Variety (September 1957)

oe RADIO-TELEVISION Onward & Upward With Ward Quaal As WGN-TV Moves Into No. 2 Spot nn By LES BROWN Chicago. Sept. 24. . 9 : WGN-TV’s ascension to second Stendahl $ Trendex Jf educational television place in this important four-station market during recent months| ever has to come up with a ig not only coincidental with, but} rating system, book sales may must be directly attributed to,}. Prove the new barometer. By Ward Quaal’s handling of the reins.| that index, says WCBS-TV, Quaal’s masterminding is particu-| N.Y., which preemed its “Sunlarly impressive considering (1) that] rise Semester” educational sethe Chi Tribune-owned station is| Tries on the modern novel, it’s the sole indie here among three} gota hit onits hands. network o&o’s and consequently at Station received word from a programming disadvantage, (2)} Random House Monday mornthat Quaal has served only slightly} ing (23), after the show premore than a year as the WGN-| miered, to the. effect that it WGN-TC chieftain, and (3)to use| had been receiving calls from his own description, that WGN-TV] dealers all over New York askwas a “miserable fourth” in Chi{| ing for rush orders: on Stenjn August 1956 when Quaal was| dahl’s “The Red and the Black,” which Random pub brought in as general manager, 3 lishes in its Modern Library Quaal has spent his first 14 months in the exec post making] series and which was the first changes, and the dollars and cents} book studied in the’ series. _ results he’s acheived testify that he WCBS-TV ‘then checked didn’t make them randomly. His| Brentano's, which reported a purpose was to change the concept} sellaut of 1,000 copies since of the stations from what they were| ast week, and even a rush on under Frank Schreiber’s longtime} the French version. Same helmship, and it’s no’ secret that| story came from Barnes & in doing this he’s. emulating the| Noble, Scribner’s and Doublenewspaper that owns WGN. Inc.| day Book Stores. The Fergu son Library in Stamford, Quaal is shooting for prestige. Conn., then called to find out « 3 CZ Radio Biz Up 24%¢ . what next week’s book is (Bal Among the palpable results’so|} 7ac'g “Pere Goriot”) so it could far under his regime, radio billings! scrape up additional copies have improved 24.8% over the first] qt had to place its three copies eight months of last year, while tv) o¢ “Req and Black” in the refbillings have gone up 16.9% in the erence section. Some ‘book: same comparative period. In Austores also called Random gust of 1956, about 187% of WGN,| House to place rush orders on. Inc.’s business was placed by na-| «oriot” as well : tional -advertisers; today national! Tt clients account for 61.75% of the: stations’ billings. Says Quaal, “We had to upgrade the programming to do it, and we had to get rid of the hard-sell pitchmen.” This he did aimost immediately, sloughing some $595,000 in tv business, and about $200,000 in radio, during his first six months as v.p. and general manager. “We've actually done better, businesswise, without it,’’ he says. The status of second place in t this WBBM-IV (CBS)-dominated: tended appearance on video Dec. 8, market belongs to WGN-TV by dint; toplining NBC-TV “Chevy Show” of ARB share of audience percent-: special. Hal Kanter will script}ing a stronger show and sponsor ages for the past seven months.’ ang direct, and Nanette Fabray and’ for the slot between Caesar-Coca at Latest American Research Bureau! Snirjey MacLaine will guest. : and the 7:30 to 8:30 “Maverick,” falo, is new president of the New York State Assn. of Radio and Television Broadcasters. He was elected (18), at a meeting in the Van Curler Hotel, to succeed E. R. Vadebonceur, of WSYR, Syracuse. ’ Other new officers are Gordon 1H. Stilwell Brown, Rural: Radio | Network, Ithaca, 2d v.p.; George Dunham, WNBF, Binghampton treasurer; Elliott Stewart, WIBX | Utica, secretary. Directors. chosen: J. Milton Lang, WGY and WRGBTV, Schenectady; C. Robert | Thompson, WBEN-TYV, Buffalo; Paul Godofsky, WHLI, Hempstead; Paul Adanti, WHEN and WHENTV, Syracuse; George W. Bingham, WKIP, ‘Poughkeepsie; Andrew Jarema,. WKOP, Binghampton. Caesar-Coca Into Sun. 9 ABC Slot Vs. GE Segs, Dinah reteamed after three seasons, start on ABC-TV as of Jan. 26 in the Sunday at 9 slot under an 18-week contract. with Helena Rubinstein, cosmetic house entering video .for the first time, It’ll be-a half-hour !show. Network disclosed that it |has the two comedians under ex Rowan & Martin cuss ° em & TV Chevy Special. ic In his new time slot Caesar will be facing such formidable compe Hollywood, Sept. 24. Comedy team of Dan Rowan and tition as. “GE Theatre” on CBS ‘Dick Martin will make first ex and Dinah Shore on NBC. Network is accelerating its ef|forts to find a replacement for “Bawling Stars,” sponsored by American Machine & Foundry Co. at 8:30 on Sundays.. ABC, having the right in preempt the half-sold show at: almost any time, is seek findings for one-week sampling, Pair, under: NBC pact for past owned by Kaiser. from signon to_ signoff, gives! vear or so, have only made guest Hal Janis will produce the new WBBM-TV frst with 340 wen appearances on tv so far. They'll | palf-hour. Cuxesar said that he has no firm: format in mind. He did . tinue visits on other shows third 22.8 and ABC’s fourth with! °°? : : * : di ; ._,_| with guesting on Dinah Shore’s that the “Commuters” routine 20.8. ‘Latter, by the way, is clain-| Oct, 27 show definitely lined-up say tha ing second by way of recent N lelson: and commitments:for Bob Hope, TY second with 23.0, NBC’s WNBQ was kaput, though he would sporadically do some kind of husbandwife skit. Caesar has made an arto perform inthe series in much the same fashion as his former standbys Carl Reiner ‘and Howard Morris.. Latter is committed else‘where, according to Caesar. Reiner Statistics, but WGN-TV has been, Perry Como and Steve Allen more consistently the runner-up iN; shows, although dates aren’t nailed ARB). On the four week (July-' down for datter. : Continued on page 47} Rowan & Martin also will ap_. pear twice at Las Vegas Sands Hotel in a 10-week period, opening ABC Mulls Fr ee d with Jane Russell on Oct. 2 and rea bh . turning with Sammy Davis Jr. on | i. writing a’ book and appearin 3 Dec. 18. In between, team will ap| this week on CBS’ “Playhouse 002 ° _ {pear at Statler Hotels in Detroit] Taring a hiatus after the Jast ¥ $i and Cleveland. _ Sunday in May, Rubinstein has opal fF, ISIC S: Additionally, pair have pact to | tions to. return the following séaat. , ~ , make two pix for Universal next | <q As ABC-TV is maki _; year. . veep in charge of ABC-TV. Ogilvy, amination of the nak ne anal ok ~ Benson & Mather closed the pact nono gaps in its week: ime os oe \for Rubinstein early Friday (20) end nighttime program schedule, ; Says Climax Invaded ayem. Network said sponsor is buythere is talk that the Alan Freed H p > 5 CBS. ing every week on the largest ABC rock ’n’ roll show may be brought ‘lineup it can get. back sometime Saturday evening. er ErIvacy,. ues ? Until the ABC disclosure of his Meanwhile, the network is trying Chrysler for $1 250 000 exclusive services, Caesar (repped to finalize plans to give Dick Clark, ‘ ’ yw} by Janis, the producer of his foremcee of its afternoon “American Haliywood, Sept. 24. | mer NBC show) was dickering with Bandstand,” a Saturday night show| Her privacy was invaded $1,250,both NBC and CBS. NBC was willat 7:30. _, 000 worth, Mrs. . Virginia Dill| ing ot offer the comedian guest Clark is being prepped for a; charged last week in a suit filed in| appearances in several of ifs sperecord-spinning show during which! Superior Court here against CBS-jcials this fall, e.g., General Motors teeners dance to the music. This!TV, Chrysler Corp. and scripter} 50th anniversary show and the is! essentially the arrangement he/ Dick Stenger. Cause of action was; Standard Oil lineup, and also guarfollows on the afternoon stanza,! alleged use of story material in-; antee work for his writing and prowhich comes from WFIL-TV, Phil-! volving her family, despite fact! duction staff until it could. get him ly. The nighttime weekender, how-! she withheld ‘permission, in Sept.'a slot of his own next year. But, ever; will have.the emcee eman-.5 CBS “Climax” segment entitled; it was reported, that negotiations ating from New York. i“Trial by Fire.” i fell through when Caesar demandThe Freed musicaler. could either| Teleplay, written by Stenger, re-! ed a guarantee of $100,000 from fill in at 7:30 if the Clark deal{ volved around Malibu-Zuma fires: NBC in order to keep him on ice falls through (Clark may have! of last year-end. At. the time, com-: until the network lined up a reguother commitments), or move into: Plaint states, Mrs. Dill’s 14-year-, lar Caesar program. part of the hour being set aside: old son was quizzed by Sheriff's] CBS was, on another recent oc from 8 to 9 for “Country Musici arson squad as a possible suspect of: casion, asked to guarantee the tv: Jubilee.” Latter is considered: starting the fire, a charge ‘‘vehe-; performer a net of $41,000 weekly more likely by network execs. ;mently” denied by his family, Word: for his tv package.’ That deal also Sunday is really wide open. The: apparently got around about the: came to naught. network is trying to peddle the. questioning and Stenger, in prep-| Initially, when Caesar went off 9:30 slot, after Sid Caesar. and: ping his story, requested permis-: last spring, amid much lamenting Imogene Coca, who come on Jan.;sion to incorporate these facts,: by the public ‘and press alike, he 26. At 10, there is a filmed show, | which was expressly denied, she! did not want to do a half-hour proalready started, that will carry the! eantends. gram, such as the kind NBC was web through the football season | The tv play made her “nervous,: then offering him. However, sevat any rate. It’s a packaged round-:distraught and upset,” Mrs. Dill| eral weeks later he indicated that up of weekend football highlights; charges and she’s asking $1,000,000. he would be willing to do a halfuntil 10:30. iin general damages from defend-, hour show. It was at that point, Freed's “Big Beat” had a summer? ants, and additional $250,000 inj he again became Miss Coca’s partrun on the network. [punitive damages. ner. _ ELECT DOERR PREXY| Gray, WOR, New York, first v-p.;: Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca, . rangement with actor Paul Reed) according to. Oliver. Treyz, Wednesday, September 25,-1957 T-Ratio Production Centres IN NEW YORK ‘CITY... NBC-TV “Suspicion” pfoducer. Mort: Abrahams has inked Sarreit Rudley, who initially did the Oct. 7 preem show, to contract for three more of the 60-minute scripts ... Larrye DeBear, WHAS-TV, Louisville,.newsman is on his way through to join WTIC-TV, in Hartford ... . Jack Harrington, prexyof ‘Harrington. Righter & Parsons reppery, to Ashville, N.C., yesterday (Tues.) to attend NARTB regional conclave » « » Irv Lichtenstein. named director of promotion and ‘exploitation for American Broadcasting Network, quitting as veep in charge of pub-licity and such at WWDC, Washington .., Jon Gnagy returns to WABD Sunday (29) with more of his artcasts ... Carmel Quinn into Friday (27) Art Ford show ever same outlet ... Eddie Albert will guest star on the Oct. 18 Patrice Munsel show on ABC-TV. Clarence Menser, who “made it” via Florida orange groves and cattle ‘ranch since leaving NBC some years back (remember ‘Censor Men ser’?), currently in town. He’s shifting his scene of lucrative operations to Vero Beach, Fla . .. Ted Sack, formerly a producer for CBS public affairs, has moved down to Miami, where he’s been appointed operations coordinator at WTVJS ... Garry Meore did the narration for two upcoming Westminster LP sides, “Peter & the Wolf” and “Car- ‘nivak of:the Animals”... Arnold Peyser now one of the writers on the: Dinah Shore show, and has moved, his family to the Coast .. :Sarrett | Rudley doing three scripts for the live segments in the “Suspicion” series, with Mort Abrahams producing .. . Sourid Recording Inc., new firm headed by Morton Schwartz, opening in N.Y. Jacques L. Feinsod {is sales nranager and Henry Rousseau chief of the sound dept .. . Jack .Benny will be guest speaker at the fundraising dinner for Bonds for Israel in Atlantic City Nov. 9... Max Buck, WRCA & WRCA-TV di rector of sales and marketing, will be co-speaker with New Jersey Gov. Robert. Meyner at the annual Shopright Supermarkets dinner -at the Waldorf-Astoria Sunday (29) . . . Jim Gajnes, ex-NBC and now prexy of WOAI-TV, San Antonio, a Gotham holdover from the NBC affiliate powwow for Associated Press huddles (since he’s now a director of AP)... Frank Goodman named publicity consultant for CBS-TV’s . “Seven Lively Arts” . ...WRCA-TV program director George Heine Mann inaugurated a six-week seminar on tv production and direction techniques for WRCA-TYV personnel ... William Glemens on two CRS TV series this week, the cross-the-hoard “Verdict Is Yours’ and the’ WCBS-TV “Our Nation’s Roots” Saturday (28) ... Joseph Campanella on “U.S. Steel Hour” tonight (Wed.) in play starring Burgess Meredith. . « Dave Cammerery scripting the ‘Herman Hickman “Sports Time” segment on CBS Radio ... Dick Feldman, who directed the Julius La Rosa show this summer on NBC-TYV, assigned.to direct the Martin Agronsky “Look Here” series . .. Vivian Smolen celebrating her 12th year as lead in “Our Gal Sunday” . . . Lawyer-author Eleazar Lipsky turned in his 80th story for CBS Radio’s “Indictment” series, with Allan Sloane adapting ... NBC veep William Hedges appointed chair man of the radio-tv division of the 52d annual Travelers Aid Society of N.Y. fund drive . . . Sam Slate, WCBS general manager, back after a one month business-vacation trip to Europe... June Lockhart set for three “U.S. Steel Hour” leads, Nov. 6 and. Dec. 18 and a January date. She’s already set for an Oct. 3 lead opposite Eddie Albert on “Climax” . » WCBS’s Jack Sterling emceed the Stamford United Community Fund Banquet last night (Tues.) Scripter-director Newt Meltzer and his wife left for a two-month European writing-vacation jaunt, and in his absence-Meltzer’s “The Big Heist” airs Nov. 13 on “Kraft Theatre,” with Bert Lahr in the lead . .. Eddy Arnold doing a quarter-hour. strip or WCBS-,.. Arthur Hughes back into the cast of “Our Gal Sunday”, after touring with Hume Cronyn & Jessica Tandy in ‘Man in the Dog Suit”... Del Sharbutt not only signed as announcer on “Hit Parade,” but also to-announce ABC Radio’s “Jim. Backus Shaw” and ABC-TV’s “Do You Trust Your Wife?” ... Mary.Maloné into the cast of “Our Gal Sunday” and Cathleen Cordell into a new role on “Backstage Wife,” both CBSoaps ... Frances A. von Berhardi, casting director at Air Features, back at work after a serious illness ... Arnie Raskin, formerly with NBC’s press dept. and now a Marine Corps sergeant, doing a weekly Marine Corps television show originating from WITN, Washington, N.C... : Bil MeAndrew, director of NBC news, appointed to the Freedom of. Informa-. tion Committee of NARTB ... Judy Scott, Decca recording artist, set for the preem of the Paul Winchell show Sunday (29) on ABC-TV .... WCBS, doing the Ivy: League football games for the fourth year ina row, with Bill Hickey and Dave Dugan calling the plays... Ceril L. Trigg; general manager owner of KOSA-TV, Odessa, Tex., in town for huddles with John Pearson reppery ... Campbell Soup, via Leo Bure. nett, will place a spot schedule in the top 12 markets beginning Sept, 30. Franco-American spaghetti division also placing a spot schedule for 39 weeks in same 12 markets ... Ed Petry reppery thas arnnotinced ad-_ dition of Richard Trapp to New York'sales staff of Petry TV, and Judy Louis-Dreyfus ta the tv promotion research department as a writer. On the eve of the Notre Dame kickoff game, Mutual, which is airing the series, backed by Pontiac, will broadcast a special 25-minute show Friday (27) on the university, themed on a father-son discussion of the School’s heritage . . . WLIB again this year will broadcast portions, of the Jewish High Holiday. services from the West.Side congregation B’Nai Jeshurun, as a public service .. . Webb Pierce does a guest shot on “The Big Record” tomorrow (Thurs.) ,. . Starting yesterday (Tues.), Mufial’s “Queen for a Day” stanzas broadcast earlier in the mornings from 10:05 to 10:30 a.m., instead of the regular 11:35 am., to make way for the reconvened Senate Racket Committee hearings from Washington, " Joe Franklin begins his fifth consecutive year as host of WABC-TV’s afternoon “Memory Lane” today (Wed.), and: for the last several months the stanza, based generally on old time flicks, has heen running near or at the SRO level sponsorwise ... Rep. Emanuel Celler became a WINS regular, with a Sabbath evening quarter-hour that kicked off this week (22) ... WABC-TV newscaster John Cameron Swayze flies: to Europe today and returns Oct. 7; he mixes vacation with biz, will interview Greek Prime Minister Caramanlis and U.S. Ambassador George vy. Allen... Dick (Ricardo) Sugar gets a new evening Latino slot on WAAT, stripped from 8 to 9 p.m.... Alfred Lehman quits Marchalk & Pratt for WQXR copywriting. oo, , Marty Roth named producer of CBS Radio’s “Sez Who?” ... Leslie Barrett set for “Modern Romances” cast tomorrow (Thurs.) ... Henry G. Kirwan has resigned as secretary-treasurer of Gotham -Broadcasting (WINS), to reestablish his certified public accounting firm, which will specialize in radio, tv and theatrical accounting ... . Virginia Payne, “Ma Perkins” star, selected by the United Church Women to narrate a shadow play at the organization’s testimonial dinner Oct. 1 at Riverside Church . .-. Pegeen (& Ed) Fitzgerald, who started a new. five-aweek afternoon series on WOR-TV, has accepted the chairmanship of the Women’s Radio & TV Division of the Democratic campaign which Robert W. Dowling and Grover Whalen are heading ... Doris Hope signed as associate editor on the West Coast for Kraft TV Theatre. Which means she’ll be looking for scripts. IN HOLLYWOOD ...¢ . Parke Levy, creator-producer-part owner of “December Bride,” is now a full-fledged ASCAP member.-He has,writtén six songs (words and music) for His show ,.. Seven directors pitched in on a one-minute commercial for Winston and no gag. They alt happened to be around (Continued. on page 50)