Evening star., 1951-06-07
On the Air
heater 1V
Network
|Gets Fight
By Harry Macarthur

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did make some mention Of it the
other night. Things are going to
be different this time, however.
Next Wednesday night will see
the start of new phase of tele-
vision entertainment. On that
night. in case you missed the
news in the sports sections,
theatergoers outside the New York
Metropolitan area will watch the
Louis-Savold heavyweight go via
the first network theater tele-
vision. There will be no telecast
to be picked up by home receivers.
RKO-Keith's Theater here will
launch its newly completed theater
television system to show the Polo
Ground battle on its regular movie
screen. There probably will be a
raise in admission price for the
fight, but the details have not
been worked out to a point where
any formal announcement can be
made.
Il Il i
The announcer who called at
tention to the forthcoming Louis
Savold match a week ago ap
parently was acting on the as
sumption that this was another
IBC Wednesday event and would
be teleyised generally. 1t seems.
however, that the CHS contract is
with the sponsor, who must make
his own contracts with fight pro-
moters.
There were no financial ar
rangementS disclosed but it does
not seem likely that the TV spon-
sor could have been outbid. There
are 13 motion picture theaters'
outside of New York now equipped
for larger -than-life television on
their movie screens and it was not
known how many Of them would
take part in this closed-circuit
fight telecast. One estimate was
that the total movie house gross
for the bout couldn't be more than
$4,000. to be split between thea
ters and fight promoters after
payment Of the line charges.
This makes it appear that this
union between the fight promoters
and the theater group is inspired
more than anything else by a
combination desire to set a prece-
cent and give theater televisiou
a working test. James D. Norris,
president Of the IBC, thinks this
may show the sports world how to
obtain revenue from television, a
problem that has been botherine
lit since the TV cameras first
Ipoked their lenses into the arenas
Theater television, incidentally
is still on the agenda for consider.
alton in the near future by the
FEC. The planned Wednesda,
night television of the fight, how.
ever, will not use any televisior
broadcasting channels, but will gt
by direct coaxial cable to the
Itheaters In this case. as with
telegraph, telephone. ETC., the
IFCC's only concern is with line
charges.
No Sometime Thing: 1t may
mark the end of an era or it may
be wishful thinking to think that
but Truth or Consequences" both
on radio and TV, is winding up
the season and going off for the
summer with no plans for the fall
The requirements, according to an
Associated Press dispatch from
New York, are not summer" but
permanent" On television it will
be Racket Squad" (WTOP-TV-
Thursday, 10 pmD and on radio
lit will be "The Bickersons," a
comedy drama series (WTOP-
Tuesday, 9:30 p.mD.
Truth or Consequences" is
generally charged with having
started the craze for giveaway
shows with their mounting jack
pots and if this marks the be-
ginning of the end for that sort
|of nonsense, few will greive. The
program, if it is not revived by
"a strong injection of some spon-
sor's monetary plasma come fall
still will be marked on the globe
by the result of a feat of outstand-
ing press agentry. There still
will remain Truth or Consequen-
ces, New Mexico. named after it
which is more than lot of radio
and television programs can say
Summer Sets In: The hot wealth
er season will set in this week in
the Friday-at-9 spot on CBS-Tv
being vacated by Ford Theater'
and that pair of half-hours shows
with which it alternated. For 13
weeks the niche will be filled by
motion picture features, grouped
under the title, "Film Firsts, -
then the new drama series of
the sponsor which is giving up
Pulitzer Prize Playhouse" will
start.
The titles of the film series in
clude Jungle Patrol" Gay In
truder," Man in Black" Topper
Takes a Trip" "Hell's Devils, "
The Man Who Lost Himself, -
Room to Let" "Turnabout," "Old
Fashioned Girl" and Lets Live
Again." The Film Firsts" title,
however. just in case you were
getting any ideas. refers only to
the fact that these are being
shown on TV for the first time.
Society Note: Want you and
the rest of the world to be the
first to know the date has been
set at last. It's Friday, June 8.
Hope you'll join us on 'Kukla,
Fran and Ollie for the wedding