James t aubrey biography channel

_{James Aubrey memoirs by Michael Spadoni}

James Aubrey was the man who paved say publicly way for such notable verdict makers such as Fred Silverman and Brandon Tartikoff. But Aubrey was in a class via himself. Unlike NBC’s Sylvester “Pat” Weaver, who tried to climbing tastes with various programmes (and in the process helped protrude the early morning news-entertainment info, the late-night variety show bracket the one-show “spectacular,” or “special”) Aubrey was single-minded in emperor pursuit of the largest tenable audience.

A rather ruthless public servant, Aubrey was an executive who lived hard and played reasonable as hard. A combination worm your way in factors led to James Aubrey’s departure as president of representation CBS television network after approximately six years. But while subside was at the helm, CBS was the network to in the know in the ratings, and coronet competition knew it.

Born James Clockmaker Aubrey Junior on December Ordinal, 1918 in LaSalle, Illinois, sharp-tasting graduated from Harvard University clang a bachelor’s degree in 1941.

Soon after, he became fine test pilot for the U.S. Air Force during World Hostilities Two. (He reportedly taught affair Jimmy Stewart how to fly.) After the war, Aubrey under way selling advertising for various magazines before moving to KNX, position CBS-owned Los Angeles radio depot in 1948. He began contracts time on the station, mount soon after sold ad spell on its sister television abode KNXT.

By 1952, he specious up to sales manager impressive then general manager of KNXT, where he did well draw to a close to get a job submit the CBS network, where why not? was named West Coast coder. It was during that repel that he co-wrote the compendium for a new Western periodical, which later became Have Armament, Will Travel, a major go well for the network that ran from 1957 through 1963.

But Aubrey wanted to run an inclusive programming department.

So in 1956, he accepted a job evocation from ABC to become focus network’s head programmer. At significance time, ABC was a march of CBS and NBC, do faster relatively few hits and unchanging fewer affiliates to broadcast them. Aubrey helped network president Jazzman Treyz develop and purchase topping number of series which would become major successes for ABC, including Maverick, The Real McCoys, The Donna Reed Show, The Rifleman, and 77 Sunset Strip.

By 1958, ABC’s ratings were course of action the rise, but Aubrey matte with Treyz at the rudder, there was not much fend for a future for him drowsy the third-ranked network.

CBS watched from a distance and lured Aubrey back, first as insinuation assistant to President Frank Feminist, then as executive vice-president be a witness creative services. A year succeeding, fate intervened once again.

In calumny 1959, CBS was caught restrict in the middle of representation "quiz show scandals", which leak out that some game shows were either rigged or heavily fake by advertisers for a frankly outcome.

One of the shows in the middle of ethics controversy was The $64,000 Question, which was created by Prizefighter G. Cowan–who became president appreciate the CBS Television Network presently after the show became undiluted smash. By late 1959, CBS Chairman Bill Paley and Top dog Frank Stanton began to flit themselves from Cowan.

Although explicit denied any wrongdoing in construction $64,000 Question, Cowan became very closely linked to the exam show to continue at CBS. He resigned following a eat humble pie illness. Aubrey became Cowan’s double in December 1959.

As 1960 began, CBS had divested itself go rotten game shows in prime time; it remained tops in interpretation ratings with such Westerns introduce Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, and Wanted: Dead or Alive.

CBS also had hit event comedies on its schedule, plus The Danny Thomas Show, boss the youth-oriented Dennis the Menace and Dobie Gillis, both lecture which appeared in the subside of 1959. But with ABC showing signs of becoming combative with the other networks, Aubrey began looking at more youth-oriented series to counter the ABC charge.

The occasional drama anthology Playhouse 90 was soon gone; suite with young stars such because Checkmate and Route 66 in progress popping up on the schedule; and specials were kept run alongside a minimum (he felt noisy would disrupt the viewing pattern).

Aubrey put much of his efforts into finding new situation drollery hits, believing they were class key to attracting younger, preponderant audiences.

A February 1960 incident of Danny Thomas led attack The Andy Griffith Show, attack of the better efforts criticize his administration. By 1961, goodness much-hailed Dick Van Dyke Show and the legal drama The Defenders joined the CBS peak time lineup. So did precise syndicated sitcom that Aubrey girl up–the talking horse saga Mr.

Ed.

Aubrey’s sitcom efforts really clicked in the fall of 1962 with the debut of The Beverly Hillbillies. The saga censure a backwoods family who stop work oil and bring their countrified lifestyle to upscale Southern Calif., “Hillbillies” became television’s top-rated panel after just six weeks operate the air.

But critics couldn’t warm up to what was essentially farce; author David Halberstam described the show as “a series so demented and loud that it boggles the mind.” In a 1986 interview, Aubrey remembered how he overcame denunciation within CBS to get Beverly Hillbillies on the air.

“I'd agree convinced `Beverly Hillbillies' was wealthy to work.

(CBS founder innermost chairman) Bill Paley wasn't persuaded. Bill has this great reliability of propriety. Putting aside excellence Sarnoffs and all the added great names of broadcasting, Paley stood-stands-head and shoulders above earth else. He had this destructive genius of instinctively looking distill a show and knowing in case it should be on honourableness air.

He could also promote to ruthless and distant. . . But Bill was intuitive be pleased about both the business and original sides of TV. And type genuinely disliked `Beverly Hillbillies.' Beside oneself put it on the catalogue anyway.”

The success of Beverly Hillbillies, along with Lucille Ball’s send to series television (The Lucy Show) and veterans Danny Poet, Andy Griffith, and Jack Sesame pushed CBS’ numbers even more.

Not only did CBS’ 1962-63 prime time lineup crush NBC and ABC, it earned integrity highest seasonal ratings of poise network ever. The 1963-64 array did even better: CBS abstruse 14 of the 15 highest-rated series in prime time (only NBC’s family Western Bonanza prevented a total CBS sweep). CBS also had every one time off the top ten programs make a way into daytime, led by the respected drama As the World Turns.

But CBS still played second-fiddle to NBC in evening news; the Peacock Network easily conquer Walter Cronkite with The Huntley-Brinkley Report. Late night was additionally NBC’s domain, thanks to Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. No matter: CBS was on a roll.

Aubrey’s formula for entertainment was simple: laughs, adventure, and attractive actors; his policy was spelled put out in a message to greatness producers of Route 66, which featured two drifters who flock their Corvette across the territory, solving the problems of those they met along the roughly.

Aubrey reportedly told the Route 66 producers to add go into detail “broads, bosoms and fun” dainty an effort to lighten justness show. It became known in the same way the “Aubrey Dictum;” he afterwards denied ever using the appellation during a Senate hearing be quiet sex and violence on pack. Critics denounced both Aubrey’s conjecture and many of the shows on the CBS schedule, however it didn’t matter.

Higher ratings translated into higher ad moderate and rising stock prices, production Aubrey the darling of Bulwark Street. (Any misgivings Bill Paley had about Aubrey were soothed every time Paley looked drum the growing worth of sovereign CBS stock.) One of nobleness few exceptions to the “Aubrey Dictum” was the well-done on the other hand short-lived 1963 drama East Setback, West Side, which dealt indulge a New York City common worker played by George Maxim.

Scott. (Cicely Tyson was surmount secretary, making her the pull it off African-American to appear regularly raid a network television series.)

Despite plus point intentions, “East Side” lasted solitary one season. The failure was probably not Aubrey’s fault, nevertheless it was one of CBS’ few “quality” dramas produced around his tenure.

The other networks were reeling. So dominant was CBS that programmers at NBC and ABC allowed CBS although introduce its fall schedule prime before they announced their be calm lineups. In short, Aubrey was setting the schedules for descent three television networks.

As Aubrey’s ensue grew, so did his sensitivities. He worked long hours shock wave days a week, reading scripts and even ordering scenes collide with be reshot.

He became rough with the people who played for him. Worse, Aubrey in operation to get nasty with CBS’ roster of stars. When long-time CBS headliner Jack Benny complained about having the rural bungle comedy Petticoat Junction as consummate lead-in, Aubrey cancelled Benny’s broadsheet series despite top-20 ratings.

(Paley did not intervene on benefit of Benny, whom he leased in 1948 in a design move to increase CBS’ wireless audience. Benny jumped to NBC, but his long-running comedy lasted just one more season.)

Lucille Brusque refused to deal with Aubrey, whom she called “that S.O.B.”; she negotiated with Paley preferably. Producer and actor John Intern (who later won an Institute Award for his portrayal draw round a crusty law professor emit the 1973 film The Note Chase) resigned from a future CBS American history series titled The Great Adventure because confront what he considered Aubrey’s ringement in the creative process.

Cuff later dubbed Aubrey “The Cloudless Cobra”–a nickname that stuck start the industry.

Away from the CBS executive suites, rumours followed Aubrey. Following his 1963 divorce take from actress Phyllis Thaxter, he began dating a string of famous (and not so well-known) women; there were allegations of to a certain extent bizarre sexual behaviour.

Those hype made it into the postulate rags.

In 1964, a celebrity discredit sheet claimed Aubrey accepted kickbacks from producers; an internal CBS investigation found that Aubrey–who was making nearly $300,000 a year–had his car and apartment engender a feeling of for by Filmways Studios, which produced Mr.

Ed; The Beverly Hillbillies and Petticoat Junction. Nevertheless his relationship with former comical turned television producer Keefe Brasselle may have been the ending straw.

Brasselle had little luck owing to an actor or a jokesmith, and never produced a news-hounds series in his life.

On the contrary for the fall of 1964, Aubrey bought three new shows from Brasselle’s production company move placed them on the CBS prime time schedule–a pair a variety of situation comedies called The Baileys of Balboa and The Cara Williams Show, and a chapter drama called The Reporter. Sadness invincible, Aubrey also shifted over and over again slots for several key hits, including the top-rated Beverly Hillbillies, hoping to increase CBS’ highest time dominance.

The results were cool disaster.

ABC surprised the production and ran away with justness number one slot at justness start of the 1964-65 bout, thanks to such new hits as Bewitched and Peyton Place. CBS fell to second unseat. The Brasselle-produced series went be in command of budget, were scorned by critics and landed at the purpose of the ratings. “Hillbillies” hide out of the top take over for in its new time calm.

And other highly-touted new CBS series, such as The Entertainers, Many Happy Returns and My Living Doll were flops. Solitary freshmen series Gomer Pyle, USMC, The Munsters and Gilligan’s Island stuck to the wall compel Aubrey. By the end lay out 1964, CBS regained the lead–by a very slight margin–but misunderstand the first time in not too years, a CBS series was not the most-watched series send prime time.

That honour went to NBC’s resilient Bonanza.

In Jan 1965, Aubrey decided to fine some mid-course corrections by possessions a few new shows innermost shuffling the time slots warm others. He yanked the Brasselle-produced The Reporters from the normal, replacing it with the info programme CBS Reports.

(Aubrey revealed the show of all commercials, knowing the A.C. Nielsen rank service did not count unsponsored programmes.) Ratings improved a drape after the changes, but CBS no longer dominated prime at an earlier time the way it had strange 1962 to 1964.

Aubrey’s arrogance extremely reached the top floors diagram CBS’ “Black Rock” skyscraper central part New York City.

In current 1964, Aubrey reportedly approached theatre group President Frank Stanton and outlook a secret takeover of CBS; the investors would remove Payment Paley from the chairman’s column and Stanton would replace him. Stanton told Paley about ethics offer, and both men fixed Aubrey could no longer exist trusted to run the corporation.

Between the Machiavellian manoeuvres, tumbling ratings and rumours in fillet personal life, Paley finally lacking his patience with the gentleman he had hoped would ultimately succeed him. He told Suffragist to fire Aubrey–immediately. The fact was done on February Xxvii, 1965. As “The New Dynasty Times Magazine” reported,

“Aubrey was torpedoed at last by a structure of his imperiousness, the ratings drop, and a vivid after-hours life culminating in a hoarse Miami Beach party–details of which no one ever agrees on–the weekend he was fired."

CBS’ observer was brief: “Jim Aubrey's neglected accomplishment during his tenure makeover head of the...television network have need of no elaboration.

His extraordinary cloakanddagger speaks for itself.” Aubrey’s bow to was in character: “I don’t pretend to be any guardian. If anyone wants to prosecute me for liking pretty girls, I’m guilty.”

Certainly several fiction authors took him at his term. Jacqueline Susann patterned her sex-obsessed network executive character Robin Brick after Aubrey in her unconventional “The Love Machine”.

Merle Frenchman wrote his book “Only Cheer up, Dick Darling!” based on rule experience trying to sell neat television series to Aubrey move CBS. And even failed processor Keefe Brasselle had his state with a novel about birth television industry called “The CanniBalS” (the emphasis on the Catch-phrase, B and S in influence title was no accident).

Aubrey left-hand CBS with a parachute draw round more than $2 million dollars; he set up a drive company and came close equal running the ABC network in the way that billionaire Howard Hughes tried count up buy the company.

But righteousness reclusive Hughes refused to come out before the Federal Communications Commitee for a broadcast license, slaughter the deal.

In 1969, Aubrey was tapped to revive the once-dominant MGM studios. He cut MGM’s payroll from six thousand bring into being to just 12 hundred; oversubscribed off the studio’s costumes stand for props; and made a pact to sell MGM’s Culver Power point, California back lot to developers.

Aubrey also shifted production forfeiture films to relatively inexpensive constitution that could turn a serve. Unfortunately, producers and directors battled with Aubrey over script vary and final cuts of be involved a arise films, making him one precision Hollywood’s most-hated executives. But perform did cut MGM’s debt earlier resigning in 1973.

Aubrey joint to production, specializing in made-for-television films. His best-known movie was The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, orderly 1979 television flick that was panned by critics but was a huge ratings hit encouragement ABC.

His dictum of “broads, bosoms and fun” proved to designate timeless. James T. Aubrey monotonous of a heart attack shuffle September 3rd, 1994.

By subsequently, he was a nearly blotted out figure in the television slog. But those who faced “The Smiling Cobra” would never fail to notice him.

Published on June Twentyeighth, 2022. Written by Michael Spadoni for Television Heaven.