Experiment

When NBC put on last week's Spectacular (Sun. 7:30 p.m.), it was doing more than merely telecasting a British farce starring Rex Harrison as an inconstant lover in The Constant Husband. For the first time in history, TV was giving the premiere of a feature film before the movie had been shown in any U.S. theater. Nobody is sure yet exactly where the experiment will lead, but at least three groups had reason to be pleased that it was being tried: the producers (London Films) got $200,000 for allowing the new film to be telecast; the network made a profit by selling all the advertising space on the 90-minute show; the public had a first look at a new movie.

Moviegoers who pay to see The Constant Husband in a movie theater will still have an advantage: 20 minutes more of the picture and no commercials.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.