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Cosbyand Black Aftists: ls

Exposure Enough
Theirworklivens the sets, but their credits can'tbe found.

I t is a mixed blessing: Some of the I nation's most orominent black artI ists provide the paintings for the set
of The Cosby Show. Yet like black artists throughout history, they're given less than due credit, and little or no
money.

Look around the Huxtable household

and you'll see, at the behest of The Coz himself, reproductions of original works

0verlooking Bill Cosby and direcbr Jay Sandrich is tllis Wilsonl painting

Fwnnl

Procesrllon.

by such black painters as Oliver Johnson, Vamette Honeywood and the late
Ellis Wilson. Yet unlike the commercial

people what to put on their end-credits. That's the production company's deci-

requests for information about the

paintings. "Mr. Cosby's conscientious determination to help blaek artists brought a

illustrators who usually fulfill such

needs, these gallery-quality painters
usually receive no fee, and get no listing in the end-credits.

"That's the policy," explains

Cosby

sion." But, replies Caryn Mandabach, president of Carsey-Werner and Cosby's supervising executive, NBC only allows thirty seconds for the scroll: "That's not enough time to credit everybody." In any case, she says, a Carsey-Werner staffer named Kim

consciousness

that wasn't there

production designer Garvin Eddy. "The artist eitherloans us his or herwork and allows us to photograph and copy it, or sells us an inexpensive print. We can't afford either originals or the insurance

Tinsley now responds

to

before," notes Foxworth gratefully. No question that everyone's heart is in the right place, and that's good. So is giving cash or credit where cash or credit is
due.

viewer

Fneux Lovpcp

for them." As for the lack of on-screen credit, says Eddy, "Bill's and my feeling is that in exchange for the art, we're giving them exposure. If people like the stuf, they'llfind out who painted it." Brenda Joysmith, whose chiarscuro

Home Shopping Network The Deals Are Done, Now Make it Work
After disappointing Wall Street once, is HSN poised to please?
orget. about velour pantsuits. Nando DiFilippo Jr., exec. v.p. and general counsel of Home Shopping Network Inc., is explaining
his company's purchase of Mistix Corp.,

Mad,onna graces the -living-room set, isn't sure that's so. The exposwe, she says;"has been incredibly helpful," but "the mass audience doesn't know my work." She concedes that, "I'd love to have credit," but doesn't want to push. Not so Lorraine Foxworth, an agent for many of the artists whose work is used: "i've been fighting fo$credit," she says. "Ifthey have 15 artists, if they have 30 artists, they still should get

There are also pharmaceuticals,

cos-

metics and financial-services divisions plus a mail-order company. Last September it moved into a new, 188,000

credit. Even p.a.'s get credit." Her efforts have met with results else-

where: Honeywood, she says, is receiving credit for his artwork on Jimmy Walker's syndicated series. The Cosby Show's no-credit policy doesn't originate with NBC, says a net-

marketer of computerized reservation and ticketing systems: "We put a number on the screen and say, Call if you want tickets to the Springsteen concert in Sdn Diego. Mistix can get those tickets into your hands. So itls an important part ofour approach." Although it started out remaindering odd-lots on cable TV, HSN's aggressive acquisition program has made it a supplier as well. HSN this spring picked up The-Signature Group, marketers of
a

square foot studio and office center with equipment to handle more than 22,000 phone o4ders an hour.

Yet it has won few friends on Wall Street. Typical of HSN's trek: In March, after a meeting between analysts and CEO Roy Speer to discuss
company plans, HSN stock/ell by more

than a point.

DiFilippo blames HSN's troubles

work spokesperson. "NBC doesn't tell

insurance products and consumer clubs.

largely on telephone problems with carrier GTE that are now in litigation. But, he contends, "It's tough for the Street to evaluate us because we have a numCHANNELS /

MAY198s

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