Variety (October 1958)

TV FILMS M0SIC STAGE IETY VOL. 212 No. Id Published Weekly at 154 West 46th Street. New York 36. N. Y.. by Variety. Inc. Annual subscription. $15. Single copies. 35.cents. Second Class Postage Paid at New York. N. Y. * COPYRIGHT, 1958, BY VARIETY, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5,1958 80 PAGES TELEVISION’S RATING BLIGHT Very Quiet on the Potomac as Gov’t Pot-jibots Slots on Pier Casinos By LES CARPENTER Washington, Nov. 4. What’s going to happen to about 050 slot machines which used to sit on piers across the Potomac River seducing lots of money from Vir¬ ginians whose state outlaws gam¬ bling? They are now resting in a Wal¬ dorf, Md., warehouse following, a Maryland Court of Appeals (the top state court) decision which forced them off the piers last week. Consideration is being given now to-appealing the Maryland court decision to the U. „S. Supreme Court, a step that dan be taken any •time up until mid-January. Or, then again, anojther market may be found for the mechanical coin col¬ lectors. Under Federal law, how¬ ever, they cannot be shipped out of Maryland, either as whole slot machines or in pieces thereof. Maryland may be able to absorb them elsewhere. The state has a county option system for legalizing the operation of slots. Now, four counties, Anne Arundel, Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s, license (Continued on page 70) Yanks Happy as Argentina Okays Admissions Hike; Kept Out of Hollywood 8 Years, Lollobrigida Pretty Mad at Hughes Clyne Proposes Pooled TV Fund To Develop Talent By GEORGE ROSEN V -- --* By HANK WERBA Sarah Churchill’s Shifts 87 GEORGE R0SEN Good Memory? I Madrid, Nov. 4. London Nov 4 This season, perhaps more than Washineton Nov 4 The 1<mg contract dispute be- Sarah Churchill becomes ever, before, by virtue of the fierce- Maurice Chevalier, no'w 70, the 32d actress to play Peter ? ess oJ ,. the competitive battle be- has sewed up an advance sell- a ff ?* :l5 ?°° d Jr®®®; Pan when she stars in a new tw “ n the “ t ™ or ^ th . er . e “ see , n out for the speech he will give S™"! production of the Barrie fan- a dsI % nee . d industry to to Women ' s National Press ™ J d ‘ he . screen ac : tasy at the Scala here Dec. c ° me t0 ST?P S Wlth m re , c ° g ‘ Club luncheon here Nov. 19. ; re “‘“ Id .,y AE “ TY she ■? P rep “ ed 99 mtion of the necessity for a tele- TY . ... . . to take the offensive m a legal * Rehearsals for. “Peter” over- vision yardstick other than ratings. showdown next year if a binding lap work on her film, "Seri- ^e sl ™e? 1 ' , for nose-counting; a “ y ““- ls - Women Hale compromise is not fortheommg. ons Charge” (about homnsex- supremacy in determining who out- LoUobngida and her producer- uality) in which Miss Church- Trendexed and out-Nielsenedwhom ■ ■ ■ — -■■■ manager husband, Milko Skofic, in will star She’s also readv- has re,lched ridiculous pro- ril • % m* m brought the long-standing film ing a cabaret act y Portions, it’s maintained, that one C|vt«C* KlrftfAl* 111011 1 vendetta up to date in King Solo- rng a caoaret act. is sorely tempted to cry out: “A JjlVIS. DlfiBCl 10011 men’s apartment between scenes . plague on all your rating houses.” of the Edward Small-Ted Rich- /II * I> • The blunt truth is that the very rm | |¥t| i mond biblical “Solomon and I IVflP ■ TATIACPC best in television^—which should be I n/> I Jnf|Ay*Q|C WnA : Sheba” in which she stars opposite VljUV 1 1 UpUiA/U the only criteria in evaluating.the HIC dlu IT HU Tyrone Power. medium’s progress — more than Hughes signed her in October, W% 11 TPII T* 1 likely won’t even show up when wwj - I If* 5 1950 to a preliminary seven year pAAlAff I V pIlTIn the T °P 10 laurels are distributed W Qtnlt I lvrAy* 14 im [ contract for three pictures a year I wWlVII 111 llllll and when the season’s cumulative f Y dlvll vYCr llllli j with annual options, and agreed * batting averages are tallied. j to start her services no later than T* |\ 1 T* 1 * A Fred Astaire show as presented Frankfurt, Nov. 4. i April, 1951. I A I IP VP inn I AlPYIf on NBC-TV a couple weeks back, Pvt. Elvis Presley got the samel She balked when the formal • " M w I vlvp A Wlvlll considered far and away the best old mob treatment he’s receivedj contract reached her in Rome with . entertainment program of the sea- in the States when he arrived here : an . added clause sanctioning sal- McCann-Erickson’s C. Terence son, won’t even have a look in on for his next tour of military duty aried inactivity. “Gina was just (Terry) Clyne, who firmed up the Top 10 payoffs, since so many with the 3rd Armored Division at; makin g it,” Skofic explained, “and Frank Sinatra for 6^8 specials over other factors are involved (as, for Ray Caserne in Friedberg, near] wanted film roles to hang a career ABC-TV before the adman left for example, the fact that Friday night here, recently. There* was one on » not paid Hollywood unemploy^ Europe- this past weekend on a viewing isn’t generally commens* difference—most of the mobsters ment.” fortnight’s quickie vacation, has urate with the rest of the week, were the generally indifferent! Hughes, then RKO boss, “sus- ~ great concern about the future of or the fact that the opposition members of the European press : pended” her. Later, the actresi QuisMdn talonf “In ■ a vvonr -Pout TJVlIl dlira-ra .cVinirr «v ii.aaI,- ...T J _ til- __ 1 ■ . n . • , _ This season, perhaps more than ever, before, by virtue of the fierce¬ ness of the competitive battle be¬ tween the networks, there is seen a dire need for the industry to come to grips with itself in recog¬ nition of the necessity for a tele¬ vision yardstick other than ratings. The struggle for nose-counting supremacy in determining who out-’ Trendexed and out-Nielsened whom has reached such ridiculous pro¬ portions, it’s maintained, that one Is sorely tempted to cry out: “A plague on all your rating houses.” • The blunt truth is that the very best in television—-which should be the only criteria in evaluating.the medium’s progress — more than likely won’t even show up when the Top 10 laurels are distributed and when the season’s cumulative batting averages are tallied. A Fred Astaire show as presented on NBC-TV a couple weeks back, Good Memory? Washington, Nov. 4. Maurice Chevalier, now 70, has sewed up an advance sell¬ out for the speech he will give to a Women’s National Press Club luncheon here Nov. 19. His subject, announced is advance, is: “Women I Have Loved.” Elvis:'Bigger Than The Generals Who Watch Over Him’ ays Admissions IliKC, television talent “in a very few Phil Silvers show retains a week- who rushed up with pencils and j Continued on page 23) T , _ | i years from now.” He envisions in-week-out loyal following). So paper to get their stories and his ! _._ It S lOQCuV tor LAUDS ' the medium “going the way of Hoi- Astaire will probably wind up far autograph. i J' .1 lywood, and while I favor free en- down the Nielsen rating list—which About 150 members of the inter- ’ PRV QfifYP Invocfmmif American film companies terprise the downbeat of tv as we has nothing to dp with the fact national cress, news services, i tllMAJ iUYcdllllClIl Continued on page 23) . lywood, and while I favor free en- down the Nielsen rating list—which About 150 members of the inter- 5 The American film ^companies terprise the downbeat of tv as we has nothing to do with the fact national press, news services, won a major breakthrough m now know it will hasten pay-see- that here was a show that justified newsreel cameramen, reps of top Argentina last week when the Gov- tv more than anything else.” tossing a hat into the air. German papers, crushed in for the ernment liberated admission prices “Just as the film fans get tired By virtue of the fact that nothing official press meet recently at for all firstruns in the country. The p f the same old favorites,” Clyne on Sunday afternoon gets a major the Enlisted Men’s Club at his subsequent:* remain controlled, Du* points to the current crop of top rating, “Omnibus” appears doomed base. It was the first time the ■ the scales have been raised. name£ as being merely an elec- to lowercase Trendexes and Niel-■ Army allowed the press in Europe In ‘Fair Lady’ Yields Return of $1,200,000 (Continued on page 54) tf-eldman: New fyilm li/anld A-Qomut Spinoff Will Finish What Divorcement Began—-Future Talent Will Share Risks With ‘Naked’ Studios 1 By ABEL GREEN ? * ^ '-v \ ; Hie scales have been raised. name£ as being merely an elec- to lowercase Tre Move makes Argentina virtually , nn _ + - , _ 1 . the only big Latin American market (Continued on page 54) (Continued where the firstruns have been de- < -v- v controlled. Countries like Mexico _ . . and Brazil still maintain a tight Xy / J! Af 7 • / lid on admissions, the issue having n new U +U4 been used -as a political football m ^ * the past. || __ The former top for the Argentine k o • «? tvt-mi • i xm . -rk. firstruns was 8 pesos and 90 cen- Spinoff Will rmish What DlVOT tavos net (after tax). Will R: e L- a TJC The new scale for the subse- 1 tVIU onare lilSKS W quents provides for a top of 9.40 R.__ pesos (about 12c) for second runs, ^ ' !r5: ' s> '' » By ABEI ^ 4 n° c 7 in 1 ?r, C hn 1 !f r QM h ^ There will always be a picture business, in the Mnffnn opinion of vet Hollywood agent and independent the rest. Comment at the Motion pro d U cer Charles K, Feldman, but he envisions that ? Xport Assn * in . N * J* wa ? the inevitability of a spinoff of the post-1948 pi'c- that the decree represented a real tures “within five years” will create a new concept improvement. Hope was ex- j n picture-making that .should boom Hollywood pressed, however, that Argentine —producers and talent—to new peaks, firstrun operators wouldn’t allow As . a priln e talent agent he predicates his rea- pnees to soar dramatically and in- zoning on the divorcement and spinoff so tfiat when stead would let them go up con- “the naked companies no longer have physical senratively. realty assets to guarantee the stars, on deferred Removal of the price lid is cred- payments, as they do now, the talent will start from ited in part to the visit to Argen- scratch, gamble with the producers and the ‘naked tina earlier this year of MPEA prez studios’ even more than , they are today. And we u Enc Johnston and MPEA regional all know now how every star worth his marquee- 'chief Robert Corkery, Duo saw the power is In business for himself.” Argentine President and various Feldman has no illusions on the deferred deals other government officials and re- with studios because, he argues, “it’s a plus, too, ceived assurances that something for them not to have to pay off in lump sums, would be done. They, like the insurance companies, gamble on the appears aoomea | uase. it was me nrsc ume ine : The Drofit di « Mv FaTr idexes and Niel -' Army allowed the press in Europe Lad y> h P as £ it tne $3,000,000 mark, n page 54) . (Continued on page 63) jThat gives the Columbia Broad- c , ^‘casting System, the musical’s sole * '' ’ ' ' ' . backer, a return of $1,200,000 thus n*i / A /% /) . rn !- far on its $360,000 investment. * W(VU& ri-U(MM4Sl ,K The payo ^ to . CB ®J s based oa the corporations 409c share of the profits. The remaining 609c, - ) ; representing $1,800.0QO, is split ement Began —- Future Talent ? f ^ om the mana ^ em ent end and in- - 1 ctwt 1 O T * y eludes 309c to Alan Jay Lerner Ltn Naked studios M and Frederick Loewe, who were responsible for the adaptation GREEN 4 * - x . ' from George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion.” actuarial rates, so it is a two-way-street—the talent Herman Levin, the show’s pro- doesn’t want its money in a lump sum and that i ducer, was originally in for the loot is laying in the company’s treasury for use ; other 30% slice of the profits, but elsewhere.” ! subsequently sold two-thirds of his . The keynote will always be “the words,” mean-^interest for $450,000 as a capital ing the script. Feldman right now, says he, has j gains deal. The income racked up $1,000,000 tied up in scripts, novels, properties: thus far represents revenue from and. ideas, as detailed below. But if the star likes three companies, the Broadway “the words,” he or she will take less on the promise! original, the road edition and the it will enhance their careers and, of course, their I London version. Also included in ultimate economic gain. J the revenue is the production’s cut “As the production picture changes, and it is Ion the sale of Columbia Records’ even now, so must distribution patterns change,’* he ] original cast album, continues. “Why should Sam Goldwyn risk $5,000,- Incidentally, the payoff to Ler- 000-$7,000,000 and give away a big slice to somej ner and Loewe does not include distributor for the privilege of selling something he j their weekly royalty on the three created—and with his own money! That’s why productions and their share of the Columbia will get’only 10% when the film goes into! royalties from album sales. Their its initial roadshow engagements. That 17-18% dis- ] take from these sources has also (Continued on page 14) * (Continued on page 55)