Don Pardo as a baseball colour commentator? Mel Brandt as a dramatic actor?
You could witness those strange sights on TV in August 1946.
Pardo you know from “Saturday Night Live” (or, if you’re my age, “The Price is Right” and “Jeopardy”). Brandt was a constant presence on TV in the ‘60s, but not on camera. He spoke while a peacock was forming on screen: “The following program is brought to you in Living Color on NBC.”
There was no “Living Color” (an NBC phrase) on television in August 1946—there were live sports events, plays, dance, game shows and newscasts sponsored by oil companies. There was also expanded programming on WRGB, the G.E. station in Schenectady that likely welcomed professional talent through its hookup with WNBT. The station that later became KTLA planned to go on the air more often, too, once some TV sets showed up in stores. In the meantime, W6XYZ’s big show of the month was the annual rodeo which included shots of noted horse-woman Yvonne DeCarlo.
In Chicago, WBKB manager Captain Bill Eddy, war-time radar instructor, patent-holder and author, cancelled all out-of-studio programming because the technology wasn’t good enough. The ban lasted a few weeks until he got better equipment.
No newspapers outside of a pair in New York City published TV schedules and they weren’t always correct, but below you’ll see what we could find, along with reviews of some programmes.
Thursday, August 1
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Milo Boulton, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 “Draw Me Another,” cartoonists George Wolf and George Price.
8:45 “Stop, Look and Listen,” boner quiz with Gil Fates.
WNBT Channel 4
7:50 Television Reporter, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety show with Helen Parrish sponsored by Standard Brands.
9:00 “In Town Today,” pick-up from Times Square.
9:30 Famous Fight films.
WABD Channel 5
8:00 “Fare Enough” with Warren Hull.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Cash and Carry,” game show with Dennis James.
Draw Me Another over WCBW (CBS), 8:30-45 Thursday (1), moved at a leisurely pace with emsee Gurney Williams, cartoon editor of Colliers, giving the viewers a gander at the work of different cartoonists. On this show were George Price and George Wolf, whose well-known technique and versatility in the production of gag cartoons registered well. An informal session directed by Philip Booth, it came to the screen with fine clarity. Show was of prime interest and well suited to the video medium. From the commercial point of view, it looks as tho it can be done with a comparatively slim bankroll. (Billboard, Aug. 10)
Stop! Look! Listen! over WCBW (CBS) Thursday (1), 9-9:30 p.m., seems like a good idea on paper, but it just doesn't register via video. Cast goes thru a bit of plot, with contestants on the sideline yelling "stop!" to freeze the action whenever a boner is recognized. Winning contestant on this show scored 17 points, enough boners to effectually destroy the program from the point of view of plot development.
On the credit side it can be said that there's some audience interest in watching for the boners. But when caught these were generally neither humorous nor interesting. Tony Minor, who directs this opus for WCBW, may have a potentially good show on his hands, but it needs a lot of going over to sharpen the script and add humor and story interest. (Billboard, Aug. 10)
In Town Today
Reviewed Thursday (1), 7:30-45 p.m. Style—Sidewalk interviews. Sustaining over WNBT (NBC), New York.
NBC used to produce this video show in a studio, but the new series is done in the street via mobile equipment. Thursday's offering came from Times Square, announcer Radcliffe Hall having his mike outside the Times Building. Location added measurably to the program, the cameras being able to pick up an atmosphere of excitement and movement, flashing signs, etc. Personalities for the interviews were snared by Byron Meath, who managed to bring up a diversified group, including an American serving with the French army, a Polish lieutenant, a honey-mooning couple, a discharged merchant mariner plus a couple of "characters," including Broadway Sam, a Stem notable, and Larry Duffy, for 35 years a doorman at the Astor Hotel. Interesting talk ranged from the "good old days" on Times Square to war service in exotic countries.
Show, produced by Garry Simpson with Alfred Jackson as technical director, moved rapidly and smoothly, announcer Hall doing a stand-out job in lending spontaneity to the chatter. All in all, the show impressed as potential commercial material. (Billboard, Aug. 10)
Friday, August 2
8:00 “For You and Yours,” variety show.
8:40 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Boxing from Madison Square Garden. Willie Joyce vs. Danny Kapilow.
Atom Bomb Films
Reviewed Friday (2), 8:30 to 8:40 p.m. Special program of films taken during second atom bomb test at Bikini Atoll. Sponsored by the Elgin Watch Company on WBKB (Balaban & Katz), Chicago.
Beating the movie theaters here by at least three days in the showing of films depicting the second atom bomb test on Bikini Atoll. WBKB tonight gave an indication of how video stations in the future will be able to give their audiences top news coverage ahead of any other pictorial medium. Film presented tonight was shipped to WBKB by plane. Jack Gibney, who is quickly becoming one of WBKB's most valuable staff members, did a top job of the editing and continuity. His editing resulted in a film that presented, in chronological order events leading up to the actual exploding of the underwater atom bomb and breath-taking pictures of the clouds of water and radio active particles that rose high in the air after the explosion. His continuity, which he read during the showing, was calm, not flowery. He merely was factual, realizing that any attempt to be literary in conjunction with such an important event would be out of place. Special musical background that heightened the dramatic impact of the film also was used.
The commercial for the Elgin Watch Company also was in good taste. It consisted of a title at the beginning that merely said Elgin was presenting these films for the first time in the Midwest. After the films, a slide and a vocal institutional announcement were used.
The films were taken especially for television use. The cameramen worked in a pool for five telecasters: WBKB, WNBT, NBC tele station in New York, CBS, DuMont and Philco.
Circumstances surrounding showing of the films here pointed out one danger telecasters might have to face in the future if they use, for news programs, films flown from one city to another. The WBKB film got lost while on its way here from New York by air express. It finally arrived, one day late, after it had been located in Denver. When located, it was destined for San Francisco. (Billboard, Aug. 10)
Saturday, August 3
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 “Saturday Evening Spotlight,” feature edition of “CBS Television News.”
8:45 “King’s Party Line” with John Reed King.
Sunday, August 4
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 News with Tom O’Connor.
8:30 “You Be The Judge.”
9:45 Ballet: “Mysterious Stranger.”
WNBT Channel 4
2:00 Baseball at the Polo Grounds. Giants vs. Pirates.
8:00 “Face to Face,” with cartoonist Bob Dunn, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea.
8:15 “Geographically Speaking,” film, sponsored by Minit-Rub.
8:30 Musical miniature.
8:40 Play: “The Show-Off.”
"THE SHOWOFF"
With Lillian Foster, Alan Bunce, Florence Sundstrom, Louise Buckley, Frederic de Wilder, John Robb, Ralph Cullinan, Russell Morrison; films by Edwin Mills
Writer: George Kelly
Producer: Ed Sobol
Scenery: Bob Wade
80 Mins., Sunday [4], 8:40 p.m.
Sustaining
One of this show's lines was the quote, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof," bespeaking more aptly perhaps than was intended, the adaptation for video given "The Showoff," George Kelly's domestic comedy of the '20's provided what, for the most part, was pretty good video entertainment, with the exception of a particular that has proved the death of more than one otherwise good television program: over-length as a result of under-editing. Lack of sufficient cutting marred air otherwise good program in this case, emphasizing the fact that the success of most video shows is in inverse proportion to their length after the 15-or 20-minute saturation point is reached.
Solid mountings and just as solid thesping made the play a television success in spite of itself, but the 80 minutes must have raised havoc in hot living rooms.
Video presentation of the play opened with stock film shots of Philadelphia, with explanation over. Camera finally panned down to a typically middle-class house on the same kind of street, flanked on both sides by sister dwellings. Cast was then presented singly, each making some remark about the Showoff.
Credit kudos belong to Ed Sobol for his direction and Bob Wade, for his excellent single set. In the cast, Alan Bunce limned Aubrey Potter, "The Showoff," in sock fashion, underplaying a role that otherwise could have become ridiculous. Lillian Foster,as the family mother, and Louise Buckley, as the married sister, gave fine readings, Florence Sundstrom, the Showoff's wife, was a good spoiled brat, but miscued a couple of times. Rest of the cast was more than competent. Tomm. (Variety, Aug. 7)
"NBC NEWS"
With Paul Alley
15 Mins.; Sunday [4], 9 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT-NBC, N. Y.
Smart editing and excellent commentary of Paul Alley worked together to take NBC's Sunday night telenewsreel out of the class of just any news show, giving it documentary quality plus the punch of timeliness. These factors, plus the top music behind, kept the audience at seats' edge, which in video, is unusual.
Program opened with pan scenes of Paris, moving into shots of the peace conference and its participants, especially representatives of the four major nations, entering the conference hall. Typical newsreel sequences of speeches, reactions, etc., were shown, with the only sound coming from Alley's ace commentary, backed by music.
Last to be shown speaking was Sec. of State James F. Byrnes, and the commentator emphasized the fact that, although the least prepossessing of the group, Byrnes' voice carried behind it the weight of the atom bomb, and with this emphasis upon the U. S. diplomatic ace-in-the-hole, camera segued into B-Day at Bikini, for some suspenseful action. Majority of the scenes shown here were those filmed in slow motion by the automatic camera on the atoll, with Alley pointing out a couple of ships as they went under; all of which provided, a spectacular finish to a sock news show. Tomm. (Variety, Aug. 7)
Monday, August 5 WNBT Channel 4
7:50 Television Reporter, newsreel narrated by Paul Alley, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 Televues, sponsored by Firestone.
8:15 Short subjects.
8:30 Baseball at the Yankee Stadium, Yankees vs. Giants.
Esso Reporter
Reviewed Monday (5), 7:50-8 p.m. Style—Newsreel. Sponsor—Esso Marketers. Agency—Marschalk & Pratt. Station—WNBT (NBC), New York.
Typical of what Paul Alley, NBC's film boss, has to do when there's nothing in the way of sock news to scan was this airing. And it was sock despite Alley's feeling that there was little or no "immediacy."
From the opening shot of Gen. Carl Spaatz taking the salute of his squadrons of bombers to the final sport clip of French and Italian cycle stars racing across France, there was plenty of action. What was missing was inventiveness, human interest, the personal touch that takes a news shot and relates it to the viewer. However it's Alley's theory that this is not necessary at this time. He feels that a fast-moving commentary (he writes and voices it), well integrated with music (recorded, of course) and tight clips with pictorial interest, is the video newsreel of today.
When NBC shot the West Coast invasion of New York to film Carnegie Hall, it took standard news footage of Mayor O'Dwyer "directing" the first shot. That plenty of other color was available was indicated in the commentary, and it's in the latter that Alley makes up for what his actual film lacks.
The clips are short (eight were scanned in the 10 minutes) and the feeling that everything of importance was projected in the 10-minute slot was there 100 per cent, as long as no one stopped to think.
This scanning made a case for Alley's theory of "bring news pix to the audience 'immediately,' via film." The fact that the Esso Reporter never for once covered the news of the day is why CBS does its news coverage (Gulf Oil) via commentary—with very little true pictorial stuff. There are two points of view. One "covers the news," the other presents the motion pictures it can get or take. You spin the dial and you take your choice. (Billboard, Aug. 17)
So Close to Home
Reviewed Monday (5), 9-9:30 p.m. Style—Dramatic interview. Sustaining on W6XAO (Don Lee), Hollywood.
Tonight's video fare was strictly on the pubserv side, and should be judged in that vein. Stanza was presented by Occidental College's video workshop in co-operation with L. A. housing authority, and dealt with the relationship of bad housing to adult crime, juvenile delinquency, fire hazards and disease. While not without the usual bugs, airer illustrated effectiveness of good video in putting across programs in the public interest.
College kids handled production in an interesting manner, using graphic illustrations, blow-ups and film inserts to illustrate effects of poor housing. Seg wound up with a pitch by housing authority official, explaining operation of projects and telling of need for more slum clearance. Total effect was strong and should have made definite impression on home viewers.
Production-wise, tonight's airer showed improvement, particularly in camera work. That picture quality was above average was due mainly to new electronic view finders installed on both pick-up cameras by Don Lee technicians. Viewers should make a world of difference in future lensing.
Don Lee's production headaches are gradually disappearing as more equipment becomes available and technicians spend more time between shows revamping pre-war equipment. Better lighting as well as replacing tubes for cameras are still badly needed, however. (Billboard, Aug. 17)
MAKING a real service feature out of television's most static transmission, the test pattern, WABD New York is adding up -to-the-minute news to the time service begun earlier. The station has worked out an arrangement with International News Service whereby a special INS staff will process news for video presentation in ticker-tape fashion, the words running across the face of the clock in a single horizontal line.
The news service, to be started either Aug. 12 or 19, depending upon completion of the receiving apparatus, will be telecast at first from noon to 2 p.m. daily. Subsequently the service will be expanded to include all times the WABD test pattern—a Western Union clock—is on the air and eventually the station will receive the service continuously through-out its broadcast day, so that bulletins of outstanding interest may be telecast as they come through, either as program interruptions or more probably superimposed on the regular program picture without halting it.
Based on a suggestion made by Leonard Cramer, executive vice president of Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, the equipment for the visual news transmission was developed jointly by DuMont and INS engineers, Samuel H. Cuff, WABD manager, said. In essence, Mr. Cuff explained, the news is fed to the station by wire from the INS New York newsroom and received at WABD on a moving tape which is picked up by one camera and the image superimposed on that of the clock face, picked up by a second camera. This two-camera arrangement will permit the news to be used in connection with material other than the clock-face test pattern, when desired.
Two-hour midday transmission, Monday through Friday, with which the service will start, will not only provide a news-and-time service for housewives, but will also give video receiver dealers a chance to demonstrate their sets with something more interesting than a simple test pattern. Each program will open with a three-minute montage depicting the world-wide operations of INS in collecting and distributing news.
Although for the present the service will be confined to a single station in a single city, Mr. Cuff predicted that it will become a nationwide operation. DuMont, he said, has first refusal rights to the service in all cities in which it plans to operate video stations, and INS is free to sell the service to other video operators in other cities on a syndicate basis. (Broadcasting, Aug. 5)
Tuesday, August 6
8:45-11:00 Baseball at the Polo Grounds. Giants vs. Brooklyn.
WABD Channel 5
8:00 “Rumpus Room” with Johnny Olsen.
8:30 Film short.
9:00 “Serving Through Science,” sponsored by U.S. Rubber.
Rumpus Room
Reviewed Tuesday (6), 8-8:30 p.m. Style, musical. Producer, American Broadcasting Company. Sustaining over WABD (DuMont), New York.
Harvey Marlowe has been able to transfer the exact flavor of the ABC program, Rumpus Room, to the kinescope. In the air-pic version, it's twice as good as it is for the ear alone. Johnny Olsen, emsee, is telegenic and unforced, and the kids really cut up on the floor. There was a natural unspoiled quality that was terrific—and a juke never sounded better (music came from a Wurlitzer nickel-getter, something every rumpus room owner would like but few can afford).
Betty Garrett did a swell mugging job of Little Abner, Don't Marry That Girl, and despite the fact that the viewers knew that the tune was coming from the juke, Garrett seemed to be singing it. Nick Kenny visited the room to plug his Adventure, which was played, and Johnny Olsen mugged the Smorgasbord Song, with the entire gang of soxers coming in on the kick lines.
For the audience participation stunt, a name singer was hidden behind a venetian blind with a giant question mark lettered on the slats. Then Olsen described the singer and if the youngster who was trying to Guess the Guest caught the answer on the first bit of info, she won $25. Each time she muffed it the blind was raised 20 per cent and the prize dough went down $5. If anyone at home had known the answer and phoned in after the studio quizzee had muffed it, the viewer could have collected the cash. Studio audience member came up with the correct name on the second set of clues and took $20, plus an added prize of a wrist watch. The guest was David Brooks, now at Cafe Society, which also rated a plug. Brooks, however, didn't sing or do anything, and that was a definite letdown.
That half-hour passed like 15 minutes or less. Camera work was swell with hardly a jerky switch. Pans and dolly shots were smoother than ever seen before at WABD. This scanning again proved that there are plenty of radio shows that are better when sight is added to sound. (Billboard, Aug. 17)
Wednesday, August 7
WABD Channel 5
8:00 “The Magic Carpet.”
8:15 Film.
9:00 “The Red Benson Show.”
9:30 Diamond Gloves Boxing Tournament, Hinchliffe Stadium, Patterson, N.J.
After a week's taste of what an Image Orthicon camera can do—camera borrowed from RCA for All-American golf tournament last week—video station WBKB has cancelled further indoor remote pickups until Orthicon equipment presently on order has been delivered.
Action was taken when image—sent by station's own ancient camera—of Wednesday (31) nights' telecast of wrestling matches from Rainbow Arena was considered "unsuitable for public viewing" by WBKB officials.
ABC, sponsor of the show, has been reimbursed for Wednesday's telecast and present contract with WBKB calling for the network's sponsoring of wrestling and boxing pickups will be held in abeyance until program can be resumed. New equipment is expected in two months. (Variety, Aug. 7)
History of Boxing So Close to Home
Reviewed Wednesday (7), 7:30-8:30 p.m. Style: Sports film and commentary. Sustaining on WBKB, Chicago.
With a combination of commentary, historic films and slides and some amusing acting, WBKB tonight scanned a history of boxing that was entertaining and informative, but far from the best that can be done. Top material for the video sports-loving audience still will be remote telecasts of sporting events while they are in progress.
WBKB's history of boxing traced the sport from the days of the Greeks and Romans to the present. It started off with Jack Gibney and George Cisar seated in a simulated living-room scene. Gibney ad-libbed the historical part and gave the cues for the slide and films and, for the slide showings gave the continuity. Film commentary was provided by Bill Stern and others. Cisar's role was that of a straight man, feeding good questions and comments (many of them comical) to Gibney. One of the best parts of the program was the bit in which Gibney. One of the best parts of radio description of the Dempsey-Willard fight in Toledo, while the camera was focused on Cisar, who acted as if he were watching the fight. His acting was good and realistic, typical of the kind of thing that has won him the reputation of being one of the best video actors in town.
About 30 minutes of the program was devoted to films depicting historical fights. This part was the most interesting.
Tonight's program was viewed at the WBKB small-audience theater, where the station showed the telecast on a 20-inch direct-view DuMont cathode ray tube. Reception with this tube was remarkable. (Billboard, Aug. 17)
The bankrollers' big parade toward television is under way, and it is sports that beats the drums for the new medium.
Latest to join the party has been Ford Motor Co., which, in addition to its recently announced contract to televise all Madison Sq. Garden events except boxing, has just signed a pact with Columbia Univ. to sponsor exclusive CBS remote pickups of the school's six home football games. (Variety, Aug. 7)
Climbing on the television bandwagon with Ford Motors, Standard Brands, Commonwealth Edison, U.S. Rubber, and others who are buying early to get choice chunks of video time, Bristol-Myers Corp. has signed a 52-week contract with CBS (black-and-white) for the 8:30-9 segment Sunday nights. B-M is already sponsoring Mrs. Carveth Wells in a travelogue program on NBC, 8:15-8:30 p.m. Sundays, for Trushay. Programs under the CBS contract will begin Sept. 18, with the half-hour segment actually divided into two shows, one plugging Ipana Toothpaste and the other pushing Vitalis. Both the product accounts are handled by Doherty, Clifford & Shenfield agency (Trushay is under Young & Rubicam). First of the two shows, already on the air, is "Shorty," featuring cartoons drawn by Sid Hoff. Artists will also cartoon in the commercials for Ipana. Second program in the segment, currently under preparation, will be a sports almanac, utilizing films to illustrate sport commentary. Gab will be done by Bob Edge, CBS tele sports boss, with films clipped and edited from available sport libraries. (Variety, Aug. 7)
Thursday, August 8
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Milo Boulton, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 “Draw Me Another,” cartoonists Gregory D’Alessio and Hilda Terry.
8:45 “Operation Crossroad,” atomic blast film.
9:00 “See What You Know” with John Reed King.
7:50 Television Reporter, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety show with Helen Parrish sponsored by Standard Brands.
9:00 Film: “Children of Tragedy,” documentary on the plight of children in Europe, narrated by Charles Boyer (Association Films, 1946).
WABD Channel 5
8:00 “Fare Enough” with Warren Hull.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Cash and Carry,” game show with Dennis James.
[Herald Trib has WABD 8:00 Tell Me Doctor, 8:15 Ed Fitzgerald, then as above.]
Your Town
Reviewed Thursday (8), 8:30-9 p. m. Style—Talk and film slides. Sustaining on W6XYZ (Paramount), Hollywood.
With one eye on production and the other on public service, Director Klaus Landsberg scored solidly with a civic pride seg. Outlet kicked off its new program series devoted to better acquainting viewers with their town. Three civic leaders were skedded to sing L. A.'s praises. It had every indication of being a bore. Landsberg, however, suprised [sic] his on-lookers.
Opening slide flashes onto mixed choral background singing America, the Beautiful. Keith Hetherington, spieling above subdued singing, offers a look at city's history. Scenes of L. A.'s past are flashed (via film-slides) as Hetherington presents thumbnail sketch of town's start. Script is then brought up to date, in- cluding illustrated report on fiesta celebrating the century-old event. Stills showing festivities as launched by mayor the day before, as well as activities occurring same day of scanning, emphasized ease with which airpic can cover special events via stills on filmstrip.
Tele camera then focuses on back-drop bearing huge blow-up of Los Angeles City Hall. Hetherington invited viewers to drop in on city officials as camera approached city hall pic. Using movie technique, camera kept moving in on building, giving onlooker feeling that he was being brought in thru a window. As city hall window fills the screen, three officials fade into the picture. As they talked, their words were illustrated by filmstrips, thus breaking the monotony of looking at the same face for a length of time. When gab session was over, technique was reversed with camera pulling away from building.
By throwing in these trimmings, Landsberg proved that round-table talks don't have to be yawn-spurrers. (Billboard, Aug. 17)
Friday, August 9
WNBT Channel 4
8:00 “For You and Yours,” variety show.
8:40 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Boxing from Madison Square Garden. Tony Pellone vs. Ruby Kessler.
WABD Channel 5
8:30 Midget Auto Races at Hinchliffe Stadium, Paterson, N.J.
Saturday, August 10
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 “Saturday Evening Spotlight,” feature edition of “CBS Television News.”
8:45 “King’s Party Line” with John Reed King.
WNBT Channel 4
1:30 Baseball at Yankee Stadium. Yankees vs. Boston.
"BASEBALL—RED SOX VS. YANKS"
With Jack Lightcap, Don Pardo
Director: Noel Jordan
Technical Director: Alfred Jackson
180 Mins., Saturday (10), 2 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT-NBC, N. Y.
National pastime as a natural for video was forcibly demonstrated by NBC's sports staffers Saturday in coverage of the second game in a "crucial" baseball series. Most interesting, outside of the contest itself, was the excellent picture transmitted on a dark, muggy day. Three image orthicons were not hindered in the least by low-hanging clouds and players were easily recognizable.
Camera direction throughout this game was about as nearly perfect as it could be. Frame of the pitcher's wind-up and toss was switched at the instant the ball left his hand to a picture of plate and the hitter taking his cut, and back to the defensive man making his play. There were some tough plays to cover, too: best of the lot was a lightning-fast double play engineered by outfielder Wally Moses. One which was missed by all, including those at the stadium, was the putout registered via Tiny Bonham's foot, when batted ball bounced off the extremity into Tommy Henrich's hands.
In spite of good camera work, program was not all cake. Commentary by Don Pardo, who evidently hasn't looked at many ball games, was extremely weak. With ball fans the only video audience who will sit three hours in front of a receiver for a game, commentary will have to be hep to hold listeners, and Pardo's was only annoying. On the other hand, Jack Lightcap, former newsroom boy at the net, sounded like an experienced knot-holer, using sport-page clichés to good effect.
Between innings, dangerous dead time for video, cameras were panned about the stands for some nice color shots, including a couple of peanut hawkers. Wisely, too, usual routine of pitcher-batter-defense sequence was varied when such people as Ted Williams were performing. Camera stayed right on Williams during his turns at bat. Same applied to Bonham after his pedal encounter with the ball, when fans were obviously interested to see how his pitching would be affected.
Outstanding filler for afternoon hours with light listenership. Tomm. (Variety, Aug. 14)
HOLLYWOOD, Aug. 10.—W6XYZ (Paramount), now carrying approximately four hours weekly, will boost its program schedule to 15 hours per week as soon as the first thousand post-war receivers are installed in this area. According to outlet's director, Klaus Landsberg, plans are already in the hopper to prep programs to fill the additional time and to ready facilities so that station can carry the load.
Its present 20 by 35 studio on Paramount Pictures lot will soon be supplemented with one 20 by 20 studio and one 60 by 80. Work is already under way to clear this additional space (adjoining to outlet's present location), all of which will make temporary headquarters for station until its own building can be constructed. Additional time will be divided 30 to 50 per cent sports-special events; 20 to 30 per cent film, and 20 to 30 per cent live studio pro- grams.
In addition to its two cameras now in operation, outlet has six new shadow boxes ready for use. Equipment also includes two mobile units with two image orthicons. (Billboard, Aug. 17)
SCHENECTADY, Aug. 10.—Station WRGB will go on a five-day week sked starting Monday, August 19. Tests recently completed, which started with the presentation of the Louis-Conn fracas, have proven that reception from WNBT in New York is consistent enough thru the new relay points between the Empire State Building and the Helderberg Mountains where the WRGB transmitter is located, to sked NBC programs on a network basis from Monday thru Friday.
WNBT's top shows will be integrated with the regular WRGB sked (Monday, Wednesday and Fridays). GE, being cagey, still characterizes the sked as "experimental," there's too much never-never land left in video for an engineering org to be positive. (Billboard, Aug. 17)
Sunday, August 11
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 News with Tom O’Connor.
8:30 “The Children’s Show.”
9:45 “Black, Brown and Beige,” dances to Duke Ellington music.
WNBT Channel 4
2:00 Baseball at the Yankee Stadium. Yankees vs. Boston.
8:00 “Face to Face,” with cartoonist Bob Dunn, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea.
8:15 “Geographically Speaking,” film, sponsored by Minit-Rub.
8:30 Song and Dance.
8:40 Musical Film.
8:50 “Television Theater.”
The Children's World
Reviewed Sunday (11), 8:34-8:55 p.m. Style—Documentary. Sustaining over WCBW (CBS), New York.
This, an idea of Lilian Okun, who emseed it, is swell. The scanning itself was strictly off-the-cuff, and Miss Okun's seated emseeing lent nothing to a show which should have been handled all the way by kids.
Miss Okun's idea was a review of what the junior rumpus room gang were doing. Her choice of material—three members of the Junior Magicians' Club in action, the winner in a paperweight class fracas, the junior review board of the National Board of Motion Picture Review and little sister's toe dancing class—was fine and the kids themselves were slightly terrific. However, that's where the video possibilities of the scanning ended.
Phil Booth either didn't have the time or just didn't give a damn. (Maybe he just don't like kids under foot.) The viewer never really met the youngsters, never felt the kids as individuals (except in the movie board of review footage and for a moment in the "manly art" demonstration). It may also be possible that since the cameramen who worked on the great Black, Brown and Beige ballet presentation (see review in another column) were the same as the ones who handled this show, that they may all be excused from not trying to be great twice in the same evening.
Miss Okun, to repeat, was strictly a talk-down, earnest club woman. The Children's World has yet to be scanned. It was waiting this evening, but the adult world was found wanting. (Billboard, Aug. 24)
Black, Brown and Beige
Reviewed Sunday (11), 8:50-9:10 p.m. Style—Ballet. Sustaining over WCBW (CBS), New York.
Okay, this couldn't have been as good as it seemed on the receiving end of the kinescope.
Duke Ellington's music isn't a masterpiece, and there wasn't a Dunham or other great modern dancer in it. It was scanned as part of the regular Sunday night sked of a purely commercial broadcasting network. Yet despite it all, it topped the best that the Ballet Theater, Ballet Russe, Dunham or any of the great stylists have brought to the dance entertainment world.
It was universal. It didn't take a trained balletomane to appreciate it, yet a professional choregrapher [sic] would have yelled bravo, even tho he were seated at home.
The camera work was smooth, never afflicted with jitters. There were no jumps, back and forth, to catch leg movements. Instead the cameras seemed always in motion at the right time. The dissolves were never made just to show what cameras can do. They were used to lend design to the picture, to bring on or take off a dancer, without that nasty blankness that's liable to appear on the face of a tube in transition periods.
Even the ground cloth, painted in giant, broad, circular sweeps contributed to the beauty of the body movements—and body movements they were instead of just heel and toeing. This scanning was of a dance that caught its movement at the top and didn't lose it in the toes. It was as tho a painter were given human form as a pigment and permitted to bring that pigment to pulsating life.
Talley Beatty plotted the choregraphy [sic] for CBS's cameras to get everything they could out of it today. Paul Belanger produced it and handled the camera, calling without a fluff. That's underestimating Belanger. This was a CBS director at his best—neither esoteric nor jitter. With him, as a team, worked Howard Hayes and Alfred Garrity on camera one and Martin Stuart on camera two. They did as well as any group could have done on four cameras. One of their boom-up shots was so perfect that every viewer wondered why he hadn't seen more of them in New York video.
James McNaughton's floor cloth and white clouded sky all (except for the black circular sweeps on the floor) were in very light tones of gray and were the perfect setting for a Negro ballet troupe: Belanger used the great circular sweeps on the floor to swing from one bit of dance movement to another and thru a close-up floor pan was able to avoid the artificiality of a kaleidoscope. The McNaughton sets also permitted a feeling of infinity behind the dancers. Here, in ballet form, was life in the raw-the blues, black, brown and beige.
All the dancers, Talley Beatty, Elmira Bey, Lavinia Williams, LaVerne French and Tommy Gomez, were tops. They brought to black-and-white scanning all the color that CBS has been talking about for its multi-chromatic high frequency video of the future. (Billboard, Aug. 24)
The Strawhat Theater
Reviewed Sunday (11), 8:30-9 p.m. Style—Variety. Sustaining over WNBT (NBC), New York.
All straw hat is corn, except, of course, Buck County, Dennis and a few exceptional spots that hit the heights. This is especially true when the summer theaters go into vaude . . . and this Straw Hat Theater scanning was corn at its ripest, but since it didn't attempt to be any- thing but what it was, it hit a high video entertainment index.
Even Jerry Mann, who is strictly borscht, was good fun because he didn't try to be anything but from the Catskills. He even made the "Ten Cents' Worth of Hard Candy" gag seem as if it hadn't been lifted directly or indirectly (via Jackie Miles) from Jimmy Savo. The way Savo does it, with gestures, would have been better video, but Mann was good enough to make you like him and the routine. Betty Lindy, who straighted for Mann, was the only misfit in the cast, strictly from hunger. Dick Edwards (who has done a few singing disk jockey segs for the camera) was okay as the farmer boy and Jane Hodges as the farm girl, in beautiful, delicious love. You liked the Daisy Mae combo.
This is one of the first times that NBC has brought in a harmonica for musical accompaniment. Check it as an okay device for music that has to have a hayseed touch. The time passed very quickly except when they brought on a touch of the "classical," none other than Carmellita Roselle. Miss Roselle was given a Greek garden setting, which smelled up the kinescope. She had voice, but it somehow seemed out of place. The only justification for it was that every barn presentation would have had just such an anachronism.
Credit John Gaunt, who is being trained by NBC to handle its D. C. station, for calling the shots that caught the spirit of the theater that blooms in the good old summertime, and Al Protzman for doing a T. D. job that was in keeping with the assignment. trained by NBC to handle its D. C. station, for calling the shots that caught the spirit of the theater that blooms in the good old summertime, and Al Protzman for doing a T. D. job that was in keeping with the assignment.
Ritchi Raynor played a mean mouth organ with emphasis for Jerry Mann's comedy routines. (Billboard, Aug. 24)
Fred Coe did another Lights Out Sunday [WNBT] (11), 9:30-9:55 p.m., called Something in the Wind. It was a Coe original, and it was not as sock as the first of the series. Coe used a number of standard shockers—the script with the blank pages, materialization, the murder that couldn't happen—but while the seg was beyond question entertainment, it wasn't genius. However, it was scanned after junior should have been in bed. That's an improvement. As a show, it didn't lag a moment and the conceit of a tele- vision director who permits his conscience to bother him because he has cut down or out certain characters in an author's script was a top-drawer in idea. The idea of having two characters in search of their lines insist on getting their "words" back again also was strictly scannable.
Most of the cast were representative of what the public would think that NBC's seventh floor was like. (That's where the video guys hang out.) If Everett Gammon failed to get across his solo murder scene, well maybe an NBC tele director couldn't do that either. The Cockney in search of his words, Michael Blair was straight from the wharfs, and Harry, his friend (Richard Goode), strictly murderous. James Rafferty was the personification of an author hoping for a production and Larry Semon swell as voice and narrator. Check also Mary Alice Moore, as in best NBC secretary tradition (using Jim Gains' "Hutch" and Charley Hammond's Marcia as prototypes).
Fred Coe's camera calling was better than his word slinging. Bob Wade's sets were fine. He didn't try to Hollywoodize 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
No man should direct his own original—it's too big a job—but Fred Coe almost licked it. (Billboard, Aug. 24)
7:50 Television Reporter, newsreel narrated by Paul Alley, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 Televues, sponsored by Firestone.
8:15 Film: “Secrets of a Co-Ed” with Otto Kruger, Tina Thayer, Herb Vigran (PRC, 1942).
Tuesday, August 13
WABD Channel 5
8:00 “Television Theater.”
8:30 Film short.
9:00 “Serving Through Science,” sponsored by U.S. Rubber. [Herald Trib has 8:00 “Rumpus Room” with Johnny Olsen, then as above.]
Adam Versus Eve
Reviewed Tuesday (13) 9-9:30 p.m. Style—Comic seg. Sustaining on WBKB (Balaban & Katz), Chicago.
Lorraine Larson's Adam Versus Eve skit featuring Dick Kiley as Adam and Helen Malone as Eve proved good telefare.
The eternal hubby-wife situation quarrels open for the camera with couple posed as the aboriginal pair hiding lovingly behind what passes for fig leaves. Scene dissolves, then opens on Sid Breese, a constant kibitzer who gives a running, satirical commentary on what is about to transpire.
Act is divided into three episodes. No. 1 concerns the fairly modern problem of smokers in bed. It's finally decided in a funny way smokers in bed come to no good end.
Horse racing is episode No. 2. Hubby and wife at the race track arguing over what bets to make provide neat comedy. Hal Simms and Les Allen provided prop assistance in this.
Third quarrel situation revolves around Kiley performing the ancient fixing plumbing scene. Of course he winds up drenched and so does wife. This gag is as old as a Mack Sennett comedy, yet apparently is still good for laughs. Show was well written and produced. (Billboard, Aug. 24)
Monsieur Beaucaire
With a combination of interviews, film slides and dancing, W6XYZ gave home viewers an eye-worthy glimpse into a motion picture dance director's job. Paramount's currently released Monsieur Beaucaire was picked as tonight's vehicle in outlet's Movie-town Backstage series. Plenty of thought and effort toward production detail was evident thruout.
Scanner opens with pic's title, followed by series of stills from flicker (on film strip), with Keith Hetherington explaining scenes. Next is typical movieish close-up shot of dance director Billy Daniels' chair (lettering of his name on canvas back coming up clearly). Camera dollie[s] back, showing Daniels sitting, reading. Dick Lane walked on, kidded Daniels about taking life easy. Ensuing patter revealed latter was doing research on Beaucaire period. Terp trainer then told why extensive research is necessary in plating dances.
Example of how dance rehearsal looks when it first starts out was presented by Wally Earle and Gene Ashley. To show finished product Laura Corbay (in toe dance single) and Virginia Doffy and Byron Poindexter (all appear in pic) came on garbed in Louis V period costume (hoop skirts, powdered wigs, etc.) and did a couple of dance routines from production.
Typical sound-stage setting, Daniels' characteristic director's manner, provides authentic flavor. Camera work was smooth, panning and dollying in fine form to keep show moving at high pace. (Billboard, Aug. 24)
Wednesday, August 14
WNBT Channel 4
2:00-4:30 Baseball at Ebbets Field, Giants vs. Dodgers.
WABD Channel 5
8:00 Fashion Show.
8:30 Film short.
9:00 “Stories in One Camera” with Mel Brandt.
"STORIES IN ONE CAMERA"
With Mel Brandt, Ogden Miles, Betty Williams
Writer: Jules Richards
Producer-Director: David P. Lewis
Sets: Bob Bright
20 Mins.; Wed. (14), 9 p.m.
Sustaining
WABD-DuMont, N. Y.
Caples agency, one of the few ad firms that's experimenting with its own money in television, brought out a new idea in this series, which bowed last Wednesday (14) night. Shows are to feature the whodunit melodrama a la the Dashiell Hammett-Raymond Chandler school, and, to punch home the sock aspects, producer-director David P. Lewis trying out the use of only one camera, which is trained on the principal character throughout the performance to heighten the mood.
One camera idea, of course, had been used necessarily by most stations in their embryonic days when their equipment was limited, but DuMont, probably the best-equipped station today, has four cameras, making the system especially unique in this instance. Fact that DuMont probably lowered the rental tariff on its studio for the one camera must also have been a factor in Lewis' planning. But regardless of that, the producer deserves a pat, both for the partial success he obtained and for experimentation of the kind that should be a boon to smalltown stations in the future.
Lewis' success can be judged only partially successful because he apparently couldn't decide how best to use the single icon. Most of the action revolved around Mel Brandt in the lead role sitting at a bar.
Keeping the actor in front of the lens continually was okay when he was sitting by himself. When Brandt was conversing with another actor, however, Lewis continued to keep the camera on Brandt, with the result that only about half the other person's body was visible. There was no apparent reason why both characters could not have been included in the shot.
Story, an original by tyro Jules Richards, was good television, indicating enough action to whet the viewers' interest without having to move too far from the basic set of the bar scene. Brandt did a neat job as the private investigator, willing to do anything if the price were high enough. Ogden Miles, on the other hand, demonstrated once more through his constant fluffs that the transition from radio to tele acting is a tough one. Betty Williams was sufficiently pretty and hardboiled as the detective's girl friend.
DuMont cameramen had trouble getting the lens in focus during the early part of the show and Lewis, concentrating on the single camera, was unable to move another one into the breach. Bob Bright's three sets, in keeping with the other limited production mountings, were not too ornate but adequate. Stal. (Variety, Aug. 21)
Thursday, August 15
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Milo Boulton, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 “Draw Me Another,” cartoonists Gregory D’Alessio and Hilda Terry.
8:45 “Operation Crossroads,” atomic blast film.
9:00 “See What You Know” with John Reed King.
WNBT Channel 4
7:50 Television Reporter, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety show with Helen Parrish sponsored by Standard Brands.
9:00 Journal-American Baseball at the Polo Grounds: All Star Sandlotters vs. Boys’ Champions.
WABD Channel 5
8:00 Variety shows.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Cash and Carry,” game show with Dennis James.
Ireene Wicker, radio's "Singing Lady," brought her three little pigs story to N. Y, tele audiences in an ABC-produced show over WABD (DuMont) last Thursday (15) night and, just as in her tele bow up in Schenectady last September, proved conclusively that she'll be one of video's ranking stars some day.
Using the same format, producer-director Harvey Marlowe provided Miss Wicker with a visible audience of four moppets and the expressions on the kids' faces as the storyteller went through her multi-voiced routines were something to see. Marlowe did a good job of keeping the cameras glued on the kids during the climaxes of the story, using DuMont's boom dolly camera to good advantage for overhead shots whenever the kids squirmed out of position in their excitement.
Best time for a show of this sort, of course, is immediately before or after dinner. If ABC ever starts programming in those hours, it can be assured of at least one boff show for the moppet trade—and one which potential sponsors should grab off fast. (Variety, Aug. 21)
"TELETIPS ON LOVELINESS"
With Leona Woodworth; Mary Kelly, guest
Set: Bob Bright
15 Mins.: Thursday (15), 8:10 p.m.
Sustaining
WABD-ABC, N. Y.
This is the type of television show that should give programming execs plenty of trouble in finding the right time slot. Embodying beauty hints on makeup, clothes, etc., for the femme listeners, the show has no appeal whatsoever for men and, consequently, will not go in the evening hours. Best time for it would be during the afternoons, but then there arises the question of whether housewives would take time off from their chores to watch a telescreen. Confined to 15 minutes, as it was in the ABC version, however, it should garner enough afternoon viewers to make it worthwhile.
With no afternoon programming today, ABC staged the show at night as another in its experiments on all types of tele shows. Format follows much the same lines as similar shows on the radio. Short intro lecture is presented by Leona Woodworth, beauty expert, and former associate of Max Factor in Hollywood, after which Miss Woodworth demonstrates via charts and live models what she's trying to put across.
At the show caught (15), Miss Woodworth's opening speech of about five minutes was a little too long, since a video audience will lose interest unless there's some sort of action on the screen. Show perked up after she went into her demonstrative speech, and wound up okay as Mary Kelly of the Millinery Fashion Bureau showed the new hats women will be wearing this year.
Miss Woodworth is a good speaker and seemed to know what she was talking about; but for better effects she should strive to lose a little of the saccharine quality in her voice, which makes her sound as though she's talking down to her audience.
Production mountings and direction by Harvey Marlowe, ABC television's production chief, were good, with several new camera tricks introduced by Marlowe coming off okay. Single set by Bob Bright fits its purpose adequately. (Variety, Aug. 14)
Buffalo—WBEN has been granted [on Aug. 15] a construction permit by the FCC for a new television station in Buffalo. Permit is for a station to operate on 66 to 72 megacycles, assigned to Channel 4, with 14.4 kilowatts visual power and 7.2 kilowatts aural power, and incdules [sic] a 378-foot transmitter.
WBEN has also received FCC permission for an interim FM station to be known as WBEN-FM. Station will operate from WBEN's studios in Hotel Statler. (Variety, Aug. 28)
Friday, August 16
8:00 “For You and Yours,” variety show.
8:40 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Boxing from Madison Square Garden. Tommy Gomez vs. Joe Walcott (photo to right).
Saturday, August 17
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 “Feature Edition” with Bob Edge
8:45 “King’s Party Line” with John Reed King.
WNBT Channel 4
8:30 Baseball at Ebbets Field. Dodgers vs. Phillies.
Sunday, August 18
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 News with Tom O’Connor.
8:30 “Judge For Yourself”: The Case of the Eager Undertaker.
9:45 “Dialogue,” dance show featuring Bloch Concerto Grosso, with Charles Weldman, Nadine Gae.
WNBT Channel 4
2:00 Baseball at Ebbets Field. Dodgers vs. Phillies.
8:00 “Face to Face,” with cartoonist Bob Dunn, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea.
8:15 “Geographically Speaking” with Mrs. Carveth Wells, sponsored by Minit-Rub.
8:30 Television Theater: Studio presentation, “Memories With Music.”
Dance Dialogue
Reviewed Sunday (18), 8:45-9 p.m. Style—Dance. Sustaining over WCBW, (CBS), New York.
How Paul Belanger can come up one week (last) with a genius-sprinkled Black, Brown and Beige and the next week (this) scan genius (Charles Weidman and three others) futilely is one of those mysteries that makes dialing ballet sessions like rolling dice.
Trouble with Dance Dialogue is that it seemed basically choregraphed [sic] for the stage rather than the camera. Its satire was heavy-handed, the formalized gesturing just didn't develop video movement, and the average viewer stopped looking.
Burlesque still has to be iked successfully—in dance or any other medium. (Billboard, Sep. 7)
Memories With Music
Reviewed Sunday (18), 8:40-9:20 p.m. Style—Musical. Sustaining over WNBT (NBC), New York.
Musically this was fun. Lillian Cornell, Philip Crosbie, the Charles Smith Quartet and the Alan Hayes Harmonica Trio left little to be desired for the ear. Actually the first three (the mouth organ gang wasn't seen) were just as good to look at as they were to hear.
That's where the scanning ended its plus side. The Ernest Colling-Philip Freund dialogue was corn that couldn't even grace a mid-Victorian theater. And Donald Brian, pompous and mature, fluffed his lines so often that he didn't even win the matrons' fluttering hearts.
The atmosphere of a rehearsal might have gone over if only someone could have discovered what was being reheased and why. Even a little old-fashioned lecture with slides, which could have tickled the visibilities, was only funny when the spouter, Vaughn Taylor, was first scanned. When he went into the lecture it was so serious and heavy handed-out of keeping with the string tie, etc.—that it brought yawns.
If there had been less stage waits and more singing, if only Brian had been able to orate less and give more with his natural charm (and silently) all would have been well.
This scanning proved one thing, that NBC is proving more and more each week—music can hit the televised air and entertain; without violating the Petrillo edict, and lose nothing for the viewer.
Ernest Colling, as shot caller, wasn't much better than he was as co-author of the flow of endless and meaningless words. This was no credit to NBC on Sunday night. (Billboard, Aug. 31)
Monday, August 19 WNBT Channel 4
7:50 Television Reporter, newsreel narrated by Paul Alley, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 Televues, sponsored by Firestone.
8:15 Feature film.
Tommy Dorsey Vocalist Contest Winners
Reviewed Monday (19), 9:15-9:45 p.m. Style—Interviews and songs. Sustaining on W6XAO (Don Lee), Hollywood.
For its live fare, Don Lee gathered together the six regional finalists in the Tommy Dorsey contest to find a new vocalist (with a film contract as the top prize) and attempted to build a half-hour presentation around the gals. With practically no script to speak of, job was difficult to say the least, but tele outlet acquitted itself better than expected.
Credit for avoiding a deadly boring session goes to emsee Stu Wilson, whose smooth interviewing and chitchat made seg easy to take. He used a different approach for each contestant, thus avoiding monotony. Producer Jack Stewart plotted different entrances and exits for each gal, with personal interviews followed by vocalizing. Having won over stiff competition, thrushes had plenty to offer and sold their tunes with ease.
With a minimum of action, lensers weren't too hard pressed to obtain good shots. Over-all camera work has shown steady improvement during past few weeks, following completion of electronic view finders now used in both cameras. Technical bugs are gradually being ironed out, and should disappear with receipt of new post-war equipment now on order. Much remains to be done production-wise, before outlet can really be proud of its presentations. (Billboard, Sep. 7)
Tuesday, August 20
WNBT Channel 4
8:00 Film shorts.
8:45 Baseball at Yankee Stadium: Yankees vs. Chicago.
WABD Channel 5
8:00 “Television Theater” with Ida Bailey Allen.
8:30 Film short.
9:00 “Serving Through Science,” sponsored by U.S. Rubber.
Ida Bailey Allen and the Chef
Ida Bailey Allen is an old hand at cooking and informative programing. Therefore, there can be only two things to blame for this scanning. First, Miss Allen permitted the cameras to cramp her style. Second, Dick Groggin, the director, or someone else on ABC's video staff, gave with ideas.
They dressed Miss Allen in an evening dress without a single reason why in the script. They used Charles Premmack as the chef, without there being a single reason why Miss Allen should have had a chef in her television home. He corned up as Charlie Tongue, Chinese chef, and sang a song. That was supposed to be part of the conceit that the chef had a girl friend who wanted to go to Hollywood and he had Kleig ideas, so he was trying them out on Miss Allen. The "meal of the day" had Chicken Hawaiian as the feature, but the details were given so quickly that no one at the television receiver could have been helped by the dish, even if there were half of the ingredients that Premmack actually dropped in the sauce.
The desert, made by Miss Allen, was so simple that anyone could have made it, without pictorial directions. And why Miss Allen, dressed formally, should have decided to set the dinner table in the kitchen; never had an explanation.
The wonderful Zazu Pitts meal (it gets a real build-up), donuts and coffee, gives, some idea of the mishmash the entire scanning turned out to be.
Of course, this should have been on the air in the daytime, but since it could never have been anything but a daytime seg, why not play it that way instead of dishing it up with a lot of courses, which, displayed, only added to the general childishness of the proceedings.
Camera work was adequate—but it never explained why the program was put on the air. (Billboard, Aug. 31)
Minneapolis Aquatennial
Reviewed Tuesday (2) [sic], 9-9:30 p.m. Style—Spec. Sponsor—U. S. Rubber. Agency—Campbell-Ewald. Station WABD (DuMont), New York.
The American Broadcasting Company slipped on making the pic used in this scanning. Normally, Paul Mowrey (ABC tele boss man), insists on the human side of a show of any kind. If there was humanity in this it was submerged—and that's no attempt to play around with the fact that most of the 10-day long Aquatennial Celebration concerns itself with water sports.
The continuity was stilted and delivered that way. The clips were, from the parade thru the sail boat races, impersonal—shots that might have been taken practically anywhere at any water carnival and spectacular parade—and they shot the same parade during the day and a night, which was wasted footage most of the way.
Diving shots, girls in pinwheel and other water formations have nothing to offer, unless the camera angles are unusual or one of the girls has been picked out for the viewer to follow as an individual Neither came forth in this production. Actually, Joe Beck, credited as tele chief at WTCN and production boss on the pic, should have been able to do a job since he knows the Twin Cities and what this annual event means to them. He didn't.
Check the film as an error. Also check the cover girl models in the routine that followed as wasted. For one thing, the water season is on the way out and manufacturers are talking about fall, not summer fashions. Also, as long as lastex was related to the bathing suits it was okay, but when it was used to explain why one fem looked so beautiful in an evening dress, "because she was held tightly together by lastex"—well, lastex began to mean girdles and fem undergarments which fitted into the scanning like a sore eye.
A fine parade, a swimming spec, some girls with curves in scant bathing suits—that would seem to have made a show. It didn't.
Video still needs showmanship, a sense of humor and some idea of reactions on the receiving end of the tube. This U. S. Rubber show just didn't have any of that—and everyone involved knew better. (Billboard, Aug. 31)
Wednesday, August 21
WABD Channel 5
8:15 An Evening of Music.
8:30 Film short.
9:00 “Stories in One Camera,” play: “The Tell Tale Heart.”
9:30 Boxing from Ebbets Field. Bernard Docusen vs. Henry Jordan, welterweight, ten rounds.
Moods in Music
Reviewed Wednesday (21), 8:20-8:42 p.m. Style—Educational music. Sponsored by John Wanamaker. Station—WABD (DuMont) New York.
This was the ideal musical show during which the viewer could wander away from the receiver and just listen. Less than 5 per cent of it was compelling, visually. The rest was better hearing than it was looking. Syd Skolsky was an attractive lecturer and fingered the keyboard attractively. She told stories that were illustrated with music, but didn't blend them. It would have been many times more interesting than just narration, then music, followed by narration, and music and so on.
The musical album that she illustrated was sold to the audience but it's the young lady who sold them not the show. Even the disks were snapped off when they should have been faded. When she was talking about some drawings which were part of the album, the cueing was so bad that the cameras took Miss Skolsky, when they were supposed to be scanning the pictures she was talking about, and the pictures when they were supposed to catch her.
It was enjoyable away from the television receiver. (Billboard, Aug. 31)
The Telltale Heart
Reviewed Wednesday (21), 9:05-9:25 p.m. Style—Dramatic monolog. Produced by the Capies Company. Sustaining over WABD (DuMont), New York.
This is a little theater favorite. It has an Edgar Allen Poe quality which should make it terrific video. It wasn't in this scanning. The trouble was that everyone handled his assignments, as if he knew that he was doing the world's greatest horror story. Even the central character tried to act the part of the unbalanced murderer instead of permitting the words, the situations, the telltale heart to do the job.
The narration was transcribed so that the horror could be re-enacted without doubling in brass. The sets were good, altho clay and night lighting was the same, which was no help. NBC found out how to handle a blacked-out room in an opera some months ago, but it seems that no producer reads the book—or profits from the other man's errors of omission and commission.
The jaundiced eye that caused the murderer to strangle its owner, was so obviously faked that the reality of the scene went right out the window. A close-up of a man's eye—a real eye could have been and would have been many times more spine-quaking. An eye close-up, of course, isn't easy—but it could have been done.
Also the actual murder on camera indicates that DuMont still is aching for the FCC or someone to lay down a code of what can and cannot go out on the air. The theater doesn't strangle its victims on stage. Pictures manage generally to have the gory details off camera—but DuMont takes the viewers right to the murder bed.
. . . . and stagehand had to try to retrieve the dropped hooded lantern, just as the unbalanced murderer was approaching his dead. Nice timing? Everything that should have made top-drawer television was scanned—everything but that indefinable element that takes script, performers, camera, sound and lights and molds them into entertainment.
This was a Dave Lewis miss—but it was a swell attempt. A little underplaying next time, please. (Billboard, Aug. 31)
Thursday, August 22
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Milo Boulton, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 “Draw Me Another,” cartoonists Gregory D’Alessio and Hilda Terry.
8:45 Documentary film.
9:00 “The Thornton Show,” make-up demonstrations.
WNBT Channel 4
7:30 “In Town Today,” visit to 21 by Ben Grauer.
7:50 Television Reporter, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety show with Helen Parrish sponsored by Standard Brands.
9:00 Famous Fight film.
WABD Channel 5
8:00 Variety shows.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Cash and Carry,” game show with Dennis James.
[Herald Trib has WABD 8:00 Tell Me Doctor, 8:15 Ed Fitzgerald, then as above.]
"THE THORNTON SHOW"
With Mrs. Walter Thornton, Dorothy Barrett, Titia Cornell, Virginia Cavanaugh, Posy Perry, Sally Archdeacon
Director: Ralph Warren
Set: Jim McNaughton
25 Mins.; Thurs. (22), 8:50 p.m.
Sustaining
WCBW-CBS, N. Y.
Here's a good example of the fine results obtainable when a television director recognizes the visual advantages inherent in video and has the necessary know-how to capitalize on them. CBS television, in cooperation with the Walter Thornton model agency, has a sure bet here to lure almost every woman viewer who can get to a television set. In addition, even though the show is aimed specifically at the femmes, it's good enough to hold the interest of male viewers, with or without the cheesecake sometimes present.
Show's format follows the basic standards embodied in several other beauty-hint shows on television. Instead of merely talking about the tips to femmes, however, this one actually demonstrates, with the use of live (and attractive, of course) models, how a frowzy-looking babe can dress up her looks sufficiently to snare a man. Each stanza is given over to a different beautifying subject, with the one caught (22) devoted to tips on makeup.
Judv Thornton, wife of the model agency's chief, does a nice job of interviewing her various guests, in this instance Dorothy Barrett, fashion editor of Mayfair mag. After first demonstrating how an unknowing gal can ruin her looks with the improper application of makeup, Miss Barrett then directs another model in the correct way. Gal with the frowzy look, meanwhile, follows her instructions and her before-and-after look makes for a good contrast.
With the talking going on at one side of the stage and the demonstrations at the other, director Ralph Warren managed to keep his cameras trained on the right spot at the right time. Only fault visible in the show, and one easily correctible, lay in the set. With the models wearing white robes, designer Jim McNaughton provided them with a light background, which didn't supply enough contrast. Stal. (Variety, Aug. 28)
"IN TOWN TODAY"
With Ben Grauer, announcer
Producer: Garry Simpson
20 Mins.; Thurs. (22): 7:30 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT-NBC, N. Y.
Apparently attempting to get the jump on other tele broadcasters before they get their long-awaited RCA Image Orthicons, NBC television is currently using the super-sensitive I.O.'s wherever it can line up a show for them. To this end, it moved its "In Town Today" show, in which Ben Grauer interviewed whatever visiting celebs the web could lure into its studios, out into the streets. For the first remote stanza two weeks ago, the cameras were set up in Times Square and, for the second one. Grauer invaded the privacy of the name customers who happened to be eating at the 21 Club last Thursday (22) night.
As was to be expected, in view of the novelty of televising from a restaurant and the amount of w.k. talent available, the show came off very well. With the exception of Danton Walker, who seemed to take his "Man of Distinction" tag too seriously, the other celebs present cooperated fully with Grauer and didn't seem to mind at all the announcer's squeezing his way into a seat at their crowded tables.
With his usual glib gab, Grauer moved from table to table, holding informal tete-a-tetes with such as Sonja Henie, Arthur William Brown, Patrice Munsel, Ray Bolger, John Loder and others. Perhaps the fact that Grauer gave each of those interviewed a chance to plug his own private endeavor had something to do with the welcome he got. Regardless of that, however, it was a good show.
With a bit of squeezing, producer Garry Simpson was able to get two of the I.O.'s into the crowded confines of the 21. Picture from the camera on the left was excellent in all instances but the other camera, shooting from a right-side angle, presented a dark, cloudy image. By cutting from one camera to the other, Simpson was able to maintain some semblance of motion, despite the fact that the only action visible was from the manipulated silverware.
For even better results, Simpson should take pains next time to warn the waiters, cigaret girls, etc., to keep out of the way. Employees at the 21 seemed to have an addiction to serving whatever table Grauer happened to be at, with a consequent blurred image on the viewing screen. Stal. (Variety, Sept. 4)
In Town Today
Reviewed Thursday (22), 7:30-7:50 p.m. Style—Man on the street. Sustaining over WNBT (NBC), New York.
Ben Grauer took mike in hand and with cameras training, went visiting Club 21. As television, his visit to a second floor, well planted with special names for the occasion, was just a bit short of a washout.
Of course Maggi McNellis was telegenic as were Sonja Henie and. the Madison Square Garden's General Kilpatrick. Patrice Munsel didn't scan too well, and all the conversation was uninspired, every one plugging himself.
Grauer is tops as an announcer but ad libbing with a mike in his hand he was a fumbler breaking into the mike racket—and Club 21 was just a "joint with a few celebs." (Billboard, Aug. 31)
The Singing Lady
Reviewed Thursday (22), 8:15-8:30 p.m. Style—Kid seg. Produced by American Broadcasting Company. Sustaining over WABD (DuMont), New York.
They dressed up Irene Wicker in a long gown, built a nice set with a fireplace, threw in a birthday cake for one of the youngsters in attendance on Miss Wicker, gave her Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant to spin and came up with only one thing—she's still The Singing Lady and a hell of a storyteller. Usually the cameras demand more than just a fem telling a story, but in the case of the Wicker, that would have been all that was necessary.
The window dressing was wasted footage. If they must dress up The Singing Lady routine, someone should hire a Disney for her who could pull out of his hat the fanciful characters with which she peoples her tales.
Play The Singing Lady for the moppets at home—and forget the dressing. Richard Groggin did his best with the cameras, but his best was nothing to sound a fanfare about. (Billboard, Aug. 31)
Teletips on Loveliness
Reviewed Thursday (22), 8-8:15 p.m. Style—Service. Produced by American Broadcasting Company. Sustaining over WABD (DuMont), New York.
Leona Woodworth, the subway car cards beauty expert, who was first scanned on WNBT during its short-lived matinee sessions, is now, by the grace of the American Broadcasting Company, a WABD feature. Camera work on the show was uninspired, Miss Woodworth continues to be a minor Billie Burke and the beauty hints would be swell if the camera would only move in and permit the viewer to get the facts.
Beauty columns in the newspapers have overcome their business department's nix of trade name mentions and give the names of the products used in beauty recommendations. Even shopping columns have licked the fetish of not telling the reader where to buy what's talked about. Why ABC should have gone coy in this session and failed to tell all about the few products used is one of those secrets.
Handle the cameras, cut out Miss Woodworth's Burke slants and this could be a shim They brought in two cover girls, Miss Deb and Miss Calling All Girls, charming youngsters even without those close-ups, but this scanning added up a goose-egg, regardless. (Billboard, Aug. 31)
Over Shoemaker's Shoulder
Fifteen-minute seg, which featured the work of Cartoonist Vaughn Shoemaker, of The Chicago Daily News, held interest, but was marred when camera blurred several times while closing in on the artist's handiwork. Shoemaker's classy drawing does a lot to help this one and with the help of Dan Faust he took the audience thru the paces concerning the production of a timely cartoon for a big tithe publication.
Dialog between Faust and the artist by no means filled all the gaps but ad lib patter from both was at times inspired. Recapitulation of the week's cartoons done by Faust in monolog, with the camera tracing them dealt with the Yugoslav incident and Paris Peace Conference. This seg has definite interest for the artistically and politically inclined. With more fanfare and better lines it might easily appeal to a general audience.
Satira, a Hindu dancer, came on for about 11 minutes and danced to a medley of Tabu, Persian Market and Hall of the Mountain King. Pianistic backing was well handled by Jenya, station's staff pianist. Dancer Satira went thru all the paces of the Hindu terpsichorean routine and despite some unconvincing props was able to bring you somewhat closer to the Taj Majal frame of mind. (Billboard, Aug. 31)
Polio Prevention
Reviewed Thursday (22), 8:40-9 p.m. Style—Interview, film strip. Sustaining over W6XYZ (Paramount), Hollwood
By focusing on L. A.'s present critical epidemic, Paramount again proves that public service scanners can pack interest. With the town combating its worst infantile paralysis wave since 1943, outlet takes home viewers on a mythical trip to L. A.'s Civic Center for an interview with Dave Jamison, director of information for the county department.
Production is simple but effective. In giving set realism, flavoured with facts, it carries real punch. Film slide of County Health Department door dissolves into office scene showing Jamison at his desk. Jack Katham [sic] walks into office, says he wants to find out more facts about polio. Thru use of white-on-black charts and film strip stills, Jamison explains what local health department knows about current epidemic, how it compares with past waves, etc. After background what preventive measures should be taken by people.
Thru the use of slides injected into seg, usual monotony of 2-man talk is broken, retaining interest thruout.
Camera work okay. (Billboard, Sep. 7)
Friday, August 23
WNBT Channel 4
8:00 “For You and Yours,” variety show.
8:40 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Boxing from Madison Square Garden. Georgie Abrams vs. Steve Belloise.
Saturday, August 24
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 “Feature Edition” with Bob Edge.
8:45 “King’s Party Line” with John Reed King.
WNBT Channel 4
1:30 Baseball at Yankee Stadium. Yankeses vs. St. Louis Browns.
8:30 Roller Skate Derby at the Polo Grounds. [Herald Trib has no ball game.]
Sunday, August 25
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 News with Tom O’Connor.
8:30 “There Ought to Be a Law,” discussion with high school students.
9:45 “Boy Meets Girl,” dance show with Betty Burge and Harold Mattox.
WNBT Channel 4
2:00 Baseball at Yankee Stadium. Yankees vs. Tigers.
8:00 “Face to Face,” with cartoonist Bob Dunn, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea.
8:15 “Geographically Speaking” with Mrs. Carveth Wells, sponsored by Minit-Rub.
8:30 Television Theater: Studio presentation, “The Window Shade Revue.”
"WINDOW SHADE REVUE"
With Carl Ravazza, Lillian Cornell, Bibi Osterwald, Lou Nelson, Harold Lang, Sonja Woicikowski, Pat Meaney, Maxine Barrett, Phil Gordon
Producer: Ronald Oxford
Writer: Robert Mayberry
35 Mins.; Sun. (25), 8:40 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT-NBC, N. Y.
Newest wrinkle in NBC television's plans to build up a unit of "regulars" for future vaude-like touring of the network circuit teed off Sunday (25) night to good results. While "Window Shade Revue" couldn't be compared to a Broadway production, the show moved rapidly, with the cast working together in a fashion that presages much good tele entertainment in future programs.
Producer Ronald Oxford missed a good bet by not carrying through on the window shade theme. Show opened via a shade going up to reveal the assembled characters singing on a balcony, before two open windows. Next skit took place inside a room but, instead of panning through one of the windows, which would have maintained some semblance of continuity, Oxford cut directly to another set. It's true that a revue doesn't require continuity among the skits, but the emphasis on window shades was lost in the shuffle.
Skits, penned by Robert Mayberry, were funny enough and fast-moving. Musical numbers, with the emphasis on modern pops, were likewise okay. Carl Ravazza, current at the Versailles, N. Y., and Lillian Cornell, billed as NBC tele's "discovery," handled the vocals in nice fashion. Miss Cornell, however, does much better on light opera than on stuff like "Coax Me a Little Bit," which she was given to sing in this show, and she should also refrain from so much mugging. Change of costume in the different skits could have helped her, too.
Comedy, as dished up by Bibi Osterwald, Lou Nelson and Phil Gordon, was good, mostly because the skits were short. Dancers, including Harold Lang, Sonja Woicikowski, Pat Meaney and Maxine Barrett, offered what might have been the best part of the show, except that Oxford persisted in cutting their images off at the feet. Someday a tele producer is going to be hailed for a "great discovery" when he finds out that the most important attributes of any dancer are his feet.
Bob Wade's sets were mostly good, but the show could have been aided considerably with the addition of more props to dress up the stage. As it was, the screen looked almost blank in such skits as the one in a tavern, with only a table and a couple of chairs set up against some drapes in the background as props. Stal. (Variety, Aug. 28)
Sheriff's Rodeo
Reviewed Sunday (25), 2:30-4:30 p.m. Style—Rodeo. Sustaining over W6XYZ (Paramount), Hollywood.
It's shows like this that gives lookers the set-buying fever. In bringing its cameras to the Coliseum field to scan Los Angeles County Sheriff's Annual Rodeo (quite an event in these parts), Paramount gave home viewers an appetizing taste of what can be expected from tele inluture. This was outlet's first field pick-up and area's first remote since the start of the war. (Both Paramount and Don Lee had previously skedded pick-ups this spring but deals fell thru.)
There was plenty of action to fill screen with riders in full regalia to vie for awards, bronk busting, calf roping, displays of horsemanship, chuck wagon racing, etc. Lensers brought into full view Universal's Yvonne De Carlo (queen of the rodeo); Republic's Roy Rogers riding his horse, Trigger; Dale Evans, Bob Noland [sic], Sons of the Pioneers, Mexico's champion charros and others. From the ringside were pulled celebs for tele interviews, including Gov. Earl Warren, Leo Carrillo, with Rogers and Miss Evans joining the question-answer session later.
Tele Director Klaus Landsberg used two cameras, depending on telephoto lenses to hurdle the distance handicap. Two announcers (Keith Hetherington and Michael Roy) kept the patter going and handled the interviews.
Entertainment-wise, scanning was sock stuff. It ran smoothly, considering the difficulties faced by the telecrew. Lensmen had to be ready to shoot the unexpected. Gabbers had to explain the proceedings, but limited their commentary to what was visible on the screen. Slip-ups crept in, but these were forgivable. Commentators at times were ahead of the cameras, describing scenes which were to come later. An example of this, announcement of a chuck wagon which had not yet moved into camera range. All in all, however, set watchers got a better-than-box-seat eyeful of the rodeo, and this is best argument for buying a tele receiver seen in these parts for a long, long time. (Billboard, Sep. 7)
Monday, August 26 WNBT Channel 4
7:50 Television Reporter, newsreel narrated by Paul Alley, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 All-Star Football Game films.
Tuesday, August 27
WABD Channel 5
8:00 “Teletips on Cooking” with Ida Bailey Allen.
8:30 Film short.
9:00 “Serving Through Science,” sponsored by U.S. Rubber.
Wednesday, August 28
WABD Channel 5
8:00 “Marriage a la Mode,” comedy skit.
8:30 Film short.
9:00 “Stories in One Camera.”
9:30 Boxing from Ebbets Field. Elmer Ray vs. Lee Savold, heavyweight ten rounds.
"MARRIAGE A LA MODE"
With Fran Lee, Arthur Page, John Graham, Madeline Kalleen
Producer: Lou Sposa
Writer: Bernie Giler
Sets: Bob Bright
30 Mins.; Wed. (28), 8 p.m.
JOHN WANAMAKER CO.
WABD-DuMont, N. Y.
With the DuMont studios located in the Wanamaker store, WABD gives half an hour a week to a show plugging articles for sale in the store. Financial arrangements involved are being kept under wraps, but it's understood that Wanamaker's acts as a sort of intermediary between DuMont and the ad agencies handling accounts for the various products. Judging from "Marriage a la Mode," however, even if Wanamaker's and the sponsors got the time absolutely for free, they're still being hoodwinked.
It's difficult to believe that any telecaster in this day and age could conceive that such amateurish slapstick makes for entertainment. Original script by Bernie Giler, as well as the thesping, came from the bottom drawer, and even Lou Sposa's usually capable direction wasn't up to par. It would be gallant to point to something on the credit side to counterbalance the debits, but there just wasn't anything like that.
Show was supposedly a comedy skit in which the commercials were integrated into the script. As it turned out, however, the script seemed to be integrated into the commercials. With all the squawks being voiced about slogan-happy commercial radio, it must have been especially tough on the viewers to hear a guy who spoke in slogans and another one who sounded like a broken record on a spiel like "dip and then rinse—rinse and then dip" ad nauseam.
One of the articles demonstrated was a Hoover vaccuum cleaner. Actors, with no lines to speak of, were forced to shout to make themselves heard above the hum from the cleaner's motor. Commercials were backgrounded by a weak story involving a couple, on the verge of divorce, reunited through a squabble with another couple who'd come to look at their home with an idea of buying it after the dissolve.
Video broadcasters have consistently maintained that their art is more advanced now than any other medium has been at a similar stage of development. They'll have to do better than this to hold on to that belief. Stal. (Variety, Sept. 4)
ABC television has lined up three special events for filming over the Labor Day weekend, all of which will be shown over the web's five tele outlets. Events include the Hopeful race at the Saratoga track on Saturday (31), sponsored by the Berkray Corp.; finals of the Cleveland Air Races on Monday (2), to be sponsored by U. S. Rubber; and the Detroit Gold Cup speedboat races, which will be carried on a sustaining basis.
Films will be shown as soon thereafter as possible over WABD (DuMont, N.Y.); WRGB (GE, Schenectady); WPTZ (Philco, Philadelphia); W3XWT (DuMont, Washington), and WBKB (Balaban & Katz, Chicago). Harvey Marlowe, ABC television production chief, will direct the filming at Saratoga and Detroit, with Dick Goggin, web producer, slated to handle the cameramen at Cleveland.
Cleveland Air Races will be handled by ABC at the special invitation of CBS. Latter had signed a long-term contract for both the radio and tele rights to the event, but ran up against its usual video film labor trouble, and was forced to bow out on the tele end this year. Races will also be filmed by commercial newsreel photogs, members of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees (IATSE), who threatened to pull out if the CBS cameramen, members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), were used. CBS will do the radio broadcast, however. Since the Berkray Corp., sponsoring the Saratoga event, is the first garment manufacturer to back a tele show, ABC plans to make a special pitch on this one. Web plans to go all-out on ads in garment industry tradepapers, hoping to lure more or the cloak-and-suiters into the tele fold.
Possibility also exists that ABC will film the annual "Miss America" beauty pageant at Atlantic City over the Labor Day weekend. If plans for this event work out, the cameramen will be directed by Bobbie Henry. (Variety, Aug. 28)
Thursday, August 29
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Milo Boulton, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 “Draw Me Another” with Gurney Williams and guest cartoonists Whitney Darrow Jr, Bill King.
8:45 Improvisation Group: Comedy Drama
9:00 “The Thornton Show,” make-up demonstration.
WNBT Channel 4
7:30 “In Town Today.”
7:50 Television Reporter, sponsored by Esso.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety show with Helen Parrish sponsored by Standard Brands.
9:00 Famous Fight film.
WABD Channel 5
8:00 Variety shows.
8:30 Film shorts.
[Herald Trib has WABD 8:00 “The Singing Lady,” “Teletips on Loveliness” then as above.]
Friday, August 30
WNBT Channel 4
8:00 “For You and Yours,” variety show.
8:40 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Boxing from Madison Square Garden. Billy Graham vs. Tony Pellone.
Telechats
Reviewed Friday (30) 7:30-8 p.m. Style—News Commentary. Sponsor—Fair Stores. Station WBKB (Balaban & Katz), Chicago.
This 15-minute seg, narrated by Bill Hamilton, dragged in many spots, but the few highlights were capitalized upon by the spieler so that while it didn't go off with a bang, it was far from dead. Hamilton began with straight news comments and at one point used a map for illustration purposes. He was quite at ease.
Commercial gimmick used was an out-of-focus noise which he investigated only to find two gals ready to tell all about "this product." Here Hamilton demonstrated that while he's good as a single, the presence of others in the same scene throws him off a bit. Best of this program was comments that went along with news-pictures (stills) from week's newspapers.
Film strip, Architect of England, was strictly a time-filler, nothing more than a travelog. Educational aspects were there, but entertainment was lacking. (Billboard, Sep. 7)
As a rule, television is pretty hot right now—but for the exception to that rule, consult Dennis James, master of ceremonies of the Carr & Stark production, “Cash and Carry” over WABD, the DuMont station. Show was to open with James relaxing in a bath tub. But the playful studio crew put 4,000 ice cubes in the water—and the gag left James pretty cold! (Radio Daily, Aug. 30)
Saturday, August 31
WCBW Channel 2
8:15 “Feature Edition” news with Bob Edge.
8:45 “King’s Party Line” with John Reed King.
WNBT Channel 4
2:00 Baseball at the Polo Grounds. Dodgers vs. Giants.
CHICAGO, Aug. 31.—American Broadcasting Company will begin airing its first live studio tele series in Chicago September 6, when it begins telecasting a version of the ABC-WENR radio show, Stump the Authors. This program, to be aired from 9 to 9:30 p.m. (CDT) over the facilities of WBKB, local B&K video outlet, will be presented for four weeks on a sustaining basis. After that it will be offered for sponsorship. By starting this new series on WBKB, ABC will be telecasting in Chicago a larger schedule of video shows than it has at any of the other video outlets on which it uses time, including WABD, New York; WPTZ, Philadelphia; WRGB, Schenectady, and WTTG, Washington. (Billboard, Sep. 7)
Don Pardo’s partner in the baseball broadcast, Jack Lightcap, was public address announcer for the New York Mets for a few years, his last season being the 1969 championship year. He died in early 1970.
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