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Show Who'd Turn Off Lingerie Ads? Billv Rose Predicts Future of Radio, Movies, Sports, Stage, Performers Under Television What will happen to radio, movies, sports, the stage and performers themselves when television grabs the country by the eyes? Billy Rose, who offers of-fers five minutes of comment and narrative Mon. through Friday Fri-day at 8:55 p.m. over Mutual, has consulted with his logic,- and has come up with some very plausible deductions. "I'm not underestimating television's tel-evision's potential popularity," Rose says. "It probably will change our merchandising, electioneering elec-tioneering and propaganda techniques, tech-niques, but I don't think it's go- ing to change human nature." Here are what Rose terms "a few off-the-cuff guesses": Still Be in Business "RADIO: A lot of daytime radio, as we know it now, will still be in business. In millions of homes, the radio plays all day long. People only half listen. list-en. The programs are .absorbed by osmosis they sleep in. Television Tele-vision costs several times as much as straight radio. I doubt whether many sponsors will spend that kind of money for day time showings. They know from 9 to 5, Mr. and Mrs. America Amer-ica have their noses too close to the grindstone to look up at pretty pictures. "But in the evening, when peak audiences are available, the rubber bands will come off the bankrolls. Visual advertising will move certain types of merchandise mer-chandise like nothing the world has ever seen. Something new in shoes may sweep the country in a week. I tremble to think how much eyewash, mouthwash and hogwash the hucksters will sell. The cigarette boys will do everything but blow smoke up your nostrils. And who's going to turn off a lingerie ad with live models? The lads who dream up the sales' spiels will reach new heights and descend to new lows. As for instance, singing and dancing commercials. Watch for Nw Stars "PERFORMERS: r thenk most of the Hooper -happy stars will still be with us. The Jack, Ben-neyff Ben-neyff Fre'd Aliens, Bins' Crosbys,. Cros-bys,. Walter1 Winchells, Fannie' Brices can only be better when their faces get into the act. And some- of Broadway's old' faces may become Marn Street's new faces.. Watch out for Bobby Clark! Ditto Bert Lahr, Ethel Merman, Gertrude Lawrence, Willie Howard, Maurice Chevalier. Cheval-ier. I wouldn't be surprised if television" "proved; the thing chat brought back vaudeville. The microphone clutchers who don't know what to do with their eyes and hands had better get a little lit-tle training. I know several $2000-a-week radio sars who would be smart if they spent a couple of seasons in summer stock at $40' a week. Arabian Nights for ?5c "MOVIES: An hour of good' celluloid costs about a million dollars to produce. It oftens grosses two million or better. What sponsor can give that' away free every week? The clerk who" lives frt a hall bedroom bed-room will still blow in his six-bits six-bits for a couple of hours at Loew's Fabulous, where ushers call him "Sir" and the architecture architec-ture is late Arabian Nights. "SPORTS: The fellows who mastermined prizefights, football foot-ball games, hockey, baseball and the like have nothing to worry about. Anytime television cuts Into receipts they can chase the cameras off the lot. Or else make them pav for the people who ; stay home. "THE LEGIT THEATER: About what it is today;. I don't think anything is going tts knock off this 200-year-old darling. The legit will still be the Rembrandt of the entertainment business. Besides, few sponsors will be able to afford a coast-tonMast showing of a Broadway Mt. A sock show can make a million, and the' gent who owns it isn't going: to liet tlie whole cotimtry see it for any ten grand." |
