Variety (September 1957)

46 RADIO-TELEVISION Wednesday, September 4,.1957 | dissimilar nature do nof run inte tthe “best” problem, but most. syidicated properties are in the action-adventure vein broadly aimed at the same mass audience. B Aussie TY ums CONntinued from page 38 —— is about $400, plus $10 for a license, which goes into the govern‘Ient’s coffers. Retail stores are] presently securing trade via the }hire purchase route, putting a set ‘tinto a client’s home on a low deposit and a weekly payoff of around $5 which naturally puts tv | within the reach of the average this type of prestige entry. Be-| Aussie householder. The Admiral lief is that the local sponsors most | set, manufactured on. license here able to afford “big” shows are the {from the U.S. pattern, is currently strictly-local variety of “prestige” |among the top sellers. sponsors who have to be most careful in their syndicated buying. The local banks and utilities, it’s felt, would hop at the chance to sponsor this type of prestige show. Additionally, the network has|. been encouraged by the local station response tospot-news oneshots like its Khrushchev and Tito interviews, as well as indie oneshots like “Camera*Inside Russia,” the 60-minute filmed tour of Rusbia by Los Angeles . businessman Myron Zobel which picked up several sales last year. , Web doesn’t expect to recoup all its costs with the syndicated reruns, but even getting. back part of the original outlayavill serve to | encourage bigger and better entries in the future, it believes. ‘Double Bills’ ouble Bills @—. Continued from page 2 = can ‘be advantageous. Buf when selling is keyed ta local and regional adertisers—such as the Ziv and Television Programs of America operations—concentrating on more | than*one show has its pitfalls. The local or regional advertiser in most instances can only select one show, and agency and sponsors, for an‘other reason, expect the show being pitched to be the best offered by the particular syndication house. Of course shows of a completely iid Stuf Radio TV Chicago Sun-Times, in borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, hag dropped its daily radio listings to avail space for Paul Molloy's new daily tv column, “It’s the Moljoy.” With John Crosby’s syndicated cols umn discontinued except for the Sunday edition, the Marshall Field ‘paper has expanded Molloy’s chore from thrice weekly to a six-day {full double-column. Radio is now represented in the sheet only in a three-inch listing of highlights. New column wfil carry reviews, personality profiles, and inside cove ~ WBBM-TV's Pix Buy wa Continued from pase 33 see rival, WGN-TV, via NTA’s film|but neither has so far come in network stanza, “Premiere Per-. ee ne eae, nee has the ” Phe station, which has the The bay Ne being ana de appar-|leanest feature film larder of all, being the last of the stations here ently to counter auto dealer Jim | to join the trend, went after the Moran’s recent rearmament with] “Rocket 50” package too but lost $500,000 worth potent Warner | Out in the bargaining. Bros. titles for the hot Sunday “Odyssey’ night skirmishes. Moran's ‘Couraman Continued from page 32 Molloy, who took over the Sun-Times desk from Lucia Carter last January, is being given a king-size buildup by the paper in the trade, He has recently returned from visits to both coasts and is being sent to the origination centres again in November. Molloy came to the Sun-Times from the Scripps-Howard Commercial-Appeal in Memphis, where he wrote a tv column for three years, and ‘prior to that he was a Time-Life staffer. tesy Theatre” on WGN-TV “had held dominion of the period for several years and began slipping only last January when WBBMzTV’s pix started making inroads. Since then its been a dogfight every week. Surprising aspect to the purchase is that the CBS station, on the face of it, is the least hard up for old Hollywood product. Only last November, WBBM-TV stocked itself with the MGX arsenal of 723 pictures at a total cost of about $2,500,000. Presumably these were to have provided seven solid years of firstruns (at the rate of two a week), with a three-year supply of dynamite attractions. . The “Rocket 50” deal tips off to the station’s disenchantment with the alleged highpoweredness of the MGM big guns. Although 39 of | the NTA 50 have already -been shown here, feeling appears to be that there’s still plenty of potency in titles like ‘“Guadalcanal Diary,” “Forever Amber,” “Grapes of Wrath,” “Leave Her to Heaven,” and “Gentlemen's Agreement.” The film buy is to be a multi-run deal for three years, and NTA’s Jonnie Graff, who’s instrumenting it here, claims the pack| age is bringing a higher price than the .previous “Rocket 86” bundle of firstruns. The NTA features, in among some of the MGM powerhouse titles, will be slotted against such “Courtesy Theatre” offerings as “Casablanca,” “Johnny Belinda,” “Key Largo,” and “Sergeant York.” The other two Windy City Stations, NBC’s WNBQ and ABC’s WBKB, are also pitting feature films in the Sunday night battle NBC-TV is staging a closed-circuit “preview” of its fall season téday (Wed.) for affiliates and the press, with originations in New York and the Coast. It’s a one-hour show, scripted by Arnie Rosen & Cole: man J. acoby, with Ton Naud producing the colorcast. Participating will be Steve Allen, Alfred Hitchcock, Perry Como, Dinah Shore, Eddie Fisher, George Gobel, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Robert Young and William Bendix. NBC prexy Bob Sarnoff arid exec v.p.’Bob Kintner will also do on-camera stints. New Line of Command At Erwin Wasey, R&R In Formalizing Merger | Merger of Erwin, Wasey and Ruthrauf & Ryan ad agencies into the new Erwin Wasey, Ruthrauff & Ryan operation (that’s the for‘mal title), with their estimated combined billings of $80,060;000,. was formalized over the weekend. Erwin, Wasey prexy Dave Williams ‘takes on the presidency of the new company, with R&R board chairman Robert M: Watsonbecoming. chairman of the board of the new j agency. | EF. Kenneth Beirn, R&R president, becomes EWR&R senior v.p., while Wasey board chairman Howard Williams becomes chairman ofgthe new financé committee and, former R&R exec v.p. Roswell Metzger becomes chairman of the executive committee: Merger was consummated via an exchange of stock of both: companies for the ‘new EWR&R stock. New agency will sport four exec. v.p.’s, James B. Briggs and. Jere Patterson in N.Y., Haakon Groseth and Larry Northrop in Chicago and Emmett McGaughey in Los Angeles. New agency will have nine other domestic offices plus overseas branches CBS-TV has lost its rights to the “Nancy Drew” books after having done a pilot on the teenage series and gone into additional expenditures on scripts, etc. Web filmed the pilot last spring, but wasn’t satisfied and called in Carol Irwin, former producer of “Mama,” to takeover the project. Miss Irwin and a scripting staff set up shop and turned out three new scripts, but by that time rights to the property had elapsed and }couldn’t be renewed. So for the time being, the “Nancy Drew” series is out as a possibility for 1958. or : First American broadcast of the performance of the Philharmonia Hungerica, composed of musicians who escaped from Hungary. during that country’s uprising last year, will be presented on CBS Radio’s “World Music’ Festivals” Sept. 15. , Broadcast will consist of excerpts from the orchestra’s recent Freedom Concert in Vienna, its first performance since its oranization, ‘CBS music director James Fassett, who tapes the “Festivals” shows; will also interview Peter Scobady, the orchestra’s manager. Fassett will also make an appeal for assistance for the orchestra, which need¢ financial help and a permanent home. ee: Arthur Hanna, in charge of the American Theatre Wing’s radio-ty division, has set a lineup of guest directors for the Wing’s “Commercials for Radio and Television” workshop course. List includes Lucille Mason of Compton; Rex Coston of Ogilvy, Benson & Mather; Rusy | Armbruster of Doherty, Clifford Steers & Shenfield; Chet Gierlach of McCann-Erickson; Al -Cantwell of BBD&O; Russ Ford of Dancer-Fitzgersig Sample; Chuck Kebbe of Ted Bates and Roland Howe of Ruthra yan. . erage of the business with about one-third per day devoted to local ty, , NBC’s. s ED SULLIVAN ... DAILY NEWS “If he can continue to lick that murderous nine-hour-per-week schedule, Jack Paar will emerge as the TV sensation of the year. So far, his ‘Tonight’ program has been conspicuously fine, distinguished by his good taste, and his ‘pro’ quality, Paar registers exactly as he is,.thoroughly nice.” BILLBOARD “NBC-TV’'s new ‘Tonight’ stanza should give late night viewers a new interest. Its star, Jack Paar, has always been an extremely personable geft, and on his new showcase, his charm. and talent are even more in evidence. Paar has a real chance to put ‘Tonight’ back into the bigtime.” JANET KERN ... CHICAGO AMERICAN . “This business of having a great, side-splitting ‘Tonight’ has got to stop or ‘Tonight’ will be the death of me before NBC has a chance to snatch up Paar's profitable option.” ‘BEN GROSS... DAILY NEWS _ “Jack, one of the keenest and wittiest entertainment personal ‘ities of our day.” . “For years, critics and discriminating viewers have hailed Paar as one of the cleverest and most literate of comedians.” DICK KLEINER .. . NEA STAFF CORRESPONDENT “Knowing Paar’s record of success—success as far as the public goes—it’s a good bet he’ll be the next big star.” STURGIS HEDRICK ... BUFFALO “Jack Paar’s version of the NBC ‘Tonight’ frolic showed pos: sibilities in its premiere of making the After Dark fans forget all about his predecessors. His ready wit: and natural charm fit nicely into the relaxed format.” BOB. WILLIAMS ... NEW YORK POST “The more you look at Paar, the more you like him.” JACK O'BRIAN... JOURNAL-AMERICAN “The Jack Paar Show last night hit its pleasantest, brightest, warmest, nicest party-mood stride .... Now a Dandy.” : N ‘ SHOW BUSINESS JOHN FINK ... CHICAGO TRIBUNE “A&A thoughtful, perplexed and amused observer from the mad and whirling world. But Paar is Paar, a lonely man, a great comedian, and, I think, a good bet to pull ‘Tonight’ back into the ranks of the top-flight shows.” TIME MAGAZINE . “Paar’s low-toned impudence and highhanded wit often came off engagingly.” “it Iooks as if Paar might be able to realize NBC’s hopes of keeping TV ‘live’ after 11, when many U.S. homes are surfeited with aged Hollywood movies.” ROLAND E, LINDBLOOM ... NEWARK EVENING NEWS “Jack Paar got off to a happy start as the boss of the newly revised ‘Tonight’ on NBC.” “The major burden of entertainment fell on Jack—and his style of humor was refreshing.” “Paar radiatés a charm and a basic intelligence (latter a rare commodity on TV) that is completely refreshing. At times “=his humor resembles that of a New Yorker Magazine cartoon, a condition that will rebound to his credit and increase his viewers as time goes,on.” « HARRY HARRIS .. . THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER “Jack Paar’s ‘Tonight’ is shaping up as a consistently amusing —and. dangerously subversive—-105 minutes. Subversive of sleep, that is. If*you get the habit, it’s like nibbling peanuts.” ‘NICK KENNY ... DAILY MIRROR “I like’ Jack Paar’s tongue-in-cheek interviews on his new ‘Tonight’ show on NBC-TV and if he keeps up that pace, he'll soon be the hottest thing in town.” SID SHALIT ... DAILY NEWS| “Jack Paar’s low-pressure satire is the comedy highspot of TV these nights, a refreshing switch from others’ hamminess and ho-humminess.” : s DIRECTION—MCA wi