship of two segments plus alternate-week bankrolling of a third. B&W purchase, via Ted Bates, now puts the show in the position where it’s sold out nine out of every 10 broadcasts, with pnly one alternate-week quarter-*hour open. American Home Products, a long¬ time Douglas .sponsor, has the other two days. Buy, incidentally, reflects a Brown & Williamson up¬ beat on news, sponsorship— ^nly a few weeks ago, the ciggie outfit laid out $2,100,000 net for pur¬ chase of NBC ^Radio’s five-minute news pattern involving cosponsor¬ ship of 85 capsules a week. As to the competitive situation_ among the three television net¬ work newscasts, Edwards leads the pack in the second December Niel¬ sen listings with a four-day aver¬ age of 15.6, compared with 11.9 for NBC’s Chet .Huntley-Dave Brinkley combine and 7.5 for ABC’s John Daly, the latter two averaged on a five-day basis. BMI SETS SPEAKERS FOR PROGRAM CUNICS .Twenty-one station, executives have agreed so far to -address one of the five Broadcast Music Inc. television clinics to be given in March. Previously, BMI only held three of the two-day clinics. Fifty names will be listed as speakers by the time .the roster is completed, 10 appearing at each of the five two-day meets. New York ‘ and Fort Worth are set for March 4 and 5; Atlanta and Chi¬ cago for March 7 and 8. and Frisco for Mai;ch 11 and 12. Clinids will take up at least 11 video subjects, including “Local Low Cost Programming,” “Day¬ time Programming,’^ ‘.’What’s Left for Live Programming?”, “Film Shows,” “Program and station pro‘motion,” “Public Affairs” and Pro¬ gramming for Children.” Among the speakers are Ward Quail, WGN-TV, Chicago; Don Schiffman, WBKV-tV, Chicago; Don De Groot, WWJ-TV, Detroit; Alex Keese, W^'AA-TV, Dallas; Gordon Gray, WOR-TV, New York; Norman Knight, WNAC-TV, Bos¬ ton; Otto Brandt, KlNG-TV, Seat¬ tle; Sam Cook Dlgges, WCBS-TV, New York; Frank Fogarty, WOWTV, Omaha; Charles Vanda, WCAU-TV, Philadelphia, and "James Kilian, WAAM-TV, Balti¬ more. ABC-TV Takes Option On Mrs. Ameri(ia Pageant ABC-TV has taken an option through the end of February on a show on the Mrs. America Inc. beauty pageant Saturday, May 11. Network, which did another of these shows a few years ago, indi¬ cated that the show from Fort Lau¬ derdale, Fla., would^only be' done on a sponsored basiSt WPIX 5S=S Continued from paire 33 with WPIX include; Wander COi with “Captain Midnight;” SevenUp with “Soldiers of Fortune;'* Chunky . with “Foreign LegloU;” the latter twice a week;; H. J. Heinz, “Studio .57;” “Ballantine with “Highway patrol;” American Home '' Foods, “Stage 7;” Morris Candy, “Buffalo Bill Jr.;” and Emerson Drug, “Science Fiction Theatre.” Under the heading of new biz, Duffy Mott has joined Winston Cigarets in buying half sponsorship of “Whirlybirds,” the new series which kicks off tomorrow *.(7) at 7:30 p.m. Dale Pmee Studios have bought a half-hour period on Sat¬ urdays at 5 p.m. for a variety show to be emceed by deejay Murray. Kaufman, tentatively titled “Spot¬ light.” Latter show debuts Satur¬ day (9).^ Kellogg has bought half-spon¬ sorship of “Popeye” on Saturdays and with Bactine buying half -spon¬ sorship on Sundays, it puts the SRO sign up on the “Popeye” Sun¬ day through Monday strip. Nation¬ al Biscuit Co.’s special ' products division has purchased the 10 to 11 p.m. segmenf-^f the Westmin¬ ister Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden Monday and Tuesday (11, 12). Recent renewals include United Vintners for half-sponsorship of seven skeins and Piels Beer and Robert Burns for ”Mr. District Attorney.”. MetrO'TV Continued from pace 33 category as “Metro Theatre.” Be¬ ing readied for scripting are “Min and Bill!’ and “The Thin Man/’ with “Scaramouche” also an early starter for summer sale; Sales policy for old Metro fea¬ tures in unsold markets is now being formulated at meetings in the east. Charles C. “Bud” Barry, head of Metro’s tv activities, and Maurice Gresham, western sales head, are now in N. Y. for sessions with Metro distrib toppers. With most of the key markets locked up, it is cohSidered likely that the fuU package of over 700 features will be broken up into smaller groups for easier sale in sejcondary mar¬ kets. How this will be arrived at and the composition of the “bun¬ dle” isi; now being resolved. While east, Barry and Gresham will confer with agencies and clients on their fall requirements and upon their return to the -studio, the .first vidpic series will be geared for early production. WATV Continued frpiu pafi:e 33 and with, the station approaching SRO, . it’S;; said that Irving Rosenhaus, . station chief, Is mulling a repeat' showing of, the films in thb early" of temoonr To help; .imhlenient additional sales, particularly, for feature films, Larry Wynn has been hired. Wynn is former; sales chief, at W ABC-TV and before: that at WABD. He’ll report to Ed Cosmah, WATV sales manager. » V. . Other New Yptk stations ..with color 'facilities av© two network keys,;. ; WCb'S-TV ahd WRCA-TV, and WabD. RCA Ups Price Od Hopes for contlnCiing reductions in the price of color sot? leading to greater tint clrculatldh received a setback this week Wl^n RCA over the weekend hiked prices on thpee of its 10 color units. More¬ over, Charles P. Baxter, Vvp. and general manager of RCAVictor Television Division, warned that “presej^t indications are that it may become nece^ary to make further^ increases on aU* models by next Summer.” . V ' •Baxter, said, “We know there is no possibility 'of. reducing our prices; .on current RCA Victor color television receivers.” . Price in¬ creases, ranging from $45: to $5o, affected only three console models, with RCA’s lowest-priced tint ret, the $495 model, unaffected 'by the hikes. But the warning about in¬ creases next summer Would involve the $495 set a$ thus erasing what has become an industry standard of a $50();sef. MddelS cur¬ rently affected are. the W^cott, rising from $695 td $645, the Dart¬ mouth, increased fifonj $659 to4695 and the Whitley, up from ;$B95 to Fealnres v$, Webs Continued trom pkxe 33 5S5sa hours for theatricais . has 'militated against blue^hippers buying the¬ atrical progkmming pn a national spot scale. Ratings; What happens during a non-rating week when othw than the triple A type pix are exposed. Agency research departments have been watching the ratings and will continue to do so/ but they have a lot of reservations about their con¬ sistency in other than. a few mar¬ kets and t h e4r comparative strength against network shows in particular markets in prime time periods on a day-to-day, hour-tohour basis. There is general a^jeement thk top theatricals have strengthened the attractiveness of many spot ,buys» Rut the ebst factor, coupled with the aforementioned problems, time blocks . and reservations, all make the barometer read no whole-^ sale blue-chip advertisers defec¬ tions from the nets for features. Pittsburgh— Joseph C. Laconi. former Larry Clinton musician and arranger, has been moving up since he quit the tbad several years ago to go into radio in his Rome town, nearby Butler, Pal Laconi just’ been named program director for tv station WIQU and radio station WIKfe in Erie, Pg. . Mgf.i Wlinztii: Morris' Aftaev . iimr.i lAnORNEYi# SHI SMIN smTUKEtnv PULSE. JUNE. 1956 #8 AMONG ALL NETWORK SHOWS ALL WEEK! BEATING: #9 Disneyland #10 Godfrey’s Talent Scouts . . . and many others ZIV tiL^ISION PROGRAMS/lhc. Cincimiati/ Chicago; Hollywood/