ABC CHANGES THREE TITLES

NEW YORK, Sept. 4—ABC-TV is changing the titles of three of its upcoming fall shows. . . . . It’s Jimmy Nelson comedy-quiz stanza, up to now called “Take My Word” has been re-named “Come Closer.”  The Sterling Drug Friday night mystery film series, “Action” has been re-dubbed “The Vise.”  No final decision has been reached on a new name for “Postal Inspector,” the Thursday night Prockter package.  (Billboard, Sep. 11, 1954)

AMOS ‘N’ ANDY SIGNED FOR TV COLOR COMMERCIALS

The Amos ‘n’ Andy television package, starring Alvin Childress, Spencer Williams and Tim Moore, was signed by CBS television to help showcase a new line of color TV sets.  The show will be used on alternate weeks in Columbia’s $2 million program to push color TV.  (Jet Magazine, September, 1954)

MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN MERCHANDISING PROMOTION

NEW YORK, Sept. 4—Magic tricks will make their way into the TV film merchandising field as part of the array of promotion material being lined up by ABC Film Syndication for its new “Mandrake, the Magician” series.  The firm’s merchandising-promotion chief, Lee Francis, is preparing merchandising material to offer sponsors of the series. . . . . Among the items being set are Mandrake comic books, which can be imprinted with the sponsor’s name.  King Features reportedly has offered to help sponsors of the series tie in with newspapers carrying the Mandrake strip.  Envisioned is a cross-plug tie-in whereby the sponsor and station carrying the show get a “Watch Mandrake” line over the comic strip in return for a “Read Mandrake” plug on the air.  (Billboard, Sep. 11, 1954)

Mandrake the Magician Comic Strip - September 12, 1954

NAT KING COLE TO STAR ON SUMMER COMEDY HOUR

Singer Nat (King) Cole will guest star on NBC-TV’s Colgate Summer Comedy Hour (Sun., September 5, 8 p.m. EDT).  It will be Cole’s last television appearance before he begins a 30-stop one-nighter tour.  Cole has also signed to sing the theme song in the 20th Century Fox CinemaScope movie, The Adventures of Hajai Baba.  (Jet Magazine, September, 1954)

THE WHISTLER

NEW YORK, Sept. 4—Lindsley Parsons Productions, Inc., will produce 26 half hours of “The Whistler” for CBS-TV Film Sales.  Producing the show for Parsons will be Joel Malone.  Parsons produced “Files of Jeffrey Jones” for CBS-TV Film Sales. . . . . The show has been sold to Signal Oil on an alternate week basis on the West Coast.  Lipton Tea has bought the property in some markets on alternate weeks.  (Billboard, Sep. 11, 1954)

ROY ROGERS AND DALE EVANS will present Trigger Jr. in his stage debut when the two NBC Western stars appear at the 76th Annual Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto August 27 to September 11  (Billboard, Sep. 11, 1954)

Bobby Jones vs. Jimmy Martinez in 10-round middleweight bout (Mon., September 13, 10 p.m. EDT) on Dumont TV.  (Jet Magazine, September, 1954)

Eartha Kitt on Person to Person (Fri., September 10, 10:30 p.m. EDT) on CBS-TV  (Jet Magazine, September, 1954)

Louis Armstrong’s “half-fast” remark on the Tommy Dorsey TV show caused station officials to warn him to cut out jokes and just play his horn on future appearances.  (Jet Magazine, September, 1954)

P. Jay Sidney on U.S. Steel Hour in “Notebook Warrior” (Tues., September 14, 9:30 p.m. EDT) on ABC-TV  (Jet Magazine, September, 1954)

Today’s TV Highlights
(Sep. 12, 1954)

Preston Foster and Patricia Ellis are starred in the 11 a.m. movie today over WCAN-TV, “Lady in the Morgue.”

Secretary of Labor James P. Mitchell is the “Man of the Week” on the program of the same name on WCAN-TV at 3 p.m.

“Lassie” debuts on WCAN-TV at 5 p.m.  The famous Hollywood canine will be featured in a series of dramatic stories starring Tommy Rettig as his master.

Betty Hutton stars in an original musical comedy, “Satins and Spurs,” at 5:30 tonight over WTMJ-TV, Gene Raymond is also cast.

At 6 p.m. Ed Sullivan will present “live” from Hollywood the “Darryl F. Zanuck Story,” and among the stars to salute the veteran producer will be Jack Benny, Tyrone Power, Clifton Webb, Dick Powell, Tony Martin, Shirley Temple, Dan Dailey and others.