Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

VOL. 16: No. 49 7 first crack at some extra-choice post-1948 items like “From Here to Eternity” and “Bridge on the River Kwai” still in the Columbia library. Stated Columbia Pictures vp Paul Lazarus: “We are holding back those pictures which we feel will still have theatrical exhibition values.” « * * 22 Hollywood-filmed post-1948s, many in color, have been acquired by Colorama Features Inc. in a $2-million deal with Pine-Thomas Productions, which produced them independently for Paramount Pictures release. Colorama Pres. Jules Weil stated last week he plans to make some of the films in the package available for theatrical re-issue, and then distribute the whole package in TV. The fact that negotiations for the 22 features were initiated by PineThomas, gave further indication of the growing interest of Hollywood producers in seeking TV revenue for their backlogs. Although Paramount distributed the pictures theatrically (“El Paso,” “Captain China,” “Tripoli,” “Hong Kong,” “Tropic Zone,” “Run for Cover,” etc.), they aren’t part of the Paramount post-1948 backlog — for which Paramount has announced no plans other than Telemeter pay-TV showings. « * « Seven Arts’ first 40-title group of post-1948 Warner Bros, pictures scored its 9th station sale recently to KVAR Phoenix. Other stations which have purchased the Warner package: WWLP Springfield-Holyoke, WBEN-TV Buffalo, KONO-TV San Antonio, WOC-TV Davenport, WTVH Peoria, WTVP Decatur, WTVT Tampa-St. Petersburg. Color is playing a major role in stimulating sales of the package, Seven Arts vp & gen. sales mgr. Robert Rich told us. Approximately one third of the stations which bought the features may eventually colorcast them. Sales deals are being discussed by Seven Arts with stations in Houston, Baltimore, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, N.Y., Chicago, Los Angeles and Milwaukee, Rich said. « • « Another big post-1948 deal may be in the offing — between producer Sam Goldwyn & anyone who will pay the right price for a prize package of 65 top features. Goldwyn has pretty well decided not to hold out for pay TV, as he originally planned, but he demands programming stipulations & substantial dollar figures. “I’ve been offered as much as $500,000 for one picture,” he said, “but I’ve turned down all offers, because I felt that conditions were not right.” The right conditions would mean one or 2 TV showings at prime times. “Pictures that cost millions & represent real creative efforts have been shown as many as 10 or 12 times over one station and at all sorts of odd hours,” Goldwyn complained last week. His features include: “The Best Years of Our Lives” (winner of 11 Academy Awards), “Guys and Dolls,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” and “Hans Christian Andersen.” * * m Showcorp of America’s package of RKO post-1954s has grossed nearly $500,000 in 44 markets during the past few weeks of selling. Latest sales deals include: CBS o&o’s WBBM-TV Chicago & WCAU-TV Philadelphia; WTVJ Miami; WOR-TV N.Y.; WMAR-TV Baltimore; KHJ-TV Los Angeles; WFAA-TV Dallas. Some of the newest features in the firm’s “big 12” package: “Bundle of Joy,” “Susan Slept Here” “New York Confidential.” To date, Showcorp. has distributed 50 RKO post-1948s and has some 25-to-30 m'ore films about to go into syndication. “Not guilty,” pleaded Charles Van Doren to a charge of perjury Dec. 1 in N.Y. Special Sessions Court. The plea followed a clash between Van Doren’s lawyer Carl J. Rubino and Justice John M. Murtagh, who adjourned the cases of 9 other former TV quiz contestants (Vol. 16:13 pl6) until Jan. 13. (This group has motions pending in General Sessions aimed at testing the legality of the informations.) Rubino had asked for a few days to decide whether he would join the General Sessions motions. Justice Murtagh denied the request, saying he had “indulged” the defendant long enough, and insisted that a plea be entered. Rubino said his client “has admitted lying before the grand jury, to Congress, to the district attorney and to the world, and that he is ready to take his medicine.” Calling the demand for a plea “shocking & unreasonable,” he added “we are forced to plead not guilty under the circumstances.” Van Doren’s case will be tried on Jan. 18. Six other former contestants pleaded innocent. Walt Disney-NBC deal was signed last week, after weathering an on-again-off-again period of several months (Vol. 16:6 p8). Disney, once a mainstay of ABC-TV’s nighttime lineup, will now produce & host a weekly series of 60-min. color-film programs plus color specials ranging from live entertainment to full animation. Announcement of the deal came Dec. 2 from Disney Productions Pres. Roy 0. Disney and NBC Pres. Robert E. Kintner. Meanwhile, the Walt Disney Presents series is still slotted on ABC-TV, Sun. 6:30-7:30 p.m. New Disney shows on NBC probably won’t appear before the fall of 1961. Not involved in the deal: Disney’s backlog of some 3 dozen post-1948 color pictures (“Treasure Island,” “Robin Hood,” “Lady & the Tramp,” etc.). But NBC hopes to tap the backlog for an occasional holiday special, following CBS-TV’s arrangement with MGM’s “The Wizard of Oz.” Students spend too little time on homework because of nighttime TV viewing, reported 3 out of every 4 elementary school teachers surveyed by the National Education Assn. The study, published last week in the NEA journal, polled 1,149 elementary & secondary school teachers representing 42,000 U.S. school districts. Major finding: The conflict between TV & homework is greatest in large towns & city areas. In school districts with more than 500 teachers, only 1 in 10 said TV did not hurt home study; smaller districts showed a 1 to 7 ratio. Of the teachers queried, 57% felt that TV “restricts” homework time, 24% said school work “suffers seriously” and 13% believed that TV doesn’t affect homework at all. A breakdown into elementary and secondary teachers indicated that TV troubles mount on the high school level. Among this group, 28% called TV a serious handicap, only 8% said TV did not interfere. Highest rating yet received by a public-affairs program in 1960 was scored Nov. 29 by the first of NBC-TV’s White Paper series. The kickoff show, a blunt-if-belated look at the Eisenhower administration’s handling of last May’s U-2 incident, drew a 7-city Arbitron rating of 20.6, vs. ratings of 23.1 for Garry Moore Show on CBS-TV and 10.0 for Alcoa Presents on ABC-TV. Audience share for White Paper was a whopping 82.7%. Half-sponsor of the show was Timex Inc., in recent seasons a bankroller of star-name jazz & entertainment specials, but which has now signed for co-sponsorship of 6 NBC White Paper shows. KDK.\-TV Pittsburgh spiced its late-evening announcement of the birth of President-elect John Kennedy’s son with a documentary film detailing a Caesarean birth. The educational embellishment “kept the switchboard ringing with compliments,” reports the station.