The FCC had decided a company could only own five commercial television stations. But in the case of DuMont, it ruled that it shared the same ownership as the Paramount, Balaban and Katz and some other companies. Their number, in total, added up to five. By the time everything was straightened out, the FCC had frozen the approval of licenses applications until 1952. DuMont needed the additional stations to use profits pay for network programming. By the time the freeze was lifted, DuMont’s shows couldn’t compete against NBC and CBS; in fact, some evening time-slots were empty of network offerings. The end for poor DuMont wasn’t far away.
That wasn’t DuMont’s only woe. Even though WABD had changed transmitters less than two years earlier, it had to install a new antenna, meaning it had to sign off for at least a month. Not many days after the announcement, ABC said it was cancelling its $1,250-a-week contract to buy airtime on WABD and would air its programmes in other cities until its New York station was running. What did this mean for DuMont’s Washington station? WTTG stayed on the air, thanks to an arrangement with NBC.
The FCC’s colour hearings resumed again in January and would adjourn until February. Yawn.
Commercial TV came to the Los Angeles area this month. W6XYZ became KTLA. The other station, Don Lee’s W6XAO, was still waiting for an FCC ruling about the company’s radio operations before it could go commercial.
Zenith’s Chicago station, WTZR, became stillborn. Its license expired with no action by the company to get it operational. By month’s end, there were eight commercial stations, with hammers and nails getting studios and transmission towers ready for more very soon.
Among the big events in January 1947 was the first-ever broadcast of the opening of Congress. People we note in reviews and listings of programmes in for the month are Larry Storch, back when he was an impressionist, and Nehemiah Persoff—who appeared on a Western hoedown show and was accused of over-acting.
The Chicago Tribune was regularly printing a schedule of local TV (ie. WBKB) and the Hollywood Citizen-News began providing readers with listings for the two Los Angeles stations before mid-month. We are able to include them below.
Wednesday, January 1
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 Excepts from Carmen.
8:30 Film short.
9:00 Barn Dance with Tex Lightning.
WBKB Channel 2, Chicago
8:30 Hockey from Chicago Stadium, Blackhawks vs. Montreal.
MUMMERS PARADE
With John Franklin, Peter Roberts, announcers
Producer-director: Clarence Thoman
Tech. directors: Ray Bowley, John Roth
24S Mins.; Wed. (1) 10:40 a.m.
SEARS-ROEBUCK (Benjamin Eshleman)
WPTZ-Philco, Philadelphia
That television has come a long way in the past few years was well demonstrated New Year's Day (1) with Philco's WPTZ broadcast of the famous Mummers Parade, under sponsorship of the catalog telephone order service of Sears, Roebuck.
The first television broadcast of this colorful event, historic New Year's Day feature as far as thousands of Philadelphians are concerned, was an experimental job back in 1939, over W3XE, and the latest broadcast disclosed vividly how far television has come since the old days.
Clarence Thoman, special events director of the station, assisted by Ernest Walling, program manager, and announcers John Franklin and Peter Roberts coordinated their efforts, in smooth style to bring this holiday feature to the sight of owners of television sets in this area.
The parade showed up on the screen remarkably well, considering weather conditions—the parade began passing in review at downtown City Hall at 10:40 a.m., and snow, accompanied by blustery winds, started to fall at about 11 o'clock. From that hour until the parade was over, at 2:45 p.m.. weather conditions were far from ideal for television broadcasting.
WPTZ used two image Orth icons for the job, one mounted on a truck in which the control room was set up and another camera on the fourth floor balcony of City Hall, looking south on Broad street. Most close-up shots came from the truck at street level, although a few were made from the upper level. The parade was radioed from City Hall locations to the downtown studios three blocks away, and then relayed to the transmitter at suburban Wyndmoor.
The broadcast was excellent, considering weather conditions. The show was perhaps too long for a television event, but that was inherent in the feature itself, and consequently no fault of the broadcasters. Show began with interview with Mayor Bernard Samuel.
Sears' visual commercials were superimposed over the Broad street parade scene, believed to be the first time that I.O.'s have been used for this purpose. Shal. (Variety, Jan. 8)
Thursday, January 2
WCBW Channel 2, New York
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Larry Lesueur, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 All-New York Junior High School Quiz.
9:00 “Judge For Yourself: The Case of the Sleeping Killer.”
WNBT Channel 4, New York
7:50 Television Newsreel.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea/Chase and Sanborn Coffee.
9:00 Highlights of Rose Bowl, Illinois vs. UCLA.
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 “Melody Bar Ranch” with Hal Horton (debut).
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Cash and Carry,” game show with Dennis James.
9:30 Boxing from Jamaica Arena.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
12:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 “Over Shoemaker’s Shoulder,” drawing show.
7:40 Film: “Winners of West.”
8:00 “Cavalcade of Medicine.”
8:30 Sonja Henie’s Ice Review.
Melody Bar Ranch
Reviewed Thursday (2), 8-8:30 p.m. Style—Musical drama. Sustaining and presented by the American Broadcasting Company over WABD (DuMont), New York.
This musical soap opera edition of the Caples Agency's serial Faraway Hill was hot and cold and good and bad. In spots it reminded one of a Class C, 10-year old Monogram musical, and at times it was pretty good. For the most part, however, it was badly done-showing lack of co-ordination, poor acting, bad directing and revealing a story with poor continuity. If Director Harvey Marlowe was trying to do a Western musical, it would be well for him in preparing his next production to line up a good script and work out the many minor problems which, when unsolved, add up to a poor television production.
However, Marlowe did show some imagination, tho, particularly in the opening. Program opened up with an old "Tobacco Road" character coming out of a ranch house and walking to an old sign post on which were the title of the program and credits. Other good production angles were the methods used in introducing some of the songs sung by the program's singing star, Hal (Tex) Horton. Sets, by Rudy Lucek, were particularly good.
Guest star in the show was Elsa "Chiquita Banana" Miranda, who flew in like a Mexican humming bird, sang her banana song and another number, danced a bit, and dashed madly out. She was good and should have been on longer.
Also featured on the program were Rosalie Allen, Jan Sherwood, Nick Persoff, Eddie Manson and Dave Denny. Rosalie Allen, who sang vivaciously, unfortunately had her back and side turned to the camera most of the time, so viewers could only see a nice back hair-do and a lovely pair of shoulders. Horton sang his cowboy numbers well. (Billboard, Jan. 11)
Sonja Henie Ice Revue
Reviewed Thursday (2), 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Sustaining on WBKB, Chicago.
Henie ice show, which has been packing in crowds at the Chicago Stadium, proved to be top video pro- gram material, and the WBKB staff did a competent job of telecasting first half of the two-hour revue.
Telecast demonstrated ability of the image orthicon cameras (WBKB used two for the pick-up) to get a good picture even under low level lighting conditions. Crew, using cameras with turret lens, was able to follow fast action of solo work and also cover mass production numbers.
Program opened using as introductory titles pages of the revue's program. Following televising of titles at station, switch to stadium was made and pick-up of revue began.
Station got around the AFM rule which prohibits pick-ups of music by dubbing in recordings. Most of the time a good job of synchronizing studio music with the stadium show was done. (Billboard, Jan. 11)
Friday, January 3
WCBS Channel 2, New York
12:00 Opening of Eightieth Congress.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
11:15 Preliminaries and Proceedings, also Opening of Eightieth Congress, relayed to WPLZ.
8:00 “Campus Hoopla” with Clair Bee, coach of the Long Island U. basketball team, sponsored by U.S. Rubber Co.
8:15 “Let’s Rhumba.”
8:30 “I Love to Eat” with James Beard, sponsored by Borden’s.
8:45 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports, Boxing at Madison Square Garden: Julio Jimenez and Roman Alvarez, lightweight, ten rounds.
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 Western Film: “Billy the Kid Trapped” with Buster Crabbe and Fuzzy St. John (PRC, 1942).
9:00 Wrestling from Jamaica Arena.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
12:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 “Tele-Chats.”
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 Telequizzicalls, sponsored by Commonwealth Edison.
8:30 “Stump the Authors.”
9:00 Boxing.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 (AP)—Congress made its bow in television today.
The opening session of the House of Representatives was placed on the air for two hours.
Representative Charles A. Halleck of Indiana, the House Republican leader, won this honor: he was the first member of Congress ever to walk before a television camera set up for broadcasting sound pictures from the House.
The program left the air as soon as the new Speaker, Representative Martin (R., Mass.), made his opening address. The Representatives had a rule that the program couldn’t continue after the House officially was in session.
This first congressional program was carried in black-and-white television pictures to one Washington station, WWTG, and by television cable to Philadelphia and New York.
Two cameras picked up the scene, both at the rear of the House chamber.
With microphones set in front of the speakers, to pick up sound, the television audience probably heard even more of what went on than many Representatives. The microphones not only caught a whisper from Ralph Roberts, acting clerk, but even captured the concern in it. An assistant had been reading the roll for almost an hour. Roberts whispered:
“Don’t you want some water before you start this next roll call?
The whisper was heard distinctly above the other room noises.
Passing another important milestone on the highway to becoming the most powerful mass communication medium, television, using the combined facilities of NBC, CBS and DuMont, penetrated the nation's legislative halls for the first time last Friday (3) to televise the opening session of the 80th Congress. Whatever drawbacks the specific program had from the viewpoint of spectator interest, it opened another vista into video's as yet uncharted potential for public service through broad, democratic education.
Pooled broadcast, which was transmitted over the three New York stations as well as DuMont's WTTG in Washington and Philco's WPTZ in Philadelphia, did a straight reporting job on the session's inaugural ceremonies. Using two Image Orthicons which were stationed in the rear of the House of Representatives directly opposite the Speaker's rostrum, producer Burke Crotty was given full sweep of the auditorium in covering the proceedings. Cameras regularly alternated between panning over the crowded floor and closeup shots of the various Congressmen.
Although the reporting job at hand was executed with good technique, it was apparent that nobody was prepared for the long dull stretches during the proceedings when roll calls were being taken. In the initial 70 minutes of the broadcast, one full hour was taken up by two roll calls, an event of no great excitement. In an effort to fill the breach, announcer John Batchelder's voice came on sporadically with incidental information about the traditions and lawmaking techniques of the lower House. On the whole, it was pallid stuff.
In a 15-minute period preceding the broadcast from within the House, announcers Bill Henry and Bob Cora, working in an adjoining room, brought several House leaders, including Republican leader Charles Halleck and Democratic whip Sam Rayburn, before the cameras where they made the customary ritualistic comments. Foreshadowing what was to come, this portion of the telecast likewise failed to contribute anything of value to an understanding of any of the issues before the new Congress.
Instead of just setting up cameras and recording whatever passed before them, this telecast could have achieved genuine stature by editorial preparation in advance for an on-the-spot documentary. For example, newsreel clips of the House in debate, or committees in operation, might have served as fillers during the roll call to illustrate the work required on upcoming bills. In addition, some of the crucial issues before this Congress could have been detailed through the use of charts and other visual devices. Herm. (Variety, Jan. 8)
ABC this week (3) begins two video shows on Philco's WPTZ, Philadelphia. The two quarter-hour programs—8-8:30 p.m.—are At Home, and How and Art Today—both four-week series. (Billboard, Jan. 11)
Saturday, January 4 WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
7:45 Television News.
8:00 Revue.
8:30 Basketball at Madison Square Garden, St. John’s vs. Rhode Island State, N.Y.U. vs. Southern Methodist, sponsored by Ford.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
12:00 Varied subjects.
CHICAGO, Jan. 4.—Starting today, WBKB, local video station, will air each Saturday from 12 to 12:30 p.m. a new series of programs from Rosenwald Museum of Natural Sciences and Industry. Titled American Story, series will trace development of various sociological aspects of American history. Program will use Museum's display as background sets. Costumed actors will enact documentary dramatic stories. (Billboard, Jan. 11)
Sunday, January 5WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
7:15 Film Feature: “Great Guy,” with James Cagney, Mae Clarke (Grand National, 1936).
8:25 News Briefs
8:30 “Party Line” with John Reed King, sponsored by Bristol-Myers (debut).
9:00 Hockey from Madison Square Garden. Rangers vs. Chicago, sponsored by Ford.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 “Face to Face,” with cartoonist Bob Dunn, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea.
8:20 “Tele-Varieties,” sponsored by Minit Rub/Trushay.
8:30 “Television Theatre: No Shock,” comedy drama.
BERNARD KRISHER, 15-year-old editor and publisher of Picture Story, monthly teen-age mag, was interviewed on WNBT Sunday (5). (Variety, Jan. 11)
Monday, January 6
WNBT Channel 4, New York
1:00 President Truman Addressing Joint Session of Congress.
8:00 Feature Film.
9:00 Esso Reporter, newsreel narrated by Paul Alley.
9:10 “Voice of Firestone Televues.”
9:20 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports: Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena.
1:00 President Truman Addressing Joint Session of Congress.
8:00 Film: “I’ll Name the Murderer” with Ralph Forbes (Puritan, 1936).
9:00-11:00 Boxing at Jamaica Arena. Willie Beltram vs. Johnny Dell.
WBKB Channel 4, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 Minor Opinions.
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 Variety Show Case.
8:15 Short subjects.
8:30 News.
8:45 Dance Creations.
Tuesday, January 7
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 Continuous INS news, music, test pattern.
8:00 “Ike on Sports” with Bill and Marian Slater (return).
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Serving Through Science,” sponsored by U.S. Rubber.
WBKB Channel 4, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
7:00 Looking at Life.
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 “Tommy Bartlett Time,” variety show.
8:30 Short subjects.
8:45 Beauty Contest.
Hollywood.—The newly formed Academy of Television Arts and Sciences held its first formal meeting here Jan. 7, kicking off with a highly representative group which installed Edgar Bergen as first president for a term of six months. The conclave was highlighted by the serio-comic address-performances of prexy Bergen, the paper read by Gayle Gitterman, "Talent Looks at Television," and the summation talk of Patrick M. Cunning, Bergen's indie studio associate, which followed a night's discussion and pitch for greater cooperation for the mutual benefit of the medium and all in the industry here.
Gist of the talks was that the existing spirit of non-cooperation, jealousies and outright enmities be dropped and replaced by a greater general will for mutual aid and discussion, with each operator learning from the other and thus helping develop the baby industry into a healthily competitive, instead of poisonously conflicting and contradictory, field. Remainder was a question and answer session in which film industry reps, cartoonists, radioites and prospective televisors, educators, technicians, ad agency and folk from virtually every branch of show biz—to the tune of approximately 90 attendees—participated.
Bergen was elected by virtue of unanimous and unopposed nomination.(Variety, Jan. 15)
Wednesday, January 8
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 Sunshine in Your Life.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 DuMont Players: “The Monkey’s Paw.”
9:30 Boxing at Jamaica Arena.
WBKB Channel 2, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
8:30 Wrestling from Rainbo Arena.
Monkey's Paw
Reviewed Wednesday (8), 9-9:40 p.m. Style—Dramatic. Sustaining over WABD (DuMont), New York.
Technically this DuMont players' production was good, but as straight drama it was bad. For some reason actors in television today seem either to hold back and not give out with their best, or else they go completely hammy. In this show the actors lacked spontaneity and as a result there was a heavy drag which was eased only at one or two dramatic climaxes.
According to Bob Emery, program producer and newly appointed manager of DuMont's program department, play was treated differently :than most attempts at video drama and was presented as it would be on the stage. If this was the case, were the play a Broadway legit production, tonight's show would have brought down the final curtain. However, from where we sat program was presented no differently than most of today's dramatic productions in television.
Fault may lie in the fact that the players involved are seasoned radio actors. Altho they also have theater and stock background, reaction was they'd have been more comfortable with a script in their hands.
Mystery concerned the story of the White family (Abby Lewis and Jim Boles) acquiring from a Scotland Yard inspector (Maurice Franklin) a mummified monkey's paw which gives them three wishes. Father wishes for money to pay off the mortagage [sic]. Following morning an attorney arrives from the plant where the son (Bill Sugihara) works to inform them their son was killed during the night and the company is compensating with a check. After the mother wishes for her son to return to life, the father grabs the monkey's paw and makes the last wish—that the son return to his grave.
Principal fault among the actors was a hesitancy in delivering lines. This may have been intended to build up dramatic qualities of the show, but it gave the impression they weren't too sure of themselves. It was most obvious in the inspector and the father.
Show was directed by Kay Emery, and Frank Bunetta was production assistant. Narrator was Charles Tranum, and sets, which were well done, were designed by Rudy Lucek. Sound and music was by Jo Basil.(Billboard, Jan. 18)
Thursday, January 9
WCBW Channel 2, New York
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Larry Lesueur, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 All-New York Junior High School Quiz.
9:00 Basketball at Madison Square Garden, N.Y.U. vs Duke and St. Francis vs. West Virginia, sponsored by Ford.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
7:50 Television Newsreel.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea/Chase and Sanborn Coffee.
9:00 “You Are An Artist,” with John Gnagy.
9:15 International Newsreel.
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 “Melody Bar Ranch” with Hal Horton (last show of series).
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Cash and Carry,” game show with Dennis James.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
2:30 Backstage with Fitzroy Davis.
7:30 “Over Shoemaker’s Shoulder,” drawing show.
7:40 Film: “Defeated People.”
8:00 Sidney Teller, collector.
8:30 Bert Allerton, magician.
With Hal Horton, Elsa Miranda, Eddie Manson, Rosalie Allen, Nick Persoff, Jan Sherwood, Dave Denny
Producer-Director: Harvey Marlowe
Writer: Malcolm McGlasson
Set: Rudy Lucheck
30 Mins.; Thurs., 8 p.m.
Sustaining:
WABD-ABC, N. Y.
"Melody Bar Ranch," one of the first live oatuners to hit the video-waves, represents ABC's attempt to snare part of the Thursday night tele audience usually attuned to NBC's "Hour Glass" show. An ambitious and high-budgeted production, it doubtless would have succeeded, given a few more sessions to iron out the wrinkles.
With WABD, ABC's only available N. Y. video outlet, shutting down for a month on Jan. 27 to install its new transmitter, ABC has decided to sever all relationships with the DuMont web. Last Thursday (9) night, consequently, constituted ABC's swan song in N. Y. television until it gets its own Manhattan station. "Ranch," therefore, will have to be judged on its merits to date.
Show was packaged by Hal Horton, who also starred in the production. Format, consisting of songs and dances pegged to an innocuous story theme, resembled a variety show more than anything else, and therein lay the wrinkles. Horton reportedly wants to bring true western music to video but he certainly overdid it on this show. Cast gave out with at least 10 different songs during the half-hour, which is too much to take no matter how well they're presented. More stress on the story, regardless of how insipid that was, would have aided considerably.
Young cast did much to perk up the proceedings, with Horton making out okay as the romantic cowhand. Elsa Miranda, radio's "Chiquita Banana" girl, shone in her songs and Eddie Manson provided excellent accompaniment with his harmonica virtuosity, ABC's method of skirting the ban on live musicians. Rest of the actors were competent, although Nick Persoff, as the bearded and rustic old ranchhand, caricatured his role too much.
Producer-director Harvey Marlowe made good use of WABD's four camera setup for the most part. He still has a tendency, though, to over-accentuate his camera work to the detriment of the show, and his method of panning in for a closeup of one character white cutting out another one is n.s.g. Direct cut to the closeup would be much better. Rudy Lucheck's indoor-outdoor set was a faithful reproduction of a Hollywood ranch. Stal. (Variety, Jan. 15)
BERT ALLERTON, MAGICIAN
With Bert Allerton, Jimmy Savage
Producer-Director: Beulah Zachary
15 Mins.; Thurs. (9), 8:30 p.m. (CST)
Sustaining
WBKB, Chicago
This attempt to bring more variety to WBKB's programming by aiming their cameras at a polished magician falls short of really good television entertainment but it does show, for experimentalists, that the video screen is no place to prove the hand quicker than the eye.
Strictly a low budget affair, set uses as prop a few tables with lamps borrowed from the Hotel Ambassador East's Pump Room, in an attempt to create the atmosphere of the lush nightery. No mention is made of the Pump Room and the only way the listener would be able o get the point is if he were a frequenter of the place and was able to recognize head waiter George Sotos, also borrowed to wait on "guests" who were to be amazed by Allerton, who performs nightly in the room.
Format has Allerton pausing at tables, with camera taking one table at a time, and dispensing some idle chatter along with some nifty bits of magic. Guests were comprised by WBKB staffers who didn't have anything else to do when show went on. One exception to this was Jimmy Savage, Balaban & Katz theatre publicity staffer; who dominated most of Allerton's time.
Magician unfolds to Savage's apparent amazement, several card tricks which are lost to the television camera in that the viewer cannot distinguish the numerals on the cards. It is practically impossible to tell an ace from a jack, even though the camera comes in for extreme close-ups, cutting, everything but the cards from the picture.
Other gimmicks include placing a sponge in a. girl's hand to have it multiply into several smaller sponges when she opens her paw, several variations of cutting a piece of rope, and the disappearing bird cage.
Although the magic is tops the effect isn't too startling as it is difficult for the listener to realize that the stooges weren't prompted or the props weren't planted prior to the show's airing. This, in itself, keeps the show from coming through with better quality. Surprise is the performance of head waiter, who lends a professional touch to the scene. Donn. (Variety, Jan. 15)
New York.—DuMont Television plans to go off the air about 30 days, beginning Jan. 24, to complete installation of new antenna. During shutdown, two auxiliary studios are scheduled to be finished at John Wanamaker department store, which houses the main studio. (Hollywood Reporter, Jan. 9).
Hollywood.—Paramount Pictures is now—but definitely—in the television business. It's wholly-owned subsidiary, Television Productions, Inc., operating W6XYZ—and soon to be KTLA—was commercially licensed Jan. 9, marking the first commercial tele station in the West. Klaus Landsberg, director of Teleprod, was simultaneously handed a new five-year contract, while a request was made for FCC-release of the desired call letters.
The day was a veritable windfall for Par. It included the receipt also of two more Image Orthicon cameras from Radio Corp. of America, giving it a total of four I. O.'s, plus eight others, making for a total of 12, which is believed to be a national high.
Immediately taken preparations was to set up a fitting kickoff program with which to celebrate the event. The giant show, not necessarily a commercial, will undoubtedly include many of Par's top film names. And there are a group of sponsors reportedly waiting now to sign up to establish themselves locally as with National Broadcasting Co.'s and others in New York seeking institutional prestige rather than immediate return. (Variety, Jan. 15)
Friday, January 10
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 “Campus Hoopla” with Clair Bee, coach of the Long Island U. basketball team, sponsored by U.S. Rubber Co.
8:15 “Let’s Rhumba”
8:30 “I Love to Eat” with James Beard, sponsored by Borden’s.
8:45 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports, Boxing at Madison Square Garden: Tony Pellone vs. Tony Janiero, welterweight, ten rounds.
WABD Channel 5, New York1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 “The Magic Carpet” by Bud Gamble, sponsored by Alexander Smith Carpets.
8:15 Western Film: “Frontier Justice” with Hoot Gibson and Snowflake (Diversion, 1935).
9:00 Wrestling from Jamaica Arena.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 “Tele-Chats.”
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 Telequizzicalls, sponsored by Commonwealth Edison.
8:30 “Stump the Authors.”
9:00 Boxing from Rainbo Arena.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Hockey from Pan Pacific Arena, Hollywood Wolves vs. Fresno Falcons.
I Love To Eat
This was about the neatest little 15-minute program seen in some time. Not only was it an excellent example of unusually good camera work, good direction and good operation on the part of James Beard, the chef, but the show was presented in such a way that even men could find it interesting and instructive. It's this kind of program that's going to sell television to the public.
Program was comparatively simple. Beard, while actually preparing food and mixing dishes in an actual kitchen, gave tips and hints of cooking. He went thru his routine in a smooth and leisurely pace giving the viewer a chance to digest instructions. In this show Beard prepared a breakfast dish which consisted of haddock, fried potatoes and biscuits, Closing shot showed the breakfast table bedecked with appetizing food he prepared. During the preparation of the food, cameras panned in for close-ups which gave the viewer a good chance to actually see what the mixture looked like.
Borden commercial was integrated into the program in an interesting and novel manner. In the middle of Beard's session, a little girl suddenly opened the kitchen door and walked up to Beard asking where Borden's Elsie the Cow was, adding that the cow was to tell her a story. In the absence of the cow, Beard instead told her a story. Led into a fairy-tale type plug quite effectively.
Show was directed by Roger Muir. (Billboard, Jan. 18)
Saturday, January 11 WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
7:45 Television News, Robert Wagner Jr., guest.
8:00 Variety Showcase with Ira Kitchell, guest.
8:30 Basketball at Madison Square Garden, C.C.N.Y. vs St. Joseph’s and St. John’s vs. Manhattan, sponsored by Ford.
WNBT Channel 4
8:00 Film shorts.
8:30 Feature film.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
8:30 Midget Auto Races, international ampitheatre.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and Recorded Music
8:30 Ice Hockey, Hollywood Wolves vs Oakland.
Sunday, January 12WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
7:15 Film Feature: “Swing It, Sailor” with Wallace Ford (Grand National, 1938).
8:40 “Draw Me Another” with Lawrence Larrier.
8:25 News Briefs
8:30 “Party Line” with John Reed King, sponsored by Bristol-Myers (debut).
9:00 Hockey from Madison Square Garden. Rangers vs. Toronto, sponsored by Ford.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 “Face to Face,” with cartoonist Bob Dunn, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea.
8:20 “Tele-Varieties,” sponsored by Minit Rub/Trushay.
8:30 Film short. 8:30 “Television Theatre.”
9:15 Film short.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
8:30 Hockey: Blackhawks vs. Montreal.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
7:30 Test Pattern and Recorded Music.
8:00 Telefunnies.
8:10 Shopping at Home.
8:20 “Hits and Bits,” variety with Dick Lane.
8:50 News Highlights.
9:00 Basketball: Hollywood vs Oakland.
BBC Film Unit Scrapbook
Reviewed Sunday (12), 8:30-9:30 p.m. Style—Newsreel, documentary (film clips). Sustaining over WNBT (NBC), New York.
Once again illustrating advanced mitts-across- the-pond-co-operation between Yank and English television, this full-hour collection of British Broadcasting Corporation video newsreel highlights was a nicely put together job, showing a flair for simple but effective production. Show unveiled as a film "scrapbook," with flipping of neatly designed intro, chapter and wind-up pages helping convert what might otherwise have been a dull succession of newsreel shots into an interesting, often absorbing documentary.
High spots were a George Bernard Shaw interview (July 26) and the opening of Oxford's new library, one of the world's greatest (October 24). Shaw shots showed that the maestro is getting old—but rapidly. He dished out a mess of stuff to the peasants about the inadvisability of becoming a celebrity, pointing out that it's more fun coming to see and listen to celebs than to be one. Sage's patter was loaded with Edgar Guestisms.
At the Oxford opening strong suspicion was created in this viewer's mind that England's king must have gotten himself a press agent who was doing a bang-up job of humanizing the monarch. The architect of the joint handed the king a silver key with which to unlock the door. The king twisted and turned and huffed and puffed but couldn't get the key to work. Door was finally opened from the inside by a flunkey. Situation was reminiscent of last year's fiasco involving a ship launching and a tough bottle of champagne. Video announcer's restrained commentary on the English bossman's battle was a bobb to U. S. listeners.
Other noteworthy portions of Scrapbook were the Remembrance Day ceremonies, somber and impressive; London Thru the Eyes of a Veteran Just Returned From Burma, a short feature loaded with sincerity and deep feeling, and some Queen Elizabeth shots. During the latter a fine commercial plug sneaked onto BBC's sacrosanct screen when a box of Ritz crackers, big as life, was spotlighted in "center stage" in a fairly protracted shot of cooks at work in the ship's galley.
At Elizabeth's landing in New York, thesp Roland Young was just about to make his spiel when he was practically shoved aside because V. Molotov, of the Kremlin Molotovs, had agreed to an interview. Molotov faced the ike and mike and tossed off a neat speech—in Russian.
Show began with scenes from the victory parade which BBC carried June 8, one day after returning to the air; ran thru sports (tennis, cricket, etc.) shots, the Nuremberg trials, the Lord Mayor's show, the king on his way to Westminster for the opening of Parliament and a sampling of American shots which NBC shipped to BBC in September.
Scrapbook also proved that anyone who thinks our English cousins don't have a sense of humor is just screwy, and what's more important is that they know how to use it in tele, even in documentary stuff. If they're informed they'll probably even laugh off the fact that this BBC Scrapbook was immediately followed on WNBT by an Elgin commercial. (Billboard, Jan. 25)
Monday, January 13
WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
8:00 Silver Skates Finals, Madison Square Garden, Irving Jaffee announcing, sponsored by Ford.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 Feature Film: “Death Rides the Plains” with Bob Livingston and Fuzzy St. John (PRC, 1943).
9:00 Esso Reporter, newsreel narrated by Paul Alley.
9:10 “Voice of Firestone Televues.”
9:20 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports: Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena.
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 Film: “Panama Patrol” with Leon Ames (Grand National, 1939).
9:00-11:00 Amateur Boxing at Jamaica Arena.
WBKB Channel 4, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 Minor Opinions.
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 Variety Show Case.
8:15 Short subjects.
8:30 News.
8:45 “Adam vs. Eve.”
9:15 Wrestling from Midway arena.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
6:30 Test Pattern.
8:30 Films.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Pinocchio on Ice from the Pan-Pacific Auditorium.
Pinnocchio on Ice
Reviewed Monday (13), 8:30-9 p.m. Style—Remote pick -up of musical comedy on ice. Sustaining over KTLA (Paramount), Hollywood.
An ambitious undertaking on the part of Paramount, remote pick-up from Pan-Pacific of musical fairy-tale on ice proved, if nothing else, that tele can deliver the makings of an enjoyable show with little or nothing lost en route. It's to the station's credit' that it was able to overcome numerous difficulties blocking a flawless presentation and was able to come thru with more than enough screen material to hold looker's interest.
A tough nut to crack was background music for ice-ballet sequences. Because of AFM nix, plattered music was dubbed in whenever necessary. Job was handled so smoothly that rhythm of waxed music and motion of bladers remained in synch thruout. Another problem was taking in the full sweep of the arena in following skaters. Cameras were so arranged that it was possible to blanket the entire skating area. Cutting from one lens box to the other was performed with such precision and facility that in many cases switch was unnoticed. Technique is particularly valuable in ice-show scanning since bladers cover large areas in a single run, and if this has to be interrupted because of camera range limitations then any grace and beauty created by the figure skaters becomes lost to the set watcher.
Some difficulties proved insurmountable. When house was blacked out before icer started, screen was left blank. Pre-curtain commentary describing preparation, etc., and informing tele audience why it was left picless would have saved set-conscious lookers a couple of minutes of anxious knob-twirling. Power failure towards the end took outlet off the air temporarily. Announcement was then made that because of mishap, KTLA would return the following night to bring repeat scanning of show in its entirety.
As a whole, what did hit the screen was enjoyable and ranks with the best tele entertainment to delight area's lookers. Lee Zhito. (Billboard, Jan. 25)
Tuesday, January 14
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-3:00 Continuous INS news, music, test pattern.
3:00-4:30 Ceremonies at Installation of Rt. Rev. Henry Knox Sherrill as Presiding Bishop of Protestant Episcopal Church, National Cathdral, Washington, sponsored by U.S. Rubber.
8:00 “Ike on Sports” with Bill and Marian Slater.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Serving Through Science,” sponsored by U.S. Rubber.
WBKB Channel 4, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 Tele-Topic Forum.
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 “Tommy Bartlett Time,” variety show.
8:30 Short subjects.
10:00 Sonja Henie Ice Show.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern, Records.
9:15 “Your Town.”
9:30 News.
9:45 Pinocchio on Ice.
VARIETY GIRL (LA RABIDA FUND PROGRAM)
With Vincent Gottschalk. m.c.; Larry Storch, Buddy Hughes & Pal, ABC Honeydreamers, Lowe, Hite and Stanley, 20 "Variety Girl" Candidates
Producer: A. Warren Jones
Director: Kit Carson
30 Mins.; Tues. (14) 9:18 p.m. (CST)
Sustaining
WBKB, Chicago
Thrown together hastily because of a lack of time, this beauty contest and variety acts show is another example which proves the importance of careful planning and rehearsal necessary for top video production.
Focal point of interest centered around picking six gals among 20 femme candidates vying for title of "Miss Variety Girl," winning sextet to appear in finals of Variety Club Annual Ball. Direction was given amateurish treatment, looking every bit like vaudeville of 20 years ago.
Format for this one-set show, consisting of a backdrop and two pillars, emerged as an almost straight vaude bill comprised of four variety acts, contestants coming on stage in bathing suits in groups of six, though singly, between each stint. Camera manipulation was inconsistent, in many instances not concentrating on best points of femmes.
Show teed off with Vincent Gottschalk, former radio announcer, as m.c., appearing nervous at first and not helping matters any by overworking his hands. Brought on first Larry Storch, who gave swell impressions of Cary Grant, Bogart and Frank Morgan. Camera caught his facial maneuverisms well; but here, again, fact is that his hands were often out of camera eye. Following first procession of girls, the ABC Honeydreamers, two gals and three men, sang "Gal in "Calico" and "Buttermilk Sky." Camera deviated slightly, using mostly straight-on shots of group. Stage presence appeared stiff, while arrangements were good.
Buddy Hughes & Pal (Pal is a dog) started with routine magic trickery which was difficult to detect visibly. More close-ups would have helped. Second half of act with Hughes doing acrobatic tricks with dog fared better with excellent audience response. Last act was Lowe, Hite & Stanley, who did their familiar pantomime of Andrews Sisters. Probably due to their unusual height ranges, camera was not always able to catch trio together, Hite's head disappearing now and then.
Finale had audience selecting with aid of an applause meter Miss WBKB, she being chosen among group of six contestants picked by judges. (Variety, Jan. 22)
With the FCC still holding back on announcing station application grants for N. Y., ABC for the last year has been producing shows over WABD, buying time on the DuMont outlet at the rate of $625 per half-hour. DuMont execs last week announced a month's shutdown of WABD operations, beginning Jan. 27, permit the installation of a new and more powerful transmitter. That gave ABC an opportunity to close its contract. Possibility exists that ABC may still produce one or two public relations films over the stations, but there will be no more live programming, according to Paul B. Mowrey, the web's national tele director.
Mowrey expressed confidence that the FCC would come through with the N. Y. grants in the near future, and that ABC would be among the sanctioned applicants, adding he hoped to have ABC's own N. Y. station in operation by June 1. Web, meanwhile, will conduct closed circuit experiments with its two new Image Orthicon cameras, which were delivered last week by RCA. I.O.'s will be used for a variety of remote pickups so that ABC directors, so far unaccustomed to doing remotes, will know how to handle the cameras when they get on the air again.
Until it has its own stations in operation, ABC will also continue live programming over its other outlets on which it currently buys time, including WPTZ (Philco, Philadelphia), WRGB (General Electric, Schenectady) and WBKB (Balaban & Katz, Chicago). FCC last week awarded ABC its station grant in San Francisco, meaning the web is now set to build there—Los Angeles, Chi and Detroit—with N. Y., which will undoubtedly become the flagship in the five-station network, the only one still in doubt. (Variety, Jan. 15)
Television Workshop ... on WRGB, Schenectady ... [o]n January 14 group will present a variety-quiz show, Guess-A-Song. (Billboard, Jan. 4)
Wednesday, January 15
WNBT Channel 4, New York
12:00 March of Dimes Cmapaign, Rockefeller Plaza.
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 “Young Americana: Saga of a Sitter.”
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 DuMont Players.
9:30 Boxing at Jamaica Arena, Rocco Rossano vs. Tommy Houston.
WBKB Channel 2, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
8:30 Wrestling from Rainbo Arena.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Ice Hockey at Pan Pacific Arena, Hollywood Wolves vs. San Francisco Shamrocks.
Young Americana
Reviewed Wednesday (15), 8-8:30 p.m. Style—Musical variety. Sustaining and presented by Wanamaker's over WABD (DuMont), New York.
Why video producers and directors insist on featuring stage-struck chirpers who have practically no talent is a mystery. Television audience presumably is growing daily and if producers plan to continue to produce hammy and amateurish shows, they're going to wake up one morning to find the video audience consisting only of relatives.
With one or two exceptions, show titled Saga of a Sitter was a dull affair and revealed extremely little talent. Program value added up to a goose egg. Only interesting and entertaining acts in the production consisted of some gal hoofers and a gal opera singer. Dancers in show were directed by Charles Lowe. Program made a weak attempt to imitate some top singers, dancers and radio people. Imitations were poorly done—giving the impression that they hadn't been worked on enough and entertainers coached enough.
Story woven around the musical was pointless and seemed to lack continuity and co- ordination. Briefly, it concerned a young man who, while acting as a baby-sitter, studied engineering. He finally winds up years later, falling in love with the babe he took care of. Series of flashback scenes to point up the jazz age, crooner age, the big apple days, etc., had kids and teen-agers making with the acts and jokes.
Program was directed by Lou Sposa and produced by Eleanor Wells. Thor Krogh. (Billboard, Jan. 25)
Thursday, January 16
WCBW Channel 2, New York
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Larry Lesueur, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 All-New York Junior High School Quiz.
9:00 Drama: “Delivery Guaranteed” with Anne Burr.
9:30 Basketball at Madison Square Garden, Manhattan vs. Syracuse, St. John’s vs. Temple, sponsored by Ford.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
7:50 Television Newsreel.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea/Chase and Sanborn Coffee.
9:00 “You Are An Artist,” with John Gnagy.
9:15 International Newsreel.
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 “Melody Bar Ranch” with Hal Horton.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Cash and Carry,” game show with Dennis James.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 “Over Shoemaker’s Shoulder,” drawing show.
7:40 Short subjects.
8:00 Cavalcade of Medicine.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Ice Hockey at Pan Pacific Arena, Hollywood vs. Tacoma. [Note: the Citizen-News seems to have been mixed up. There was no hockey this evening. Instead, 20th Century Fox hosted Loyola in an American Basketball League game.]
DELIVERY GUARANTEED
With Anne Burr, Robert Bolger, Maxin Stewart, Tom McMorrow, John James
Writer: Gordon Minter
Producer-Director: Steve Marvin
30 Mins.; Thurs [16]., 9 p.m.
Sustaining
WCBS-TV, N. Y.
In spite of a weakly contrived play that probably didn't get across nearly as well in its video adaptation as in its original radio form. "Delivery Guaranteed" provided an adequate showcase for some Broadway talent more or less new to the medium. Legit actors and radio thesps with legit experience are pointing up with increased emphasis their ability to adapt themselves to the lights and camera of a tele studio, to the dismay of radio thesps without similar background, most of whom have flopped gloriously. The improvement will probably be even more marked when motion picture talent can appear before the mikes without danger of guillotining a juicy contract.
This little mystery dramat came straight out of "The Whistler" radio files, and would have been better left untouched, not so much because of poor adaptation as bad choice of vehicle. One-acter conceivably could become credible on the air, but it loses punch in a visual medium. Telling the story of a husband who strangles his wife in a fit of temper when she threatens him with Reno, dramat then has him pack her up in a trunk for shipment to the Poconos. Story ends with an O. Henry-Kellinger twist. No one could believe that a policeman would observe a man's hysterical gyrations without suspecting that something was amiss.
Easily the top performer during her brief tenure before the cameras was Anne Burr, ex of "Hasty Heart," "Native Son" and others. Her facial expressions and bits of business were effective and smooth. Robert Bolger was more mercurial, good at times and only fair at others, but holding to a good level. Bad lines hampered. Others in the cast, especially Maxin Stewart as the telephone operator, were good.
Steve Marvin's production of the show had pace enough, but once again bad vehicle was in evidence. Dramatic touches and close-ups in the camera work, with Bolger staring straight at the aud, were striking. Set, smacking of Jim McNughton's hand, was best bit of production mounting seen in recent weeks. Tomm. (Variety, Jan. 22)
Friday, January 17
8:00 “Campus Hoopla” with Clair Bee, coach of the Long Island U. basketball team, sponsored by U.S. Rubber Co.
8:15 “Let’s Rhumba”
8:30 “I Love to Eat” with James Beard, sponsored by Borden’s.
8:45 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports, Boxing at Madison Square Garden: Billy Graham vs. Ruby Kessler, welterweight, ten rounds.
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 Feature film.
9:00 Wrestling from Jamaica Arena.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 “Tele-Chats.”
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 Telequizzicalls, sponsored by Commonwealth Edison.
8:30 “Stump the Authors.”
9:00 Boxing from Rainbo Arena. Gene Burton vs, Danny Robinson, welterweight, ten rounds, five other bouts.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Ice Hockey, Wolves vs. Tacoma, Pan Pacific Arena.
Saturday, January 18 WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
7:45 CBS Television News.
8:00 “Saturday Review:” Fred Astaire’s dancers.
8:30 Motor Boat Show, Grand Central Palace
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 Indoor Polo Match, Newark, N.J.
8:30 Feature film.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
8:30 Midget Auto Races from the International Ampitheatre.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood8:00 Test Pattern and Recorded Music.
8:30 Ice Hockey, Monarchs vs. Tacoma Rockets.
Fred Astaire "Swing Trot," a slow jive step originated by the dancing star, was unveiled to the public for the first time on the "Saturday Night Revue" show over WCBS-TV (CBS, N. Y.) last Saturday (18). Demonstration was conducted by dancing instructors from the new Astaire dance school, headed up by Ed and Isabel Sims. Astaire himself did not appear on the show.
Following the pattern set by director Paul Belanger in the "Revue" series, last Saturday's show was highly entertaining. Parading across a ski lodge set, excellently designed by Jim McNaughton, a group of professional models showed off the latest winter resort fashions and then joined the Astaire dancers for the terping presentation. About the only thing missing was some kind of descriptive commentary on the dance. Narrator Mary Alan Hokanson described the clothes in okay fashion but came the dance, and there was only the music to be heard, with no outline to tell viewers what was going on. (Variety, Jan. 22)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18.—Sign of commercial television's growth is seen this week in Federal Communications Commission's latest pair of CP's for commercial TV's this week—one to Allen B. DuMont Laboratories, Inc., for a station in Pittsburgh and the other to Maison Blanche Company, for a station in New Orleans.
Grant to DuMont has special significance since, as FCC pointed out, it was fifth made to DuMont-Paramount interests, since that is the maximum number allowed in TV. Five other applications involving same interests were placed in the pending file. These were applications by: Allen B. DuMont Labs, Inc., Cincinnati; DuMont Labs, Cleveland; Interstate Circuit, Inc., Dallas; New England Theater, Inc., Boston, and United Detroit Theaters Corporation, Detroit.
Maison Blanche's CP is for a commercial station on Channel Four frequency 60-66 m.c.
Meanwhile, FCC accepted for filing an application by Columbia Broadcasting System for a license to operate an experimental TV station on 880 -990 m.c. in New York. Commish also accepted for filing the applications of National Broadcasting Company for renewal of experimental TV licenses in New York City area (W2XBT and W2XBU). (Billboard, Jan. 25)
‘EXPERT’ TAKES TELEVISION SET OUT FOR REPAIRS
A. T. Walther, who operates a restaurant and bar at Harlem av. and Harrison st. Forest Park, installed a $375 television set recently to help attract business.
The television set wasn’t working so well this week. So Walther was delighted when a frequent patron of the place said Thursday he was an engineer employed by the manufacturer of the television set; that he’d see if he couldn’t repair it. He looked the set over, left, then returned later to inform Walther he’d have to take the set to the company laboratories.
Walther was pleased, thanked the man, thon helped him load the set into his car and watched him drive away.
Yesterday Walther became suspicious and called the television company. The company reported it had no such employe. Walther called Forest Park police.
From the television company he got some meager consolation: If the set wouldn’t work for him it wouldn’t work for the thief; only an expert could put it in working order, and if the thief called one the set would be recognized as stolen. (Chi Trib, Jan. 18)
Sunday, January 19
7:15 Film Feature: “Mr. Boggs Steps Out” with Stuart Erwin and Milburn Stone (Grand National, 1938).
8:25 News Briefs
8:30 “Party Line” with John Reed King, sponsored by Bristol-Myers.
9:00 Hockey from Madison Square Garden. Rangers vs. Chicago, sponsored by Ford.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 “Face to Face,” with cartoonist Bob Dunn, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea.
8:20 “Tele-Varieties,” sponsored by Minit Rub/Trushay.
8:30 Film short. 8:30 “Television Theatre: Thinking Aloud” by Emlyn Williams (world premiere) with Carol Goodner and Bramwell Fletcher.
9:15 International News.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
7:30 Test Pattern and Recorded Music.
8:00 Telefunnies.
8:10 “Shopping at Home.”
8:20 “Hits and Bits,” variety with host Dick Lane.
8:50 News Highlights.
9:00 Basketball at Pan Pacific Arena, Hollywood vs. San Diego Dons.
THINKING ALOUD
With Bramwell Fletcher, Carol Goodlier, Vaughn Taylor, Michael Blair, Charles Deane, Don Ballantine, John Graham, others
Writer: Emlyn Williams
Producer: Fred Coe
Sets: Bob Wade
30 Mins.; Sun. (19), 8:40 p.m.
Sustaining
WNBT-NBC, N. Y.
Initial presentation to the public by WNBT of Emlyn Williams' latest play was probably the most intricate and ambitious television show yet staged. Excellent way the program came off, with its involved cuts from live action to film and from dubbed recordings to straight speech, was due almost entirely to the fine work of producer Fred Coe, who certainly rates a video "Oscar" for this one.
Fact remains, however, that the play hardly offered good tele fare, with the action confined to glances between two people facing each other across the narrow confines of an English railroad coach. Williams, who scripted "Night Must Fall" and several other major plays, reportedly wrote "Thinking Aloud" for radio, which would explain its unsuitability or television. Story was good and, with proper expansion, might make for an interesting motion picture. Tele, however, requires more visual action than was included in "Aloud."
Theme concerned a British film actress who'd just killed her husband and a war vet who'd long been secretly in love with her. Couple take the same coach to London by coincidence and the suspense builds gradually as the actress believes the vet is a detective and he attempts to shake off a war neurosis by telling her how he feels. Dialog, for the most part, consisted of what went on in the minds of the duo, somewhat as in Eugene O'Neill's "Strange Interlude." Voices were pre-recorded for the purpose.
With the action thus relegated to introspective speaking, stars Bramwell Fletcher, as the vet, and Carol Goodlier, as the actress, carried off the difficult thesping assignment excellently, mirroring only via facial expressions their different thoughts. Credit for their work and the top-drawer acting of the rest of the cast rates accolades for both Coe's direction and the casting ability of NBC's Owen Davis, Jr.
Coe made full use of film clips for the show, cutting precisely from film of a train to the live action inside the coach, with the sound track of the train rumbling raised and lowered accordingly. Camera work was fine and, through use of a new lighting technique, Coe at times achieved a three-dimensional effect in close-up shots of the actors. Bob Wade's two sets were equally good.Tomm. (Variety, Jan. 22)
Monday, January 20
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 Feature Film” “West of Texas” with Dan O’Brien and Jim Newell (PRC, 1943).
9:00 Esso Reporter, newsreel narrated by Paul Alley.
9:10 “Voice of Firestone Televues.”
9:20 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports: Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena. Red Priest vs. Cowboy Ruben Shenk, middleweight, ten rounds.
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 “The Magic Carpet” by Bud Gamble, sponsored by Alexander Smith Carpets.
8:15 Film shorts.
8:30 N.Y.U. Program: Atomic Power.
9:00-11:00 Amateur Boxing at Jamaica Arena.
WBKB Channel 4, Chicago
7:30 Minor Opinions.
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 Variety Show Case.
8:15 Short subjects.
8:30 News.
8:45 Variety Club Ball.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles
6:30 Test Pattern.
8:30 Original Variety Musicale, Films.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Pinocchio on Ice from the Pan Pacific Auditorium.
As part of its program for utilizing television as an educational medium, New York University will present a half hour program on atomic energy tonight at 8:30 o’clock from Station WABD. Laboratory demonstrations and motion pictures will be used to explain atomic energy in terms under standable to a layman. Chancellor Harry Woodburn Chase will open the program. (Herald Tribune, Jan. 20)
Tuesday, January 21WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
8:00 Basketball at Madison Square Garden: N.Y.U. vs Colgate, St. John’s vs. West Kentucky, sponsored by Ford.
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-3:00 Continuous INS news, music, test pattern.
8:00 “Serving Through Science,” sponsored by U.S. Rubber.
8:30 to 9:00 Film shorts.
WBKB Channel 4, Chicago
7:30 Associated American Artists.
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 “Tommy Bartlett Time,” variety show.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Los Angeles
8:00 Test Pattern, records.
8:30 Your Town: “The Oil Industry.”
8:45 News Highlights.
9:00 Boxing Bouts at Olympic Stadium, Lulu Costantino vs. Enquire Bolonos.
Wednesday, January 22
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 Talk: Wedgwood China.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 WABD Players present “The Crime Fits the Punishment.”
9:30 Boxing at Jamaica Arena. Tony LaBua vs. Danny Randi, lightweight, six rounds.
WBKB Channel 2, Chicago
8:30 Hockey: Blackhawks vs. Rangers.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood 8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:15 “A New Public Servant.”
8:30 West Coast Premiere of Commercial Television.
Hollywood.—Television got a setback on Jan. 22 when it went commercial here for the first time over Television Productions, Inc.'s (Paramount) KTLA. And in addition to being an extremely poor telecast in every sense for the 500-odd receivers hereabout, it fell flat on its face before a picked house of trade and press representatives, the majority of whom thought they were back in their high school auditorium.
Tupman Motors, local Lincoln-Mercury outlet, sponsored the debacle, anteing some $4,000 for the privilege of being the local pioneer—and, in this instance, a virtual martyr. But Tupman was not alone in being hurt; it hurt everyone and everything. Television in general got a slap. Paramount suffered, J. Walter Thompson agency, which produced it, lost prestige, and all concerned with its handling lost face. If nothing else the show served as a severe object lesson to all who ignore television, or who hope to jump on the bandwagon when it's rolling. There is a crying heed right now for production and direction brains and know-how. Too long has video nestled in the laps of conscientious engineers here, and this was the death rattle of such a situation. It was also the S.O.S. for showmen; for it came off badly in comparison with its show business brethren due to uninspired production, technical failures, very lightweight writing, flimsier direction and low grade camera work. From take to transmission it was amateurish, if not an unintentional travesty, due to oversight, omission, accident and ignorance of shows and showmanship.
The opening of the 45-minute clambake was given over to dreary inaugural talks by civic leaders, et al. Cecil B. De Mille came off best with a lively address and manner of delivery, thanks to his own show-astuteness. The show proper which followed developed into a very poorly timed, confused and generally scared type of variety show that was a deplorable waste of name talent. Employed were such primitive measures as a patterned drape on a pulley, meaningless and cheap backdrops, against which and through which performers fumblingly worked, with Keith Hetherington announcing, and Bob Hope, m.c.'ing; in a slipshod manner, though toting a script. Nothing Right
Unprofessional runoff of talent, cold entrances, stage waits, etc., put a positive chill on what was already intrinsically drab. Mel Shavelson's writing, except for a few mild laugh lines, was sad. The efforts of director Klaus Landesberg, local head of Teleprod, were equally lacking, as was overall production job of Leon Benson, of Thompson agency, which permitted two singing acts in succession. Lineup included in the order of appearance: Hope, Rhythmaires, mixed quintet; De Castro Sisters, girl trio; William Demarest and Eddie Bracken, in a pantomime [sic] checker game bit of an exasperated player and a kibitzer; Bill Bendix, burlesquing a commercial announcement; Bracken again in another pantomime; a frustrated baseball pitcher; and Jerry Colonna, comic vocalizing, with Hope interspersed, uncertain and generally wasted.
Particularly poor was the handling of commercials. Tele lost round one on the Coast at showing a new way to handle the necessary plug. (Variety, Jan. 29)
TO KICK off its commercial operations, Paramount corralled some of its top pic names plus additional acts into an hour-long variety seg (22). Talent-heavy but not too entertaining, home viewers who have followed this outlet's product during the experimental years and found it more satisfying in the past must have sensed over-anxiety on the part of KTLA to capitalize on the fact that it's the first station in the area to get FCC's commercial blessing.
It all appeared like a last-minute scramble thrown together in a thoughtless fashion. Time lagged between acts, and muffed cues and lines made this a below-par offering. Surely, the outlet knows better than to scan Bob Hope reading his gags from a script, nor can it be satisfied with Jerry Colonna's dubbed in antics to his Capitol disking of Caroline.
Eddie Bracken's panto routine of a baseball game could have clicked, but it lost some of its edge when performed before a backdrop showing a lawn drinking fountain scene. Use of two singing groups (De Castro Sisters and the Rhythmaires) seemed unwise. Both groups did far better in keeping actions in synch with their waxed voices than Colonna. William Demarest's burlesque of a radio commercial as compared to a tele plug fell flat. There was nothing exceptional about KTLA's sales pitch on Tupman's Lincoln autos. Slide showing a car was flashed on as Keith Heatherington went into usual spiel If anything this prompted looking away from the receiver. Screen names participating in the show seemed unconcerned about their success or failure on tele. Film thesps knocking down top dough seemed to toy with their video bow as legit toppers of another era played with cinema. In watching Bob Hope fluff his way thru, one could tell he was running things the way he saw fit and that no tele director could tell him what to do. This general attitude among the participants was probably more to blame for the show's shortcomings than lack of foresight on the part of tele director Klaus Landsberg and J. Walter Thompson's Leon Benso. Lee Zhito. (Billboard, Feb. 1)
Thursday, January 23
WCBW Channel 2, New York
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Larry Lesueur, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 Come Into the Kitchen.
8:45 Drama: “Case of the Twice-Murdered Man”.
9:00 Feature film.
WNBT Channel 4, New York7:50 Television Newsreel.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety with Eddie Mayehoff, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea/Chase and Sanborn Coffee.
9:00 Ski News and Film short.
9:15 “You Are An Artist,” with John Gnagy.
9:30 International Newsreel.
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 Wanamaker Show.
8:30 Film shorts.
9:00 “Cash and Carry,” game show with Dennis James.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
1:00 Varied subjects.
7:30 “Over Shoemaker’s Shoulder,” drawing show.
7:45 “You Want to Sing.” 8:00 Chicago Press Photographers Show.
8:30 BAA Basketball from Chicago Stadium, Chicago Stags vs. Providence Steamrollers.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Basketball (ABL), Hollywood 20th Century Fox vs. Los Angeles Shamrocks.
Come Into the Kitchen
Reviewed Thursday (23), 8:30-8:45p.m. Style—Cooking instruction. Sustaining on WCBS-TV, New York.
This one-time-only presentation, geared as a showcase for ad execs, should bring results. It was nicely handled thruout, with good camera work, a smooth showing by Heloise Parker Broeg and good direction by Gil Fates. Telecast reveals that video can appeal in this type of fem audience show—a cooking school where, unlike radio, viewers can see as well as hear directions on how to make drool-creating dishes, such as this show's broiled lobsters.
Mrs. Broeg, an old hand at culinary instruction via WEEI, Boston, and as a newspaper home economist, handles her chores with ease. She has charm that comes thru as real, not the professionally synthetic brand so often peddled in cooking demonstrations. She makes her explanations clear and concise and the job of getting a lobster ready for broiling looked like a cinch as she took her audience thru the various stages of preparation. Camera panning frequently into close-up gave viewer a chance to see just what was being done and how the dish looked when finished.
Kitchen has commercial possibilities. Frank Gill (Billboard, Feb. 1)
So You Want To Sing
Reviewed Thursday (23), 7:45 to 8p.m. Style—Musical. Presented sustaining on WBKB, Chicago.
A surprisingly good talent bet for future television airings was uncovered on this program. Altho many video programers have been keeping away from opera and concert stars, Morton Bowe, Metropolitan Opera singer, star of this program, proved he had the right stuff for the medium. Bowe proved he had not only singing and acting ability, but also writing know-how.
Bowe wrote and appeared in a short feature in which he gave a stooge, Don Walker, pointers on what it takes to be a good singer. Program was short, but in it were comedy, good acting, top singing and all around good entertainment.
Bowe opened the program singing a concert aria. Musical accompaniment was provided by a recording. Bowe wove in the use of a disk by writing himself into a living room scene in which he was rehearsing next to a phonograph. Walker, cast as a weakling with ambitions to be a singer, then entered the scene and Bowe proceeded to give him pointers on how to develop lung power, giving him an opportunity to do more singing and comedy.
At times Bowe over played his role by using unnecessary gestures, but most of the time he played it straight and naturally. Cy Wagner.. (Billboard, Feb. 1)
Our up-to-the-minute log of TV Shows 6 licensees, 51 CP holders (2 already operating commercially under STA), 16 pending applications. It includes the CP regranted Milwaukee Journal Thursday [23], covering Channel No. 3 (60-66 mc), 16.1 visual power, 17 kw aural, 319 ft antenna. It also deletes Zenith's CP for Chicago [WTZR, Channel 2], which expired Jan. 9 and which FCC, not having heard from Zenith and recalling its official attitude toward low-band TV (Vol. 2, No. 50), automatically dropped without even making fact public. (Television Digest, Jan. 25)
Friday, January 24
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 “Campus Hoopla” with Clair Bee, coach of the Long Island U. basketball team, sponsored by U.S. Rubber Co.
8:20 Ski News and films.
8:30 “I Love to Eat” with James Beard, sponsored by Borden’s.
8:45 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports: Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena. Herbie Kronowitz vs. Billy Walker, middleweight, ten rounds.
WABD Channel 5, New York
1:00-4:00 INS news wire, music, test pattern.
8:00 Feature film.
9:00 Wrestling from Jamaica Arena.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
7:30 “Tele-Chats.”
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 “Telequizzicalls,” sponsored by Commonwealth Edison.
8:30 “Stump the Authors.”
9:00 Boxing from Rainbo Arena. Tommy Campbell vs. Tommy Lewis, Nate Bolden vs. Willie Moore.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Hockey (PCHL) at Pan Pacific Arena, Hollywood Wolves vs. Portland Eagles.
Saturday, January 25 WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
7:45 CBS Television News, Dr. Dean Clark of N.Y.C. Health Insurance Plan, guest.
8:00 Variety Showcase.
8:30 Basketball, 69th Regiment Armory, Knickerbockers vs. Boston.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 Indoor Polo Match from Essex Troop Armory, Newark, N.J.
8:30 Feature film.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
8:30 Midget Auto Races from the International Ampitheatre.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Hockey (PCHL) at Pan Pacific Arena, Los Angeles Monarchs vs. Portland Eagles.
WCBS-TV Channel 2, New York
7:15 Film Feature: “Hittin’ the Trail” with Tex Ritter (Grand National, 1937). 8:15 “Draw Me Another” with Lawrence Larriar.
8:30 “Party Line” with Gil Fates filling in for John Reed King, sponsored by Bristol-Myers.
9:00 Bowling at Capitol Health Centre.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 “Face to Face,” with cartoonist Bob Dunn, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea (last show of series).
8:20 “Tele-Varieties” with guest Ed Gardner, sponsored by Minit Rub/Trushay.
8:30 Film short.
8:30 “Television Theatre: A Marriage Proposal,” one-act play by Anton Chekhov.
9:15 Film short.
9:20 “Jeweled Miniatures.”
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago8:30 Hockey: Blackhawks vs. Toronto.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Hollywood
7:30 Test Pattern and Recorded Music.
8:00 Telefunnies.
8:10 “Shopping at Home.”
8:20 “Hits and Bits,” variety with host Dick Lane.
8:50 News Highlights.
9:00 Basketball at Pan Pacific Arena, Los Angeles Shamrocks vs. U. of San Francisco Dons.
Books on Trial
Reviewed Sunday (26), 8-8:20 p.m. Style—Quiz type-public service. Sustaining on WNBT (NBC), New York.
NBC's deal with New York radio Station WHN to televise this show turned out to be one of the brighter programing ideas of the video season. While a book of less general interest, authored by a personage about whom less controversy centers than As He Saw It by Elliott Roosevelt, might not prove quite as interesting as did this program, there is no doubt that this type of show, broadly speaking, marks one of television's outstanding public service opportunities.
Even with no special effort made to dress up the program for video (it was televised right from the WHN Barbizon-Plaza studio simultaneously with the radio broadcast), Trial came thru the tele tube first rate fare. Un- fortunately for pro-British, anti-Russian viewers, the show (including the studio audience) seemed stacked in favor of Elliott and against Norman Cousins, who found himself battling against pretty severe odds. For example, when the Saturday Review of Literature editor, acting as "prosecuting attorney" pointed out that one of the faults he found with the book was that there was not a single word in it against Russia or any Russian policies or maneuvers, and illustrated his point by saying that there was no criticism of the Russian stand during Russia's alliance with Germany or the Reds battle against the Finns, Roosevelt gave him what seemed a rather inadequate answer, but still drew a big studio hand. Elliott said that all thru the book he was merely quoting his father, and that FDR had never once mentioned to him anything concerning Russia's early-war deal with Hitler, nor the Russian-Finn phase of the war. Since Elliott insisted in the book and on the show that his distinguished pop had at one time or another commented on almost every other phase of international relations from before the beginning of the war clear thru the end, this seemed a little hard to take.
Even the "judge," The New York Post's Sterling North, gave the impression of being on Elliott's side. Toward the program's end when Cousins asked Roosevelt a rather long and involved question, North commented: "Mr. Roosevelt, you have just three quarters of a minute to answer one of the longest questions I have ever heard." That may have been, but Cousins could hardly have been expected to be watching the clock, and it hardly seemed North's place to criticize the interrogator in such a manner. Between the strictly pro-Elliott audience, Leland Stowe's skillful and literate handling of Roosevelt's case as "defense attorney," and the decidedly pro-Roosevelt audience, Cousins went off with his tail between his legs when it came time to ask the "jury's" verdict. Instead of asking for a decision against the tome, he asked that judgement be postponed until one year from today, when events might indicate the true worth of the Elliott opus more clearly. North over -ruled his request and the jury voted eleven to one for the book.
Despite this "loaded" atmosphere, and of far greater importance to tele program planners, is the fact that the show proved of top video interest particularly from the public service standpoint. If tele's program producers can turn out ideas like this and get "performers" of the quality of North (generally speaking, very astute and judicial in bearing and approach), Stowe (very literate and with real sincerity and assurance in his manner) and Cousins (personable and unshakeable in a losing fight), not to mention Elliott himself, who in many physical, and we repeat physical, characteristics reminded viewers of FDR himself ... if pro- ducers can do this kind of show with this type of cast, they've got one of their pubsery answers right in the bag. Joe Csida (Billboard, Feb. 8)
Televarieties
Reviewed Sunday (26), 8:20-8:30 p.m. Style—Variety. Sponsored by Bristol-Myers for Minit Rub. WNBT (NBC), New York.
Ed Gardner's appearance on this show which has been running on WNBT for the same sponsor for some time showed the same lack of interest and effort on the part of the "manager of Duffy's Tavern" as has been shown by other name performers doing video appearances in the past. Gardner, working in front of a decidedly mediocre "tavern" backdrop and with nothing more in the way of an assist than having a stooge customer come in and order a coke, went thru his by-now standard two-headed pitcher routine. Viewers couldn't possibly have gotten anything more out of seeing Gardner do the gag via tele than they'd gotten in the past having him do it unseen over the air. Perhaps name performers can't very well be blamed for going to no extra pains whatsoever for a tv showing for which they are getting little if anything in the way of remuneration, and on which they figure they are playing to no mora than a couple of thousand people at the out- side. But the lamentable fact remains that this type of performance, and production effort behind performance, is doing video no good whatsoever. The viewer can only be left with the impression that tv makes little difference with attractions of this type; that they could get the same amount of entertainment, and usually more, by simply tuning in to the attraction's regular radio show.
It would seem, however, that some performers would have enough of a sense of responsibility toward the industry of which they are a part, to go to a small measure of extra trouble to add a mite to their routines which might make such routines more interesting as video fare than as straight radio. Gardner certainly didn't do it, nor did Bob Hope and a number of other names the week previous on the West Coast KTLA (Paramount) commercial video station opening.
Rest of the show consisted of the Four Vagabonds, who are among radio's and certainly video's top singing quartet. Only fault here was that the four boys were dressed in suits which failed to contrast properly with curtain behind them, resulting in very flat, uninteresting pictorial values. Joan Barry held down middle spot in the bill with a gracefully executed toe-ballet number in which she made difficult spins and flips seem easy as walking across the street with the light. Bristol-Myers continues its experiment with inexpensive single-line cartoon drawings (plus still-shot photos of the product) combined with a running script that was slightly on the corny side, resorting to numerous hard-to-take puns to get across the Minit-Rub message. Joe Csida. (Billboard, Feb. 8)
Grace Moore Tribute
Reviewed Sunday (26), 9:20-9:23. Style—Spot news. Sustaining over WNBT (NBC), New York.
Tho this hardly falls into the category of a video program, as such, it is reviewed here because it clearly demonstrates the kind of alertness and programing thought on the part of the teleproducers which is going to contribute substantially to getting tv thru its rough, early programing days and get it thru well. Miss Moore, as all readers are aware, was killed in a plane crash near Copenhagen on this day. Warren Wade, NBC's tele program director, simply dug up a still shot of Miss Moore and flashed it thru the video tube immediately following the station's Sunday Evening Hymn. Playing softly in the background, while the opera star's photo was on the "screen," and while a WNBT announcer told of Miss Moore's death and her place in American music during her lifetime, was a Moore record. And as the announcer's voice was faded out, the Moore disk was brought up to crescendo.
Whole short seg was done in the best of taste, brought the news of Miss Moore's death to such viewers as hadn't yet heard about it, and for the rest, paid the warbler a fine tele tribute. It's touches like this that make video critics feel things aren't too bad with programing. Joe Csida. (Billboard, Feb. 8)
Monday, January 27
WNBT Channel 4, New York
8:00 “Books on Trial: As He Saw It” from Hotel Barbizon Plaza with Elliott Roosevelt, Leland Stowe, Norman Cousins.
9:00 Esso Reporter, newsreel narrated by Paul Alley.
9:10 “Voice of Firestone Televues.”
9:20 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports: Boxing at St. Nicholas Arena. Humberto Zavala vs. Sandy Saddler, lightweight, ten rounds.
WBKB Channel 4, Chicago
8:30 Boxing at the Coliseum, 15th St. and Wasbash Avenue: Lightweight champion Ike Williams vs. Gene Burton, ten rounds, non-title.
W6XAO Channel 2, Los Angeles6:30 Test Pattern.
8:30 Films: “Placer Gold” (Arthur Barr Prods., 1941), “Cathak Dance,” “Cactus Capers” with Ray Whitley and the Six Bar Cowboys (RKO, 1942) and “This is Worth Working For.”
Tuesday, January 28
No Television in New York today.
WBKB Channel 4, Chicago
7:30 Minor Opinions.
7:45 Variety Show Case.
8:00 Behind the Headlines.
8:15 “Tommy Bartlett Time,” variety show.
W6XYZ Channel 5, Los Angeles
8:00 Test Pattern, records.
8:30 Your Town: “Protect Your Home.”
8:45 News Highlights.
9:00 Wrestling Bouts.
Wednesday, January 29
No Television in New York today.
WBKB Channel 2, Chicago
8:30 Wrestling from the Rainbo arena.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood 8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Ice Hockey (PCHL) at the Pan Pacific Arena, Hollywood Wolves vs. Fresno Falcons.
WASHINGTON.—Main fire of black-white versus upstairs color video battle is expected to be reserved for the wind-up phase of the Federal Communications Commish hearing in Washington February 10 as television biggies vie for FCC favor with a series of demonstrations today thru Wednesday (27-29) in New York and Princeton before S.R.O. houses. More than 1,500 persons who wanted in on the New York color demonstrations are doomed to disappointment because of lack of accommodations (250 seats) in the Federal Courthouse. (Billboard, Feb 1)
Thursday, January 30
WCBW Channel 2, New York
8:15 “CBS Television News” with Larry Lesueur and guest Rear Admiral Louis De Florenz, sponsored by Gulf.
8:30 Stock Exchange Film: “Money at Work,” sponsored by Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Beane.
8:50 Suspense dramatic play: “My Will Be Done” with K.T. Stevens.
9:20 Museum of Natural History.
WNBT Channel 4, New York
7:50 Television Newsreel.
8:00 “Hour Glass,” variety with Eddie Mayehoff, sponsored by Tender Leaf Tea/Chase and Sanborn Coffee.
8:45 Ski News and Film short.
9:00 “You Are An Artist,” with John Gnagy.
9:15 Birthday Tribute to Franklin D. Roosevelt.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
7:30 “Over Shoemaker’s Shoulder,” drawing show.
7:40 Short subjects.
8:00 “Cavalcade of Medicine.”
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Basketball (ABL) at the Pan Pacific Arena, Los Angeles Shamrocks vs. St. Mary’s Gauls.
NBC television programs originated in New York may now be seen on Thursday and Friday nights over WTTG, television station operated in Washington by Du Mont Labs., Inc.
In announcing the program arrangement, effective January 30, Carleton D. Smith, general manager of WRC in Washington, and Leslie Arries, manager of WTTG, said WTTG soon may carry other NBC television programs in addition to the Thursday and Friday features. NBC’s New York television programs are being made available to Du Mont in Washington while the Du Mont key station, WABD in New York, is off the air for antenna changes. (Radio Daily, Feb. 3)
Friday, January 31
8:00 “Campus Hoopla” with Clair Bee, coach of the Long Island U. basketball team, sponsored by U.S. Rubber Co.
8:20 Ski News and films.
8:30 “I Love to Eat” with James Beard, sponsored by Borden’s.
8:45 “The World in Your Home,” sponsored by RCA.
9:00 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports: Boxing at Madison Square Garden. Pete Mead vs. Harold Green.
WBKB Channel 5, Chicago
7:30 “Tele-Chats.”
7:45 Short subjects.
8:00 “Telequizzicalls,” sponsored by Commonwealth Edison.
KTLA Channel 5, Hollywood
8:00 Test Pattern and recorded music.
8:30 Hockey (PCHL) at Pan Pacific Arena, Hollywood Wolves vs. San Francisco Shamrocks.
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