Variety (November 1957)

44' BADIO-TELEYISIOX PSriett Wednesday, November 20,1957 TV Follow-Up Comment ; Continued from page 34 ; duced by Sam Coslow for a pro¬ jected series called “The Story Behind the Song.” Coslow co¬ reined it with Jerry Stagg on the Hal Roach lot last summer and wrote a preliminary script, though the finished material for Tuesday's show was done by Laslo Vadnay. It is not often that an outside pilot will reach the light of the tv tube on a regular series. In story or “human interest” value, the segment was average. The chief interest was twofold— iU a true story, granting some license on dramatization, and (2), possibly of greater importance, the fast that the songwriter involved, Carmichael, was played by himself as the lead. According to the script, Carmichael was handed the “I Get Along” lyrics by a romantic teenage girl attending a school event where the tunesmith was guest-operating the 88. A decade or so later, he set “ Get Along Without You Very Well” to music, but his conscience would not per¬ mit him to affix his name as lyricist. Thus 'began a nationwide search centered around Walter Winchell broadcasts and columning (with Winchell as Winchell, for another “from the horse’s mouth” fillip). In on this search expedition were Carmichael’s agent and his pub¬ lisher, the latter Famous Music as repped then by Sid Komheiser (fictionalized to Sid Kramer), Its general professional manager (now with E. H. Morris Music). There was a nostalgic bit in which .files of the old Life magazine, In which the poem appeared, had to be glommed. The lyricist was finally caught u'p with—Jane Brown, by this time married (Mrs. Thompson) and in failing health. According to the yarn, Mrs. Thompson died shortly after hearing the premiere radio version of the song at her home in the presence of Carmi¬ chael, et al., with Tony Mitchell doing the vocal as a “stand-in” for Dick. Powell, who in those days and previously was known more for his chirping than his acting. There seemed to be quite a hurrah about getting the song showcased, though one reviewer cannot make claim to remembering that “I Get Along Without You Very Well” ever became as solid a tune as this script seemed to indicate. Ben Lessy and Alan Reed were in the cast. Tran. 'the imaginatively plotted Meltzer script had a merry romp. Able support also came from the rest of the cast including Ralph Bell, and Lee Bergeie. Direction by David Alexander under the pro¬ duction aegis of Maury Holland was smart and well-paced. The en¬ try on one of the few live tv dramas based in New York repre¬ sents a strong argument in reex¬ amining the wholesale exodus to the Coast. Horo. Mike Wallace Interview Perhaps Elsa Maxwell isn’t to be taken seriously. In a frivolous mood with Jack Paar on NBC-TV’s “Tonight” (every Tuesday), the boss-lady of the “dahling set” comes off as an uninhibited and gay gal but in the “depth” inter¬ view approach a la Mike Wallace, she was solemn and not too reveal¬ ing. Most of the Maxwell attitudes dug up by Wallace in the 30-minute q&a session already have become pari of public domain Her cracks j sh ow had a good^sjontan^us qual- about Javne Mansfield. Elvis Pres- ___ „ ’ _, The Real McCoys There isn’t a higher grade com in all tv than that peddled weekly by ABC-TV's “The Real McCoys.” Grandpa Amos (Walter. Brennan), Luke (Richard Crenna) and Kate (Kathy Nolan) are a real folksy patch of people* as was attested to on last Thursday’s (14) edition of the half-hour telefilm skein, "Luke Gets His Freedom.” And writer Bill Manhoff twisted the last drop of sentimentality from his quill pen to make the setup complete. It’s all so hokey that it can’t be taken seriously, and for that rea¬ son this quarter can’t see any really strong reason why cityfolk shouldn’t -appreciate and enjoy it for what it is. The show is already big in the hinterlands, so much so that country cousin appreciation has offset the early low returns in town and made the half-hour No. 1 in its 8:30 p.m. bin. Played by most anybody else but Brennan in the lead, it would be a pretty standard situation com¬ edy, but the veteran thesp throws himself vigorously into the incon- sequentil playlet and comes off wlnningly. Crenna and Miss Nolan as grandson and grandaughter- in-law play a pair of attractive hill- williams. Still and all, “The Real McCoys” is really only an age re¬ moved from the Neanderthal. Art. . Wisdom Igor Stravinsky, at 75 “dean” of , the music moderns, made a colorful | subject on NBC-TV’s “Wisdom” j series Sunday (17) when he dis¬ cussed his long career and offered assorted comments oil his works. Since Stravinsky obviously is' a man who likes to talk, and is able to express the essence of his crea¬ tion, the filmed interview moved rapidly and interestingly, if on the “egghead” level. Programs such as this, being de¬ veloped by Henry Salomon’s spe¬ cial projects division, are definitely j worth while, particularly - since! there’s no attempt to “jazz ’em up” ' for the mass audience. Out of the Stravinsky interview, imaginatively lensed by Floyd Crosby, emerged the personality of the composer— thoughtful, a little vain, very dy¬ namic in his, approach to music; a firebrand whose impact on his field has been felt for many decades. I Directed by Robert D. Graff, the . T — , T - j show had a good, spontaneous qual- about Jayne Mansfic d. Elvis Pres-, it though a professional inter- ley. Nikki Khrushchev, et aL ; viewer might have been more at have already trickled down from j ease than | obert Cr aft, the youn g the cocktail ciowd to the ice-; American conductor, who was cast cream soda sippers. Also such , ^ the role< Sdu „ d in the show was trivia as the feud’s on-off bit with ! exeeDtionallv good the Duchess of Windsor and the! ex ^ pUon , > g °° a> „ . ■ . feucl’s-on stand with author Cleve-| Stravinsky told-of inventjpg the land \niorv new scale > an< 3 shocking Ins uncle T „„„„ 1 in Russia; of writing the “Fire- w.Jtiv Till Pnn vh I bird” f° r Diaghilev.; of the new 1°$?? i musical forms of today “based on Di rt We Must even thou 0 h e\erj-, tbe new mus ical technology." He thing was on the surface. Gros. though the comparison of his works. with the poetry of James Joyce Kraft Television Theatre . was justified, and he told of his A Runyonesque -comedy scripted great fondness for Dylan Thomas, by Neuton Meltzer and starring Whv does the miblie m-otest evei-v BJK 1 .Lahr came off withi rollicking i time ? new fa JS Kraft Telovision Theatre NBC TV* : tormed? "Each time I have new Kiatt Television Theatre, NBC-T\. ;problem{ . andI require new ap _ Titled “The Big Heist,” the hour proaches,” he replied. “I am in- outing was one of those rare in-; e vitably ahead of my public.” The stances when a combination of interview had some pleasant human script, performances and direction touches. It was well-worth while, jelled to offer click entertainment Hift. in the comedy vein. The yocks* _ were aimed at the belly depart- \ Climax ment rather than cerebral appeal i crisis in the life of a Korean vet and vet performer Lain lealized ,f aced w ith the possibility he will every line and situation. I fi un k an important college exam He had able co-starring support ; and thus lose a prize job waiting, from Fred Gwynne and Mildred; him was the peg of the interest- Natvvick, both of whom turned in; ingly-told and well-enacted “Two standout performances, lending a {Tests on Tuesday” on last week’s credibility to the fetching low-life j “Climax.” The vet became a conceit which could have disinte -1 psycho after being caught up in grated in less capable hands. ! the Korean conflict, and the ten- Story concerned an ex-pick- j sions mounting because of the cru- pocket, played by Lahr, who pulls j eial exam eventually cause him to a “Brinks Robbery” in order to win. go psycho again, the hand of a widow' of an ex- With a wife and infant to sup- mobster, portrayed by Mildred port, the young vet can’t take the Natwick. (She would have nothing pressure, and when the exam to do with a man unless he proved comes around he cheats, and is his mettle.) Fred Gwynne por-! caught. His professor flunks him trayed Lahr’s dumb cohort in l as a result, and as he sees the crime. Within this framework, I plum of a job and his future eva- wlth all accepted values turned Iporate, the vet goes after the prof topsy turvy, the players follovving ’ with a gun. But sick and bitter as be is, in the showdown he can’t shoot the teacher, who realizes the student showed more mercy than he did in his flunking him despite the unusual circumstances sur¬ rounding the vet. John Drew Barrymore excelled as the vet tortured by an inferior¬ ity complex and the heavy burden of his responsibilities; John Bara- grey turned in a fine portrayal of the prof who learns tolerance the hard way; Susan Oliver and Julie Adams registered with sensitive, performances as the wives of the vet and prof, respectively. Buzz Kulik’s direction extracted the maximum of emotional conflict from the fine story by Jerry Mc- Neely. Baku . The Twentieth Century CBS-TV’s “The Twentieth Cen¬ tury” which has been doing an ad¬ mirable job of briefing the public on the “Air Age,” continued its coverage of this fascinating sub¬ ject Sunday (17) with a filmed doc¬ umentary on how the Air Force’s supersonic pilots are trained. As commentator Walter Cronkite pointed out — “natural aptitude isn’t enough , . . it has to be sup* plemented by. Intensive training.” Rigorous instruction course that, fighter pilots undergo was outlined in “Mach Busters,” an apt title for Chapter Five in this CBS News and Public Affairs Series. For those whoTnay not be up on such terms the net’s press dept, explains that mach (pronounced “mock”) is a word derived from the name of Austrian physicist Ernst Mach, de¬ noting the ratio of air speed to the speed of sound. Ten years have passed since an experimental plane of Bell Air¬ craft -first broke the sound barrier in 1947. Today that’s common¬ place. Just why a pilot’s ability has been able to keep pace with the technical advances of the air¬ craft industry is a tribute to the Air Force’s painstaking instruction. For purposes of illustration a cou- pJa bonafide Air Force pilots de¬ picted a student's training phases for the benefit of the camera. From T-33 trainers to Republic Thunderstreaks and ultimately the North American Supersabre is the student's instructional cycle. Scenes were lensed at Luke'Air Force Base, Phoenix, Ariz., and Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas. There were few flaws that viewers could find in this informative film pro¬ duced by James B. Faichney. Lat¬ ter’s script, done In collaboration with Don Kellerman, was factual and concise .while Crorikite’s nar¬ ration was another asset. Pruden¬ tial Insurance underwrites the se¬ ries; Gilb. Probe It r s almost a shame that there ever was a Mike Wallace in the tv interview field because of the transparently powerful influence his distinctive style of interviewing has had on his successors. How¬ ard Whitman Is apparently the new shining star in the WABD, N.Y., interview picture. That’s the sta¬ tion where Wallace started with his “Night Beat” strip, later to be re¬ placed by John Wingate. Former reporter Whitman began an hour edition of “Probe”- Monday (18) at 11 p.m. Until then a half-hour show, filling in on the nights “Night Beat” took a hiatus, it is essenti¬ ally the same kind of affair with perhaps a hit more. flexibility. There are no complaints with the format of the new elongated edi¬ tion, but there are. several to be voiced about Whitman, who is cer¬ tainly not a Wallace, nor, for that matter, a Wingate. On Monday, Whitman seemed to be more interested in giving the impression that he was digging hard for facts and opinions than he-was in the facts and opinions that were offered, and some of them were worthwhile. He opened his stanza with a 20-minute quiz¬ zing of an insurance actuary who was against a hike in Blue Cross plan rates, and it was certainly j more Whitman’s fault than his guest’s that there were so many strained and adkward silences, be¬ tween several sporadic colloquies in which Whitman did an inordi¬ nate amount of the talking. His excessive speech persisted. even when he was interviewing a group of five persons on the state of U.S. educational standards vis-a-vis Russia, and Whitman also mani¬ fested an irritating urge to agree with the comments of his, guests, perhaps to show that he was hep. Whitman, whom WABD says pos¬ sesses a forte, in “social problem,” is being tested as a part-time re-j placement for Wingate on “Night Beat,” this week. This new assign¬ ment, in addition to his increased importance on his own Monday! night- “Probe,” could show a mis¬ placed faith by the station if Whit¬ man doesn’t improve .his personal style. Art. I »»♦♦♦♦♦♦+♦♦»♦+»♦»+♦♦♦»♦»»♦♦♦»♦♦♦»♦»» »4 » MH I U TV-Radio Production Centres IN NEW YORK CITY ; . „ Mutual has appointed Weiss & Geller to handle its advertising . . . Tedi Thurman, weather forecaster on NBC's “Jack Paar Show ” travels to Schenectady, N.Y., on Sunday (24)'to tape record interviews for re¬ broadcast on “Monitor,” on the official opening there of WGY’s new radio building. Station also Is celebrating its 35th anniversary as an NBC affiliate Jack E. Leonard started a new network radio series on CBS this week, a five-minute Saturday show airing at 12:55 to 1 pan. .... Aaron Rubin, director of “The Phil Silvers Show,” goes to the Coast for four weeks at the end of the month, when the Silvers stanza goes on its production hiatus, to cast a new situation comedy series he’s developing for CBS- TV . . . WRCA-TV general manager Bill Davidson presented N Y. su¬ perintendent of schools William JanSen with a special NBC Public Ser¬ vice Award honoring Dr. Jansen's retirement; award climaxed the sta¬ tion’s “Know Your Schools” series . . . Mary James was* signed to the Wm. Shiffrin agency on the Coast after her off-Broadway appearance in “Career” and a repeat of her role at the Ivar- Theatre in H’wood. She drew a lady medico’s role In Sunday’s (17) “Omnibus” and later this month vail do three shots on the “Edge of-Night” CBS-TV day- timer .. • Sam Sdbiff, v&'xtdio-jLY producer, hasjdined MBS as exec- prqdUceif;and>vilLwoFk'cfeafciy. ivith exec v.p. BeriJIauser on programs fitiiiig.into the music-nevys-sportsTformats now accented at the web. Sc&iff; w?Lf associated witb„T«d CoUlns and Kate Spltb for 17 years and brought in “The World of li|r. S.w*«ney” (Charle#'Rugffles) for NBC- TV *; . Leon Michel and .John Finale have joined the Wilson, Haight, Welch.dc Grover agency^** copywriter and assistant account exec; Mi¬ chel‘S ex-Fletcher D. Richards, while Finnic was formerly with Brooke, Smith, French & Dorrance .. . Kim Hunter signed foe one of the filmed “Playhouse 90” segments, “Quiet Zone,” to be directed by Arthur Hil¬ ler .. . WCBS general {manager Sam Slate to Chicago today (Wed.) for agency and clientSjessIdhs - . . CBS newsman BfcSard C. Hottelet re¬ ceived af) award from Brooklyn College, his alma mater (’37) last week .for his 20 years of radio-fir news work . . .. Bill/Nlmmo replaced Del Sharbutt as announcer on ABC-TV’s “Do You Trust Your Wife?”; Shar- butt’s commitments prevented him from moving with the show when it switched tunet this Week . . . CBS music director Alfredo- Antonini back from Tampa, "where"he guest-conducted the • Philharmonic, there , . ..Chet.Huntley and NBC News producer Reuveh Frank address^the American Women in. Radio 8c TV N.Y. chapter on their “NBC News” and “Outlook” show* at a luncheon meeting Monday (25) at the New York University Club CBS newsman Walter Cronkite addressed the Boston Ad Club and Broadcasting Execs Club yesterday (Tiies.) on “Advertising and How It Pertains to News 8c Special Events”... Charles Fagan upped to assistant to the manager of program services at CBS- TV .. . Martha Wrirht named radio 'chairman of this year’s March .of Dimes’ Mothers' March on Polio; it’s her fifth year with the drive'. , . I “Man bn Cloud 8.” new farce by CBS-TV casting director Robert Dale Martin, to be performed by the Ithaca (N.Y.) College Drama Group to¬ night (Wed.) through Friday‘(23;. ' Thrush Tina Robin makes first appearance on the NBC-TV Jack Paar stanza tomorrow ’ (Thurs.) . . . WABC-TV’s “Tinker Tom,” Gene Lon¬ don, making p.a.’s at six Macy stores last week and this; Macy’s has quarter-hour of show . . . Evelyn Robinson, the WOV deejay, was er- ratumed in a recent issue as the sister of Jackie when actually she’s the sis of Sugar Ray . . . Pat Crowlby into Nov. 29 Frank Sinatra ABC- TV'er as co-star of one of his dramatic telefilms . . . Claudette Colbert to star on ABC-TV’s “Telephone Time” Dec. 3 ... A few WNEW pro¬ gram shifts: Art Ford, in addition to the a.m. “Ballroom,” doing 6 to 8 p.m. version, Lonny Starr from 8 to 10 and William B. Williams from 10 to midnight; besides Ford, the other two have daytime shows too. Shifts move riighttimers Dick Shepard and Bob Howard mostly to Sun¬ day chores . . . Charles (Chuck) Tranum and the Flaire Agency of Hol¬ lywood have joined up to agent for tv commercial talent on both coasts. Flaire, run by Betty Collins and Chan Gross, has primarily been a model agency although it has handled tv talent as well. Don Ameche set ^o star in CBS-TV’s musical spec version of “Junior Miss” on Dec. 20; he replaces Bob Cummings, who Was originally set for the role but pulled out over the weekend, offering as his reason his belief that the part was “too small” . . .. Andy McCaffrey switched from the CBS-TV press info dept, to ditto at NBC as a column con¬ tact . .-. Victor Moore moving into I'adio, via a running role on CBS’ “Right to Happiness” . . . Marian Carr does the commercial on “Tele¬ phone Hour” Monday (25), then appears in “Armstrong Circle Thea¬ tre” Wednesday (27), and on Dec. 9 narrates and does the character voices on WMCA’s “Let’s Listen to/ a Story” . . . Paul Roberts back to CBS Radio to direct “Road of. Life” and “Indictment” following his Broadway directorial stint on “Fair Game” . . . Diana Barth into “Five Star Matinee” on NBC Radio tomorrow (Thurs.) . Mike Daqn cur¬ rently on the Coast to expedite the Shirley Temple fairy tale series and the upcoming “Texaco Command Appearance” show as his initial prexy duties under Henry Jaffe Enterprises banner . . . Greta Thyssen, who’s just signbd with the Wm. Morris office, in town for Sunday's (24) Steve Allen show . . . Bandleader-composer Ray Npble debuts as a dramatic actor on CBS Radio's “Suspense” Sunday (24) . . . Elliot Silverstein directing tonight’s (Wed.) musicalization of “Huck Finn” on “U.S. Steel Hour” » . . JosepTiine Lyons exited J. Walter Thompson agency to join Ogilyy, Benson & Mather; first assignment is Sid Cae- sar-Imogene Coca show on ABC in January . . . Mary Kelly upped to associate producer on “Today” . . . Martin Blaine into “Second Mrs. Burton” and Bobby Troka into “Nora Drake,” both CBSoaps. CBS press info boss Larry Lowenstein is Ed Sullivan’s new co-chair¬ man of the Academy of TV Arts & Sciences public relations commit¬ tee .. . Donald Richards, from WBCA-and-tv promotion, to promotion- research head of Branham reppery, replacing Ann Heifield who recent¬ ly took over promotion captaincy of Crosley in New York , . . Sammy White, of the team of Puck & White, now doing video characterizations latest role Is 'on Nov. 27 “Walter Winchell File” on ABC-TV, for which he also appeared in the preem stanza ... Greek songstress Kitza Kaza- cos, who works for BBC-TV, in New York on visit . . . Jan Murray’# right arm, broken a few weeks ago giving his son a hike lesson, now sans cast and no troublesome aftermaths . . . “Hotel Cosmopolitan’ emcee Donald Woods, angling a Broadway show, is currently running through a fistful of scripts ... Len Hornsby to Radio Ad Bureau as grocery products sales manager . . . John MeKeon named director of WMGM promotion and advertising. * fJV HOLLYWOOD ... Ben Feiner checked off the production staff at 20th-Fox telefilm sub¬ sidiary for an undisclosed, affiliation. He has been, with .TCF for the past 18 months’ and recently completed four short pilots of “How To Mafry a Millionaire.” Previously he was with CBS-TV , ,. Staff adjust¬ ments at L.A. office of .Foote, Cone 8c Belding cost 25 their lobs . . • Abner Greshler and Tony Randall joined up to produce tv specs . . . Harry Rasky, CBS’ public affairs producer, busy editing 32,Q00 feet of “The Day Called X” down to 2,500 feet. It was all shot in Portland as a document on survival from an enemy air attack . , . Mogge-Privett agency merged with Alfred Atherton, with Nort Mogge as prexy . . . Alfred Stern will head up publicity on the Coast for National Telefilm (Continued on page 46)