Feature
Story -The World
of Sam Donaldson- ABC
NEWS STUMP SAM
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From the co-publisher/co-founder of TVI Magazine in 1956 --
to ABC's Legendary Newsman -- Sam Donaldson knows almost
everything and anything about News reporting. Sam is
pictured with Michael Powell, former FCC chairman at recent
NAB show in Las Vegas. "When Sam A. Donaldson became part of
ABC's roving television correspondents, no one was sure what
to expect.
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His immense impact on
his television audience was owed to the dynamism of his
personality and the upheavals at home and abroad that marked
his ability to report the news as it happened. His macho,
patrician features, leonine bearing and strong, resonant
voice all reflected his invincible self-assurance when he
would demand -- Hold on Mr. President".
03.
Special Feature
/ "1939" By - Sam
Donaldson, A reprint from TELEFILM Magazine, (Television
International Magazine), dated April 1956, cover on next
page.
The History of a
Great
Industry is Always Interesting.
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Not only is it extremely revealing from a purely factual
standpoint, it is usually a graphic tribute to a handful of
men who had the gift of foresight and believed in the
impossible. But, history tends to become confused with time,
events are all too quickly clouded if they are not recorded
as they happen. TELEvisionFILM Magazine, (Television
International Magazine) -- decided to trace video film back
to its very beginnings. We wanted to uncover the material
facts surrounding the first film series especially produced
for television.
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The task was not as simple as it might have been. Although
TV film is thought of as being something comparatively
recent the visionaries who pioneered the industry were hard
at work long years ago. Any history of the first film series
must also be divided into several categories. There was a
first series, a first sponsored series, a first children's
series, etc. In this brief account, then, we do not attempt
to include all of the many names and dates involved in tv
films family tree. We do sketch an accurate picture of the
progress from the cradle to the point where film put on its
first pair of long pants.
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The year was 1939. W6XAO, one of the nation's first
experimental stations, had recently gone on the air in Los
Angeles with transmitting facilities atop Mt. Lee. There
were only a few receiving sets, with postage stamp size
screens, in its limited coverage area. Live television was
getting its start, and at the same time television film was
beginning also.
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Patrick Michael Cunning, a young movie producer, had just
made a feature film entitled Stars For Tomorrow with a cast
and crew of 300 unknowns. After the premiere at the
Hollywood Pantages Theatre, Ray Coffin, then program
director of W6XAO, congratulated Cunning on his work with
these newcomers and advised him to take his troupe into
television.
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Pat Cunning showed a greater
tendency toward the psychic than the practical when he
heeded Coffin's suggestion. Working together the two
organizations began to experiment with live television. late
fall of 1939, Cunning began shooting the first series ever,
for television, Tom Sawyer.
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The production staff and actors
applied themselves to Samuel Clemens' popular classic. They
made up with enthusiasm what they lacked in experience. The
episodes were first presented live, as Cunning recalls it
"in order to work out the kinks", and then were re-done and
shot on film.
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Employing editing techniques
that this group of pioneers devised, the shows were edited
into ten, fifteen, and twenty minute time segments. In those
days no one could decide just how long television shows
would be. Those working with Cunning suspected that TV might
depart from radio's format and present three programs per
hour in twenty minute segments. They reasoned that in this
way the hourly cost of television could be brought down to a
more realistic level.
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The first group of Sawyer films numbered eighty-eight and
was completed in 1943. Shooting on the series has continued
until the present. In 1940, Cunning moved to 6530 Sunset
Blvd., present address of Five Star Productions, the
Hollywood Gourmet restaurant, and radio station KBIG.
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He established his own
television production unit there which he called "stage
eight" in memory of the stage on which he produced his first
successful motion picture in the late thirties. In 1946,
Edgar Bergen joined Cunning to form the Edgar Bergen
Television Center; the two were associated at the Sunset
address for several years.
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As new stations went on the air the Tom Sawyer films were
shipped to them and released. The episodes were all shot on
16mm film and Cunning recalls that they were the first films
ever to be made using the single system
camera.
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During the war years many industry notables worked at "stage
eight", including Marcia Drake, chief writer of the series,
Glen Glenn, the sound specialist, Bob Clampett,
cartoonist,and Coleen Townsend, former movie star.
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In 1945, Hollywood was rudely shaken by the small earthquake
that was television. More and more people were becoming
aware of the new medium. The vast majority were still
frankly skeptical of its future. There was almost complete
agreement on one point; should television become in reality
as big as its proponents, expected, it would at least be
live, not film. One of today's top network executives is
remembered to have made the statement that film would never
constitute any large segment of tv's time and most certainly
would be run only once if at all.
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A few producers followed Pat Cunning's example, however.
Their effort was marked by cautious probings and usually
consisted of the making of a pilot film which didn't sell
and became shelved as a result. But, in July of 1947, Jerry
Fairbanks Productions shot a pilot which resulted in an NBC
contract for the series.
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The show was to be a "whodunit"
affair entitled Public Prosecutor. Top NBC officials at that
time were assuming the twenty-minute time segment. As a
result the series (26 films in all) was shot in this length.
The budget was low, around $8,000 per show, and the
production schedule was tight.
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At one time the Fairbanks' crew
was turning out a show a day on the Hollywood lot. Once
again W6XAO became a sort of testing ground. Late at night
the early episodes of Public Prosecutor, starring John
Howard, were aired, mainly to detect and correct technical
flaws in the film. Prosecutor, which had gone into
production in January, 1948, hit a snag about the time it
was ready to go on the net in September, however. The NBC
vice president who had suggested the twenty-minute time
length was replaced.
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Some of the shows went on the air employing a ten minute
live "filler" talk by local law enforcement officials, but
by the time the balance was re-edited to the new
thirty-minute length another company had beaten Fairbanks to
the punch, and with a national sponsor at that!
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This newcomer to the series' race was entitled Your Show
Time. In July, 1948, Realm Productions was organized to
produce film for television. The principals of this group
were Stanley Rubin, now producer for RKO (latest picture,
The Girl Most Likely), Norman Elzer, the business manager of
the group, Lew Lance, and Sobey Martin. Realm produced a
pilot of the series in July and Gil Ralston sold it to
American Tobacco for Lucky Strike.
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The cigarette company agreed to
pay $8,500 per program and contracted for a total of
twenty-six shows. Realm joined forces with Marshal Grant,
now producer of Mayor of the Town, and Grant-Realm
Productions began shooting the series on the Hal Roach lot
in Culver City in December, 1948.
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The material selected was all
in public domain following the line established by their
pilot film treatment of Guy de Maupassant's Diamond
Necklace. Judy Abel, now executive producer of the Lassie
series for Maxwell Productions, handled the job of
production supervisor. Others in the unit included Bill
Bradford, camera man; Lew Asher, in charge of props; Raoul
Krashour, music; and the head gaffer was Babe Stafford.
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The main question in production was one of time, for
Grant-Realm was operating on a bare minimum as far as budget
went. Grant-Realm had originally set out making a tour of
the banks, the first contract for television film tucked
smugly in its briefcase. But the banks turned the deal down
cold, for in those days no one had heard of residual
rights.
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Since production costs looked to be about $12,000 per
program no bank would go out on a limb. Another interesting
sidelight of production was that no one worked on Saturday.
According to Rudy Abel this was the first five-day work week
shooting in existence.
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On January 28, 1949, The Diamond Necklace went on the air at
9:00 p.m., on KNBH (now KRCA). This was unquestionably the
first film series made especially for tv to boast a sponsor.
At the end of the twenty six program period American Tobacco
offered to renew for an additional twenty-six, but the
company turned it down . . . a decision which today prompts
rueful grins when recalled by any of the principals.
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Not only was Your Show Time the
first sponsored tv film series, we might venture to say that
it was the first really good tv film series, based on
present day standards. The shows are still in syndication
under the name of Story Theatre and reveal a remarkable
fineness of quality considering the hectic conditions
surrounding their birth. As a matter of fact, The Diamond
Necklace won the first "Emmy" award for the best television
film.
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With a major network (NBC) going out on a limb for Fairbanks
and a national sponsor (American Tobacco) betting on
Grant-Realm, the gate had opened and the herd thundered out.
Gordon Levoy reports that he contracted with six independent
producers, among them Frank Wisbar and George Moskov, to
film a series for Procter & Gamble entitled Fireside
Theatre.
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This was in January of 1949,
and Levoy produced fifty-two quarter-hour Firesides
altogether. The films were run two at a time to make a full
half-hour show. Bing Crosby Enterprises took over the series
in '50 and P & G itself later financed it. Fireside
Theatre has been on the air continuously since 1949, and is
the oldest film series to run un-interrupted under the same
name.
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Once again Jerry Fairbanks scored with a "first". His
Paradise Island series which was begun in January, 1949, was
the first musical film series. The shooting was done in
Hollywood and the music recorded in Mexico City to
circumvent the Petrillo ban.
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A children's series on film, The Magic Lady, starring
Geraldine Larson and her mischievous little helper named
Boko, was completed and went on the air in September of
1949. The Magic Lady was in fifteen-minute time segments and
was produced at Telemount by Henry Donovan.
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To record more names and dates here would be over-stepping
our goal, it suffice to say that: Tom Sawyer by Patrick
Michael Cunning was the first series ever shot on film for
tv, Public Prosecutor by Jerry Fairbanks was the first
series ever signed by a major network; and Your Show Time
was the first series on the air under the auspices of a
national sponsor. Tv film today is in the healthy position
of having more future ahead of it than past behind
it.
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End of Article "1939"
4.
Bylines
-The World of Sam
Donaldson-
Biography: Sam
Donaldson ABC News Correspondent
Sam Donaldson Date of birth: March 11, 1934
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Samuel Andrew Donaldson,
Jr. was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up just across the
state line in Chamberino, New Mexico. His father died before
he was born, leaving his mother and one older brother to run
the family's cotton and dairy farm. His mother drove 25
miles every morning and night to take him to school in El
Paso. Click
For Sam Donaldson Bio
