Television: The Pirate Coast

Hollywood, where buccaneering has long been an art, is echoing with cries of piracy against the TV producers. Charged Movie Director George Sidney last week: “TV isn’t satisfied with exhuming old movies from the cemetery. Now it’s taking our children before they’re even born.”

Sidney, who is preparing to film Mackinlay Kantor’s Andersonville for Columbia Pictures, called in lawyers to see if there was a case against Climax for its production of The Trial of Captain Wirz, the Andersonville Jailer (TIME, July 8). Twentieth Century-Fox still seethed over Climax’ play The Dark Wall, which the studio thinks resembled its forthcoming Three Faces of Eve. The situation is so touchy that CBS rejected a script about Actress Jeanne Eagels for fear of enraging Columbia, whose Jeanne Eagels, starring Kim Novak, is awaiting release.

Protested a network spokesman: “We’re bound to get into the same areas some time. The same thing that sparks us sparks them. It’s not stealing.” Evidently it was just beginning to occur to some studios that television versions of forthcoming movies might not be altogether harmful. Warner, preparing a film biography of Helen Morgan, tried fiercely to keep The Helen Morgan Story off Playhouse 90, but admitted quietly last week that it will borrow the title for the film.