But in November 1945, applications were gathering Washington dust waiting for action. Poor DuMont was in limbo and began laying off staff because the shuffle left it without a frequency for WABD—all this while it was building new studios.
In the meantime, the two remaining New York stations (there’s no mention of Bill Still’s experimental station on Long Island) covered the local elections, put on live plays, and were about to battle over play-by-play sports. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was also broadcast; the trades are silent about who provided the commentary.
CBS’s station was trying out some different newscasters. One came from print, another had been the promotions manager of a New York radio station. Doug Edwards hadn’t appeared yet.
On the West Coast, Dick Lane was becoming the star of programming on Paramount’s W6XYZ, which became KTLA in a few years. He became Santa Claus for a night in November.
Programme reviews for the month are below. The New York critics were particularly vicious as they sniffed about the kind of shows they thought should be on TV.
Thursday, November 1WNBT Channel 1
7:00-8:30 Children’s Program: “Teletruth,” quiz; Feature film: “The Kid’s Last Ride” with the Range Busters (Monogram, 1941).
Balaban & Katz
Reviewed Thursday (1), 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Style—News, variety. Sustaining and commercial on WBKB, Chicago.
In line with its expressed intention to improve programing techniques, WBKB did a few things tonight in the way of stage and camera direction that showed improvement over past performances. But much of tonight's program still had room for plenty of improvement.
The part that could have been improved the most was a newscast by John C. Davis. Davis (and this is getting to be a boring tale) read his copy like a radio newscaster, and didn't do that very well either. A few times he muffed his lines; even his editorial choice was not of the best. Needless to say, there was no use of maps, charts or any other video assists.
The station's staff showed close attention to details and careful planning during the vocal work of Gloria Van, singer recently featured at the 51 Hundred Club here. Gloria has a top voice and plenty of beauty that makes her tops for television. The station handled this top material well with some good camera work (unusual angle shots, etc.), contrasting background and competent direction that had a proper combination of close-up and long-range shots. Gloria, however, still has to learn that some of her mugging which goes over well with nitery crowds seated at a distance becomes a bit grotesque when caught by a close-up television camera.
In the Admiral Radio Company's part of the program, the ways in which WBKB has improved and the improvement it still needs was brought out the most clearly.
Tonight Admiral presented art class students of Tuley High School in an explanation and demonstration of techniques taught in the school's art classes. In this part of the program the station utilized some double dissolves and montage shots rarely attempted here. Some of them failed, one in particular because images picked up by two cameras fought for predominance and resulted in neither image being clear. But others went over well. At least, the tricks that can be done only by television were tried, and that in itself is a healthy sign.
Another good spot was that in which a couple of students of abstract art did drawings inspired by impressionistic music. Effect of seeing drawings inspired by music that could be heard was top video that proved what the medium can do in the way of art instruction.
Except for these good points the rest of the Admiral show was plenty bad, using an amateurishly operated puppet vs emcee and corny lines most of the time. Cy Wagner. (Billboard, Nov. 17)
Extensive television coverage of New York’s first peacetime municipal election in six years is scheduled by the network video stations, with audiences being provided with newsy, on-the-spot scenes of events taking place during Election Day, and interviews and reactions of the candidates in the more important contests.
CBS’ television station WCBW has planned a two-hour and 35-minute program Election Night (Nov. 6) with mayoralty candidates William O’Dwyer, Jonah Goldstein and Newbold Morris scheduled to make appearances in the studio for personal interviews. Newscasters Dwight Cooke and Tom O’Connor will analyse results and the trends of returns as they are received, with Lt. Commander Bob Edge, former WCBW special events director recently discharged with from the Coast Guard, acting as master-of-ceremonies. Program will be televised from 8:30 to 11:05 p.m., EST. Other features of the WCBW coverage include a film on Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia, a political quiz, talk on the structure of City Government, Past Mayors and Past Elections. The presentation is under direction of Leo Hurwitz, station news director.
NBC’s television station WNBT is surveying locations in the headquarters of the three candidates for the mayoralty post for pickups throughout Election Night. (Radio Daily, Nov. 1)
Friday, November 2
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 “Friday Night Quarterback” with Lou Little
8:15 “The World in Your Home” sponsored by RCA Victor.
8:30 Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena, Fritzie Zivic vs. Freddie Archer.
WCBW Channel 2
8:00 News with Tom O’Connor.
8:15 “Choreotones,” modern interpretive dancing.
8:30 Film.
8:45 Mystery: “Photocrime.”
"CHOREOTONES"
With Betty Lind, J. C. McCord, Olga Lunick, Bernie Williams, Pauline Koner, Joseph Hahn
Director: Paul Belanger
15 Mins.; Fri., (2), 8:15 p.m.
Sustaining
WCBW-CBS, N. Y.
"Young Love on a Park Bench" was the amusing theme of the second WCBW's choreotone programs, and evidently cupid was delayed because the show began nine minutes after schedule, countering the commendable and pleasing effort with a warning that the unknown quantity in production is still to be reckoned with in video; tele hasn't hit the machine-like operations near-perfectness of its big sister, radio. "Young Love" was a sequence of three ballet dances, each executed against a different background. "Choreotones" opened with a view of London Bridge and panned down to a Hyde Park scene between Olga Luniek and Bernie Williams, closing after a comparatively brief act, on London Bridge. The Bridge parted in the center to reveal the Eiffel Tower and dancers Betty Lind and J. C. McCord in Luxembourg Gardens. Background was a continuous musical one and here Jean Sablon was heard in the original French version of "All of a Sudden My Heart Sings." Third scene was the longest and the best, with Pauline Koner stealing all laurels to the accompaniment of the Rodgers-Hammerstein "It Might As Well Be Spring." This one opens with a New York skyline and shifts locus to Central Park, with Miss Koner doing a graciously delightful dance on a park bench. Joseph Hahn portrayed a nimble-footed policeman in all three sequences, appearing in three different uniforms.
Scene changes were smooth and provided satisfactory transition. Dances were deft and" blended with the well-chosen musical background, provided a pleasant taste of the quality fare to be hoped for when television falls into a full-time operations groove. (Variety, Nov. 7)
Photocrime
Reviewed Friday (2), 8:25-8:45 p.m. Style—Mystery drama. Sustaining over WCBW, New York (CBS).
In Photocrime CBS has about the best commercial possibility it has come up with since John Reed King's The Missus Goes A-Shopping hit television about year ago. The new mystery show, adapted from the Look magazine feature of the same name, was suspenseful entertainment, well worthy of close consideration by any sponsor.
Cledge Roberts, a comparatively new Columbia staffer, did the direction, his first big dramatic show in video, and he worked as tho he'd been doing it all his life. Backed up by some snazzy camera hustling by Howard Hayes and Ralph Warren, Roberts put on a show that could have stood up with the best NBC or CBS have produced. A neat script by Al Perkins had a lot to do with the success of Photocrime, of course.
There was just one thing wrong with the program (there always is) and that was the opening series of shots. After the station break the cameras focused on a door, there were noises, the door was broken down and a man and a woman came in to find the corpse (there's always one of those, too). All of which, accompanied by music, was very good. But after that the camera returned to a plaque which announced that this was Photocrime. And that too would have been good had the announcer's reading been synchronized with the sound. However, he told the name of the show about 30 seconds after it had appeared on the screen, dissipating a good deal of the dramatic impact. Even then the program didn't begin. At that point visual and audio credits were given, and then a plaque announcing the name of the specific episode.
At one point in the proceedings a mike boom popped into the picture. Aside from that and some bad shading there were no apparent technical errors.
Nell Hamilton, once a name to be conjured with in Hollywood, did a smooth, competent job in the none too exacting role of the detective. Rest of the cast. Beverly Roberts, Alexander Clark, Fred Barron. Len Hollister and Robert Emhardt handled their roles effectively. Marty Schrader. (Billboard, Nov. 17)
Saturday, November 3
WNBT Channel 1
2:00-5:00 Football: Columbia vs. Cornell at Baker Field.
Sunday, November 4
WNBT Channel 1
2:20 Football: Giants vs. Cleveland Rams at the Polo Grounds.
8:00 Newsreel.
8:10 Presentation—Live talent—“Bedelia,” by Vera Casparay (repeat) with Fay Ball, Thomas Hume, others.
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 Film, “Wings of Democracy.”
8:15 Feature film, “House of Errors” with Harry Langdon. (PRC, 1942)
9:20 Televues: “Ordeal By Ice.”
9:30 Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena. Pedro Firpo vs. Lew Hanberry.
The Acrobat Show Company’s television show, “An Amazing Adventure of Tumblin’ Tim” will be presented over the Balaban and Katz station WBKB, on November 28, according to an announcement by the television department of Ruthrauff & Ryan Inc. A talent search is under way for a small boy to take the starring role in the Tumblin’ Tim production, and a little girl to enact the role of Flying Flo. (Radio Daily, Nov. 5)
Tuesday, November 6
WNBT Channel 1
7:00-10:00 Election Returns.
WCBW Channel 2
8:30-11:00 Election Returns.
USING ITS NEW image orthicon tube, NBC television highlighted its coverage of New York election night, Nov. 6, with a pick-up from the headquarters of Brig. Gen. William O'Dwyer, who was elected mayor of New York on the Democratic-American Labor Party ticket. Special camera was installed at Hotel Commodore for direct pick-up from O'Dwyer's headquarters. NBC's television coverage also included chats and other methods which provided viewers a quick resume of candidates' standing throughout election night. (Broadcasting, Nov. 12)
N. Y. Elections, 1945
Reviewed Tuesday (6), 8-11 p.m. Style—News, film and variety. Sustaining over WNBT-NBC and WCBW-CBS.
New York's two major television stations, NBC's WNBT and CBS's WCBW, went overboard on election night coverage last Tuesday (6), and when the smoke had cleared O'Dwyer was mayor and neither outlet had gained much ground over its cheerless efforts of last year. Standing still, NBC again demonstrated that it has the savvy to leave CBS far behind—so far behind that the eight-ball stares CBS right in the face.
Columbia's effort was a huge, clumsy, hammy hash. NBC's job was professional and compact. Altho WNBT should hardly get credit for an outstanding job, it still looked like the world's greatest station next to the goulash WCBW served up.
To break it down: CBS knocked itself out with a group of wall charts, alleged experts and entertainers, a pair of roving emsees and practically everything else except Mrs. Paley's chowder. Station called in a group of political hopefuls for the usual interviews. Dr. Paul F. Lazersfeld, the Columbia University radio research man, turned political trend prognosticator for the night, several groups of amateur folk dancers disported themselves in an amateur fashion and everyone went around doing the wrong things at the wrong time. No one, least of all the cameramen, seemed to know what was on the bill of fare, and fluffs came so fast and often that it's hard to catalog them all. They ranged from introduction of the wrong personalities thru out-of-focus shots to cameras moving off subjects before their stints were over. Outright dullness was the least of the errors and, worst of all, it was hellishly difficult to read the results on Columbia's huge tabulation charts. With all that space available, and all that space given over to cute gimmicks, the bright lad who designed the charts printed the vote totals in what looked like agate type. It may be art, brother, but it ain't good. Bob Edge, who was the premier emsee (Ben Feiner poked in once in a while), tried his best to make heads or tails out of all this, but even a physicist would have been overwhelmed by it all.
NBC, on the other hand, put on a compact little show. Red Barber acted as commentator for the station, doing his usual competent job. Small blackboard served well enough as a place to compile the returns, and a close-up shot of the AP teleprinter furnished bulletins. Between election reports, Betty Jane Bonney mouthed the words to her own records, televising pleasingly. Barbershop quartet gave with the corn, and a series of Victory Loan government films were spotted thru the evening.
But what was billed as the main feature of the show fell awfully flat. RCA's new image orthicon was dragged over to O'Dwyer headquarters to provide "color." And it could have gotten it. Instead of taking the thing into the main room and showing the milling crowds, the noise and excitement, io was stuck away in some remote closet so that a parade of political hangers-on and unpretty newspapermen could shove their muggs in front of it. This reviewer was forced to dial around that night. So some io may have come up with something good. But what we did see looked like very little of nothing. Marty Schrader. (Billboard, Nov. 17)
MEMBERS of Chicago AFRA were starred Nov. 6 in a special television program on WBKB Chicago. Cast, including top names in Chicago radio, presented A Day At the Radio, satirizing soap operas, news commentators, recorded programs and commercials. Script was written by Bill Vance. Program marked first time in history of WBKB that so many top radio artists appeared on one television show. (Broadcasting, Nov. 12)
Wednesday, November 7
WCBW Channel 2
8:00-8:15 News with Dwight Cooke.
8:15 Film.
8:30 Amateur Boxing Bouts.
Columbia’s television Station WCBW, N. Y., the first television station to join the National Association of Broadcasters, saluted radio’s 25th anniversary, with a program of anecdotes and reminiscences Nov. 7th. Arthur Godfrey, radio oldtimer and a sight-and-sound fledgling conducted the celebration.
Godfrey, the glib CBS artist was a “ham” operator in the Navy some twenty-five years ago, back in the days when that branch of the military service was a pioneer in sound transmissions. Stationed near Turkey, Gorfrey [sic] “pulled in” one of the first receptions of music and voice by tinkering with the adjustments on the communications receiver normally used for code reception. (Radio Daily, Nov. 16)
Thursday, November 8
WNBT Channel 1
7:00-8:30 Children’s Program: “Teletruth,” quiz; Film: “Aircraft and How They Fly”; “What the Parrot Saw.”
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 “Friday Night Quarterback” with Lou Little
8:15 “The World in Your Home” sponsored by RCA Victor.
8:30 Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena, Tony Janiero vs. Johnny Greco.
WCBW Channel 2
8:00 News with Tom O’Connor.
8:15 Film.
8:30 Mystery: “Casey, Press Photographer.”
Saturday, November 10
WNBT Channel 1
1:00 Pre-game ceremonies.
2:00-4:30 Football: Army vs. Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium.
[Note: Final score was Army 48 Notre Dame 0].
CURTIS PUBLISHING Co., Philadelphia, sponsored the exclusive telecast of the Army-Notre Dame football game last Saturday from New York Yankee Stadium on NBC's television station WNBT. Company will also sponsor the Army-Navy game on Dec. 1 at Philadelphia. Broadcasts of the game on NBC are also sponsored by Curtis. Agency is Macfarland Aveyard & Co., New York. (Broadcasting, Nov. 12)
Sunday, November 11
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 Newsreel.
8:10 Live Presentation: “The Front Page” by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, with Vinton Hayworth.
"THE FRONT PAGE"
With Vinton Hayworth, Matt Crowley, Howard Smith, Paul Ford, George Mathews, James LaCurto, Hugh Rennie, Richard Coogan, Edward Kreisler, Richard Goode, Kenneth Toby, John McQuade, Alan Keith, Carry Bridewell, Helene Reynolds, Jane Randolph, Laura Pierpont, James Fallon, William Hansen
Writers; Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
Producer-Director: Ed Sobol
Technical Director: Howard Gronberg
Scenery: Bob Wade
75 Mins.; Sun (11), 8:15 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT— NBC, N. Y.
WNBT's televising of "The Front Page" demonstrated two important principles that video programmers in the future will have to consider carefully. First, that unlike films, there can be no retakes in television and when an actor fluffs a line, it slays fluffed. Second, that no matter how off-color an original legit show is, it can be entertaining and still acceptable to a family audience gathered round the home television set. provided it is given intelligent handling.
Undoubtedly one of the best-produced plays yet televised. "The Front Page," familiar as it is to most theatregoers and toned down as it was still drew hefty belly-laughs from trade press critics in the viewing room, proof that NBC's programmers are well aware of the second principle outlined above. And the number of times the actors fluffed their lines (which, incidentally, was about the only fault of the show) must certainly have driven home to the programmers the importance of the first.
With the exception of garbled lines, the cast was super-fine. Vinton Hayworth provided just the light touches to the leading role of Hildy Johnson, the reporter who is trying to leave newspaper work for more financially-fertile fields but finds he can't break away when a top story cracks wide open under his nose. Sharing top honors with Hayworth was Matt Crowley, radio's "Dick Tracy," in the role of Walter Burns, Hildy's conniving managing editor. Howard Smith, seen on Broadway until recently in “Dear Ruth,” was admirable as the crooked mayor and the two feminine lead, Mollie Malloy and Peggie Grant, were ably done by screen actresses Helene Reynolds and Jane Randolph. (Variety, Nov. 14)
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 Film, “Wings of Democracy.”
8:13 Feature film, “Bombs Over Burma” with Anna May Wong. (PRC, 1942)
9:20 Televues.
9:28 Boxing from Madison Square Garden. Allie Stolz vs. Willie Joyce.
CHICAGO is slated to get its first glimpse of color television around April 1, when CBS-WBBM plans to begin operation of television department with 1,000 GE and Westinghouse receivers at strategic places in downtown Chicago. Les Atlass, vice-president and general manager of WBBM, said ultra-high frequency equipment will be used for the color broadcasts, which will show special events possibly including home games of Chicago Cubs. (Broadcasting, Nov. 12)
Tuesday, November 13WCBW Channel 2
8:00 News with Dwight Cooke.
8:15 “Tales to Remember,” Americana with Milton Bacon, raconteur.
8:30 Motion Picture “The Fleet That Came to Stay” (U.S. Navy, 1945)
9:00 “The Missus Goes A-Shopping” with John Reed King.
The first television show to be presented by the army will be presented over the Balaban & Katz station WBKB at 7:30 o’clock tonight. The program, titled “The Army Transportation Corps Brings ‘Em Back,” will include a drama clarifying problems facing authorities in returning service men to their homes. Col. I. Sewell Morris, commanding officer of the 6th transportation zone, will tell what civilians can do to help speed service men home. A cast of army personnel and civilians will enact the dramatic portion of the show. (Chicago Tribune, Nov. 13)
WCBW Channel 2
8:00-8:15 News with Dwight Cooke.
8:15 Film: “Peace Comes to America” narrated by John Daly (U.S. Navy, 1945)
8:30 Amateur Boxing Bouts.
Television Productions, Inc.
Reviewed Wednesday (14) 8:30-10 p.m. Style—News, fashion guide, puppet show. Sustaining on W6XYZ, Hollywood.
Top eye-catcher tonight was Little Red Riding Hood as presented by the Southern Puppetteers. Animated figures via video are not new, but the way this show was handled is giving a good indication of part puppets will play in tomorrow's tele.
To begin with, the old string act has to be viewed from up close to be really enjoyed. Video does a bang-up job of that by devoting a full screen to the miniature set. Trouble, tho, is strings show, or even if they ran be washed out, figures close up move in stilted manner.
Tonight's scanning, however, avoided these pitfalls. Figures were puppets not marionettes and therefore put thru their paces sans strings by operators who work below. This gave opt closer contact with their figures, thereby providing smoother flowing action and the advantage of no tell-tale strings.
Voicings were well done and story was treated in gagged-up modern version that should have proved sock kid fare as well as laugh-puller foe the elders.
Director Klaus Landaberg threw a new twist into his fashion guide by wrapping it up as quizzer. Titled Right or Wrong? styler confronted four Paramount starlets with a gown designed for them and then had each pick out the accessories (gloves, bags, hats, shoes, etc.) that should properly go with her particular gown. This undoubtedly had fems what to pick, but the guys probably weren't excited. Skit format, previously used by Landsberg, in which styler is sugar-coated with gags and a couple of vaude acts, holds more Universal appeal, altho tonight's set-up pulled ferns closer to their receivers.
Dick Lane, as chief quiz master, did a good job in keeping the patter going, with the leasers deserving a nod for their smooth close-ups, panning and dollying. Because quizzer was unrehearsed, boys wielding the ikes faced the tough teak of keeping up with the choices of the whimsical women.
Paramount News this week offered shots of world events narrated by Jack Latham. Timing between shots of narrator and pix has improved a lot, keeping pace at high pitch. Topics treated include scenes of inside Berlin, General Eisenhower's return to the U. S., New York and Detroit elections, Hull's Noble Peace prize, and the Little David, mortar, latest in artillery warfare.
Show as a whole moved at a nice gait, proved well-balanced tele-fare and was backed with good image quality and lighting. Lee Zhito, (Billboard, Nov. 24)
WNBT Channel 1
7:00-8:30 Children’s Program: “Teletruth,” quiz; Film: “Rolling Down the Great Divide” with Lee Powell, Bill Boyd (PRC, 1942)
Washington—CBS has applied for a license for its new experimental television station, the FCC announced yesterday [15].
This action followed CBS’s disclosure that it was “ready to go” on its wider band, full-color broadcasting.
CBS’s new frequencies would fall between 480 and 496 megacycles, much higher than the present 13 commercial channels below 225 megacycles. (Radio Daily, Nov. 15)
The Benrus Watch Company has signed for a series of time signals, four-a-week, over CBS television station WCBW, the first of which was telecast yesterday [15]. The signals, of 20-seconds duration, are scheduled to appear at the end of program transmissions on Tuesdays and Friday nights, and before and after the station’s fight program which is broadcast on Wednesday.
Through the use of actual watches, the signals are produced “live” with narration. Contract was signed by Young & Rubicam for Benrus, and George Moskovics, commercial manager of television operations for the Columbia network. (Radio Daily, Nov. 16)
Friday, November 16
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 “Friday Night Quarterback” with Lou Little
8:15 “The World in Your Home” sponsored by RCA Victor.
8:30 Boxing at Madison Square Garden, Tippy Moran vs. Nick Moran.
WCBW Channel 2
8:00 News with Tom O’Connor.
8:15 “Inferno” or “Abstract,” a new approach to music in television. 8:25 Film.
8:45 “The World We Live In.”
General Walson, Surgeon General of the New York area, will interview a wounded serviceman preliminary to the showing of the Victory Loan film, “The Army Nurse,” on WCBW scheduled for tonight, from 8:25 to 8:45 p.m., EST.
“The Army Nurse” is a picture that describes with on-the-scene details the task faced in war by America’s women, and of the many months of effort that still remain before them. In the scenes illustrated throughout the film, the audience accompanies the war nurse in her missions close to the fighting lines. (Radio Daily, Nov. 16)
Inferno
Reviewed Friday (16), 8:15-8:25 p.m. Style—Abstract design. Sustaining over WCBW, New York.
It's hard to define Inferno, second in a series of abstracts scanned on Columbia's WCBW, and it's even harder to criticize it. A partial definition would read something like this: "A series of abstract designs, both still and animated. plus a series of film clips, all designed to visualize three selections from the pens of modern composers and parts of Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum.
If that leaves you confused, think nothing of it. You have company.
It would be criticism of a sort to say that Inferno was a fascinating experiment, a rough trailblazer for what may conceivably develop into a new television art form. There have previously been experiments with kaleidoscopes which projected patterns on the screen to visualize music forms. And, in another sphere, there have been concerts with a color organ, which projected flowing masses of color on a screen, again based on music. But the Columbia series is possibly the first time that designs specifically intended to express musical moods have been put on television.
Paul Belanger's effort had a quality of brooding horror and a alight hypnotic effect. It was intended to do both those things. The music, excerpts from Mossoloaff, Prokofieff and Shostakovich, was alternately driving, repetitive, sombre, gloomy and portentous. Georg Olden's designs were close to being as moody and stormy as the music. The animations and the background, stock shots of a steel mill, contributed to an intensity of emotion which built up to a bleak. overpowering climax.
All of the foregoing may seem to indicate that Inferno was an accomplished piece of entertainment. It was far from it. The abstract drawings came close, but not quite up to the mood of the music. Some of the stock shots were too subjective, and the narrated sections of The Pit and the Pendulum contributed nothing to the over-all impact. Chiefly in error among a group of animated drawings were a series of snake–like creations which looked more like microscopic slides than nameless horror.
At times cueing was off, but over-all the production was adequate. Fred Reinhard did the animations, Barry Koeger handled narration and Howard Hayes and Ralph Warren the cameras. Marty Schrader, (Billboard, Nov. 24)
Balaban & Katz
Reviewed Friday (16). Style—News and documentary. Sustaining on WBKB, Chicago.
First proof tonight of the application of new program policy came during a news commentary by Don Ward, who used to be telecast while sitting at a table with a pile of news copy from which he read. Tonight, however, there was an attempt at production. Ward was perched comfortably in a living room setting and smoked a pipe and in other ways adopted a casual air with more concentration on ad lib directed at the camera instead of bent-head copy reading. During the newscast station used cross lighting which developed highlights and shadows more effective than the usual grays produced by front lighting. Snaps and slides depicting scenes in the news were also used.
A slide "intermission" was used during scenery setting between program changes. In the past, slides about the weather, corning attractions at B&K theaters and patriotic drives have been used. Intermission slide gives the audience a chance to divert attention from the screen and thus avoids possible eye strain. However, no verbal announcement was used to call attention to the fact that the intermission was just about over. Audible stuff would have been better because audience at home, who had gone to the kitchen for a bottle of beer, or what have you, would have been called back to their video sets in time and segments of the audience would not have been lost. Use of an intermission elide only will be particularly dangerous in the future when competing stations will be vieing for public attention.
Other portion of the program depicted army Transportation Corps' handling of vets returning from overseas. A half-hour shot written by S/Sgt. Saul C. Korkin, this show utilized drama, speeches and variety entertainment, all blended together in a production marred only by a few line fluffs and poor lighting. This resulted from the fact that WBKB's battery of lights can't be focused perfectly on more than one scene in the station's lone studio.
The Transportation Corps's show opened with a pan In shot of a house door, titles and then a fade to an island scene in which a couple of G.I.'s were bemoaning the time it was taking to get them discharged. Scene sequence which then followed revealed good writing and top production by Beulah Zachary. Interest was maintained thru force of presentation. From the island scene there was a switch to Capt. James D. Harry, PRO; to a transport ship homeward bound, to entertainers on the ship, to a separation camp, back to the captain, to a G.I. kissing his wife at the door of his house, and then to Col. I. Sewell Morris, C.O. of the 8th Transportation Corps. Best part of the entertainment "aboard ship" was done by Karen Rae, with a routine a la the Imaginators. Col. Morris, who delivered his talk strictly ad lib, has a place in video as a news commentator if he ever decides to don mufti. Cy Wagner. (Billboard, Nov. 24)
Marcus Duffield, newspaperman and writer of the New York Sunday Herald-Tribune feature, “History in the Making,” is doing a weekly news spot on CBS television station WCBW. His first broadcast occurred last week with the station’s coverage of the New York mayoralty election. (Radio Daily, Nov. 16)
One of the first radio programs tested fir adaptability to television, John Reed King’s “Missus Goes A-Shopping,” telecast for the first time on WCBW on Aug. 3rd, 1944, was recently renewed by the CBS network television outlet for an indefinite period. The program, a regular early morning WABC program, is telecast each Tuesday evening from 9:00 to 9:30 p.m. (Radio Daily, Nov. 16)
Saturday, November 17
No television scheduled
Sunday, November 18
2:00 Football: N. Y. Giants vs. Detroit at the Polo Grounds.
8:00 Newsreel.
8:10 Live Presentation:“You Can’t Take It With You” by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, with Sidney Blackmer.
“YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU”
With Robert Ober, Mabel Taliaferro, Arthur Hunnicutt, Mardi Bryant, Tom Seidel, Dane Clement, Phil Kramer, Al Linder, Henry Walden
Writers: George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart
Producer-Director: Ernest Colling
Set: Robert Wade
85 Mins., Sun. (18), 8:25 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT-NBC, N. Y.
WNBT producer Ernie Colling came up with another sock video version of a famous stageplay Sunday (18) with presentation of the Kaufman-Hart show, "You Can't Take It With You." These legit shows that NBC television programmers produce in their entirety get better each week and will be welcomed by sponsors as soon as enough receiving sets are available to merit top-coin video commercials.
An overnight success on Broadway in 1936 and later filmed by Columbia, comedy deals with antics of Grandpa Martin Vanderhof and his daughter's screwy family. Show's one set was especially adaptable to television and technical aspects of the production, including the camera and sound-effects work, were some of the best yet seen on a video show.
WNBT producers have taken the suggestion of several critics re the intermission in these full-length plays, with the result that the new system of flashing the word "intermission" on the screen is much easier to take than the former system of having a commentator announce the break and then give a pep-talk on how good the next act will be. Producers have also inaugurated the system of flashing the time and setting on the screen before each scene with good results, the viewer thereby having a printed program before him.
Cast was topnotch. Robert Ober, pinch-hitting in the top role of Grandpa Vanderhof for Sydney Blackmer, who was called to the Coast in the midst of rehearsals, turned in a fine job as the kindly, philosophic old gent who gave up his business 35 years previously just to take things easy. Mabel Taliaferro, in the role of Penny Sycamore, Grandpa's daughter, brought to viewers the talent that made her a star in the original "Bloomer Girl" cast. Arthur Hunnicutt, of "Beggars Are Coming to Town" and Tom Seidel and Dane Clement, both now appearing in "Harvey," also provoked laughs with their antics.
With such acting talent, already proven scripts and steadily-improving production, WNBT can't miss.(Variety, Nov. 21)
You Can't Take It With You
Reviewed Sunday (18), 8:20-10 p.m. Style—Comedy-drama, Sustaining over Station WNBT (NBC), New York.
No television presentation (we've said this time and time again, but it bears repetition again and again) can ever be any better than the performances it encompasses. The Moss Hart-George S. Kaufman You Can't Take It With You requires character work that is top-drawer, and the acting for NBC's production was amateur of the most professional type. The gang were, for the most part, known for their ability to do a Job, but they certainly didn't do it this evening. Tom Seidel (Harvey) went up in his lines time and time again, as the juvenile (Tony Kirby). Betty Beuhler (Alice Sycamore) was as appealing and as washed out in performance as a rep show ingenue, and if you didn't believe she could be true you had no play.
There were adequate performances, but adequate just isn't enough when a character such as Grandpa Vanderhof has to be etched. Robert Ober didn't do anything bad, but you just didn't tine a damn about him, and that went for practically all the rest who anticked across the kinescope. When characters like Kolenkhof, the white Russian ballet teacher, and Depinna, the ice man who came to deliver ice and remained for eight years, come to air-pic life, they must not be burlesques, no matter how broadly they're played.
Perhaps that was what was wrong with the entire presentation. They all played their parts with private misconception and neglected to tell even the director what was in their minds.
So much for the performances. The technical work was about on the par with the performances—uninspired. The cameras shifted time and time again, when they could have panned or dollied in. The set by Robert Wade was swell, but it washed out, because of what interior decorators called its busy-ness, many of the important characters who played before it. This was especially true of Grandpa . . . and he was one player who shouldn't have been washed out. When scenes were played between Grandpa and other characters, for some stupid reason the cameras seemed to concentrate on the other guy and leave the old boy out of focus. In fact, the handling of the cameras seemed to be done In such a way as to emphasize the fact that at present video hasn't any depth of field. In scene after scene one player was clearly in focus and the rest of the cast, in varying degrees, off focus.
Had there been one character in the entire large cast with whom the viewer might have fallen In love, as the audiences did with Grandpa in the play and in the picture, the scanning might have come to life. There wasn't.
The play was a tough order for Ernest Coiling, who adapted and produced it. From a looking-in vantage point, since no one did a good tele-acting job, Colling has to take the rap for not bringing the play thru the ike.
You Can't Take It With You lost its sparkle on WNBT . . . as one director alibied-maybe farce comedy that grows out of characterization can't be scanned yet. Maybe it better be left to the footlights and moon plc. Joe Koehler. (Billboard, Nov. 24)
NEW YORK, Nov. 19.—A door on the third floor of 515 Madison Avenue, marked "Du Mont Television, Top Secret. Keep Out," opened a crack last week and let loose some hitherto rumored info concerning this indie tele company's financial position and future prospects. Leak No. 1 came when it is alleged top Du Mont execes, personally pessimistic and insecure, informed staffers of imminent staff cuts, a 60-day or more delay in opening new studios in the John Wanamaker Department Store here, and indicated that the stiff terms of the Wanamaker deal may pull the last few shekels from DuMont's purse.
Top-level execs, according to those in the know, in a very confidential meeting on Tuesday (13), pointed to the continued absence of any channel allocation for WABD, their pot-boiler here, as still another factor in their retrenchment. And on Friday (18), in the first of what may be a series of wholesale firings, the entire studio maintenance crew was dismissed. (Billboard, Nov. 24)
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 Film, “Wings of Democracy.”
8:13 Feature film, “The True Glory” (War Dept. 1945).
9:20 Televues.
9:28 Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena. Johnny Lawer vs. Lou Woods.
Washington.—Victory Loan films will be broadcast over nine tele stations, including the Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Schenectady, and Chicago, the Treasury Department announced yesterday [19].
Treasury officials said it will be the first concerted drive over tele stations. During the Seventh War Loan, individual tele stations took part in the drive, but this would be the first all-out effort.
Will Baltin, secretary-treasurer of Television Broadcasters Association, said 20 films prepared for the Treasury will be televised over the stations. In addition, the video stations are putting on a series of studio salutes to the Victory Loan. (Hollywood Reporter, Nov. 20)
FORERUNNER of regularly scheduled intercity broadcasts by coaxial cable between Washington and New York, the Bell System will inaugurate its Philadelphia-New York coaxial cable on Dec. 1 when NBC televises the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia for broadcast over its New York station, WNBT.
Keith S. McHugh, vice-president of AT &T, who last week announced the coaxial system, described the Army-Navy transmission as "a preview of long distance television by cable."
Already AT &T has arranged to make its Washington-New York coaxial cable available to CBS, NBC and the Allen B. DuMont Labs, for exchange of telecasts between the two cities. Each telecaster will use the cable two nights a week during the experimental stages. AT &T will make the coaxial available also to others interested in TV, including motion picture producers and theater operators, when they have facilities available.
The Bell system has been using coaxial cable to carry telephone conversations over some intercity routes for several years. Present construction contemplates a network of coaxial and radio relay facilities extending from coast-to-coast and from north to south.
In 1946 the cable network will be extended south of Washington to Charlotte, N. C., and between Atlanta and Dallas. In 1947 the project will link Chicago and St. Louis and the southern route will be extended to Los Angeles. Plans call for construction of upwards of 1,500 miles of coaxial cable a year for the next few years.
The coaxial cable is suitable for transmitting television signals or 480 simultaneous telephone messages.
An experimental radio relay system is being built by the Bell System between New York and Boston. When the development is finished, the Bell System plans to use radio relay, coaxial cable or other means—whichever is most advantageous—to extend its television and telephone lines through-out the country. (Broadcasting, Nov. 19)
BEHIND-THE-SCENES shots in a beauty parlor were televised this month in the first video program produced by The Fair Store, Chicago.
Hector Suyker, president of The Fair, said the store was experimenting with television to get experience in this type of merchandising and that plans are being made for expanded use of TV as the number of receiving sets increases.
The show, presented on WBKB Chicago at 3:45 p.m., promoted the Rose Laird line of cosmetics and brought a score of complimentary letters. Miss Laird, 79-year-old beauty expert, gave a demonstration on proper makeup and beauty care, using two teen-age girls as models. Scheduled to run 15 minutes, the show was allowed to run 12 minutes overtime.
While the program was The Fair's first major production, the store previously had sent slides of window and counter displays to WBKB for use as station breaks. There are approximately 400 video receiving sets within range of WBKB. (Broadcasting, Nov. 19)
Tuesday, November 20
WCBW Channel 2
8:00 News with Marcus Duffield.
8:15 “ .”
8:30 Motion Picture: “Secrets”
9:00 “The Missus Goes A-Shopping” with John Reed King.
Aunt Jenny
Reviewed Tuesday (20), 8:15-8:30 p.m. Style—Drama. Sponsored by Lever Bros. for Spry (Ruthraff & Ryan) over WCBW-CBS, New York.
This week’s effort, Aunt Jenny, (after the radio show of the same name) was quite the reserve. Columbia’s director, Tony Miner, and the whole floor crew really laid themselves out for Lever Bros., setting, shooting, shading and switching with considerable elan. All told, Ruthraff & Ryan, Lever Bros.’ agency, should be delighted with the co-operation they received. But the script and the acting were matters of a different hue.
Joe Armel Cross wrote a script which, to put it mildly, was dull, torpid, never went anywhere and, in fact, never got started. Eve Spencer (Aunt Jenny) recited her commercial in a style made famous by the guy who used to do the Tizzy Lish character on the old Al Pearce show. Mary Orr was supposed to play a cynical, hard-bitten hash slinger, but she sounded and looked more like a gushing adolescent straight out of the cast of Kiss and Tell. Lyde Bettger, as Johnny, a soldier, was so smilingly heroic that it fair turned the stomach.
The plot (plot is used for want of a better word) dealt with three civilians in a lunch wagon who sit and complain about the rotten Thanksgiving they have. A soldier sits quietly until all the gripes have been aired and then points out he is going to spend Thanksgiving on a bus but that he’s happy because he’s going home. It would be hardly fair to say that this dish of sloppy sentimentality, as shopworn as the food in a lunch wagon, was a play. It wasn’t even an impressive episode. It would take a brave man to venture a guess concerning the likes and dislikes of soap-opera audiences. But it is safe to wager that they want a modicum of suspense and some semblance of plot in their fare.
Aside from Miss Spencer’s inane reading, the commercials themselves could bear sprucing up. Plug number one dealt with the myriad advantages of using Spry to roast a turkey. It was horse-sense to use an uncooked bird at the beginning, but somewhere along the line a nice hot, brown crispy turk should have been trotted in to show how it will look after treatment in a hot oven. It takes considerable effort to write this down, but one picture, gentlemen, it worth a thousand words.
Jim McNaughton’s settings were the last word, and a mighty fine word at that. There was just one thing wrong with them, aside from the fact that they were too good for the script. That error, badly placed knick-knacks, could have been rectified by the director, the producer of [or] a couple of bright stage-hands. In the lunch room scene a cake plate and cover was placed at the end of the counter, right in a perfect place to loom up at the bottom of the picture and ruin the composition.
Marcus Duffield, a new CBS newscaster, is a wooden gent who conveys neither a sense of intimacy nor authority. His ad lobbing on a well-made CBS film was dull and his whole performance needed life. Perhaps Duffield has camera fright. If so, he’d better lose it fast. Marty Schrader. (Billboard, Dec. 1)
Balaban & Katz
Reviewed Tuesday (20), 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. Style—Sports, art discussion. Sustaining on WBKB, Chicago.
There was nothing grandiose on WBKB tonight, nothing pretentious that would make an audience sit back and gasp, “God, what a wonderful thing this television is.” But what was presented was done in a masterly manner than showed plan and care and also an indication of what television can do in two field: Art education and sports discussion and interpretation.
The part of the program which proved television has it all over radio in the field of sports programs of a commentary nature was the informative discussion by Joe Wilson of what went on during last week’s game between the Chicago Cardinals and the Cleveland Rams. This portion of the show opened with a clever move-in shot of Wilson seated in a simulated sports box. The camera moved in on him and got a shot of his back while he was doing an imaginary description of the Cardinals-Rams game. While this was going on a second camera was picking up titles for the show, and the images from the two cameras were blended to make it appear as if the moving titles were between Wilson and the camera on him. After No. 1 camera had moved up on Wilson, it was pointed up and out into what was meant to be the sky above the opposite side of the stadium from which Wilson was working. Then came a fade, and the next shot was of Wilson standing before a table on which was placed a miniature field and moving figures representing the opposing teams.
Miniature playing field was well done and proved effective as a video gimmick, giving graphic impact to a sports commentary. With it Wilson was able to give an exact description of how various plays were pulled off. Facing the “field” and the paper players on it, the WBKB staff placed a mirror at a 45-degree angle. The camera was then pointed into the mirror, as Wilson went thru his explanation, he moved the paper figures around with a long stick. As he moved the figures around, the camera picked up the reflected movement in the mirror, Over all result was clear explanation far out-stripping in informative qualities anything radio could do. Construction of the set, the field and direction of the program was done by Gladys Lundberg.
Other portion of the show was an art discussion featuring the paintings of Frank Kleinholz, who now has an exhibit at the Associated American Artists’ Gallery here. After an interview by the director of the gallery, Kleinholz discussed the painting he brought to WBKB, while the video cameras were focused on his work. One of the paintings, because it had little variation of color intensities, and a predominance of dark shades, did not show up too well. But others did with great clarity. At any rate, the impact of color television could be imagined from the fact that even a black and white representation brought artistic pleasure. At one point in his discussion, Kleinholz said he was happy to appear on the program because he felt that television could bring the public and the artist closer together and give a larger number than heretofore possible, a chance to understand art. He was right in sizing up the portent of the video medium. What television will be able to do eventually in the field of bringing art appreciation to millions, makes one believe that all the work on the medium to date has been worth while. (Billboard, Dec. 1)
WCBW Channel 2
8:00-8:15 News with Al Grobe.
8:15 Film: “Voyage to Recovery” (U.S. Navy, 1945)
8:30 Amateur Boxing Bouts.
MORE TELEVISION stations for the nation's largest cities were provided by the FCC last week [21] under a new allocation plan carrying out objectives of the Television Broadcasters Assn. proposal, but without requiring use of directional antennas.
Deciding policy on the most controversial of the rules to be adopted for sight-and-sound broadcasting, on which oral arguments were heard six weeks ago, the Commission:
1. Gave New York, Chicago and Los Angeles seven channels each, assigned 33 other cities additional channels, eliminated community stations from 24 cities but provided each with at least one metropolitan facility.
2. Set a minimum of 28 hours a week and of two hours in any one day for the operation of television stations, but said it would consider different requirements for different types of stations. Commission's original proposal for a 42-hour week has been opposed by CBS, Bamberger Broadcasting Co., and several other television operators as too high. ...
FCC allocation plan provides for a total of 406 television stations, 388 of which would use metropolitan channels and the remainder community. The channels made available for the various cities, the Commission pointed out, will be revised in accordance with the demand for stations.Under new allocation schedule, New York gains three stations, Chicago two and Los Angeles one over the number designated in the Commission's original proposal of Sept. 20. Detroit, Boston, Cleveland and Indianapolis are each allotted five instead of three; St. Louis and Portland, Ore., are given five instead of four; Philadelphia, Chattanooga, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Columbus, O., Milwaukee, Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Sioux City, and Washington, D. C. each are assigned four instead of three. (Broadcasting, Nov. 26) Under the FCC’s plan, only tele channel No. 1 will be designated as a community channel. All other tele channels will be available for either metropolitan or rural stations. However, in the smaller cities, community stations will be assigned to these channels. (Radio Daily, Nov. 23)
WNBT Channel 1
1:00 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
7:00-8:30 Children’s Program: “Teletruth,” quiz; Films of British Prime Minister Clement Attlee Before Congress; Film: “Rangler’s Roost” with The Ranger Busters (Monogram, 1941).
Friday, November 23
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 “Friday Night Quarterback” with Lou Little
8:15 “The World in Your Home” sponsored by RCA Victor.
8:30 Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena, Jerry Fiorello vs. Coley Welch.
WCBW Channel 2
8:00 News with Dwight Cooke.
8:15 “Inferno”. 8:25 Film.
8:45 “The World We Live In.”
[Herald Tribune has WCBW 8:15 “Tales to Remember”; 8:30 “Film: “To Win the Peace” (U.S. Marines, 1945); 8:45: “Choreotones,” dance series].
Television Productions, Inc.
Reviewed Friday (23), 8:30-9:30 p.m. Style—News, comics, toy display, boxing matches. Sustaining on W6XYZ, Hollywood.
Undercover commercials have long been a Klaus Landsberg pet. Theory is to use the experimental period trying out various techniques for handling painless plugs. While this part of the seller was down pat, production took a dip in the Santa Claus stint. There was little there that could be called real entertainment or attempt at showmanship. Kid was frozen stiff, barely uttering a sound, thereby throwing the entire load on Lane. Latter kept patter going at full speed, with monolog growing a bit tiresome after a while.
Scanning of unusual toys would have been a boost. Also, if kid could have been worked into a gagged -up skit, toy stint would have proved more enjoyable. Now that W6XYZ is getting plug technique mastered, it should start paying more attention to production. It won't be long until home viewers here will have their choice on what they will eye. Show will either pack punch or else. Landsberg can (and has) do better than tonight's toy peddler. Guy is undoubtedly taken up with problems of getting his new Mount Wilson transmitter constructed to be able to devote too much attention to production.
Boxing matches that followed proved sock entertainment (no pun intended). High speed action and element of the unexpected always make bouts a top eye catcher. Matches are staged in the studio, therefore lighting, camera angles, etc., are under control.
Ike boys did a good job in catching focus of leather-pushers as well as panning and dollying in the Santa Claus stint. Fast close-up shots of toys in latter proved a redeeming factor. Juice crew did a good job thruout, helping to keep W6XYZ's image quality at its usual top level.
Show got under way with Paramount News pic, highlighting latest world events, followed by series of comic strips. Both aired via slides with dubbed-in voicings. Lee Zhito. (Billboard, Dec. 8)
Saturday, November 24
WNBT Channel 1
1:46-5:00 Football Columbia vs. Dartmouth at Baker Field.
Sunday, November 25
WNBT Channel 1
2:00 Football: N. Y. Giants vs. Green Bay at the Polo Grounds.
8:00 Newsreel.
8:10 Live Presentation: “Petticoat Fever” by Mark Reed, with John McQuade, Anne Burr.
"PETTICOAT FEVER"
With John McQuade, Anne Burr, Philip Tonge, Blanche Gladstone, Robert Davis, John Souther, Richard Goode, Ed Hussey, Dorothy Golden, Robert Humphrey
Writer: Mark Reed
Producer: Fred Coe
Technical Director: Albert Plotzman
Set: Bob Wade
90 Mins.; Sun. (25), 8:15 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT-NBC, N. Y.
Despite statements from both motion picture and television reps that television will never compete with the movies, these full-length plays that WNBT is producing each Sunday night might well put a crimp in theatre grosses someday when there are more video receiving sets in circulation. As one novice put it, who saw his first television show Sunday (25) with "Petticoat Fever," latest in the WNBT series: "What better way of spending a cold, wintry Sunday night than to be stretched out in a comfortable chair before a warm fireplace in your own home, and such good entertainment on your television screen?"
A three-act farce that appeared on Broadway back in 1935, "Petticoat Fever," lost none of its amusing qualities on the video screen. Show started too slowly, with John McQuade, playing the lead role of Dascom Dinsmore, going through too many antics to demonstrate the boredom felt by a radio operator in the Labrador wilds who hadn't seen a beautiful woman in two years. With that out of the way, however, the pace picked up rapidly, drawing bellylaughs from the audience that continued until the final fadeout.
Hilarity of the now-familiar plot evolves from the situations arising when a stuffy Canadian M.P. and his beauteous flnancee are forced to seek refuge in Dinsmore's hut when their plane runs out of gas, with Dinsmore's former fiancee arriving on the scene to complicate matters further. Despite abundance of slapstick in McQuade’s portrayal, he proved a master of comedy, being ably abetted by Anne Burr, topnotch in the role of Ethel, and Philip Tonge, in a rousing caricature of the Canadian M.P. Rest of cast was uniformly good.
Technical quality of the show maintained the high level of quality inaugurated early in the series. Producer Fred Coe kept the laughs coming fast and Bob Wade's set was of top-drawer calibre..(Variety, Nov. 28)
Petticoat Fever
Reviewed Sunday (25), 8:10-10 p.m. Style—Face. Sustaining over WNBT, New York (NBC).
Tonight convinced this viewer that no NBC brass with any video sense looks in on their telecasts prior to their airing. Okay, the field is supposed to be experimental, but it doesn’t have to smell. When Petticoat Fever was presented across the footlights it lasted 136 performances, which means it was a fair-to-middling success. Of course, Dennis King’s Dascom Dinsmore was played as solid farce, while John McQuade’s Dascom on the air was about the most unbelievable piece of acting I’ve seen in a long time—and there have been plenty of putrid performances.
There was no sense, no entertainment sense, no acting sense and no video sense to the entire play . . . and just how long it is going to be before NBC realizes that it won’t be able to get away with long drinking bouts and couples being married while they’re drunk, in video? It’s been pointed out before, and it will be pointed out again and again, that the same code of decency which governs radio must govern television. Apparently there’s someone at the senior network who has a perverted sense of humor and to whom plays of women killing their husbands, drinking scenes, etc., are an escape from the air code. Many a radio producer permits himself the luxury of producing one program a season for an audience of one—himself. NBC’s video staff is going that producer one better—it’s producing, in air—pix like Petticoat Fever, plays that not even the producer could love.
There are few stock companies of little theater groups who could have produced “Petticoat Fever” with less inspiration than NBC. No attempt was made to develop any television technique. Fred Coe apparently decided (in fact, he stated that this is just what he did) that he’d “Camera report” the stage production. It can’t be done. Video must have a technique all its own. Reports from viewers who saw this play in their home indicate that there were very few who sat through the entire hour and 45 minutes that it rambled along. This was a chaser—away from the television receiver.
Again, it must be repeated, NBC is using video now to sell television. In productions like Petticoat Fever and last week’s You Can’t Take It With You it’s killing even the most hardy viewers.
Surely, NBC can find more than one good producer. They’re putting small fortunes into every Sunday night presentation, and soundies turn out better entertainment at pic jukes any day.
It’s not the function of a reviewer to tell a web that it’s nuts to kill the goose that should be laying golden eggs. But this reviewer can’t help closing this wasted evening by pointing out that the place for a net to lay eggs that break and smell is still on closed circuits. He’s going out to give a “D” picture a rave notice; the worse will thrill him so much after the video Petticoat Fever, at least it will be in focus all the time. Joe Koehler. (Billboard, Dec. 1)
Monday, November 26
8:00 Film, “Wings of Democracy.”
8:13 Feature film, “The Stilwell Road” (War Dept. 1945).
9:05 Televues.
9:15 Revenge of Allah Singh.
9:25 Boxing from St. Nicholas Arena. Frankie Rubino vs. Pat Foley.
Tuesday, November 27
WCBW Channel 2
8:00 News and analysis with Marcus Duffield.
8:15 “There Ought to Be a Law,” high school discussion.
8:45 Motion Picture.
9:00 “The Missus Goes A-Shopping” with John Reed King.
Chicago—The Town Club Forum will be televised for the first time by WBKB tonight [27] with science students of the University of Chicago participating in a discussion of the atomic bomb. Monty Randall is moderator. An added audience of more than 200 is expected to view the program on a specially-installed receiving set at the Wellington Avenue Church. (Radio Daily, Nov. 27)
Wednesday, November 28
WCBW Channel 2
8:00-8:15 News with Boyce Price.
8:15 Film: “Voyage to Recovery” (U.S. Navy, 1945)
8:30 Amateur Boxing Bouts.
“AMAZING ADVENTURE OF TUMBLIN’ TIM"
With Joe Kelly, Robert Ellis, Phil Kinsman, Tex Morrisey
Writers: Fran Harris, Mary Buchanan
Producer: Fran Harris
Cameras: Rachel Stewart, Esther Rajewski
26 Mins.; Wed. (28), 3 p.m.
ACROBAT SHOE CO.
WBKB, Chicago
(Ruthrauff & Ryan)
Simple, though effective, this is a step in the right direction toward the production of better video shows for children. Based on characters from "'Tumblin' Tim Joins the Circus" by Carlyle Emery, a book distributed free to buyers of Acrobat shoes for children, the show opens with Timothy Taylor's mother (Betty Babcock) reading from the bock as he (Robert Ellis) is ready for bed. In a dream sequence that follows, Joe Kelly, as Pudgy Nose the clown, whisks him away on a star to the "Land of In Between" where Tim is introduced to an animated "shoe tree" (Phil Kinsman) whose baritoning of special lyrics to "Trees" brings in the commercials in an easy manner, and to the antics of Hank, the Mule (Tex Morrisey) and the cavorting of the animals, Floppy Ears, the elephant, and Peter Monk, the monkey, as marionetted by Bea Carrigan. Tim is found waking up as his mother calls him the next morning, but not before the animated tree is visioned by the youngster for a repeat of the commercial lyrics.
Considering the limitations of the WBKB studio and its equipment, Producer Fran Harris (Ruthrauff & Ryan) and director Beulah Zachary deserve bows for a well-done job. While manipulation of the marionettes and other minor details were not as smooth as they could be, the stint was definitely a quality effort. Camerawork and other technicalities maintained a good level, with Mary Buchanan and Fran Harris' script displaying much thought. While the Acrobat Shoe Co., division of the General Shoe Corp., paid the bills the dealer, Marshall Field & Co., sponsored the show here on a local merchandising angle. Morg. (Variety, Dec. 5)
A television shopping service for Christmas will be inaugurated Dec. 2 by WNBT, 8:00-8:30 p.m., offering tips on the best gift “buys” in the New York area. Titled “The Television Christmas Shopper,” the program will employ the services of an experienced shopper who will visit department and gift stores in the metropolitan area. Program will run weekly through Dec. 23. (Radio Daily, Nov. 28)
WNBT next week begins video coverage of hockey and basketball games from Madison Square Garden. Hockey will be picked up Sundays, beginning Dec. 9, with basketball slated for Saturday and Wednesday evenings. Production is supervised by Burke Crotty, director of NBC tele field pickups. (Radio Daily, Nov. 28)
Thursday, November 29WNBT Channel 1
1:00 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
7:00-8:30 Children’s Program: “Teletruth,” quiz; Film: “Outlaws of Boulder Pass” with Fuzzy St. John (PRC, 1942).
Balaban & Katz
Reviewed Thursday (29), 7:30-8:15 p.m. Style—Variety, news. Sustaining and commercial on WBKB, Chicago.
A one minute and 40 second station break, altho the shortest part of tonight's program at WBKB, was nevertheless the best part of the show. Best that is when viewed as to direction, planning split-second timing and co- ordination among talent and production staff, the components that go toward making any successful television program.
The station break was done for the Elgin Watch Company. It opened with a shot of a doctor and a nurse walking into an office while discussing a case. Then they decide to get the time from the radio and switch it on to hear an announcer give a time announcement crediting Elgin. Following this was a shot of a large Elgin watch on which the 10 seconds were being ticked off. As the announcer said it was 10 seconds past 7:30, the telecast watch was right on the dot. Following was a shot of the doctor and the nurse checking their watches saying, of course, that they had Elgins and that their timepieces were right on time. It was all done very smoothly and constituted an effective commercial. It could have been more effective, however, if the pair did not have to go to the radio for confirmation that their Elgins were on time. This way, some doubt as to the accuracy of their watches was implied, and accuracy of radio time was sold as being more dependable than Elgin watch time. Don Ward, the commentator on tonight's show, continues to improve as he weeks go by. And the WBKB staff is producing news commentaries better. Having him seated in a comfortable easy chair adds a valuable impression of informality and intimacy with the video audience. Smooth direction, resulting in better camera work during switches from Ward to maps and globes, contributes much and so does the good cross-lighting which is improved each week. However, Ward still reads some of his material. When he is able to break away from this habit he will be tops. It is realized that the interpretive intelligent analysis Ward does is not easy ad lib material, but still if he could train himself to ad lib thruout the show he would be among the best video newscasters ever seen here.
Rest of the show consisted of songs by Jack Collins and one of Admiral Radio Company's presentations of what goes on at schools in the city. Collins has a good voice but he was presented in a fashion that was a bit too simple and showed little ingenuity of production. The best thing that can be said about the Admiral show is that the series will be discontinued shortly. Cy Wagner. (Billboard, Dec. 8)
Friday, November 30
WNBT Channel 1
8:00 “Friday Night Quarterback” with Lou Little
8:15 “The World in Your Home” sponsored by RCA Victor.
8:30 Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena, Patsy Giovanelli vs. Tony Pellone.
WCBW Channel 2
8:00 News with Tom O’Connor.
8:15 “Draw Me Another,” art program with Guerny Williams. Guests: Sam Berman and Sol Steinberg, New Yorker cartoonists.
8:30 Film.
8:45 “Army-Navy Game Preview” with Bob Edge.
CBS
Reviewed Friday (30), 8-9 p.m. Style—Interviews, quick sketch. Sustaining over WCBW, New York.
There was a time when CBS put out a pretty clean, well defined picture. But, in the past few weeks, definition has been low, and shading has been grade E. Friday's shows, Draw Me Another and a football interview, both took it on the chin from the technicians. It may be that Columbia's worn out ikes are at fault or it may be that the problem lies in the transmission, but the picture quality has been indisputably inferior to NBC or even to DuMont when it was on the air.
A dark, spotty, unclear pic ruined Draw Me Another, Clege Roberts' second attempt in video . . . and a pretty fair attempt it was. Altho the format, a series of interviews with prominent cartoonists, plus samples of their work, is basically weak, and altho the interviewer, Guerney Williams, is no Arthur Godfrey, the drawings were clever enough and the pace fast enough to hold the viewer's interest. It is quite possible that the fact that this reviewer is an incurable fan of Saul Steinberg, one of the cartoonists on the show, had something to do with it, but Draw Me Another seemed to be pleasant entertainment.
Ralph Warren and Howard Hayes were on the cameras, and whichever one was on camera one tossed a collection of out-of-focus shots around the screen.
Bob Edge, CBS's returned sports and special events director, brought Steve Owen, coach of the New York Football Giants, on video Friday to chat about the Army-Navy game. But, once having obtained an astute football man to help him, he proceeded to give forth with such a long monolog that Owen was barely able to open his mouth. What Edge had to say, most of it illustrated with still pix, was interesting to football fans, no doubt, but what's the sense of having a guest if you don't use him? Frances Buss turned in a workmanlike job in the directing end, but the pic was little better than it was in the previous stanza. Marty Schrader. (Billboard, Dec. 8)
Washington—Federal Communications Commission is calling the bluff of television applicants who want to hold their staked claims by sitting on the low-high frequency video fence without planning progress until the pay-dirt era comes to video....
On Thursday (29), the commission announced a consolidated hearing on nine applicants for commercial television operation in the nation's capital, which under the present FCC blueprint, is given only four video channels. Those in the Washington contest are Bamberger Broadcasting Service, Inc.; Capital Broadcasting Company (licensee of local Station WWDC); Allan B. DuMont Labs, Inc.; The Evening Star Broadcasting Company (licensee of WMAL); Marcus Loew Booking Agency, NBC (licensee of WRC); Eleanor Patterson, publisher of Times-Herald; Philco Radio & Tele- vision Corporation, and Scripps-Howard Radio, Inc. Hearing will be held probably at end of next two months, an FCC spokesman said....
FCC on last Friday (30) relegated NBC to a line position with all other applicants for new commercial operation when it announced it had denied an NBC petition for reinstatement of its television permit. Explanation was that net had allowed its earlier permit to lapse. (Billboard, Dec. 8)
CHICAGO—WBKB, local Balaban & Katz station, last week signed a five-year contract with Leo Seltzer, operator of the Chicago Colesium, giving WBKB exclusive rights to telecast sporting events and other types of shows presented at the Colesium. Contract for the deal was signed Friday night (30) by Seltzer; John Balaban, owner of WBKB, and William C. Eddy, director of B&K television....
WKBK expects to start on-the-spot pick-ups from the Coliseum shortly after the first of the year. One of the first events to be covered by the WBKB video cameras will be the Products of Tomorrow Exposition which opens April 27, 1946. This exposition will feature consumer and industrial products slated to become an important part of the American economy in the future. It is planned that this show will be an annual affair at the Coliseum.
Special Studio Planned
For the exposition WBKB will install a special studio at the Coliseum and parts of the exhibit will be brought into the studio for telecasting. Later on the station will use mobile equipment needed for location pick-ups.
Under the general terms of the pact between WBKB and the Coliseum, the station will pay for the cost of sustaining programs. Later, when commercial sponsors are found for telecasts from the Coliseum, the station promoters of events at the Coliseum and the arena operators will split charges to sponsors.
According to station spokesmen, the Coliseum was picked in preference to the Chi Stadium, other large indoor arena here, because of the diversity of events put on at the Coliseum each year. This includes, among other things, ice shows, basketball tourneys, wrestling matches, prize fights and roller derbies. (Billboard, Dec. 8)
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